Let's Review

As usual, I am a reading fool who will read and read and read some more.  One would think "How the heck does she get anything done around her house with 2 kids, a hubby, and writing when all she ever talks about is whats she's read lately?".

The truth is nothing gets done around here.  The kids have been trained taught how to do help with the laundry, make their own cereal for breakfast, get showered, get dressed and make their beds (which they do as often as I do, so we will call that one a draw).  And this past weekend my oldest laughed with glee when I let him vacuum.  Yes vacuum.  Not winning the Mother of The Year Award this year here, but really, he is learning valuable skills that will someday make him a great catch for one lucky lady!! Anyway, I digress... again...

While starting to write this post I was having a hard time remembering all that I've read in the last 12 days since I last blogged about my recent reads.  So I've come up with a semi-plausible solution....  Review on Amazon what I read as I read it.  Then I can log into Amazon and see what I've reviewed recently thus keeping track of what I've read recently.  I should also say that I read a lot of the same genres that I like to write, so you will notice romances, and fantasy fiction and novellas of any genre are the tops of my lists, but I love general fiction/novels as well.  Plus, I'm a huge fan of the free-kindle download list on Amazon.com so I also read a bunch of freebies as they pop up.  It should also be mentioned that my Momma taught me the age-old adage that "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," but I wasn't always such a good listener.  So, most of my reviews will try to have something positive to say in them even if I really disliked the book.  With that being said, let's review my version of the 5 star system...

5 stars = Not only did I really enjoy/love this book, I'd recommend it to all of my friends.  OFTEN.
4 stars = It was a good read, I enjoyed it and I might mention it to a friend or two if I can  remember it's title
3 stars = So-so read.  Unlikely to recommend, but might give the author a second chance if I liked their style of writing
2 stars = Didn't enjoy or it didn't catch my attention.  Likely to not read another selection from the same author
1 star = Gosh, hard to imagine a 1 star book, but I know I've read some over the years....  and those I promptly forget having read, either because the writing/editing was bad/poorly done/unprofessional and the storyline was flat and uninteresting.

Having put all that out there, I choose to read a lot of books that are self-published as well as traditionally published books.  The self-published books, I enjoy for reasons that I find hard to explain.  Maybe it's because I can relate to the author's choice to self-publish.  Maybe it's because I know how hard it is to be brave and put your work out there for anyone to read.  Maybe it's because I can see myself doing it in the future.

Anyway, when I link to books hers on either Amazon or the author's website, I'll put my star rating next to it that corresponds with my Amazon review.  :-)  Enjoy!


Wallflower In Bloom by Claire Cook - 5 stars Amazing read!  (If the name doesn't ring a bell, it should because Claire Cook has also written Must Love Dogs and Seven Year Switch. )  Let me start by saying,  I loved this book.  And I don't ever watch DWTS.  Although maybe I will give it a try after reading this...  Funny, heartwarming and a great reminder that finding oneself means that you sometimes have to get out of your own head and just live life!  Definitely read this!!

Destiny Wears Spurs by Kari Lee Harmon - 5 stars  I was lucky enough to snag this book when it was running free as a promotion on Amazon (kindle), but would seriously pay the $3.99 asking price (or more even).  It was funny with a hunky cowboy who didn't want to fall in love with another city-slicker girl, but really he NEVER stood a chance!

Already Home by Vicki Lewis Thompson - 5 stars I know people on Amazon were a little harsh with their reviews on this one, but it was a novella.  A short.  Which means it's short, so a lot happens in a little amount of time.  I happen to love novellas.  I love reading them as much as I love writing them.  As a reader though, it gives me a great story that I can fit into a little bit of spare time.  So anything I can read in an hour or so, I totally dig especially if it's fun.  As for Already Home, I'm sure plenty of people can relate to the one person from 'back then' that they had a secret crush on.  For all those people, this book was written.  Plain and simple.

Lust, Money and Murder Book 1 by Mike Wells - 4 stars I will say that I have purchased the second and third books in this series but have yet to read them.  Book 1 grabbed me from the first few pages and it was a quick read.  I started the second book, but only got about 2 pages in.  Then I moved on to finish something else I was reading, so I'll review it separately.

Marriage By Mistake by Alyssa Kress - 4 stars Currently free on Amazon kindle and a cute read.  Had a bit of the Pretty Woman vibe to it, but fun in it's own right.  I'd mention it to a friend.

As for what I'll be reading next, here's some of the upcoming books, but these don't account for the over 200 on my kindle waiting for my attention...

But if there is something you have read and want to recommend, e-mail me or comment here letting me know, title and author and I'll add it to my list!