B+ Reviews

REVIEW: Crooked Hearts by Patricia Gaffney

REVIEW: Crooked Hearts by Patricia Gaffney

Dear Ms. Gaffney, Back when I was devouring your backlist, in my early days as a romance reader, I avoided Crooked Hearts at first. I had very rigid notions of what I liked and what I didn’t like, and “Western” and “humorous” were on my “do not like” list, as far as romance went. I was pretty(…)

REVIEW: I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

REVIEW: I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Dear Ms Kinsella, I’m sitting here shaking my head at the fact that I’ve some how, some way managed to have not read any of your books. Up til now that is. And this one I read with no blurb to lure me or lead me on. Just your rep and the fact that –(…)

REVIEW: Heat by R. Lee Smith

REVIEW: Heat by R. Lee Smith

Dear Ms. Smith, This book was not what I expected when I picked it up. In fact, I’d even venture so far as to offer a caption. Heat is probably the best independently published book I have read, and one of the best books I have read in a long while. It is also one(…)

REVIEWS: Master Class and SUBlime by Rachel Haimowitz

REVIEWS: Master Class and SUBlime by Rachel Haimowitz

Dear Ms. Haimowitz. I’ve been remiss in not reviewing these books. I recommended them in November, but then the end of the semester and the holidays and then the beginning of the semester and and and…caught up with me. But I’ve been dipping into them again and again through the last few months when I needed(…)

REVIEW: Fracture by Megan Miranda

REVIEW: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Dear Ms. Miranda, At first impression, your debut novel is a YA paranormal. It has a lot of the trappings. After a life-changing event, a girl develops unusual abilities. She has to choose between a couple guys. But I think applying that label and reducing it to those tropes does it an injustice. This is(…)

REVIEW: Her Rebel Heart by Shannon Farrington

REVIEW: Her Rebel Heart by Shannon Farrington

“There was a time when Julia Stanton’s fondest wish was to be Samuel Ward’s wife. But that was before the war. As pro-Confederacy sentiments clash with the Union troops occupying Baltimore, fear and suspicion turn friends to foes. Julia chooses the Confederacy…Samuel does not. And his decision is one she’s sure she’ll never forgive. Samuel(…)

REVIEW: Skirmish by Michelle West

REVIEW: Skirmish by Michelle West

Dear Ms. West, I love your books. Whether it’s under this pseudonym or Michelle Sagara, I make sure to read them all. It’s true that I find some more satisfying than others but I’ve never actually regretted picking any of them up. Given my growing disenchantment with the fantasy genre as a whole, this is(…)

REVIEW: Angelfall by Susan Ee

REVIEW: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Dear Ms. Ee: I am pretty sure I bought that at the recommendation of has_bookpushers on September 6, 2011, (according to my Kindle records).  But like many a book, it languished (or was lost) in my to be read pile.  Internet chatter about this book rose up and I pulled it out to read.  Okay,(…)

REVIEW: Ghost in the Machine by Barbara J. Hancock

REVIEW: Ghost in the Machine by Barbara J. Hancock

Dear Ms. Hancock, Your 88 page post-apocalyptic romance novella, Ghost in the Machine, published by Samhain, was unlike any other romance I’ve read before. As I was reading it, I kept thinking of movies like the original “Terminator” and “28 Days Later” – dark yet ultimately uplifting stories about human beings struggling to survive in(…)

REVIEW: Dark Soul Vol. 1 by Aleksandr Voinov

REVIEW: Dark Soul Vol. 1 by Aleksandr Voinov

Dear Mr. Voinov, With the exception of The Lion of Kent, which I enjoyed reading last year but which didn’t stick in my mind, I haven’t read your work (even though I’ve heard many good things about it). Your choice of settings and characters aren’t the type I usually seek out, but when I saw(…)

REVIEW: Claustrophobic Christmas by Ellie Marvel

REVIEW: Claustrophobic Christmas by Ellie Marvel

Dear Ms. Marvel, Why did I decide to try your novella? It sounded cute, it has a sorta Christmas-y theme, and …..well, that’s it, actually. Yes, I know it’s now after Christmas but it’s still the Holiday Season so I figure I’m still good. Right? Darcy Burkell and James Jones grew up together but both(…)

REVIEW:  Once Upon a Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare

REVIEW: Once Upon a Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare

Dear Ms. Dare, In the usual way of things, I am not a fan of the novella. Neither am I quite keen on the short story. I find both lacking in character, particularly in romance where that is the key to any relationship development. Neither the novella nor the short story offers an adequate length(…)

REVIEW: You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

REVIEW: You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

Dear Ms. Fallon: I am a romance reader and rarely read non fiction. While this collection of stories are fictional, they are loosely based on men and women that live in military bases probably across the world. I don’t doubt that these stories have been replayed a thousand times in the real lives of individuals(…)

REVIEW: G-A-Y series by Kim Dare

REVIEW: G-A-Y series by Kim Dare

Dear Ms. Dare. I’ve been intrigued by your writing for a while. Your tagline is “Kink, love, and a happy ending. Do you Dare?” which I think is incredibly cute. Honestly, though, I’ve been put off by your publishers (Total-e-Bound and Resplendence Publishing…who?) and by the fact that your series are quite so long (TWELVE(…)

REVIEW: Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

REVIEW: Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

Dear Ms. Dark, This was an especially difficult book to grade. After much reflection, I have decided to recommend it because of the strength of the prose and what, I believe, are the very engaging middle sections of the book. However, despite the fact that Ballantine is billing this book as a paranormal romance, I(…)