Book Review - Looping in Limbo

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you another Indie review. If you've followed the blog for a while, you may remember last year when I asked Indie authors to sell me their books for my Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway. Yes, I'm planning another round this year so keep your eyes peeled! I don't write scathing reviews and if I can't finish a book, I won't bother at all. Things that keep me from finishing a book are: Poor writing, bad formatting, or a story I just can't sink my teeth into. So, of the books I agreed to review, many have been discarded; but, there are still quite a few I've written reviews for and still a couple to go. What's coming? Well...

Intrusive Memory by Leonardo Anthony Noto
Forever Love by Deborah Armstrong
*Remember, these may or may not make it to a review. I don't know because I haven't started them yet.*
and
The winner of my Rafflecopter contest for a review not long ago, The Tower's Alchemist by Alesha Escobar.

I'm also currently reading a surprise book that I'll be posting a review for next week. I don't want the author to know just yet so I don't wanna ruin it! Make sure you come on back for that one. *grin*

Those reviews will most likely appear in a clump at some point down the road. I read more than one book at a time and I keep up with my favorite trade authors along the way.

But enough of all that! Here's the book on the chopping block today:

Title: Looping in Limbo (Lainey Tidwell Series)
Author: Ginney Etherton
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Length: About 185 Pages
Amazon Link: $2.99 Kindle

Description:
She was prepared for the storms. But it's the calms that could crush her.

As her first season as a professional caddie winds down, Lainey Tidwell struggles to keep her dream alive at Singing Bluffs Resort. She may have a knack for guiding golfers around hazards on the links, but the unpredictable, nervewracking bouts of low-season blues are harder to avoid.
Worries about money, men, and her unchecked mouth take their toll on this independent, yet conflicted, scrapper. Like a golfer with the yips, Lainey can't shake doubts about caddying all winter at a small-town coastal resort. Beautiful surroundings... nasty weather, down-to-earth townfolk... a pretentious golf world, disgusting cohorts... good friends  ̶  more influences than one "Short Grrrl" can handle.

Looping in Limbo follows the continuing career and distracting love life of Lainey Tidwell, bitchin' girl caddie extraordinaire, that began in Looping for Love.

Let me start off by saying, I think the cover on this book could use some work. While it fits the story beautifully, a different approach might drag more readers through the door.

On to the review!

I purchased Looping in Limbo back in December on Amazon after the author pitched the story and I read a sample. It hooked me right away and I was keen to start reading. While the cover didn't wow me, the story inside had me from page one.

From a reader's perspective:
I was intrigued by a romance novel that centered around the game of golf. I've learned so much about the sport from this book I think I could follow along watching it and understand the lingo pretty well. What I liked about it was the author didn't go on and on with lessons. Rather, the lingo was worked into the story and surrounded by scenes you could picture firmly in your mind to glean the meaning. Lainey cracked me up on a number of occasions. She isn't your typical girlie girl and comes across with a strong personality. From her thoughts and actions in the story, I think I'd have her as a friend. There's a scene where she visits Seattle and the city was portrayed very realistically; right down to the EMP Museum.What I didn't like was the inability of the story to keep me hooked. I often put the book down and sought out other things to read instead. Why? Because the tension was lacking. It was almost like watching someone breeze through life. While it's a relaxing read, I wasn't too concerned about what was going to happen next.

From an editor's perspective:
This is one of the best examples of writing I've seen. That's not a comparison to just Indies, but all books I've read. Besides the tension issue, there were no pronoun mix-ups, few punctuation oopses, and no grossly misused words. I found a few errors, but most people probably wouldn't notice them. I'm hardwired that way, so they jump out at me. This book gets top marks.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me an awesome main character in Lainey
1 Star for teaching me something I didn't know and great descriptions
-1 Star for lack of tension
-1 Star for lack of concern
1 Star for excellent writing
Overall, 3 out of 5 stars! A recommended read if you're looking for something to kill time.

