#499 ~ My Highland Lord

My Highland Lord by Tarah Scott

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book three in the 'Gentlemen Always Play Fair' Box Set Compilation.




Peppered with errors, showing fairly low production values.

Quite frankly boring, and at points in danger of getting 'DNF'. Rather than better the books in the set seem to be getting worse. So far I can find no merit, and I really wish I could. Still, literature is subjective and it is impossible to please everybody, sometimes that undefinable spark is missing.

Rating for this book 2 stars, and as mentioned in previous posts, I will given an overall rating for the whole box set.


Third book in the 'Gentleman Always Play Fair Box Set (from location 10575 to 16316)


Location 10835: '... his waistband at it his back...'

Location 11171: '...she could taste the saddle soap he had washed with that morning'.  Saddle soap is something for cleaning tack, not for a Gentleman to wash with.

Location 11306:  '... this was just the sort of information she was obliged to investigation.'

Location 15023: 'She jammed her forced between her breasts pressed and his chest.' ?

Location 15467:  'Her dear husband was holded up in a brothel.' - huh?

Location 15570:  'A soft moan emanate from her throat.' - emanated.

Location 16043: '... maximum amount damage.' - amount of.


Location 16083: '...where she and Kiernan were staying were staying she'd ...'


As mentioned before, for this box set I will rate each book and then give an overall rating for the whole set.

Happy reading.

Kay 




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#498 ~ My Lady, The Spy

My Lady, The Spy by Barbara Devlin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Fourth book in the 'Gentleman Always Play Fair' Box Set (location 16322 to 21971), although as mentioned before I will be doing separate reviews and rating, and then at the end give the whole box set a rating based on sum of its parts.

The other two books so far in the box set scored three stars overall, which was judged on the usual, plot, pace, characterisation and also errors and highlights (sadly no highlights for either of them, or this one).

I have struggled how many stars overall to give this one based on the same criteria, given that there were not many errors it came out nearer a 3 star than 2, and thus I think I will generously go with the 3 stars. There wasn't too much else to say about it I'm afraid, it was not good, but neither was it truly terrible. Simply it suffered from the usual malaise of American grammar and a feeling of not enough true research to engender a truly authentic historical novel for that period. I am, however, quite hard to please, and others may love it and not be so bogged down with detail. It seems the more I study the subject of Creative Writing, the harder it is to please me.


Errors/Bug Bears/Highlights:

No highlights, and as you can see above general moaning about a feel of authenticity, i.e. 'entryway' (location 16796) and 'sidewalks' (location 17040).

Errors:

Location 16537:  'kept the miniature next to his.' - missing bit?

Location 17632: 'Just when things were getting interesting, she was relegated to the position of hall monitor.' - I rest much case about authenticity of language or phrase for historical novels, especially ones centred around England.

Location 17903: 'Well, that is just swell dandy fine.' - see comment above and insert derisive snort.

Location 20437: 'rested a shoulder on the sidewall ...' - oh dear, oh dear, oh dear what would be wrong with just 'leant against the wall wit a furrowed brow'?

As mentioned in the previous posts, I will rate each book separately and then given an overall rating to the box set at the end.

Happy reading.

Kay xoxox









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#497 ~ Highlander in Her Bed

Highlander In Her Bed by Allie Mackay

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second book in the Kindle Unlimited Box Set 'Gentleman Always Play Fair' (locations in the box set are 4414 to 10567).

The story started quite well with an attempt at humour, but failed to add up to anything substantial.  It simply did not gel I am afraid, in fact I would go so far as to say that the pace of the plot was on the slow side.

Unfortunately gaining no more stars that its already reviewed counterpart (for the same reasons) and also a few errors. I looked hard, but could not come up with any highlights.



Errors/Bug Bears and no highlights:

Location 4759: 'dash the flew blocks.'  ARGGGH blocks, we do not have 'blocks' and it is most definitely not correct in novel about England - lack of bloody research.  This is one step down from 'gotten'.

Location 9649: 'done by a highly talent artist.' - talented.

