Author Archives: rebeccabook17

2016 Book #32 – You Can’t Always Get the Marquess You Want by Alexandra Hawkins

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, For the love of books, Historical Romance, Masters of Seduction by

51WCj3jfKVL._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_Title: You Can’t Always Get the Marquess You Want
Author: Alexandra Hawkins
Date finished: 4/10/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Pages in book: 353
Stand alone or series: #2 in Masters of Seduction series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

A MOST FORBIDDEN LOVE
They call him Chance, though in truth the Marquess of Fairlamb feels bitterly cursed: A long-ago family feud is standing in the way of his heart’s desire. Lady Tempest is the daughter of his father’s sworn enemy, the Marquess of Norgrave. She is beautiful, innocent, and utterly untouchable. But some seductions are just too good to resist…
Tempest is a woman of her own mind-and a true romantic who will overcome every obstacle to be with the man of her dreams. But the odds are against the handsome, wickedly charming Chance if he intends to win Tempest as his bride. Will he choose loyalty to his family-or risk everything he has for the woman he yearns for?

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I read Hawkins’ Lords of Vice series during 2014 and really enjoyed it so when I saw that she had a book from her new series available on NetGalley I was excited! This book tells the story of Tempest Brant and Mathias (Chance) Rooke. A chance (ha) encounter brings these two together, not knowing yet that the other is their sworn enemy. For unknown reasons, the Rooke and Brant families have been feuding since before all the children (including Mathias and Tempest) were born. Well, I guess the reader might already have known if they read Book #1 in the series, it seems like this topic may have been discussed in that book. Norgrave and Blackbern’s families grew up learning of their family’s hatred for the other family and yet after Chance and Tempest meet they are drawn to each other again and again.
Overall I really liked this book. Tempest and Chance’s romance is honest, easy for the reader to connect to and the magnetism between the two characters is almost tangible. I loved Chance’s character, he was romantic and charming and everything you could want in a hero. One interesting thing I noted was the challenge that the couple must overcome is slightly similar to the one I recently encountered in The Winemakers, and the reason I thought this was interesting is because before that I hadn’t really ever seen this obstacle at all but now I’ve seen it twice in like two weeks. Just found that to be oddly coincidental, maybe it is becoming more commonly used? It isn’t my favorite obstacle so I hope it doesn’t start being used more often. I thought the author did a good job with creating tension and the pace of the book was great. I couldn’t put it down and I got hooked in the story easily. The only thing that put me off a tiny bit was that I thought Tempest’s brother should’ve been more contrite for being such a cad to his sisters and constantly abandoning them. And I thought someone should’ve punched the Marquess of Norgrave in the face (at the very least) for literally everything he does in the book. There were no redeeming qualities to him at all. Stories have to have a villain though! I do wish I had read the first book because (based on the description) I think it might have added some background information to the family feud between the Brants and the Rookes. This was an entertaining and romantic read though, great book!

The bottom line: Really liked this book! I haven’t read it but I think having read book 1 before I read book 2 would have added some context, just as a tip. Looking forward to reading more in this series though, I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #31 – The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, Fiction, Historical fiction, Reading Challenges by

91BED26SP2LTitle: The Rivals of Versailles
Author: Sally Christie
Date finished: 4/8/16
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Pages in book: 448
Stand alone or series: #2 in Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

And you thought sisters were a thing to fear. In this captivating follow-up to Sally Christie’s clever and absorbing debut, we meet none other than the Marquise de Pompadour, one of the greatest beauties of her generation and the first bourgeois mistress ever to grace the hallowed halls of Versailles.
The year is 1745 and King Louis XV’s bed is once again empty. Enter Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful girl from the middle classes. As a child, a fortune teller had told young Jeanne’s destiny: she would become the lover of a king and the most powerful woman in the land. Eventually connections, luck, and a little scheming pave her way to Versailles and into the King’s arms.
All too soon, conniving politicians and hopeful beauties seek to replace the bourgeois interloper with a more suitable mistress. As Jeanne, now the Marquise de Pompadour, takes on her many rivals—including a lustful lady-in-waiting, a precocious fourteen-year-old prostitute, and even a cousin of the notorious Nesle sisters—she helps the king give himself over to a life of luxury and depravity. Around them, war rages, discontent grows, and France inches ever closer to the Revolution.
Told in Christie’s celebrated witty and modern style, The Rivals of Versailles will delight and entrance fans as it brings to life the court of Louis XV in all its pride, pestilence, and glory.

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I read the first book in this trilogy last year (also through NetGalley) and you can see my review of that one here. I really enjoyed reading the first book so I was excited when I saw the second book available recently on NetGalley! Also, this book will count towards my Book Riot 2016 Read Harder reading challenge, marking off the “read a book of historical fiction set before 1900″ since this book is set in the mid 1700’s. This book continues where The Sisters of Versailles left off, following Marie-Ann’s death. This book focuses around Jeanne -Antoinette Poisson, a commoner who is told by a fortune teller when she is young that she will someday be mistress to the king. Ever since that fateful day, her mother has focused on preparing Jeanne for one day meeting the king and becoming ensconced in his world. This means learning about this above their station, some of which Jeanne learns from her tutor Bernis after the king invites her to live at Versailles.
Unfortunately, Jeanne’s miscarriages make her sick and after 4 years of being King Louis XV’s mistress she is advised against getting pregnant again because it might kill her. Every one thinks that this means the end of Jeanne’s reign over the king’s heart but she somehow manages to stay the center of his life for the next 15 years, arranging ways for the king to exercise his lust (with others) without her losing her importance in his life. And while there are a number of threats over the years and no shortage of plotting on manipulation that must occur on her part, in the end she is the victor every time and maintains her friendship with the king. She becomes one of the most powerful women in the history of France because even though she isn’t physically intimate with the king he continues to use her as his most trusted adviser throughout their friendship.
Overall I really liked this book. I think that it is especially interesting because these books are based on real events. And I just love that the author’s site has pages talking about each of the characters in the book that reference where the information on their character came from and what historical basis exists for the events that happen in the book. Same as with the first novel, I didn’t want to put this book down. Everything that you could want in a book is in this story: sex, betrayal, intrigue, war, love, sickness, and death. The author did a great job in this novel of switching between points of view and she really brought the characters to life. I felt bad for Jeanne for most of the book, she spent her whole childhood with this idea that she would be mistress to the king and she loved him so much but she wasn’t able to be close to him in all the ways she wanted. Her character evolves in an interesting way through the course of the novel, she definitely changes and hardens over her life and the reader can see that clearly. Towards the end Louis’ tastes in girls become embarrassingly young and Jeanne is understandingly uncomfortable with the things she has to do to keep her position in Louis’ life secured but she does it anyways. I thought that was a strong example of how changed she is by her life at Versailles. Just overall an engrossing read.

The bottom line: Just an awesome read with everything a reader could want from a novel. I didn’t want to stop reading this one for even a minute, can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy to be released! Great read!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

GIVEAWAY!!! The Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin

Posted in For the love of books, Giveaways by

103d4d8c-490d-4d55-8474-d6f034ca8deb

Hi All! Exciting news! I have a free digital copy of Lynnette Austin’s recent release, The Best Laid Wedding Plans, available for one lucky winner! Lynnette has a new book coming out next month, Every Bride Has Her Day, and to celebrate, one lucky person will receive a free digital copy of the first book in the Magnolia series via iBooks from Sourcebooks Casablanca. I read The Best Laid Wedding Plans last year and loved it (you can see my review here)! It is a very sweet book and I would definitely encourage you all to enter/read her book! See more information on the book further down in this post (below contest rules).

Contest Rules: Contest is unfortunately only open to US Residents, sorry to any international readers. In order to enter, all you have to do is email me at rebeccabookreview17@gmail.com with “The Best Laid Wedding Plans giveaway” in the subject line and you’ll be entered to win! Contest closes April 9, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be announced April 10, 2016 by 3:00pm EST.Good luck to you all!

Best Laid Wedding Plans coverThe Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin
First in the new Magnolia Brides series
ISBN: 9781492617976
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the Book
SOME DREAMS ARE WORTH WHATEVER IT TAKES

Jenni Beth Beaumont left her broken heart behind when she took her dream job in Savannah. But after her brother’s death, Jenni Beth returns home to help mend her parents’ hearts as well as restore their beautiful but crumbling antebellum mansion. New dreams take shape as Jenni Beth sets to work replacing floors and fixing pipes to convert the family homestead into the perfect wedding destination. However, some folks in their small Southern town are determined to see her fail.

