Ashleigh's Bookshelf

A Novel Proposal by E. E. Everly Annalise has a problem. She is in love with her boss, but Evan is clueless. Fed up with being in the friend zone, she quits without warning. She doesn't even want to read the edits he made on her novel. But when a friend insists she read the book, she discovers he has made some drastic suggestions. Will reading his changes help Annalise see Evan in a new light? Or has she lost her best friend. This was a very cute story and something I recommend for all romance writers, as we can relate to a lot of the situations within the story. That said, I did have a couple of issues with the book. There were several scenes, specifically the ones involving the ski resort and the hospital, that felt they could have used a little more research. I'm not exactly sure where this story was supposed to take place, but Annalise and Evan's experiences were drastically different than mine and the events, while cute and helped dri...

Cyn & the Peanut Butter Cup Pru Warren When a nonagenarian steals an FBI agent's gun in the middle of the grocery store, Cyn and Rhys both wonder if their jobs are on the line. Cyn loves being Maddy's caregiver, but the old woman with short-term memory loss is proving to be more of a challenge than she expected. Rhys has wanted to work for the FBI his entire life, but he keeps screwing up. When Maddy's past comes back to haunt her present, Cyn and Rhys must help her, possibly finding some romance along the way. While I found the spiciness of this romance a littler more intense than what I am used to, I really enjoyed this book. The author does a great job with the voice. I loved that Maddy's chapters were in the present tense while Cyn and Rhys were in the past. I only had two minor issues with the book. The first is the abrupt change in the story around chapter fifteen. We go from a leisurely day of volunteering to a different voice in a dif...

Let It Snow John Green Maureen Johnson Lauren Myracle This book is a compilation of three intertwined novellas. Though they do all work well together, they can also each be read individually. Story #1: The Jubilee Express It's Christmas Eve and sixteen-year-old Jubilee is looking forward to celebrating her one-year anniversary with Noah. Unfortunately, when her parents get arrested, she is sent to spend the holiday with her grandparents instead. What starts as an irritating inconvenience turns into a major problem when the worst storm in fifty years hits. Determined not to let fourteen rowdy cheerleaders ruin her holiday, Jubilee sets off to make the best of the worst holiday of her life. I really enjoyed this story, though I don't have a lot to say about it. I liked watching Jubilee grow. As the daughter of a Christmas Village collector, I found that storyline riotous (pun intended). I could completely relate to Jubilee's irritation with her parent...

Dahlia's Backstage Pass Ethan Cobalt Dahlia has her entire life planned. In a few weeks, she and her on-again/off-again boyfriend will go to college. She will become a nurse, he a doctor. Together, they'll volunteer for Doctors Without Borders and see the world. Most importantly, she'll be able to leave the trailer park she calls home. But when an old friend calls out of the blue, Dahlia realizes she can't turn down his offer to work with his band. Suddenly, her world is turned upside-down and she must question everything from her career goals to her relationship. I enjoyed this story, although I did spend much of the book wondering if Dahlia stepped out of one manipulative relationship just to enter another one. I think this was ultimately because I didn't really get to know the character very well. I would have liked to have seen him developed a little more. I also would have liked to know Finn better as well. I saw some potentia...

Worth the Effort: Ella's Story by Kai Strand When Ella encounters a homeless teen behind the coffee shop where she works, she struggles to overcome her fear of him. Curious about how he ended up on the streets, she learns more about herself than his story. I found this story very enjoyable. I liked learning about Ayden and watching Ella grow. I would have liked to have learned a little more about Ella's world. Why was she working at the coffee shop. Did she have any close friends? I didn't get the impression she did. Overall, I found this a cute story and look forward to reading Ayden's side. I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.

Snowed Inn: The Beginning by Eliza Harwell In 1969, hippie Iris has no idea what she wants to do with her life. So when the opportunity arises to learn how to work an organic farm in rural Virginia, she figures she has nothing to lose. It's been a year since Vern has returned from Vietnam, but he still remembers the trials of war. When his advisor suggests he spend time researching his doctoral thesis in rural Virginia, he welcomes the opportunity. Little do Iris and Vern realize they will find their futures in the woods. This novella is a prequel to Eliza Harwell's Snowed Inn series and tells the story of how the innkeepers, Iris and Vern, met. When I read the blurb, I expected the story to remain in the past, but it not only begins in the present time, but it continues to interrupt the story with flashes back to the present. I would have much preferred a story that was set in the past and stayed there. The story begins with an des...

Reverend of Silence by Pamela Sparkman Despite my rave review, I have very little to say about this book. I could not put this book down, reading into the wee hours to see how the story ends. As a life-long resident of Southern Connecticut, and someone who has been studying Deaf culture for thirty years, this story spoke to me on a level I cannot fully explain. I instantly fell in love with the characters, before they even fell in love with each other. I even found myself crying with their plight. Overall, I would rate this story five quills and place it on my top shelf.

Finding Miss Write by Gena Webb Carla Williams (aka Kay Wyont) is working on a new novel when she decides she might want to kill one of her main characters. When her conversation is overheard, a concern citizen tries to report her to the police, resulting in Carla being brought in for questioning. When the concerned citizen refuses to let the matter go, Carla becomes headline news and a serial killer's next target. With her safety an issue, Carla grows closer to the detective trying to protect her. I really wanted to enjoy this book. A novel about a romance writer who also writes cozy mysteries and always wins at Scrabble? I had to read this just to make sure it wasn't a biography about me. However, I found it very difficult to finish. While I enjoyed the story, several characters had very similar names (Roger & Randy, for example) to easily confuse me. The fact that they were also characters in Kay's novel didn't help, although I happened to enjoy that particular ...

I Don't Date Superheroes   by S.D. Rogue To the world Hana is an army medic. Not even her closest friends and coworkers realize that she treats superheroes for the Enhanced Humans Agency. One night, after a long day at work, a patient breaks into her apartment seeking help. After nearly being killed by the people following him, Hana joins his quest for safety. Unsure of what is happening or whom to trust, Hana must figure out why someone is kidnapping superheroes without forgetting her mantra: do NOT fall for a superhero. One of my biggest problems with this story was the editing. There were many places with excessive dialogue tags, repetitive words, and shifts in tenses or point of view. There were also misused or missing words. I found these editing errors distracting and it was difficult to get through the first chapter. Once I was able to overlook these issues, I found I liked the story. There was a decent plot, a decent subplot, and strong backstories. However, it all moved a...

Is This Me?   by Tricia Copeland Amanda cannot wait for the first day of college, where she is immediately introduced to her friend's fraternity. By the end of orientation, she is spending more time at the frat house than at the dorm, especially two seniors. All her friends think something is going on, but she keeps insisting their just friends. After a series of mishaps, Anna finds herself lying to her friends about her health and her feelings and must find true self again. By the end of chapter one, most of the key players had been introduced, although I must admit I was a little confused with the large cast of characters. However, the light prose made it easy to follow Amanda's exploits as well as her roller coaster of emotions regarding a certain frat boy. As the book went on, I found myself rooting for Amanda to be with one specific frat boy and was disappointed when it didn't work out. Overall, I found the characters very relatable and the story engaging. I am lookin...