Natasha Lockhart is the pen name for a former primary school teacher. After completing eleven years as an educator, she decided to pursue her dream of being a writer. Her love of historical novels began in fourth grade when she was introduced to the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Since then, Natasha has been time travelling through literature and enjoying every minute of it. Her obsession with romance novels came years later after a couple of less-than-satisfying relationships. Books detailing the happily ever afters of fictional characters were like an oasis in the desert during her single years. Natasha is now happily married and the mother of two precocious daughters and one laid-back son. When she's not writing or tending to her husband's demands, she works as an on-call chauffeur, personal assistant, and cheerleader for her three children. ***************************************** I've heard it said by a few Goodreads' members that authors should not review books . . . that it's somehow a conflict of interest. I respectfully disagree. I was a reader long before I sat in front of my laptop to pen a story. On the one hand, I can see how getting a negative review from a bestselling author could crush a newbie or a less successful author. It is therefore good that the overwhelming majority of the chart toppers don't write book reviews. Oh, we've all seen endorsement quotes on book covers to help a fellow writer sell a book. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a regular review on Goodreads or Amazon. On the other hand, I believe anyone who purchases a book has the right to express their opinions about that book. Anyone who puts themselves out there in the public eye should be prepared to handle criticism and praise. Having said that, since I read far more books each year than I write, I will continue to review books. I respect the hard work of each author whose work I read. I am never critical to be malicious. If I don't like something, I just don't like it. If I enjoy something, I praise it. Should the day ever come that I feel my success warrants my stepping back from writing book reviews, I will do that. Until then . . . Here's my simple system for rating books:

• Five stars Perfection! A Masterpiece! All the boxes in my What Constitutes a Good Book list were checked off. (Very rarely do I come across a five-star book. It's hard as hell to create something that's so masterfully written it will wow an avid reader. In my opinion, less than 10% of writers fall in this category. Only a handful of authors in my favorite genre, Romance, ever manage to hit this mark. Most of us have learned the hard way that just because an author writes one amazing book does not necessarily mean the books that follow it will be just as good.) I think five-star ratings are given out too freely. Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.
• Four stars Really good! With a few tweaks, it would be damn near perfect. I want to read more from this author.
• Three stars Good story! I loved the premise, but something failed in the execution. One or both of the main characters were unlikable. Instalove? Get out of here! Instalust? Not cool unless the book is categorized as Erotica.
• Two stars Just meh. The plot didn't hold my attention. I forced myself to finish the book. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't recommend it to another reader.
• One star Riddled with distracting spelling and grammatical errors. The plot is severely disjointed and doesn't flow smoothly. Whoever published this book has shown a blatant lack of respect for the reader. I've gotten much better at selecting books. I don't think I'll ever rate a book one-star again.