Remember to Forget by Ashley Royer ~ My Review

Remember to Forget  by Ashley Royer 

Publication Date: April 5th, 2016 
Publisher: Blink 
Pages: 304 
Received: NetGalley for my honest review. 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

When I saw Remember to Forget on NetGalley, I loved the cover and was intrigued by the story. So, I quickly requested a copy. 

Levi is suffering from severe depression, has mood swings, anger issues, and panic attacks. He wasn’t always like this. He was a happy, typical teenager, but after losing someone close to him, he shut down, and he stopped talking.

After exhausting all of her resources, Levi’s mum decides to send him to America to live with his father. She is hoping that leaving Australia and all of its memories will help him forget.

As I began reading the story, I was immediately drawn in, but after a while, it started wearing on me. I grew tired of Levi’s whining and crying. I know, I know, depression is a serious problem, and I don’t take it lightly. But for the sake of storytelling I was hoping for something more. Especially something big to pull Levi out of his depression, but that moment just fell flat for me. And in the end, I was worried that Levi could suffer another setback at any time. 

Don’t get me wrong; I did like Remember to Forget, and every time I thought I’d had enough of the story something would happen to draw me back in. Who knows, you might enjoy it more than I did.

FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the story from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.

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Pride and Persistence by Jeanna Ellsworth ~ My Review

Pride and Persistence by Jeanna Ellsworth 

Publication Date: March 29th, 2014 
Publisher: Hey Lady Publications 
Pages: 319 
Received: Paperback from the author for my honest review. 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 
Pride and Persistence is a Pride and Prejudice variation that begins the day after Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth in Hunsford. Variations are my favorite type of Jane Austen Fan Fiction, and this one has a fun spin to it! 

After giving Elizabeth the letter, Darcy starts to mount his horse when a loud crack of thunder sounds, startling his horse, causing the horse to bolt and jump over the fence, throwing Darcy to the ground. Not only does the fall leave Darcy unconscious but he also has a badly broken leg. Elizabeth and Mrs. Wilkinson (the parsonage cook) witness the accident and send for help. They move him to the parsonage where he will have to stay until he recovers. When Darcy regains consciousness he has no memory of his accident, nor of the day before — he has forgotten the proposal and their terrible argument after. So he proposes again, and again and again… Darcy is suffering from short-term memory loss and every day he has to be told what happened to him, and everyday Elizabeth politely turns him down. As the days go on, Elizabeth starts seeing a different side of Darcy. A kinder man, a loyal and devoted friend, a persistence man! This Darcy she likes. This Darcy she is falling in love with, but can she marry him if he never remembers proposing to her in the first place??

I loved Colonel Fitzwilliam in this story. He knows how much Darcy loves Elizabeth, and he is very good at manipulating the situation to Darcy’s advantage; to control Lady Catherine, and encourage Elizabeth.

I enjoyed the beginning of this story very much! What starts out similar to the “50 First Dates” movie, soon takes on a story of its own. I was worried that it would be too much like the movie and was happy that it wasn’t. But, I do have to say that after their major difficulties had been smoothed over, I found the last third of the story a little slow.

Pride and Persistence is a humorous romance! This is Jeanna Ellsworth’s second novel. Her first is Mr. Darcy’s Promise (my review).

FTC Disclaimer: I received a paperback of the book from the author for my honest review.

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A Lasting Love Affair by P.O. Dixon ~ My Review

A Lasting Love Affair: Darcy and Elizabeth by P.O. Dixon 

Publication Date: December 12, 2013 
Publisher: Regents and Cotswold Book Group 
Pages: 170 
Received: e-copy from author for my honest review. 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 
A Lasting Love Affair is a Pride and Prejudice variation and begins with Elizabeth going to live with her wealthy aunt, Lady Vanessa Barrett, Mr. Bennet’s estranged sister.  In going there, the family hopes to heal the rift between the families. Lady Vanessa is a widow with no heir to leave her fortune to, and if all goes well Elizabeth will become Lady Vanessa’s heir apparent. By doing this, Elizabeth will also be saving her sisters and mother should anything happen to Mr. Bennet.

