Book Review: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Title: Secrets of a Summer Night

Author: Lisa Kleypas
Series: Wallflowers #1

ISBN: 978-0060091293

Publisher: Avon

Pub. Date: 2004

Source: Kindle

Genre: Romance/ Historical Fiction

Pages: 384
Rating: 4 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.  Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing--and persistent--admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.  Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon--and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

My Reveries and Ramblings: Secrets of a Summer Night is the first book in Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflowers series. It centers around Annabelle, the oldest member of a group of friends who have made it their mission to find suitable husbands after years of being wallflowers. Annabelle, who is very beautiful, has been unable to catch a husband since she’s poor and has no dowry. In a last ditch effort to save her widowed mother and brother from being completely destitute, she makes one last great effort to catch a husband (with the help of the other wallflowers). However, in trying to snag a titled husband, she slowly starts falling for Simon Hunt, an affluent yet rough-around-the-edges businessman.
      This review comes years after reading the series many many times. To be completely honest, I didn’t like Annabelle the first time I read her story. However, I grew to like her. She’s got so many admirable qualities. She’s brave and stubborn. Yeah, she is very materialistic, but her loved ones ALWAYS come first.
      Simon Hunt is a very hardy outspoken man. Most people find him to be a bit much. But he has such a big heart. Ah, Simon. Definitely one of my book boyfriends. (Pretty much all the guys in Lisa Kleypas books are on that list). I just loved the way that Simon was always happened to be around to help her. Even though she pretty much rejects his help for most of the book, at least he’s there. Cue sigh.
      Secrets of a Summer Night is a great quick read. You’ll be smiling, gushing, and sighing the entire time. Being a huge fan of Lisa Kleypas, I can always count on a great romance read. Seriously, I reread her books at least twice a year. She has a knack for putting just enough of all the elements: romance, action, drama, humor, etc. You want it, it’s got it! Even though it’s not a Regency-era novel, it does make you feel like you are in a Jane Austenesque world. The story is engrossing and very romantic. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend not only Secrets of a Summer Night, but the entire Wallflower series.

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Book Review: To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning

Title: To Tame a Highland Warrior

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #2

ISBN: 978-0440234814

Publisher: Dell

Pub. Date: 1999

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/Paranormal/ Historical/ Fantasy/Adult

Pages: 400
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website


Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A Woman's Tender Touch
He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, "Come for Jillian," he raced to her side—into a competition to win her hand in marriage.

A Warrior's Steely Heart

Why had he run from her so many years before? And why return now to see her offered as a prize in her father's manipulative game? Furious, Jillian vowed never to wed. But Grimm was the man she loved, the one who urged her to marry another. He tried to pretend indifference as she tempted him, but he could not deny the fierce desires that compelled him to abduct her from the altar. She was the only woman who could tame the beast that raged within him—even as deadly enemies plotted to destroy them both....

My Reveries and Ramblings: To Tame A Highland Warrior is the second book in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series.  Click here to read my review of the first book, Beyond the Highland Mist.  This installment focuses on Grimm's story.  

In this book, Jillian's father wants to marry his daughter.  He calls for the three best suitors to come and woo her; Grimm, her childhood friend, being one of them.  He has a secret, however, that keeps him from ever wanting to pursue his feelings for her, even though he does...really really love her.  The secret is quite epic too! This novel kind of plays out like a season of the bachelorette (hahaha).  Which I found hilarious.  So.....if you like those kind of tv shows, you'd like this!

To Tame A Highland Warrior made me super conflicted.  I loved Grimm, the male protagonist! I loved his back story, how he changed from beginning to end, his tortured hero-ness, and pretty much everything else about him.  What I didn't like was that all the depth in Grimm's character was basically absent in Jillian's character. She was a bit of a bore.  If you asked me to describe her, all I could tell you is that she is beautiful and is obsessed with Grimm.  Characters are constantly talking about how selfless and kind and innocent she is....yet....we never see it.  Aside from the lack of depth in Jillian's character, I really liked everything else.