While you're here, don't forget to check out the guest post from Monday by author Felicia Tatum. She also has an awesome Rafflecopter giveaway going on so be sure to enter to win copies of her books!

I hope you all enjoyed this review!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Things I've Unintentionally Learned From Books

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we take a little break from writing to discuss reading. If you're a writer, you're a voracious reader (or you should be, because one cannot write without reading). I'm going to share a few things I've learned over the years through reading books, research when editing books, and proofreading jobs. Buckle in and let's go!

As any of you who've followed my blog for any length of time know, one of my favorite authors, who's now deceased, is Alice Bordchart. She's the author of The Night of the Wolf trilogy and a series she never got to finish (that ties in with the others) called The Dragon Queen. Because I love book covers, here's one of them:

What I learned from this series: Caesar was a vile man. His wife, Calpurnia, was a psychic. Why Greeks were sent to the Colosseum to fight. How Romans and Greeks interacted. What the land looked like back then. And oh, so much more!

From the other series, I learned: Guinevere was the one Arthur needed to save him from his mother. How wolves in the wild interact with one another. Much history about wars that erupted over Europe.

Now, not only was Alice an expert on Ancient Greece and Rome, she's also the sister of the famous Anne Rice. I didn't realize I was learning at the time. But when asked questions in World History I, I knew the answers because I'd read Ms. Bordchart's books.

Another one of my favorite authors is Rick Riordan. From his Percy Jackson series, I've learned a ton about mythology and Greek and Roman beliefs. A new book comes out in October in that series and I'm super stoked! From his Kane Chronicles series, I've learned about Egyptian gods and goddesses. You wouldn't believe how much of it is discussed even today!

Master of medical suspense Robin Cook has taught me about DNA alteration, how insurance companies are raping the consumer, and how medical professionals sometimes get around claim restrictions. One of my favorites by him is Chromosome 6.

This is one that's never hit the mainstream. He was the genius behind Contagion and Invasion, too!









From Cornelia Funke, I learned a little imagination can take you places you never dreamed, and that most readers actually fall into their stories (and I wasn't alone in this).

An Indie book I'm reading, titled Looping in Limbo, is teaching me so much about golf it's unreal! And I'm loving it!

Now, from some of my own writing, proofreading, and editing.

I learned more about Genghis Khan than you could shake a stick at when writing Yassa. Never one to care much about vicious tyrants, I found him to be extremely intriguing and unearthed a strange truth about his life: He had to fight hard to get what he ended up with, and it may have all been for the love of a woman.

When I edited Canopy, for Crystal Lee, I learned a lot about construction of buildings and what it was like to be in the head of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Inzared: Queen of the Elephant Riders, by Linda Leander, forced me to research the circus, the early 1900's, and Gypsies when I did the edit. I learned a lot about snack food and when it was invented. For example, did you know popcorn wasn't a popular treat until the Great Depression hit in the 1920's? Neither did I!

I've also learned about Japanese culture, what it meant to be a Samurai, and how the mind of men in that country work. Through the edit for Chasing Memories, I did research on Wiccans, Yellowstone park, and Colorado. And when I proofread Sixty Days of Grace, I learned a lot about raising a child with Bi-Polar disorder and how to be thankful for each and every day I'm given.

When I wrote The Bird, I found out there's a cool place in Pennsylvania called Ringing Rocks National Park where, if you hit the stones with a hammer, they ring.

My daddy always told me reading was a waste of my time. But, without books, how would I have had the chance to learn all these wonderful things? Sure, I could sit down and read the dictionary; but learning it through a story is so much better. Either way, I'm reading.

So, when people tell you to put down that book because it's rotting your brain, tell them you're studying and to stay out of it. After all, you never know what gems of knowledge a novel may unearth.

Besides, books like Pride and Prejudice tend to change us into the best versions of ourselves.

What have you unintentionally learned from a book?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo