Title: Just Take My Heart
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 07, 2009
Hardcover: 336 pages
Where’d I Get It: Bargain book from BN.com
My Thoughts: I picked up this book because 1) I love Mary Higgins Clark and 2) I can’t resist a good deal. I’m fairly sure the book was mis-marked, but I got it for $1.00. Had to have it! I suppose it was worth the $1, but really this wasn’t one of its author’s best efforts. I felt like some plot points were forced (or, well, a lot of them were) and the suspense was just lacking. There was a side plot involving the protagonist’s neighbor which was entertaining, but all in all it just wasn’t as grand a book as I was hoping. It really was an easy, fun, and quick read, though – so if you like Mary Higgins Clark, snag a bargain copy or a mass market paperback and have a go.
Rating: 4 of 10 Bella Factor: No.
Title: Enchantment 
Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: February 29, 2000
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Where’d I Get It: Birthday Gift
My Thoughts: My husband’s mother gave this to me as a gift for my birthday and I was instantly excited to read it. I really, REALLY, really love re-tellings of fairytales and this one had such promise. I like Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game = yum!) so the combination of author plus promised plot of yay made me absolutely have to read the book as soon as I could. Unfortunately, it was not as fabulous as I wanted it to be. That said, it wasn’t -bad-, either. This is a mini-review, so I’m not going to go into detail, but the writing just seemed a bit flat and some of the mechanics used to push the plot forward fell a trifle flat. No big deal, in the end it was still a fun story to read.
Rating: 4 of 10 Bella Factor: Not applicable.