Book Review: A Wife of Noble Character: A Novel by Yvonne Georgina Puig

A Wife of Noble Character: A Novel by Yvonne Georgina Puig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth gets a retelling in modern day Houston here and I rather enjoyed it. The main characters of Vivienne Cally and Preston Duffin, made this a page turner and so did the supporting characters (to a lesser extent). Watching Vivienne live a life of keeping up appearances with a social bracket she couldn't afford was depressing but watching her basically pushed out of continuing as she began and also losing access to the hoped for family inheritance and forced to make her own way, made for a riveting read. I haven't read a book about a character so deeply addled with an arrested development in a while and this was very well done.

Book Review: A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart

A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary:   Sometimes your life is split by a single decision. 

I’ve spent every day of the last seven years regretting mine: he left, and I didn’t follow. A thousand letters went unanswered, my words like petals in the wind, spinning away into nothing, taking me with them.

But now he’s back.

I barely recognize the man he’s become, but I can still see a glimmer of the boy who asked me to be his forever, the boy I walked away from when I was young and afraid.

Book Review: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends


Summary:  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Book Review: Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf


Summary:   It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Book Review: Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher: Poppy

Summary:   Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.

Book Review: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Candlewick

Summary:  Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.

Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose -- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire -- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.

Review: The First Star to Fall

The First Star to Fall by Diana Peterfreund

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a short prequel to Diana Peterfreund's 'Across a Star Swept Sea' & introduces us to main character Persis Blake. It also continues the story of The Reduction & this time it's being done to people on purpose. This is a good set up for more social commentary & I hope, more scientific explanation of The Reduction. I'd recommend this one for those who are into the series already & are ready to forge on to the next full length novel in the series.



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Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Just Finished Reading: For Darkness Shows the Stars

'Persuasion' is my absolute, hands down, packing it in my bag when the zombie apocalypse strikes favorite Austen. I have read my fair share of re-tellings & re-imaginings of the tale between Anne & Captain Wentworth & yes, I am that chica all stirred up as I turn the pages that they won't get together in the end, even though I've read it tons of times (the suspense & emotion get me every time and I know that's somewhat silly). So, I looked very forward to reading this. I mean, Persuasion with a scifi leaning. Oh yes. I need that in my little life. I loved it!!

I did read the prequel novella Among the Nameless Stars before diving in & it's from Kai's perspective. It did a good job in setting tone because this book is Elliot's perspective. All the frustrations, misunderstandings & mistrust are teased out wonderfully & I really felt for many of the characters. I quite adored Ro, Dee, Gill (that he was ready to get into fisticuffs with Wentforth when the latter was just being roundly jerky endeared him to me forever) & even found some semblance of empathy for Tatiana. None for Benedict or Papa North. None. I loved everything with the Innovations & Andromeda turned out also to be a favorite. I wanted most to know more about the Innovations & about their experiments. I got completely caught up in wanting to know about Gavin & Carlotta & wished for more details about what took place & led up to The Reduction. The science felt like a tease but I won't complain, this isn't a hard scifi book. There was enough to keep me wanting more so that's a good thing & I hope that there's more explanation to come in the next book in the series. Also, 5 stars alone for Peterfreund's prose. I was sad to have read a good deal of it via my Kindle app on my phone as it doesn't have a highlight feature. It was that good.

There is indeed only one Austen but Peterfruend has given this fan, a re-imagined telling that is top notch in every way that counts.



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Review: Among the Nameless Stars

Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a short prequel to For Darkness Shows the Stars (which I'm moving right onto) & it was quite good as an introductory opener. We follow Kai who has left North Estate (& Elliot North) to make his way in the world as a free agent in Channel City. He has quite a rough go of it, to be honest but by the end, it looks like his fortune is about to change. Peterfreund's writing pulled me in & she gives a crisp landscape for her characters to move around. Persuasion is my favorite Austen, so I've been looking forward to reading this series for a while. Must dash, have to get to it.



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Review: Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist

Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist by Eve Sinclair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a tough book for me to review. I'm an Austen person & must admit that I've never found Bronte heros inflamed a thing in my heart close to adoration. So I went into reading this book as one who respects the classic work but does not hold it as so sacred a thing. Because of that, I can say that for what it is, it's a decent enough effort. It's a lurid, smut romp. No one reading this is going for the literary value or as a comparison piece to the original. I didn't find it sexy or erotic but as I've said, I've no deep affinity for the original characters. I've also read much better scenes in other books. I saw this Jane as a different iteration from the original work & once I took it all as far less serious, I zipped right through it. The very last for the ending was a nice twist. While I didn't see that coming, it was again a departure from the original & I didn't dislike that. I daresay that the ending makes up a bit for the rest. As the Jane in this story ends in a different place than the original, I wonder if there will be a series of the further adventures of Jane & will she again cross paths with Rochester.

If there are people out there who have not read Jane Eyre (I have to imagine they do walk the earth & may well read on occasion), they may adore it from beginning to end. I wouldn't recommend this for those who have deep devotion to the original but then I expect that should they pick this up to read it, they know it's not a serious re-telling & should be prepared for it to be exactly what it is. This is not the worst thing I've ever read but it is hardly a sign of the downfall of literature or erotica. This is a mediocre attempt, mostly forgettable & probably will satisfy large swathes of readers who are just looking for something quick & titillating. Again, there are worse things in print.

I won a paperback copy of this book from the publisher.



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Book Review: A Modern Day Persuasion: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Novel by Kaitlin Saunders

A Modern Day Persuasion: An Adaptation of Jane Austen's Novel by Kaitlin Saunders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary:   Nearly eight years ago, Anne’s family, specifically her father, convinced her that she was too young to wed and insinuated that her fiancé Rick was solely interested in her wealth and status. Against her better judgment, Anne agreed to postpone the marriage, only to watch the love of her life walk away, never to be heard from again. Almost a decade later, still single and no longer wealthy, Anne struggles to make a name for herself designing greeting cards. Unable to move on with her life, she finds herself still emotionally bound to the man who disappeared the moment things didn’t go his way. Through a series of serendipitous events, however, Anne is reunited with her old love—just as a new beau enters the scene. Only time will tell if her heart can finally be set free to love again, or if Rick’s initial betrayal will leave her single…forever.

Book Review: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends

Summary:   Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.