Review Round Up ~ June 12

New Releases:

Royal Bastard by Avery Flynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend

Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley

In Royal Bastard, Avery Flynn introduces us to a new group of characters. We meet Nick, the American grandson on an English earl, Brooke, the earl’s secretary, and the town of Bowhaven.

This was a fun read that also showed us that not everything is as it seems. Nick really is a good guy, he has plenty of baggage from the way he thinks things played out with his parents. I loved getting to know him, seeing his interactions with the town, and his desire to help and fix things.
It took a little more to get to know Brooke, but I liked her from the get go, even when it seemed the town misunderstood her a bit. Bowhaven and it’s residents are interesting secondary characters, I would love to see more of them in future works.

There is a lot going on story wise in Royal Bastard - What all of those things are, you get to read to find out. As a reader, I felt like certain pieces of the story, especially that between Nick and Brooke was very well resolved. There were other parts, like the relationship between Nick and his Grandfather, was left open ended and I resolved.

Overall, Royal Bastard is a well written read on par with what I would expect from Ms Flynn. I enjoyed it and really do hope we get to come back to Yorkshire and see what happens with more of the Bowhaven crew.

Amazon

TBR Reads:

Moonrise by Ines Johnson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Copy Received for Free

This was a newsletter freebie that I picked up and enjoyed as it was an interesting departure from what I’ve been reading lately.

But, due to length, it’s hard to call this a full book. Lucia and Jackson are both interesting characters, but you don’t really get to know them.

There is a lot going on here. There is world building complicated by a futurist new reality with new races, family dynamics, and potential new relationships. I would have really like to have seen more plot development vs the immediate jump to HEA. This made me curious about the author/ series and I would read more, but I don’t know that I would seek these works out.

Amazon

Beguiling the Duke by Eva Shepherd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review Copy Provided via contest

I was given this book to read as part of a contest, but based on the blurb I would have picked it up for myself. I went into the story really wanting to like it, but found myself feeling frustrated more than anything.

The premise is one we’ve seen before - a bit of mistaken identity gone wrong, massive apologies, the two loverbirds decide if they can be happy. The story line and plot are the strong points here.

The characters have their moments, but seem to be the weak link. I enjoyed Alexander - he has a modern thought process, is honorable, and holds himself accountable. I had a harder time with Rosie - for someone with her background, she was very flippant about the feelings of others, even when called to the carpet, she didn’t seem to fully understand her actions. There were times when she seemed mature and likeable, but then she’d act like a child who didn’t get what she wanted.

Overall, this was a decent read. I was pulled in enough to want to see how the charade would be exposed and how all would be resolved, but I’m not sure if this is an author I’ll be seeking out again.

Amazon

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