Cole Bryson was once the love of Jenni Beth’s life, but the charming architectural salvager has plans of his own for the Beaumont family home. As the two butt heads, old turmoil is brought to the surface and Cole and Jenni Beth will have to work through some painful memories and tough realities before they can set their pasts aside and have a second chance at their own happily ever after.

Best Laid Wedding Plans graphicAbout the Author
The luxury of staying home when the weather turns nasty, of working in PJs and bare feet, and the fact that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged, are a few of the reasons middle school teacher Lynnette Austin gave up the classroom to write full-time. Lynnette grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to Upstate New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Contest, she’s published five books as Lynnette Hallberg. She’s currently writing as Lynnette Austin. Having grown up in a small town, that’s where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody…and all their business, for better or worse.  Visit Lynnette at www.authorlynnetteaustin.com.

Connect with Lynnette
Website: http://www.authorlynnetteaustin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lynnette-Austin-253370174807116
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnettAustin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/romwriter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456915.Lynnette_Austin

2016 Book #30 – The Winemakers by Jan Moran

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Historical fiction by

51+6MKE8BTL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_Title: The Winemakers: A Novel of Wine and Secrets
Author: Jan Moran
Date finished: 4/5/16
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Pages in book: 369
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

1956: When Caterina Rosetta inherits a cottage in the countryside of Italy from a grandmother she’s never known, she discovers a long-buried family secret — a secret so devastating, it threatens the future of everything her mother has worked for. Many years before, her mother’s hard-won dreams of staking her family’s claim in the vineyards of California came to fruition; but as an old murder comes to light, and Caterina uncovers a tragic secret that may destroy the man she loves, she realizes her happiness will depend on revealing the truth of her mother’s buried past.From author Jan Moran comes The Winemakers, a sweeping, romantic novel that will hold you in its grasp until the last delicious sip.

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of the Rosetta family: Caterina, her mother Ava, and her new daughter Marisa. This book reminded me a lot of Kristen Harnisch’s The Vintner’s Daughter, which I LOVED. For anyone who likes this book you should also read hers, or vice versa.  The family owns a winery in Napa, California and has well respected wines that rival those in Europe. The book mostly takes place in 1956, though there are some flashbacks to 1928 and 1929 when Ava came to America. One of the things that particularly struck me about this book was the emphasis on lack of women’s rights during both of those time periods. Caterina has a baby out of wedlock and many times is told directly to her face that she’s a whore and should be ashamed of herself. Which I think is both sad that someone would speak to her that way and also just odd considering how far we’ve come away from that in today’s day and age. I would have to say it is definitely not uncommon to know several people who were either unwed when they had a child or are still unwed with a child. Society has been almost forced to accept this as a norm, so it was just interesting to see how unaccepted it was in a different time period.
Anyways, there were multiple things going on in this book. There was the budding but tragic romance between Caterina and Marisa’s father. There was the family drama that caused Ava to come to America all those years ago, which resurfaces when Caterina’s grandmother dies and leaves her a house in Italy in her will. There was the drama between Ava and Caterina over Marisa. And finally there was the struggle to save the winery (and their home) after disaster strikes. All in all there were multiple plot points all intertwined, which made for a very exciting read. I honestly couldn’t put this one down, I technically started it Sunday night late (around 10:30pm) and then couldn’t stop reading it on Monday and ended up finishing it at 12:30 am Monday morning.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. The conversations were slightly stilted at times and somewhat awkward at others but it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book. Also I thought the ending came up a bit quick and honestly I thought it was a little odd. I’m glad it had a (**spoiler**) happy ending but it just took me back a little bit that the challenge the couple had to overcome at the end was so.. different from other books I’ve read. Things I enjoyed about the book though included the description of the scenery in Italy, which was excellent, and the narratives about the wine-making process were informative and interesting. Great book and a great read, I think this one is going to be a popular one for 2016 summer.

