Book Notes: Contemporary Romance Book Reviews

 My apologies for skipping a few posts! It's been crazy around our house over the last couple of weeks. We're finally getting things toned down and back to what passes for normal at our house. I'll definitely be getting back to those Wednesday and Friday posts and I'm looking forward to connecting with you!

Book Review: Inspirational Romantic Suspense: Shadowing Stella by Elle. E Kay

Shadowing Stella by Elle E. Kay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My rating is actually 3.5 stars. There were several things I didn't like about the book. It read like a Hallmark movie which made a lot of it seem unbelievable. Some of the scenes could've been skipped altogether without ruining the story. Even some of the dialog seemed odd to me.

However, there were some definite redeeming bits. The underlying messages the author wanted to convey came out loud and clear. I am interested to read book 2 which focuses on the MCs sister.

If you love Hallmark movies, Christian suspense stories, and sweet romance, you would likely enjoy this one.

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Book Review: Contemporary Romance: Seeking the Sheriff by Calle J. Brookes

Seeking the Sheriff by Calle J. Brookes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what I was going to get with this book. Thankfully, there was only one part I preferred to skip over, which is why I feel the book rates more at 4.5 stars for me. If language bothers you, this one probably rates as moderate. There wasn't a bunch of foul language and the words which were used seemed to fit in well with the characters. The bulk of the story was good, showing family sticking together and supporting each other. I liked how there were believable obstacles to overcome. I also thought the characters were well-crafted.

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Currently Reading: Be Thou My Vision by Faith Blum

I had stopped adding this section for a while, but I'll try to add it back in when I have time. I was so intrigued by the idea of a series of historical romances based on traditional hymns. What a nifty thought! I'm starting the series with book two, but if it's as interesting as I hope, I'll check out some more of the series later on. (The photo is linked to the Goodreads page for the book.)

Thank you so much for coming back to check out some book reviews. I hope you'll see something you like. 

Something you might be interested in knowing is how I choose my books. I try to look for books which are pretty clean. I've been avoiding erotica novels and most paranormal and contemporary romances. I prefer to read books with some believability factor and with some lasting value. I guess I've reached an age where I know reality is a thing and I'm content to have a healthy dose of it in the storybook relationships I choose to read. 

One author who writes paranormal romance which I will pick up from time to time is Sherrilyn Kenyon. I'll confess to skipping over the graphic scenes (which aren't that numerous) because she's a master storysmith when it comes right down to it. Her stories have some eternal value, promoting loyalty and faithfulness to family and to the person you love. She also seems to promote being kind and compassionate to others while not being a doormat. It's been a few years since I last picked up one of her books. I might not pick one up ever again. Who knows? But she writes well and I love her style. 

Where I might fudge a smidge on believability would be in the rom-com category, which I don't usually read much of. The closest I've gotten to that genre is probably Debra Clopton's books which focus on characters from the fictional town of Mule Hollow. Not all of them have a lot of comedic elements, but there are a few which have had me laughing so hard I was crying. Since her novels are clean, this isn't a difficulty for me. 

I'm saying all that to say this. I am trying hard to put things in my head which have some lasting value. Passionate one-night-stand type stories don't meet that requirement, nor do stories focused totally on the physical aspects of a relationship. One can hardly call that romance or romantic. So you'll see mostly clean reads on this site. When it turns out that I misunderstood what a story was about, or that the blurb wasn't too clear on whether the book was a clean read, and ended up reading the whole book, you'll see that noted, as I did in the second book review. 

Other genres I enjoy are fantasy and suspense/mystery -- also scifi when it's more fanciful and focused less on technical things, and more about how the characters are living in a futuristic time and place. Even then, I work hard to find clean novels to read. 

I hope you'll keep coming back for more reviews and that more indies will take up writing clean novels which are enjoyable to read. 

Y'all have a wonderful day!