The Pursuit of Pleasure by Elizabeth Essex

When I saw that The Pursuit of Pleasure by Elizabeth Essex was free on Amazon for my Kindle, I downloaded it thinking that it would be a guilty pleasure type of romance. What I got was better than I expected.

The story is set in 17th century England and starts out with two people, Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Jamie entering into a marriage of convenience. He wanted to secure his property while he was away on a naval mission and she wants some independence to live the way she chooses. The story had my attention from the start and it turned out to be quite good.

The characters are likable and believable, however their romance together seemed a bit forced at times, especially given they had such a short amount of time together before Jamie had to leave on business.

The sex scenes were hot and steamy and very well-written. The only minor complaint I have with them is that their placement in the book was a bit awkward. The two characters go from hating each other to making love then right back to hating each other. It got a little confusing as to what the reader was supposed to be feeling.

Despite those minor complaints, the book was a good read. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Evil Plans Having Fun on the Road to World Domination by Hugh MacLoed

I won this book on the Goodreads Giveaways.

This book gives some good advice to people looking for a career change. It lays it all out in matter-of-fact kind of way and helps people realize their goals. The cartoons in the book were a mix of insightful and hilarious.

There were some problems with the book though. First, based on the title, I expected to be a bit more humorous than it was. It is actually a fairly serious advice book under a funny title. The second was that i...moreI won this book on the Goodreads Giveaways.

This book gives some good advice to people looking for a career change. It lays it all out in matter-of-fact kind of way and helps people realize their goals. The cartoons in the book were a mix of insightful and hilarious.

There were some problems with the book though. First, based on the title, I expected to be a bit more humorous than it was. It is actually a fairly serious advice book under a funny title. The second was that it seems to be a bit dis-jointed at times, as it jumps from topic to topic in no particular order.

Also, some of the advice I couldn't get behind. MacLoed states that if your boss isn't letting you work on your Evil Plan, then you should quit. Later on in the book he tells of a girl named Cindi who did just that, by going to live back home with her mom and taking a small job while working on her Evil Plan: however, he did not address what people should do if they simply cannot leave their job or take a job for less money while they are working on their Plan.

If you are looking for a new job or how to make some money doing something you love, then this is a good book to read. However, if you are expecting a humor book with some advice thrown in, then you should seek elsewhere.

2.5 stars.

Unbillable Hours: A True Story by Ian Graham

I got this book free on my Kindle.

This book had all the markings of a good story, about a young man falsely accused of murder and the lawyer who would set out to help him. That side of the story was engaging and well-written, aside from a few minor dialogue issues.

The part I did not like was that intermixed with the story was Graham's life as a new associate attorney in a huge law firm. He mentions several times how he thought law work would be different and not as "mind-numbing", which would be okay, but after awhile it just seems to be a lot of complaining. Graham also takes the opportunity every so often to remind people of the sacrifices he made to be a lawyer and how he is just naturally gifted at this job. If it hadn't been for the self-praise I would have given this book 3.5 stars, but that knocked it down to 2.

Juliet

I've recently finished the novel Juliet by Anne Fortier. I have to say it was an amazing novel. I started it and finished it within two days, I just could not stop reading until the very end.

The novel starts out with Julie Jacobs receiving a mysterious letter from her now-deceased Aunt Rose. The letter tells of a treasure that awaits her in Siena, Italy. Where two long-rivaled families still live.

Jacobs decides to take her destiny by the horns and she travels overseas to figure out what her treasure could be. Along the way old rivals are resurfaced and she discovers an old family secret - that she could be the descendant of the real Juliet from Romeo & Juliet.

The novel updates the classic tale and also gives a new life to the old story as the two stories are intertwined. It is a very compelling read, and I was left wondering til the end just who was on the "good" side and who was not.

New Book Blog!

So, ever since I've gotten my Amazon Kindle, I've been doing a LOT of reading. I'm going to use this blog to post reviews and such of the books I read.