by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 17, 2023 | Book Reviews
Three Stepbrothers’ Prize by Nicole Casey did not meet my expectations. The first book in the Love by Numbers 2 series, Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin, was such a joy that I anticipated more of the same if not better.
I understand getting lost in the moment. I understand wanting to just forget about inhibitions and responsibilities and just live in the now. However, I don’t know why, in this day and age, our main characters have not even thought about any form of contraception, not even condoms. I would have thought a morning-after pill would have at least occurred to Parvati after her night with Daniel. After all, they were at a luxury resort in Hawaii, not the boondocks. Also to consider … they were not on vacation for one day, they had many opportunities to get something. The three guys are billionaires, they could easily get a box of condoms each.
While this could qualify as a reverse harem I wouldn’t call it a menage. In the one instance in the story when the brothers “shared” her, they actually took turns so it was more like a train.
There are also more than a handful of parts that need to be tweaked such as incorrect terms like “imaginative” instead of just “imagine” and homonyms. The editor in me had a blue pencil out.
This story is just ok but I’ve read better from Nicole Casey. It is mostly because I did not feel any connection to any of the brothers. Their characterization to me was very two-dimensional. Unlike in other stories, I could not imagine myself in this one. I was really just a spectator and not really enjoying the view. I confess there were times when I skipped pages because I was bored.
Three Stepbrothers’ Prize by Nicole Casey will be published on Amazon soon.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 14, 2023 | Book Reviews
His Pet by Bryant reminds me of the early years of the X-Men when humans had difficulty accepting meta-humans, especially when the meta-humans have physical attributes that make it obvious they aren’t normal. Such is the case with Adder, a female with the physical attributes of a snake, hence her name. I suppose this makes Mason akin to Professor X since he appears fully human but actually has strong meta abilities.
When they first met Adder was a minor while Mason was a freshman at University. She attempted to pick his pocket thinking him an easy mark but, of course, got caught. And that is where their unusual friendship began.
His Pet by Bryant is a romance but it is a slow burn. For one thing, we had to wait for Adder to be old enough to even get romantically involved with anyone.
After reading so many books where it seems that the main characters fall into each other’s arms within the first 3 chapters, it is a refreshing change to have characters grow and mature together and not instantly fall in love. We know it will go there, but we don’t know how long it will take and where the journey will take them.
Fyi, it reads like a movie or a tv series, and probably 98% of the book is PG-13. I truly enjoyed this story and I would highly recommend it. Within the pages of this book, you will find action, drama, romance, and attempts to address social issues. If this is up your alley, His Pet by Bryant is available on Goodnovel and on Amazon.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 14, 2023 | Book Reviews
When I was told that I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) I was resigned to the fact that I will be fat for the rest of my life. Most information I find online tells me that it is a side effect of the condition, that it is hormonal, etc., etc. Knowing I am not alone does not make me feel better. I can’t believe that there is nothing I can do. I’m usually careful with what I eat but it does not seem to have any effect on my weight. I’m not losing weight but, thankfully, I am not gaining any either.
I came across this book called PCOS Diet Cookbook: Essential Guide for PCOS Insulin Resistance Diet with Delicious Recipes and Meal Plan to Boost Your Fertility by Dr. Archibald Johansson which not only provides information about PCOS but also suggests some good meals to help improve our health.
Personally, at my age, I am not at all concerned about fertility. I care more about losing weight and feeling good. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but since I do cook I can already tell that many of them would be delicious.
What bothered me though was that it lists the food to avoid includes processed food, unhealthy fats, soy products, dairy, and gluten. And yet some of the recipes include tofu and milk.
Aesthetically, the page format appears to be in long format (8.5×13 or 14) or probably half-short and most books just don’t come in that size anymore. In addition, someone should really come in and fix the layout. For the recipes, for example, most if not all of them don’t actually need to be more than a page long but they are because of the layout.
Content-wise, it is worth taking a look at. Aesthetically, it still needs a lot of work before publishing. This book is available at Amazon in paperback format for 11.99.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 12, 2023 | Book Reviews
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is probably one of the books I like to read over and over. I remember grabbing my copy sometime in the 90s and was quite excited to have Neil Gaiman sign my tattered copy when he visited here in 2010.
If you’ve read anything written by Neil Gaiman you already know how well he builds his characters, scenes, and weaves the story so that we find ourselves immersed in it. If you’ve read anything by Terry Pratchett you are already familiar with his funny bone and his penchant for puns and satire and putting his characters into comedic situations.
As I read I can tell the parts where each author put in their two cents and, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but the Gaiman-Pratchett collaboration works amazingly! It is so good that the story got translated into many formats including television and theater.
I love the argument about nature and nurture and how Adam was able to prove that his upbringing was a greater influence on who he was going to be and that his future is not written in stone. Aziraphale and Crowley are definitely important characters as it is their individual mess-ups that started the ball rolling, so to speak.
I hear that Good Omens, the television series, will have a second season so this will no longer be based on the book. Since Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015, I hope the production will consult with Neil Gaiman about where the story goes. Before the second season comes out I will surely read Good Omens again.
