Tag: fiction

Review: A Girl Like You

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A Girl Like YouGemma Burgess, A Girl Like You

Abigail Wood has just had a terrible realization: she doesn’t know how to be single. She’s been with the same man since college but is recently on the market again, and now she’s trying to navigate the London dating scene…with no clue what she’s doing. Her sister Sophie and best friend Plum shower her with well-meaning (and often contradictory) advice, but Abigail still seems to end up dating — and getting dumped by — the wrong men. Desperate, she seeks help from her flatmate Robert, a smooth-talking man who can seemingly get any woman he wants. Abigail decides to try Robert’s tips, and she’s shocked (and pleased) to discover that they actually work! Abigail becomes more confident in her career as well as her love life, and she’s never been happier. But when she meets a guy she really, really wants to impress, she’s suddenly not sure that she can keep following Robert’s advice.

I really loved Gemma Burgess’ first book, The Dating Detox, so when I found out she’d written another one, I put it on my wishlist immediately. I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint! If you like chick lit, I can’t recommend this author highly enough. Abigail is a fun heroine with a sassy, tongue-in-cheek style, and I think that she’s a very relatable character — sort of a much-less-obnoxious Carrie Bradshaw. I certainly can’t imagine myself doing some of the things that Abigail does, but it was fun to escape into her world for a while! I also loved Abigail’s friends, who have their own lives apart from her drama but who still manage to be there and support her. The overall plot of which man Abigail will end up with is fairly transparent, but it was still fun watching her realize it. I’m disappointed that I don’t have any more Gemma Burgess books to read…hopefully she’ll write another one soon!

Review: A Natural History of Dragons

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A Natural History of DragonsMarie Brennan, A Natural History of Dragons

This book purports to be the memoir of Lady Isabella Trent, a woman living in something analogous to 19th-century England. But in this world, dragons are real, and they are perceived as another species of wild predator like a lion or a bear. Isabella relates her lifelong obsession with dragons, beginning with her childhood. She is a curious and scientific young woman who dreams of studying dragons and adding to the world’s knowledge about them. But since such pursuits are not suitable for a lady, Isabella’s dream seems unattainable — until a fortunate marriage and a chance meeting give her the opportunity to join a scientific expedition that plans to study dragons. But Isabella’s joy at her good fortune is soon tempered by various mysteries and misfortunes that befall the expedition.

This is one of those books that pretty much deliver what you’d expect from the synopsis. If you’re intrigued by the idea of Victorian-esque setting plus dragons, you’ll probably enjoy this novel. I liked it a lot; I think Isabella is an extremely well rendered character, and her world is both convincing and interesting. I should note that in this world, dragons are seen simply as animals to be studied. They don’t (as far as this book indicates) have any magical powers or the ability to reason or communicate. So these are definitely not your standard fantasy-type dragons. Also, I think there must be sequels planned, because while the main plot of this book is resolved, there’s still a lot more to be said about Isabella’s life and work with dragons. I definitely plan to read the next book when it comes out!

The Cinderella Deal

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The Cinderella DealJennifer Crusie, The Cinderella Deal

Daisy Flattery is a free spirit, an artist with a penchant for adopting stray animals and telling stories that are “unreal but not untrue.” She couldn’t be more unlike her upstairs neighbor, Lincoln Blaise, a reserved academic who dreams of becoming a college professor. But fate brings Daisy and Linc together in a surprising way: Linc has just been interviewed for a great job at a small liberal-arts college, but the unspoken catch is that he needs a wife if he wants to get hired. Linc immediately invents a fiancée and offers Daisy money to pose as the lucky woman. Daisy doesn’t like Linc much, but she’s flat broke, so she accepts his proposal. But the more time they spend together, the more Daisy and Linc realize that their fake relationship might actually have a real future.

Is the premise of this book preposterous? Yes, yes it is…but this book was such a fun little read! Despite the incredibly familiar opposites-attract plot, this book seemed like a breath of fresh air to me. I just really loved both Daisy and Linc; despite appearances, they are both fundamentally kind, big-hearted people who are ready to take a chance on love. There’s a great mixture of romance and humor, and I think it would make a wonderful chick flick. I also enjoyed the book’s setting, which is primarily a small college town with plenty of quirky secondary characters. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are feeling grumpy or depressed — it’s an instant mood-lifter!

Review: Time and Chance

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Time and ChanceSharon Kay Penman, Time and Chance

This novel, the sequel to When Christ and His Saints Slept, continues the story of Henry II after his accession to the throne of England. Henry and his new wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, seemingly have a charmed life, with all the power and riches they could desire. But their great ambitions come with great costs: Henry is constantly on the battlefield defending his holdings in France and skirmishing for power in Wales, while Eleanor is forced to the sidelines and must undergo the rigors of repeated childbirth. The book tells the story of their tempestuous marriage but also examines another important relationship in Henry’s life — his friendship with his chancellor (and later Archbishop of Canterbury), Thomas Becket.

I read When Christ and His Saints Slept a few years ago, but this book contains enough reminders of past events that I was able to follow along without a problem. Overall I enjoyed this novelization of the birth of the Plantagenet dynasty; it’s what I would term an intelligent romp. Penman does her research, but she also manages to write page-turners that are filled with action, scandal, and intrigue. The parts that focused on Henry’s deteriorating relationship with Thomas Becket were both interesting and frustrating to me. Even though I knew how their argument would end, I found myself hoping against hope that they’d be able to communicate with each other and work things out! As for Henry and Eleanor, I think their story in this book will pale in comparison to the events of the sequel, when their children are all grown up. I will be reading Devil’s Brood this summer, and I’m looking forward to it!

Review: The Poisoned Chocolates Case

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The Poisoned Chocolates CaseAnthony Berkeley, The Poisoned Chocolates Case

Roger Sheringham is the president of an amateur criminology club. The club has six members, almost all of whom are famous in their respective fields of law, drama, and literature. Since Roger and the other club members are fascinated by crime, they are delighted when a unique opportunity comes their way: a Scotland Yard inspector invites them to try their hands at solving a prominent murder case that has stumped the police. The club members, confident in their abilities, decide that that they will each formulate a possible solution to the mystery and present it to the club as a whole. If all the members agree on the murderer’s identity, they will inform Scotland Yard of their conclusion. As the members take turns presenting their solutions, however, it becomes clear that the case is much more complicated than they originally thought.

This is one of the most unique and interesting mysteries I have ever read. The format is unlike most other mysteries because it doesn’t focus on practical detective work like discovering clues and interviewing suspects. Rather, almost all the evidence is presented to the club members at the beginning of the novel, and the book spends most of its time exploring the characters’ different theories of the crime. I really liked how the book pokes fun at various detective-novel conventions, particularly the idea that facts necessarily lead to one and only one conclusion. Here, all the club members have access to the same facts, but they all argue convincingly for different solutions. I didn’t guess the ultimate answer to the puzzle (although I did have the same theory as one of the club members), but the answer really isn’t the point. Instead, this book is all about the philosophy of the detective novel, and as such, I would definitely recommend it to mystery fans!

Review: Grave Mercy

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Grave MercyRobin LaFevers, Grave Mercy

Ismae has grown up hating and fearing her abusive father, and when he sells her to an equally abusive husband, she despairs of ever finding a different path for her life. But a twist of fate brings Ismae to the convent of Saint Mortain, the ancient Breton god of death. Though Brittany has been superficially Christianized, worship of the old gods still persists, and the sisters of Saint Mortain serve their god by training young women as assassins to do his will. Ismae happily embraces her new life and devotes herself entirely to Mortain. But when she is sent out into the world to do the god’s bidding, she learns that serving him is more complicated than it appears. Her task is to pose as the mistress of Gabriel Duval, a knight of the duchess of Brittany, who is desperately trying to keep the duchy independent of French rule. As Ismae encounters conspiracy and treachery at every turn, she also becomes increasingly attracted to Gabriel. But can she continue to serve Mortain while also following her heart?

I picked up this book from the library because the premise sounded interesting, but I’m still surprised by how much I liked it! First of all, convent-trained assassins? Yes, please! The book is also far more rooted in historical reality than I thought; while there are some fantasy elements, the book reads as straight historical fiction, and many of the characters and events are real. I really liked the novel’s focus on political intrigue and Ismae’s realization that, despite her  training, she is completely out of her depth at the Breton court. There aren’t many scenes of killing or ass-kicking, though, which might disappoint some readers. I also liked the romance between Ismae and Gabriel, which was predictable but still very well done. I am definitely planning to read the rest of this trilogy; book 2, Dark Triumph, just came out and focuses on two minor characters from this book. Looking forward to it!

Review: Fire and Hemlock

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Fire and HemlockDiana Wynne Jones, Fire and Hemlock

College student Polly believes that she has led a completely ordinary, uneventful life. But while packing for her return to school after a vacation, she begins to contemplate a photograph that has hung on her bedroom wall for years. As she looks at the photograph, she slowly begins to remember a different version of her past — a past in which her closest friend was a talented cellist named Thomas Lynn. In this alternate timeline, Polly met Tom when she was a little girl, and they quickly struck up a friendship, writing letters to each other full of strange and magical events. But when their made-up stories started to happen in real life, Polly knew that something sinister was at stake. Now she must sift through her rediscovered memories in order to save Tom from seemingly certain doom.

This is a book that I really liked overall, but I have a couple of major nitpicks. First, I love Diana Wynne Jones’ style; I’ve read a few of her books and enjoyed them, but I really need to seek out the rest of her work! I also really like the concept of the book: basically, Polly has two sets of memories and has to figure out what that means. It was a really interesting idea to explore, and I think it was executed very well. My biggest quibble is the ending, which I don’t think works at all. Polly realizes why she has the dual memories, figures out how to save herself and Tom, and then it just kind of happens with no real explanation. What happens to the baddies? What will Polly and Tom do going forward? There are a lot of unanswered questions, and that bugs me. My other problem with the book was the romance; I just found it really icky that the hero was so much older than Polly and that he basically had his eye on her since she was a child. I can see where DWJ was trying to go with it, but it did not work for me. Still, this is a book I would definitely recommend overall, especially to fans of retold fairy tales.

Review: The Trouble with Paradise

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The Trouble with ParadiseJill Shalvis, The Trouble with Paradise

Dorie Anderson desperately needs a vacation. She’s single, overworked, underpaid, and stuck in a dead-end job at Shop-Mart when she’d rather be designing her own clothing line. So when she suddenly wins a spot on a luxury cruise to the South Pacific, she jumps at the chance to have an adventure. And adventure seems to be headed her way in the form of adorable baseball star Andy Hutchinson. He’s sweet and kind, and he has a sexy Texas drawl…so why can’t Dorie stop thinking about the brooding ship’s doctor, Christian Montague? As Dorie struggles with her feelings for these two men, she also faces much bigger problems, including a storm, a shipwreck, and even a potential murder.

I’ll admit, I picked up this book solely because I needed something set in the South Pacific for the Around the World in 12 Books Challenge. I’ve also heard really good things about Jill Shalvis, who is apparently a very popular author in the contemporary romance genre. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly impressed by this book. It’s a fun, beachy read with a fair amount of bodice ripping (or the modern equivalent), but that’s about it. I enjoyed the direct writing style: Shalvis doesn’t waste a lot of time setting the scene or developing backstory, preferring to dive into the action instead. But the dialogue did make me cringe on occasion, and there wasn’t much character development in either Dorie or her hero. The “mystery” subplot also felt completely unnecessary and uninteresting. I might give Shalvis another chance, but I’ll look for one of her more recent and more popular novels.

Review: The Crystal Cave

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The Crystal CaveMary Stewart, The Crystal Cave

This novel, the first installment of Stewart’s Arthurian saga, reimagines the story of Merlin, legendary wizard and mentor to King Arthur. Merlin is the illegitimate son of the king of South Wales, a status that brings both privileges and dangers. He never goes hungry and is able to study with tutors, but he is also a target for anyone who might wish to succeed the king or seize power. When the king dies, the ensuing struggle for the throne puts Merlin in grave danger, and he decides to flee the kingdom. At age 12, with no name, no friends, and no particular skill with a sword, Merlin must learn to survive in a hostile world. He also begins to learn that he possesses unusual abilities — powers that enable him to see into the future and foretell the coming of Arthur, who will eventually become king of a united Britain.

I really enjoy Mary Stewart’s novels of romantic suspense, so I was excited to acquire her first three Arthurian books at a library sale a few years ago. But I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by this book. It’s well-written, and the historical insights into Roman Britain are fascinating…it just moves so slowly! It seems like the first hundred pages of a not-very-long novel are just about Merlin as a child in the king’s home, where nothing much happens to him, and he spends all day hiding in the ruins of the underground plumbing system. Once he leaves South Wales, the story picks up, and I quite enjoyed the descriptions of battles and political maneuverings among the various claimants to the British throne. I’ll read the remaining books because I already bought them, but I wasn’t as excited by this book as I’d hoped.

Review: A Little Folly

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A Little FollyJude Morgan, A Little Folly

Louisa Carnell and her brother Valentine have grown up in the shadow of their tyrannical father, who devoted his energy to controlling their lives and repressing their spirits. So when he finally dies, the Carnell siblings are ready to come out of their shells and experience life. They re-establish contact with some distant cousins (who had been estranged from the family when their father was alive) and eventually go off to visit them in London. However, their ignorance of the world soon leads them into some fairly big trouble: Valentine becomes attached to a married woman, and Louisa has to navigate her way among various suitors who might hope to win her fortune rather than her love.

Despite — or perhaps because of — my fanatical devotion to Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, I’m almost always disappointed by books that attempt to mimic their plots and style. The copies are almost never as good as the originals, and why read something inferior when you could have the real thing? But Jude Morgan is a writer of Regency-era historical fiction whose books I truly enjoy, and this book is no exception. I loved Louisa as a heroine because she is both romantic and level-headed. It was also nice to read a book that featured a close sibling relationship. I enjoyed the compelling storyline, witty dialogue, and satisfying romance. In short, definitely recommended to fans of fiction set in this time period!