2015 Book #80 – On the Way by Robin Lake

Posted in 2015, ARC August, Book reviews, Non-fiction, Reading Challenges by rebeccabook17

Title: On The Way: A Working Woman’s Field Guide
Author: Robin Lake
Date finished: 8/3/15
Genre: Non-fiction, self-help
Publisher: Global Guides
Publication Date: May 1, 2015
Pages in book: 245
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Author/publisher NOTE: I received this book for free from the author/publisher 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:

You’ve read Lean In and other inspirational books on women in the workplace. Now how do you turn your goals into reality? Start putting ideas into practice today.
This essential guide offers practical steps on how to build and grow a successful and satisfying career. It is the first tactical handbook for professional women with detailed nuts-and-bolts tips on all aspects of day-to-day working life. The author has created a well-organized reference guide relevant to any woman seeking to enter or navigate the professional world. The book pinpoints best practices by category, peppered with personal anecdotes and observations.
Lake offers modern guidance on topics including choosing a career path, job searching, office behavior, having a family while working, and stress management. The book focuses on smart, realistic strategies for all stages of career whether one is enjoying success or tackling tough times.
On the Way is a key companion resource to complement other popular books on women and business. Keep it in your library to pull out over and over as a starting point for next steps in any working world situation.

My rating: 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will be counting towards my goal for ARC August reading challenge, it is #2 on list from my sign up post. I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. Non-fiction isn’t usually my favorite genre but I agreed to review the book because 1) it did sound interesting and 2) I am a working woman in a traditionally male-dominated field so I thought maybe I could pick up a few tips and tricks along the way. And I definitely learned something from reading this book, there is a plethora of good advice in this book and I am extremely glad that I read it. There were a lot of good points and I know I will be trying to keep them in mind in the months/years to come as I steer my career upwards (hopefully). I especially loved the author’s idea of having a set packing list for different work trips (domestic short trip, foreign long trip, trip with child, etc.) that you can use for multiple occasions. I have started doing something similar to this lately and it is just such a helpful idea and saves so much time when you’re not running around last minute trying to figure out what you forgot to pack.
I didn’t agree with absolutely all of the authors points, mostly I think because of generational differences which is fine. In one part she mentions that you shouldn’t use “pink pens, water bottles, or anything else that would have been at home on the set of the movie Legally Blonde” (ha that’s funny) but I think a pink water bottle on its own would be ok, like one of those Camelbak bottles everyone uses. I don’t think that would be detrimental, though to be honest there’s also nothing wrong with just buying a blue one. I absolutely 100% agree with her many points about forcing yourself to step outside of your comfort zone; it really is one of the best ways to grow professionally. As a woman professional you need to be comfortable doing any task assigned to you, and if you’re a weak public speaker or don’t feel that comfortable doing it, that is going to hold you back from being able to advance in any company. I also really liked her point that not everything is about you. I know as a woman I tend to take things very personally, even in the work place. If I get a lot of review comments I sometimes see that as failing and get very defensive. But without these comments I won’t be able to grow as a professional since in essence they are really a training tool. No matter how much you may think something is personal, its more than likely “Not about you”!
So as you probably could already figure out, I thought this was a helpful, informative, and well-written book. Most non-fiction books I have trouble staying interested but I had no issues on that with this book as there are story examples included throughout and honestly the points and suggestions were just so helpful it wasn’t hard to stay interested. To any women just starting out in the professional world and even women who have been in it for awhile (I have been a working woman for 5 years now) this is definitely a must-read!

The bottom line: I think this is an absolutely fantastic book for any woman entering into the professional world or currently working there, especially if it is a traditionally male dominated world such as accounting, law, and other professions. Great book with some great tips!!

Link to author website
Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

4Aug2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Fairytale Retellings I’ve Read/Want To Read

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Top Ten Tuesday by rebeccabook17

Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday there is a different bookish topic and bloggers are asked to post their own top ten list based on the topic. This week is a listing of the Top Ten Fairytale Retellings I’ve Read/Want to Read. I’ve always loved fairy tales (Cinderella was my favorite movie growing up) and I really enjoy some of the fairy tale retellings that have been published. It is a fun, usually adult spin on a childhood dream. So below are some of my favorites I have read and ones I definitely want to read:

1. Fairy Tales series by Eloisa James

I have to say this is a great series of fairy tale retellings, especially if you like historical romance novels. I really liked the series.

2. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Great read and I definitely recommend. Can’t wait for #2 in the series to come out next year!

3. Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw
I’m not sure if Atlantis really counts as “fairy tales” but if we’re going to liberally use the term then I guess it counts. I read this book recently and really enjoyed it!

WANT TO READ

1. Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this series and I currently own the first and third book. I can’t wait to dive in, just have to find time to fit them in! As a side note, the last picture (Winter) is being released this fall.

2. Wicked series by Gregory Maguire

I own the first book in this series, I had started it a long time ago and never finished it (like 8 years ago at least, maybe more). I am a massively huge fan of the musical that was inspired/based on the first book though and I recently discovered that it became a series so I am looking forward to reading all 4 of these books. Gregory Maguire also has some other fairy tale retellings I would like to check out, including Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and After Alice.

Any suggestions?

So that’s mostly it! There are just so many options for fairy-tale retellings that it is hard to narrow it down. One thing I realized while compiling this list is that I haven’t really ever seen a good retelling of The Little Mermaid. Does anyone have any suggestions for books like that? I would love to hear about them! Also let me know if you think I’ve missed any really great fairytale retellings. This is one of my favorite genres so I would love to add some of these to my TBR list!

Happy reading!

19Jul2015

2015 Book #74 – Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw

Posted in Book reviews, Young Adult by rebeccabook17

Title: Atlantis Rising
Author: Gloria Craw
Date finished: 7/19/15 (12:20am)
Genre: Young adult
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publication Date: January 6, 2015
Pages in book: 295
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Terryville Public Library

Blurb from Amazon:

I am different. I have always been different, but no one can know or my life will be in danger. So I hide in plain sight, wearing drab clothes and thick glasses and trying to be invisible. I’m so good at hiding, no one has ever noticed me. Until Ian…the mysterious and oh-so-cute boy I know I need to avoid.
Now I have been seen. And more terrifying still, I am wanted–by those who would protect me and those who would destroy everything and everyone I love. But if they’re all terrified about who I am, wait until they see what I can do…

My rating: 3.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I really tend to enjoy books with supernatural elements but I haven’t really read anything before about the children of Atlantis. So when I saw this book recently, I definitely wanted to read it. So this book is about Alison McKye, a senior at Fillmore High School. She’s adopted and when she was fourteen, someone at a playground noticed she was using her “thoughtmaking” abilities on her brother. This random stranger told her that she is one of the children of Atlantis and that her ability is both very powerful and very sought after and that if she wanted to protect her human family, she must do everything in her power to go through the rest of her life unnoticed.
Cut forward to her senior year of high school and she’s done what she thinks is a decent job of remaining invisible. One of the helpful points is that even though she is dewing (the name for the children of Atlantis) since she was raised by humans she doesn’t give off the same vibrations as other dewing I guess so its easier for her to stay incognito. A lot of people are trying to find her though (for various reasons) and since she hasn’t actually done a great job of hiding in plain sight, she’s going to be found out. Luckily, she makes some friends who are going to help her.
I really liked this book. I thought Alison was great and the tension between her and her love interest (not spoiling it for you!!) is palpable and felt real. I thought the plot line was good but the climactic action scenes felt a bit short. Also I’m curious what happened to Nikki? Is there going to be a sequel? Usually when something ends kind of abruptly like that I at least like to know that yes the author realizes there are unanswered questions and is writing a sequel as we speak. But I couldn’t find anything online so I guess fingers crossed. Good book overall though and not a topic that I see a lot so it was different, which I liked.

The bottom line: I thought this was a good book, I would recommend it! Definitely interesting and unusual, the story line was great.

Link to author website
Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

13Jul2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Top Ten Tuesday by rebeccabook17

Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday there is a different bookish topic and bloggers are asked to post their own top ten list based on the topic. This week is a listing of the Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession. I have been pretty active in both requesting e-galleys, accepting donations from family and friends, and at my local library so I am going to try and piece this together the best I can.

