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Charming Memory
Jamie Jordan, a well-known actress and single mom of four-year- old Max, plans a quiet summer in her hometown of Crestwood. Her serenity is shattered when a delivery truck barrels toward Max on a wet summer morning. He is rescued at the last second by a passerby. No one knows the identity of Max's savior, who is knocked unconscious and cannot remember her name or her past. Jamie invites the mystery woman, temporarily named Boo, into her home while Boo recovers and they search for Boo's identity and family. As the paparazzi close in, Jamie and Boo try to manage their growing mutual attraction and track down the one name Boo remembers - María Garcia. Can Jamie and her family trust that Boo is just an innocent hero? Is Boo married or is she available for romance? And, can Jamie and Boo resist each other long enough to find the answers?
186 pages, Paperback
Published May 25, 2018
28 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
E.L. Bossert
1 book4 followersEL Bossert was raised on a small quiet farm, near a small quiet town in the Midwest, with horses, goats, cats, sometimes chickens, and a large black Newfoundland dog who was occasionally mistaken for a bear. EL currently has a day job as a professor, writing books and articles about positive LGBTQ identity and same-sex relationships. EL enjoys spending time with her partner, hiking, and watching movies with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 11, 2018
2.5 stars. It's decent for a debut book but it lacks structure and emotional depth that I usually look for in this type of read. They fall in love but... it's not clear exactly why. There's a lot of telling and not enough showing in general.
And then a character acted completely illogically towards the end of the book for no apparent reason . And author for some reason felt the need to throw in some flat and generic baddies that are the EVIL MEN without morals of course too.
To summarise, I didn't feel the love between the main characters. Too much telling, not enough showing. The book lacks proper structure, it never goes much of anywhere. The plot is progressed via extrinsic factors only and some of these events are repeated multiple times for no reason. She saved a kid once, it's enough. No need to plunge other kids in life-threatening situations to make one of the leads look even more heroic than she already was or to gain someone's trust. There are a 100 ways of doing it differently. And most if not all characters are pretty flat. And the cover is lazy.
A decent debut but there is just so much that could be improved in almost all aspects. Please look for an editor and a designer for the next book. Heck, look up a Youtube tutorial on how to design a book cover with Gimp or any other free open source software. It's not hard and costs nothing: https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...
And then a character acted completely illogically towards the end of the book for no apparent reason . And author for some reason felt the need to throw in some flat and generic baddies that are the EVIL MEN without morals of course too.
To summarise, I didn't feel the love between the main characters. Too much telling, not enough showing. The book lacks proper structure, it never goes much of anywhere. The plot is progressed via extrinsic factors only and some of these events are repeated multiple times for no reason. She saved a kid once, it's enough. No need to plunge other kids in life-threatening situations to make one of the leads look even more heroic than she already was or to gain someone's trust. There are a 100 ways of doing it differently. And most if not all characters are pretty flat. And the cover is lazy.
A decent debut but there is just so much that could be improved in almost all aspects. Please look for an editor and a designer for the next book. Heck, look up a Youtube tutorial on how to design a book cover with Gimp or any other free open source software. It's not hard and costs nothing: https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...
June 10, 2018
A must read!
Due to an accident, she can't remember anything and there is no clue to her past. Despite the risk of a broken heart, Max mother and her friends help Boo to regain her memory. Fear and doubt creeps through her mind and she’s not confident about the future. I liked how the author revealed the past, bit by bit. It kept me curious all the way. A must read romantic love story with a roller coaster of emotions and with a strong connection between the characters. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author.
Due to an accident, she can't remember anything and there is no clue to her past. Despite the risk of a broken heart, Max mother and her friends help Boo to regain her memory. Fear and doubt creeps through her mind and she’s not confident about the future. I liked how the author revealed the past, bit by bit. It kept me curious all the way. A must read romantic love story with a roller coaster of emotions and with a strong connection between the characters. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author.
February 23, 2019
Jamie Jordan is a famous actress whose son Max is saved from being run over by a truck. Max survived unscathered but the rescuer suffered severe head injuries. As a result, the savior lost her memory and has no recollections of her identity. Jamie is attracted to the mysterious woman who has a refreshing disregarding attitude towards Jamie's fame and money. But under those strange circumstances, can they find a happily ever after?
This is a debut book and unfortunately the reader can tell. It would have benefited from a more thorough editing process. The choice of an omniscient point of view with multiple characters without clear transitions confused me. I think that maybe writing this story from the point of view of both main characters would have helped in developing the story better.
Having said that, the chemistry between the main characters was believable and the intimate scenes were well written. The main plot idea was good in combining the amnesia and celebrity trope but it just needed a better execution.
Overall, 2.5 stars.
ARC provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
This is a debut book and unfortunately the reader can tell. It would have benefited from a more thorough editing process. The choice of an omniscient point of view with multiple characters without clear transitions confused me. I think that maybe writing this story from the point of view of both main characters would have helped in developing the story better.
Having said that, the chemistry between the main characters was believable and the intimate scenes were well written. The main plot idea was good in combining the amnesia and celebrity trope but it just needed a better execution.
Overall, 2.5 stars.
ARC provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
May 31, 2018
Quite enjoyed this one. Nice easy read. MC's are love-able, as are the rest of the family. I enjoyed the story too, I can't remember reading anything similar to 'Charming Memory' before so it was different from what I've read in the past, and it also as it's light funny moments too.
