Weekend Wrap-Up - January 25, 2016

Duke Of My Heart by Kelly Bowen
Publication Date:  January 26, 2016
5 stars



Ivory runs a business where she cleans up scandals of the rich and noble.  When a dead earl is found tied to the bed of a Duke's sister, Ivory is hired to clean up the mess and find the missing debutante.  Max, the duke and ship captain, does not plan on letting Ivory take over the operation without his involvement.  Ivory is possibly one of my favorite historical romance heroines ever.  She is clever, funny and caring.  She has a plan and an answer for every situation.  Max is overwhelmed by her and their scenes together are incredibly well written.  This is the most excited I have been about a book in this genre in months and I can't wait to read the rest in the series.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Romance Read - January 26, 2016

The Art of Taming a Rake by Nicole Jordan
Pub. Date - January 26, 2016
4 stars



I was really excited to read this one and was not disappointed at all.  Two years prior, Venetia was forced into exile after publicly stilling her drunken, philandering fiancé.  She returns to London when news of her younger season's attachment to the disreputable Earl of Traherne.  She decides to catch him at his exploits at a gaming club but instead becomes embroiled in his life as someone tries to assassinate him.  It starts slow and the heroine is a bit grating at first... but as the two are forced into a marriage of convenience the sparks begin to fly and both are forced to learn to trust one another.  Venetia is feisty and courageous while Quinn is genuinely charming and overall a pretty great guy.  I liked the side suspense as they try to figure out who is trying to kill Quinn and I think it added a level of danger to the story. I really ended up liking these characters and found the whole book entirely enjoyable.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Monday Reviews - January 18, 2016

Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo
Publication Date:  January 19, 2016
4 stars



Harper Scott is a seventeen year old ballerina and a descendent of Robert Falcon Scott, an early Antarctic explorer.  She is told that she doesn't have the right body to pursue her dancing dreams, while her best friend has the pick of ballet companies.  She decides to spend a winter in Antarctica to find herself.  This is fairly far-fetched (a point that the author admits to in her clever note at the end) but these sections are so lovely that I just don't care...I mean it is fiction after all.  This is a lovely book on passion and dreams and what happens when those dreams fail.  It is also about making good decisions and putting family and friendships before all else.  I think what I loved most about this protagonist is that she loved her home, San Francisco, without apology.  Harper is a strong, passionate young female character who loses her way but doesn't lose herself.  I really enjoyed this young adult novel.  I received a digital galley of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
Publication Date: January 19, 2016
3 stars



I have read all of Bill Bryson's books and he is definitely one of my auto-read authors.  This I found partly funny, partly cynical and partly rambling.  I laughed out loud at parts, and I completely skimmed over parts.  I still appreciate his humor but this book felt a little forced and not quiet up to the same par as his prior books.  I would recommend this if you are a big fan of the author or if you are about to embark on a detailed tour of England, otherwise I would start with on of Bryson's earlier books.  I received this from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

A Cookbook Experiment - January 11, 2016

The Best and Lightest by the Editors of the Food Network
3 stars



I had very good intentions when I requested this book.  I do a lot of cooking and am trying to find lower calorie options.  This book definitely has many lower calorie options and most look extremely appetizing.  However, since I cook for a very busy family of five, many of these just didn't work for us.  I did manage to try a couple that were enjoyed by all and I will keep attempting them in the coming weeks so this review may change in the coming months.  I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Reviews - Week of January 11, 2016

Excellent Daughters by Katherine Zoepf
Publication Date - January 12, 2016
4 stars



This is a collection of essays written by a journalist who has spent many years reporting from the Arab world.  She focuses on women; their everyday lives, restrictions, relationships and the complicated ways they are seeking further rights.  Some of these essays were written over a decade ago, and while she attempts to insert updates, it seemed a bit outdated.  Otherwise, I found this collection well-written and full of interesting details that don't often make it into the Western media.  She often visited regions multiple times and was able to document her own changing perspectives as she grew older and more experienced.  She offers an unbiased account of the lives of these women, both the good and bad, that I found fascinating and informative.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
Publication Date - February 23, 2016
3.5 stars



As a retelling of the Aladdin story, this book sticks pretty closely to the Disney version with some unique alterations.  Aladdin is a charming thief with a vendetta against the ruling powers who finds a magic lamp with a beautiful young woman jinni.  He uses his wishes to become a prince in order to marry the princess and carry out his revenge.  This was a good adventure tale that moves fairly quickly.  The characters are interesting and the women are warriors.  I did think that Zahra, the jinni, was a little flat and she was sometimes overshadowed by other strong female characters.  Overall, this is a fun read and a unique take on this tale.  I received this from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. 

New Year, New Book Goals...and Reviews - January 5, 2016

With the new year, my main reading goal is to actually decrease the number of books that I read and review.  I will now be posting reviews once a week, probably on Wednesday, and as usual will only be reviewing advanced review copies received through publishers.  That said, here are my first reviews of the new year. 

Salt to Sea by Rita Sepetys
Publication Date - February 2, 2016
4.5 stars



In the final days of World War II, as the allied forces approached from the west and the Russians approached from the east, refugees from East Germany and Prussia fled for their lives.  Their end destination was the sea where Germany had numerous ships waiting.  This incredible young adult novel follows four different refugees with different backstories.  This novel captures the horror of war incredibly well and demonstrates that lines of morality often are blurred in difficult times.  I feel as if this is what the young adult genre should strive for, with lessons in history and humanity.  This book also focused on a little known event in the history of the war and the author's note should definitely not be skipped.  This was a great book to start the year and I look forward to reading this author's other book.  I received a digital ARC of this book from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.


Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving
2 stars



To be honest, this was a complete struggle to finish and I might have given up if I had not received a hardback version as a Christmas gift.  This novel follows writer Juan Diego during a trip taken while in his fifties to the Philippines and during flashbacks to his youth in Mexico growing up in a dump, in a Jesuit orphanage and in the circus.  This really had all the elements of a good story, but it just did not work for me.  John Irving is normally an author that I automatically enjoy, regardless of the story, but this was slow, inane at times and incredibly repetitive (I mean how many times do beta-blockers and Viagra have to be mentioned).  I did find myself enjoying certain scenes, especially those in Juan Diego's past but for the most part I just tunneled through this book.  I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 


For Seven Nights Only by Sarah Ballance
Publication Date - January 18, 2016
3 stars



This short contemporary romance follows two people in their late twenties as they attempt to change their opinions of love and each other.  Living in the same apartment building as Sawyer, Kelsie has noticed the number of revolving women that come out of his apartment.  Sawyer is dead set against a relationship and his first impression of Kelsie is that she is way too much drama for him, but he agrees to help her find a date for her sister's upcoming wedding in only seven nights.  This is an enjoyable romance if not a bit predictable.  I liked Sawyer's character throughout but Kelsie is annoyingly obtuse at times and very stubborn in her opinions of Sawyer.  Overall, this was a quick enjoyable read.  I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.