Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read!  This week, the book I want to talk about is Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed due at January 22.  This book first piqued my interest when I heard it compared to Downton Abbey, a show I absolutely love and reading further, it sounds like just the type of historical novel I can't put down.  Feisty and smart heroine, circumstances beyond her control, an impossible love interest, and of course characters who will probably try to get in her way.  Beyond that, we also get to see the other side of the household with the maids, butlers, cooks, etc. also telling their stories.

Here is a summary from Amazon:

One house, two worlds...

 

Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.

For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

 

Doesn't it sound excellent?  I think so and I can't WAIT to read it come January!

Book Review: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Borrowed Review Copy from Library

52 Reasons To Hate My Father is first and foremost a fun, contemporary read.  Lexington Larrabee is an heiress and a troublemaker.  But in a few days she will turn 18 and her trust fund will be all hers...all 25 million dollars of it and she already has ways she's going to spend it with no rules and no one telling her what to do.  That all changes though when she crashes her new car into a convenience store after a night of drinking and her father has to bail her out of trouble.....again!  Her punishment?  52 weeks of minimum wage jobs that once completed, she will have earned her trust fund back. Of course her father has also hired a 20 year old babysitter who is the exact opposite of Lexi and whom she must see everyday and write a status report every week. And did I mention this babysitter is a guy and 20 years old and has great abs? That could be interesting! :)

Lexington definitely reminded me of Paris Hilton or Nicole Richey back when all those two girls did was party and get in trouble and be famous for doing nothing.  Girls like that are hard to relate to and in the beginning of this book, so was Lexi.  After a while though, you been to see the real girl under the facade of partying and causing trouble.  The jobs and the status reports on each are so humorous and it's interesting to see Lexi change as the jobs change as well.  Of course, there's also Luke who is a good guy.  Cute and understanding, maybe he's just what Lexi needs to help open her eyes to the real world. 

Can she really finish all 52 jobs?  Does she really hate her father?  This book is so fun and funny but beyond that it's about second chances, unconditional love and being to true to one's true self.

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read! The book I can't wait for is Just One Day by Gayle Forman.  I loved, loved, LOVED If I Stay by Gayle.  It was one of those books that I didn't put down until I was totally finished and then wanted to pick it up and start all over again.  It stuck with me for a long time which is why I can't wait for this one which comes out January 8, 2013!! 

Here is a summary from Goodreads.

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon.

A Few Young Adult Titles

Lately, I've had the pleasure of reading some young adult (some call them mature young adult) titles that were previously self published and have been picked up by major publishing companies!  I wish I had time to review each of them individually (and maybe I will later) but at the speed I'm reading them, I'm lucky to have to time to write this post!  I can tell you this though, they all have cute guys, strong heroines,  great relationships and meaty issues.

Seriously, it started with the book Flat Out Love by Jessica Park which a friend I trust dearly when it comes to books recommended to me.  I wasn't sure what to expect but immediately fell in love with Julie, Celeste and Matt.  Trust me, if you enjoy a good contemporary, young adult romance with some serious subject matter, give this one a try!  So good!

After that, I picked up Easy by Tammara Webber.  The main character, Jacqueline followed her high school boyfriend to college and things don't exactly go as planned when he dumps her a few months into their sophomore year.  Trying to fit in again with out him, she goes to a party and as she leaves, is attacked  by her exes frat brother but thankfully rescued by a mysterious stranger.  What happens next between Jacqueline and this stranger is what this book is all about.  Lots of meat to this story too as well as a hot relationship!  So good!

Next up were Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover.  Laken and Will are the main characters in this book and if you don't fall in love with them, there is something wrong with you!!  Lake has just moved to Michigan with her mother and younger brother after their father dies.  And who should be Lake's neighbor?  You guessed it, Will.  After an amazing first date, things don't go as planned as unforseen obstacles begin to get in the way. What follows is an intense story of a couple who is meant to be together but because of circumstances can't.  Point of Retreat is the sequel and while I personally enjoyed Slammed more, I was happy to see the story continue. 


These are a few that I've read but up next are some books by Abbi Glines and Rebecca Donovan.  Any other recommendations from others out there?  These type of books have just really been what I've been craving lately! :)

Book Review: Something Strange and Deadly - Susan Dennard

Borrowed Review Copy from the Library

I’m just going to briefly review this book because I no longer have it in front of me to give an in depth review.  Sorry!!  But it had to be returned to the library today!  Anyway, what we have here are zombies, a necromancer, a strong willed girl, a missing brother, a cute felon, an evil spirit, a clueless mother and a rich suitor.  Sound interesting yet?  It is the first in a trilogy and so good!  Eleanor is our strong willed female who is determined to find her brother and her own path in life even as she tries to please her mother and other’s of the upper class.  Through her determination to find her brother, she encounters Daniel (cute felon) who is working with a group trying to save Philadelphia from the Dead.  There are lots of mysteries and dangerous situations and while some of it is solved, there is still plenty to look forward to in future books!  And I for one, can't wait!

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming books that you are excited to read! This week, I am highlighting the book The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson which is the second book in her Shades of London series.  The first one, The Name of the Star was excellent.  It was a little creepy but was also lots of fun and included a nice romance.  So if you haven't read that one, do!  And just check out the cover for #2, it looks so sinister and scary....I can't wait for it to come out March 28.

Here is a synopsis of The Madness Underneath  from Goodreads:

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…

There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

Book Review: Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Publisher: Random House

Review Copy: :NetGalley

This was such an interesting novel.  Short, yet full of depth and not what I was expecting at all.  Not in a bad way though, it was a lovely surprise to be unsure of how the book would go!

This is Julia’s story.   She’s a typical twelve year old whose world changes dramatically when the Earth’s rotation begins to slow.  Her voice is so genuine and true for the experiences she was going through at that age.  For while she is worried about the changes in her world, she also has typical teenage worries.  She misses her best friend, hates the bust stop, has a crush, wants a bra; all things typical of a twelve year old girl.  But there are bigger issues as well as we watch the slowing change people, including her parents.  Plants and animals begin to die, there are disagreements over how to keep the new time and hunger also becomes a point of concern.  As we see this through Julia’s eyes we begin to love her and ache for her when life reveals some big truths. 

This book has such a fascinating premise that left me thinking about many things after I had finished.  It is labeled as adult science fiction but it is so much more than that.  It’s an amazing story full of hope and despair, family and friendship, love and hate.  I recommend it to all.