DNF: Maddie’s Choice by Joyce Zeller

Maddie’s Choice
written by Joyce Zeller
published by Camel Press

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I participated in the blog tour hosted by Tribute Books. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Where I stopped reading: Page 90 on my Nook, Chapter 13.

Why I stopped reading: This book just wasn’t for me. I know this is a romance book, but I was thinking it was going to be more like chick lit romance, not the “normal” romance-type book. I don’t need to hear how hard Maddie made Gideon three times in one thought from him. The romance was cheesy and unrealistic. I don’t buy that the rough, cowboy/Army special op., tough guy would tell a woman that she “radiates passion,” that it “comes off [her] in sparks.” Not realistic at all for me.

The other thing that got me was that the reader would be in one of Maddie’s book scenes all of a sudden. Some kind of font change or italics would be nice to let the reader transition a bit easier. I was confused during the first writing scene at the ranch. I thought Maddie was the one running.

It’s just not my kind of book. I wish it was but it wasn’t.

What others have rated this book: According to Goodreads, the average rating for Maddie’s Choice is 4.25. It looks like a majority of readers gave this book 5 stars. There were 3 5-star and 3 4-star reviews on Amazon. At Barnes & Noble, there is 1 5-star and 1 4-star review. Just because I didn’t finish this book doesn’t mean you may not.

About the book: Romance writer Maddie Taylor is fed up with New York City. She is getting nowhere with her latest manuscript and does not believe true love exists outside of her imagination. When a friend, Jonah Spartman, dies and wills her half of his Arkansas cattle ranch, she sees the chance for a new beginning. Jonah has also left behind two orphaned great-grandsons desperate for affection and an accounting book in the red.

The other half of the failing ranch belongs to Gideon Spartman, Jonah’s grandson, who believes all capacity for love was torn from him during his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Rugged and sexy, Gideon is the enthralling physical manifestation of the hero in Maddie’s current manuscript. He is far from happy to be sharing an inheritance that is rightfully his. As she senses the need behind Gideon’s rough and unwelcoming exterior, Maddie acknowledges her own yearning for love and family.

Jonah’s will requires Maddie to stay on the ranch for three months. When that time is up, will she return to her comfortable but emotionally barren existence or embrace the challenges of her new life, which include cattle rustlers and drug dealers? Maddie’s choice proves to be far from simple.