The Season by Sarah MacLean

Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued -- in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet.

When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband? Romance abounds as this year's season begins!

This book was a lot different than I’d expected. Rather than a murder mystery with a touch of romance, it was a romance novel with a touch of mystery. It was also far better than my expectations.

Alex and her best friends, Vivi and Ella, were brilliant characters. All three had strong opinions and wacky personalities that added a lot of color to the novel. Without them though, the book would’ve still been good, it just wouldn’t have been nearly as colorful. They are the type of girls you’d want at your side should you ever find yourself in danger, like Alex, or just sitting in a parlor gossiping.

The mystery wasn’t as prominent as I’d expected it to be and even though I’d had the killer pegged from early on I found that I didn’t mind. It provided the perfect undercurrent to the romance between Gavin and Alex, lending an air of suspense and suspicion at just the right moment to keep your attention.

Finally, there is Gavin. The romance that forms between him and Alex is electric. You can practically feel the chemistry leaping of the page. I don’t know what more I can say, other than aw!


The Season was by far one of the better Regency era novels I’ve read, an instant favorite.

5 Stars!

If you liked this, you may like: La Petite Four by Regina Scott and/or Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover... Or Can You?

I wasn't planning on doing a You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover...Or Can You? (which reminds me, I'm taking suggestions for a new title because that is way too long) this week , but I saw this cover on Amazon.com and I had to post it so I'm putting together in impromptu post.


In case you didn't know, I love Shakespeare. And a great deal of that is because of Lisa Klein's Ophelia. I hadn't really developed an interest in Shakespeare, or literature in general for that matter, until I read Ophelia. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to read Hamlet and my love of literature blossomed from there.

So when I met Lisa's editor on Ophelia, Julie Romeis, at an event in San Francisco a few years ago and she told me that Lisa was going to be writing another Shakespeare-based novel, this time about Macbeth, I was extremely excited.

Needless to say, I'm was very happy to see the cover. The book will be released October 13, 2009 (the day after my birthday!). Right now there's not an official synopsis, but if you want to find out more about Lady Macbeth's Daughter you can check out Lisa's website here.

Chick Chat: Mandy Hubbard

Mandy Hubbard is the author of Prada and Prejudice, a brand new YA novel. For more information about Mandy and Prada visit her website or blog.
____________________________________________________________________


Did you always want to be an author? If so why? If not what did you want to be?
No, actually, I didn't! I grew up wanting to be a vet, until I discovered that blood made me woozie, school was just as long or longer than to be a doctor, and vets don't make nearly as much as M.D.'s. When I was 20, I started writing, and it's been my passion ever since. Guess I'm a late bloomer!

Is being an author what you expected?
Yes, and no. I think we all glamorize authors, thinking they live in luxury, get up at noon and write in their pajamas, and make millions. In actuality its a lot of hard work crammed in wherever I can find the time! But it is SO worth it and I'd do it a thouand times over. :-)

What was your road to publishing like?
Oy! I could yammer on about this for hours. I think I'll just direct you to this post instead: http://mandywriter.livejournal.com/193306.html

What inspired you to write Prada and Prejudice?
I really love the regency era, but the romances set in Regency England always feature historical main characters, naturally. I wanted a more modern girl-- one like me--but I still love the romance of that time period. So I just combined the two to create my dream book.

What was it like to see your book in stores?
Magical! Seriously, it is really, really amazing to see the book just sitting there amidst stacks of others. It stops me in my tracks and makes me grin!

How did you celebrate the release of Prada?
I spent the day driving to local book stores, signing stock. I also had a fabulous lunch. I blogged about it-- with pictures-- here: http://mandywriter.livejournal.com/193886.html

Most writers have a close friend and/or family member that gives them support and criticism. Do you have anyone like this in your life? If so how have they contributed to your writing?
I actually don't have anyone "in real life" that reads my work. None of my friends or family are writers. Instead I share it with my critique partner, Cyn Balog (her debut, FAIRY TALE, comes out June 23.) She has really helped me throughout the years, whether it's brainstorming help or honest critiques!

