Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My Review of Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

My Review:

Lilly Westbrook is a dime novelist—but it’s a secret she’ll keep as long as possible to protect her family’s reputation and maintain her secluded lifestyle. Conflict abounds for Lilly as she must choose between two men and fend off those who would expose her secret to society.

The tension of Lilly’s secret, along with the decision she must make between the two potential suitors, are what keep the story going and are what kept me interested in the outcome. I confess that after having recently read another book set during the Gilded Age that I found very realistic, this book seemed to be a bit less true to life. Also, while I was curious how it would all work out, I do feel that the tension might not have been strong enough in some ways, as I found that the conflicts were stretched to the limit and grated a bit on my patience with the characters.

All in all, though, I thought this story was very creative, and I enjoyed the ocean imagery and the little twists and turns throughout the book. Love on a Dime is a fun, interesting read!

*Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

(My Rating: Fall/Spring)

16 comments:

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

what a sweet cover!! thanks for the review!

Amber Holcomb said...

Carrie,

It is a cute cover, isn't it? :) And you're welcome! Hope it was a helpful review!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

Amber,
One: I LOVE the new picture, tres chic/cute! *wink*

Two: I liked your review, it's the first thing I've truly read about Love on a Dime. Thank you!

Three: I almost bought this book this weekend at Borders, but then I bought two other books instead (it was cheaper than the one book, lol!). If I had bought this book, I think I would've voted for it. Same things goes for Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennyslvania. Sadly, I don't have this book either.

That's not to say that I don't truly and wholeheartedly want to read Julie's book because I definitely do!!! And unless a ton of people come between now and tomorrow, it looks like it'll win *wink*

Did you see Julie's offer on Seekerville?

Talk to you later,
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hi Hannah!

I'll follow your list so I can make sure to address everything! ;)

One: Thank you! I was looking through some pictures on my dad's computer, and my mom helped me pick out this one. My new profile pic is a cropped picture of me from this last Christmas. ;)

Two: You're welcome! Glad you liked it!

Three: You went to Borders and didn't take me?! Just kidding! ;) I actually went to Borders on Monday and bought Sons of Thunder with a gift card my sister gave me! I love Borders!!! :D

And yes, it does look like there's an overwhelming majority for A Passion Most Pure, which is great! I love Julie's book! The one nice thing about the other books is that I've read all of those recently, while it's been about a year since I've read A Passion Most Pure. But hopefully I can still host a good book discussion! :)

And I did see Julie's offer! It sounds like she'll be able to join us on Friday! Yay!!!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

Amber,
One: Well it's really nice!

Three: I'm sorry! I was going to hop on a plane and grab you, hop on a plane back and then we'd go, but it just didn't work out : P

I really like Borders too, but they're WAY too expensive! I hate paying so much for books : ?

I have a question: Do we have to be finished A Passion Most Pure for tomorrow? Or started? Or not even that? I don't know how you're running it. If you want it at least started, I will start it tonight! LOL!
Talk to you later,
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

Here we go again! ;)

One: Thanks again! :D

Three: Bummer. I would have loved a plane ride...all expenses paid, right? ;) But, yes, Borders is expensive. Which means I should try to exercise more self-control when I'm there! But when I get to the Christian fiction section... There's just such a great selection! But now that I've spent my gift card, maybe I should stay away for a while. ;)

And as to you question: I'm assuming most people have read the book. So if you haven't yet read the book, then maybe getting a start on it would be good. :) I'll try not to have too many spoilers, but since we'll be discussing the book, some things might be given away. You've been warned! ;) Hopefully I can do this right--it's my first ever book discussion on my blog! So I apologize if it's not what you expect. :p

See you tomorrow!

~Amber

Michelle said...

I'm guessing you read She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell, first? I haven't read that one yet, it's sitting on my shelf.

I read Love on a Dime last week, and really did enjoy it. I think it was probably more lighthearted than She Walks in Beauty.

Amber Holcomb said...

Michelle,

Good guess! ;) Yes, I read She Walks in Beauty not too long ago, and I highly recommend it!

And you're right: I think Love on a Dime is more lighthearted. I enjoyed reading it, as well--I just didn't find it as deep or poignant as She Walks in Beauty. But I thought it had an intriguing storyline! :)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

I don't totally mind book spoilers, it's more movie spoilers that's annoying!!!!! LOL! Well, I'll tell you what, I'll start it tonight and read more tomorrow and participate as much as I can, then I'll come back once I can participate more. So, you'll have to keep checking back. LOL!

All expenses paid....right! Ha ha, that's funny! I'm going to Oregon this summer though!!!

Gotta go start the book *grin*
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

Oh, good. ;) Well, any participation whenever you can stop by is much appreciated. I always enjoy your comments! But don't stress yourself out because of me!

And you're coming to Oregon? I'll be in Oregon soon for a short time. :) Where are you going in Oregon?

Wish you could come to Oregon when I'm back in school, so I could show you around campus and we could hang out. ;) Oh, well. I guess keeping in touch through blogging will have to suffice. ;)

Have fun reading!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

I will be in Oregon June 22-27. We'll be in Portland....don't know where that is compared to you. It would be tres cool!

Maybe I'll stop by later, getting ready to go to a meeting...ewwwww....Friday after school meetings are never fun.

Talk to you later,
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

I'll be leaving for Oregon on June 25! So I'll be there the 26th and the 27th!!! However, I'll be in Sunriver, OR, which isn't really that close to Portland. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could meet at a halfway point? :D

Don't know if that's realistic or not, but it would be super awesome if it could work out!

Half fun at your meeting! ;) Maybe it will go by quickly... You never know!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

Amber,
That would be terrific!!! LOL! I don't know I'd have to discuss with the family. Mom, Alicia, Aunt Donna, Grandma, Grandpa, and me going. We're going for the American Jersey Cattle Association Aunnual Convention. I think probably the biggest problem would simply be that we won't have a car. We travel everywhere in buses! LOL!

How close is Sunriver to Oregon State University? On the map it looks as if they'd be closer than Portland and Sunriver. We're going there for a visit on the 26....I'll try and talk to my mom about it sometime....
Talk to you soon,
Hannah

P.S. I would LOVE to meet you!

Amber Holcomb said...

Oh, Hannah! I would love to meet you, too! :)

I should talk to my family about it, too...since I can't drive, even if I did have a car I wouldn't be able to go anywhere! ;) But maybe I could take a train ride or go with one of my parents...

What about Salem? I could show you around my college campus (Corban University), and that's only an hour away from Portland. Of course, I still don't know if I could do that, but we'll see how it goes. ;)

Thanks for being such a sweet friend, Hannah!

~Amber

P.S. I realized that I said "Half" instead of "Have" in reference to your meeting, so my apologies for my horrible spelling! ;)

Project Journal said...

Yeah, we'll have to see. Since it's technically a convention, we have an itinerary that we have to follow (i.e. we've already signed up for the events we're participating in). That's why it would be the most difficult to "sneak away" probably, but I'm not sure. I can try and get my hands on a copy for you, so you know where we are when, lol!

Talk to you later,
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

It sounds like you'll be really busy! ;) And I think it might be hard to go anywhere even semi-far away after just starting our vacation. So I'm not sure if it will work out. :( But I guess we can still keep in touch just in case! You never know! :)

In any case, I just want you to know that you are a very real friend to me, whether we ever meet or not. I have to clarify to my mom when I'm talking about you (as I have another dear friend named Hannah) by calling you "Blogging Hannah" or in some way referencing blogging. ;) I'm so glad that we can be friends!

Happy (almost) graduation! :D

~Amber