Tag: genre: adult fiction

• Book Review: “Can You Keep a Secret?” by Sophie Kinsella

  Posted at 5:30 am by Laura, on February 19, 2016

  Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

  Publisher: Dial Press
  Published: 2008 (reprint) 2004 (original)
  Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary, chick lit
  ISBN: 9780385338080
  Rating: ★★★★

  Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

  Secrets from her boyfriend:I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.
  Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur.
  Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

  Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…

  Emma Corrigan is on the path to success! Almost an entire year in one company (finally! Prove cousin Kerry she can have a career!), a handsome and kind boyfriend, and a supportive BFF/flat mate. But after Emma botches a meeting in Glasgow and flies back to London, she can’t help but feel like a complete wreck. When the plane experiences extreme turbulence, Emma word-vomits all her secrets to the businessman sitting next to her. Totally fine, right? She’ll never see him again. Except she will. And he’s her boss.

  Everyone, meet Emma, my new book-BFF. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s incredibly caring (almost to a fault), and she’s desperately trying to get a promotion at work. This is her third career change since college (mind you, that was 3 years ago!), and though she doesn’t quite understand what all the marketing execs are saying (like “multi-logistical” and “strategic competencies”), she’s eager to prove to her parents, to her suffocatingly, obnoxiously successful cousin Kerry, and to herself that she can Be An Adult. Her successes and failures are funny and oh-so-relatable. I can’t help but feel this connection to her as another mid-20s millennial proving to the world she can Succeed In Her Career. And Life. And Everything Else.

  Jack Harper, the man on the plane and the man running the corporation, is not your standard love interest or corporate businessman in literature. He’s not sleazy, he’s not snobbish, and he’s not out to coerce young women in the company to sleep with him. He’s a breath of fresh air in modern romance (probably because he’s been around longer than Christian Grey?), and you can’t help but like him too. Although, even during his low points, I still sided with Emma. Girlfriend knows how to take care of herself!

  The general atmosphere of this book is light, and I couldn’t stop myself from loving the friendship between Emma and Lissy, her BFF since pre-school and flatmate. They’re supportive of one another, and help each other through thick and thin. I looked forward to the scenes with Emma coming home from work and having girl time with Lissy — the girl-power and togetherness made me feel nostalgic for my college roomies!

  This book is filled with obstacles and hilarity. What does happen when your boss knows every single secret of yours? And that’s only within the first 50 pages. Join the ride. It’s fun.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 14 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Top Five Books of 2015

  Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on December 20, 2015

  

  The most difficult post: selecting five fantastic books from the 66, as of December 20th, I read this year! Thankfully, the season rewind helped me narrow down my favorites from the year even further.

  

  

  

  A Madness So Discreet || Daughter of the Forest || Into the Dim

  A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis is, by far, the best YA book I read this year. Historically set, a close analyzation of mental illness and suffrage, and a thrilling mystery throughout. Also? No romance. YA can be successful without romance, folks.

  DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST by Juliet Marillier because I can’t get enough of Marillier and she needs to be on every top list ever ever ever.

  INTO THE DIM by Janet B Taylor is not available to the public yet (not till March!), nor have I posted a review for it yet (not till February!), but wow. This was the answer to a YA Outlander, with a more scientific/less-fantasy spin.

  

  

  Under a Painted Sky || The Royal We

  UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee grabbed me from the very first line. Simply written, an unusual (“unusual” in that it’s rarely written about) point in American history, with a variety of characters and backgrounds. An absolute joy to read — and I can’t wait to read Lee’s future work!

  THE ROYAL WE by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan is purely my candy choice. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it was an immediate winner for this royal-phile. You could call it my guilty pleasure, if you want. I loved it.

  Honorable mentions: The Lake House by Kate Morton, The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

  Which books made it to your Top Books of 2015 list?

  Posted in books, Update Post | 9 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult, top five books

• Book Review: “The Lake House” by Kate Morton (ARC)

  Posted at 5:35 am by Laura, on October 7, 2015

  The Lake House by Kate Morton 

  Publisher: Atria Books
  Publishing Date: October 20
  Genre: adult fiction, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9781451649321
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★

  Living on her family’s gorgeous lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, clever, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented fourteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure…

  One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest son, Theo, has completely disappeared. Vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined, leaving their estate as empty as their sunken hearts.