Many teens dream of becoming authors. What advice would you give to writing teens?
Read voraciously and be willing to revise. The best thing you can do is find a critique partner or group and work at perfecting your craft. I have an agent and editor and yet I don't send them ANYTHING until a critique partner has gone through it!

Would you rather see Prada turned into a TV show or a movie?
Movie. I think it works really well with one solid story arc-- there's only so much you can do with a modern girl in 1815 before she would be fairly assimilated to their culture.

If you could cast anyone to play your characters what would your dream cast be?
I would love Taylor Momsen (Jenny in gossip girl) for Callie. For her english frend Emily, I think Emma Watson (of Harry Potter) would be awesome. Alex could be played by Justin Gaston-- he's in Taylor Swift's LOVE STORY video and he dresses just like Alex does, and he REALLY pulls it off. I'd also be okay with Robert Pattinson-- he has an english accent and everything. :-)

Besides writing and reading what else are you passionate about?
There are other things to be passionate about? hehe, kidding. Food. I am a total foodie. Also, horses and quads and music.

What are some of your favorite books?
Recent (or forthcoming) books:
HATE LIST (Brown)
A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL (Walker)
GOING TOO FAR (Echols)

Older work:
Z for Zachariah
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies?
TV:
THE DEADLIEST CATCH
THE OC
GOSSIP GIRL

Movies:
EMPIRE RECORDS
THE NOTEBOOK
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
13 GOING ON 30

Are you working on anything right now? If so, what and when can readers expect to see it in stores?
DRIVEN is my next official release-- its a romance novella due out from Harlequin in June 2010. I also have a number of YA projects in the works, and I hope to have more to share about that soon!

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Callie is tired of being a clumsy geek-girl. So during a school trip to London she buys her ticket to popularity: a pair of real Prada pumps. But then she wobbles on the cobblestones, trips on her too-high heels, and conks her head. When she comes to, it’s the year 1815!

Luckily she meets kindhearted Emily, who mistakes Callie for a long-lost friend. Sparks soon ignite – of the nice and not-so-nice variety- between Callie and Alex, the handsome but totally arrogant Duke of Harksbury. Too bad Alex seems to have something sinister up his ruffled sleeve…

Can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, win a kiss from Alex, and prove to herself that she’s more than just a loud-mouth klutz before her time in the past is up?

I stumbled (pun not intended) across Mandy Hubbard’s blog a little over a year ago. As soon as she told me about her debut novel Prada and Prejudice I knew that I had to read it. In addition to being a huge fan of Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice, I also love novels set in Regency England, so it sounded perfect. And after following Mandy’s road to publication I was even more excited for Prada’s release, and it didn’t disappoint.

I fell head over heels for this book (pun intended) from the start. While Callie’s time in the 21st century was brief, I still felt like I got a chance to know her fairly well before she arrived in the 1800s. However, I didn’t get to know the supporting characters very well before hand. Even though they did not play a major role in the story, I think that ending would’ve been stronger if I had made more of a connection with the girls.

The inhabitants of the mansion, while appearing fairly one sided at the start, were wonderful. Emily, who was adorable, reminded me a lot of Lydia from Pride and Prejudice, bubbly and cute, but without much substance otherwise. However, as the story went on I began to learn more about her and her character began to become more complex and three dimensional. The same happened with the gorgeous duke, Alex, and uptight dowager, Victoria.

In addition to being cute, Prada was also incredibly funny. Callie’s klutzy personality, combined with her lack of knowledge about the customs of the era, made for a lot of hilarity. Callie, however, was not the only humorous character. To my surprise Emily also proved to be rather funny. Her refusal to accept Callie and Alex’s dislike of each other and consequently force them together earned many laughs.

Its relatively small page count is another bonus. It’s just long enough to tell the story in a satisfactory way, without dragging it out. Plus, it’s the perfect length and story for a lazy summer day when you just want to curl up with a good book.

