Jenn's Review: Perfect Scoundrels

 Blurb:  Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of lovable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting-or stealing-whatever they want.  No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir-this time, Hale might be the mark.  Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.

Review:  Oh, how I love this series!   It's difficult to pick a favorite... and they just keep getting better. Finally we delve into the life of Kat's mysterious Hale and it's more tragic than I ever imagined.  Hale finally found a home and a family with the Bishops, but now that his responsibilities have resurfaced, will he have to give it up completely?  Will he have to give up Kat?

Once again, Ally Carter has taken characters that I love and made me love them even more.  We are introduced to a handful of new characters and are revisited by some old favorites.  It's wonderful and sad to see the vulnerable side of Hale.  I love that Kat decides to be there for him, the way he has been for her, even if that means she will loose him in the process.  Perhaps the best surprise is Hale's man-servant Marcus, who has always been just as much of an enigma as Hale himself.  Ally Carter has a knack for giving characters their own time to shine and this is a beautiful example.   Marcus knows something is desperately wrong and out of love for his sister and Hale, he hires Kat to get to the bottom of things.  Learning more about Hale through his eyes made Marcus one of my favorite characters in the series.

I've seen a few reviews that state the ending was a little wild and implausible, but without getting all spoilery, I think it worked.  The best part of a con-book or movie is conning the audience, and it is another something at which Ally Carter is extremely good.  Did I know something was up?  Yes, but I wasn't sure what or how...  and I thought it worked out perfectly.

I know I keep saying it, but I just can't get enough of this series and I can't wait until my daughter is old enough so that I may share it with her.

Final Take:  4.75/5.0

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Julie's Review: Me Before You

Summary: They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now hes pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn't have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart? ~powells.com  


Review: Me Before You is one of those books that literally everyone has raved about. So much raving that one has to wonder if it will live up to the hype. Well know there are some books that do and some books that fall short of it. Well, I am happy to say that Me Before You does not fall short. It is an exquisite novel. One that makes you think. One that makes you laugh. One that make you cry. This cry is not a pretty one either.

Both Will and Louisa are complex characters. For me, I found Louisa, aka Lou, to be even more complex than Will. It is obvious why Will is surly, moody and bitter; he's in a wheelchair from a horrible accident. Louisa is hired to keep him occupied and company. Goodness knows those are two different things. Will isn't always pleasant to be around or kind to Louisa. Louisa soldiers on. She slowly begins to feel more comfortable around Will. Will becomes more comfortable around her. It isn't until Will gets sick and Louisa stays with him that they begin to bond. Will and Louisa are unlikely allies. There is nothing in their past and present that would make you think that they would find common ground. Just as it becomes Louisa's mission to show Will that life is worth living; it becomes Will's mission to show Louisa what her life could be like if she expanded her thinking. Will gives Louisa the confidence to have the life she should have and Louisa gives Will the love he needs to move on.

I loved Louisa's family. They provided much needed laughs at times when the book was getting heavy. They weren't exactly the most supportive family, but they obviously loved each other. Even though Louisa and her sister, Treena, didn't always get along, they did support each other when it counted.

I also loved how a few of the chapters were told from other people's points of views. It helped to gain some other insight to how both of them were viewed by other people.

Me Before You is a novel of hard choices and finding love in an unlikely way. It is beautifully written and powerful. It make you think about if it would be easy for you to let go and let someone find their happy ending, even if you didn't agree with it. Could you sacrifice your happiness for theirs?

I am thrilled that I read this novel. I can't recommend it highly enough. Do yourself a favor and buy it as your own Christmas present.  

Final Take: 5/5

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Julie's Review: The Housemaid's Daughter

Summary: Barbara Mutch's stunning first novel tells a story of love and duty colliding on the arid plains of Apartheid-era South Africa. When Cathleen Harrington leaves her home in Ireland in 1919 to travel to South Africa, she knows that she does not love the man she is to marry there her fiance Edward, whom she has not seen for five years. Isolated and estranged in a small town in the harsh Karoo desert, her only real companions are her diary and her housemaid, and later the housemaid's daughter, Ada. When Ada is born, Cathleen recognizes in her someone she can love and respond to in a way that she cannot with her own family. Under Cathleens tutelage, Ada grows into an accomplished pianist and a reader who cannot resist turning the pages of the diary, discovering the secrets Cathleen sought to hide. As they grow closer, Ada sees new possibilities in front of her—a new horizon. But in one night, everything changes, and Cathleen comes home from a trip to find that Ada has disappeared, scorned by her own community. Cathleen must make a choice: should she conform to society, or search for the girl who has become closer to her than her own daughter? Set against the backdrop of a beautiful, yet divided land, The Housemaid's Daughter is a startling and thought-provoking novel that intricately portrays the drama and heartbreak of two women who rise above cruelty to find love, hope, and redemption. ~powells.com

Review: The Housemaid's Daughter is a thought provoking, well-written, methodical novel about the affects of apartheid on a small area of South Africa. The story is told through the eyes of Ada, the black housemaid's daughter. Ada's voice is unique and at times it was frustrating to read the novel from her point of view. There is something about Ada that would grate on my nerves at times and I've tried to figure it out but it alludes me. We follow Ada through her life as a young girl at Cradock House to her life as an old woman in South Africa.

The story got interesting when Ada left Cradock house and went to live in the village for a few years. She learned about life outside the comforts of Cradock House and how most black people lived in South Africa. She begins to understand how sheltered her life has been and how things aren't always as easy for everyone. It is the beginning of apartheid and while the color of your skin has always been an issue, it makes it essentially illegal to be black. It strips them of what little rights they did have and insights rebellion among the people.