The bottom line: Really really liked this book! I couldn’t put it down, the story line was riveting. Conversations seemed a tad stilted to me but other than that it was just a great book! I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #29 – Change of Scene by Mary Kay Andrews

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Fiction, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges, Women's fiction by

51qm6DOU2bL._SX344_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Change of Scene: A 100 Page Novella
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Date finished: 4/3/16
Genre: Women’s fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Pages in book: 144
Stand alone or series: Prequel to Beach Town
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

This 100 page prequel novella to Mary Kay Andrews’s bestselling novel Beach Town is sure to delight fans and new readers alike.
Greer Hennessy is a movie location scout whose latest project has literally gone up in flames. After an avocado field accidentally catches fire on the set of her new movie, she is out of a job and practically run out of town. With her feisty grandmother Dearie, a Golden Age starlet who still has a lot of vigor left in her, complicating her life, Greer needs a bit of a rest. But Greer’s own mother then drops a bombshell on her that will change Greer’s life completely, and raise questions about her own father that she can’t ignore. In desperate need of a second chance, can Greer find what she’s looking for in the one last job she can get: a movie called BEACH TOWN? But first, she needs to find the perfect spot…

My rating:  3.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. Also, this book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “a book and its prequel” square. Technically I’m marking off 1/2 the square since I haven’t read Beach Town yet but I own it so I am hoping to read it whenever I have a spare moment in my reading schedule. Definitely before the end of the year. Anyways this novella is about Greer Hennessy, who is a location scout for the film industry. At the beginning of the novella, her job goes up in smoke and then she has trouble finding any more work. During this time, she finds out that her mother is sick and spends time caring for her as well as trying to find a new nursing home for her grandmother, who was kicked out of the last home for breaking a handful of rules. Luckily, Greer’s friend CeeJay has recently started dating a film producer who wants Greer to be the location scout for his next project, Beach Town.
Overall this was a good novella. The author did a good job of setting up the stage for the next book, Beach Town. The reader becomes invested in the story and in Greer’s character. If I didn’t already have a JAM packed reading schedule, I would be reading Beach Town next! I want to find out what happens next. And not having read Beach Town I can’t be sure, but I think that this novella adds a good amount of background and context to Greer’s character and her motivations in the next book. I would recommend this for any one who has read or is planning to read Beach Town. I bet these two would be great reads for the beach!

The bottom line: This was a good novella, it caught my interest and got me invested in the characters. I wish I could read Beach Town next, but hopefully will read it soon.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #28 – A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Historical fiction by

51ayaswY4HLTitle: A Certain Age
Author: Beatriz Williams
Date finished: 4/3/16
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: June 28, 2016
Pages in book: 324
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: BookBrowse NOTE: I received this book for free from BookBrowse in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

The bestselling author of A Hundred Summers brings the Roaring Twenties brilliantly to life in this enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance, and scandal in New York Society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters, and irresistible charm.
As the freedom of the Jazz Age transforms New York City, the iridescent Mrs. Theresa Marshall of Fifth Avenue and Southampton, Long Island, has done the unthinkable: she’s fallen in love with her young paramour, Captain Octavian Rofrano, a handsome aviator and hero of the Great War. An intense and deeply honorable man, Octavian is devoted to the beautiful socialite of a certain age and wants to marry her. While times are changing and she does adore the Boy, divorce for a woman of Theresa’s wealth and social standing is out of the question, and there is no need; she has an understanding with Sylvo, her generous and well-respected philanderer husband.
But their relationship subtly shifts when her bachelor brother, Ox, decides to tie the knot with the sweet younger daughter of a newly wealthy inventor. Engaging a longstanding family tradition, Theresa enlists the Boy to act as her brother’s cavalier, presenting the family’s diamond rose ring to Ox’s intended, Miss Sophie Fortescue—and to check into the background of the little-known Fortescue family. When Octavian meets Sophie, he falls under the spell of the pretty ingénue, even as he uncovers a shocking family secret. As the love triangle of Theresa, Octavian, and Sophie progresses, it transforms into a saga of divided loyalties, dangerous revelations, and surprising twists that will lead to a shocking transgression . . . and eventually force Theresa to make a bittersweet choice.
Full of the glamour, wit and delicious twists that are the hallmarks of Beatriz Williams’ fiction and alternating between Sophie’s spirited voice and Theresa’s vibrant timbre, A Certain Age is a beguiling reinterpretation of Richard Strauss’s comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, set against the sweeping decadence of Gatsby’s New York.

