Book Reviews

Hello girls!

I have been reading like crazy lately!  I usually always try to read books as often as I can, but even more so here recently.

Here are books I have just finished or are about to start:

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

I always enjoy books by Mary Higgins Clark.  She's the queen of suspense!  I usually read at night before falling asleep, and if I'm reading one of her books, and my husband is already sleeping, I usually get scared....find myself hearing noises in the hallway that aren't really anything...lol  Yet I continue to read!

Storyline: Years ago, a college student named Charles ("Mack") MacKenzie walked out of his life for no apparent reason. Since then, once a year, he calls his mother to assure her that he's all right, and to ask her not to look for him. Now, Mack's younger sister, Carolyn, has decided to find him. Her search uncovers a lot of old secrets among the people closest to her, and someone is trying to prevent Carolyn from solving the mystery behind her brother's disappearance--by any means necessary....

This book was very good, similar to most of her books, she has several characters, maybe a dozen, that all become connected somehow in the end.  Came together rather nicely!

The Luxe Series: Splendor (Book 4) by Anna Godbersen

Starting a new series, always makes me a little leery.  Sometimes you just don't luck out.  However, with The Luxe Series, I was so impressed!  This book is supposed to be the final one, I wish it wasn't though!  The series takes place in 1899 and has an array of interesting socialite characters that draw you in from the beginning!

Books in the series:
1. The Luxe
2. Rumors
3. Envy
4. Splendor

I will leave you with the storyline from the 1st book, because I do not want to spoil anything for those who plan on reading these, by discussing the 4th book in more detail.  The whole series is very well written and captivating.  Without spoiling anything, I do wish the 4th book would have ended a bit differently though. 

From Kirkus Reviews ( posted on Amazon)

A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersen weaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement. A delicious new twist along the Gossip Girl vein, readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal. 

 Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Thankfully Anna has started a new series,  I have the 1st book, Bright Young Things, but I have yet to start this one.  I have high expectations though.  With her new series, she changes to the 1920s!

Amazon.com Review

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties. Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star… Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will. The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets. Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

This is book 2 in the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy.  I just finished this book yesterday, and cannot wait for the 3rd!  These are Michelle Zink's 1st books, and she has created an amazing world that I'm drawn into so easily!

Here's part of a review from the 1st book (posted on amazon):

Lia Milthorpe has always had a quiet, predictable, and happy life. But when her father dies unexpectedly, leaving her, her twin sister Alice, and her younger brother Henry orphans, strange things begin to occur. A peculiar mark appears on Lia's wrist, and Alice begins acting secretive. Lia's dreams become scarily real and threatening. It's not long before she discovers that she and Alice are a part of a dark prophecy that will firmly plant each sister on opposing sides and challenge every bit of loyalty, strength, and courage that Lia possesses in order to bring an end to the prophecy--before her sister can wreak havoc on the world.

I hope you girls enjoy reading, and if you have read any of these books, I'd love to hear your opinion on them!  If your currently reading something else, leave the title of the book in your comment, and let us know if it's worth reading!  :)

pictures: amazon.com