Title: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
ISBN: 978-0-5472-6367-0
Story Length: 228 pages
Genre: Young Adult Light Paranormal Romance

Back Cover of The Clearing

Every single night that summer I lay awake wishing my life were different. And then one day it was…but not in the way you probably think.

"Different" for Amy was moving from the city to her aunt’s trailer in the country–starting her senior year at a new high school, putting the pain of a broken relationship behind her, starting fresh.

"Different" was Henry, a teenage boy Amy meets in the clearing behind Aunt Mae’s. Henry dresses differently, talks differently, and treats her better than any guy she’s ever known. And she’s starting to fall for him.

But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of clearing, it’s 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known–but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

In this touching tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever…and learn that true love can be truly magical

Three Quick Points About The Clearing

• Point 1: Ultra-sweet. This is a book for true romantics at heart.
• Point 2: Melding two generations. Through beautiful prose, Davis paints a lovely portrait of the idyllic life of a bygone generation.
• Point 3: A few tiny holes. Some inconsistencies (and stupidities) pricked tiny holes in an otherwise beautiful story and made me wince.

Short Synopsis of The Clearing

After leaving an abusive relationship, sixteen-year-old Amy moves in with her great-aunt Mae. While in her care, Amy discovers a mist lining the forest and through it a clearing where she meets the eighteen-year-old Henry. Over time, the two fall in love, but there’s one problem: Henry (and his mother and grandfather) are stuck in 1944. It’s then up to the two of them to decide if and how they will be together.

My Thoughts on The Clearing

I hardly know where to begin with this one. The prose was beautiful; I especially love the descriptions of Henry’s side of the mist. I could almost feel the sun on my face and the honey-laden homemade biscuits melting in my mouth. And although the pacing was leisurely, it was so smooth and easy to read that I finished it in a day.

Then there is the romance, which is the cornerstone of the book. Its progression and development was old-school: Heavy on the courting with compliments and consideration. Although it was ultimately Amy’s story, I wanted to jump right in and sure enough, I would have married Henry had he proposed. It was absolutely sweet.

Not only did it show love in a different light than many contemporary young adult books, it inadvertently (and inconspicuously) touched on the topics of faith and purpose. Nothing preachy, but it did a nice job of reminding us that everyone has a purpose and that we are stronger than we often realize.

There were, however, three things that I didn’t care much for:

1. The character development of Jackson. He was made out to be a nice modern boy who was interested in Amy, but there was a scene which brought his chivalry into question along with his intentions with Amy. I wish there was another scene to clear it up.

2. There was a scene where Amy invites her ex-boyfriend—the abusive one—into her home while she was alone. And when a third party arrives, she turns him away so she can once again be alone with the abusive ex-boyfriend. It’s commendable that she wishes to deal with the situation head-on, but how she went about it was idiotic.

3. The ending was far too abrupt. I understood the intended effect, but in a messy situation (which was the entire foundation of the story) it was far too neat.

Although I’m not usually in the habit of saying books need to be longer, in this instance I feel it fits. The above problems certainly could have benefited from a few more scenes to smooth them out. Still, even with those flaws, this was a beautifully told story of love (romantic love, not lust).

Rating: Worth Every Penny [TPB] [B+] (?)

Title: Rumor Has It
Author: Jill Mansell
ISBN: 978-1402237508
Story Length: 416 pages
Genre: Chick Lit

Back Cover of Rumor Has It

This man doesn’t seem to match his reputation…

Newly single Tilly Cole impulsively moves to a small town, only to find she’s arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the most desirable man–irresistible Jack Lucas, whose reputation is beyond bad. Tilly has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. But the thoughtful, caring guy she comes to value as a friend doesn’t seem to fit the town’s playboy image. Tilly doesn’t know what to believe–and Jack’s not telling.

Three Quick Points About Rumor Has It

• Point 1: Somewhat predictable. It’s the nature of the beast with chick lit, but in the case of Tilly & Jack, it’s a bit more obvious than necessary.
• Point 2: Slow to start. The “good stuff” doesn’t begin to reveal itself until about the first five or six chapters in, but when it does it becomes a fun (and funny) romp.
• Point 3: Culture shock. I’ve read a bit of Brit chick lit, but this one seemed especially heavy on the Briticisms. It took quite some time to acclimate.

Short Synopsis of Rumor Has It

Tilly Cole arrives home one evening to find that her boyfriend has cleared out. She can’t afford her apartment on her own, so she takes a trip to visit her best friend Erin in the small town of Roxborough to drown her sorrows. But the small town dug its claws into Tilly and she ends up taking a job as a Girl Friday with one of its more prominent residents, Max Dineen and his teenage daughter Louisa.