As mentioned in my previous post, I will rate each book and then give an overall rating at the end.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay 
xoxo

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#496 ~ My Lord Wicked

My Lord Wicked by Cheryl Bolen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Purchased as Kindle Unlimited as a Box Set Compilation: 'Gentlemen Always Play Fair'. In the box set it is location to 4404.

This is the first in that set, and I am hoping that the remainder of them will be more interesting and less predictable and Americanised attempt an an historical romantic novel - granted, it's not the worst one I've read, but it was far from the best either.

There were several errors, and the usual lack of conjunctions, I knocked off a star from its ultimate rating beause of this.

As usual, the errors/bug bears, and in this case no highlights are:-

Location 1428:  'I have come to gt your permission have Bay Lady saddled'

Location 2212: 'She slid her feet to the steps and count.' 

Location 2954:  ' ... to lep from he sofa and trot over to the window, where he leaped upon it sill.'

Location 2998: '... Morton while his brother played at host.'

Location 3102:  '... him being the head of the family and all.' [insert snot of derision here!]

Location 3571:  '... he wrote him.' [insert further snort]

Location 3733: '... and gladly took the drank he offered.'

Location 4034: 'Never had he sullied the memory of the lovely blond with the dancing the blue eyes.'


I will do a separate review for the other books in the box set.  Each will get a star rating, and then at the end I will also rate the entire box set.

Happy reading.

Kay


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#495 ~ Runaway Summer

Runaway Summer by Ruth Saberton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#Book 1 in the Series





When I mention something is a 'slow burner' that is not necessarily a derogatory term as far as I am concerned, and this book proved to be a slow burner of the decent type classification.

No surprises, to going the phrase of a well known advert, 'it does what it says on the tin', and I would class as a no-strings attached holiday or wet Sunday afternoon read that is pleasant and unassuming. I enjoyed, and will read the other books in the series, because I am a nosy cow, not because it was some huge piece of writing with major plot twists woven through it.

The production values seemed very high indeed, and I found no mistakes - trust me when I say I look quite hard for them!

Purchase Details:

Amazon Kindle Unlimited purchase for me, but it's available HERE.  At the time of writing this post the Kindle price is £2.99, having been reduced from £9.99 (that's quite steep).


Hugs

Kay 

xoxox




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#494 ~ The Color of Secrets

The Color of Secrets by Lindsay Ashford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found it to be well-written and seemed to have an authentic resonance to it, which is usually generated by skill of the author coupled with sound research.

Although enjoyable, it scored a four with me, and for the life of me I can't put my finger on why it just did not reach a five rating - it could be that the more I read, the more harsh my opinion of them is.

Please, please don't be put off by it's lack of a further star ... it is good, well-written and enjoyable offering, but just not quite there for my own personal taste to get the fully whammy of marks.

The production values seemed sound too, and as I didn't highlight any notes, there are no errors/bug bears etc to be detailed here.

Purchase details

Like most of the books reviewed recently, this was purchased/borrowed as part of the Kindle Unlimited deal.  You can find a copy of the book HERE.  Although at £3.49 (at the time of preparing this post) it's a reasonably priced book.


Hugs

Kay



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#493- Letting in Light

Letting In Light by Emma Davies

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I could rate it higher than five stars I would. It was the most beautifully written and carefully crafted story.

Emma Davies is an amazing author, weaving characters and setting into an evocative and compelling tapestry of the finest quality.

Setting the journey of the characters perfectly into a sinuous curve of well placed narrative with impeccable timing and pace.

Definitely an editor's pick for this year, and highly recommended.

Purchased as part of my Kindle Unlimited package on Amazon HERE, and read in one day as I couldn't put it down!



Highlights / Errors / Bug Bears:

No errors or bug bears, this was a piece of work with incredibly high production values.

A highlight:  'Room on the Broom' was mentioned.  Anybody who does that is a superb human-being.  It might of been the bedtime reading choice of my kids, but it was mine.

Author's website.


Happy reading.

Kay


xxooxx





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#492 ~ A Man Above Reproach

A Man Above Reproach by Evelyn Pryce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I borrowed this as a Kindle Unlimited book, and luckily it came along with a free audio file.