Lady Vanessa reminds me of Lady Catherine, dictatorial and rude. She has it in mind that Elizabeth should marry her nephew Lord Andrew, the future Earl of Bosley, thus uniting the two estates. But she did have her good moments like when she had a little “tete-a-tete” with Caroline Bingley! I enjoyed that!

It is in the village near Barrington Hill (Lady Vanessa's estate), that Elizabeth first meets Darcy. They get off to a bad start as they literally bump into each other, and both are rude to one another. But soon they are in each other’s company often as he is staying with Lord Andrew, and the two families spend a lot of time together. 

I was not happy with this Elizabeth. I found her to be a bit more curt than usual. There wasn’t the usual playfulness in the banter between Darcy and Elizabeth. But I do have to admit that Elizabeth has a good reason to have lost some of her sparkle. She has lost someone very special to her and is afraid to ever get that close to anyone else ever again. I was sad for her lost too.

Ms. Dixon is very good at using bits of the dialogue from the original and sprinkling it throughout her books, mixing them up, giving them to other people and situations. She does this in this book, as well. For instance, it’s Elizabeth who calls Darcy "tolerable" when asked to describe him.  
  
A Lasting Love Affair is good, but not my favorite of Dixon's works. Although, I would always recommend any of her stories, especially if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice variations! One of my favorites of hers is Bewitched Body and Soul. You can read my review here.

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book for my honest review.

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Sugar Spun Sister by Anna Garner ~ My Review

Sugar Spun Sister by Anna Garner 

Publication Date: December 2013 
Pages: 264 
Received: e-copy from author for my honest review.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Book Blurb:
Life isn’t exactly sweet for Cricket Whittier. Her boss hates her, her work is soul-destroying, and the sexy guy she’s hooking up with doesn’t want to date her. But this girl is far from hopeless. When Cricket’s in the kitchen with her ice cream maker and a few choice ingredients, her troubles slip away as she becomes a delectable dessert-designing powerhouse. She loves it so much, she dreams of opening her own ice cream shop one day.

As it turns out, “one day” just might be closer than she thinks. Propelled by the help and encouragement of her best friends, Lindsay and Nora, Cricket starts making plans to set up shop. Which is easier said than done what with the internal squabbling, the sky-high costs, her parents forecasting failure and her increasingly complicated love life. Despite all these hurdles, will Cricket be able to make her sweet dreams come true?

 
Sugar Spun Sister by Anna Garner (who also writes under the name Libby Mercer) is a fun, quirky story with a New Agey feel to it. 

Cricket Whittier is totally frustrated at work. Her boss doesn’t like her and is determined to make her life miserable. As her rage builds during the day, Cricket finds peace when she gets home by making ice cream, and she dreams of one day opening her own ice cream shop. Her friends, Nora and Lindsay, encourage her to follow her dreams and make someday into something much sooner...now. Nora scouts out store shops and finds the perfect space for Cricket to rent. As much as Cricket would love to make her dreams come true, she just doesn’t have the funds to open an ice cream shop. She soon finds out Nora, and Lindsay want in on the deal. Can three friends become partners and remain friends?

I enjoyed this story with its cast of colorful characters! Nora, one of Cricket’s best friends, is rich and bored with her life. There is trouble brewing in Nora's marriage, but she’s not talking about it. Cricket’s parents are a couple of old hippies who are “wary of society’s institutions.” They were against Cricket going into business for herself. (That was something I didn’t really understand. They didn’t want her to succeed.) Her brother Sage is there to help, along with his surfer friend Bax. Then there is Jimmy, Cricket’s ex-boyfriend who is now a "friends-with-benefits" friend. Let’s not forget her horrid boss, Oscar! Together, with a few others, make up an interesting group of people! 

