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mamabookowl's reviews
8 reviews
The Right Wrong Number by Katie Warren
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Katie Warren does a fantastic job with her MM romance, The Right Wrong Number.
We follow Julian, who is a young widower. Having recently lost his husband, he doesn't know if he can move on and love again. His best friend Nora convinces him to talk to his deceased husband to try to help him through his grief. Julian decides to text his husband's old phone number. He doesn't expect a reply, but he gets one and it's from a guy named Liam.
Liam is a ladies man. He likes women so much that while texting with Julian, it never occurs to him that he might be talking to a guy. Soon enough Liam is falling for Julian. They meet in person and Liam's feelings go haywire. Even after meeting Julian the man, Liam continues to have feelings for him. Is he gay, bisexual? He doesn't care, all he cares about is Julian.
The Right Wrong Number is a book that definitely hits all the feels. The reader experiences the grief that Julian is going through, as plain as if it were their own. This book is a must-read. It's a wonderful story no matter what kind of romance you're into, and I for one am glad to have another MM romance under my belt (double entendre intended).
A Life Unplanned by Caitriona Drexler
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A Life Unplanned by Caitriona Drexler is the perfect nerdy romance.
We are introduced to Sadie, who is in a long term relationship with her fiance Danny. But, despite her insistence that she loves him, she doesn't feel the spark anymore. They're together because it's comfortable. She finally breaks it off when she catches him cheating.
Sadie goes to NY Comic Con with her friends and ends up meeting the love of her life, Theo. He's absolutely perfect, and that Batman cosplay? Yes, please! However, behind that perfection is a dark family secret not even Theo is yet aware of.
If you're a nerd like me, you'll totally love this story. A Life Unplanned has heartache that we can all relate to in one way or another, but there's also so much joy and love it's almost contagious. You'll fall in love with Sadie and Theo almost instantly. Definitely pick up A Life Unplanned for your next read!
It All Started With a Peach by Sylvia Godwin
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
A cute, quaint read, It All Started With a Peach by Sylvia Godwin literally starts with a peach. Well, not literally, but the love between the main characters does.
Storm, named for her control of storms, comes from a family that comes off as strange. That's because they have powers, but we don't know more than that. Then there's Lucas, who apologetically comes from an uppity family. His mother can't stand Storm's family. She is constantly making snide comments, more often than not right to their faces.
Both Storm and Lucas head off to college (out of state and away from the drama that encompasses their families), and coincidentally end up at the same school.
Storm and Lucas bump into one another, and they share the whole, "What are you doing here?" conversation. One thing leads to another, and then there's peaches, math, and angry parents. Yes, you read that right.
It All Started With a Peach is a sweet, short read that will have you vying for Storm and Lucas' love, and possibly craving peaches. This book will be available on Amazon June 28, 2022.
Thicker Than Water by Laura Quinn
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Laura Quinn brings history, love, war, crime, and revenge all in the first book of her Cape May Trilogy: Thicker Than Water.
Taking place in Cape May, New Jersey between 1916 and 1918, with occasional visits to Philadelphia, Thicker Than Water follows the lives of brother and sister Danny and Shannon as well as cousins Hugh and Jennie. The four become very close. Hugh and Danny are best friends, which then leads to Danny and Jennie meeting and falling in love. However, they're not the only ones.
These four young people come from very different lifestyles. While Danny and Shannon struggle through life being poor, with an abusive father to boot, Hugh and Jennie are living the life of high society. Despite being from different walks of life, there is nothing but love, compassion, and support amongst these four characters.
Quinn did a fantastic job with making sure she had correct information. It's obvious she researched in order to describe the Cape May locales of the twentieth century, as well as historical events such as WWI and the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks.
This story was so beautifully written. I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. Thicker Than Water by Laura Quinn is available now on Amazon.
Enchanted Forests by Ben Lang, Donna White, N.D.T. Casale, Xander Cross, Alice Ivinya, Sky Sommers, Astrid V.J., Jennifer Kropf, Lyndsey Hall, Elena Shelest
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Enchanted Forests: A Magical Collection of Short Stories is an anthology of ten short stories by various authors, which I received as an advanced reader's copy. This collection has stories with various magical creatures, locations, and cultures, but the one thing each story has in common is there's always a magical forest.
I was incredibly excited to be a part of this pre-release book tour, because not only is this anthology filled with beautiful stories, but it was written for a great cause. All proceeds will go to the Rainforest Foundation to help with their work in rainforest conservation.
The stories in Enchanted Forests are original, and opened my eyes to the possibilities of how a forest can be present in a story. Each forest is alive with such rich culture, fauna, and diverse inhabitants.
Enchanted Forests: A Magical Collection of Short Stories will be available on Amazon on July 1, 2022. Get your copy and help out our rainforests.
The Head, The Heart, and The Heir by Alice Hanov
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Need an exceptional book for your next read? How about The Head, the Heart, and the Heir by Alice Hanov?
Alex has spent the last twelve years in the woods, getting dirty, hunting, and sparring with the guys. She has also been hiding. You see, Alex is actually Elizabeth, the princess of Warren. When she was a child she witnessed her mother being murdered by her grandfather. Alex had to leave the kingdom before he killed her as well.
After the death of Alex's grandfather King Arthur, the royal Prince Aaron of Datten and his men are sent by Alex's father to find her. Once she is found, Alex is taken back to her kingdom to learn to be a princess.
But King Arthur wasn't the only threat to Alex. Alex's uncle (her mother's brother) is a super powerful sorcerer. He uses Alex to get to some magical journals that belonged to Alex's mother, books Alex needs in order to wield her own powers.
In the end, well I guess you'll have to read it to find out.