Did You Know That Reviews Are Really Helpful to Authors?

Reviews are especially important to new authors, but I know we are all busy and don’t have a lot of time.

With that in mind, I have created a blueprint of how to write a quick review. Of course, your own words and honest opinions are welcome.

               

Even famous authors began by writing just one book

How to Write a Quick Book Review.

Book reviews don’t have to be long and complicated, and reviews on Amazon, Good reads* or even sent to the publisher or author are really helpful.

Good reads are a Free online book lovers recommendation forum-It’s easy to join and helps you keep track of which books you have read.

How to use this form just use one or two sentences to say how you felt about the book, or of course add your own thoughts.

Example  Fire & Ice by Sonia Bellhouse, told a good story.

The Book Was….enjoyable, easy to read, exciting, heartfelt, romantic, told a good story, I liked it. A real page-turner.Wasn’t my kind of book.

The Character (s) I liked best -Blaise Daniels, Kristoffer Eriksen, Saga, Trygve, someone else.

The Things in the Story I Liked. It was set somewhere different(Norway) It included Ice dancing. It had a parallel storyline. It had Vikings. Two different romances. It featured an Australian. I  learned about another culture and customs. It wasn’t a long book

Things I didn’t like…..

 

You get the idea and now to show I practise what I preach here are my March Book reviews

Summer of Love by Kate Fforde

An easy to read second chance at love story. engaging characters and an amusing plot. Super beach read.

The Single Ladies of  Jacaranda Retirement Village by Joanna Nell.

Bette Davis famously said ‘old age ain’t for sissies’  but the people of Jacaranda retirement village have sunk into a torpor, thinking that doctors’ appointments and communal singing are all they have to look forward to.

When glamorous Angela Valentine joins the community, she ruffles a few feathers and unexpectedly befriends and mentors old school chum Peggy Smart. Suddenly there is more excitement in the air and a sense of optimism, the residents are not done with living yet.

The House of New Beginnings by Lucy Diamond

Three women all at turning points in their lives are new tenants at 11 Dukes Square in Brighton. Each has a problem or secret that had brought her there. Rosa is embarking on a career change, but there is more to her story than that. Charlotte is dealing with loss and trying to remain disengaged from life. Georgia has followed her boyfriend Simon down to Brighton and now he seems to have no time for her, so she embarks on a new career path. Each story unfolds gradually and is told with warmth and humour,  you will feel like you know these women and want them to succeed.

55 Underemployed and Faking Normal by Elizabeth White

The book is geared to American readers and suggests a much larger retirement and pre-retirement crisis is looming. Anyone in the USA could benefit from reading this book – not so much for me here in Australia. The take-home message society has changed, what you expected may not happen, and it’s wise to be prepared. It is not your fault that companies, downsize and that ageism is a barrier to employment as you get older.

The Cottage  at Rosella Cove by Sandie Docker

I enjoyed this book and found Nicole’s predicament with her controlling fiance believable and relatable. I cheered her on when she left to start her new life in Rosella Cove. There was a hint of intrigue which interested me. The way the story from the past intertwined with the present was plausible and added depth.

Charlie the irascible old man from the boathouse was one of my favourite characters. Also, like the gently unfolding romance. It was a believable and moving read. One thing bothered me that there was no conclusion with her relationship with Jane, but life is often like that.

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts by Annie Darling.

An interesting premise, after all, what book lover doesn’t love bookshops?
Many people dream of being left a bookshop. I enjoyed Posy’s plans to transform the bookshop she had grown up in. Her subterfuge to keep Sebastian ‘the rudest man in London’ in the dark as to her actual plans was amusing. He’s not the most appealing of heroes as he’s so dismissive of her plans and opinions. I Know that she does eventually stand up to him, but it seems a very unequal relationship.
While the addition of the secondary narrative Ravished by the Rake, was both an homage to Georgette Heyer and an insight into Posy’s subconscious. Personally, I found it distracting and the font harder to read. This is the beginning of a planned series.