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I read a few of Beatriz Williams’ other books last year (Along the Infinite Sea and Tiny Little Thing) and I just loved them so when I saw that her new book was available on Book Browse I hoped that I would be selected to receive a copy, and my prayers were answered! First I have to say that I just love the cover of this book, its glitz and glamour and it really calls out to readers. The girl on the cover I think is Sophie, she is described at one of the parties in the books wearing a dress similar to the one on the cover. This book has a varied cast of characters but mostly centers around Theresa Marshall, her brother “Ox” (Jay), his fiancee Sophie Fortescue, and Theresa’s lover Octavian (“the Boy”). Theresa’s character reminded me a lot of Babe from Swans of Fifth Avenue and Tiny from Tiny Little Thing and I really connected with her character the most. After Jay becomes engaged to Sophie, Theresa asks Octavian to dig into Sophie’s family just to make sure there aren’t any huge skeletons that would mar the family name. Unfortunately this opens a can of worms that will end up drastically changing all of their lives.
Overall I really liked this book. The author did an amazing job of transporting the reader; her description of the scene at the horse track was so well done I felt like I was there with Theresa and Octavian. Honestly I could almost smell the horses. The characters were also very complex and interesting. I really felt bad for Theresa through most of the story. She may have been a difficult person but she was so in love with Octavian and I could just feel her sadness emanating from the book when Octavian started to fall for Sophie. The story line was riveting and had a couple of good twists and turns. I didn’t want to put the book down, the story really just draws the reader in. I’m not really sure yet how I feel about the ending. I think that it fit with the story line and it was a touching ending but it left me feeling a little empty I think. I actually feel very similar to how I felt about the ending of Along the Infinite Sea, I’m left feeling a little adrift. Really good story though and a great book. This is definitely going to be a summer must read!

The bottom line: This was a really great book! There were some great twists and turns and I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the ending but I couldn’t put it down! I would definitely recommend!!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Status Update: March

Posted in 2016, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, For the love of books, Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Challenge, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist by

Book-Update-4

YES! It is almost April, the end of tax season is in sight! March was an interesting month for me since I have been working more hours and therefore would have less time for reading. Combine that with the fact that I have requested WAY more than I can possibly manage to read on the various ARC sites, and I instituted a new “sleep budget” policy where I’m only allowed to sleep a maximum of 6 hours a night. That lasted right up until I got sick (probably from lack of sleep).  My friend at work (my day job) keep telling me to just stop requesting the books but when you see something on there that you really want to read, how can you not request it? I guess the main problem is that I really want to read a lot of books, hence the over abundance of books in the March/April TBR.
On a really positive note, I won an awesome giveaway this month! I won a giveaway on the Tall Poppy Writers site for signed books from 16 authors plus a $100 gift card to Storiarts! Stayed tuned for a separate post on this, once I receive all my books I will post about them and what I ordered from Storiarts!
Anyways, here is my status update for progress I made on reading challenges this month and some highlights of my posts for this month.

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 12
# pages read this month: 3,527
# books read year-to-date: 27
# pages read year-to-date: 8,320

Favorite Books I Read:

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz – 4.75 stars
Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky – 4.75 stars

Books I Didn’t Particularly Enjoy: 

I honestly can say that I enjoyed every book I read in March, therefore there weren’t any March reads that fall into this category for me 🙂

Other Posts this month:

OwlCrate February Subscription Box
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR

Status of 2016 Reading Challenges:

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Checklist – 9/20 books read
Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge – 1/24 books read
Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Reading Challenge – 0/26 books read

April TBR list: 

