Review Catch Up

These are going to be short reviews but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy these books. I’ve just been very busy. 

http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Grant-Madame-Jennifer-Chiaverini-ebook/dp/B00SA4ZU94/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427855209&sr=1-1&keywords=mrs.+grant+and+madame+jule

Mrs. Grant and Madame Juke by Jennifer Chiaverini was a masterfully written story. Definitely five out of five stars. 

First of all, I just loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival, but Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule was even better. I fell in love with the characters. I like to immerse myself in the history and the time period and the author made that very easy to do. Grant is not a President I know much about. He was brought to life within the pages of this book. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, particularly Civil War era fiction. I can’t wait for the next book by Chiaverini. 

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Hot-Lovers-Contemporary-Top-Selling-ebook/dp/B00UBC3IBA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427855669&sr=1-1&keywords=red+hot+lovers+%28an+anthology+of

Their Second Chance by Milly Taiden was a typical romance novel with erotica thrown into the mix. I prefer not to be given every detail in sex scenes. My imagination works just fine. I gave this four stars but it may be that I don’t read books like this often. 

Forever Sheltered by Deanna Roy was another typical romance, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was different even though I can’t quite put my finger on why. There was still probably more description in the sex scenes than I need. I liked that the story was told by Dr. Darion Marks and also by Tina, the art therapist. Using both points of view was used well in this story. This book got a five out of five stars. 

http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Harlan-Coben-ebook/dp/B00NMPN46W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427856525&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Stranger

I gave The Stranger five out of five stars. The book started a bit slowly at first, but once it wrapped around my mind and pulled me in, it seemed to alternately move too quickly and too slowly. I had trouble putting this book down. The twists and turns are exactly what I’ve come to expect from Coben. And I wasn’t disappointed. I lost myself in reading this book. I wanted to know what was going to happen, but then when the author revealed the next piece of the puzzle, I wished the book would slow down.  

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes Review

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+girl+you+left+behind&sprefix=The+girl+you+%2Caps%2C407
I thought I was going to read a light romance when I started this book. Instead I read what I would call a historical fiction book. Amazon shows this to be historical romance. Either way, it was a very good book.

The book had two stories that were dependent on each other. While it may have been a touch predictable, it certainly was still riveting. I was drawn into the life of Sophie. I wanted to hold her hand and tell her it would be okay.

Liv was a very different character. But her story was also quite engaging.

I fell in love with these women and their lives. They were both strong, determined and optimistic in their own way.

The only thing about the book I struggled with was the transition into Part a Two. I thought it seemed slow and uninteresting. That lasted less than a chapter though.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical novels. Five out of five stars.

Red Clay and Roses Review

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Clay-Roses-S-K-Nicholls-ebook/dp/B00C2CNWGS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388973957&sr=8-2&keywords=red+clay+and+roses

Snowed in? Looking for a good book to read? You should download Red Clay and Roses.

I loved this book. The word pictures were so well done that I felt like I not only knew the characters, but I have mental images of them. Historical fiction can be ho hum or it can be as if you are living it. The author did a great job of inviting the reader to live it with her. I thought the book started a bit slow…maybe not so much slow, but it seemed much of the very beginning was unnecessary. (Note: I believe this may have been changed when it was edited). Of course, once I finished the book, I saw it all tie together.

I highly recommend this book. It was an easy read…and engaging read. I can’t wait to read more by the author. I gave this book five out of five stars.

I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter Review

http://www.amazon.com/Am-Rembrandts-Daughter-Lynn-Cullen-ebook/dp/B004YJX1IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1388893983&sr=1-1&keywords=i+am+rembrandt%27s+daughter

This was a very good historical fiction. I learned to love the characters. Cornelia alternates between her five year old self and her fourteen year old self. Both are important. There is some mystery with not knowing who everyone is and the role they play. But it all ties together in the end.

I have to be honest, I bought this book to read based on how much I loved Mrs. Poe. I did not love this book as much. It seemed to be drier. But not dull. I applaud the author for being able to write this book with the Dutch influence in language. That gave the book the authenticity.

If you like the art world or historical fiction or are just looking for a good read, then I recommend you read this book.