Official Review: Desperately Seeking Sixty-Nine

[Annelore Trujillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Desperately Seeking Sixty-Nine" by J.D. Frettier (a pen name for Jennifer Theriot).]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Desperately Seeking Sixty-Nine by J.D. Frettier (pen name for Jennifer Theriot) is a short romance revolving around the idea of free love. The story starts off in an emergency room on earth with the staff hard at work in an attempt to save Bonnie's life. As this is happening, Bonnie is sitting on a metaphorical fence. Her husband, Peter, is on one side, and is desperately begging her to stay with him. On the other side is Bonnie’s friend, Dee, who died years ago. Dee is trying to convince Bonnie to leave her body and go with her instead of staying with Peter. Bonnie is declared dead as she chooses to go with Dee. Wondering if she made the right choice, Bonnie is escorted through a tunnel to the “The Green Room,” and the real story begins.

For a story dealing with death, it was anything but dark. The author put a little twist on what happens after you die. “The Green Room” was really just another name for Purgatory, but this wasn’t your normal Purgatory. The wait for Heaven or Hell in this book was definitely out of the ordinary. Everyone there was too busy getting body sculpted and going out to get coffee with friends to really worry about where they were going to end up for eternity. It was very similar to life on earth, with the exception that they were all dead, of course. This unique portrayal of life after death put a smile on my face.

Clocking in at only 45 pages, Desperately Seeking Sixty-Nine was one of the most captivating short stories I have read. I read the whole thing in a little over half an hour, and I was so engrossed that I didn’t even realize I’d been reading as long as I had until the book ended. I was able to read it with such ease because the pacing was great, and the book flowed perfectly. Even though it was such a short book, it seemed complete. There weren’t gaps in the story like I’ve seen countless times in other short books. Nothing seemed to be missing, and there was a full plot.

The character development also really impressed me. I wouldn’t have expected such great development in this short of a story. Even the secondary characters were well-developed. I got to know almost every character’s personality, which helped me get attached to them. I didn’t want the book to end because I wanted to know what they were going to do next. Luckily, this was labelled as the first book in the series, so I will get to read more about the characters when the next book is out.

The book also had great editing. I noticed maybe two errors throughout the entire thing, and one was more of a formatting problem than an editing mistake. I was also impressed that the author successfully kept the book in the present tense. I often see switching of tenses when authors attempt to write in the present tense. That did not happen with this author. She used the past tense in a couple of flashbacks, but she never switched tenses incorrectly.

All of that being said, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys romance novels and wants an easy read. However, there are a few detailed parts, so I wouldn’t recommend it for someone that is looking for a clean read.

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Desperately Seeking Sixty-Nine
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[Insightsintobooks]

It sounds interesting to view the life of the dead. I'm going to add this to my tbr. Great review.

[Annelore Trujillo]

It sounds interesting to view the life of the dead. I'm going to add this to my tbr. Great review.

Thank you! It was interesting.

[kimmyschemy06]

Sounds like a very interesting book especially the portrayal of "The Green Room." I have read a book by Jennifer Theriot (Out of the Box Everlasting) and I enjoyed it a lot. Great job on the review. Congratulations to J.D. Frettier on such a glowing review.

[Annelore Trujillo]

Sounds like a very interesting book especially the portrayal of "The Green Room." I have read a book by Jennifer Theriot (Out of the Box Everlasting) and I enjoyed it a lot. Great job on the review. Congratulations to J.D. Frettier on such a glowing review.

Thank you! I've read the second two books in that series, and I enjoyed both of them. That's part of why I chose to review this book.

[CrescentMoon]

This sounds so interesting. I read a very similar book called "Beyond Dead" where the main character has just died but she lands in an afterlife that is a step away from heaven. Even though this is such a short story it really seems to pack so much in which is really impressive. Great review!

[Annelore Trujillo]

This sounds so interesting. I read a very similar book called "Beyond Dead" where the main character has just died but she lands in an afterlife that is a step away from heaven. Even though this is such a short story it really seems to pack so much in which is really impressive. Great review!

Thank you! The afterlife seems to be a very popular topic. I love reading different views on it. This book definitely impressed me with its content in such a short length. I really enjoyed it.

[Heidi M Simone]

Great review! I love how great the character development is and how the writing is well-written and flows well. It sounds like a fun and unique short read. Congratulations to the author for receiving such a positive review!

[gali]

Sounds like a fun read. The premise sure sounds unique. It is great that the even the secondary characters were well-developed. Great job on the review!

[Cathy Crawford]

Thanks for the review! Your review mentions a "clean read" and says this story does not count as one. What do you mean? I did feel the sample moved the action along very quickly, as your review mentions.

[Annelore Trujillo]

Thanks for the review! Your review mentions a "clean read" and says this story does not count as one. What do you mean? I did feel the sample moved the action along very quickly, as your review mentions.

I just mean it's not a clean romance. There a some slightly explicit scenes throughout the book. I know sometimes people don't like reading those type of books, so I usually try to point it out in the review.

[blakejack1123]

Thank you for the great review! When I first read the genre I thought this is not a book for me but after reading your review it sounds like such an interesting short story. I don't often read short stories but this one sounds out of the ordinary in a great way. I downloaded the story to read. Amanda

[Anki_Real_Reviews]

The concept of life after death draws me like a moth to a flame. This book involves this topic and, therefore, it's definitely going in my "to-read" shelf. Great job on the review!

[Annelore Trujillo]

Thank you for the great review! When I first read the genre I thought this is not a book for me but after reading your review it sounds like such an interesting short story. I don't often read short stories but this one sounds out of the ordinary in a great way. I downloaded the story to read. Amanda

I'm glad my review was able to change your mind! I hope you enjoy it!

[James Craft]

It doesn't seem like something I would like, but your review makes it sound great!