The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
Summary by Goodreads:
When her widower father drowns at sea, Gemma Hardy is taken from her native Iceland to Scotland to live with her kind uncle and his family. But the death of her doting guardian leaves Gemma under the care of her resentful aunt, and it soon becomes clear that she is nothing more than an unwelcome guest at Yew House. When she receives a scholarship to a private school, ten-year-old Gemma believes she's found the perfect solution and eagerly sets out again to a new home. However, at Claypoole she finds herself treated as an unpaid servant.
To Gemma's delight, the school goes bankrupt, and she takes a job as an au pair on the Orkney Islands. The remote Blackbird Hall belongs to Mr. Sinclair, a London businessman; his eight-year-old niece is Gemma's charge. Even before their first meeting, Gemma is, like everyone on the island, intrigued by Mr. Sinclair. Rich (by Gemma's standards), single, flying in from London when he pleases, Hugh Sinclair fills the house with life. An unlikely couple, the two are drawn to each other, but Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin: a journey of passion and betrayal, redemption and discovery, that will lead her to a life of which she's never dreamed.
Read October 2012
4 Stars
My Review:
As this is a re-telling of Jane Eyre, I knew what to expect in the big scheme of the story. I liked the new setting, Scotland and Iceland. It made me want to visit these countries.
I thought Gemma was a good heroine, not as great as Jane Eyre, but good. With this being a modern re-telling, the "dark secret" that Mr. Sinclair was hiding was different. For me it wasn't very convincing.
Although it was different than the original, I quite liked the way Gemma had to look into her past and her ancestry. That was a healing moment that worked well.
I liked the symbolism of the cover. It came up several times throughout the book and I liked that.
I wish there had been a bit more resolving at the end of the story.
Warnings: Sexuality, including touching and brief scene of intercourse, not detailed. Homosexuality mentioned, but nothing described.
I would not let my 14 year old daughter read this book at this time.
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Summary from Goodreads:
Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances--and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale--until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.
Re-read October 2012
4 Stars
My Review:
Jessica Day George has a new book expected to release on December 11, 2012 called Princess of the Silver Woods. In anticipation of this next book coming out, I have re-read Princess of the Midnight Ball and now Princess of Glass.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as Princess of the Midnight Ball, but it was another fun, and different, retelling of a familiar fairy tale. This is a Cinderella story with its own twists and turns. I had no idea what was going to happen next. In this re-read I was grateful to realize that Poppy, the heroine, is very strong and a worthy role model.
I look forward to reading this next book and seeing what Jessica Day George has in store for another fairy tale!
Warnings: None
I would let my 14 year old daughter read this book. She has read it and enjoyed it very much.
Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
Summary by Goodreads:
Kelly Grace Pickens is an excited bride until she's abandoned at the altar. Desperate, she accepts an offer to appear on a reality TV show, Count Down to Love. Her country ways are a stark contrast to the mysterious bachelor from New York. Wading through hurt and betrayal both on and off screen, Kelly discovers that being true to yourself is essential to finding happiness and love.
Read October 2012
4 Stars
My Review:
I picked this up as a clean, quick romance.
It was clean, it was a fairly quick read, but it wasn't as "fluffy" as I thought it would be. I was expecting it to not have much depth. However, I found lots to think about while reading this book.
This really is like a book version of The Bachelor. Having seen the show, it felt like getting an insiders view on how things happen. If you really aren't in to watching that kind of show, then this may not be the book for you.
What I liked about this book is the emotions I felt from both Kelly and the bachelor, Dillon. The author really helped me feel what they were feeling.
One of the things that was difficult about this book was that I could feel the emotions from these two characters. The author really helped me feel what they were feeling.
No, that isn't a typo. This was a good thing and a bad thing for me. I appreciated getting to know these characters and what they were feeling. However, I also became angsty myself. I got totally sucked in and found myself in a bad mood and wanting to hide away in my bed and not face the world. I guess that could be a problem with me, not the book. : )
Warnings: None
There isn't anything on a "clean" scale that would keep me from letting my 14 year old daughter read this book. However, I do not recommend it for that age. This is definitely an adult book that deals with more mature emotions.
Book Blogs are fun. If you like books, then book blogs give you lots of ideas on what to read next, what to take off of your "to read" shelf, and what to buy your friends for that next great event. Whether you use an e-reader or you like the feel of the book in your hands and the smell of the pages in your nose, books are something that can enlighten, entertain, whisk you away to another world, or inform you more on the world you live in now.
Check out some of the blogs I have posted in my sidebar. I get lots of my ideas on what to read next from these great sites and blogs.
This month I even got to do a review for Bookshop Talk on one of my favorites of this year, Edenbrooke.
If you have a book blog that you love to refer to, then please comment. I love getting new resources!
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum
Summary from Goodreads:
His past. Her future. Can love bring them together in time?Abby's senior year of high school is textbook perfect: She has a handsome and attentive boyfriend, good friends, good grades, and plans to attend college next year. But when she meets Dante Alexander, a foreign-exchange student from Italy, her life suddenly takes a different turn. He's mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she's ever met before. Abby can't deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Time behaves differently when they are together - traveling too fast or too slow or sometimes seeming to stop altogether. When the band Zero Hour performs at the local hangout, Abby realizes that there's something dangerous about the lead singer, Zo, and his band mates, Tony and V. Oddly, the three of them are also from Italy and have a strange relationship to Dante. They also hold a bizarre influence over their audience when performing. And Abby's best friend, Valerie, is caught in their snare. Dante tells Abby the truth of his past: he once worked for Leonardo Da Vinci, helping to design and build a time machine. When Dante was falsely implicated as a traitor to his country, he was sent through the machine more than five hundred years into the future as punishment. As the past and the present collide, Abby learns that she holds a special power over the flow of time itself. She and Dante must stop Zo from opening the time machine's door and endangering everyone's future. More than one life is at stake and Abby's choice could change everything.
Read September/October 2012
3.5 Stars
My Review:
Time travel. It always confuses me. I find it interesting, but I get lost along the way.
There were things I liked about this book...Dante, Jason, Natalie, Leo, and Abby. Some things I did not like...being confused, wanting it to just be resolved instead of loving the story in its process. It also ended with a cliff hanger. Do I want to read the next book in this story? Yes. Will I rush out and get it to see what happens? No, I will read it when I get around to it.
Warnings: None
I would let my 14 year old read this book.
The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