Through her connection with Max, Tilly meets the most coveted bachelor, Jack Lucas. Unfortunately, his reputation precedes him and Tilly tries everything in her power not to fall for his charms.

While this is happening, there are a number of side stories: Erin is dating a separated, but not yet divorced man whose wife, Stella, is borderline nuts. And Kaye, Max’s ex-wife, accidentally runs over an important puppy in Hollywood and needs to escape back to her UK home to wait out the drama.

My Thoughts on Rumor Has It

I had to start this book a couple different times because it took a while to get into. It starts with a relative bang—Tilly coming home to a half cleaned out apartment—but I found Tilly to be a rather bland character. But around chapter five or six when the other characters and sub-stories were introduced, the pace and appeal of the book immediately picked up.

For me, Tilly was too plain Jane. Every once in a while she trips over something or says the wrong thing, but it all seemed random and misplaced. Then there’s Jack. Everyone is whispering that he’s a playboy and warning Tilly off of him. It all became too contrived, so I never really got into the blossoming of their relationship; I rolled my eyes more than not.

Thing is, I adored the side stories of Erin and Kaye. They were hilarious. Erin seemed far more real and affable than Tilly and Kaye was just off the wall wacky, reigned in when necessary, of course. Even Louisa, Kaye and Max’s teenage daughter, was just the right amount of quirky and watching her story unravel was quite pleasant. These would be the reasons I’d recommend reading this book and although the relationship between Tilly and Jack is supposed to be center stage, it felt more like a secondary story to me.

Also, if you aren’t used to reading British literature or watching the BBC, this book will take some getting used to. There are a number of slang terms used throughout; enough to make you raise an eyebrow and wonder what just happened. Once you get used to them, though, it’s smooth sailing.

Rating: Get It Used [C+] (?)

Back Cover of Hush, Hush

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Three Quick Points About Hush, Hush

• Point 1: The best kind of bad. The smokin’ hot half-nekkid angel guy on the front cover barely does Patch justice.
• Point 2: Nora disappears in the story. I mean that figuratively, of course. Her personality disappears. Sometimes she felt like a shrinking violet. (Not altogether a bad thing.)
• Point 3: The names made me cross-eyed. OK, some of the character names were so far out there, I had to stop reading, process, shake my head, then continue.

Full Review of Hush, Hush

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Hush, Hush Synopsis

One afternoon during biology lab, Nora Grey finds herself being paired up with the new kid, Patch. At first sight, Nora sees her good grades slipping through the cracks because the last thing that appears to be on his mind is schoolwork. But she quickly learns that she has far bigger problems.

Patch is the epitome of bad boy: always dressed from head to toe in black (except when wearing the occasional blue baseball cap), long black hair, black eyes, and hard body. She knows she should stay away from him, but there’s an electric attraction.

It’s not long before Nora suspects she’s being stalked and begins to hear voices in her head that aren’t her own and sees things that feel real, but aren’t. Nora’s world is falling apart all around her and her best friend Vee starts to think she’s a little crazy.

Then the physical attacks start. Someone smashes into her car while driving, people around her begin to get roughed up, and Nora can’t make any sense of it. But she knows who the prime suspect is: Patch.

Soon Nora realizes she’s at the center of a conspiracy of angelic proportions and has the make a sacrifice to save her life.

Final Thoughts On Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush is told from Nora’s first person point of view. The problem I see all too often with this is the narrator becoming too whiny or needy or haughty in the most disenchanting way. That wasn’t a problem here because Nora’s personality slipped into the background so the focus was on the story. The unfortunate side effect was that Nora wasn’t exactly rocking my world as far as characters go.

Vee, Nora’s best friend, and Patch, fallen angel. Now there are two well drawn characters. I found myself wondering what was wrong with Vee half the time and screaming at her to get some sense the other half. Patch was an enigma. A spicy enigma. (By the way, that was a pun. You’ll understand when you see where he works.)

I even loved the waitress and the bag lady who make an appearance in the story while Nora is doing some snooping in Portland. Though minor characters, their personalities were larger than life and each made me laugh. Unfortunately, the same treatment can’t be said for Elliot or Jules. They were all over the place and what made it worse was that both of them were somewhat major players in the story.

As for the story itself, it worked for the most part. In some areas, mainly when we’re getting an education about the angelic hierarchy and angel indiscretions, the story lags. It doesn’t lag for too long and the action picks back up.

