Tag: kindle unlimited

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Ella’s Twisted Senior Year

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Ella’s Twisted Senior Year
Author: Amy Sparling
Published May 31, 2016 (Kindle Unlimited Edition)
Grade: C

I was a bit disappointed in this novel, to be honest.  While it wasn’t a horrible read, and seems good for younger readers who like romance (no sex scenes, and it is about 16 year olds), It didn’t really stand up to my expectations.

Given the title, I thought the focus would be on Ella.  Ella at the start of the book has just lost her home and pretty much all of her belongings (bar those on her person,in her car, and a few things they find in the rubble) due to a tornado.  I expected a good portion of the book to be her dealing with her emotions about that, about how that effects her schooling and her plans.  However, while it is somewhat touched, most of the story goes to two other plot points.  You also expect the main plot to be Ethan and Ella realising their feelings for one another and their changing relationship, but that is more B plot (C plot being the Tornado).  No, the main plot seems to be Ella’s fight with Ethan’s ex-girlfriend who has become a cyber bully due to Ethan breaking up with her right before prom.

Way too much of this story revolves around two girls fighting over a guy.  And the end when the one girl aplogisizes seems out of the blue, and I don’t like the premise that alot of teenage girls crack under the pressure of not having a prom date and become bullies.

 

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: In Twenty Years

Posted on by sokorra

Title: In Twenty Years: A Novel
Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Publication Date:  July 1, 2016 (Kindle Unlimited Copy)
Grade:  C

I found this book enjoyable yet…non climatic.  It tells the story of the reunion of five friends who were best friends back in college, but have since drifted away due to a variety of reasons.  They are reuniting due to a request from the sixth member of their group, who passed away 13 years ago.  She had set it up that on her fortieth birthday they would all return to the house they had lived in as college students and read letters they had written themselves back when they were graduating.

Most of this book is pointing out all the problems they all have.  It doesn’t really solve many of them, and often left me thinking half the story wasn’t told.  I feel like this was the start, and the author needs to write a sequel where some of the problems get addressed and at least on the way to solved.

I also have to admit I had a problem of remembering this is Penn College, not Penn State.  Penn College/UPenn is based in Philly and is private while Penn State is the public university supported by the State.

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Uncategorized

Bookit Review: The House by the Lake

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The House By the Lake
Author: Ella Carey
Publication Date:  March 29, 2016  (Kindle Unlimited Copy)
Grade:  B

The House by the Lake by Ella Carey is interesting…but feels like someone accidentally combined two files and published it without looking.  There are two stories within.  The main story is of Anna, the granddaughter of Max Albrecht who fled Germany after the war and never talks about that period of his life. However, as a paper about an old apartment in paris (which, is actually a real thing outside of the book) being found, unopened since the owner fled Paris when Germany took the city, Max decides he needs to find some items of his past.  Anna, at first, reluctantly agrees but gets caught up in the romance of the Prussian countryside and tries to not only find the ring that Max sent her for, but find a way to help rebuild the Schloss her grandfather used to live in.

That story is interesting, and I feel like it could have been expanded, and been a novel on its own.

Story two is of Isabelle, the great love of Max’s life.  It is not so interesting, as it is basically just telling about how she met Max, that she loves him, and that she basically sits around Paris waiting for him to contact her.  I kind of wanted to skip over Isabelle’s story and get on with Anna’s story.  Especially since we don’t really find out anything useful.  At the end of the story, after Isabelle’s story ends, Anna puts all the pieces together and we find out what really happened.  It happens rather quick, and I think if we had focused on Anna’s story of discovery, the pieces could have been paced better and it wouldn’t have seems so rushed.

However, I did enjoy the novel.  If you enjoy historical romances, stories about discovering one’s past, or books based around Germany, I think you might enjoy this for a light read.

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Uncategorized

Bookit Review: Memory of Us

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Memory of Us
Author: Camille Di Maio
Publication Date: May 31st, 2016  (Kindle Unlimited copy)
Grade: A-

The Memory of Us is the debut novel from Camille Di Maio, and is quite a good one in my opinon.  The story is of Julianne Westcott, a woman growing up in Pre-war Liverpool.  Julianne falls in love with Kyle, a gardner who she meets while visiting her brother in the hospital. Kyle falls in love in return, which changes his life as he was intending to become a priest.

However the two of them have obsticles to face, from her family, the war, and her guilt over taking him away from the church.   The story is told only from her point of view, so we are limited in what we know about the motivations of those around her, or how they react to some of her choices when she decides to cut off contact with her family.

The book kept me interested through out, which I sometimes find trouble with with some of the books I’ve been getting through the KU subscription.  While it has its issues like any other book (I wish we had seen other point of views, more about her brother, and a longer epilogue) they are minor and I believe anyone who enjoys historical romances (or romance novels in general) will enjoy this book.

I am certianly putting Di Maio on my list of authors to look for in the future.

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: The Cinderella Arrangement

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Cinderella Arrangement*
Author: Vanessa Waltz
Release Date: May 2016*

*Apparently this book is actually two books being re-released as one.  I haven’t finished the second book, but I’ve decided to do a review for each one.  I can’t find release dates for the original versions, and they aren’t listed as seperate anywhere I can find other then the introduction to this ebook.

My Review:

I feel as if this novel had a lot of potiential but was finished before they got to it.  There were so many subplots that never got dealt with. In particular the main character Jessica’s past.  The author referenced it alot in the start.  Enough that I expected that there would be some input from that yet it was never fully developed.  Neither was Ethan (the love interest)’s family situation either.  We of course know he has a bad relationship with his father, but its never really dealt with well, and I was left just plan confused as to what was going on with the Uncle and the Cousins.  I felt like I was watching a movie and got up to go to the bathroom during important bits and missed the context.

So instead of it being a good story, it instead seems like everything is happening rather suddenly,and on the surface. It feels, frankly, like a first draft that needs someone to go over it and point out where it needs filled out.

I’m going to read the sequel, which is about Natalie, Jessica’s Best friend, and see how that turns out before I give the series a letter grade.  I’m hoping that there is more character development and not just hitting the romance novel checklist.