The Housemaid's Daughter not about apartheid; apartheid is the background to this story. It is about Ada and her journey from a young girl, young woman and mother. She grows into a woman who finally understands a bit more about the world outside her small, contained world. She is still naive even into her older years. Ada never becomes worldly but she begins to understand how South Africa politics has made their way to her little part of the world. We spent a lot of time with Ada as a young woman and her later life was written quickly as a resolution to the novel.

With the recent death of Mandela, it makes the book a bit more interesting from a historical perspective. I can't even imagine the strife that the black citizens went through during the reign of apartheid. 

Final Take: 3.75/5


Thanks to St. Martin's Press for my copy of the novel. Also, this is our Hashtag Book for December. You can discuss with us by using #HousemaidsDaughter.

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Alice's Review: Girls in White Dresses

Summary:  Wry, hilarious, and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three young women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love--all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.  Isabella, Mary, and Lauren are going to be bridesmaids in Kristi's wedding. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, eat tiny sandwiches, and drink mimosas. They're all happy for Kristi, but they do have the ups and downs of their own lives to cope with. Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, where she's extremely successful, and wildly unhappy. Mary is in love with a man who may never love any woman as much as he loves his mother. And Lauren, a waitress at a midtown bar, finds herself drawn to a man she's pretty sure she hates.  With blind dates and ski vacations, boozy lunches and family holidays, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

Review:  I’m not quite sure where to begin with this one… I’ll start with how difficult it was for me to keep track of all the characters.  I thought about making a list to figure out who was who and how they know each other.  In the end, I vetoed the idea because a book shouldn’t require that much effort.  Especially a chick lit novel of 300 pages.   It was a little frustrating.  The other thing is that with these new character introductions, it was difficult to get invested in their story lines.  Especially since one of the main characters had a major life change and there was hardly an explanation as to what happened.  I would much rather have read about what that than about another friend whose relationship is on the fritz because of a Presidential election.  It was annoying to say the least.

I know this seems unfair, especially since I love books written like this.  They are more factual than poetic.  You get to know the characters much in the same way you get to know people in real life, through conversations.  There aren’t many people who reveal everything about themselves when you first meet them.  You need to foster the relationship, talk, get to know them, and I felt that Ms. Close handled that beautifully.  I just wish she had focused more on Isabella, Lauren, and Mary and less on the gaggle of friends constantly thrown at us.

Of the three main characters, I like Lauren the best.    I liked  her attitude.  The scene at Kristi’s bridal shower made me laugh.  I loved her spunk.  She wasn’t the only comic relief in Girls inWhite Dresses.  The novel was pickled in humor.  I laughed a lot.  And I especially enjoyed Lauren and Isabella’s story arch. 

It’s difficult to say if I would recommend this novel or not. I’m happy I read it, but I’m also happy I didn’t buy it.  It’s been on my TBR pile for a while and it’s my introduction to Jennifer Close.  I would definitely read her novels again, but they would be library books and not purchases.  

Final Take:  3/5
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Children's Corner: Olivia Helps with Christmas

Review: Olivia Helps with Christmas another one that gets pulled down out of the closet around the holidays. I have to say I'm not the biggest Olivia fan but my daughter finds her funny, so I entertain her. While she might be out of the age range for these books, she enjoys being able to read them quickly. Let's face it, when Olivia tries to help she's really making a bigger mess.

 Olivia Helps with Christmas is no different. She wants to help decorate the Christmas tree but gets caught up in the lights is just one example. Olivia is definitely plucky and resourceful, I will give her that. She's also the type of pig who makes her mother sigh; sometimes good and sometimes bad.

I do really enjoy the illustrations in the Olivia book. It highlights the beauty and magic of Christmas in the typical Olivia manner. We probably only have one Christmas left with this book, so I will let me daughter enjoy it while she still does.


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Alice's Review: The Bride Wore Size 12

Summary: With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse and every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.  Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be. ~ powells.com

Review:  The start of The Bride Wore Size 12 finds Heather happily engaged and soon to be married to her true love Cooper Cartwright.  It’s also the start of the new school year and of course that means a new set of challenges for Heather and her crew at Fisher Hall.

When I started reading this novel, I questioned whether I would keep reading this series.  How many people have to die in this dorm before they finally shut this thing down?  It felt a bit repetitive and done.  However, as I kept reading, I knew why I’ll read as many Heather Wells novels as Meg Cabot writes.   That reason is simple… I just adore Heather Wells.  Meg Cabot created a winner with her.  She’s quirky, funny, with a big heart and great friends, and the kind of life that constantly keeps her on her toes.  And I love, LOVE, her relationship with Cooper.  The more I read, the more I liked that this installment focused more on Heather and her friends and less on the actual mystery, which truth be told, was underwhelming.  By the end of the novel, I nearly forgot about Heather’s sleuthing skills and newest casualty at Death Dorm because the subplot was so good. 

I was glad to see the usual suspects back for this installment:   Magda is fantastic as usual, as is Gavin.  That kid genuinely cracks me up.  And it was nice to see a cameo by Canavan.  I love that he always tells it like it is and will forever have Heather’s back.  I also loved the introduction of Coop’s sisters, Jessica and Nicole. 

You don’t have to read the series to appreciate this novel but it does help.  The Size 12  novels (Size 12 Is Not Fat, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Big Boned, and Size 12 And Ready To Rock) are all quick reads.  They are perfect weekend books for winter when there isn’t a lot going on or you might be snowed in.   Although truth is unless you are a huge Meg Cabot fan, I would recommend picking them up at the library.   These are the kind of novels you read and share, rather than add to your personal library.  I can’t imagine picking them up to read again. 

I read that The Bride Wore Size 12 is the last installment of this series and if that is true, I am sad to see it go.  Life shouldn’t stop at happily ever after, especially if you’re Heather Wells.  Here’s hoping we see her again in the future.

Final Take:  4/5
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