Review: Daisy Fields by Maki Matsui

 

Genre: Romance/Contemporary/Young Adult/Novella

Description:

“She's twenty-two or thirty-nine. She's from Texas or from Alaska. Her mother left her when she was little... or was she abducted? She's stalked by a loan shark, but she's never taken a loan.

And him? A soft-spoken, SLR-wielding hero, passionate and sincere—yielding, even...except in love.

When David decides to take the wacky, quirky Kalifornia Mooney as his housemate, he doesn’t expect his world to be turned upside down. As their mutual affection grows, so does the inexplicable chasm between the two friends. Kalifornia keeps her life shrouded in mystery, and no matter how much time they spend together, he doesn’t seem to know the first thing about her. Who is she? What is she so afraid of? Is she a refugee, as she claims to be, and if so, what is she running from?”

Author:

“Born and raised in Japan, Maki Matsui has been a lifelong reader and writer, first in Japanese and then in English. Besides being the author of two books—Back to Troy (2020) and Daisy Fields (2020)—she is also a classical singer. She makes her home in the hills of Western Massachusetts and is currently working on her third title.”

To learn more about Ms. Maki's books check out her website, or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

“What is sincerity, what is freedom, what is true love?”

David Nighthart, age twenty-four, is a passionate, soft-spoken photographer who is looking for a housemate. What he gets is a cute, quirky, emotionally damaged female hauling all of her possessions in two large plastic bags and a suitcase knocking at his door that evening. Her name is Kalifornia Mooney, and she claims to write fiction under the name Ambrosius Mooney. Now David is trying to learn how to tell the difference between Kalifornia’s fiction and her truths. Kalifornia guards her secrets profoundly.

After about three months David feels like he’s making headway into Kalifornia’s mysterious ways. Meanwhile, Kalifornia feels her protective walls crumbling. Her fallback is to pack all her stuff and run away. David’s world falls apart. His insecurity about love and relationships takes a wallop deep in his soul. The raw emotion comes off the page as David does a lot of soul searching, trying to figure out how he could have done things differently.

Daisy Fields is a sweet but emotional rollercoaster ride. The secondary characters are realistic and human with faults of their own. This would be a nice story to read on a quiet weekend.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Cozy romance that explores love from many angles.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing errors.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: Life’s Not Over Yet by Vidisha Chandna Dua

 

Genre: Romance/Middle Eastern culture/Women’s Lit/Novella

Description:

“Trisha moves to Chail, a beautiful hill station to escape from her past on the advice of her friend. She realises soon enough that her friend has not told her everything.

In time Dev and her, become good friends. Even though they both start caring for each other, she is not able to forget her past or share her past with him.

Trisha must decide what is more important, her past or her future. Will she give up on her dreams and resign herself to her fate or take one day at a time and start rebuilding her life again.”

Author:

“Ever since she can remember Vidisha has been a daydreamer. She loves to travel, try different cuisines, dance, listen to music and most of all she loves to read. She is also a Chartered Accountant who has worked in the Finance industry for over 11 years.

Vidisha took a break from work when her daughter was born. Her life changed when she took her daughter to her first dance class. She had an hour to spare so she started writing a story and then there was no looking back. Her first Romance Novella Life's Not Over Yet is the first in a series of books about life. With life experiences from the Middle East, Scandinavia, Australia and India, Vidisha weaves an emotional and romantic journey for her characters. She has always believed that if you really want something, the universe will come together and open doors that you never thought existed, all you have to do is listen and look carefully around you.”

Appraisal:

Trisha is going through a mid-life crisis. Her friend sets her up with a one year lease in Chail where she has a job waiting for her. Trisha is under the impression her friend has lined her up with an apartment of her own. However, she leased a room in her friend’s brother’s house. Dev is a doctor who is going through his own stuff and doesn’t remember signing the lease because he was too drunk to remember. Both characters are strong willed but Trisha has the upper hand because she has a signed lease for one year.

Dev is an arrogant jerk for the first six months of the lease. Trisha and he have an agreement to stay out of each other’s way which seems to be working out for both of them. Anyway, after six months Dev finally realizes he has been a jerk and Trisha can now stay for the whole year’s lease. Honestly, she wasn’t even looking for another place to live.

