Kittens, Puppies & Love ARC Review

Kittens, Puppies & Love by Sophie Bartow is the next selection that I received as a free advanced reader copy from voraciousreadersonly.com. I selected this book for its promise of a happy ending and the small town it was based in. From the synopsis, it sounded like one of the Harlequin or inspirational romance novels I tend to read.

The story in and of itself was one I did not want to put down. The idea that a small town can bring about a sense of home and togetherness sounded so good. By the end of the book, I wanted to live there myself. It was much better than I expected. There was more depth that hooked me which made the story a much better read.

There was more to the story than you expect. The characters had to go through obstacles and break down barriers separately to come together. The story was a slow burn type read that caused the main characters to have to dig deep within themselves to discover what it is that they have wanted in life all along.

I appreciated that the author allowed the main characters to get to know each other before they became intimate. This allowed you to feel for the characters. None of the growth of the relationship seemed rushed, which seems to be hard to find in books these days.

All in all, this is one book that I can recommend. I would recommend it to teens and up. This is more than a romance novel, more like a work of general fiction with some romance and a happily-ever-after ending. Give it a read if you normally read romance or want time and self-growth to occur before the deep relationship blossoms. It has been a while since I read a book like this that didn’t have religious ties to it.

Would you read this book? Do you have a book suggestion? Is there something you would like to see a review on?
 

Pinkie: A Short Story ARC Review

 Pinkie: A Short Story by Kate Courtright is the new read I have selected for free from voraciousreadersonly.com. The fact that it was a short story was part of the reason I selected this title. The idea of searching for a new beginning or starting over intrigued me as well. As I was to find out, there were to be a few more reasons I was going to be interested in this selection as well.

Part of this story takes place on a train ride from New York to Virginia. To some that might be considered boring. It's the hurdles that the characters must go through and some of the most mundane seeming events that cause this to be a train ride that makes time fly by. What happens when the person near you is talking too loud? What makes card games last hours? There is more going on in reality that the characters may not pick up on or want to pick up on which makes this story worth reading.

The fact that there was a character named Tabitha was interesting. It is very rare when I see my name somewhere anymore.  Granted she was supposed to be an older character, being the former mother-in-law of the main character, Rebecca. She was a minor character that I was surprised that I liked.

What if you were to tell some random stranger your whole baggage up front and somehow that turns into more than friendship from the get-go? If you know, you know. This story is a realistic romance short story with a happy-ever-after ending. I would love for there to be a sequel to this short story as the author does seem to leave room for that.

I would recommend this story to anyone that likes short stories, romance, or general fiction. I would also recommend that the reader be a teenage plus due to some things that some of the characters deal with, including divorce. 

What have you been reading lately? What would you like to see a review on next?