"My Fair Gentleman", by Nancy Campbell Allen, is a classic tale of the student falling in love with the teacher. Jack wants nothing more than to live his life as a sailor, but his grandfather has other ideas for him. He names Jack his heir as Earl of Stansworth, on the condition that Jack learns to fit in with the aristocratic society. Despite Jack's lack of desire to be the Earl, he takes his grandfather's offer because it enables him to provide his mother and sister with a very comfortable life. In an effort to fulfill his grandfather's condition, Jack takes on a tutor, the young and unpredictable Ivy Carlisle, to teach him how to impress the ton and ends up learning a lot more than he planned.
"My Fair Gentleman" is more than the ordinary 'proper romance' because the author adds some suspense to the storyline. When Jack inherits, someone decides to remove him from his position by attempting to kill him. Throughout the book Jack has to be on his guard at all times to avoid the attempts on his life. This added suspense deepens the storyline and further adds to the richness of the characters as they try to help each other through these trials.
This is an entertaining story about making the most of any situation while unconsciously falling in love. You will want to hug the characters one moment and then shake them the next for being so silly and shy. It is appropriate for readers of all ages and would make a great gift for the upcoming holidays. Or buy it for yourself to curl up with during the cold weather. Either way, you should get a copy and let me know what you think!
Hello! Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I am finding out that being a mother of two is twice as hard as being a mother of one. (And twice as time consuming).I have the baby sleeping and my toddler distracted, so now I can tell you about "The Wolf Road" by Beth Lewis.
This is one of the most realistic post-apocalypse books that I have ever read. Civilization is nearly destroyed and the setting of this book is almost like an old western. The characters have to hunt and forage for their food, travel is done mostly on foot, and the cities that were salvaged consist of wood buildings and dirt roads. Elka, the heroine in this story, is an incredibly talented hunter. She learned all of her tricks and skills from her childhood caregiver, Trapper. Elka was content with the simple life that she and Trapper had carved out for themselves in the mountains. That is, until she learns what Trapper really does when he goes off on his own to hunt "wolves".
Her world is shredded apart as she learns that the man she secretly calls father is actually a monster of the worst kind. She flees into the mountains with nothing more than her knowledge and a knife. Elka's survival skills will be tested as she tries to outrun Trapper, the law, and the horrors of her past.
"The Wolf Road" is a thriller that will keep your heart pounding from the first page to the last. Elka is a heroine that you will love one moment and hate the next. You won't know whether to root for her or be afraid of her. The story itself is a bit dark and demented with a plot twist that might make you sick. If you like books that are about survival and have an every-man-for-himself mentality, then you might just love this one. However, I feel like this book needs to come with a disclaimer. The language is unsuitable for youth and if I had known the turn the storyline was going to take, then I never would have picked this one up. However, that is my personal opinion. The author is talented and the book is written very well.
I received a copy of "The Wolf Road" from Blogging for Books for this review.
I joined a book club in my neighborhood to try to expand my horizons. Plus, who doesn't love to get together just to talk about books? "Challenger Deep", by Neal Shusterman, was the first book that we read and let me tell you, I am so glad that I had people to discuss it with.
Neal Shusterman takes you into the mind of Caden Bosch, a high school student that walks around with a secret alternative universe in his head. He has to differentiate between what is real and what is not. For a while, the reader does too. Caden's life is split, and he does a pretty good job of keeping his internal struggle to himself, until he can't contain the voices in his head anymore. His parents send him to get help. This is where the lines between worlds are the blurriest, before they all become clear and Caden finally realizes what he has to do to be free.
"Challenger Deep" is exactly what the title says - challenging and deep. It doesn't just give the reader an idea of what it would be like to have a mental disorder, it thrusts the reader so far into Caden's mind that you yourself have a hard time picking through the voices and all of the information. You really get to experience what it would be like to have all of these different voices telling you what is right and what is real and how confusing that would be. You can tell the author really put his whole heart and soul into this book. It is full of depth and raw emotion. If you are looking for a book that is more than just a 'light read', then go get a copy of this right now. It definitely earned 5 out of 5 stars. Check it out and let me know what you think!
If you haven't read the first three "Ever After High" books, you need to. They are so much fun. "Kiss and Spell", by Suzanne Selfors, is a continuation of those stories. You don't necessarily have to read the first three before this one, but it will definitely help you understand what is going on if you do.
"Kiss and Spell" takes you back to the world of Ever After High where the children of all of our beloved fairytale characters are going to school together. This story is about the best chef in all of the fairytale kingdom, Ginger Breadhouse (Daughter of the Candy Witch). She has her own cooking show that is about to be cancelled which will take all of her dreams of becoming a famous chef with it. In one last attempt to increase the number of viewers, Ginger decides to bake a wish cake. It will grant whomever eats it one small wish. Except the magic backfires and turns Hopper Croakington (son of the Frog Prince) into a permanent frog. The longer he stays in his amphibian form, the more froglike he becomes. Ginger has to figure out how to turn him back before the frog in him completely takes over.
"Kiss and Spell" is a fun continuation of the Ever After High stories. This one was written by a different author than the first three, but you have to pay really close attention to notice the difference in writing style. Since these books are meant for youth, I don't think any of the intended readers will see a difference. The story is so fun and describes what it was like for Ginger to grow up with the Candy Witch for a mom who always put something nasty in her recipes. Kids will definitely be able to relate to the characters and the story includes some old favorites like Raven Queen, Briar Beauty, Madeline Hatter, and Apple White. The text is clean and easy to get through. 5 out of 5 stars. I would highly recommend this for anyone with fantasy-loving kids. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Does anyone else out there love murder mysteries? I eat them up. Especially when they include a twist of romance. "Brooklyn on Fire", by Lawrence H. Levy, just happens to be one of those books. Mary Handley is a female detective working privately out of the back office of a book store. Set in 1890, where female worker's were generally limited to clerical occupations, Mary is determined to fully support herself through her detective work.
Mary's first task is to look into a 20-year old murder that involves some of Brooklyn's elite. This case leads to two more murders and becomes very personal for Mary. She becomes mixed up in a web involving some of the most powerful and dangerous people in New York. While she digs into the case, someone else is trying to dig his way into her heart.
"Brooklyn on Fire" mixes together mystery, romance, and historical fiction. Lawrence H. Levy takes the reader on an adventure with loads of unexpected twists and turns. The storyline is captivating and the characters really come to life. The only downfall is the language and some sexual scenes that are included. The pros of this book definitely do not outweigh the cons, so I would have to recommend that you do not read this book. 3 out of 5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from "Blogging for Books" for this review. You can get your hands on a copy by clicking here. Or learn more about the author by clicking here.