-A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams (BookBrowse) (rolled from March TBR – didn’t get to)
-Change of Scene: A 100 Page Novella by Mary Kay Andrews (NetGalley)
-The Winemakers by Jan Moran (NetGalley)
-The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie (NetGalley)
-You Can’t Always Get the Marquess You Want by Alexandra Hawkins (NetGalley)
-Remember My Beauties by Lynne Hugo (NetGalley)
-Amazonia by James Rollins (Fiction Lover’s Book Club)
-Dead Distillers by Colin Spoelman (NetGalley)
-The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke (Won an ARC on their Facebook!)
-The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman (BookBrowse)
-I Know What I’m Doing — and Other Lies I Tell Myself by Jen Kirkman (Edelweiss)
-The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander (NetGalley)
-Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (The Reading Room)
-Lake of Dreams by Linda Howard (NetGalley)
-Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax (NetGalley)
-The Good Kind of Bad by Rita Brassington (NetGalley)

I’m overwhelmed just looking at this list. 16 books. So basically I need to read a book every two days at a minimum. Which I’m already falling behind at, so I guess we’ll see how this goes. I have some titles on this list that I’m really excited about though so I think it will be a good month. I’m technically already about a third of the way through A Certain Age and I love it!

So! That was March overview and my plan for April! Hoping to find more time for reading this month! Happy reading to all!

2016 Book #27 – Good on Paper by Rachel Cantor

Posted in Book Clubs, Book reviews, Fiction, Online Book Clubs by

51yNVF+3b+LTitle: Good on Paper
Author: Rachel Cantor
Date finished: 3/30/16
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Melville House
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Pages in book: 295
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: I won it! On Reading with Robin’s Facebook page

Blurb from the cover:

Is a new life possible? Because Shira Greene’s life hasn’t quite turned out as planned. She’s a single mom living with her daughter and her gay friend, Ahmad. Her PhD on Dante’s Vita Nuova hasn’t gotten her a job, and her career as a translator hasn’t exactly taken off either.
But then she gets a call from a Nobel Prize-winning Italian poet who insists she’s the only one who can translate his newest book.
Stunned, Shira realizes that—just like that— her life can change. She sees a new beginning beckoning: academic glory, demand for her translations, and even love (her good luck has made her feel more open to the entreaties of a neighborhood indie bookstore owner).
There’s only one problem: It all hinges on the translation, and as Shira starts working on the exquisitely intricate passages of the poet’s book, she realizes that it may in fact be, well … impossible to translate.
A deft, funny, and big-hearted novel about second chances, Good on Paper is a grand novel of family, friendship, and possibility.

My rating:  4.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I won this book on the Reading with Robin Facebook page in a contest. This book is actually going to be discussed with the author on her Facebook page tonight at 8pm so be sure to check that out if you’ve read the book! And here is a listing of future books selected for the page’s book club in case you’re interested in participating in any of those. Anyways, so this book tells the story of Shira Greene, who lives in Manhattan with her daughter, Andrea (Andi), and her best friend Ahmad, who has been helping Shira raise Andi since birth. Shira is offered the chance to translate for Nobel Prize-winning Romei, much to her surprise. She accepts even though this action alone forces her out of the comfort zone in which she’s been living for years, never really having to strive to any potential heights or success.
After she gets engrossed in the story though, she begins to realize things she didn’t know about herself, her daughter and her odd little family she’s formed. And Romei isn’t exactly what she expects. Many pieces of his work are hitting a little too close to home, reminding her of things that she’s written in the past herself. To help her figure out what Romei’s all about, she enlists the help of Benny, a bookstore owner/Rabbi across the street. In the end though, this work of Romei’s ends up being more for Shira than she realizes.
Overall I honestly loved this book. The author did an amazing job of crafting the words just so, it felt almost like I was reading a 300 page poem because it was crafted so wonderfully. While I really enjoyed the book, I do have to admit that I had some trouble connecting with Shira’s character. She basically drops out of grad school in her late twenties (I think I’m remembering the age correctly) over a guy and lets her life basically fall apart after she finds out that he hasn’t been honest with her. That to me was completely baffling. There were a couple other things that didn’t sit right with me about Shira’s character but it definitely did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. Just the opposite, Shira was one of my favorite (and least I guess) parts of the book. The way she discussed literature was profound and moving and being able to insert myself in those conversations throughout the book was one of the most interesting aspects of the story. Overall this book had a sweet ending but what really captured me about this book was the character’s flaws and also the intense psycho-analytical discussions on literature. This was a great read for anyone who loves reading!

