Cindy Ray Hale

This is a review for Sparks Fly by Laura D. Bastian ONLY. Full review of entire box set coming soon.

I was pretty excited to read my first novella from the My Funny Valentine box set but from the beginning I felt like this story was more on the slow side, and I fought to figure out exactly why. I never did get my answer, and the pace never really seemed to pick up either, leading to an ok read.

I don’t know why this is called Sparks Fly because the only electricity is at the various job sites that Adam works (he’s an electrician), and even those scenes are dull. I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters and the tedious predictability made it even worse. Samantha was my favorite character of the whole story, and sadly she was just a side character. Adam and Mia were lukewarm at best, and their story was overall sweet, but the relationship felt forced and the epilogue felt rushed.

I’m not saying the overall story is bad, per se. I just wish I could’ve connected more with the characters and cared about their situation. The writing was decent, but the flow felt off the entire time I read, and it just didn’t jive with me. It makes me sad because I love this author and was hoping for more sparks!… (más)

Tessa Randall, reporter for the only newspaper in her home town of Maple Creek/ She has bigger dreams, though. The more modest one is to become editor of the paper when the current editor retires in the near future. However, this is obstructed by the fact that the paper has another reporter, older and more experienced, and very well thought of by the retiring editor.

Her other dream, closer to her heart, is to land a job as a sports reporter in New York City. Aside from the obvious reasons why a small town reporter, however good, doesn't have a good shot at getting such a job quickly, if it happens she'll have some big decisions to make about care for her mother. Mrs. Randall is bipolar, a hoarder, and a bit of a crazy cat lady. And she's not good at cooperating with her treatment.

Benson Patrick is the New York Giants quarterback, with a gift for getting in trouble with off-the-field pranks. The latest is doing donuts in Central Park with his truck, and his coach has reached the limit of his patience. He gives Benson an ultimatum--announce his engagement by the end of the week, Currently, he's in his home town, Maple Creek--where he'll be attending the wedding of some friends, friends he and Tessa Randall both went to school with. Coach thinks it would be a fine thing indeed if he marries a girl from his home town.

Tessa and Benson each have a problem. They also each have reasons, which I haven't touched on, for not seeking a lasting relationship. But Benson's career will be helped and possibly saved by marrying, appearing to settle down, and staying married till after his next contract negotiation, in three years. Tessa will get visibility, connections, and opportunities that will give her a real shot at a job as a sports reporter in New York. And in the meantime, Benson has the money to allow Tessa to provide care for her mother while she's in New York and not able to do it herself.

What I love is that they both are decent, honest, honorable people. They don't lie to each other about their reasons and motivations for this arrangement, though they do both keep a couple of secrets in the mistaken belief that they're not relevant. And as their feelings about each other start to change, they each try to hide the fact so as not to make the other feel pressured or trapped.

I'm not saying this is great literature, but it is a very nice sweet romance, with two people trying to do right by each other in their unusual situation. And they are honestly adorable as they realize they're really falling in love.

The author posted this audiobook on YouTube, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQBq3OIKI-4,… (más)

I was surprised when I first read Destiny. I didn't expect I would like a book that had so much to do with religion - well it wasn't about religion but religion is what caused two families to feud and two people to struggle to be together. I ended up loving Destiny's story and was really thrilled to continue on with Synchrony. Fortunately, it left me feeling satisfied and entertained like I was hoping it would as well as having an ending that keeps me wanting for more.

In Synchrony we start off with Isaac and Destiny having to hide their relationship once again. There are so many people against their relationship that they both decide it's best to keep away from each other in public. Tension starts to arise from them having to hide their relationship. Ultimately, Destiny and Issac are driven apart by past mistakes that are revealed by the very people who are so against them being together. Emotionally distraught from Isaac's betrayal Destiny seeks comfort from Preston, her childhood friend who has had a crush on her for the longest time. You know him as the guy Destiny used as her fake boyfriend in the last book. As Destiny and Preston become closer she is able to heal from the heartache that Issac caused. And as her heart is healing she starts to think maybe she was wrong about Isaac. Just maybe, he isn't as bad as she once thought.

I knew their secrets were going to come back and haunt them! I called it. There was a lot of drama in this second half of Destiny's story that included secrets being revealed, a love triangle, and unexpected friend and family problems cropping up. There was much to take in yet I didn't feel overwhelmed at all. One of the biggest facets of this story is the love triangle. I don't particularly like love triangles unless I love both love interests. I don't in this case. Preston is okay but Isaac is better. So I didn't really like that it's going to continue on into the next book. Although, I am still a little excited to see how it all turns out romance wise. Destiny wise, at first I was annoyed that she was constantly worried and wouldn't give Isaac a chance to defend himself when his secret is revealed. However, as I got into the story I realized she acted the way any teenager would have if they were faced with the same situation. So she was insecure -everybody is at one point. I'd probably be worried if I were her too. So after I got over that I enjoyed where her story took me.

I may sound strange but this book felt like a guilty pleasure read for me. It's just really entertaining. The plot line kept me engaged so much that I flew by this book wanting to read more as soon as I was done. It's an easy read that flows very nicely. It also has the addition of the right amount of drama that keeps me interested while also not overwhelming me. The religion portion of the book was once again addressed really well and didn't hinder the way I felt about the story as a whole. It actually was very refreshing especially since the book is all about accepting each others beliefs respectfully. I honestly enjoyed Destiny more than Synchrony however, I really like where the story headed in Synchrony. I also really look forward to the battle that is sure to ensue in the next book to come. Things are going to get really crazy, really fast, I know it. And I'll be there cheering Destiny on.… (más)

One of the reasons I felt it easy to fantasize about stepping into the shoes of this book’s protagonist, Aleyna McKenzie, is that as a young child I dreamt of going into acting and becoming a star; but I unfortunately didn’t have any acting abilities since I never got selected to be a school play, no matter how small the part.

Aleyna is an aspiring actress, or at least she wants to be; but like me, she couldn’t make it through any of her auditions, and she’s becoming increasingly frustrated. Frustration can truly take a toll on someone’s existence; and she’s no exception, especially when she’s running out of funds, and she’s got a car that’s a ROLLS CAN HARDLY [ROLLS down one hill and CAN HARDLY get up the next.]

I found it interesting that the tv show she’s eventually had been able to get casted in, as an understudy for is called Devastation. It wasn’t surprising that as a young, single beautiful woman, Aleyna wouldn’t be hit upon by very guy on the set; which she was but rejected all of their advances. And even though his magnetism had been quite appealing, she also rejected the advances made by the show’s star and playboy, Carson Peters.

Kismet wasn’t about to let these lonely individuals stay apart, for one day it caused Aleyna’s clunker of a car breaks down, and Carson comes to her aid by offering to drive her to the set and home on a daily basis. Carson’s simple action seemed to have broken the ice of Aleyna’s heart, as she became willing to have him take her out. But eventually this causes her to become confronted by a dilemma many women have to face every day of whether or not to give her heart away to reputed playboy, would you? While this might be a pressing issue for Aleyna, the bigger question is whether her belief in herself will allow her to fulfill her dream of becoming a star actress? Will there be the HEA for this pair?

I love reading novellas, and this endeavor by the book’s author, Cindy Ray Hale, is the reason why. The storyline cuts to the chase, by eliminating all the unnecessary fluff which is prevalent in some full-length novels; which is why I’ve given this book 5 STARS.

I obtained a MOBI.file copy of this book from the InstaFreebie website and the above has been my honest opinion.… (más)