Angelia H. (mzangel1) -
3.5 star rating......I really enjoyed this story there are a few grammar errors and a couple of other things that made me think I had skipped a page or two......but that wasn't the case.....I believe the idea showed potential but Ms. Morris was not well served by her editors.... Kristen Smith and Randy Stroud were high school sweethearts that relationship came to an abrupt end and they both went on with their lives although Kristen aways felt that Randy was the one that got away.....their paths crossed again 6 years later and things began to heat up between them.....There were really not alot of conflict or drama most times to me Kristen's overreaction to simple situations and Randy did not explain himself well at times.......with all that being said it was still a nice read to me it had love, romance, and , HOT AND STEAMY SEX ....... Also Ms. Morris set up the next book in the series quite well - the ground work was nicely laid.....can't wait to read the next book in The Smith Sister's Trilogy.
Kimberly B. (empress8) reviewed Better Late Than Never (Smith Sisters Trilogy, Bk 1) on + 35 more book reviews
This is a review more focused on my reactions after reading the text.
I believe this was the author's first book. The main characters are Kristen Smith and Randy Stroud.
The first part of my review from Cutting to the Chase is applicable. "I was so very disappointed in this text for so many reasons. Let me highlight a few.
The sentences were awkward and some were not even sentences, but fragments. There were subject verb agreement problems. There were words left out sentences. And there were also punctuation errors. Now, some of this could be the fault of the editor. All of these grammatical errors made reading this book very difficult." A copy editor is a necessary evil.
Also necessary is an editor. While this story was another in what appears to be a line of just so-so romances, it could have been made more stellar with an editor. The main task the editor would have been was to remove extraneous details and give necessary ones. For example, an editor could have asked the importance of chapter 3. From my reading, it was useless. The most important portion of the chapter is that Kristen has not spoken to him in two weeks and he has been sending so many flowers, a town florist has run out. An editor would have also pushed for a physical description of Randy in the first chapter. I did not read that he had facial hair until the 7th chapter. These are just a few issues surrounding problems with the book without a lack of an editor.
And as usual, I have questions. This is an interracial couple. Not one person in the county has a problem with that? Am I to assume that it is Nirvana and people don't see race? If so, fine, but please show me this. And Randy is only 32 and the County Sheriff who has an out-of-wedlock-child and again, no one takes exception to that? Kristen is feminist? Please so show this with supporting details. I don't believe the author when she writes this. And Mr. Feldon winds up in the hospital due to a heart attack and all three of the sisters are so moved they rush right over to his hospital bedside? Yet, they haven't made an effort to see him since they have been back in town. There is no other mention of him in the rest of the text. I understand it was a vehicle to get Kristen and Randy to start talking again, but it really does not work.
I've read other romance book reviews where reviewers stated they did not like the main female character. And prior to this book, I never was one of them. I've now joined the group. Kristen made me want to finish this book as soon as possible. She was so full of angst. And over what? Yeah, she got her heart broke. And yes, she lost family members, but the author made it seem that this woman was the poster child of angst. I was so tired of her angst by chapter 11, I wanted to throw the book across the room.
The dialogue of all the characters in the book is so stilted. On page 14, Kristen and Randy are making out on his parent's front porch. Here is an excerpt from the conservation. " 'Randy we have to stop.'
Her words didn't seem to register, and she started to struggle against him. They were moving to fast. She had to slow down. They had to slow down.
'Randy!'
He broke off his sensual assault on her throat, a look of concern on his face.
'What is wrong?'
Kristen removed his hands and slid out of his lap, 'I can't do this.'
He stopped her before she could move too much father from him. 'What is wrong?'" We don't speak his formally. We use much contractions and shorten our sentences. We would say, "What's wrong?" and "Randy, stop." And the conversations were this formal even between the sisters.
I thought the be beginning of chapter 2 was well done. I could almost hear the children fighting and being talked to by an adult.
I thought dragging out her decision to accept a relationship with did not need to take the whole book. That could have been done in at least 5 chapters. If this was done, the author would have had a problem with having material for 7 other chapters. Perhaps this would have been better as a novella and combined with two other novellas about the two other sisters.
I believe this was the author's first book. The main characters are Kristen Smith and Randy Stroud.
The first part of my review from Cutting to the Chase is applicable. "I was so very disappointed in this text for so many reasons. Let me highlight a few.
The sentences were awkward and some were not even sentences, but fragments. There were subject verb agreement problems. There were words left out sentences. And there were also punctuation errors. Now, some of this could be the fault of the editor. All of these grammatical errors made reading this book very difficult." A copy editor is a necessary evil.
Also necessary is an editor. While this story was another in what appears to be a line of just so-so romances, it could have been made more stellar with an editor. The main task the editor would have been was to remove extraneous details and give necessary ones. For example, an editor could have asked the importance of chapter 3. From my reading, it was useless. The most important portion of the chapter is that Kristen has not spoken to him in two weeks and he has been sending so many flowers, a town florist has run out. An editor would have also pushed for a physical description of Randy in the first chapter. I did not read that he had facial hair until the 7th chapter. These are just a few issues surrounding problems with the book without a lack of an editor.
And as usual, I have questions. This is an interracial couple. Not one person in the county has a problem with that? Am I to assume that it is Nirvana and people don't see race? If so, fine, but please show me this. And Randy is only 32 and the County Sheriff who has an out-of-wedlock-child and again, no one takes exception to that? Kristen is feminist? Please so show this with supporting details. I don't believe the author when she writes this. And Mr. Feldon winds up in the hospital due to a heart attack and all three of the sisters are so moved they rush right over to his hospital bedside? Yet, they haven't made an effort to see him since they have been back in town. There is no other mention of him in the rest of the text. I understand it was a vehicle to get Kristen and Randy to start talking again, but it really does not work.
I've read other romance book reviews where reviewers stated they did not like the main female character. And prior to this book, I never was one of them. I've now joined the group. Kristen made me want to finish this book as soon as possible. She was so full of angst. And over what? Yeah, she got her heart broke. And yes, she lost family members, but the author made it seem that this woman was the poster child of angst. I was so tired of her angst by chapter 11, I wanted to throw the book across the room.
The dialogue of all the characters in the book is so stilted. On page 14, Kristen and Randy are making out on his parent's front porch. Here is an excerpt from the conservation. " 'Randy we have to stop.'
Her words didn't seem to register, and she started to struggle against him. They were moving to fast. She had to slow down. They had to slow down.
'Randy!'
He broke off his sensual assault on her throat, a look of concern on his face.
'What is wrong?'
Kristen removed his hands and slid out of his lap, 'I can't do this.'
He stopped her before she could move too much father from him. 'What is wrong?'" We don't speak his formally. We use much contractions and shorten our sentences. We would say, "What's wrong?" and "Randy, stop." And the conversations were this formal even between the sisters.
I thought the be beginning of chapter 2 was well done. I could almost hear the children fighting and being talked to by an adult.
I thought dragging out her decision to accept a relationship with did not need to take the whole book. That could have been done in at least 5 chapters. If this was done, the author would have had a problem with having material for 7 other chapters. Perhaps this would have been better as a novella and combined with two other novellas about the two other sisters.
