Valentine’s Romance

If you have a romance novel, please add it to the comments so we can crowdsource Valentine’s Day. Here are two I liked:

1. Juggernaut–fun romantic story about innocense, crime, and justice
2. Snow White and the Civil War (Part 1)–a Civil War era take on Snow White complete with dwarves, wicked stepmother, and magic

–a note about my reviews: I only review books I enjoyed. I need to be inspired to write. That’s why so many of my reviews are 4/5 or 5/5

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Juggernaut

by Bobbie Underwood

5/5

Juggernaut, a Romantic Adventure (2019) was written by Bobby Underwood, an Indie efriend. I don’t read a lot of romance but I’ve enjoyed Bobby’s other fiction so thought I’d try it. Another winner! The plot is not uncommon–a beautiful girl falls victim to criminals. While trying to untangle her dilemma, she finds the man of her dreams. No spoilers.

Kindergarten teacher Felicia wins a once in a lifetime vacation to Martinique. Her innocence and naivete make her the perfect foil for criminals who use her to carry out their nefarious crimes. Hotel Detective Jack Carter first notices Felicia’s beauty–inside and out. When she seems to be the perpetrator of serious crimes, he refuses to believe it and sets about finding the truth. As he spends time with her trying to unravel the mystery, the fall in love, something he never saw in his future.

On the surface, this is a fun romantic story but what makes it a standout is Bobby Underwood’s ability to tell the story. Through his pen, you feel Felicia’s excitement at winning this amazing vacation, her pain at being used, her, and her thrill at finding a man who is everything she’s ever hoped for. Juggernaut is highly recommended for a long plane flight or a short weekend. It’s not a long book but I sure wished it was by the time it ended.

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Snow White and the Civil War

by Cathleen Townsend

5/5

Cathleen Townsend’s Snow White and the Civil War, Part 1 of 2, is a delightful story based on the well known Cinderella fairy tale but with many differences. In this case, it takes place in California in the 1850’s, during the time of the Civil War. A young girl–Gwen–has a lovely life with her mother and the big decisions of marriage in her near future when her mother dies of scarlet fever. Her father is a bit of a stranger to her, she to him, and when he remarries a beautiful woman who turns out to be a witch, he is ambivalent to the new wife’s poor treatment of his only daughter and refuses to interfere. The stepmother finally arranges for Gwen’s death but the man responsible for carrying it out allows her to escape. Her refuge ends up a desolate cabin frequented by seven dwarf miners. She agrees to take care of their cooking, cleaning, and sewing if they will keep her secret. All goes well until her wicked stepmother tries to find her. That’s when the story gets complicated.

Whether you like the original or not, you’ll love this fractured version. Townsend is an excellent storyteller who adds lots of original ideas into this favorite. I had planned to read it over a week or so and ended up finishing it in a weekend. Be prepared: It ends on a cliffhanger because–as promised–it is only Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is on my Kindle app, waiting!

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2 Romance Novels I LOVED

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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Man vs. Nature saga, and the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Laws of Nature, Summer 2021.