Carole Rae's Random Ramblings

Friday, September 2

Book Review: Starting Over by Pamela Q. Fernandes

Author: Pamela Q. Fernandes

Title: Starting Over

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Short story

Format: ebook

Pages: 75

Published: October 15, 2018

Where I Got It: Amazon

Summary:

Cara Wallace is stunned to find Nathan Reynolds back in Henderson County. His sudden arrival brings to the fore unresolved questions of what might have been.

How could she unwrite the past?

How could she undo the mistakes?

How could she unlove him?

Nathan Reynolds can't understand why Cara chose to stay in this small town. How could she sacrifice her career, her future and their love for a small run-down cottage in the middle of nowheresville? Whatever her reasons, Nathan intends to

find out and start over again!

Review:

Seen this book a little bit ago and I was saving it for Fall. Lucky me it was free on Amazon! I was fully willing to buy it....but I won't complain for it being free right now ;)

Here we follow Cara Wallace and Nathan Reynolds. They had been High School sweethearts, but she needed to stay and he never wanted to come back to Henderson County. Years later Nathan and his fiancée have come to town to meet their contractor for a garden which happens to be Cara.....

This for sure should be a Hallmark movie!! This has everything. 2nd chances, small town, Cara lost her sister, she is taking care of her niece as a single parent, and Nathan rolls into town all high and mighty with his excellent job and hawt fiancée. Literally, need this to be a movie right now!

Ope! Forgot to mention a couple of crazy twists! Won't spoil it...but yeah.

I enjoyed this immensely, except for Nathan. Grrr! *shakes fist and curses his name* He was a total selfish asshat from page 1. He literally wants away so bad he doesn't care why Cara HAD to stay. She didn't WANT to. But someone had to stay and take care of her ailing mother.

And then he was a jerk to her when he came into town because Cara never called him to check on him. WHAT??? You LITERALLY walked away and said "We're done!!!!!". >_>

It took a minute, but she just forgave him all willy nilly. Like no...he needed to earn her back. Sighs.

Other than that, I really liked this! Loved Cara and her niece. Loved the small town. I do want to see more of the town and other townsfolk.

In the end, this is a good Fall read. Nice way to start the season! I hated Nathan and I think he needed to beg more. But yes, this would be the perfect Hallmark film.

I shall stamp this with 3 stars.

Thursday, September 1

Book Review: The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Author: Ruth Hogan

Title: The Keeper of Lost Things

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Format: ebook

Pages: 277

Published: February 21, 2017

Where I Got It: Borrow from library

Summary:

Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer—

Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise she once made.

As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest?

Review:

Picked this up for book club. I was going to do the audio version but decided to just borrow the ebook from the library.

Laura is recovering from a bad divorce. She is lost and decides to accept the position as Anthony's assistant. 40 years ago, Anthony lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée. That very same day she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony starts rescuing lost objects and writing stories about them, and finding their owners. In the twilight of his life, he hands over his life's mission to Laura by leaving her his house and all the lost treasures. We also follow Eunice who found a lost trinket on the London pavement and kept it throughout the years. With her life coming to an end soon, she will break her promise.

I wish I had loved this book. It has all the elements there for me, but it missed the mark for me. Maybe because there were just too many time jumps and too many players in the game? Too many parallel storylines going on?

One thing I know that didn't help was my feelings for Laura. I didn't like her from the moment we meet her. There was just something about her and her actions that rubbed me the wrong way. Not that she was a bad person...but she annoyed me.

I also wanted more of Anthony and his love's story. I feel like a more linear way to tell the story would've worked better for me. See him fall in love, lose the keepsake, she dies, he grows old, meets Laura, and so on. Maybe I would've been hooked more because I did adore Anthony.

Awwwww Sunshine was my absolute favorite! Adorable.

Oooo! The ending was perfect! Great way to end it. I won't spoil anything, but it fit like a glove to end this tale. There is a little bit of hope for maybe another, but no cliffhangers or anything. You can just read this and be content.

In the end, I wish I had liked this more. It just ended up being okay for me. I adored Sunshine and I wanted more of Anthony and less of Laura. There are some disjointed parallel storylines that just didn't sit well with me. However, I did like this and ending was good! Overall, this is a good choice for book club. There is a lot to discuss. 3 stars from me.

Wednesday, August 31

Audiobook Review: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Author: Tessa Dare

Narrator: Carmen Rose

Title: Romancing the Duke

Series: Castles Ever After #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published: January 28, 2014

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary:

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

~~Ugly duckling turned swan?~~

~~Abducted by handsome highwayman?~~

~~Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?~~

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.

Review:

I picked this one up because I want to read book 2. I'm sure the two can be read as standalones, but the sounds of this had me intrigued.

Here we follow Izzy who is the daughter of a famed author. When he passes away, she is left with nothing. Her father never changed his will. A miracle happens when she inherits a castle after a fan of her father's passes away too. She may never find love as an improvised 26-year-old spinster, but at least she will have a home of her own. Until...she meets the Duke who owns the home is still there. They both want the castle and both have legitimate claims on it so they are forced to work together to get to the bottom of what happened.

I felt so bad for both of them! Izzy's dad was an idiot and never changed his will so EVERYTHING went to her sleazeball of a cousin. And then there is Ransom. He is partially blinded after a certain event (I won't spoil how he received his wounds - that is a big event). He sometimes can make out shapes and muted colors, but other than that he is pretty much blind.

Ransom is a very bitter man and with good reason, but there were times he was too much. I wouldn't have dealt with him at all. He certainly was an ass to Izzy. I get him being mean to her at first, but then when they realize they both realized they are victims...he should've relented. All she wants to do is help. He is stubborn and doesn't trust anyone...which I get...but it bugged me. HOWEVER, Izzy isn't some wilted flower. She wasn't scared to stand up to him. She was my favorite character by far. Poor thing thinks she is ugly though which broke my heart. But I loved her. She deserves the world!!!!!!!

OMG the "cosplayers" who love her and the stories melted my heart! Yes, fans can be annoying, but they actually do worship her and the stories.

I will say there were parts that made me roll my eyes. Cheesy....and unrealistic. Too many smexy scenes WAY too early. Don't get me wrong...I love a good smexy scene, but this felt like fillers.

I read a couple of reviews and I guess this is supposed to be a nod to 'Beauty and the Beast'? A bit of a stretch. Sure he has the grumpy 'tude and he has a hideous scar...but that is where the similarity ends for me.

The narrator was okay. I liked her male voices better. Some of the girl voices seemed super similar to each other.

Overall, this was fun. Some unrealistic bits, but enjoyable. I loved, loved, LOVED Izzy. I hope we can see her in the future books of the series. Even a glimpse or a mention will be enough for meeee. In the end, I'll give this 3 stars.