Some Favorite Books This Week!

I’ve been having a tough time keeping up with both the reading AND posting here. While I get it all sorted out, I thought I could at least post the reviews here to Amazon, so you can read them there!

By the way, the first book in the lines above is my own book, published in mid-April to help the restaurant industry during the pandemic. If you know any restaurant owners, managers, head chefs, or operators… let them know!

Note: I am listing reviews as I do them each day. Sometimes, Amazon takes days or even a week or more to approve these reviews, so you will see a lag between when I list reviews and when a link is available. The longest I had to wait was 3.5 weeks!

Hope that life becomes a little more sane soon!

Historical Romance

• Love and Other Addictions by Isabella Hargreaves
• The Duke’s Marriage of Convenience by Fiona Miers (started off OK—but not great—but then it got very weird)
• The Baroness of New York by Anya Silverthorne (felt like it took too long to get started)
• The Seduction of the Glen by Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple
• The Ideal Countess by Katherine Grant (delightful debut, looking forward to more!)
• Last Stop for Sin by Devon McKay (wickedly fun old West historical romance)
• Her Seafaring Scoundrel by Sophie Barnes (he’s not really a scoundrel–but this one is surprisingly funny with the hero’s sections almost coming across as tongue-in-cheek, as if he himself cannot take himself seriously)
• A Scoundrel’s Kiss by Shelly Thacker (the hero-spy posing as the husband of an amnesiac female scientist to get information from her and take her to England… what could possibly go wrong? 😉 )
• Betrayal and Lies by Rose Pearson

Contemporary Romance

• Home at Last by Judith Keim
• Intimate Strangers by Tara Mills (just terrible–a newly engaged woman lusting after a guy… then getting busy with him immediately after the fiance is dragged into the sea by a shark. Ugh.)
• Love is Like a Box of Chocolates by various authors (I couldn’t find much to like about this anthology… kept moving through the stories, not finding much to enjoy. More like a Whitman’s sampler, not a See’s one!)
• One Hundred Decisions by Kelly Collins (I love how this author touches on what could be “downer” societal issues in her books… but with such a light, deft hand that it only enhances and deepens the romance.)
• Defending Love by Kendra Roberts (poorly written)
• Home to Him by Kendra Roberts

Thrillers

• Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey (love a heroine with such moral integrity)

Chick Lit / Women’s Literature

• If You Must Know by Jamie Beck
• Sorry I Missed You by Suzy Krause (quirky, funny… about ghosts of several sorts)
• The Fire Blossom by Susan Lark (the story of strong women beating the odds together as friends in the harsh environment of 1840s New Zealand)

History — Fiction & Nonfiction

• Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim (a breathtaking tale of the Gilded Age as seen through two generations of women in two white and black families)
• Love without End by Mervyn Bragg (a fictionalized account of the story of Heloise and Abelard)
• The Fire Blossom by Susan Lark (New Zealand in the 1800s)
• The Mother of the Brontes by Sharon Wright (a surprisingly good read; well-research history—not a novel)
• Along a Broken Shore by Amy Trueblood
• Woman in Scarlet by Karen L. Adams (memoir of one of the first female Mounties)
• The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy by Alexandra Walsh

Literary Fiction

• A Man by Keiichiro Hirano (the first time this popular Japanese writer has been translated into English–I wasn’t impressed)

Nonfiction — General

• Master the Art of Self-Publishing by Mastery Quadrant
• Master the Art of Book Marketing and Promotions by Mastery Quadrant
• Sudoku Large Print 101 Puzzles Medium by
• Public Speaking Panic by Cody Smith
• DIY Homemade Hand Sanitizer Recipes by Krysten Harlow (avoid like the plague… unless you want to catch one)
• Ultimate Cryptograms by Game Nest
• Mind Hacking and Escaping Zombification by James Stephenson
• Mediterranean Diet Meal Prep Cookbook by Lindsey Pine
• 500 Fantasy Writing Prompts by Erica Blumenthal
• Culture and Beyond by Randy Ellefson (for writers, how to come up with culture, religion, and other institutions for your made-up world)
• All in a DAZE Work by Shepperd November
• Fibromyalgia by Pauline Patry (Kobo review, not at Amazon)
• Publish. Market. Sell. How to Promote Your eBooks: Branding Your Pen Name Like the Pros by Spicey Ky
• Interesting, Fun, and Crazy Facts about America by Scott Matthews
• Dental Copywriting Hacks by Alex Wong (not solely about copywriting; very general, not really specific to dentists; could also be confusing for non-marketers)
• Blogging Hacks for Dentistry by Alex Wong (ditto above, except about blogging)
• Dental Marketing Hacks (2-in-1) by Alex Wong (combines the two books above)

Nonfiction — Self-Help

• 5 Steps to Raise an Emotionally Intelligent Child by Freya Gates (not a good book)
• The Power of the Attraction Mindset by Romney Nelson (ties together some common self-help ideas in a cohesive package)
• Self-Improvement for Men by John Adams (another poorly written book by this author)
• Memory Improvement, Accelerated Learning, and Brain Training by John Adams (yup, you guessed—another not so good book by this author)
• Do by Genaro Torres Celis
• Memory Improvement for Kids by Lisa Marshall
• First-Time Mom by Jolie Kitt
• Success in the Mirror by William Cole
• Public Speaking Principles by Gerard Shaw
• Intuitive Eating by Nathalie Easton

Children’s

• Mandala Coloring Book for Kids by Activity Nest (kid-friendly mandalas, some abstract and some with animals, insects, and even a teddy bear)
• I am Thankful for Today by Activity Nest
• Connect the Dots for Kids Ages 5-10 by Happy School
• Animal Coloring Book for Kids by Adam Warne-Smith
• ABC Ability by Melissa Sue Walker (picture book of a little girl just learning how to sound out words)
• The Bunny on the Moon by Isla Wynter
• Thank the Chef by Melissa Sue Walker
• Tracing Letters, Numbers, and Words for Kids Ages 3-5 by Angelica Ross
• Bedtime Stories for Kids: Meet Dino Chef by Anna Lopez
• My First ABC Toddler Coloring Book by Matthew Berg
• I Love You, Mom! by Pamparam Kids Books
• How to Draw Adorable Animal for Kids by Activity Bolt
• Monster Truck Coloring Book for Kids by Kathy Studios
• Dinosaur Activity Book for Kids by Adam Warne-Smith
• Mother’s Day Activity Book Book for Kids by Pamparam Kids Books
• Would You Rather Game Book by Cushy Monkey
• Kitty Coloring Book by Activity Corner
• I Am Strong, Confident, and Bright by Activity Nest
• Monster Truck Coloring Book for Kids Ages 4-8 by Coloring Visions

No-So-Favorite Books This Week!