  Nearly sixty years later, having enjoyed a long, successful career as an author, Alice is now eighty years old and living in London. Theo’s case has never been solved, though Alice still harbors a suspicion as to the culprit. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old estate—now crumbling and covered with vines, clearly abandoned long ago. Her curiosity is sparked and sets off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever.

  Alice Edevane is a mystery writer in the making, plotting out stories and taking notes in a tiny journal she carries with her everywhere. But she could never conjure — let alone solve — the mystery that would plague her family for the rest of her life. The youngest Edevane, Theo, disappears in the middle of a massive Midsummer’s Eve party, never to be seen again. Generations later, Sadie Sparrow, a London detective on leave for overstepping boundaries in a child abandonment case, stumbles across the estate in Cornwall while visiting her grandfather. The mystery of the missing Edevane fills her mind, bringing her right to award-winning mystery writer A.C. Edevane’s doorstep.

  First off, all hail Kate Morton. Lindsey, Morgan, Jessie, Katie, and I had a wonderful readalong with this book. Feel free to browse #KMflails! Morton delivers a fantastic novel yet again, only more intricately plotted, more points of view, more timelines than ever before. While House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper are still my favorites, Morton would never disappoint me.

  The surprise narrator of the story was Eleanor, Alice’s mother. She was a surprise because, well, she’s not mentioned once in the publisher summary. Yet her part in the mystery is key, and she’s an incredibly intriguing character. Her own growth across the book was palpable, and my heart ached for her, the poor mother with the missing boy. What a fantastic storyline for her. Pay attention to Eleanor!

  Alice’s narrative, at least in her teen years, was rather irksome. She reminded me of Briony in Atonement — self-entitled author-in-the-making, devising up plots and stories behind every individual and muddling it within a crime scene. I nearly wanted to wring her neck when her young narrative popped up. But older Alice? Quietly hilarious and witty. She’s that sassy grandmother I’m sure everyone wants in life. I nearly envisioned her as a modern day Agatha Christie.

  Sadie’s narrative was frustrating at first — why is she on leave? why does she feel guilty? who are these people she keeps mentioning? what do they have to do with the case that got her into trouble? why does the Edevane story bother her so much? — but, as Morton always does, you’re brought around to understand all the hidden layers when Sadie feels its appropriate to expose them.

  I can’t say too much without exposing the mystery. But this is a classic Morton piece, where a family mystery tied to a beautiful home all come together in the end. It’s never picture-perfect, but it’s bound to break your heart. It’s such a joy to experience reading all these parallel narratives and how that interconnect up to the final conclusion. I’m looking forward to this hitting the shelves!

  Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this book from Atria Books for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 3 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Uprooted” by Naomi Novik

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on August 26, 2015

  Uprooted by Naomi Novik

  Publisher: Del Rey
  Published: May 2015
  Genre: adult fiction, fantasy
  ISBN: 9780804179034
  Goodreads: 4.24
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

  Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

  The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

  But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

  Agnieszka is worried for her best friend Kasia — it’s clear she’s the one the Dragon will choose to keep in his tower for ten years. He’s not really a dragon, but a powerful wizard that protects her village and the surrounding area from the malevolent Wood. Agnieszka’s life changes when the Dragon chooses her instead, and she’s whisked away to his tower and taught how to explore, grow, and harness her magic, abilities she didn’t even know she possessed. But Kasia is taken into the Wood, and Agnieszka will stop at nothing to rescue her — and the consequences are dire.

  First, hello Polish fairytale retelling. Second, hello malicious forest. Third, hello incredibly vague book jacket that only summarized the first twenty pages instead of what the book is actually about. (The third part I am a little peeved over, and yet I can see why marketing would do such a thing! Uprooted is complex and beautiful and should not be spoiled.)