Quick side note: really wish Quinn, one of the other guys asked to court Jillian, had his own story.  Like I REALY REALLY REALLY wish he did.  

Price: Currently $5.98 on the Kindle

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Book Review: Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #1

ISBN: 978-0062026507

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Pub. Date: August 2012

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Historical Romance/Paranormal Romance/ YA

Pages: 448
Rating: 5 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.  Most of the chosen do.

My Reveries and Ramblings: Sooooo…..I REALLY REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK!  Before reading this, I went on a romance novel binge.  I probably read at least six romance novels.  (I was at the beach…don’t judge :P) After that, I was craving to read a book with a strong kick-ass heroine.  I was so tired of reading about damsel-in-distress-I’m-so-weak women.  So picked this from my goodreads TBR list….and read….and read….and didn’t stop.

Elisa, the protagonist, is a princess who carries the godstone, a gift from God to the people of Earth to defend them against dark magic.  Elisa’s possessing of the godstone has put her in constant danger since she was a little girl.  Of course, she never knew about the danger; her family kept her sheltered.  When her father marries her off to a King from a far away land, everything changes.  

Elisa is a fantastic character.  She starts off incredibly insecure, fat, and depressed.  She is fat because she eats when upset or stressed.  This is partly why she is very insecure.  She is, however, incredibly smart.  Over the course of the book, Elisa changes.  Some of these changes come at a great cost to her.  But she perseveres.  She starts out weak, and by the end of the book, she’s so much stronger.  What I liked most about Elisa was that she was so relatable.  She was nowhere near perfect, but was a character that many teenaged girls can look up to.  Hell, I’d like to be like her.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is really hard to review without giving spoilers.  This book does have romance in it, although you’ll be in for lots of surprises.  Every time I started to predict what would happen next or how the book would end, Ms. Carson would go “Yeaaaah no” and throw in a huge twist.  The Girl of Fire and Thorns was nothing short of gripping and epic.  It did involve religion, but it didn’t feel overwhelming.  

If you like epic stories with a strong, relatable, kick-ass heroine than you will LOVE this awesome historical fantasy book! 

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Book Review: My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Title: My Name is Memory

Author: Ann Brashares

Series: My Name is Memory #1

ISBN: 978-1594485183

Publisher: Riverhead Trade

Pub. Date: June 2010

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Historical Romance/Paranormal Romance/ Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352
Rating: 5 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  The latest from Ann Brashares, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a magical story of reincarnation and a love that lasts more than a lifetime Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. For all the times that he and Sophia have been connected throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. But just when Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally awakens to the secret of their shared past, the mysterious force that has always separated them reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

