Book Notes: February 15, 2023 - Contemporary Romance

 Welcome back fellow readers and writers. Are you ready for some book reviews and a writing prompt? Let me get right to it, then.

Book Review: Hudson's Heart by Stephanie Powers

Hudson's Heart by Stephanie Fowers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An Interesting Romance

I wasn't a fan of the story from the inspirational angle. It just wasn't what I hoped for. But it is a good sweet, clean romance with spice. If you enjoy that kind of romance, then I recommend it.

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I know this is short even for me, but I remember when and where I was when I finished reading this book. We had been driving all day and I was exhausted. It just seemed the MCs were far too focused on how good-looking the other was. I also didn't like how the hero didn't talk to /anyone/ about what was holding him back. No wonder it took so long to to the HEA. 

Still, it was an interesting story with some nice twists and a few hooks woven in to encourage you to read the next book. This one was a stand-alone story, though. I haven't read another in the series yet, but I might. 

Book Review: Her Small-Town Face Fiancé by Lucy McConnell

Her Small-Town Fake Fiance by Lucy McConnell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 Stars - Hyper-Sweet Romance

I'd classify this story as a Hallmark-ish sweet romance. The MCs are fairly young and I didn't like the hero that much. There were a few typos, but they didn't destroy the plot. It was a cute story, though, and if you enjoy easy-to-read, sweet, clean romance, give it a try.

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A little more of my thoughts on this story... First, I'm not a huge fan of fake fiancé stories in general. Second, I dislike it when a character lies to avoid something that is essentially based/built on trust. She's a grown woman, working at a decent career. You mean to tell me she couldn't find another way to keep in touch with her sister until she could get a job closer to her? She was impatient and immature. I think the hero was definitely gracious to even hear her out about the reasons for her lies. Seriously, though, life might be harder in the 'now' when you tell the truth. But when the difficulties pass, you become a stronger person and instead of dealing with the hurt you dealt to those you've come to love and respect, you can fight the real dragon that deserves to be fought. What do you think? 

Just Keep Writing: Wednesday Whimsy

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (ie. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

Photo by Isabel Araújo

If you would, please stop by Pexels.com and check out Isabel's wonderful gallery. There are some pretty awesome photos collected there.

Thank you so much for visiting my scenic route today. I hope you found something inspiring and/or fun here. I'll have another awesome writing prompt for you to use in tomorrow's post. 

Until next time,
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