Two Separate Reviews

For the first time, I shall be reviewing two different books, or novellas, as I should say, in one post. Since the books were so short, I was able to read through them at a fast pace, in about one day, and I feel that one post would suffice for the reviews. I received a free copy of both books via the Read It and Reap program in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Penny's Worth
Author: A.M. Hooper
Genre: Suspense, Romance
Publisher: Prose by Design
Publication Date: May 10, 2011

His kisses are passionate. His romance is flawless. The last thing 17 year old Emmaline expected was for her perfect boyfriend, Cephas, to kidnap her. Now she'll have to outsmart and outrun those closest to her in this fast- paced adventure of insubordination and torrid love. Friends will become foes and trust will gave way to bitter lies as Emmaline tries to save innocent lives which may perish at the hand of Cephas's crooked boss. With a posse of lethal hit men hot on her trail, Emmaline must decide whether unraveling the truth is worth enduring the betrayal, destruction, and deceit that stand in her way. Cephas Bourdon is trouble, but maybe she could kiss him again . . . just one more time. It couldn't hurt.

I don't even know where to begin on this book. The book was such a mess, that at times I felt like scratching out my eyes and bleaching my brain in order to forget what I've read. And I'm usually not this shallow, but I couldn't stand the cover. No need to go on about that though.

I couldn't stand Emmaline. The author, and every character in the book, proclaimed her a smart girl, but every decision she made was pure idiocy. It was rare when I didn't want to slap her around and hopefully bring back some sense into her teenage mind. What baffled me the most was while she and her father were under the custody of Dominic, the antagonist, all she could think about was loving Cephas and crying over the fact that he lied to her. GET OVER IT. You and your father are about to die, and that is all you can think about? Ugh.

Get the author a thesaurus, please. Some adjectives were repetitive, especially those using to describe the bad guys. "Evil" seemed to be the author's favorite choice. Oh--

"and everything went black
"everything went black"
"And everything went black"

How many times does this phrase need to be repeated in the book? The author also utilizes the phrase in the least suspenseful scenes ever-when the character is going to sleep. Seriously? Please. Just stop.

The only reason I'm not giving this book one star is because the story had some good moments. The typical teenager-falling-for-guy scenes were cute, and not cliched to the point where I wanted to vomit. But that was it.

Rating: Two out of Five stars




Title: Tourmentin
Author: Michelle Cornwell-Jordan
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: March 16, 2013

     Emile and Serafine loved at first sight believing in their fairytale ending. But fate and darkness from Emile’s past separate the lovers, with Emile being trapped in an alternate time, imprisoned in the 1800’s by his former lover the sultry Isadora. Isadora is convinced that she and Emile belong together and also as the old saying goes… believes if she cannot have Emile, then no one can.

     Time moves forward and Emile’s beloved Serafine dies, but she promises to find her true love again. Love’s promise is realized, when Serafine is reborn into the modern age and has returned to the French Quarter and to the very hotel where her Emile still remains frozen in time.

     The lovers reunite, only to face an evil which vows to destroy them once and for all.

I was able to read this story in less than an hour, for it was only 59 pages long. It was a decent novelette, a sweet love story with the New Orleans vibe. Now, I love New Orleans, and I consider it a second home. I'm already biased when it comes to stories that are set in the city, and this one is no exception. It features magic, ghosts, voodoo, and the charismatic charm of the city to tie the story together.

There isn't much to say about this story, since it is so short, but I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoy romantic short stories.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

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