  I’d heard great things about this book, especially after Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs freaked out about it. Even New York Times and Slate had great things to say, and Twitter was all agog over the “Jane-Eyre-and-Mr-Rochester” romance. So after reading the reviews, watching the freak outs, and staring at the vague book jacket, I decided to give in and read it. It’s nothing like I expected (which I’m only slightly disappointed over) and still tremendously stunning.

  Uprooted has a very classic fantasy feel to it. Novik uses long, lush descriptions of just about everything you could think of — scenery, spell-casting, battles and skirmishes, emotions —  which I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt like I was a part of Agnieszka’s world. Her character was deeply relatable as well, with a quiet, sly sense of humor and immense love for her friends and family. I admired her and cheered her on when she decided to rebel against the Dragon (countless times), when she’d tinker with spells and experiment with variations. Her time in the tower was my favorite, followed by her scenes with the Dragon and with Kasia. Gosh, even when she’s in the Wood on her own, I was enthralled.

  Let me take a moment to discuss the Wood. What a breath of fresh air, a villain that has no face, a villain that is neither human nor creature, but an entity on its own! That’s what I found most frightening about it. The Wood can take whomever whenever it wants, expanding across the land and destroying whole villages. People are trapped inside with no hope of escape, and corruption is inevitable. How intense and original is that? Thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the fantasy!

  But this wasn’t like I expected, as I stated previously. I thought this was going to be a more solitary sort of book. Yes, something would be done with the Wood, but I wasn’t expecting as much traveling as Agnieszka and the Dragon embarked upon, or as much courtly politics or as battle-intensive (gosh, the battles really weren’t splattered across the pages like I’m making it sound — it was just one or two scenes too many for my “I’m not into fight scenes” self). And when the writing is descriptive, well…it can get a little weary in these passages.

  I liked the Dragon (or Sarkan, as we later learn). He was an amusing character, and I know plenty of people who are grouchy and stuck in their ways just like him. But I didn’t love him. Agnieszka’s curiosity and infatuation with him is a completely natural response, but there was no way I could love him. He could be a bit abrasive and insulting, neither of which I find conducive to a healthy relationship, let alone a romance. So while there were some steamy scenes (I’m looking at you, page 353!), I wasn’t in love.

  Please don’t throw tomatoes at me.

  Uprooted is enjoyable, beautiful, intricate, powerful, unique, and magical. It’s the kind of story you want to take some time to sink into and savor.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 8 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, goodreads, review

• Mini Reviews III

  Posted at 7:00 am by Laura, on June 29, 2015

  Mini Reviews

  Quick, bite-sized reviews of fast, enjoyable reads!
  A penny for thoughts, a snappy two-cent reflection! 

  Love Likes the Movies by Victoria Van Tiem

  Publisher: Panmacmillan
  Published: February 2014
  Genre: women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9781447269731
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Kenzi Shaw knows the plot of her life down to the last line – the career she’s building as a marketing exec, the gorgeous fiancé she’ll marry in a fairytale wedding, the children they’ll raise in her dream home. But when ex Shane comes back into her life, life starts going off the script. Not only is her head in a spin over Shane, but now her job is on the line. With her perfect sister-in-law showing up every tiny thing Kenzi does wrong, she feels like she’s permanently in the corner. One thing’s certain: she’s not so sure who her leading man is…

  Mini Review: When Shane comes back into Kenzi’s life as a potential client with her firm, he really rocks the boat. He gives her an ultimatum (re-enacting all their favorite rom-coms) that puts her job and future life with Bradley on the line. Kenzi was an overanxious, self-conscious character around everyone except Shane, so whenever he was in the picture I liked her a lot. Her mother’s horrible, her sister-in-law sucks, and her best friend is scum. I wanted nothing but happiness for Kenzi! This read more like a blend of cutesy chick lit and Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments. I thought I’d be roaring with laughter, and while that never really happened, it was good read.

  Magnolia by Kristi Cook

  Publisher: Simon Pulse
  Published: August 2014
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
  ISBN: 9781442485341
  Rating: ★★★.5
  Summary: In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are practically royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when the families finally have a baby boy and girl at the same time, the perfect opportunity seems to have arrived. Except Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen — oh, and also? They hate each other. But when a violent Mississippi storm ravages through Magnolia Branch, it unearths feelings Jemma and Ryder didn’t know they had. And the line between love and hate just might be thin enough to cross.

  Mini Review: This felt like a mix of Anna and the French Kiss (focus on a love story more than anything else) and Second Chance Summer (underlying serious issues), and just what the doctor ordered. I wouldn’t say Jemma and Ryder hate each other — “hate” is a strong word for what Jemma feels (and boy, she’s quick to temper) and Ryder is frustrated by that temper — but their tension is perfectly reasonable. It would be quite annoying to have parents planning every inch of your life together simply because you’re of the opposite sex of the BFF family. The hurricane that blows through Mississippi felt so real, and I think I enjoyed the story more in that third of the book than anything else. The writing was at its best there. And, no matter how many flaws this book had, the story was still well-told, and I’m glad this was a gradual attraction instead of instantaneous. They’ve been in each other’s lives since birth. I liked that establishment from the get-go. This is a nice, light read, a book you can breeze through on a summer afternoon.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, mini review

• Mini Reviews II

  Posted at 7:05 am by Laura, on June 4, 2015

  Mini Reviews

  Quick, bite-sized reviews of fast, enjoyable reads!
  A penny for thoughts, a snappy two-cent reflection! 

  Emma by Alexander McCall Smith

  Publisher: Pantheon
  Published: April 7
  Genre: adult fiction, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780804197953
  Rating: ★★.5
  Summary: The summer after she graduates from university, Emma Woodhouse returns to Highbury, where she will live with her health-conscious father until she launches her interior-design business. In the meantime, she will offer guidance to those less wise than she is in the ways of the world. This summer brings new faces into the sphere of Emma’s not always perfectly felicitous council: Harriet Smith, a naïve assistant at the ESL school; Frank Churchill, the stepson of Emma’s former governess; and, of course, the perfect Jane Fairfax.

  Mini Review: While I own one of the Austen Project novels, I’d yet to read one. I also haven’t read Smith before, so my only comparison is to the original Austen (also, not my favorite Austen novel). When I read this contemporary retelling, I found it entertaining — certainly had that Austen voice — but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Contemporary is meant to not only be set in our time, but also have today’s mannerisms and culture and dialogue. I was expecting an English version of Clueless or Emma Approved. Smith did such a great job writing like Austen that I actually had a hard time believing this was set in the modern day (again, not sure if this is Smith’s normal writing style or if this is part of the Austen Project guidelines). This is also a very condensed version of the original, with only the major events stringing together nicely across a summer. The downside: less George. I wanted more George and Emma interaction! All that aside, I felt the characters’ backgrounds fitting for modern day — Emma as an interior designer, for one — and the satire amusing. If I loved the Austen novel more, I may have enjoyed this one more, as well.

  This qualifies as book #3 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015. 

  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

  Publisher: Random House Audio
  Published: November 2011
  Genre: memoir
  ISBN: 9780307939814
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: 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.

  Mini Review: I listened to this in the car on the way back from BEA, and I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed it. Mindy is nothing like her characters on television. She’s funny, insightful, and intelligent. Every story she told felt honest and true, and she managed to make me laugh without using vulgarity or racism. Her memoir managed to make me believe we were best friends.

  This qualifies as book #4 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015. 

   The Girl with the Glass Bird by Esme Kerr

  Publisher: Chicken House
  Published: March 2015
  Genre: middle grade, mystery
  ISBN: 9780545699846
  Rating: ★★
  Summary: Orphan Edie’s been sent to Knight’s Haddon, a private boarding school, by her uncle to investigate the disappearance of a precious crystal bird that belongs to his client’s daughter. Anastasia, a Russian royal, has a fragile disposition and a melodramatic bent — or so the headmistress and all the other girls say. Edie’s assignment is to find the missing glass bird, befriend the troubled blueblood, and keep a watchful eye on her. When the two girls uncover a dangerous plot, how can they stop it and who can they trust?