My Reveries and Ramblings: My Name is Memory is one of those books where you read the first page, and you immediately know that it will be amazing. There is so much I have to say about this book, so bear with me as I try and collect my thoughts and communicate them to you. 
          I have a not-so-small obsession with stories that involve reincarnation and romance. Something about soulmates and love lasting lifetimes just warms my heart and makes me smile. There is a drawback, however, to reading so many stories like this; they tend to all start to mesh together because most of the time they are all too similar. This book is not like that at all! The story was so original. It was so grounded in reality! It barely felt like a paranormal romance. In fact, by the end I felt like it could totally be possible. 
          The book switches between Lucy and Daniel’s POV; It also alternates between lives. There are many chapters dedicated to Daniel telling the story of his past lives and how he came to meet Sophia (Lucy) in all the other lives. He can recognize her soul even though her body changes with each life. Her soul becomes a beacon throughout his lives. However, they usually are far apart in age and it almost always ends in tragedy. It was painful to watch Daniel in his past lives try so hard to be with her, make her happy, make her know, and to apologize for what he did to her in that first life they met, only to fail again and again.
          Daniel and Lucy in the present spend most of book apart. We see Daniel falling in love with Lucy through the stories of his past life. When Daniel transfers to Lucy’s school, she immediately becomes obsessed with him and that scares her. It’s the insta-love syndrome, but the heroine isn’t giving in to it (like in almost every other book), instead she seriously questions her sanity. When he approaches her after two years at the end of senior year, she remembers some of a past life with him. That is what causes her to run. She leaves him, heartbroken, because she is scared she has finally gone insane. The rest of the book takes place in the six years following the incident. She uses this time to flesh out her thoughts and feelings and find out the mystery surrounding Daniel. But neither of them realize that a danger from the past has been following them and wants revenge. This danger could tear them apart once again. 
          I feel so bad for Lucy. She is a very realistic person. The fact that she is being haunted by memories that knows didn’t occur in her lifetime very nearly convinces her she belongs in an institution. She spends a lot of the book trying to come up with an explanation for her love for a man that she’s barely spoken a word to, and the strange visions and memories. 
          There was only one teeny tiny thing about this book I didn’t really like that much. The pacing was inconsistent. The beginning was good and super interesting. Then the entire middle was long and ever so slightly tedious. The end picked up, though. But the information presented in the middle is extremely important for the series. It sets up the story and the history; plus the reader gets to see Lucy and Daniel fall in love. So it was still enjoyable. 
          What I really loved about this book (other than the reincarnation romance part), was that Ann Brashares explored the consequences of having memory as a special power. Daniel’s character changes throughout his lives. He learns and grows like most people do, but in many lifetimes, carrying those experiences over from life to life. His love and dedication to being with Lucy strengthens with each lifetime. 
          Ann Brashares has written a beautiful novel that touched my soul. While reading this book, I realized one of the reasons why I love reading about love is because it IS so beautiful. Words can caress the heart, bring tears to your eyes, pull at your heartstrings, make you stop breathing, make you laugh until your side hurts, and so much more. There were moments where I felt like crying. Their love was so beautiful it tore at my heart. 
          This book is not stand alone. It’s the beginning of an epic love story. The only sad thing is that now I have to wait for the sequel (THANK GOD it is a series), which from what I’ve heard, may or may not happen. Let me just say, IT BETTER! I’m serious, I will write a letter to the publisher if i have to! 
         So my recommendation, is that you stop reading whatever it is that you are reading right now, AND READ THIS!!!!

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Book Review: Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning

Title: Beyond the Highland Mist

Author: Karen Marie Moning

Series: Highlander #1

ISBN: 9780440234807

Publisher: Dell

Pub. Date: March 1999

Source: Purchased

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Historical Romance/ Fantasy/Adult

Pages: 375

Rating: 4 Kisses

Author’s Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  He would sell his warrior soul to possess her. . . .
An alluring laird...
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart--until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length--but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.
A prisoner in time...
She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side. . . .

My Reveries and Ramblings:  I bought this book while I was reading Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series.  I was waiting for Shadowfever and needed something to help me get through the waiting period.  So I turned to her Highlander series…

Beyond the Highland Mist begins with Adrienne getting transported back in time to Scotland in the early 1500s by some faeries that want to see a certain man in misery.  Hawk is that man.  He is perfect in every way.  Women would literally kill to be with him.  Even the faerie queen likes him.  This enrages both the faerie king and Adam Black, also known as Puck or Robin Goodfellow.  The plan: find a beautiful woman that hates beautiful men and place her in  Hawk’s path.  What follows is pages and pages of pure enjoyment.  Yes, this is a romance novel, but Moning makes it so much more.  She constantly pushes the Adrienne and Hawk together and just when you start to think “YES! FINALLY!” she pulls them apart.  I raced through this book.  I kept me on edge and wanting more.  I think I’ve reread it several times since I finished it the first time.  Each time I’m just as on edge as I was the first time. 

            Some of the best moments in the book was when Hawk was trying to get Adrienne to sleep with him and she would go to great lengths to get away from him, only to end up in Adam Black’s arms and want to run right back to Hawk.  I would HIGHLY recommend this amazing time travel romance.  You seriously won’t regret it!   I am definitely going to finish reading the series. 

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