The bottom line: This book was just wonderfully well done. It was magical to read, the author honestly did an amazing job of stringing words together to make the text almost lyrical. I loved the in depth discussions included in the conversations between characters. Really just a lovely book to read, I would most definitely recommend.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #26 – Tales of My Childhood by Anna Lillian Young

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Non-fiction, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges by

Title: Tales of My Childhood
Author: Anna Lillian Young
Date finished: 3/26/16
Genre: Autobiography
Pages in book: 313
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Author’s relative NOTE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

 

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. Also, this book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “an autobiography” square since it is is an autobiography. This books tells the story of Anna Lillian Young’s life as written by Anna Lillian Young. There is a foreword included in the book that was written by my Uncle Will, who is Anna’s great-grandson. This book begins during Anna’s childhood and chronicles the journey of her life up through her 89th year. Anna had a difficult childhood at times and struggled at different points during her life but her life was full of family and love and many times adventure. It was a very interesting story and I’m glad that my Uncle found the manuscript and was able to bind it. Anna traveled a lot, when she was younger traveling between other family member’s households and when older she traveled to where her husband was able to find work. Anna had an astounding memory and recorded many details not only from her later years but also from her childhood in her manuscript. I’m glad I was able to experience pieces of her life, thanks Will for sharing with this one with me!

 

2016 Book #25 – Dreaming of Antigone by Robin Bridges

Posted in Book reviews, Young Adult by

51cVMLcFPoLTitle: Dreaming of Antigone
Author: Robin Bridges
Date finished: 3/23/16
Genre: Young adult
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Pages in book: 304
Stand alone or series: There was an excerpt for the next book with Natalie as the protagonist so it seems to be a sort of connected series.
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Andria’s twin sister, Iris, had adoring friends, a cool boyfriend, a wicked car, and a shelf full of soccer trophies. She had everything, in fact–including a drug problem. Six months after Iris’s death, Andria is trying to keep her grades, her friends, and her family from falling apart. But stargazing and books aren’t enough to ward off her guilt that she–the freak with the scary illness and all-black wardrobe–is still here when Iris isn’t. And then there’s Alex Hammond. The boy Andria blames for Iris’s death. The boy she’s unwittingly started swapping lines of poetry and secrets with, even as she tries to keep hating him.
Heartwrenching, smart, and bold, Dreaming of Antigone is a story about the jagged pieces that lie beneath the surface of the most seemingly perfect life…and how they can fit together to make something wholly unexpected.

My rating:  4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about Andria, a junior in high school whose twin sister (Iris) died six months ago. Andria is still trying to cope with the loss of her sister and also the guilt she faces in not having done more to help her. Iris died of a drug overdose and Andria wishes that she had known her sister was falling down that particular rabbit hole before she died and that she could have done more to help Iris. Also Andria’s mother has become especially over protective since Iris’s death, though she has always been a bit over protective of Andria since she has epilepsy due to hypoxia. Alex Hammond returns to town from his stint at rehab (he was doing drugs with Iris the night she died) and Andria thinks that everything will work out just fine if she can avoid him. Unfortunately he seems to be there every time she turns around lately, and she doesn’t appreciate the butterflies she gets in her stomach when she sees him either.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. I loved Andria’s character and, even though she wasn’t a big party goer because of her limitations due to epilepsy, I connected with her character a lot for feeling different from the rest of her friends and peers. I think that this books deals with a lot of hard issues too that face some teens today, as awful as that is. I also loved that this story intertwined poetry and astronomy into the story, I thought the poetry verses were beautiful and really added to the angst of young love within the story line. And Andria’s interest in astronomy was different and interesting and gave her character a quirky twist. I thought the relationships in this book were well-written, there was a ring of accuracy to the teen drama with the on and off romances and ebb and flow of friendships. The story really hooked me in too, I didn’t want to put it down. I’m looking forward to reading future books from this author!

The bottom line: I really liked this book a lot, I thought it covered a lot of hard topics that unfortunately teens today might face: drugs, abuse, illness, death, loss, and love. I loved Andria’s character and thought that the relationships between the characters was well written. I would definitely recommend this one.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page