Ella Maise

There is a good story here. Sadly it is buried under profoundly terrible writing. Frequently with independently published books I find that editing is terrible (sometimes nonexistent) and that was true here. I don't think there was a single page where there was not a syntax error, often there was more than one misused word, nonword ( for instance, "grinded" is not a word, the word is "ground"), or sentence fragment But while the editing is bad, the writing is even worse. There is not a line of dialogue that sounds like anything anyone has ever said, the observations on on-set life clearly come from watching movies about making movies and not from actually being on a set, and even the depiction of college life at a school like USC is way off base. The side characters particularly were bizarre and unlikable. The best friend, Lucy, was the creepiest. All she wanted to do was sleep on Olive's boob. This was in no way meant to telegraph any sexual desire, just a sleeping preference. The evil roommate was too underdeveloped to be hateworthy, she was just a stock maneater character who wanted to steal other girls' boyfriends. Jason also has a friend who only shows up for one scene, acts weird and dismissive of Olive but is still portrayed as a good guy for some reason. His presence could scarcely be less necessary. Olive's parents are saints, Jason's are their opposite. Another writing issue, the word "chuckle" (chuckled/chuckling) is used hundreds of times. No one laughs, giggles, or guffaws. All respect to the greatest generation, but who under the age of 80 uses that word? Why are these 20-somethings using it all the time?

Bottom line - skip this one.… (mehr)

Rose's dream of owning her own coffee shop is about to go down the drain - her fiance has left her, and her uncle's will states that only her husband can claim the building. When Jack pulls her aside and offers to marry her so he can acquire the building after the 2 year stipulation for the coffee shop, Rose thinks he must be joking, but she soon finds herself with Jack, standing in front of an officiant naming them husband and wife. Rose is going to do everything she can to make the marriage work with the grumpy lawyer, but little does she know that Jack has an ulterior motive.

Marriage for One is an engaging slow burn romance with twists and turns throughout the story that make it hard to put down. References to the movie, Titanic, occur frequently due to the character names and You've Got Mail is also mentioned. In addition, the characters' personalities bear a striking resemblance to the protagonists in Fifty Shades of Grey, creating a bit of a distraction and making connections with them difficult. Overall, however, Marriage for One is an entertaining romance that is well worth the read.… (mehr)