  Mini Review: I was expecting something a bit more adventurous and mysterious. While I really enjoyed Edie’s character — she certainly doesn’t do well as a spy, but it was fun to watch her attempt to sneak around — I found myself drawn to the adults in the story. With every turn of phrase, with every tiny scene alone in their minds, I was drawn to that aspect of the mystery more than what the girls were up to. This book also contains a lot of fears over mental illness as well, paranoia and the like, and I wasn’t sure if it worked. I’d recommend this book to light mystery readers in need of a boarding school setting.

  This qualifies as book #5 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: classics, genre: contemporary, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, genre: nonfiction, mini review, review

• Book Review: “The Royal We” by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

  Posted at 6:00 am by Laura, on June 1, 2015

  The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

  Publisher: Grand Central
  Published: April 2015
  Genre: fiction
  ISBN: 9781455557103
  Goodreads: 3.91
  Rating: ★★★★★

  American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it’s Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain’s future king. And when Bex can’t resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

  Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick’s sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he’s fated to become.

  Which is how she gets into trouble.

  Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she’s sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

  Rebecca would’ve thought twice about making a syphilis joke in front of Prince Nicholas if she had known Prince Nicholas was the one opening the door to her Pembroke home at Oxford University. But she didn’t meet Nicholas — she met Nick. Nick, an insomniac who pigs out on Twinkies; who runs before dawn just to find a quiet, outdoorsy place to work on crossword puzzles; the young man obsessed with Devour, a strange American TV show that blends humans, witches, vampires, and leopards in a small town. One night on the town, Nick solidifies his place in Bex’s heart, and the two can’t look back. But loving Nick also means loving Prince Nicholas and all that entails: media, family secrets, tight social circles, and keeping up appearances. On the night before their wedding, Bex wonders if giving up who she was almost a decade ago is really all worth it.

  England is the motherland, and I am their loyal [American] subject! So when The Royal We came out (perfect timing for HRH Princess Charlotte’s birth), it was an automatic buy and immediate read. This is a fictionalized — although recognizable in many respects — Will-and-Kate story. All the best characters are there, from the gorgeous sister Lacey constantly making the papers to the younger, more charming brother Prince Freddie. Prince Richard, Nick and Freddie’s father, is a distinguished figure though not loved by many, and Queen Eleanor is quite regal and humorous to boot. But what really makes The Royal We stand out are the secondary characters. I haven’t seen secondary characters this fleshed out in adult fiction in quite some time. I fell in love with Cilla and Gaz, with Bea’s posh-ness and Marj’s strict code, and even with Clive to some extent. Nick and Bex rely on their close Oxford circle, and the way they bring Bex into the fold from the very beginning is endearing and wonderful and made me miss college.

  Bex’s family is remarkable. While I was invested in the Nick-and-Bex story, I found her interactions with her family deeply compelling. She’s away from them for most of the novel, but they influence her decisions every day. Bex is close with her father, and he has a way of bringing her mind down from the clouds. Lacey, her twin sister, is competitive in every aspect of their lives without it feeling like a competition, and yet her selfish personality made her downfall somewhat inevitable. Despite all of this, she and Bex are incredibly close, and they go through their ups and downs as any adult sisters would.

  The same could be said with Nick and Freddie. The Heir and the Spare. Freddie is fun and playful, trying to make it into the papers the further Nick’s immersed in the family politics and responsibilities — something to distract the public from what’s going on underneath. He was obnoxious and fun, and soon he cracked and gave a glimpse of his character on the inside. I couldn’t help but feel deeply for him! The whole family, really. From the Queen Mum cracking jokes and whacking people with her cane, to drunken aunts and snobby cousins, to the cold father and mysterious mother. This family is full of secrets, and it was thrilling to discover each one as Bex moved deeper into the circle.