There were a couple holes that made me raise an eyebrow and ask, “Why didn’t he/she just __________?” (filling in the blank would equal a spoiler) or “Ski mask, really?!?” (i.e. some of the things that happened were just weird—not creepy or mysterious or spooky weird—plain weird.) Luckily, those holes were relatively tiny and didn’t spoil the overall story for me.

And let’s not get me started on some of the character names…one or two weirdly named characters? No problem, but there has to be a limit.

Everything is eventually resolved and the questions (well, most of them) are wrapped up in the end. A few bits seemed like contrived afterthoughts bordering on cheesy, but again, not badly enough to ruin the story. While I won’t be pining over Patch for years to come, it was certainly an entertaining way to pass an afternoon.

(Oh yeah…that allusion to an “ancient battle” on the back cover? You won’t find anything too epic. No pitchforks or smiting swords or even angel on demon war action. I’m loathe to say it, but think of this more as Twilight with fallen angels instead of vampires.)

(Since I’m reviewing based on the ARC, I’ll snag a final copy sometime today and update if the ending is vastly different from the current version.)

UPDATE: I’ve had an opportunity to get out and about and spotted a copy of Hush, Hush at Sam’s Club. After comparing the ending of the ARC and the final release, I can say that not too much has changed. The final bit of dialog was tweaked and extended by a couple more paragraphs to ratchet up the heat factor and melt the (previous) cheese factor. So, with that said, the review still stands.

Rating: Worth every penny [TPB] [B] (?)

Back Cover of Ruined

Rebecca couldn’t feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She’s staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she’s invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he’s got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There’s just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.

A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.

As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend — and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey — she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Three Quick Points About Ruined

• Point 1: Fueled by racial tension. Handled delicately, for the most part, was the issue of race, its intermingling and its consequences.
• Point 2: New Orleans is real. The descriptions were rendered so tangibly that I felt I was in the city itself.
• Point 3: Mystery with a hint of romance. The story, for the most part, is Rebecca unraveling a mystery, but there was a hint of romance.

Full Review of Ruined

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Ruined Synopsis

When Rebecca Brown’s father must take an extended business trip to China, she’s sent to New Orleans. While there, she lives with Aunt Claudia, a close friend of her father, and her daughter Aurelia.

Despite the move not being one Rebecca’s eager to make, she tries to make the best of the situation, but it’s not easy. She has to attend a prep school where your class is dependent on your family’s surname and your income bracket.

Unfortunately, Rebecca ends up at the lower end of the scale and on the radar of the higher-ups, Helena Bowman and her ilk. To pour more salt in that wound, Rebecca catches the attention of Anton Grey, a hot guy from St. Simeon that Helena and every other girl at Rebecca’s prep school has been eyeing.

Her only friend (aside from Aurelia) becomes a ghost named Lisette that she meets in the cemetery. As their friendship progresses, a mystery begins to unfold. Rebecca is then charged with discovering the reason that Lisette’s spirit has failed to move on and why only two girls can see her.

Final Thoughts On Ruined

Ruined is three things: 1) a history and cultural lesson; 2) a ghost story with; and 3) a mystery. (I could add a fourth—romance—but it was so light that it really didn’t count.) All of these elements were weaved together so well that I didn’t realize fully what was happening until I finished the book.

Yes I understood that each part was happening individually. I understood that I was learning about New Orleans and its culture, that there was a ghost whose story needed to be told, and a mystery that needed to be solved, but it was done so well that each part sustained the others.

New Orleans was painted so vividly that it became another character unto itself. It was rendered by an author who clearly loves the city.

For the most part, all the characters were nicely developed with only a few areas of contention. Helena Bowen was not nearly mean enough throughout the book to justify what she wants done (along with her mother) toward the end of the story. She comes across as more of a catty teenager with a stick up her butt than a true villainess.

Lisette’s character was delicately drawn despite being a ghost. She was sensitive and confused and frightened. She was a real girl. I especially enjoyed the trek that she and Rebecca make to learn more about Lisette’s history and the other ghosts they encounter. Each one was an individual.

Then there is the mystery surrounding Rebecca, Lisette, and Helena and their families. It’s interesting, and sometimes intense, but there were a few areas and rabbits out of the hats that threw me for a complete loop-de-loop and made me say, “Really?!?” (Yes, out loud.)

The story itself flowed nicely, but there were a few areas that yanked me out of the story altogether—some of the race relations and there seemed to be an agenda for getting teens to volunteer. These, in themselves, are not bad things, it was jarring how they were worked into the story.

