Book Notes: April 13, 2022 - Romance Historical & Contemporary

 Today, I've got some romance stories to share with you. One is historical and marketed as sweet and inspirational, but in my mind it really pushes the boundaries. The other is a collection of seven sweet, feel-good romances set in the current era. Perhaps one of those will be something you'll want to add to your TBR list. Here's what I thought about them...

Book Review: Love & Redemption by Suzanne D. Williams

Love & Redemption by Suzanne D. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good, but Not Quite What I Expected

This story was good, but kind of chaotic to my mind. I have a difficult time reading books which spout scriptures and good morals one minute and then turn right around and invite the reader into a scene of intimacy which destroys any inspirational focus which might've begun to take hold. I liked the plot and I thought the characters were interesting and well-crafted. If it wasn't for that one issue, which is a really important one to me, I'd have given the book more than four stars. If you don't have the same opinion, and you enjoy historical romances which are mostly sweet and include some inspirational moments, then you may enjoy this book.

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I would like to note that if the cover was as the one shown above, I probably would've skipped this book. The new cover doesn't adequately show the era of the book, but it didn't bother me as much as the cover shown here would have. That's a scary-looking cover, as well as the trees being obviously planted beside a road or something. They're spaced too evenly. It certainly would've confused me, if I had tossed caution to the wind and picked the book up. I'm happy the author chose to update the cover. It's much more inviting.

There was quite a bit of repetition concerning the hero's green eyes. The plot was quite unbelievable in some ways. There were a few crude references to the new couple consumating their marriage, which really didn't move the plot along and could've been assumed by the reader. The villains were crafted well-enough that the reader would know they were crude and uncouth. It didn't have to be spelled out even more. 

When I'm reading a book labeled 'inspirational' and 'sweet,' I don't think I'm going to see those kinds of crude and uncouth things. It might've helped if the author left off the 'sweet' label. She could've also put a little note at the beginning so people would be aware of what they're going to see since it isn't the usual fare in an inspirational romance novel. I would not have labeled this story as sweet, except in the way the love grew between the MCs. 

I did like the faithfulness of the hero and how he came to believe God truly loved him. Both his and the heroine's conversion to the faith was difficult but gradual and seemed plausible. I didn't like the heroine's obviously juvenile stubborness. But it did show that even when a person accepts the gift of salvation, it takes time to become all that God created us to be. We're certainly not perfect and we often make mistakes. 

Book Review: A Sweet Escape-Seven Sweet Romances by Various Authors

A Sweet Escape: Seven Sweet Romances by Elana Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cozy Romance Stories

I haven't read all the stories yet, but I tackled two of them. I usually enjoy Elana Johnson and Debra Clopton. But I'm positive I'd read Debra's story before. I skipped it for now. The first story was on par with Elana's usual offerings, being a clean, sweet romance tale. Then I read the book by Jean Oram about the troublemaking cowboy. It was good. Still a clean romance that stirred my heart and had me rooting for the MCs. I'd recommend this collection if you're looking for mostly sweet stories that are clean and fairly easy reading.

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If I had no chores to do and no books waiting to get to publish-ready status, I could read this book in seven days or less. However, I don't have that kind of down-time on the daily. That's why I went ahead and gave my review. I don't imagine it will change much, unless the other four books are just really awful in the editing or they aren't 'sweet' like they're marketed to be. But if they follow along with the three authors I've read before, then I anticipate my rating will stay the same. 

Debra Clopton is my favorite author when it comes to cowboy romance. Her seaside romances are fine, but not as easy for me to dive into. For one thing, the beach has never held too much appeal for me. I'm not a great swimmer and walking on the beach for someone who doesn't own part of it isn't fun when there are kids and tourists crowding it. I like it when it's quiet and cool and I can listen to the birds and the waves. We used to live in Biloxi, MS, within walking distance of the beach, but we only went occasionally. 

Jean Oram...I've read her books before and not been super impressed. They're very heavy on the physical attraction and not so great on the 'let me get to know you better before I commit to a lifetime with you'. I have a real problem with that. 

Elana Johnson is always good for a sweet, feel-good kinda story that just takes you away from the everyday bump and grind. I don't usually have any trouble diving into any of her stories, whether she writes as Elana or as Liz Isaacson. I prefer her cowboy romance stories, but her beach romances are nice, too.

As far as I know, I haven't read any books by Melissa McClone, Olivia Miles, Tess Thompson, or Kellie Coates Gilbert, though the last two authors sound very familiar. I'm as bad at remembering author names as I am at remembering band names or names of new people I meet. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll see something which piques your interest. If you do, I'd love to see what you think in the comments below. 

Until next time...