Book Notes: February 16, 2022 - Shanae Johnson - Contemporary Romance Valentine's Day Special

 Welcome back! I finished a series I'd been working on for a few weeks. I'm happy to share my thoughts on it with you this week. In a different thought-track, I wish I could read as comfortably as it seems my Victorian reading lady does. Maybe I just need a pillow like hers...

Book Review: His Pledge to Protect (The Silver Star Ranch #3) by Shanae Johnson

His Pledge to Protect by Shanae Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Fun Romance With Heart

I have been enjoying this series. This story is sweet, as marketed, and the characters are fun and interesting. I liked the plot and the ending. I felt like it was a bit rushed in places, but it isn't a very long story. It was also easy to read, perfect for a cozy evening in.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet, clean romance with strong but feminine heroines and wounded warrior heroes.

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Book Review: His Pledge to Obey (The Silver Star Ranch #4) by Shanae Johnson

His Pledge to Obey by Shanae Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good Cozy Read

I love an age gap romance. My husband and I are 8 years apart. While this story didn't remind me of our romance in many ways, I certainly felt I understood where the heroine was coming from while she was looking for someone she could relate to. I also liked the hero, but felt the story was too short to do this couple justice.
Overall, this was a fun, cozy romance perfect for a night in.

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Book Review: His Pledge to Have (The Silver Star Ranch #5) by Shanae Johnson

His Pledge to Have by Shanae Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cute, Heart-rending, and Satisfying

This book wasn't meant to be long and drawn out, yet the author chose a pretty deep topic to tackle alongside the romance. Kudos, Shanae Johnson, for doing a good job of tackling both and not belittling either. While this series is fanciful, it's sweet and this particular hero really tugged at my heartstrings. I loved the story and the message. You should give the book a try if you enjoy clean, contemporary romance cast with military men who uphold honor and heroines who are strong in mind, body, and/or spirit.

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Book Review: His Pledge to Hold (The Silver Star Ranch #6) by Shanae Johnson

His Pledge to Hold by Shanae Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Definitely Different but Also Good

This last book was different from the others in the series. The final Silver sister is something like the first one in spirit, but the way she moves forward is different. I had a harder time relating to the hero and heroine, but I enjoyed getting to know them. Their story was fun to read, too. If you enjoy clean, contemporary romance, military heroes, and strong but feminine characters, then I recommend this book to you.

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This series was lots of fun to read. The books are all great for a cozy night in.

Things I felt the author did a good job with...

• creating a group of sisters who were alike enough (and different enough) to actually come across as siblings 
• the broken heroes 
• the various trials each character faced felt appropriate and were interesting enough to keep me reading through the entire series 
• stories were easy enough to read and relaxing 

Things I felt could maybe have been better...

• double-standards seemed to prevail
• a few typos pulled me out of the story in a couple of the books

I'm a sucker for broken heroes who are struggling to find their new purpose and these books really came through in a positive way. Yes, they are short, and as such, couldn't really cover all the bases for the heavier pieces of each story. Rather, the author touched on each difficult topic just enough to give the reader the idea of what the character struggled with and to show they were coming up with a plan of attack to defeat it. That was good enough for me, especially for this type of book. 

So if you were looking for a series of cozy romances to relax with in the evenings, and you love a sweet, broken hero and a strong heroine who hasn't lost her femininity, then these books might just be what you were looking for. I'd love to hear what you think if you read these, or if you've already read them. 

Thanks again for taking the time to read my post. I hope to have some new cover art to show you on Friday. I can't promise it'll be done, but I'm going to do my best. Since Outh'n's cover is almost complete, I'll focus on that this week. See you Friday...I hope! 

Until next time...