Overall, the book was a fun and quick read. There is a dark element, but nothing entirely frightening. A touch of romance is included, but it’s not an overreaching theme. The sex, drugs, and violence are kept to a minimum. (There is one scene toward the end where it gets dicey, but I’ve seen worse watching Supernatural.)

Rating: Worth Every Penny [TBP - B+] (?)

Ruined: A Ghost Story is available at Amazon

Back Cover of Hannah

Hannah wants to be normal, but she’s not. The sea calls to her, and she can see a delicate tracing of scales on her legs. Billowing waves soothe her, but flat land makes her sick. She knows there’s something wild in her that’s different, wrong–and deeply thrilling.

Only one person seems to know who–or what–Hannah is. He’s a guest in the house where she works as a scullery girl, and his fascinated gaze follows her. She doesn’t understand his terrifying allure, or her longing. But even as the mystery deepens, Hannah is sure of one thing. A sea change is coming.

Three Quick Points About Hannah

• Point 1: Deus ex machinas abound! Hannah’s problems were all too easily resolved.
• Point 2: The intended audience must be precocious children or idyllic teens. In general, too superficial for an audience over 12 with words too laborious for an audience under 15.
• Point 3: It’s the book equivalent of Chinese food.

Full Review of Hannah

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Hannah Synopsis

This entire book could easily be summarized in one sentence: Hannah Albury, a 15 year old orphan who is drawn to the sea, becomes a scullery made for a prominent Bostonian family and while summering with them on the Maine coast, discovers that she’s a mermaid.

That’s pretty much it.

Final Thoughts On Hannah

Eager was I to read this book. I polished it off in an afternoon. It was rather enjoyable, but I had trouble deciphering the intended audience.

The story was overly simplified—think Saturday morning cartoons where we see that the evildoer is defeated by a laser beam and the hero exclaims, “Haha! I have defeated the evildoer with my laser beam!” and then the evildoer cries out, “Oh no, I’ve been defeated by a laser beam!”

In the first two chapters, Hannah explains that she feels ill if she even thinks about moving away from the sea, then to reinforce the image, she’s sent to Kansas by the headmistress of the orphanage, becomes deathly ill, and is sent back to Boston. When she arrives back in Boston, the headmistress is mysteriously gone and replaced with a sweetheart who sees Hannah’s potential and sets her up with a prominent Bostonian family. Anyone over the age of twelve would have recognized that deus ex machina, cementing my belief the book was intended for young readers.

What gave me pause was the audacious use of vocabulary—words such as lugubrious, conflagration, chiaroscuro, and gewgaw to name only a few. These are words one is more likely to find handed out to high school sophomores and juniors. It felt incongruous with the simple storyline.

I’d have believed the older teen/young adult target audience if the story had more depth of emotion and more developed sub-plots. For instance, the profound affection that Hannah and Stannish Wheeler have for one another stretches the imagination when all they’ve shared were a few flirtatious glances and a couple ambiguous discussions. It hinted that Hannah and Stannish were possibly connected in another life together, but it was never elaborated in the story and resulted in the emotional impact falling flat.

Another thread that seemed frayed was Lila Hawley, the eldest daughter, and her macabre connection to Jade, evil kitty minion. I loved the development there. Lila and her cat were effectively creepy and actually, I found myself wanting to know more about Lila than Hannah. But by the end of the story, I wondered what her purpose was in the overall story, other than to antagonize Hannah (and when she became too problematic, Lila was shipped away). I get the feeling we’ll see more of her in a later book, but it’s not a certainty.

This is a trend I’ve been seeing more of lately—books withholding logical closure or keeping the key relationships superficial in order to promote future installments of a series. A trend possibly due to the success of Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and others.

With those particular series, however, each book is a fully self-contained story where there is a strong plot set up, climax, and conclusion with a lead in to the next story designed to pique curiosity. I didn’t get that with Hannah. Barring her self-discovery at the end (which most people going into the story already know), nothing of substantial consequence happened—no strong plot set up, climax, or conclusion.

Hannah is not overtly bad—the writing is good, it presented a great overview of nineteenth century American aristocratic life, and breezed along nicely—but it was the book equivalent of Chinese food—tastes good going down, but an hour later, you’re hungry again.

Rating: Get it used [B-/C+] (?)

Hannah (Daughters of the Sea, Book 1) available on Amazon

Back Cover of A Certain Slant of Light

Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead.