Whilst it had all the constitute parts, they failed to make a really interesting and completely satisfying whole. I am not sure why that was the case, now matter how much I think about it. Mediocre is the best way to describe this offering.

The inevitable 'gotten' made an appearance (something that I abhor) and it felt like a few inconsistencies: can somebody who will inherit a Marquisate have an elder brother?

On balance I can't award it more than a 3 star rating ... even though I would like to have been more generous.

Hugs

Kay

xxooxx


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#491 ~ The Art of Letting Go

The Art of Letting Go by Chloe Banks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book, the first I have read by Chloe Banks, was on the shortlist for the People's Book Prize in 2015, and when I first started reading for about a chapter I did wonder why.

It was a slow-burn read told from the perspective of several chapters in alternating sections, there was also a nicely done epistolary element between one of the main characters and her long-time friend - I liked the imagination of the author in mixing up the delivery a bit.

There were no major plot twists and turns, rather it meandered along at a nice clip. It wasn't seat of the pants reading, but it was enjoyable and highly recommended with somewhere between the lower end of 4 and 5 stars.

I purchased mine with Amazon Kindle Unlimited.  Details HERE.


Errors/Bug Bears/Highlights:

The production value was really quite good, with only one mistake that I noticed:

Page 53:  'in the pub like nay normal person ...' - probably should be 'any'.


Hugs

Kay

xxooxx



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#490 - In the Light of What We See

In the Light of What We See by Sarah Painter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found it to be fairly slowed paced, but please don't take that as a criticism - sometimes a meander is just as satisfying as a fast-paced adventure.

Without giving any spoilers, it's a two stranded book with a contemporary and historical (pre-WWII) flip between chapters and there is a paranormal element to add a little texture.

I like the cut of this author's jib - whilst this was a good read - it was a little safe. I am fairly confident that she could really turn up the gas to produce something truly outstanding.

As I am a Kindle Unlimited Member on Amazon I got this free, you can get hold a copy HERE.


Highlights: 

Page 67 - 'Okay.  Now I knew I would have to get better, so that I could kick him in the nuts.' 


Bug Bear/Error:

A really goo quality production for this, with just one error I spotted at Page 171 'aggrieved tone he often used.' - I think it should have been 'she'.


Hugs

Kay

#489 ~ The Towers of Tuscany

The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first time that I have read anything by this author, but I am so glad I decided to try it.

We'll leave the ending aside for now (I don't want to add any spoilers), and instead will just discuss the overall standard of penmanship - it was simply outstanding, beguiling and beautiful. I wouldn't say it can be described as a romance, but it is romantic ... in the end I classified it as a saga, as it has all the possible elements for it to be such a thing.

The ending, for me, was completely different from the picture that I had been building in my head, but thinking about it now it completely fits.

It's difficult to get a 5 Star plus rating out of me - this book has achieved it.


Purchased as part of my Kindle Unlimited Bundle, you can see it on Amazon HERE.

High quality production with no errors, which is always impressive.


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#488 ~ No-One Ever Has Sex in the Suburbs

No-One Ever Has Sex in the Suburbs by Tracy Bloom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is not too much to say about this book really, other than ... it was simply brilliant.

Tracy has a masterful use of dialogue which is set within perfect comic timing and incite.

I loved it, and now I'm off to play the Artic Monkeys very loud, very loud indeed.

As usual I purchased this through the Kindle Unlimited package, but you can pick up a copy HERE.

As a footnote, I thought I would mention that the production values on this were very high, and it is a quality piece of work from whichever way you look at it.

Hugs and Happy Reading
xoxox





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#487 ~ Four Christmases

Four Christmases by Loretta Livingstone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well constructed short stories; two with a religious theme.

They were nicely done - after studying A215 Creative Writing Module at University, I know how difficult it is to achieve a short story ... it is way harder than most people would assume.


I purchased my copy through Kindle Unlimited, you can find it HERE on Amazon.

Hugs and Happy Reading.


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#486 ~ Ghost Gifts

Ghost Gifts by Laura Spinella

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extraordinarily good, with really decently constructed characters.

