~Book Review~ Loving Lucianna

Loving Lucianna 

A Hearts in Autumn Romance 

by Joyce DiPastena 

Genre: Medieval romance 

4.3 of 5 pearls 

WARNING: Mild violence, otherwise a totally clean and sweet read. 

 Disclaimer #1: I am friends with the author. The author is also a cover client of mine (yes, I designed this cover). The version I read was the beta version (arc), so there might be some differences now of which I am not aware. 

Summary: Lucianna has accepted the fact that she will never marry. There are things in her past she cannot undo, things that prevent marriage even if the right man comes along. When the right man does come along, it takes everything in her to resist him, and he refuses to take no for an answer.

The thing I love best about Joyce's books is the complete assurance that I will not encounter anything that makes me uncomfortable. I'll discover well-rounded characters, a well-researched corner of medieval history, and a sweet love story. This is certainly true of Loving Lucianna. And I love that this story is about a couple in the Autumn of their years.

I was immediately drawn to these characters and found myself eager to determine what this big secret was that prevented Lucianna from giving in to her desire to marry Sir Balduin. He was a charming man, and I felt the romance between them was believable and well-written. I enjoyed the flashback scenes, where we learned about young Lucianna. Ms. DiPastena did a fabulous job of easing the reader in and out of these scenes without disrupting the story flow. The end was satisfying.

I look forward to reading the final version of this story, which I'm sure is now a solid 5-pearl read. For the time being, I'll end this review here. :)

Disclaimer #2: I was not paid in any way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own. The image does link to Amazon, and the link does contain my affiliate ID. I was given a copy of this book as a beta reader, not with the request for a review, but I decided to review it anyway. ;)

Book Review: When the Bough Breaks by Miss Mae

Title: When the Bough Breaks

Author: Miss Mae

Website: www.missmaesite.com

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Mystery-Thriller

Publisher: Whimsical Publications

ISBN: 978-1-936167-01-2

Format: E-book, 189 pages

(avl in print only)

Release date: October 12, 2009

Reviewed: September 7, 2009

Rating: 5 pearls (4.8)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: 16-year-old Darlene Moore is not allowed to date until she turns 18. Despite her mother's rule, she finds herself drawn to Parker Shane, a young man newly returned from Vietnam who has the reputation of a playboy. Through betrayals by more than one person in whom Darlene once placed her trust, these two struggle to find a way to be together.

My two cents: This book started out with the feel of a typical young adult book. The heroine, Darlene, is 16 and in high school. Set in the late '60s with all the trappings of the period, it was an interesting journey into recent history. As the story progresses, however, the initial fluffy feel of the story is lost in a barrage of tragedy that left this reader in tears more than once.

I was surprised that this short novel managed to wring so many differing emotions from me. I chuckled, I cried and at one point, my jaw dropped. It is well-written, flows well, and has believable characters. This was a book that was hard to walk away from. If my copy hadn't been an e-book, I would have taken this book with me everywhere until I was done!

While the first few chapters were a little slow, getting to know who was who and what was what, the story quickly picked up pace. The author let tantalizing bits of mystery drop until all the pieces fell into place. In my opinion, it was very well done.

In conclusion, this is the first by this author that I have had the pleasure to read. It won't be the last.

Please note: Although my copy was an e-book, this book will only be available in print.

*Review based on ARC.