Fondest felicitations, fiction fans! Forgive the EFF-ervescent greeting; It felt fitting for this first of my Fast Five Review Roundups—a fresh feature post I’ve formulated for 2018.
Phew! Anyone else feel the need to wipe down their screen after all those ‘f’s? 😉 But it’s true. From the beginning of 2018, I’ve decided to introduce a new type of post once or twice a month that I’m calling ‘Fast Five Review Roundup’. This is partly to discipline myself to write shorter reviews so that I can write more reviews (because they’re SO important to authors, and short and sweet is SO not my strength), but also so that I can share more great books with all my reader friends.
Most of the time, the books you find in these Fast Five Review Roundups WON’T be new releases. They’ll be books that I’ve had sitting around on my TBR pile or books that have suddenly grabbed my attention for some reason. And so without further ado, I present my very first Fast Five Review Roundup!
If you want to know more about any of these titles, click on the cover or one of the links* at the bottom of each review.
* Amazon links are affiliate links. For full disclosure please click here.
Review #1 ~ On Love’s Gentle Shore (Liz Johnson)
She whispered, “You were my answer to prayer when I was five. You’re my answer to prayer now.”
The backs of his eyes prickled like he might start crying, and he grasped for a joke, anything to lighten the mood, but all he could think about were her words. “I think you’re mine too.”
Review #2 ~ One Plus One Equals Trouble (Sondra Kraak)
“You know, if we were students, I’d do this until you looked at me.” He kicked her under the table. Over and over again.
“If we were students, I’d tattle on you.”
He kept kicking her. She moved to stand, but he hooked his leg around hers. Her gaze snapped to his. “Barrett Clark—”
“Made you look.”
Her lips trembled, forming a smile despite the way she clamped her jaw.
Review #3 ~ A Moonbow Night (Laura Frantz)
Frantz’s writing is a delight to read, perfectly matched to the era she’s depicting, and she takes the time to build her story, layer by layer, drawing you further and further into its world. The relationship that grows between Sion and Tempe is my favourite for this kind of novel: subtle, but ever deepening and enduring.
* I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Aye, something new had bloomed between her and Sion, only Tempe couldn’t quite lay a finger to it. It was nothing spoken, for he seemed more taciturn than ever, igniting her impatience. ‘Twas the unspoken that befuddled and lured her like a bee to a blossom. She was all too aware of him, all too conscious of that overwhelming pull betwixt them.
Review #4 ~ The Engagement Plot (Krista Phillips)
I think there were two main reasons for that. The first was the pretend engagement, and the second was the way these characters dealt with being wronged. In the case of the former, rather than entering into that kind of a public deception, I would have liked to see the story explore how things would have proceeded had Hanna stuck to her guns and refused the pretend engagement. In the case of the latter, these characters seemed to struggle with holding grudges—at times I felt like Hanna was even reminding herself to hold a grudge (to try and stop her heart from becoming attached again).
To be fair, both of these aspects may have been deliberate on the part of the author in order to show that, no matter how much we stuff up, God can still use us. Hanna’s best friend Carly makes this point, and also the point about a soft answer turning away wrath, towards the end of the book. It’s true, and I can appreciate what the author was trying to illustrate; I just don’t think this was the story for me.
* I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
“You had a lot of good intentions going into The Price of Love regardless of how wise or unwise it was. You totally maintained your witness, despite what some people might say, even if you weren’t always perfect along the way. But I think maybe where you went wrong was hiding when the pressure got high. You got scared and snuffed out your light so no one would look at you and hurt you anymore. You gave them the power to would you instead of seeking the One who had the power to rescue you.”
Review #5 ~ Ashes in the Wind (Peggy Levesque)
I did find it confusing early on trying to keep some of the names straight in my head, particularly before I was certain which of the good guys were really good guys—names like Ferraro and Navarro, Alvarez and Alonzo kind of blended together. There were also many different point of view characters, including several secondary characters. Sometimes I thought they added to the story, but at other times I thought it made the story seem a little cluttered. And there was one particular editorial point that bugged me endlessly—missing commas after beginning a sentence with a dependent clause!
But all that being said, this book kept me engaged and turning the pages to find out how it all ended. And although it was definitely not the focus of the story, the little thread of romance between Sara and Mac was a nice addition.
“Sorry to hit you with a double whammy, buddy, but I’ve got bad news of my own.”
Mac straightened at the warning in BJ’s voice. “What’s up?”
“Sara left the house, and I’ve been following her like you asked.”
“And?”
“She’s got another tail besides me.”
Oh, I like the short format and the fast and furious review of five books 🙂
I’ve read one, have one to read soon, have been dying to read another on the list, and discovered two new books!
Yay! Glad you like it. 🙂
I really like this idea!!! 😊
Your reviews here are great. I love the bite-size review. It grabs my attention and I get to see more authors. I like that you reviewed different genres too.
Great feedback. Thanks!
I love this idea, Katie! Personally, I prefer shorter reviews, although I usually read the longer ones if they’re written by my besties (yes, you!). On Amazon or Goodreads, I usually will read the ones that are only 1 or 2 paragraphs and skip the longer ones. I’ve read 2 of these and have 2 others on my TBR list.
Aww. I’m honoured. ❤️ Meanwhile, I’m the opposite. I always go for the long reviews first!
This is great! Good content quick! Super idea!
Thanks. Glad everyone seems to like it!
love this post idea!
Yay! As you can see, I’m still working on the whole ‘shorter’ aspect! 😂
LOL!!
I really liked reading these shorter reviews. I’ll probably add a few I haven’t heard of onto my TBR, like One Plus One Equals Trouble Even though I don’t gravitate to historical, I loved that excerpt and want to give it a try. I’ve been anxious to read The Engagement Plot and your review was very interesting. I’m not sure if this a fair comparison because I haven’t read The Engagement Plot yet, but the part about the heroine (Hanna) reminding herself to hold a grudge against the hero (I assume) reminds me of my recent read, Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade. I adored Meant to be Mine and totally understood when the heroine in this book had to put up walls and defenses because of the breach of trust she had with the hero. I wonder if this situation is kinda similar. Anyways, I’m just eager to read it and get my take on the story.
That’s an interesting comparison, because I actually loved Meant to Be Mine. I can totally understand someone having to remind themselves not to let themselves be taken in again, and I guess that aspect is the same in both stories. I think it comes down to the character’s attitude and the way they do it, though, eg are they being driven by self-preservation or anger, andI think that’s where I found ‘The Engagement Plot’ wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Maybe I’ll have to read them both again and do a comparison! Hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to read it. 🙂
Lucky me, finding your reviews as you introduce your new Fast-Five. I like the format and it gives me enough info to decide if a book is for me, And that’s interesting, because I’ve been doing as you apparently have ~ long, glowing, deep, food for thought reviews. I’m glad to hear you loved A Moonbow Night. One of my faves for 2017. I’m nearly finished Laura’s new one, The Lacemaker. Wonderful! Sure to be an enjoyable read for you.
So glad you found my little nook in cyberspace. 🙂 The Lacemaker is definitely on my TBR!