A lot of the books I've read lately aren't great and I realize that's because I'm buying the Kindle deals on Amazon. Most of those deals offer a cheap price on the first book in a series, hoping you'll buy the remaining books. Sadly, it's not usually worth reading the sequels.
I've contemplated signing back up for Amazon Prime so that I can take advantage of the free Kindle books. Has anyone ever done that who can offer advice? I would like to know if it's worth it or if the selection is very minimal. As of now, I'm spending more money than I would like to because I'm reading some of these books in only 3 days. I might as well have the free shipping to go along with it!
Here's what I've been reading:
- Party Girl by Rachel Hollis
This book was just OK. It's almost like the author finished watching The Devil Wears Prada, thought to herself "Hmm....I liked that," and then decided to write a book with the same theme. It's about a party planner and it has the same components of Prada. The boss is highly sought after, condescending, and trendy. The main character is just too good to be true. I purchased this book because it was a good deal and because there are two others that follow it. I did enjoy reading it, but not enough to read the next two. There wasn't enough depth. There was harsh language and mild sexual content (for my wholesome readers).
- Maid for Love by Marie Force
This one was not worth reading. It had the depth of what I imagine a Playboy article would have. It dwelt much more on the size of the woman's jugs and the endowment of the man's genitalia than a good story line. I would have guessed the author to have been in high school because of the writing quality. She mentions the woman's "caramel eyes" and "flowery scent" way too many times to count. I'm guessing her English teacher never taught her to use a variety of adjectives. There are very graphic sex scenes that I had to skip over and the story isn't believable at all. Save your time and skip this one.
- The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak
This book was better than the last two. It's about a woman who returns to her home town following a divorce and loss of a child. Her brother is going through a rough period with drug addiction and she feels the need to move home to help him out. I know that sounds like the book has an overwhelming sad theme, but it's not a complete tearjerker. The brother and sister are close, despite their dysfunction, but neither is close with their overbearing, rich mother. As they are sorting through things, they find evidence that suggests they used to have an older sister. I don't want to give away any more than that. There is some explicit material and language. (Why do all of these books include a man teaching a woman how to have better sex? She always thoroughly enjoys it and thanks him for it. Gag.) Anyway, this book is worth reading, if you find a good deal on it.
- The Marryin' Kind by Nancy J. Parra
OK, finally a book that I really enjoyed! This is part of a series, but it doesn't end in a cliffhanger. You don't have to read the next book to find out what happens. It's just about the same characters. I can't say I picked up on the actual time period of this book. The women wear hoop skirts and pump water into the house, but there seem to be very modern things discussed. Anyway, it's about an independent woman who has no desire to marry. She wants to stay single and live alone, much to the dismay of her father and sisters. Similar to Pride & Prejudice, the younger sister is a flirt who can't understand someone's desire to not marry. The older brother comes up with an elaborate plan to help his sister achieve everything she wants in life. This book is very light, yet entertaining. There's plenty going on and you can't wait to see what's going to happen next. The best part is that it's very clean with no language or explicit material. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the next two.
This is the second book of the series and is about the younger sister. I thought the first was better, but that's probably because I read it first. I did finish this one in two days though. It was very similar to the first book, which might be why I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I decided not to read the third right away. The book was still very enjoyable, clean, and romantic. The heroine from the first book is mentioned, but isn't a key character. I would still recommend reading them in order or you'll get a few spoilers. There is even a little action in this one and I had a hard time putting it down.
I immediately fell in love with this book. It's about a man in the service who begins exchanging letters with someone he met briefly while at home. The author shares the letters with you and they're quite enjoyable to read. Then chapters go by where nothing happens. Seriously, it's like describing my daily life. She goes to the grocery store. They have tea. She walks through the park. They have a picnic. She cooks dinner. My eyes kept drooping and this book became a quick cure for insomnia. It gets a little better, and things start happening, but it never really picks up again. There are several dramatic events in the last third of the book. But frankly, by that point, I didn't care about the characters any more. I just wanted to finish. The writing was dull and lifeless. When I picked up my very next book, the words jumped out at me like sugar to someone on a diet. It had some language, but otherwise was pretty clean. I'd say skip this one.
...and I'm still going.
- The Bettin' Kind by Nancy J. Parra
This is the second book of the series and is about the younger sister. I thought the first was better, but that's probably because I read it first. I did finish this one in two days though. It was very similar to the first book, which might be why I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I decided not to read the third right away. The book was still very enjoyable, clean, and romantic. The heroine from the first book is mentioned, but isn't a key character. I would still recommend reading them in order or you'll get a few spoilers. There is even a little action in this one and I had a hard time putting it down.
- The Songbird and the Soldier by Wendy Lou Jones
I immediately fell in love with this book. It's about a man in the service who begins exchanging letters with someone he met briefly while at home. The author shares the letters with you and they're quite enjoyable to read. Then chapters go by where nothing happens. Seriously, it's like describing my daily life. She goes to the grocery store. They have tea. She walks through the park. They have a picnic. She cooks dinner. My eyes kept drooping and this book became a quick cure for insomnia. It gets a little better, and things start happening, but it never really picks up again. There are several dramatic events in the last third of the book. But frankly, by that point, I didn't care about the characters any more. I just wanted to finish. The writing was dull and lifeless. When I picked up my very next book, the words jumped out at me like sugar to someone on a diet. It had some language, but otherwise was pretty clean. I'd say skip this one.
...and I'm still going.