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: For the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen–terrified, but intrigued–is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

Three Quick Points About A Certain Slant of Light

• Point 1: Classic voice wrapped in a contemporary setting. It felt more like reading historical literature than contemporary fiction, despite its 21st century setting.
• Point 2: James and Helen (once she gets a body) are bunnies. And I don’t mean cute. I mean they like to get down and dirty. A lot. And passionately.
• Point 3: More questions than answers. After the final page is closed, a lot of questions about the meaning of life and death are still lingering in the air, unanswered.

Full Review of A Certain Slant of Light

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

A Certain Slant of Light Synopsis

Helen has passed on, but her spirit remains as what she refers to as Light. To sustain her existence, she clings to living hosts and follows them about their lives, careful not to drift too far away.

Through her current host, a modern high school English professor, she meets James. He is also Light, but inhabiting the body of Billy Blake. At first, Helen is frightened that someone living (Quick) can see her, but soon discovers the true story.

As James and Helen come to know each other, their desire to connect on a physical level grows and they decide Helen needs a body. Both with physical bodies, they proceed to live the lives of their hosts, though they have none of their memories and each one has their own set of problems.

(Billy Blake is from a broken home where his older brother Mitch is his caretaker and Jenny Thompson lives with extremely religious parents whose world is quietly crumbling.)

Through these physical bodies, both James and Helen are able to figure out what happened to them and ultimately move on. Along the way, however, they make decisions that greatly affect the lives of their individual hosts.

Final Thoughts On A Certain Slant of Light

A Certain Slant of Light reminded me of The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Knight Shyamalan), except told from a ghost’s perspective. And when I closed the book, I realized it was more about how actions can affect others than a straightforward romance.

Using prose and pacing found usually in historical literature, Helen brings us through the story, explaining what it feels like to be Light, how it feels to find love with James, and her struggle with doing the right thing as opposed to following her desires when it comes to the lives of Billy and Jenny.

I didn’t care much for how the love developed between James and Helen; call me cynical, but I don’t entirely buy the love in two days scenario even if they were the only two Light on earth—in that respect, Whitcomb didn’t sell it for me—but I could understand their magnetism.

Plus, there was an undercurrent to the story: how James and Helen’s actions were affecting the lives of Billy and Jenny. Inadvertently, both James and Helen needed to help their hosts, whose souls had vacated their bodies beforehand, in order to free themselves and bring their hosts back to their rightful homes. In essence, James and Helen needed to do what Billy and Jenny could not.

Although Billy’s story was cut off due to perspective, it’s relatively simple to assume that he needed to confront his brother and father in order to move forward in his life. And Jenny needed to confront her parents—more specifically, her mother, and let them know who she was as a person rather than shrinking away into oblivion.

At the end of the book, there are plenty of strings untied, but it’s left up to the reader to tie them. For instance, in the case of Billy and Jenny, they seem to be in one fine mess, however, another way of looking at it would be that Billy and Jenny were drawn together for a deeper reason and they would continue forward, helping each other and possibly finding lasting love.

Also, one wonders about Helen’s first husband. After she was finally able to pass over, she sees James and they are together once again, but it was mentioned she had another husband who she had a child with—was James this husband? Again, a question for the reader to answer.

Finally, there’s plenty of allegory to decipher which brings up questions about the meaning of life and death and even God. Great book to pick up for discussions as there are likely to be many conflicting opinions. However, it’s important that the reader enjoys classic literature on some level, otherwise the motility could seem sluggish. It helps, too, if one is in the right state of mind before reading.

NB: There is some explicit sexual content, though very tastefully done, and some mature subjects. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone under 16—or at least, not mature enough to handle such content.

Rating: Worth every penny [TPB] (?)

A Certain Slant of Light at Amazon

I’ve met so many wonderful people in the book-blogosphere that every moment I was away from TIR, I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

This month has been a busy/crazy one, without going into details, but things are starting to calm down a little bit and I’ll have more time to devote to reading and writing reviews.

In the meantime, however, I’ve just discovered something I think I love: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.

A while ago, I picked up the complete works of Jane Austen and began reading Sense & Sensibility, but it didn’t suck me in and life got in the way. Eventually I put down that book and dove into the Chronicles of Narnia (as part of the re-reading challenge).

After spending three books in Narnia, I decided I needed a break and picked up Jane again. This time I skipped ahead and started reading Pride & Prejudice (based on the synchronicity of two of my friends’ comments) and let’s just say I started reading the wrong book first. P&P sucked me in from the beginning and kept my attention through ’til the end.

