Welcome to Mini Review Friday! Sometimes we read books that just don’t need a full on, 1000(ish) word review. Maybe it was just an uninspiring book or maybe it was a DNF we still have a little something to say about. Whatever the reason, I have a couple of books for you this week that are getting the Mini Treatment.

A God in the Shed by J-F Dubeau

I’m sorry to say that this book found it’s way into the DNF pile at 35% complete. When I spotted this book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble and popped onto Goodreads to see some of the opinions about it I got excited. It sounded right up my alley. Mysterious killer, cult like town activity, and evil secrets. For the first 50 or so pages I was completely immersed but that quickly changed. The pacing was mind numbingly slow and I couldn’t get through more than a page or two without setting it back down. Things that could have been big reveals or shocking revelations were soured by the pace. The wow factor was missing.

Thinking that maybe it would still be worth while to push through to the end I did something I rarely do and flipped to the last chapter. To say the least, I was disappointed by how the story wrapped up. No, it wasn’t worth it to me to keep reading.

This book is going to be fabulous for the right person. Someone who likes a slow burn horror/mystery with a great deal of insight into the characters. For me, if I’m reading a horror, a slow burn is not what I am after. While this book wasn’t right for me, I can easily see it being right for some readers.

Born In Trilogy by Nora Roberts

For nearly a month I was in a horrible reading slump. I didn’t touch a book, at all, for weeks. Didn’t even try to read. When this happens I usually find picking up a simple romance novel helps pull me out of it. Something about the predictable plot line and, lets face it, steamy sex scenes helps me get my mojo back. In this case I, uh, got a little involved and read an entire trilogy in a week. Don’t judge me.

Nora Roberts is the queen of the romance novel. It is just a fact. I bet she has a little crown honoring just that in her home in Maryland. In this trilogy, we have three sisters in Ireland (naturally) whose father passed away unexpectedly and their mother is a miserable hypochondriac.

The first is an artist, a glass blower, who is short of temper but is highly passionate and opinionated. The second sister is a lovely proprietor of Blackthorn Cottage, the inn she made out of her family home. The third is a commercial artist with a thriving career in New York City. All three are very different but dynamic characters and it really was fun to read about them and the relationships they find themselves in. The books are truly pretty sweet and I honestly enjoyed spending some mental time with them in the Irish countryside.

Side benefit, they did get me out of my reading slump!

I’m happy to say that my reading slump has ended and I’m currently devouring Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody. Something I have discovered about these little stints is that they do happen, despite our best intentions, and not to fight them. If I had kept trying to force myself to read even though I wasn’t feeling it I would have ended up hating every book I touched. Understanding you need to take some time away is important. As my cat is currently trying to steal my mouse and close my laptop I think I have to be done for now. I hope you all have a wonderful day!