Review – Finding Felicity by Monica Marlowe

Publisher: Eternal Press
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: From the Author

Finding Felicity Cover

“Madeline O’Connor was happy. Or was she? When she learns that her estranged sister is gravely ill, she leaves behind her life in Manhattan to be at her sister’s side in Italy. There, she discovers an ancient Benedictine monastery that accommodates travelers, and she decides to stay there, among the monks. Everything in her life turns upside down when she falls for Brother Anthony Lamberti, a soft-spoken Italian completely different from the men she knows in New York. Together Madeline and Anthony find love for the first time, and learn that life and love always find a way. Loving Anthony creates a new life for Madeline. A new life she would never have imagined and yet is perfect for her in every way.” I got this blurb from the author’s website here.

As a born and bred book addict I have learned that not every book works for every reader and this is actually a good thing because it ensures that a variety of different styles, subjects and methods of telling stories are available. I have to admit that I really enjoy finding a new to me author, liking their work and being able to introduce others to that same author. In order to do that I have to take chances and try out those new to me authors sometimes based on a recommendation I have received, sometimes based on the cover and blurb, sometimes based on the blurb, and sometimes just because.

Unfortunately I am not able to recommend FINDING FELICITY because the book didn’t work for me to the extent that I was unable to finish it. I completely understand that when you accept an ARC it is not the final finished product. There will probably be some errors or things that will be slightly different then the official release product. Those are not an issue. However, if you are an author sending out a book for review please ensure that you take the time and effort to see that it is properly formatted. You want your readers to stay immersed in the world you have built and having the flow interrupted by page numbers, titles, author’s name in very random places does not help. When I was able to get into the flow I was unable to relate to the heroine at any level except for the fact that I am also a woman.

She, Madeline, physically described almost everyone she encountered as handsome and included racial characteristics. Now please don’t take that to mean that the descriptions were in any way derogatory but how does that further your plot other then to say to me that your heroine is extremely shallow? Even in the land of Hollywood TV not everyone is handsome or pretty. I also noticed some inconsistencies for example Madeline is thinking about eating at her favorite place in Italy and at how she is looking forward to their gelato. I, therefore, expect at least some mention of gelato while she is at the restaurant. There wasn’t even a token mention of any dessert let along gelato. The final straw for me was when Madeline ends up stumbling as she is trying to leave her table and lands in the lap of a very handsome Italian man. As she is attempting to keep from falling she ends up knocking over a glass of red wine which spills all over his meal partner (a young woman’s) clothes. Madeline, head of a worldwide chain of high fashion boutiques, spent much more time and thought apologizing to the man whose lap she ended in than to the young woman whose clothes would require immediate treatment if they could be saved. At this point, ten percent into the book, I decided that I had a laundry list of things that I found to be issues in this book and nothing positive so I decided it was time to call it quits.

While the author’s voice and storyline in FINDING FELICITY did not work for me I did not notice any grammer, spelling or incorrect word choice issues so hopefully others will find that they enjoy the voice and storyline.

I give FINDING FELICITY a DNF

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5 thoughts on “Review – Finding Felicity by Monica Marlowe”

  1. Thank you for your detailed and objective review. The reasons which made you unable to finish the novel are definitely valid and make me thing Finding Felicity isn’t a book for me either.

  2. @Stella thanks for your comment. I never enjoy having to write a review like this so I work really hard trying to ensure that I state the what and why in my opinion so others can make a hopefully informed decision.

  3. Thanks so much for your review! Since it’s my first novel, I appreciate everyone who makes an effort to provide positive and constructive feedback and learn from every review. Thankfully, other reviewers/bloggers have enjoyed Finding Felicity very much. As to the errors, my editor and I did our best to catch all the formatting errors. After a certain point, writers can’t catch every error because they just can’t see them; even you misspelled my name in your title. Thanks again for taking the time to start Finding Felicity; those that read the whole book really enjoyed Madeline’s transformation.

  4. @Monica I am sorry it didn’t work for me :(. I certainly wish you the best in your writing career and I am glad to hear that others enjoyed it. Also thanks for addressing the effort you and your publisher put into checking for errors.

  5. @ Monica Marlowe

    I think E_booklover stated quite politely that she had no issue with the editing. What she did mention is the formatting, and if you provide a review copy that is poorly formatted that mars the reading experience, then yes, it is down to the author and publisher to make sure it’s as free from mistakes as possible.

    I have corrected the spelling mistake.

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