March 23, 2021
Boo Charming
This was a simple, sweet story with a lot of side characters, including Shon, the nonbinary they/them friend of Jamie's. Having written my own nonbinary character, I had zero problem adjusting to Shon's pronouns and found it quite refreshing to have a nonbinary character where their identity was never questioned or confused by anyone. Boo certainly was a charmer as well as a natural rescuer. There are some people in this world who feel the need to always lend a hand, save the day, or sweep the damsel in distress off her feet without having to even try. Boo won my heart, and I loved that she was able to remain humble and sweet throughout her frustrating ordeal. Jamie was another pleasant surprise, she was one of those drama free women who took everything in stride. Jamie's and Boo's relationship was a mature, slow build, and I believe with their personalities, it would have still been a slow process no matter Boo's predicament over whether she was available or not. Charming Memory was smartly written with just enough drama and action to keep things interesting. The more we got to know Boo, the more it felt like a mystery novel because we never knew what was around the corner regarding Boo's identity and life. I never once got bored. I must say, Bossert, surely knows how to write a love scene that left me parched for more.
A little bit of mystery to this sweet and charming love story.
This was a simple, sweet story with a lot of side characters, including Shon, the nonbinary they/them friend of Jamie's. Having written my own nonbinary character, I had zero problem adjusting to Shon's pronouns and found it quite refreshing to have a nonbinary character where their identity was never questioned or confused by anyone. Boo certainly was a charmer as well as a natural rescuer. There are some people in this world who feel the need to always lend a hand, save the day, or sweep the damsel in distress off her feet without having to even try. Boo won my heart, and I loved that she was able to remain humble and sweet throughout her frustrating ordeal. Jamie was another pleasant surprise, she was one of those drama free women who took everything in stride. Jamie's and Boo's relationship was a mature, slow build, and I believe with their personalities, it would have still been a slow process no matter Boo's predicament over whether she was available or not. Charming Memory was smartly written with just enough drama and action to keep things interesting. The more we got to know Boo, the more it felt like a mystery novel because we never knew what was around the corner regarding Boo's identity and life. I never once got bored. I must say, Bossert, surely knows how to write a love scene that left me parched for more.
A little bit of mystery to this sweet and charming love story.
May 15, 2020
Loved the story and as a synopsis would commission this in a flash. But the writing was not good and I longed for flowing descriptions and not staccato plot shoves. Sorry.
February 16, 2020
Interesting premise, lacked depth and flow
I wanted so much to love this but I just couldn't. The storytelling was choppy and lacked finesse and harmony. Not to mention that it was way too in your face with issues, lacking any subtly in making a point.
I wanted so much to love this but I just couldn't. The storytelling was choppy and lacked finesse and harmony. Not to mention that it was way too in your face with issues, lacking any subtly in making a point.
August 17, 2018
Charming Memory has a nice story line and endearing characters. Though I initially thought Shon was female, which to me means character development was a bit off. Also, didn't understand why lead character used hispanic terms of endearment for her son (Mijo). Is he hispanic? It seemed fine, but why? No reference to Jamie Jordan having any hispanic roots. This made the story a bit uneven since there was no tie in or explanation.
I did enjoy the main characters though, they had a nice symmetry. One other comment, there were a number of errors regarding first person identification that took away from the flow ( Shon kept being referred to as 'they or their', rather than 'he or his'. Not certain if that was the editing or it happened when novel was published.
I did enjoy the main characters though, they had a nice symmetry. One other comment, there were a number of errors regarding first person identification that took away from the flow ( Shon kept being referred to as 'they or their', rather than 'he or his'. Not certain if that was the editing or it happened when novel was published.
February 22, 2019
Great concept, okay execution. I was little confused about why the author chose to just describe Jamie Jordan's fame/job in bits and pieces, perhaps for a little mystery? Instead it just left me a little confused and wishing for more explanation in the first 1/2 of the book. Character development wasn't as great as I had hoped and some events/phrasing in the book wasn't explained at all. With all that being said, I moderately enjoyed the book.
Needed more depth and development, but over all decent read.
Needed more depth and development, but over all decent read.
October 22, 2018
This was a really cute and funny story. I loved all the characters, in fact, I thought Sarah was perfectly reasonable in her reaction to her sister moving a complete stranger with no past into her home especially considering she has a 4 year old child. I would love to see more of this cute family in the future.
March 21, 2021
The idea behind the story is good and I enjoyed reading it. However, the story could have been so much better. It is about too much things happening with too little emotions that go with these events.
July 2, 2018
Sweet romance!
Had to stay up to finish and hated to say goodbye to Boo, Jamie, and the rest of the family.
Had to stay up to finish and hated to say goodbye to Boo, Jamie, and the rest of the family.
August 4, 2018
Relaxing
I enjoyed this read although there just seemed like something was missing? Not enough action or danger or excitement it was just a little mundane, but it was a good read.
I enjoyed this read although there just seemed like something was missing? Not enough action or danger or excitement it was just a little mundane, but it was a good read.
August 13, 2018
Charming book
A very well written book about a romantic future between to people finding trust and love. Also some great family and friends.
A very well written book about a romantic future between to people finding trust and love. Also some great family and friends.
August 5, 2018
Beautiful story
Reading this somewhat different romance kept me on the edge of suspense. Was glad when they finally recognized their love for each other. Great story. Thank you
Reading this somewhat different romance kept me on the edge of suspense. Was glad when they finally recognized their love for each other. Great story. Thank you
August 11, 2018
Nice amnesia tale with a cute, and extremely fortunate, four year old.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews