The Three Weissmanns of Westport

The Three Weissmanns of Westport 

by Cathleen Schine

Reviewed by Gerti

“The Three Weissmanns of Westport” is Cathleen Schine’s take on Jane Austen’s classic novel, “Sense and Sensibility.” If you are unfamiliar with the hundred-year-old original, it was about two sisters, one practical and the other emotional, who have to survive their father’s death and their subsequent poverty. Being single women, they also look for and find romance, although the road to that isn’t smooth either. Likewise, Schine has two female protagonists in this story, Annie (the practical sister) and Miranda (the impulsive one). Both girls move to a cottage in Westport, CT, from New York City not because of their father’s death, but because he has found a mistress and decided to divorce their mother, Betty. She receives a kind offer from her wealthy Cousin Lou to move into an unrented beach property of his after Joseph Weissman freezes the couple’s assets and she can no longer afford their Central Park West apartment.

Seventy-eight-year-old Joe met his young mistress, Felicity, at work, and while he feels he is being generous to his wife, it is obvious to his step-daughters that he is not. Annie knows all about bad men, since she has been divorced before, but she also has two grown sons whom she loves, and a great job at a bookstore in the city. In fact it is Felicity who introduces her to her famous author brother, Frederick Barrow. He does a wonderful reading of his literary work’s there at the bookstore, and Annie and Frederick have a secret tryst. When Frederick’s snobby grown children try to keep Annie away from their father, little do they suspect an even worse fate is in store for him, thanks to a minx of a house sitter named Amber. Fans of “Sense and Sensibility” will recognize that Amber is the reincarnated Lucy Steele, who in the Austen book “steals” an eligible man away from the sensible sister while pretending to be her friend.

Miranda’s life is also falling apart in parallel with that of her mother. She has never been able to settle down and marry (since she likes falling in love so much) but has built a successful career as a literary agent with her own agency. Now however, it seems some memoirs she has published were mere fabrications, and her reputation and her business falter, bankrupting her. She runs away to live with her mother in Westport, only to fall in love with a handsome local actor named Kit Maybank. He saved her during an ill-fated kayak trip during a thunderstorm. Unfortunately, he has a young son named Henry and seems to use Miranda more as a babysitter than a love interest. He leaves as soon as a good part becomes available in LA, and Miranda realizes she loved being a mother to Henry more than she loved Kit. So when the child’s mother Leanne comes on the scene, Miranda naturally falls in love with her, too.

Schine’s story is charming and modern. Austen fans will recognize who each character is meant to be, but I don’t know whether the ending will satisfy them, or me! I did think Schine’s writing was very good. She used very clever phrases and seems, like Austen, to understand human emotion and evil motivations very well.

The Weight of Water

The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
Reviewed by Gerti

Anita Shreve's "The Weight of Water" takes place in New England, but what makes this book special is that the narrative is split between two time periods, present day and the 18th century. The modern storyline involves a Boston Glove photographer named Jean, who is married to a famous poets, Thomas Janes. They have a young daughter named Billie, and are taking a trip to the Isles of Shoals off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on a sailboat owned by Thomas' brother, Rich. Also along for the ride is Rich's Irish girlfriend Adaline.

Jean is on an assigment to photograph Smuttynose Island, scene of two terrible murders back in March of 1873, and that event and the principals in that case make up the second story line. Norwegian immigrants Anethe and Karen Chistensen were brutally killed, but a third woman, Karen's married sister, Maren Hontvedt, survived the attack by hiding out in a sea cave with her little dog, Ringe. A man named Lew Wagner was convicted of the crime by a Maine court and hanged, but the story in Shreve's novel names another killer with far different motives than the simple theft supposedly behind Wagner's dastardly deed.

Jean goes to the Portsmouth Athenaeum, a historical library in the center of town, and finds a translated letter there, a hidden confession from Maren that no one seems to have discovered among the disorganized records of the crime. She spontaneously steals it after uncovering an affair between her husband and Adaline. The scenes between all four adults are rich with sexual tension. Thomas is obviously attracted to Adaline, who revels in his attention, but Jean is also attracted to her husband's manlier brother, Rich, and he to her.

When a storm comes up, it mirrors the building tempest of the group dynamic. Adaline is swept overboard, and Thomas goes to her rescue. It is only later that the group discovers Billie (who Adaline was supposed to be watching) has been swept out to sea, and lost. Her death breaks up Jean and Thomas' already fragile marriage, and of course, Rich and Adaline don't stay together either. Jean later meets with Adaline to confront her about leaving Billie alone. But where does the truth lie?

Living outside of Portsmouth for a decade, I had often heard of the Smuttynose murders, and while there is still a controversy over whether Wagner was the real killer, I never heard a theory as outrageous as the one Shreve presents here. Her books also seem steeped in sexuality, but it bothers me less here that it does in her novel "Fortune's Rocks." In this book, Jean is a very likeable protagonist, and her belief that her husband has strayed seems likely, given the evidence that she, as the narrator, shows the reader. I'm sure that Shreve sees a deeper connection between the tow stories - one of negligent death, the other of murder, but I can't see it. Still, "The Weight of Water" is a great read, and makes me likely to pick up another Shreve novel.

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Reading Level: Adult
Submitted by Gerti

I have read many books by Philippa Gregory, and she is one of my favorite authors. She has written several books about the Tudor kings and queens of England, including some on Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary (“The Other Boleyn Girl”), as well as one about Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn’s daughter. Since I love Henry VIII and his many wives and children, those are easy reading for me. “The White Princess” is a bit earlier in history, involving Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England and H8’s father, and I am far less familiar with that part of the family’s history. It makes this book harder to read for me, and a bit less interesting.

The main characters in this book are Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII’s mother and therefore, Henry VII’s wife. But this book takes place at the end of the Cousins War – the War of the Roses – during which the royal houses of York and Lancaster fought for the throne of England. Elizabeth of York was the mistress of Richard III, who was killed by his enemies, in order to crown Welshman Henry Tudor (later Henry VII). But in order to make his rule seem legitimate to the other important families in Britain, Henry Tudor has to marry Elizabeth, as she is the oldest princess of the house of York, the daughter of the king before Richard did his usurping. A York-Tudor marriage will unify the troubled country, but will the couple involved be able to stand each other?

One of Gregory’s great gifts when writing about history is her ability to take dry facts and breathe human emotion into them. Likewise in this tale, she takes Elizabeth, who should by rights hate the man who killed her lover, and makes her eventually love Henry Tudor. But she can’t leave it at that. Gregory than takes Henry Tudor, who was strong enough on Bosworth field to take the crown from a fallen King Richard, and shows him as a man plagued again and again by the ghosts of the Princes in the Tower, Elizabeth’s two brothers (and York heirs) who have disappeared from their prison. As each pretender to the throne appears, Henry trembles, and can’t decide whether his new wife is his ally or his enemy.

It is thrilling when historical fact jumps into the book, as when the King and Queen of Spain agree to send their daughter (Catherine of Aragon) to marry Arthur, the oldest son of Elizabeth and Henry Tudor. But any fan of Henry VIII (Arthur’s younger brother) knows how that will turn out! Still, as Gregory herself admits in the Author’s Note, there is enough mystery in our knowledge of the real history of this time to make some of this book conjecture. Like any good history book, it makes me want to do more research (this time, into the Pretenders) and that’s good enough reason to like it. Is it her best novel? No, but it is good enough to fill a snowy winter afternoon. I wish I’d read “Red Queen” and “White Queen” right before this one (and not years ago), so I had more historical background on the important ladies whose rivalry stands behind this book’s story.

Wait for You by J. Lynn

After a traumatic experience at fourteen, Avery Montgomery decides to move across the country for college in order to forget everything.  She just wants to get through college without causing any attention.  Plans for this get thrown after Avery runs right into Cameron Hamilton on her first day of college.  Neighbors and classmates the two form a friendship.  Cam is attracted to her and asks her out every chance he gets, but Avery is reluctant to begin a relationship.  The two form a friendship and as Avery's heart begins to soften for Cam, her past starts to resurface she is afraid she'll lose everything again.

Wait for You is a wonderfully written New Adult book by J. Lynn (who also writes books under Jennifer Armentrout).  New Adult books are a fairly new genre that center on adults in the late teens and early twenties. The male love interests in the books tend to be bad boys with big hearts.  Cam was a reformed playboy who liked to bake cookies.  Every Sunday he would come over to Avery's apartment and make her breakfast. Where is this man in real life?

Although the reader could figure out what made Avery's high school experience so bad, it was still shocking to read about what happened afterwards.  She had to learn how trust people again and did have some time believing that Cam actually liked her.

If you are looking for a steamy romance then this is the book for you.  There is a sequel available on e-book for the library called Trust in Me that is Cam's side of the story. 

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Reading Level: Adult Fiction
Submitted by Gerti

I started to read this book because I had heard it was sort of Indian "Pride and Prejudice," which is a book by one of my favorite authors.  And I can see how such a comparison can be drawn-as Aruna, the clerk at the eponymous Marriage bureau, is poor, but of noble (Brahmin) birth, and she falls in love with a rich Brahmin boy, but the two books only intersect in their focus occasionally, and are not that similar.

In this book, the focus is really on Mr. Hyder Ali, a retired civil servant who desires not to annoy his wife during his free time, so he starts a match-making business in South India.  He is a Muslim, but in the new India portrayed in this novel, that is of less interest than it would have been a half century ago.  He has clients who are Muslim, Christian, and Hindus, and in one of the final scenes of the book, one of his neighbors comments exactly on the change that country has undergone, where Muslims and Christians can attend a wedding of a Brahmin couple and nothing seems amiss.  It is an amazing transformation!

The novel lays out the conflict between old India and new, where old India is represented by the parents who seek to match their children with others of their caste.  But it also shows how the younger generation has changed: various clients are divorced and seek a match, and others do not care about the caste of their future spouses.  What seems to be the top priority in the matches Ali makes is money, and perhaps in that, the novel pairs up well with Jane Austen's British classic.  The novel, however, is larger in scope, spending more time dealing with the issues between Indian citizens and their government, than Austen even did.

The charm of this novel comes from the dialogue, as the irrepressible Mr. ali interacts so well with his equally likeable spouse, his many clients and neighbors.  Like Austen, it describes a specific place in time, as Mr. Ali carries on a normal life rarely seen by us in the West, going to ethnic weddings or buying mangos from street vendors.  And although this book is modern, it still has the Austenian virtue of taking the reader to another world, this one many thousand miles rather than centuries away.  And it is a fascinating world, as the final "essays" which describe the cast system, the scenery, religions and languages in depth clearly show.  I only wish those chapters had come earlier, as I didn't even realize that the word for "father" or "mother" was different in Urdu and Teluga, the 2 languages of the main characters here.

In short, I was thoroughly charmed by the characters, especially Mr. Ali and his wife.  However, I think for an American audience, reading Mrs. Ali's essays (written as she is trying to perfect her English) at the end of the book would be a better introduction to the world the author shows so beautifully.  The book is like a good first date-you wish it would go on forever!

The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

The second book in the Blue Heron series follows another Holland sister.  Honor is the oldest sibling in the family and after a trip to the gynocologist she is told she should really think about having babies because her eggs are getting up there in years.  After asking her long time crush and best friend to marriage and in return being rejected shes not sure what to do next.  Enter Tom Barlow-who is trying to stay to in the country because of his unofficial stepson.  With his work visa about to expire he has to get a green card somehow. The two agree to marry each other but will they see the feelings they have for each other?

The family relationships is one thing that makes this such a great book. Tom is trying so hard to keep his relationship with his almost stepson alive.  He's willing to do anything for the boy who has turned into a moody teen and wants nothing to do with Tom. 

Higgins books are always full of funny moments.  Throughout the book Honor's eggs have a running commentary with her and like in the first book in the series, The Best Man, the Holland grandparents are as dysfunctional as ever.

Hilarious and heart breaking at times this book was a fantastic read.  I'm excited that there is going to be a book three in this series!

This book will be out on October 29.  Place a hold on it here.

The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

Reading Level: Adult Fiction

Submitted by Gerti

"The Boleyn King" by Laura Anderson is a fascinating look at the "re-imagined history" of England.  Namely, what would have happened historically if Anne Boleyn had borne England's infamous King Henry VIII a son?  Author Andersen has utterly changed modern history in this novel, naming Henry's Boleyn son William, and having him ascend the British throne as he comes of age, as Henry VIII died when the boy was just 10.  In further historical rewrites, Queen Anne is still alive at the beginning of this book (historically, Henry had her executed), as are Henry's two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, who wait in the wings for the throne in this version of reality may never come to them.

Besides the royal family this story has another pair of important characters, and I'm not sure if they are based on real historical figures or not.  The first is a girl named Minuette, who is a good friend to the Princess Elizabeth, and is beloved by William.  The second is a boy named Dominic, whom the new king respects so much as a counselor and friend that he has named him the Marquis of Exeter.  Of course, Dominic is also in love with Minuette, and she with him.  But who can go against the will of a king?  Will the son repeat the mistakes of the father?

This book revolves around the plot hatched by one of the remaining aristocratic Catholic families to discredit William and put his Catholic sister Mary on the throne, a plot diffused by Minuette and Dominic at the last minute.  But the deeper concern here is whether Minuette will marry William or Dominic, and that question is not really resolved as the book ends.  The back cover tells us why-"The Boleyn King" is part of a trilogy, so we'll have to reach for more books to solve the mystery.

Will I look for the sequel to this first book?  Yes, because I love the subject matter (Tudor England), even if I find the re-imagined history disturbing in spots.  Do I mind that the author had taken historical fact and turned it into teen fiction on the order of "Twilight"?  A little, but I also find "The Boleyn King" to be an easy and interesting read, which nudges me to keep reading to find out what will happen to this group of characters.  Is this a modern literary classic?  No, but it is rarely dull, and that's about all you need for a summertime read.  This is a book which would appeal to a broad audience of adults and teens, and therefore, I recommend it highly.

My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park by Cindy Jones

Reading Level: Adult Fiction

Submitted by Gerti

While it is not as popular among Jane Austen fans as "Pride and Prejudice," I happen to be a big fan of her novel "Mansfield Park," which is one reason why this book appeals to me.  Main character Lily Berry also loves "Mansfield Park" and its guileless heroine, Fanny Price.  So it's no surprise that Berry mirrors Price at the beginning of the book, as Berry is a girl without a home of her own.  Her mother has died of cancer, and her father has summarily ejected her from his life in order to remarry, and to add insult to injury, he may have been having an affair with the other woman long BEFORE Berry's mother died of cancer.

From this timeless and universally relatable crisis, Berry can't seem to avoid going from one catastrophe to another.  Berry has also broken up her boyfriend and is "stalking: him by frequently driving past his house.  Mirroring the situation with her parents, Lily discovers that the boyfriend too has moved on to another, more compatible female.  Double heartbreak!  To add icing to the cake, Berry has gotten herself fired from her human relations job after her boss finds her reading Austen novels at work.  Can things get any worse for her?

Instead of trying to retool her life at home in Texas, Berry decides to chuck it all and go to England to act in a Jane Austen literary festival.  Just like her home life, however, the "Literature Live" event goes astray.  Berry starts three (or four) misfired romances, and several incomplete business plans to save the endangered festival, all while dealing with a terrible dysfunctional but filthy rich roommate, and a crazed boss lady who is not only having an affair with a married man (shades of what is going on at home!) but is an Austen nut who thinks the beloved 1800s author was making statements in her books on all kinds of modern issues like lesbianism and slavery.  When Berry finally finds someone who is willing to play Edmund Bertram (the hero of "Mansfield Park) to her Fanny Price, I thought this book found its hero, but it was not to be.  Or was it?  The surprise ending leaves room for a sequel, because the pair DO NOT end up together in this book.

I will look for Cindy Jones to write a sequel to this book because I love the subject mater (Jane Austen), even if details of the literary festival are confusing and the weakest part of the book.  But for a freshman effort, "My Jane Austen Summer" is a win for Jones, and I long to read more about this entirely entertaining and erudite group of characters.  Not a classic, but never dull, this is a great summertime read.  The only downside for me is the ease with which the heroine falls into bed (or worse! Yuck!) with the various male characters, but this author is truly talented and her writing is bright and contains many clever turns of phrase which outweigh even my old-school literary prudery.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

Reading Level: Adult Fiction

Submitted by Gertie

The beginning of this novel is confusing--is it really the lost manuscript of Jane Austen or is it entirely a work of fiction?  But the end is even more confusing, as by the time I have read all of Syrie James brilliant account of Jane Austen's life and lost romance, I want it all to be real.  James has done such a good job weaving Austen's fiction into this fictional account of her life, that the book explains, how Austen got some of her most famous plot elements, and in the process, brings the Janeite reader delightful vignettes of Austen's own books!

For example, James has her fictional Austen visit the ruins of an Abbey with a group of friends, referencing "Northanger Abbey".  She visits Lyme and almost falls off the stone pier, referencing the novel "Persuasion." And most devastatingly, Austen has a confusing secret engagement to a fellow, and the plot of the event plays out very like the secret engagement in "Sense and Sensibility".  In short, this book is a treat for Austen fans to read, even though it is fiction, because James includes so many references to the plots and scenes from Austen's own six novels.

Unlike some of the novels which have been written about Austen's characters which take little from the original books, this work carefully meshes the original with very inventive fiction, and sends James to the top of my list of authors to keep reading.  I can't wait to see what she does with the life of Charlotte Bronte, whose "secret" memoirs she has also discovered.

Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell always writes funny happy romances. You get to know the characters in the book and become absorbed in their lives. Don't Want to Miss a Thing is full of laughs, romance and is just an all around makes you feel good book.

The book follows Dex who is living the high life in London. With money, a great job and a revolving door of women he has it all. When his sister unexpectingly passes away, he becomes the guardian to her 8 month old daughter Delphi. He quits his job and moves to the quaint village of Briarwood where he meets next door neighbor Molly. Molly is a comic strip artist and the two form a friendship that is always closely leading to something more.

I love the little gossipy town where the villagers always seem to know everything minutes after it happens. There are few surprising moments in the book that I never saw coming and I always have trying to decide what couple will end up together.  I love how Dex fumbles his way through raising Delphi. Most other men would have given up right away but he sticks to it and finally grows up.

If you are looking for a light easy romance to read make sure to place on hold on Jill's Mansell's Don't Want to Miss a Thing which is due out in November.

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick

After a crazy childhood, Emily is looking for the perfect life.  She wants the perfect husband with the white picket fence house.  After meeting her perfect fiance (he's a surgeon!) they plan a wedding in just months.  Emily wants everything to be perfect, but when she gets to the resort where the wedding will be at an unexpected vistor shows up-her ex-husband Ryan from 10 years ago.  And much to her surprise, he's not the slacker she left but a very successful movie producer.

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick is a typical chick lit book.  The book is set the week before Emily is supposed to be married and as each day passes more troubles come for Emily.  Her mother and future mother-in-law do not get along, her bridemaids are revolting, and their is nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she's making a mistake and marrying the wrong man.  Of course Ryan doesn't help much turning up every time Emily needs help.

If you are looking for a light chick lit read then this is the book for you.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

This book has a magical premise - there is a place called Austenland where modern romance-starved adults can experience Regency England, a place where Fashion Bug-attired women can change into empire-waisted gowns and spend their days in the leisurely manner of Jane Austen characters. Well, that's the place Shannon Hale writes about, again, in "Midnight in Austenland," this novel that is not quite a sequel to her previous book on the topic. This time, the heroine of the book is a divorced mother of two called Charlotte Kinder, who goes to Austenland as a vacation from the troubles and sorrows of her real life.

Unlike Hale's first "Austenland" novel, this book is more mystery than history. Charlotte has these "Inner Thoughts," which drive her forward into all kinds of dangerous ~ventures. Since there is no TV or other electronic amusement in this artificial 18th century world, the small group gathered at Pembrook Park play
a game called "Bloody Murder." But Charlotte does find a dead body during the hide-and-seek game which takes place in the darkened manor house. She doubts herself, and then has a hard time figuring out who to trust as she puts the pieces in the murder mystery together. She is almost killed twice, but figures out what really happened to vulgar Mr. Wattlesbrook by the end.

And yes, Charlotte does have a romantic encounter or two during her weeks in Austenland, finally ending up with the actor who was playing her brother in the fantasy scenario. And while she is willing to leave him behind in order to return to her children (who are staying with the ex-husband in the States), her relationship with the murderer means she has to remain in England as the chief prosecution witness. Being a good mother, she arranges for her children to come stay with
her there.

This is not as good a book as "Austenland." But Hale has several clever turns of phrase. Still, for me, the "Inner Thoughts" voice is maddening by the end of the book, and many times, Hale is just trying too hard to be clever. For example, this quote from the middle of the book. "Suddenly, her lungs did fine imitations of rabid dogs, snarling and snapping at her. MUST HAVE AIR, they said. Her eyeballs hurt, the cold pressure of the water unbearable. She released her held breath in a flurry of bubbles and beat her way to the surface." Not impossible to read through, but harder to read than it needs to be in such a light-weight novel.

As an Austen-related book, "MIA" is guaranteed some fans. And while a pleasant diversion for people who are not "lost in Austen," for me it is not Hale's best effort. It feels forced, as if her agent (or the public) demanded another book about this world of Austenland.

Submitted by Gerti

Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton

I am what you would call a completer. I compulsively need to finish the things I start. So there are very few movies that I haven't watched to the end, including "Easy Rider," which becomes utterly intolerable after the graveyard scene. And
there are very few books in my life that I have not been able to finish; I think the count up till today is one, although there may have been another back in my pre­ school days before I started really keeping track of such things. I tell you this
because Nina Benneton's "Compulsively Mr. Darcy" is challenging even my deeply rooted compulsion to finish reading it. I am on page 83, and I must admit defeat.

This is the second time tonight I have wanted to stop reading this book. While I'm now on Chapter 11, the first I wanted to stop reading altogether was when I got to Chapter 7 and read the title "Charles Bingley is a Lucky Whore." Now, if you've
ever read Pride and Prejudice," Jane Austen's great novel of society, love and manners, you know the character of Charles Bingley, who falls in love with the
Bennet family's oldest daughter Jane. He is a sweet, gentle, bumbling teddy bear of a Regency millionaire, and also Mr. Darcy's best friend. To call him "a lucky whore" is so totally wrong on so many levels, that I almost feel as though I need to throw up. And to have that offensive phrase come out of Benneton's modernized version of Elizabeth Bennet, the clever but innocent heroine of
Austen's novel, is also 50 shades of wrong.

The only real question for me, then, is why I read this far. I've got to give it to Benneton. The initial concept was clever. Darcy is travelling with buddy Bingley to Vietnam, because the Hursts (Bingley's sister and her husband) want to adopt a baby. Elizabeth is an infectious disease doctor at the local hospital there, and Jane runs the orphanage. I don't mind the characters being placed in a uniquely
different situation. I actually think it's clever. But what I like about the many Austen redux novels that I have read, is that the characters retain their basic natures. And I knew this author had lost her course when Elizabeth mentioned that her sisters Mary and Kitty has asked her for prescriptions for birth control. Funny, since those are the 2 sisters in Austen's original novel who do NOT get married, but wrong and perverse. And while to me it's OK for Joan Aiken to take a character like Mary Bennet or Jane Fairfax and make her more adventurous, or give her more of a social conscience. But to have the young girls ask their Berkley hippie doctor sister for the Pill is a little much for my sensibilities!

I apologize to the author for not being able to finish this book, and to Sourcebooks publishing for therefore not being able to judge it fairly. But I just can't live in a world where Mr. Darcy tells someone to "F off."