From Net Galley:

I’m actually pretty excited because all 3 of these were books that I wanted to read and I was able to get all of them on Net Galley for free! I have only recently discovered the greatness that is Net Galley and I am looking forward to using it much more in the future.
1. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert
2. A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan
3. Awake by Natasha Preston

From my Gram:

This past weekend I visited my Grandma and Grandpa down in Pennsylvania. My Grandma is a part of a book club down there and every so often when I visit she lets me take some books from her leftovers (which I LOVE). So this past weekend I brought 4 books home with me that I haven’t read before and all of them look really interest and I can’t wait to read them!
4. Long Time Gone by Karen White
5. Matters of Faith by Kristy Kiernan
6. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
7. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

From Publishers:

This is the first print ARC copy I’ve ever received. I’m pretty excited about it.
8. Stove-Junker by S.K. Kalsi

Gifted from Mom’s kindle:

After all the Net Galley activity, I’ve gotten tired of using the kindle app on my phone. My mom had an older kindle that she hasn’t been using since she has both a Paper white and a Kindle Fire. When she gave me her Kindle there were a few books on it from her account and I was able to keep these two. I am trying to read more classics this year so I’m glad these are now available to me!
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
10. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

SO! That’s my listing of books I’ve most recently received. What books have you gotten lately?

10Jul2015

Friday Finds (July 10)

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Friday Finds by rebeccabook17

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by A Daily Rhythm and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list. Whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

My finds this week include a historical fiction, a young adult, a fiction, and a women’s fiction (I think):

1. Newport by Jill Morrow

This book tells the story of a family in Newport in the spring of 1921. I went to Newport recently and we did the mansion tours and I was just floored by the amount of wealth it took to make those mansions. This book is supposed to be about the “glamorous world of Newport in the Roaring Twenties” so I hope I see some of that wealth in this book!

2. Paperweight by Meg Haston

This book is about a girl who is struggling with an eating disorder in a rehabilitation center. It sounds like its going to be a really moving story about a tough issue affecting many girls today.

3. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Don’t get excited, I know the title sounds a lot like 50 Shades of Grey but that is not this book. This book is about “Chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy is strictly regulated by one’s limited color perception.” I’ve been really into the dystopian novels lately where the population is segregated into a hierarchy based on some weird mutation, like the color of their blood in The Red Queen. I thought that this book sounded like a definite must read.

4. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book sounds like it will be a great read. Its about a woman who is at a bar and can either go home with a friend or a guy and the book switches between the storylines on what would happen to her with either decision.

So those are my finds this week! Please feel free to share your finds or leave a link to your own “Friday Finds” blog posting below! Happy Friday! Hope you all enjoy the weekend! I am glad its here!

5Jun2015

2015 Books #52-54 – Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Posted in 2015, Book reviews, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist, Reading Challenges, Young Adult by rebeccabook17

Title: Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Date finished: 5/31/15, 6/3/15, 6/4/15
Genre: Young adult – dystopian
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 14, 2008; September 1, 2009; August 24, 2010
Pages in book: 374, 391, 499 (large-print)
Stand alone or series: Series (trilogy to be specific)

Blurb from the cover:

Hunger Games
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before – and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Catching Fire
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Mockingjay
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

My rating: 4.25, 4.5 and 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5, respectively

My review: This book will be counting towards my goal for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist under the “trilogy” check box since it is a trilogy. I know everyone is astounded I haven’t read this series yet given its popularity and the fact that there are now three movies out based on the series with the last movie coming out in November of this year. To be honest when I first heard about the books and even the first movie, I couldn’t get into it. The idea of kids killing kids was so abhorrent to me that I couldn’t imagine how I would end up liking the books. So I avoided it. And then it became wildly (and I mean wildly) popular and I tend to avoid that as well (not really sure why but fads seem to put me off). So we get to this year and after watching the movies for books 1, 2, and Part one of 3 and loving all the movies, I decide its finally time to read the books.
And it turns out I should’ve read them a long time ago. I absolutely loved this series, though I have to admit I cried so hard at the end of the third book that I felt hollowed out and empty when it was over. I’m writing this right after finishing the third book, only giving myself enough time that I can finally see through the tears again. I think the glass of wine helped but I feel absolutely devastated. I loved the series but so many people die in the third book, a lot of people that I really liked too, that I just can’t find the wherewithal to continue forward (to normal people this will sound pathetically crazy, but I know my fellow book nerds will understand). What I thought was weird when I considered it was that I didn’t feel this way in the first two books even though plenty of characters I felt I knew died in those books too. But I think the difference is that I knew people I liked were going to die in the first two books because of the Hunger Games.
I can’t talk about my emotions too much without giving away spoilers but in some ways the third book ended exactly how I wanted it it. I felt almost like the ending was a little rushed though. The whole book was a little confusing, I think because we were seeing everything through Katniss’s fractured mind. I found the difference in Katniss’s voice as it develops between books 1, 2 and 3 very interesting. You can feel her character growing and changing through the series by the way she talks. I loved the series though and I think everyone should read it immediately, if nothing else but to warn us all of what could happen in the future if the government goes all whack-a-doo. Go! Read it now!!!

