#BookReview: Comfort Zoned by Allison Speka #Romance @bookroar_tweets
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you from an author new to me, who I discovered via BookRoar, Allison Speka. This is a fun romance read. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
Al has always struggled to feel comfortable in her own skin. When her best friend, and roommate, announces that sheās moving out, Alās initial reaction is panic. For the first time, sheās on her own, and she must figure out what she wants for herself. When she meets Dean, sheās immediately drawn to him. Heās older, successful, and seems way out of her league. But still, there is an undeniable connection between them. Can Al take control of her life and get the courage to go after what she wants?
Dean appears to have his life together. Heās the owner of a successful restaurant in Chicago and could date any woman he wants. Although charming, heās a cynic at heart and detests the idea of a committed relationship. But when he meets Al, he just canāt seem to stay away from her. Can he face his past demons and fight for something real for the first time in his life?
My Review:
ššš
A fun romance read
Appearances can be deceiving, and none of us knows what another person is going through unless they open up to us. This story follows two characters from alternating points of view, and shows us how much they hide from the world around them.
For a first-time writer, this isn’t a bad read. However, it does suffer from lots of mistakes and hugely passive writing. Over and over, the author uses ‘saddled up’ instead of ‘sidled up’, which pulled me out of the read time and again. As did the over use of filler words, split infinitives, overly descriptive dialogue tags, which told what had been shown, and would have benefited from using some beats instead of tags all the time. Also, spelling errors litter what is otherwise a fun story. Added to all of this, word repetition abounds and could use input from a thesaurus to find alternatives.
Apart from needing a good edit and proofread, I found the storyline entertaining, amusing, and compelling. The writer has a strong voice, which is wonderful for a debut book. Each character shows a clear developmental arc, and a lovely sense of humour threads throughout the narrative. Below are a couple of lines which made me smile …
‘Tom was kind of like the big, loud, jerky older brother that I never wanted.’
And
‘Now I was feeling a little chilly from her icy glare.’Ā … if not for the passive writing and filler words, this is a fun line, which shows some of the humour I mentioned.
I offer 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 for rating purposes. With some polishing, this would be an absolute gem of a read, and I wish the author well with her future writing career. I can seeĀ Allison SpekaĀ going places as she grows and evolves.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS:Ā I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! ā Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER ā Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! ā An okay read. Didnāt love it. Didnāt hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS āLacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA āLots of issues with this book.
For anyone interested, here are the Amazon links …
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08B8BDLW1/
US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08B8BDLW1/
Iād love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by šĀ
A very honest review Harmony – it’s so important to edit edit edit.
It so is! Thanks, Toni šš
I love your reviews Harmony. They are always raw and honest highlighting points of interest, but also the icky parts. Thank you. Hugs <3 xx
Sounds like it would be a good read once fixed. Thanks, Harmony.
For sure. Thanks, Denise šš
This does sound like it has potential and a plot many of us could relate to. I love how you explained the 2.5 rating.
Thatās good to know. Thanks, Jacqui šš
I hope she gets a good editor. I could recommend one for sure.
Thanks, John! šš
I’m a Bookroar reader too, Harmony, and have been very interested in your reviews. I’m glad the story was a fun read, but will probably pass because of the errors. I hope the author can get a good editor at some point and rerelease. Thanks for the thoughtful review.
Me too, because she has talent for sure. Thanks, Diana šš
I hope she gets her issues straightened out as she progresses. We need more strong voices. She can learn to fix the errors, but voice isn’t teachable. Thanks, Harmony.
Agreed wholeheartedly! Thanks, Staci šš
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Harmony. Too bad the book didn’t have a good edit before publication.
Yes, that would have made all the difference. Thanks, Joan šš
Oh, dear, Harmony. I feel your suffering. The urge to put all these errors right. It’s worse than the review – accurate – you gave me on my first book that caused me A) To hate you. B) To take notice and correct everyrthing. C) To thank a forgiving new friend. š Hugs
Iām sure it took a lot for you to reach out to me after your initial response, lols š. So, well done you for that! Thanks, Sarah. Hugs š¤šš