I had a really hard time trying to like both of these characters. Dev for being an arrogant jerk and then after having dug his heels in for six months decides that is all water under the bridge so let’s be friends now. Trisha was a control freak with everyone except Dev. Their whole situation drove me nuts. I believe this is more of a personal dislike, so other readers may have a completely different experience with Life’s Not Over Yet.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Clean & Wholesome Romance.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing errors.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words

Review: Grams' Christmas Baby by Barbara Silkstone

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Humor/Woman Sleuth/Novella

Description:

~*~ Christmas Eve ~*~

“Grams finds a baby on her doorstep—but what about the body in the bay?

Unarmed, can Olive keep the thugs away until the cops arrive?

Will Lizzy overcook the roasted faux goose?

Is WonderDog’s bite worse than his bark?

Will all this fit in one mini-read?”

Author:

 “Barbara Silkstone's most current series is Florence Nightingale Comedy Mysteries...The Giggling Corpse, The Killer Corset, and The Cheeky Coroner. Cozies all.

Silkstone is the best-selling author of both Regency Pride and Prejudice variations, including the popular the MISTER DARCY SERIES OF COMEDIC MYSTERIES ~ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE contemporary variations. All her books are light-hearted adventures based on Jane Austen's timeless tales of love denied and love discovered. ‘Feel good’ tales to warm your heart.

She is also the author of the Wendy Darlin Comedy Mystery series. Five coffee-snorting tales that combine cozy with outrageous adventures.”

For more from Barbara, visit her website and her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

When Grams finds a baby on her doorstep on Christmas Eve, she thinks he’s the answer to her prayers. She names him Herbie. Olive nor Lizzy want to turn Herbie over to Child Protective Services on Christmas Eve. With baby Herbie safely tucked away at Lizzy’s house, Olive, Grams, and WonderDog head back to Grams’ house.

Soon the focus of who baby Herbie is changes to how to protect him and his mother from the thugs who are chasing them. Olive is only armed with her trusty can of hairspray, Grams with her large brass candle stick, and WonderDog. They become trapped with a thug at the front door and another at the back door. Can Olive and gang stay hidden until the police arrive? These bargain basement thugs have no idea what they are in for.

Ms. Silkstone is an entertaining storyteller. Her plots are well thought out, clever, and endearing. This is a short read, but well worth your time. Enjoy!  

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Grams' Christmas Baby is book 5 in Ms. Silkstone’s, COLD CREAM MURDERS series. “Each book contains a recipe for homemade cosmetics!”

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 12-13,000 words

Reprise Review: Frosty the Snowman by Mimi Barbour

Genre: Romance/Adventure/Novella/Christmas

Description:

“Strangers, Hali and Terry, and a cute but mischievous Samoyed puppy are stranded in the Alaskan bush. Due to a freak snowstorm, Terry is forced him to land his small Cessna on a frozen lake. From the beginning, Hali’s never known a man so independent and rigid in his need to have things done his way. And Terry’s never known a woman so willing to help, stepping on his pride in such a lovable way that he can’t take offense. The frigid temperatures are brutal and when Terry falls through the ice to save a puppy, the stakes for survival become enormous. Can their blossoming mutual attraction withstand their multiple challenges?”

Author:

Mimi Barbour is a “New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon best-selling author who's sold over 500,000 copies of her books world-wide. She says, “My husband is supportive and drags me out to feed me and plans occasional forays into the outside world… Gardening lights my inner fires, and I need no urging to get out into the yard when the weather dictates. I do have many hobbies such as quilting, crocheting, but alas – no time.”

Visit Ms. Barbour’s website to find out about her many books and series or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

This story is book four in Ms. Barbour’s Holiday Heartwarmer Series. When a small Cessna has to make a forced landing during a freak snowstorm in northern Alaska wilderness, Terry Carlton, the pilot, and Hali Gibson, reluctant passenger, have to go into survival mode.

Hali is on a mission to deliver her cousin’s ten week-old Samoyed puppy to his new owner in Juneau, Alaska. Having yearned to visit this area of the country she sees this as the perfect opportunity to spend Christmas closer to Mother Nature in the far north. After getting bumped off the final leg of her trip she is able to find passage on a private aircraft into Juneau.