  Nick and Bex grew as characters as time moved on. Like life, I didn’t notice how much they had grown up independently and together till I re-read the first couple chapters again. It was amazing how Cocks and Morgan could immerse the reader into this story and show the progression of Nick and Bex’s relationship from college students to adults, secret to public, private to daily media, and broke to royal. Though the story may seem familiar, The Royal We can definitely stand on its own. It’s a dream come true smashing headline into the reality of modern celebrity, and it was a phenomenal ride!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 7 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: romance, review

• Book Review: “Letters to the Lost” by Iona Grey (ARC)

  Posted at 7:00 am by Laura, on May 21, 2015

  Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey

  Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
  Publishing Date: May 26
  Genre: adult fiction, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781250066770
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Late on a frozen February evening, a young woman is running through the streets of London. Having fled from her abusive boyfriend and with nowhere to go, Jess stumbles onto a forgotten lane where a small, clearly unlived in old house offers her best chance of shelter for the night. The next morning, a mysterious letter arrives and when she can’t help but open it, she finds herself drawn inexorably into the story of two lovers from another time.

  In London 1942, Stella meets Dan, a US airman, quite by accident, but there is no denying the impossible, unstoppable love that draws them together. Dan is a B-17 pilot flying his bomber into Europe from a British airbase; his odds of survival at one in five. The odds are stacked against the pair; the one thing they hold onto is the letters they write to each other. Fate is unkind and they are separated by decades and continents. In the present, Jess becomes determined to find out what happened to them. Her hope—inspired by a love so powerful it spans a lifetime—will lead her to find a startling redemption in her own life.

  A young woman on the run from an abusive boyfriend and a terrible situation breaks into a small English home and comes across a shoebox full of WWII letters. The letters are written by the same man who recently sent a desperate plea to a Mrs. Thorne to get back in touch with him — a letter dropped through the slot that Jess opens out of curiosity. The letters transport Jess back in time, to London 1942, to US airman Dan and sheltered vicar’s wife Stella. They stumble across one another in a bombed-out church, searching for Stella’s bracelet. As time progresses, their friendship-through-letters turns into something much more, and Stella struggles to find a way out of her destructive sham of a marriage.

  At first this book had a lot going for it — nearing five stars for this WWII fanatic — and for a while I was convinced that, as a Kate Morton fan, I would adore this. Dual timelines are hard, historical fiction is hard, and getting the reader to fall in love with the parallel stories is even harder. And that’s where my love for it dwindled away: I didn’t care one bit about Jess. Her story — on the run from a bad situation and seeking solace in a quiet place before getting back on her feet — was compelling at the beginning, but then she latched on too quickly to the next man to come into her life (Will, and he’s another (boring) story) and became dependent on a male once more. I didn’t believe it, I didn’t enjoy it, and I felt her story could have been so much stronger if it went in a different direction.

  But Dan? Dan and Stella totally made up for it. Stella was a poor orphan who, once she was of age, became the housekeeper at Charles Thorne’s vicarage. She didn’t know what love was, so when Charles proposed — and this meant having her own home and building a family, things she didn’t have growing up — Stella’s overjoyed. She quickly learns there’s something off about their marriage, and begins to wonder if it’s her fault. (Oh no, honey, it’s definitely not you!) Enter Dan: charming in a quiet and chivalrous way, not at all cheeky or boisterous like the other Americans roaming London. He helps her find jewelry she’d lost, and they decide to have lunch together. Lunch turns into an exchange of letters, which turns into “when are you on leave next?” and “let’s go on a weekend trip together” and “how can we get you out of this marriage and start over?”

  I know that sounds predictable for a WWII romance, especially when the characters not only have a war to deal with but also an entire body of water if the war ever ends and they’re both still alive. But it’s really not that predictable. I had no idea if their plans would work, I didn’t know why Dan was reaching out to her in modern day (did things not work out, and why?). They’re full of love and fire and logic that everything seems possible and yet hopeless. The modern time portion of the narrative gives us a trail of clues to follow, and that was enjoyable up to a point (cue Jess and Will rants).

  Lindsey @ Bring My Books and I had a long conversation about this. We love Dan just like we love Jamie and Red, and we really felt something for Stella. Their story was beautiful and heartbreaking and we wanted more. We also wanted to shove Jess in a broom closet till she examined her life and looked at her choices, and we wanted to kill off Will (not even going to bother more comments on him) so that no reader would ever need to read his passages. If you want to know the definition of “weak,” I’d point you to this storyline.