If you would like to read this story you can probably find a copy in your local bookstore but with a different cover, like the one based on the television series. You can also get a copy of the book on Amazon in several formats: Kindle, Audible, paperback, and hardcover.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 10, 2023 | Book Reviews
I’ve been seeing Plain Jane by Celice Wylder pop up so often and I did add it a while back but I could not seem to start it. Part of it was because I wasn’t too keen on the cover art but another was because I read a book from Celice Wylder last year that I was not happy with.
Yesterday I decided to take the plunge and opened this book. I am so glad that I did as this is a jewel. The story is well written and probably the worst thing I could say about it is that the author would use terms like “bicep” or “clavicle” when she could just as easily say arm or collarbone. Jane is also always “strangling” Roman’s hair … last I check you can’t strangle hair – it has no neck.
That aside, though the story is riveting. It is a dark romance that breaks some shifter stereotypes that could be confusing. If you read on, though, you can forgive them and just enjoy the story.
From all the clues I expected more BDSM but I am still early in the story, only chapter 38 so far, so it could still manifest later. Roman has some hard nos that are frankly confusing but I am waiting to see how this story rolls itself out.
So far Plain Jane by Celice Wylder has 93 chapters and is still ongoing on Goodnovel. Since it is already going so much better than the other book I read (which I may review later) I’m one extremely happy camper.
If you are looking for a new story to read on Goodnovel, check out Plain Jane by Celice Wylder now.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 9, 2023 | Book Reviews
They say “don’t judge a book by its cover” but I can’t help it, I’m definitely judging. I don’t like the cover art because it is flat, the characters are tiny compared to the background, and they have no faces. Having said that, City Lights Starry Nights by Kimberly Readnour is supposed to be an age-gap romance in a small town in Indiana called Sugar Creek Falls. Aside from the fact that the age difference is briefly mentioned, the age gap is not apparent as Evie is a mature and level-headed woman despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
What can go wrong will go wrong! Her problems began when her parents cut her off before she even graduated in an effort to force her to go home and assume her place in society. Evie, on the other hand, wanted to work and help people. No matter how many jobs she applies for and interviews for it seems she just isn’t hirable, which is quite strange. The best she could do was get a waitressing job and she even got fired from that.
Dr. Liam Seymour is the older brother of Evie’s best friend and has hang-ups and festering emotional scars. Being the doctor of a small town means that he knows everyone and everyone knows him so getting into a relationship is difficult without everyone knowing about it.
When I started reading this, I assumed it wouldn’t take too much time to read. For some reason, though, at times I found myself slogging through it. There were just some scenes that felt like it was taking too long to develop properly or get to the point. Perhaps it is just my frustration at Liam’s “should we – shouldn’t we” thinking every time he looks at Evie. Even to me, his hang-ups seemed irrelevant.
He wanted something casual, no problem. He’s into some light BDSM and wants a submissive in the bedroom … so long as he talks about it with Evie first and she is ok with it, I don’t see the problem. But that is probably his biggest hang-up.
The author promises HEA so we know it will get there. The journey is taking so long, though … or I am just impatient. There’s more to the story than just their romance. There’s a weird ex, grumpy old men to charm, storms to get through, and an antiquated scheduling system to figure out.
City Lights Starry Nights by Kimberly Readnour is book 1 of the Sugar Creek Fall series so I am anticipating a story for Ethan and also for Matthew and Ansley (Liam’s sister) since history was hinted at earlier in the book.
If you have a Kindle Unlimited account you can read this book for free on Amazon or you can purchase it for 3.99.
His Pet by Bryant reminds me of the early years of the X-Men when humans had difficulty accepting meta-humans, especially when the meta-humans have physical attributes that make it obvious they aren’t normal. Such is the case with Adder, a female with the physical attributes of a snake, hence her name. I suppose this makes Mason akin to Professor X since he appears fully human but actually has strong meta abilities.
When I was told that I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) I was resigned to the fact that I will be fat for the rest of my life. Most information I find online tells me that it is a side effect of the condition, that it is hormonal, etc., etc. Knowing I am not alone does not make me feel better. I can’t believe that there is nothing I can do. I’m usually careful with what I eat but it does not seem to have any effect on my weight. I’m not losing weight but, thankfully, I am not gaining any either.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is probably one of the books I like to read over and over. I remember grabbing my copy sometime in the 90s and was quite excited to have Neil Gaiman sign my tattered copy when he visited here in 2010.
I’ve been seeing Plain Jane by Celice Wylder pop up so often and I did add it a while back but I could not seem to start it. Part of it was because I wasn’t too keen on the cover art but another was because I read a book from Celice Wylder last year that I was not happy with.
They say “don’t judge a book by its cover” but I can’t help it, I’m definitely judging. I don’t like the cover art because it is flat, the characters are tiny compared to the background, and they have no faces. Having said that, City Lights Starry Nights by Kimberly Readnour is supposed to be an age-gap romance in a small town in Indiana called Sugar Creek Falls. Aside from the fact that the age difference is briefly mentioned, the age gap is not apparent as Evie is a mature and level-headed woman despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
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