Terry is a confirmed bachelor and an introvert who purposely lives miles from town to enjoy his privacy. After barely being able to land the plane on a small frozen lake he must now find a way for them to survive the blizzard. Will he be able to count on this red-headed woman from the big city to listen to him and follow his orders? Is this even a challenge he is up to with a raging infected wound on his arm? He is about to find out.

Frosty the Snowman is an adorable story that stole my heart. Not only are Hali and Terry pushed to their limits trying to survive but they have to deal with a bundle of energy covered in white fur. It doesn’t take too long for Hali to whittle away Terry’s macho-man attitude with her can do spirit and fortitude. The surprise twist at the end was priceless and totally caught me off guard. This story will leave a smile in your heart and on your face.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: This review is from LOVE, CHRISTMAS 1 – Box set of Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart! Original review ran October 17, 2016.  **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.**

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Reprise Review: Let It Snow by Stephanie Queen

Genre: Romance/Suspense/Christmas/Novella

Description:

“Beachcomber Investigations novella

An old friend sends a stranger to visit Dane to help wrestle him from his soul-crushing despair. His life of righting horrific wrongs has cost him a very high price, and worse, it cost someone he loved her life. But how can a stranger help when even Shana, his partner and lover, has failed. Can the stranger use a Christmas Eve snow storm to create the ultimate test for Dane & Shana?”

Author:

Stephanie Queen “A romantic at heart and a writer by nature, Stephanie Queen has the enthusiastic soul of a cheerleader. So of course she loves creating stories where the good guys always win. Although she's lost count of all the jobs she had before she settled on being a Novelist, her favorite was selling cookies as a Keebler Elf. She is a graduate of UConn (go Huskies!) and Harvard U and lives in New Hampshire with her family, her cat, Kitty, and her (real or imagined?) chauffeur, Myren.”

Learn more about Ms. Queen at her website or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Dane Blaze is fighting a soul-wracking depression he can’t pull himself out of. It’s to the point where he thinks he deserves this misery. Shana, his business partner with benefits, can’t seem to pull him through this funk either. Alternating perspectives through point-of-view shifts gave credence to emotions and rounded out the characters well.

On Christmas Eve, Captain Colin Lynch, a friend and co-worker, shows up with a mysterious stranger in tow. Father Pedro is a friend of a friend, from South America, who says he has come to help Dane. Shana suddenly decides perhaps she and Dane need a break from each other and packs her bags to leave. As she is walking out the door, Father Pedro decides he should go with Shana.

Things get worrisome when a huge snowstorm moves into Martha’s Vineyard and the ferry crossing becomes hazardous because of a sudden squall. Dane abruptly senses ‘his girl’ is in danger and is spurred to find a way to reach her.

This precipitous turn of dangerous events is tension filled as communications become sketchy and neither the sea nor the storm are behaving normally. I was a freaking nervous wreck reading what I thought was going to be a sweet romance, but I couldn’t put the book down until I knew things were going to be okay. And I am here to tell you the author still tried to leave a question at the end. However, I want to think I know the answer to that question. I suggest saving Let It Snow for when you are in the mood for a romantic suspense story.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: This review is from LOVE, CHRISTMAS 1 – Box set of Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart! Original review ran October 24, 2016. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.**

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words

Reprise Review: Last Christmas by Joan Reeves

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Novella/Christmas

Description:

“A year ago, Annabelle fell in love at first sight with a mysterious stranger. After a week of unforgettable passion, he walked out of her life. A year of heartache, accompanied by the dirty tricks life can serve up, finds Annabelle back in her hometown, determined to forget the man who still haunts her dreams.

Who should walk into her grandmother’s Christmas party? Why the man who seduced her, lied to her, and betrayed her! He has a new name and a new identity, but his effect on her is as old as time.

Rick Lassiter wants to woo Annabelle back to him. Unfortunately, he has two big problems: he can't explain the past and the sweet-tempered, passionate woman he fell in love with has a will as strong as his and a desire to make him pay for breaking her heart.”

Author:

“Joan Reeves is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. She began her career with New York traditional publishers. When the Amazon Kindle came along, she happily embraced a new career path as an independent author/publisher.