One interesting thing that I noted while reading the book is how easy it is for our own perceptions to cloud better judgment. Austen truly captured the nuances of the different personalities and how those nuances can affect an individual’s actions, for better or worse.

I’m debating on writing a review since Austen reviews already abound. I may just write a very short one explaining why I liked it specifically, but leave out all the summations and analysis. Until that day comes though, just know that I thoroughly enjoyed it and can see it being added to my re-read list. It made me laugh out loud, gasp, and experience the full range of emotion while reading–which is what a good book ought to do.

(On a completely random tangent, I have the roughcut edition and I love it; I feel as if the rough edges give the physical book some character.)

Back Cover of Boy Meets Girl

Meet Kate Mackenzie. She:

• works for the T.O.D. (short for Tyrannical Office Despot, also known as Amy Jenkins, Director of the Human Resources Division at the New York Journal)
• is sleeping on the couch because her boyfriend of ten years refuses to commit
• can’t find an affordable studio apartment anywhere in New York City
• thinks things can’t get any worse.

They can. Because:

• the T.O.D. is making her fire the most popular employee in the paper’s senior staff dining room
• that employee is now suing Kate for wrongful termination, and
• now Kate has to give a deposition in front of Mitch Hertzog, the scion of one of Manhattan’s wealthiest law families, who embraces everything Kate most despises…but also happens to have a nice smile and a killer bod.

The last thing anybody–least of all Kate Mackenzie–expects to find in a legal arbitration is love. But that’s the kidno f thing that can happen when…BOY MEETS GIRL.

Three Quick Points About Boy Meets Girl

• Point 1: Voyeurism on a whole new level. The entire story unfolds via correspondence such as office emails, forms, IMs, phone messages, lists, and journal entries. Very clever.
• Point 2: Where’d the time go? Since the story unfolds via correspondence, it’s difficult (if not completely impossible) to track how much time has passed. That also contributes to the disingenuous evolution of Kate and Mitch’s relationship.
• Point 3: Predictable ending with a nifty twist. This being the type of book that it is, it won’t be a surprise that girl ends up with prince charming, but it’s the twist at the end that makes it worthwhile.

Full Review of Boy Meets Girl

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Boy Meets Girl Synopsis

Boy Meets Girl opens with Kate Mackenzie working on a warning letter for an employee named Ida Lopez, the company’s dessert lady, because she sometimes refuses to serve dessert to certain people whom she deems to be undeserving. These people, of course, find it necessary to complain.

Kate, however, does not get a chance to finish this letter of reprimand because Ida decides she will not serve another piece of pie to Stuart Hertzog, part of the company’s legal staff. Stuart happens to be dating Amy Jenkins (aka the Tyrannical Office Despot, Kate’s boss) and he requests that Ida be fired. Wanting to be a good girlfriend, Amy complies and tells Kate to stop working on the letter and terminate Ida.

After Ida is let go, she files suit against the company and names both Amy and Kate as part of the suit. In the course of the suit, Kate meets Mitch Hertzog, who has been assigned to the case because Stuart, his brother, has a conflict of interest (seeing as how it was his fault Ida lost her job in the first place).

Kate expected Mitch to be as shifty as his brother Stuart, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was nothing like she expected. Unfortunately, due to one of his chivalrous acts, Kate ends up losing her job. Luckily, with a bit of help from Kate’s friends, he’s able to set things right again and sweep Kate off of her feet.

Final Thoughts On Boy Meets Girl

This book was infectious. I thought I would pick it up to pass a couple hours, but ended up reading it straight through. First, the fact that this book evolves through correspondence and journal entries was clever and well done. There are so many ways I could have seen such a format crashing and burning, but in this story, it worked. One quirk I did happen to catch, however, is that sometimes individual personalities weren’t completely respected.

For instance, Kate often clarifies who she’s talking about by tacking on a fragmented sentence, such as “Mitch, I mean” and as the story continued, I caught other people doing the same thing, even when their previous correspondence wouldn’t have suggested that it wasn’t one of their idiosyncrasies. It didn’t detracted greatly from the story or the reading though.

The handling of Ida was beautifully done (until the end). If you’re just breezing through the book, it would be easy to miss, but aside from making delectable treats, she’s also a bit psychic. And the whole reason Kate and Mitch were able to find each other was because of Ida. Another clever aspect of the book was the recipes sprinkled throughout. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but they actually do look like recipes you can use. My only quarrel was with Ida’s ending. I understand why and was glad for her, but I just didn’t like the how.

But you’re probably wondering about the juicy bits, the actual romance that unfolds through the story. What I liked about this particular romance is that it was cute and seemed like a natural unfolding. What made it unnatural, however, was the lack of time transpiring. Love was declared, but it seems odd considering Kate and Mitch could not have known each other very long—or it just seemed as though it wasn’t very long. In essence, it seemed rushed.

For the most part, each of the characters were very well drawn. What I found surprising (and pleasantly so) was the depth of evil that dwelled within some of the characters’ hearts and that they were rendered without censure onto the page. Kind of like getting to peer in the minds of people when they think no one is looking.

On a final note, this book may cause hysterical laughter.

Rating: Worth Every Penny [TPB] (?)

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Back Cover of I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back…

…sort of.

Ava can’t see or touch him, unless she’s dreaming. She can’t hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she’s crazy, but she knows he’s here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she’s spend the rest of her life with. He’s back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Three Quick Points About I Heart You, You Haunt Me

• Point 1: It’s really written in verse. OK, I read that it was a verse novel, but I really didn’t know what to expect and true enough, the entire novel, all 200+ pages of it, is one long continuous verse.
• Point 2: So he’s a poltergeist? Sort of. Let me be upfront here and say I expected a creepier haunting (it’s filed under “Spine-Chilling Horror” at Amazon) and it was anything but. Overall though I couldn’t complain.
• Point 3: Short story in book form. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but once I finished the book, I realized it could easily be translated into a short story.

Full Review of I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me Synopsis

I Heart You, You Haunt Me is told, in verse, from the perspective of fifteen year old Ava who’s mourning the death of her boyfriend Jackson. The story begins at his funeral and as we follow the thread, we learn how he and Ava met, about their relationship, and ultimately how he died.

During this grieving period, Jackson comes back to Ava as a ghost. Although he can’t be with her like he used to, he invents creative ways to get her attention and make his presence known.

Ava is afraid to tell her parents and friends about Jackson because they would call her crazy, so she decides to keep him all to herself. Of course, dating a ghost is tricky; a lesson that Ava learns the hard way and she’s forced to make a decision that could change her life forever.

Final Thoughts On I Heart You, You Haunt Me

I Heart You, You Haunt Me was not anything like I expected. I was expecting something a bit more on the creepier side of things, but “Spine-Chilling Horror” it was not; there wasn’t anything that made me want to flick on the lights or sleep with one eye open when I was finished.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t like the story. In fact, I really enjoyed it and it haunted me a bit after I finished reading.

It was a quick read, and it brings you through all the stages of Ava’s grief in quick bursts. I would have liked to know more about Jackson and the details surrounding his death. Not to say that glimpses aren’t given, but sometimes I found myself wondering if he was abusive in life (eventually, that was cleared up and, as far as I can tell, he wasn’t).

Toward the end, a character named Lyric was introduced. While I understand why he was introduced (from an analytical standpoint), something about its development stuck out like a throbbing red thumb.

When Ava first met him, I was looking forward to seeing how the relationship would develop, but it was too rushed and the problem it presented was resolved far too easily. I don’t want to say much more than that for fear of giving up too big a spoiler.

That section should have been stretched out, possibly through another interlude that transitions their relationship. And even though I yearned to know more about the characters, I didn’t feel as though I didn’t know enough.

What I believe is so beautiful about this book is the message of healing it imparts with the resolution of Ava and Jackson. Again, I’ll hold my tongue, but suffice to say that anyone who has ever lost love (whether through a break up or death) could relate and, I hope, gain something from this book.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)

I’d also like to add that I can definitely see myself re-reading this book in the future. It’s quite sensitively written, and has an ethereal quality. You can also read an excerpt online.

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Back Cover of The Lady Flees Her Lord

She’s desperate for peace and safety…

Lucinda, Lady Denbigh, is running from a husband who physically and emotionally abuses her because she is unfashionably plump and has failed to produce an heir. Posing as a widow, she seeks refuge in the quiet countryside…

He’s returned from the wars, wounded and tormented…

Lord Hugo Wanstead, with a wound that won’t heal, and his mother’s and Spanish wife’s deaths on his conscience, finds his estate impoverished, his sleep torn by nightmares, and brand his only solace. When he meets Lucinda, he finds her beautiful—body and soul—and thinks she just might give him something to live for…

Together they can begin to heal, but not until she is free from her violent past…

Three Quick Points About The Lady Flees Her Lord

• Point 1: The descriptions were lush and beautiful. I felt as though I were in the 19^th century countryside along with them and experiencing everything they were experiencing.
• Point 2: There were huge flaws in the character development. Lucinda (Lady Denbigh) is an intelligent and strong-willed woman who somehow manages not to do the first thing most intelligent and strong-willed women would do after fleeing Lord Denbigh and it rang false. Hugo has the weakest “fear” that rang even more false than Lucinda’s actions.
• Point 3: This book was written and edited in stages. As I was reading, I’d go through long stretches without a single noticeable grammatical or spelling error, then I’d come to a patch where there was literally one every other page. It was quite easy to figure out which sections were done at different times.