I particularly like the modest pace and texture in the plot that kept me engaged and surprised by the plot twist.

I would certainly read Ms Spinella again.

The text only held two errors, which is a bonus, I like my books to have high production values.

Errors/Bug Bears:

Page 129:  'piss in his country-issue boots in heartbeat' - missing an 'a' there I believe.

Page 226:  'Pa said that all time'. - missing 'the'.

Purchase Details:

Another Kindle Unlimited book for me - this is such a brilliant option for somebody that reads a lot, but doesn't mind being restricted by the choices available.  At the moment I am pretty much sticking to it exclusively as I have limited recreational reading time, but will start buying more books when I have some more time University modules.

I got my copy HERE.  If you don't have the option to get a copy with Unlimited, at the time of publishing this the Kindle file was £3.98.

Happy reading.

Hugs


xoxo


Bibliography:

Spinella, L (1 March 2016), 'Ghost Gifts' published by Mortlake Romance on Amazon UK.




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#485 ~ Treasured by Thursday

Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#7 of Weekday Brides Series



More of the same from Catherine Bybee - she is a good solid author, and it is nice sometimes to have a no surprises read; she is at what I would classify as holiday reading.

I borrowed this (along with all the series on Kindle Unlimited), but unlike all of the six books this one did not have the accompanying audio file. Very frustrating, and I don't understand why they would offer 6 out of 7 with audio format and leaving the concluding book in the series hanging high and dry without it - it's a problem specific to me I know, but still Amazon, why?

You can get a copy of this book HERE

Happy reading.

Hugs

xxoxo



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#484 ~ Not Quite Dating

Not Quite Dating by Catherine Bybee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#1 Not Quite Series



Having worked my way through most of this author's Weekday Bride series, I thought I would try another one from a different one of her series.

This author does what it says on the tin, contemporary romance, but in such a delightful way the reader tends to forget that they are follow a formula. That's not necessarily a bad thing, an it is probably more noticeable if you read several in a row.

That having been said, I loved it and rated it a 4, based on the audio file I listened to rather than the written text as it was free with my Kindle Unlimited Download.  You can get a copy of the book HERE.

Hugs


xoxox

#483 ~ Seduced by Sunday

Seduced by Sunday by Catherine Bybee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book #6 in the Weekday Bride Series




Just because I find Ms Bybee's work a little formulaic, does not mean that I do not absolutely love them - because I do love them!

I do realise that I've been pushing the envelope by going for it, and reading (listening in this case) to the whole series over one week though, and it isn't really to be recommended. Maximum enjoyment is reached if you spread them out a bit. Still, one more in this series to go.

Get a copy HERE.

#482 ~ Taken by Tuesday

Taken by Tuesday by Catherine Bybee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book #5 of the Weekday Bride Series



Still happy to report that this series continues to be enjoyable. However, I have come to realise that she uses stock phrases spread across the series, such as 'poster child for ...' - although this is probably not that noticeable unless you read them in a straight run.

Again, I listened rather than read this as I got a free audio file with the Kindle Unlimited download.

Get you copy HERE.

Hugs

Kay

#481 ~ Single by Saturday

Single by Saturday by Catherine Bybee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#4 Book from the Weekday Bride Series




More of the same quality from this author, but with this being book 4 on the trot I did come to realise that it is some what formulaic - not that there is anything wrong with that! An entertaining read is, when all is said and done an entertaining read.

I read - or in my case listened to it - when recovering from a nasty bout of flu, and it made my load a little lighter. The fact that it came with a free audible file was a real bonus as I couldn't hold my little weak arms up.

You can pick up a copy HERE.

#480 ~ Fiance by Friday

Fiancé by Friday by Catherine Bybee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#Book 3 of Weekday Brides Series




I actually listened to this as a free audible file that came with the Kindle Unlimited book.

With a nasty case of Man flu at the time it helped sooth the pain ... girls it's true man flu is far so more serious than any normal strain!

Although this kind if brash American chic lit that I would avoid ... full of 'gotten' etcetera ... I really like her literary voice and style.

You can pick up a copy HERE.