Review: Turncoat (Renegades of the Revolution)

Stars: 4
Author: Donna Thorland
Publisher: New American Library
Genre: Historical Romance
Amazon

I got this one on kindle daily deal and I am very pleased I bought it! 

Thorland doesn't pull punches with this book. It IS a romance, but it has a lot more historical merit than most books in the genre. There is a heavy amount of political intrigue and strategizing around the American Revolutionary war and there are some big players involved in the central action. There is also quite a bit of violence that isn't romanticized in any way-- particularly the violence towards women. Kate gets some VERY harsh treatment, so if you aren't able to stomach that sort of thing don't read the book. 

On the other hand it is a really compelling story and Kate is more much than a pretty face. She is full-on lady spy for much of the book and watching her intrigue her way around the British army is pretty fun.

The romance is a bit funny because it almost feels like a love triangle even though as it is going on you sort of know that Kate isn't going to choose Bay (because he's a bad guy.) Though bizarrely I sort of liked him. He was a little bit of an anti-hero with the heroine, even though the author clearly was just trying to write a nuanced villain. I was sort of taken with him. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that Kate ended up with Peter, I could just see the attraction to Bayard. 

Overall this book was an enjoyable read because it was a bit outside the traditional tropes of the genre and had a pretty meaty historical plot.

Review: Beautiful Stranger

Stars: 4 stars
Author Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Romance
Amazon

Christina Lauren writes good romance people.

I didn't get on the bandwagon with their first fanfic-- Beautiful Bastard because reviews in various places made me wary. Either that book is actually something I should read, or they have improved their writing significantly because I liked this book SO much.

Max is a GOOOOD romance hero. Somehow he is a bad-boy, but not really (or at least not to Sara). He and Sara have some really crazy times together and this book could easily have degenerated into mindless erotica, but it didn't. Sara and Max have a genuinely solid connection to one another that neither one of them can really deny after their first encounter together as strangers.

Sara has some issues with the idea of having a relationship due to the fact that her ex was a cheating scum-bag and so she gives Max a run for his money before admitting that she likes him. That usually bugs me-- when the heroine obviously really likes the guy but can't get out of her own head enough to admit it-- but for whatever reason, it didn't bug me here.

The other book I read by this duo that I really enjoyed was Diry Rowdy Thing that was similarly fun to read. I'll pick up some of their other books for sure.

Review: A Different Blue

Stars: 4
Author: Amy Harmon
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre: New Adult
Amazon


This might have been a five star read had I read it before The Law of Moses (also by Ms. Harmon), but I didn't, and so some of it felt recycled. Although, in retrospect, I guess Moses was a recycled from this book not the other way around since this was published first...

This is my third Amy Harmon book and I wasn't disappointed. She is writing some quality new adult literature in a landscape that can sometimes be bleak. Her books are pretty tame: closed door love scenes, very little swearing and always a bit of religion thrown in. I don't like inspirational fiction, but Harmon usually doesn't enter into that territory.

Blue is a quality character. Other reviews said they found her hard to like. I can understand that, but she worked for me. I get tired of characters with really crappy lives that are all timid wallflowers hiding behind horrible outfits. Blue deals with her issues using a sexy persona and false confidence. It was interesting watching her peel away her layers as she gets to know Wilson.

The other thing I liked about this book was that even though there is a teacher-student thing going on here, it isn't a taboo book about a clandestine romance. It is a romance, but that doesn't really begin until Blue is fully an adult, making her own choices and no longer a student.

I also liked that Blue is Native American and she's an artist-- but not a painter-- she carves wood, now there is a cool talent.

The reason this wasn't a five star read for me was that there is the...

SPOILER

 accidental, unwanted pregnancy which makes up a big part of the conflict.


END SPOILER

While I appreciated that that was absolutely a situation Blue could have gotten into, I was annoyed since the same thing had happened in The Law of Moses.

There was also an incredible amount of will-they-won't-they? between Wilson and Blue which could have been cleared up by either one of them actually using WORDS and expressing their FEELINGS, but of course neither of them could do that. It takes the WHOLE damn book for them to figure anything out, so don't go into this book thinking that you are getting a full-on romance because you are not.