Full Review of The Lady Flees Her Lord

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

The Lady Flees Her Lord Synopsis

The Lady Flees Her Lord, set in 19th century England starts in London and then shifts to the countryside, when Lucinda (Lady Denbigh) escapes from her physically and emotionally abusive husband before she’s made into a prostitute at a party.

While waiting for transportation, a child is abandoned in her care. After some thought, she realizes that Lord Denbigh would likely be looking for a woman traveling alone and decides to keep the child.

Before long, she finds herself leasing a home on Lord Wanstead’s property. When he returns from the war, he’s a grumpy man laden with guilt (to put it mildly), but he’s instantly attracted to Lucinda’s strong carriage. Since he doesn’t want to find himself involved with another woman, he does everything he can to have her removed from his property. Unfortunately, his affairs and finances are in such disarray that kicking her out, along with her money, is not an option.

Lucinda, having become a fixture in the community, begins to help Wanstead turn his finances and estate around by reorganizing his books and even volunteering to help put together a fete. Over time, as the two get to know each other better, their attraction to each other increases until they end up enjoying spicy carnal pleasures with one another.

And since bliss rarely lasts forever, theirs comes to an abrupt end when Wanstead inadvertently finds out Lucinda’s secret. Since Wanstead had a wound on his thigh that refused to heal, he needed to make a trip to a surgeon in London to have it looked after. While gambling, he sees Lucinda’s painting and finds out that she’s the runaway Lady Denbigh. Knowing that Lord Denbigh is searching for her, Wanstead sends Lucinda away and as she’s trying to get her affairs in order to flee, Denbigh finds her.

After some interesting altercation, and the Denbigh situation solved, Lucinda shares with Wanstead that she is with child. That’s when his painful secret comes out into the open and Lucinda is faced with a difficult decision.

Final Thoughts On The Lady Flees Her Lord

The Lady Flees Her Lord started out smoothly. It starts out with Lucinda trying to flee her home and being thwarted only to find that she needs to leave right away and needing to come up with a spur of the moment plan.

During the set up, we’re shown what type of woman Lucinda is and that’s a strong-willed woman who is a little self-conscious because of the continued verbal and physical abuse issued by her husband, Lord Denbigh.

The descriptions were lush; it rendered the scene so clearly that you could almost feel the grass between your toes and the cool country air blowing across your face.

No, the descriptions and prose are not what I had a problem with at all. My gripes arose due to ponderous character flaws in the two main characters.

Lucinda admittedly came from a happy, healthy family who loved and cared about her. Yet, when she fled Denbigh, she didn’t try to get in contact with them. The question kept nagging at me: Why not? Based on the information given, they would certainly have helped her had she gone to them, and Lucinda is not a weak-willed or stupid woman. She’s painted as a strong woman who can hold her own in games of skill and strategy. Aside from this, her character was well developed. I liked her, but I would have liked her more if she had tried to contact her family. (It would have been more plausible had she tried to contact her family and failed.)

Hugo (who may have been Hugh at some point—at least according to the Freudian slip made on page 216), having returned from the war was feeling incredibly guilty about the deaths of his mother and his Spanish wife. Constantly he’s talking about how guilty and bad he feels. The first couple of times he eluded to it, it sparked curiosity, but as it continued on it became annoying. At one point (about 200 pages in), I actually opened my mouth and told him to either spill the beans or shut up about his having “killed” these two woman (not to sound insensitive or anything). Then, when his big secret is revealed, I truly wanted to fling the book against the wall. Rather than beat up an otherwise good book, I decided to roll my eyes and sigh instead.

Barring those two transgressions, the book was a quick and entertaining read. The language and prose are delightful and it’s definitely a nice way to pass the time while sipping on a glass of wine and enjoying some chocolate delights. (As the dedication implies.)

Completely random: It’s obvious from reading the book that the gentleman on the cover is not Wanstead. How do I know this? In the book, Wanstead has a lot more chest hair goin’ on.

Rating: Get it used (?) 3.5/5 stars

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