Some breezy reads: Teleporting, love in a charming town, and growing up in 1040s America

I lost myself in a few breezy novels the last two weeks...stories that were light and fun and easy to read. Just what I needed.

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Windswept by Gwen Cole
Category: YA Fiction, 256 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Publication date: July 21, 2020
Content Rating: PG (one religious expletive)

MY THOUGHTS:

I read Windswept within 24 hours. It was a fast fun read.

Sam rides the subway to school and it's pretty humdrum until the day she meets Reid. Reid can teleport. He's a drifter. Think Jumper starring Hayden Christensen. As they get to know and trust each other, Sam's world changes as she discovers secrets her family has been keeping from her. When danger threatens all that she loves, Sam discovers more about herself than she ever knew.

This clean YA fantasy novel was a good escape. It's fun to read about those with superpowers when we lack a sense of control of what's happening all around us. It's also a story about young love and about family.

BUY THE BOOK: Amazon ~ B & N ~ Add to Goodreads

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Love Starts Here by Traci Borum
Category: Adult Fiction, pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Adept Publishing
Publication date: March, 2020
Content Rating: G

MY THOUGHTS:

Love Starts Here is a heartwarming feel-good book about the search for family and the perfect story, within the backdrop of a charming small town community and a mysterious man.

Writer Jill McCallister has writer's block so she decides to visit Morgan’s Grove, the town founded by her great-great-great grandfather. She gets to stay with a kind older woman named Lucille who just so happens to have a good-looking grandson visiting for the holidays. As Jill gets caught up in the town's festivities and Lucille's personal life, she also gets to discover the meaning of finding "home".

This was a delightful read full of charming lovely characters, a smooth predictable plot and a happy ending. The romance fell a little flat for me though. Not enough passion. More like two friends who discover they are in love with each other. It's a Hallmark kind of story. Perfect for readers who love small town clean romances.

BUY THE BOOK: Amazon ~ Add to Goodreads

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Little Joe by Michael E. Glasscock III
Category: Adult Fiction, pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication date: January 1st, 2013
Content Rating: G

MY THOUGHTS:

Little Joe is an historical fiction novel that takes place in 1940s America. It’s the story of a 9-year-old boy who becomes an orphan when both parents die in a car crash. He is then taken in by his maternal grandparents who live on a farm in the small town of Round Rock, Tennessee.

There is not much plot, emotional exploration or depth of character in this novel. Little Joe wasn’t given a chance to grieve the loss of his parents and this loss factored in very little in the overall storyline. We get details of the day-to-day activities (farm life and school) and a string of interesting anecdotes of events that happened in the span of a year.

Having read a lot of middle grade fiction, this book felt like it was written for a young audience. Initially, I thought it was a little dry, but I forged on and the story as well as the characters did grow on me. This is the first book in a 4-part series.

I have a copy of The Trial of Dr. Kate, the second book in this series, and hope that it will offer more of a plot and story arc.

BUY THE BOOK: Amazon ~ Add to Goodreads

Monday, September 28, 2020