The bottom line: I would highly recommend that everyone read this series. It will ensnare you and drag you under but it is an excellent series.

Link to author website
Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

16Apr2015

2015 Book #31 – Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot

Posted in #ReadingMyLibrary Reading Challenge, 2015, Book reviews, Fiction, Reading Challenges, Women's fiction by rebeccabook17

Title: Every Boy’s Got One
Author: Meg Cabot
Date finished: 4/15/15
Genre: Women’s fiction
Publisher: Paw Prints
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Pages in book: 328
Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Blurb from the cover:

Cartoonist Jane Harris is delighted by the prospect of her first-ever trip to Europe. But it’s hate at first sight for Jane and Cal Langdon, and neither is too happy at the prospect of sharing a villa with one another for a week—not even in the beautiful and picturesque Marches countryside. But when Holly and Mark’s wedding plans hit a major snag that only Jane and Cal can repair, the two find themselves having to put aside their mutual dislike for one another in order to get their best friends on the road to wedded bliss—and end up on a road themselves … one neither of them ever expected.

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count for the challenge I am participating in for April, the #ReadingMyLibrary reading challenge. I checked out this book from the Terryville Library. I’ve read this book before and liked it a lot. I like all of Meg Cabot’s books, she writes funny, entertaining stories and she doesn’t disappoint with Every Boy’s Got One. This book was in the epistolary style, which I very much enjoy as a writing style. Jane Harris goes to Italy to witness her best friend’s elopement and meets Cal Langdon, a total ass. The descriptions of the Italian hillsides and scenery were just wonderful. I could really feel like I was there. And the food! The meals that Jane described made me just salivate, it all sounded so delicious! And Jane was such a funny character, and I love the WonderCat drawings that got incorporated into the story. The characters were all entertaining and the really fun part about the epistolary style is that you get to see the story from so many different points of view. There were emails to and from almost everyone involved in the story, it makes for a very nice, well-rounded read.
I also thought it was cool that Meg Cabot wrote this story loosely based around a story she herself lived. She eloped in Italy and encountered some of the same difficulties as Holly and Mark do in the novel.

The bottom line: I’ve always liked this book, even reading it multiple times. I would recommend it.

Link to author website
Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

29Mar2015

2015 Book #24 – Mortal Heart by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Posted in 2015, Beautiful Creatures, Book reviews, Book series, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist, Reading Challenges, Young Adult by rebeccabook17

Title: The Mortal Heart
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Date finished: 3/29/15
Genre: YA (novella)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 10, 2015
Pages in book: 54
Stand alone or series: Beautiful Creatures: The Untold Stories

Blurb from the cover:

Everyone in Gatlin has a story…

Before she met and married Mitchell Wate, the beautiful and brilliant Lila Jane Evers was an honors student at Duke University. Studying late into the night in the rare books library, she is captivated by a single line of text on an old piece of parchment: “In the Light there is Dark, and in the Dark there is Light.”

What can it mean?

Then one night, Lila Jane meets a mysterious young man who may have the answer. His name is Macon Ravenwood, and for every secret he reveals, he is hiding another. With Macon’s help, Lila Jane uncovers the wonders of the Caster world–the Light and the Dark. But a romance between the Incubus who is fighting his own dark side and this fiercely independent Mortal is doomed from the start. The closer Lila Jane and Macon become, the more her life is in danger.

