Tags
books, e-books, Gaston Leroux, Jeffe Kennedy, Jenny Schwartz, JM Smith, Maria Zannini, Melanie Macek, Phantom of the Opera, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, Renaissance Wench, The Icarus Plot, The Secret Door A Phantom of the Opera Novel
Let’s talk books!
Just Read
Why I picked it up: It was an Amazon rec based on the Jeffe Kennedy Phantom books I’d read. Hey, y’all know me, I’m all about the Phantom.
What I liked: I enjoyed the story, the time-travel element that brought the heroine to the Phantom’s world. There was a nice spin at the end and a HEA.
What I disliked: The execution. I don’t know if the author was attempting to emulate Leroux or just inexperienced but it came across as a jumbled head hop. It was an extremely frustrating read.
Reading
Why I picked it up: Mel’s one of my online friends and one of the few I’ve actually met IRL. And while I don’t consider myself drawn in by covers, this one sings.
What I liked: I enjoyed how the couple met, it was fun and felt real. The story is a sweet contemporary romance with a bit of a rags-to-riches spin.
What I disliked: I didn’t buy the investigation. Or maybe it was that I didn’t understand the hero’s job. I know enough about financial planning/broker houses to know the average rep wouldn’t be involved beyond reporting the crime. Yet Simon was up to his eyebrows. If Simon worked for FINRA I could see it but I was left with the feeling he worked for an independent broker/dealer or financial planning company.
Will Read
Why I picked this up: Maria mentioned it and I liked the blurb.
What I expect to like: The steampunk aspect.
What I expect to dislike: I think it’s novella-length so it’ll probably be shorter than I want.
What are you reading and loving at the moment?
Raelyn Barclay 
I’m reading and enjoying M Pax’s The Initiate. It’s a part of her Rifters series set in present day but in the tiny town of Settler, Oregon making it the perfect cozy place for all kinds of crazy to go down.
I’ve seen that. I love the twist of traveling forward when so many time-travel stories go to the past. I’ll have to pick it up.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
Always glad to make book suggestions. Hope you like it.
Novellas have been hit or miss for me too. I try to remind myself it’s just a short story and not to expect a big story arc, but when you get engrossed you get disappointed when it ends too soon.
Novellas have a place, I love being able to read an entire story over my lunch hour for example, but I almost always wish for a longer tale.
Thanks Maria.
Sorry about the missing covers. Apparently, this theme doesn’t like the Amazon image URLs. Fixed now (though I’ll have to go back and check other posts). That’s an unpleasant surprise.
Mine gives me troubles with photos, too. I’ve had to insert them the long way instead of the “easy” way. Makes me wonder if WordPress is going to be moving in directions that don’t work with the way I blog.
I wonder if it has to do with the fact this new theme is designed to be viewed on phones and tablets whereas the old one wasn’t. Amazon probably needs to catch up 🙂 These were a simple copy and paste.
I can see why that cover drew you in! It’s lovely.
I’m currently reading (well, listening to) “Timebound” by Rysa Walker. I love many aspects of it, and I feel that the time travel is done well, but it has dull moments. Maybe it’s intentional pacing, maybe it’s because I’m listening to it instead of reading it for myself, but whatever the reason it leaves me feeling like the book needed more editing.
I’m planning to read (read-read, not listen-read) “The Iron Wyrm Affair” by Lilith Saintcrow as soon as I remember to stick the paperback in my purse for lunch reading. Between the use of “Wyrm” in the title, the steampunk aspect, and the fact that I’ve enjoyed Lili’s work in the past, I’m hoping this one is right up my alley.
Oh, I’ll have to check Timebound out. I love me a good time-travel.
Thanks for the recommendations Nicole.