Submitted by Gertie

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

After a string of failed relationships Anne Blythe is sick of finding a man herself without help. Stumbling across a business card and believing it is for a dating service Anne sets up an appointment. To her shock she realizes it's not a dating service but an arranged marriage service.

Even though she can't believe it herself Anne goes through the process and after a few months she get told she has a perfect match with Jack.  The two meet for the first time on a Mexico vacation and get married the next day.  In the beginning they seem to get along fine but will she ultimately recieve her romantic ending?

This book made me think if I could truly go through this.  Would I be able to marry someone after only knowing them for just a few hours?  I wouldn't even imagine what my family would say.  Arranged marriages still happen around the world and I'm sure people can become happy and love the person that they married.  I liked the book because it was a topic I don't think I have seen before.

Anne is such a great character ("Anne of Green Gables" fans will notice that yes she was named after Anne Shirley and her brother's name is Gilbert-her mother was a fan!).  As she struggled throughout the book I began to care about her.  All the characters in the story were well written.

If you are looking for a different romanctic story then make sure to pick up "Arranged" by Catherine McKenzie.

The Perfect Game by J. Sterling

Reading Level: Adult
(3 out of 5)

My rating would have been higher without the added drama that I thought could have been resolved if the main male character hadn't been such a stubborn dummy!

With that said I enjoyed this book up until that part.  I liked the friction between the two main characters.  Jack Carter is a rising baseball star with a cocky swagger and the trail of broken hearts to prove it.  Cassie Edwards is a sassy photographer not afraid to steer clear of him.  Both are college juniors and when they meet Jack can't help but want to get to know Cassie better and Cassie can't help but not want to be one of Jack's love em and leave em girls.  Because Jack never goes back for seconds, until he meets Cassie.  Once they both decide to jump into the deep end together life isn't easy and they have major upsets.  One major upset I'm not sure I could get over but as the back cover says, "Sometimes life gets ugly, before it gets beautiful."

Long Shots books 1-3 by Christine D'Abo

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)

This is an e-book that you download from Overdrive. I have stepped over to the downloadable dark side people. I love the instant gratification of it. I still love the feel, heft, and smell of a book but you can't hate me for loving how you buy a book that you want and it just appears like manna from heaven. Anyhoo I digress.

I debated on whether or not I should blog about these books because well *blushes* uncontrollably they are naughty. But in a good way. If you totally got behind the Fifty Shades bandwagon then get behind this writer. Because even though I haven't read the Fifty books I'm going to say that these books were probably better on the naughty scale. The stories were really good too.

 Let's just say that there are three siblings. Book one is about Sadie, Book 2 is about Paige, and Book three is about Ian. Throw in a coffee shop, a sex club, gorgeous partners, and lots of fun and you get three great books. If you enjoy these books check out the 4th book Calling The Shots about the sex clubs owner Josh. It is also available on Overdrive.

 Have Fun!!!

Easy by Tammara Webber

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)

Being dumped by your boyfriend of three years has to be devastating.  But hearing his reasoning for it, "Jackie, I'm going to be a politician one day and I won't be able to get my hand down every girl's skirt I meet because it would cause a scandal so I have to do that now while I'm in college."

I might have put my own spin on that but I'm sure you get the gist.  Jacqueline, who was called Jackie by her ex-boyfriend Kennedy, I know right! isn't having a very good couple of weeks.  First she gets dumped by her boyfriend and second she gets attacked.  Thank heavens she has a guardian angel in the body of smokin hot tattooed, pierced Lucas.  He swoops in and saves her.

Jacqueline doesn't know what to make of him.  Lucas is everything she is not, laid back, slackerish, and oh so bad, in a good way.  Her friends push her at him to try and get her out of her break up funk.  But she also seems to have a flirtation going on with her economics tutor, Landon, online.  Although she hasn't seen him in person he is everything she likes in a guy, motivated, smart, and easy to talk to.  Will Jacqueline end up with Lucas, Landon, or both.  I have to keep you guys guessing until you read the book, which you must.  It was so good.  Hurry, go get it now!

Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill

I am steadily working my way through the Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Niell.  I am on book four right now.  Book two took me a little while to get through but three and four and picking up speed.  I really like the characters and the dialogue.  It's nice reading about areas I'm familiar with.  She mentions Gary in book three.  I'm just still not all that thrilled with the relationship between Merit and Ethan.  I want them together, not within arms reach.  It frustrates me!

In book two Friday Night Bites Merit moves into Cadogan House.  She is "dating" Master vampire Morgan of Navarre House and she still has the hots for Ethan.  Merit is trying to settle into being a vampire but she feels broken, like something went wrong when Ethan changed her.  On top of that vampires are having "raves", mass feeding parties, and Celina isn't as locked up as they said she was.




In book three Twice Bitten Merit is finally whole having went through the complete change.  She might also be ready to take the plunge with Ethan.  Shifters are coming to Chicago and Ethan wants to play nice.  They need their help if the you know what is going to hit the fan sooner than later.  Gabriel, the Alpha of Alpha's wants Merit to be is bodyguard. But of course Ethan is Ethan and messes everything up between the two of them.  So far in book four they haven't quite patched it up.


Ms. Niell they are really just to hot and sexy not to be having fun.  Just saying!

When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Amy Knackstedt is a widow with three children hoping to start over in Weaverly, Kansas.  But her new neighbor, Tim Roper, is not pleased to have an Old Order Mennonite family living next to his apple farm.  Tim left the Mennonite faith years before and didn't want any reminders.  Circumstances keep throwing Tim and Amy together and they form a friendship.  He can't help liking her kids.  It seems like there could be something more between them but can Tim get past his old prejudices to let love in?

This was a very nice story.  The Mennonites reminded me of the Amish.  They seem to live a simpler life, but did use electricity, indoor plumbing, cars, etc.   They did not have every convenience like a washer and dryer or a television. It was a sweet romance.  Those are nice every now and again.

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

This is the final book in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series by EL James. I've read
the other 2 "Fifty Shades" books, and I'd have to say that this is the weakest in
the set. As another reader of these books said to me before I started, this book
reads like a soap opera.

Here's the setup for the series - a rich, handsome billionaire named Christian
Grey begins to romantically pursue the wallflower protagonist - Anastasia Steele
- after she has to interview him when her journalist roommate is ill. The twist is
that Prince Charming, Grey, wants to do things with Ana that are very out of step
from the usual romance novel, things that would be more suited to a Penthouse
forum or the diary of the Marquis de Sade. But through Ana's love, Christian
modifies his tastes and becomes more normal and "vanilla." By the time this book
starts, the pair are married and on their honeymoon. Christian is still very
controlling and protective of his wife, but she constantly defies him, eventually to
her peril. Crazy ex's, bad bosses, and some scary times in vehicles occur before
the pivotal kidnapping scene, but all resolves happily, and as the novel closes,
we find the couple lounging with their son, awaiting the birth of their daughter.

What makes this book and the whole series wildly popular is the sex. James ­
writes the sex scenes well, and there are A LOT of sex scenes. But I shudder to
think of all the sweet, young things who might pick up this book, thinking this is
how their first sexual experience/partner will be. While titillating, Christian and
Anastasia's constant need for sex and each other, despite Anastasia's
inexperience with men (she is a virgin when they meet), speaks more to their
youth and James' need for a salacious page turner than to reality. James makes
each sex scene modern and different, and there is none of the awkwardness that
a reader finds sometimes in other bodice-rippers on the market. In this book,
Christian's sexual needs have become more vanilla, and Anastasia has
developed a taste for the kinky, so they have finally found some middle ground.

It is fascinating watching Christian's journey back to normal from where he
started in the first book, and I'm glad that I read this in order to complete the story
arc in my head. For new readers, however, this should not be the first book they
read in the series, and anyone who has read the other two like I have will be
more than relieved when this one ends that there are no more books in the
series. At least this will be the easiest one for filmmakers to adapt, because its
plot twists are very similar to many TV shows.

Submitted by Gerti