Official Review: Mixed Emotions by L.M. Tinsley

amybo82 · Post by **amybo82** » 21 Apr 2015, 21:11

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mixed Emotions" by L.M. Tinsley.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Mixed Emotions by L. M. Tinsley is a quick, light romance that focuses on Alex, a married woman who is beginning to develop feelings for another man. Alex’s husband, Robert, has recently become increasingly distant for no apparent reason. Though she is upset about her husband’s decreasing presence in her life, Alex is also finding herself distracted by her handsome new coworker, Walter. When the three of them are assigned to work on a project together, Alex finds that the further away her husband pulls, the closer she is pushed to Walter. Unbeknownst to Robert’s family, he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a very short lifespan. The real reason he is pulling away is to save his family the heartache of having to watch him suffer and die. Robert soon concocts a scheme to phase himself out of his family’s lives while seamlessly fading Walter in as his replacement.

The author does a good job of making the characters realistic and relatable. They are just mysterious enough to be interesting but not so elusive as to be unbelievable. The character descriptions are done well enough for the reader to be able to picture them. In this example from page 10, the author is describing the doctor, “His gray hair was thinning, and he sparsely had enough loose strands to comb over to the side. The spectacles on his troubled face magnified his deep chocolate eyes to comical proportions.” Each character has unique features that help them come alive.

The quality of writing was another thing that struck me about this book. Aside from the occasional technical error, the book is very well-written overall. There were a few hiccups that would probably be caught with one more read-through. For example, on page 109, one character’s name switches back and forth between Tamara and Tama. However, errors like these were few, so it was easy to concentrate on the content of the story.

This is one of those books that had me right up until the end. Unfortunately, the ending felt rushed, and I felt like the story did not come together very well. I do not want to give any spoilers, so I will focus on generalities. The three main characters made questionable choices. Some of their decisions seemed to be very out-of-the-blue and somewhat irrational. Additionally, there were leaps in both time and logic that left me feeling confused. The time jumps sometimes happened between chapters, and sometimes they were within the chapters. In the end, I felt like I had more questions that were unanswered. Maybe the author did that on purpose to set the book up for a sequel.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a quick read. I think it will appeal to fans of Fern Michaels and Debbie Macomber. It is not a hot and steamy romance. Instead, it focuses on emotions and deep relationships, which I think people will find refreshing.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The writing was very good overall, and the story was able to hold my attention throughout. The ending left me with a few questions, but for the most part, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learn their stories.

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Mixed Emotions
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tinsleyli · Post by **tinsleyli** » 22 Apr 2015, 18:49

Thank you for the positive review! Mixed Emotions is the first of a three book series. Currently, I am working on book two tentatively titled SCATTERED THOUGHTS. I appreciate you taking the time out to help me become a better writer. My hope is to get better each time I publish. I too had noticed the error on page 109 and I had asked for it to be corrected at the publisher. I'm sad that it was not, and will make sure that I make them aware of the mistake for the next round of publishing. Again, thank you for taking the time out to give me and my book a chance!

Post by **bookowlie** » 23 Apr 2015, 16:47

Great review! The plot looks very interesting.

tinsleyli · Post by **tinsleyli** » 23 Apr 2015, 17:41

I must have sent you the last layout-proof because the ebook and paperback book does not have those errors on p109. I did catch those and they are fixed. Thank goodness! I will delete that version and keep the corrected proof.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 23 Apr 2015, 22:44

Great review, and congrats to the author on a high rating! Your book looks compelling.

TheMusicalMuse · Post by **TheMusicalMuse** » 02 May 2015, 13:44

Great review! And how cool is it to hear from the author in response to your review?!

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 05 May 2015, 19:47

Really nice review! It's too bad the ending seemed rushed. I always feel a bit cheated when that happens!

amybo82 · Post by **amybo82** » 12 May 2015, 23:12

tinsleyli wrote:Thank you for the positive review! Mixed Emotions is the first of a three book series. Currently, I am working on book two tentatively titled SCATTERED THOUGHTS. I appreciate you taking the time out to help me become a better writer. My hope is to get better each time I publish. I too had noticed the error on page 109 and I had asked for it to be corrected at the publisher. I'm sad that it was not, and will make sure that I make them aware of the mistake for the next round of publishing. Again, thank you for taking the time out to give me and my book a chance!

I'm very excited to hear that a follow-up book is in the works! I think this will help tie up some of those loose ends from the first book. Thank you for sharing the book with me. I really did enjoy it, and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!

Also, thank you to everyone who has read and commented on my review. I encourage you to check out this title!