Book Review: The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo

We're still on the Back to School Fiction Blog Tour, and I've got another book for you today. The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo is the second book out of three books by Waterbrook Multnomah that I'm featuring this week.

About the book:

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

My thoughts:

I have to be honest...I really, really struggled to finish this book. I just could not seem to really get into the story and into the lives of the characters. One thing in particular that made it difficult to really get into the book was that it took 100 pages before the two main characters even met each other. Also, there were several places that most definitely could’ve been edited to shorten the book; at times, the author just had too much information.

The Christian portions of the book seemed like they were entered as an afterthought which bugged me a little since it’s supposed to be a Christian fiction book. The main character, Gennie, barely seemed interested in what God thought about her journey out west, but she definitely made sure that she at least uttered the briefest of prayers before boarding the train.

Overall, I just don’t think I could recommend this book to anyone. There are some other flaws that I could point out, but won’t so that I don’t spoil anything for those interested in reading this book.

2 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Yes

Book Review: Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

About the book:

AN IMAGINARY FRIEND--Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she'll soon forget him.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE--Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets someone–a handsome, comforting, funny man. He's perfect. His name is Michael...

AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TWIST--This is a heartrending story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestselling author all over the world, SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love.

My thoughts:

As a rule, I don't read secular fiction; Christian fiction is my genre of choice. However, I thought I would branch out and try some secular fiction for a change. Knowing that James Patterson is a very well-known author was a factor that influenced my decision to read this book. Unfortunately, I did not like this book at all. At first, I thought it would be a variation of City of Angels. It gave all the signs that I would be in absolute tears by the end, which wouldn't have bothered me at all (sometimes, you need to read a book like that from time to time). But the tears never came because the wrong person died, in my opinion. I won't spoil it for you, but honestly, don't waste your time with this book. Rent City of Angels instead.

2 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

Book Review: Sisters of Holmes County Series by Wanda Brunstetter/2 Stars

About the book:

Lose yourself in Holmes County, where romance, suspense, mystery, and faith-filled Amish ways rule the day! Martha Hostettler is concerned about the continuous attacks being made on her Amish family. With a definite motive and a myriad of methods, Luke Friesen looks like the culprit. Determined to clear his name, Martha decides to play detective. What will the search for truth cost her?

My thoughts:

I've read this entire series, and I didn't want to share my thoughts until I read all three books. Each book is based on one of three sisters in the Hostettler family. The first book tells Grace's story, the second tells Ruth's story, and the last one tells Martha's story. After reading book one, A Sister's Secret, I had very high hopes for the two remaining books because I couldn't keep my hands off of the first one. I loved the story line, and was not expecting what Grace's secret turned out to be.

The second book, A Sister's Test, dealt with Ruth's story. She is engaged to another Amish man in their community, and he feels a sense of urgency to marry Ruth as soon as possible. Ruth's faith is about to be tested to the hilt when things change that will affect the rest of her life. However, this book was such a slow read, and there were times I wanted to throw it up against the wall!! After I continued to read about all the attacks that are still happening to the Hostettler family, it was all I could do to finish the book.

Finally, book three, A Sister's Hope, shares Martha's story. I was a bit intrigued to know how the author would wrap up the story just because I felt that it had been going on far too long. Martha decides that she is going to play detective to try to solve the mystery of who is responsible for the attacks on her family. Meanwhile, she's starting to fall for the community's resident bad boy, Luke. Martha's father detests Luke, and if he knew that Martha cared for Luke and he for her, he would be in an uproar. Luke wants to help Martha figure out who's the guilty party so he can clear his name with Martha's father since he suspects Luke is the one responsible.

Thoughts on the series as a whole:


I really enjoyed the first book, but that was about it. I just could not get interested in the storyline anymore once I started the second book. To have acts of vandalism committed against a family for 2 years solid with no answers just doesn't make sense, especially in the last 2 books where they seemed to happen more frequently. In addition to that, I found the characters to have hardly any depth, and the conversations were so simplistic and seemed to lack emotion. Just to be fair, I want to try to read another book or two by this author because I have heard good things about her past novels. We shall see, I suppose.....

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

2 Stars

**Special thanks to the publisher for providing these books for review.