  That being said, I’m definitely going to watch out for Iona Grey’s next books. Stella and Dan won me over, and if Grey’s publications follow that line I’m on board!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Thomas Dunne Books for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Silver Witch” by Paula Brackston (ARC)

  Posted at 6:55 am by Laura, on April 20, 2015

  The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston

  Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
  Publishing Date: April 21
  Genre: adult fiction, historical, fantasy
  ISBN: 9781250028792
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  A year after her husband’s sudden death, ceramic artist Tilda Fordwells finally moves into the secluded Welsh cottage that was to be their new home. She hopes that the tranquil surroundings will help ease her grief, and lessen her disturbing visions of Mat’s death. Instead, the lake in the valley below her cottage seems to spark something dormant in her – a sensitivity, and a power of some sort. Animals are drawn to her, electricity shorts out when she’s near, and strangest of all, she sees a new vision; a boatful of ancient people approaching her across the water.

  On this same lake in Celtic times lived Seren, a witch and shaman. She was respected but feared, kept separate from the community for her strange looks. When a vision came to her of the Prince amid a nest of vipers she warned of betrayal from one of his own. Prince Brynach both loved and revered her, but could not believe someone close to him wished him harm, even as the danger grew.

  In her own time, Tilda’s grief begins to fade beside her newfound powers and a fresh love. When she explores the lake’s ancient magic and her own she discovers Seren, the woman in her vision of the boat. Their two lives strangely mirror each others, suggesting a strong connection between the women. As Tilda comes under threat from a dark power, one reminiscent of Seren’s prophecy, she must rely on Seren and ancient magic if death and disaster are not to shatter her life once more.

  Tilda didn’t mean to become a recluse when she moved into the tiny Welsh cottage by the lake. But because she was supposed to share this time with her husband, who died a year ago in a car accident, she’s finding it hard to connect to the new home and people. She stumbles across an archeological dig while out on a run, and is drawn to it by more than simple fascination — she senses a dark power, and strange things begin to happen in her new surroundings. She sees a woman on a boat, a woman as pale and silvery as herself, a woman named Seren who was a shaman of the area around 920 AD, and Seren’s history is Tilda’s future.

  I enjoyed The Winter Witch so much that I wanted to read anything else set in Wales that Brackston wrote. Though magical realism isn’t my thing, I thought I’d give this part-contemporary part-historical novel a try. It’s not what I expected, but I did enjoy it.

  The historical storyline worked for me in some ways and not so much in others. What worked included the pre-Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasion, when Christianity was new and people still embraced aspects of the Old Ways. Magic is a part of life, and people sought shamans for visions, advice, and healing. Seren’s role in the royal court of this small Welsh area is an honorable one. I enjoyed the dynamics and her romantic storyline and her deep love of nature and the connection she had with the water horse in the lake. But aspects of what I just stated I enjoyed were also things that didn’t quite work for me. I liked the romantic storyline, but as a contemporary reader I had difficulty accepting her affair with the prince while he was married to the princess. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the princess and think Seren a little selfish. The water horse was a bit prevalent in this, too, rather than an occasional sighting of a mythical creature. Hold back — the magical realism is showing.

  The contemporary storyline began a bit slowly, and I was quite frustrated with Tilda at first. But she grows on the reader, aspects of her personality waking up and flourishing. It’s as if she’s waking up from her grief, so in the end I enjoyed her character growth immensely. The way she handles coming to terms with her newfangled magical power was amusing and awesome, as well. Her interest in the history of the area, and how she makes logical connections between now and then, was incredibly enjoyable. I loved her interactions with the archeologists, and her time with Dylan made me smile. But again, as her power grew, it stepped beyond what I was expected and entered into magical realism. I have so much difficulty with that.

  Throughout this plot, we’re trying to figure out what happened to Seren, how she’s connected to Tilda, and what exactly is buried in the unearthed grave. The who, what, when, where, and whys of it all drive the story. I had so many guesses from the beginning, but all of them were completely wrong. But by the time it was revealed (about 80% into the book — great timing!), it all made complete sense and clicked into place. Of all the aspects of the story, it was this I was most interested in: connecting the past and present through this grave.