Discover the unforgettable and untold story of how Lila and Macon fell in love in this all-new Beautiful Creatures novella from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will be counting towards my goal for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist under the “a book with magic” check box. While this was a short story (it was a novella after all), it was oh so very interesting. And such a tease. The end really just leaves so many worlds open on what could happen in future stories.
This novella tells the heart-breaking story of Lila Jane Evers and Macon Ravenwood. Lila Jane and Macon fell in love before Macon’s transformation into an Incubus. Macon has never wanted this fate and has fought his change at every turn. Lila Jane makes him wish more than ever that he was normal so that he could be with her forever. Unfortunately, he can not fight his family’s heritage. Macon gives her an Arclight to protect her in case he should attack her after he turns into an Incubus. I know that if Macon and Lila Jane had stayed together that Ethan never would have been born so obviously I can’t wish that they had been together always, but they loved each other so much it is just heart-wrenching.

The bottom line: For those who like the Beautiful Creatures series I would definitely recommend this novella!

Author website
Link to Amazon

28Mar2015

2015 Book #23 – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Posted in 2015, Book reviews, Bookish Bingo: Jan-March 2015, Humor, Non-fiction, Reading Challenges by rebeccabook17

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Author: Mindy Kaling
Date finished: 3/28/15
Genre: Humorous commentary
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Pages in book: 222
Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Blurb from the cover:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”
Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!
In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

My rating: 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count towards my “Bookish Bingo” reading challenge, marking off the “POC MC” square, which I had to ask to discover but this means Person of Color Main Character. I decided to give this book a try because I love Mindy’s character on The Office and I loved her in that movie with Natalie Portman where they are nurses that live in an apartment together. Unbeknownst Mindy is actually a writer for the show The Office. I had no idea of the extent of her genius! She comes off as cocky in some parts of the book but she should be! She is hilarious! I fought this book to be witty and very entertaining.
This book is a humorous look at the many different parts of Mindy’s life that have made her the Mindy she is today. Its also a commentary on many different things including dating and other general life areas. I thought it was really funny.

The bottom line: I thought this book was really funny, witty and interesting. Of course I like her sense of humor. I would recommend to people who laugh when the watch The Office. Not that she just talks about The Office or is defined by her work on The Office. But she writes some of the scenes for The Office. So. Whatever.

Memorable Quotes:
“Going on and on in detail about how stressed out I am ins’t conversation. It’ll never lead to anywhere. No one is going to say, ‘Wow, Mindy, you really have it especially bad. I have heard some stories of stress, but this just takes the cake.” (page 75)
As a follow up to this, your life is always going better than someone else’s at any given point. Unless you’re being murdered. That you should probably get to bitch about.

Link to Wikipedia website about author
Link to Amazon

14Feb2015

2015 Book #12 – The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Bookish Bingo: Jan-March 2015, Fairy Tales series, Historical Romance, Reading Challenges by rebeccabook17

Title: The Duke is Mine
Author: Eloisa James
Date finished: 2/13/15
Genre: Historical romance / fairy-tale retelling
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: December 27, 2011
Pages in book: 367
Stand alone or series: #3 in Fairy Tale series

Blurb from the cover:

Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can’t he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear.
Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion…Until, in his darkest hour, Quin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love.
To win Olivia’s hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul…
Unless it’s already too late.
Don’t miss a new version of The Princess & the Pea, asking an age-old question: What is a perfect princess?

My rating: 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count towards my “Bookish Bingo” reading challenge, marking off the “Fairy Tale Retelling” square. I have read the previous two books in the Fairy Tales series by Eloisa James and I have to say I really have enjoyed the series thus far overall. I loved fairy tales growing up and reading James’ interpretations of them in a historical romance novel setting are really interesting. There were many things that I liked about this novel, including the heroine’s less than slender figure (which I myself unfortunately suffer with as well) and how fiercely loyal Olivia is to her twin, Georgiana, even when it may mean turning her back on the only man she’s ever loved. I also liked that there was a happy ending for Georgiana that didn’t necessarily involve marrying someone else, this specifically I enjoyed mostly because I found it to be out of the norm from what you usually find in the historical romance genre. Which is another thing I liked about this book, I found it to be a little more unpredictable than most. Even towards the middle of the story, I knew there would be a happy ending but I had no idea where it would come from. And then it seemed like the happy ever after came like 100 pages before the end of the book and I thought to myself, what are we going to do with the next 100 pages, bask int heir happiness? But nope! Turns out there is another adventure on the horizon.

The bottom line: I really liked this book. I think it would be great read on its own or especially as part of the series. I would recommend it!

Author website
Link to Amazon