Book Notes: March 29, 2023 - Clean Cowboy Romance

 Welcome to my scenic route! I'm happy you joined me here today. I've got a couple of book reviews to share with you, if you enjoy reading. And if writing is your focus, then I have a writing prompt you might find fun or useful. 

Before I get started, though, I offer my apologies for the lateness of this post. I've been working hard trying to rebrand, so that my business cards, headers on social media sites, and other elements I use on the web match. I knew it was time to refresh but I hadn't had much time to work on it until this week. I must confess, I got lost in the work. 

Ok, so on with the reviews!

Book Review: Aiden (The McKeegans, #1) by Kathleen Ball

Aiden by Kathleen Ball
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 Stars, Rounded Up

This book was interesting. Since I felt like I read more about Eireann, the title could've been different. There was also a good bit of anachronistic dialog which bothers me. The ending felt rushed and the epilogue, unnecessary.
On the good side, I was interested enough in the plot and MCs to keep reading through to the end. It was a clean story and the heroine is seen praying several times. The family attends church regularly. They seem to try to follow biblical principles, but are still human and make mistakes.
So while there were a few things which bothered me about this book, and some of it seemed unbelievable, it was a story I might actually read again.
If none of what bothered me is a problem for you, and you enjoy clean, historical, inspirational romance, then why not give "Aiden" a chance?

View all my reviews

Book Review: Her Rival Cowboy (Brothers of Miller Ranch, #3) by Natalie Dean

Her Rival Cowboy by Natalie Dean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very Good Story!

I'm so glad I started reading this series. Each book has been interesting and the casts of each have equally helped keep me invested in the stories. I only wish the Miller's dad wasn't so much of a shadow. He only seems to chop wood and eat a few meals. This family prays and chats at meal times, but it's like the dad isn't even there. Maybe he plays a bigger role later in the series.
Still, this book was just as fun and interesting as the first two. It's clean, with a very light dusting of faith. I liked how the heroine was feisty and determined to show the naysayers she was going to keep doing her thing. I also liked how the MCs met and how their relationship progressed.
If you enjoy clean romance, cowboys, and a little bit of faith, you might enjoy this book.

View all my reviews

The first story was historical while the second was contemporary. I did enjoy both stories. But I find it funny how similar all these cowboy romance covers are. Did someone find an actual family of seven cowboy brothers? Did they all consent to have their photos taken? Because I've seen so many covers like these and the guys are looking a lot alike. I just think it's interesting.

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. 

Today's words are:

Fund 

 Cluster 

 Adventure

What do you think? Can you create something using these words? I believe these words have a lot of potential. 

 

Those are today's offerings. I hope you found a new book to try, or give writing a go with today's three words. I love sharing these things. Helping others is a wonderful thing. 

Tomorrow, I'll have another word prompt to share with you. Please do visit again soon!

Until next time,
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