Sugar Spun Sister is a cute story. Although, I enjoyed reading it, it didn’t grab a hold of me. Other than finding the courage to follow her dreams there wasn’t much conflict. This is the first of a three book series called Sweet Dreams, and maybe this was just the set up for something bigger. I look forward to finding out!

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book for my honest review.

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Twelfth Night at Longbourn by Maria Grace ~ My Review

Twelfth Night at Longbourn by Maria Grace 

Publication Date: December 11, 2013 
Publisher: White Soup Press 
Pages: 135 
Received: e-copy from author 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

Twelfth Night at Longbourn is the fourth book in the Given Good Principle series. The focus in this book, is on Kitty Bennet, but as Maria Grace has mixed up the couples a bit in this series, I would recommend that you read the previous books for clarity, or at the very least read All the Appearance of Goodness (Vol 3).

Kitty is the only one of the Bennet girls left at Longbourn. Shortly after Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary are married, Lydia foolishly elopes with Lt. Harper, leaving Kitty to suffer the effects alone. Shunned by the people of Meryton. With her mother refusing to come out of her rooms and her father keeping to his library, poor Kitty is terribly lonely. She is saddened by the fact that it will be impossible to find a husband now and can’t bare the thought that life will continue on in this matter. She sees little hope of happiness.

When she receives an invitation to go to Pemberley for Twelfth Night, she rejoices in the fact that Lizzy didn’t forget her! Now she can get away from Meryton!  It is arranged that she will spend a few days in London with Miss Darcy before traveling to Pemberley. But can she really escape Lydia’s disgrace? Or will it follow her to London?

I wasn’t happy with this Georgiana. She is not the shy girl we know from the original Pride and Prejudice and she has not learned much since the first book of this series. She is a brat. She is pushy and doesn’t have very good manners. I didn’t really like her companion, Mrs. Hartwell, either. She was very strict, which Georgiana needs, but Mrs. Hartwell is way to harsh. Also, she seems sketchy to me. I find it hard to believe Elizabeth and Darcy would hire someone like that.

I enjoyed the ending very much! I was glad all the sisters (except for Lydia) were together and that Kitty gets her Happily Ever After!

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book for my honest opinion.

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You can read my review for all the Given Good Principles series by clicking on the title below.

Darcy's Decision (Vol 1)
The Future Mrs. Darcy (Vol 2)
All the Appearance of Goodness (Vol 3)

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Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy ~ My Review

Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy 

Publication Date: December 31, 2013 
Publisher: Bantam 
Pages: 304 
Received: E-copy from publisher via NetGalley 
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

I was super excited to read Three Broken Promises! I read the first two of the Drew and Fable series and LOVED them! This book is Jen and Colin's story, who we first met in Second Chance Boyfriend.

After the death of her brother, Danny, Jen runs away from home. Jen hits rock bottom when she is living out of her car, doing what she has to do to get by. That’s where Colin (Danny’s best friend) finds her. Colin made a promise to Danny to watch over Jen, so he takes her home and gives her a job at his restaurant. Now, a year has gone by, and they are still living together, and the sexual tension is getting thick. Both have feelings for the other but neither will act on those feelings. Fear, secrets, and broken promises are keeping them apart.

I felt this story dragged a little in the beginning (most of the first half). It spent too much time with the “She’ll never forgive me...” and “he’ll never forgive me...” It was getting very redundant. For me, I didn't begin to enjoy the story until the last quarter. Then I really got into it. For those of you who like explicit sex, you will enjoy the story much sooner than I did. 

I loved that Fable is in this story, and for more than just a passing appearance. She is still working at the restaurant and is Jen’s best friend. I love how she still says what’s on her mind, without pulling any punches. When something needs to be said, she doesn’t hesitate! 

Three Broken Promises was okay, but not my favorite of the three.  I think I set my expectations too high. I definitely would recommend reading One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend. I am looking forward to reading Murphy’s short story Drew + Fable FOREVER and then Murphy wraps up her series with Four Years Later which is Owen’s story (Fable’s brother).

Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.

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