Joan lives her happily ever after with her hero, her husband, in the Lone Star State. They have four kids who think they are adults and a ghost dog--all the ingredients for a life full of love and warmed by laughter. She lives the philosophy that is the premise of all of her romance novels: ‘It's never too late to live happily ever after.’"

For more visit Ms. Reeves' website or Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Last year at a friend’s Christmas party in Houston, Annabelle Cooper thought she had met the love of her life, but then he disappeared without a word. Tired of grieving the lost relationship, she’s decides to move on and never let a man hurt her like that again. Now back home in her grandmother’s house, she has the job she has always wanted since she was a child: managing editor of her grandparent’s newspaper in the Texas panhandle.

During the New Estacado Gazette’s annual Christmas open house, in walks in the man who broke her heart. The mayor introduces him as the town’s new police chief: Rick Lassiter. Not the same name he was using in Houston last year. Annabelle tries to keep her composure and pretends to trip, tossing her champagne in his face, and grinding her four-inch heel into his foot. His gasp of pain is gratifying until he wraps his arms around her, crushing her breasts to his rock-hard chest as he crashes against a wall behind him. Big mistake on Annabelle’s part, because all those feelings from last Christmas come flooding back.

Annabelle quickly devises a plan to get Rick to leave his position and get out of town. It all horribly backfires on her and she falls for him again. The passion between Annabelle and Rick is hot and genuine. All she wants now are answers and he won’t or can’t give them to her. I loved the way the plot moved along. As the town’s residents embrace Rick, Annabelle becomes willing to accept the mystery surrounding Rick as well. The alternating points-of-view helps develop both main characters well. However, Ms. Reeves maintains most of Rick’s mysterious air until the end, which keeps the intrigue level high. When Rick’s past catches up with him, tension rises and all bets are off. Last Christmas is a captivating story I enjoyed all the way through.

I just have one nitpick about a character name, Eddie became Eddy once during the story. Honestly, I see no excuse for that to ever happen. However, Eddie is a minor character brought in to fill out Rick’s backstory and despite this error I am only willing to take away half a star, because I loved the story. Since neither BigAl nor Amazon accepts half stars, I guess we all know that leaves me at a five-star rating.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: This review is from LOVE, CHRISTMAS 1 – Box set of Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart! Original review ran November 21, 2016. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.**

Format/Typo Issues:

Just one significant issue, which I mentioned in the body of my review. My other issue was small, a sentence with extra words.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Reprise Review: White Christmas by Rebecca York

Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Novella/Christmas

Description:

“The snow is coming down so fast, Amelia Parsons doesn't see the speedingcar until it's too late. One moment she's crossing an ice-rutted street in St. Stephens, Maryland. In the next, she's flying into the air, and the world goes black. She wakes, confused, in what appears to be Santa's workshop during the holiday rush. If that's not strange enough, a hunky FBI agent named Daniel is there, demanding to know why she's involved in a plot to ruin Christmas. Can she convince him she's not the villain and then work with him to find the real saboteur?”

Author:

Rebecca York: “A master of paranormal romantic suspense, Rebecca York is the author of over 150 books. A New York Times and USA Today best-seller, she has written paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue.”

To learn more about Ms. York please visit her website.

Appraisal:

This story is right up my alley. I dearly love fantasy and this tale includes a mystery with a little magic as well. Under more than the usual Christmas stress, Amelia is distracted while crossing the street and gets hit by an oncoming car. Was it an accident or something more nefarious?

When Amelia awakens, she is in a mountainous snow-covered forest she doesn’t recognize. Making her way towards lights in the distance, she is rescued from a sudden avalanche by a handsome stranger. Daniel suspects she may be a spy, since he is head of security in this remote township where unexplained accidents have been happening.

Nick, Daniel’s boss, and his wife, Wendy, are sure Amelia has shown up for a special reason. No one ever accidentally finds themselves around their humble abode for no reason. I loved being swept away in this charming story where my imagination could run free. I found the characters well-rounded and the plot moves at a nice pace. I loved every minute of White Christmas and appreciated the promise of a budding relationship between Daniel and Amelia.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK        

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: This review is from LOVE, CHRISTMAS 1 – Box set of Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart! Original review ran November 14, 2016. **Originally written for "BigAl’s Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.**

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words