  The Winter Witch was more earth-based magic (it’s all in the plants and winds and animals, no spells or incantations or brews or mythical creatures) with a very realistic historical storyline (a mute marries a drover). I wanted to know more about Seren than Tilda, or at least see this as two separate books rather than two narratives in one. The book was enjoyable, and perfect for someone with a higher tolerance for magical realism.

  Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this book from Thomas Dunne Books for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “At the Water’s Edge” by Sara Gruen (ARC)

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on March 17, 2015

  At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

  Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
  Publishing Date: March 31
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780385523233
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★★

  After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.

  Maddie, Ellis, and Hank just celebrated the stroke of midnight and welcomed in 1945 when the men decided that this year, in two weeks’ time, they’ll finally set off to Scotland and find the Loch Ness monster. Maddie laughs, and doesn’t take them seriously. There’s a war going on, for crying out loud! But when they’re sober once more — and Ellis’s parents toss him and Maddie out the door — Maddie comes to find these two foolish men are serious about this adventure. When they arrive in Scotland, Maddie tries to make the best of their situation by befriending Anna and Meg, the two girls who help run the inn, with their daily tasks and getting to know the town when it’s not ravaged by air raids. But as time passes, and Hank and Ellis are no sooner to gathering evidence of Nessie’s existence, Maddie must make a life-changing decision to save herself or fall victim once more to the men’s plots.

  This blows Water for Elephants out of, well, the water. I think this may be Gruen’s best book yet.

  When I first picked this up, I was expecting a jolly quest for the Loch Ness monster darkened by the war only slightly with punctuated air raids and all that. Oh, no. No no no, this is a very deep, introspective novel, about one woman and her personal awakening while her deceiving husband and his charismatic friend dash off God-knows-where, mindless and heartless about the hardships right in front of their eyes.

  Maddie, though without asking for pity, has had the kind of rough life only a pampered rich girl can receive: a cold father, a narcissistic and hysterical mother, no girl friends, and essentially no money if she doesn’t stay in her father’s good graces. She can’t go to college, her mother insists she gets plastic surgery, or at the least starve herself to be “thin and beautiful,” and so her life is an endless cycle of sleeping till noon, stumble down lavish staircases for dinner, and party all night. A doctor has even diagnosed her with a nervous disorder, and prescribes pills she doesn’t take and encourages her to abstain from physical activity of any kind.

  You can’t help but fall in love with her, because once she sets sail to Scotland with husband Ellis and friend Hank on their ridiculous adventure to prove Nessie is real, she’s awakened to the war, her sham of a marriage, her lack of female friendships, how utterly useless she’s become. Once in Scotland, she notices Ellis’s drug addiction and alcoholism, the way he treats her like she’s someone to be locked up. Hank distracts Ellis by taking him away for longer visits to the Loch, and Maddie finds solace in working with the other women at the inn, Anna and Meg — who, by the way, are absolutely awesome. Maddie, with Meg and Anna’s assistance and the sheer reality of the war above their heads, grows and stretches her legs and becomes who she was meant to be, who she wants to be. It’s beautiful. And it’s written entirely without selfishness. It’s like watching a naive, sheltered child grow into a determined and strong young woman. Amazing what war can do.

  There’s so much in this novel, beyond Maddie and her growth. You get a good peek into early/mid twentieth-century psychology, the effect WWII had on Americans versus Europeans, just how much class systems still mattered then, the effect news on the radio had on the populace, just how important it was to have a gas mask at all times. It’s not another Scotland story, another Loch Ness romp. It’s a very thorough examination of the war just before the end.

  And also, Angus.

  These fantastic men need to stop cropping up in literature and convincing me to move across the pond. And by “these” I mean Jamie, Red, and now Angus.

  This book is astounding. You really get into the mind of the character in her everyday life, and I absolutely adore that. I’m sad it had to end — I enjoyed befriending Maddie.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Spiegel & Grau for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, goodreads, review

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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