Prada and Prejudice is a wonderful, light-hearted romance that I can see myself reading over and over again.

5 stars!

If you liked this, you may like: Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors or The Season by Sarah MacLean.

Suite Scarlett + PB Teen Giveaway

When Scarlett Martin turns fifteen she is put in charge of the Empire Suite, one of the rooms in her family’s hotel. Enter Mrs. Amberson, an aging C-list starlet who decides to employ Scarlett. Soon, she is taking dictation, running around New York City, and getting caught up in Mrs. Amberson’s crazy adventures. In the midst of it all, Scarlett falls in love–or so she thinks–and it takes Mrs. Amberson to help her see the light. Now available in paperback!

For more information visit: http://www.thisispoint.com/

One (1) grand prize winner will receive:

• A paperback copy of Suite Scarlett


• $50 PB Teen gift card

Four (4) second place winners will receive:

• A paperback copy of Suite Scarlett

To enter to win all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your *name and *email. All entries must be received by midnight EST on July 7, 2009.

Good luck!

*If you're not comfortable with leaving your name and email in a comment, you may also email me you're entry.

Contests!

Looking for a chance to win this summer? Check out these great contests from YA authors:

Giving It Away For Free

(the only time Momma would approve)

Serena Robar is giving it away for free the entire month of June. That’s right. A book a day, every day in honor of her latest book release Giving Up the V. All you have to do to is sign up for her newsletter and you are entered to win. Enter once and you are in the running to win a book every day the entire month of June.

What's So Wrong With Waiting?

Spencer Davis just turned sixteen. But unlike most hormonal teenagers who seem obsessed with sex -- like her entire crew of friends -- Spencer just doesn't get it. She'd rather wait for the right guy and the right moment. But that moment may be arriving sooner than she'd thought.

Enter Benjamin Hopkins, a new transfer student who seems to have his eyes on our V-card-carrying heroine. He's gorgeous, funny, suave, athletic, and capable of making Spencer's knees wobble with a single glance. Spencer has never felt this way about anyone before, but is Ben truly V-worthy?

Coolest Teacher of All Time Contest

Has a teacher made a huge difference in your life? Want to have the name of your favorite teacher of all time immortalized in my forthcoming novel, Hope in Patience?

Beth Fehlbaum, author of the popular Courage in Patience, wants to hear about the Coolest Teacher You Ever Had. In 50 words or less, e-mail her (beth@bethfehlbaum.com) and tell her the name of the Coolest Teacher Ever, what that teacher did that made him or her so awesome, and include a physical description of him or her, too! She will choose 2 Coolest Teachers-- one male teacher and one female-- and the names of those teachers will be used for characters in Hope in Patience, the sequel to Courage in Patience. What's in it for you, you may ask? She will publish ALL ENTRIES AS SHE RECEIVES THEM ON FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER, AND MY BLOG. SHE WELCOMES COMMENTS ON THE ENTRIES! And, the 2 people who submit the Coolest Teachers will win a signed copy of Courage in Patience, soon to be a collector's item because the first edition is going out of print, and also have their names listed on the Acknowledgements Page of Hope in Patience. THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS JUNE 30, 2009, SO SEND HER YOUR STORY TODAY!

Want to know more about Courage in Patience? Visit her blog at http://courageinpatience.blogspot.com/

The Specialists: Fight to the Finish

The Specialists books have long been some of my favorites. I picked up the first book, Model Spy, for fun because the title sounded interesting and I ended up loving it.

Of course, after buying my copy the bookstores in town stopped carrying the series (as they always seem to do with my favorite books). Because of this, getting the books as they were released took a lot of work. So, imagine my frustration when the release of the fifth, and final, book of the series was delayed. I had to have my conclusion: What happened to Gigi and David? Did Bruiser and Mystic ever go on their missions? And who's the "someone close to TL" that gets hurt?


Luckily, the ever awesome Shannon Greenland has begun posting the final book, Fight to the Finish, on her website. Each Monday Shannon is posting one chapter of the book so that we can all get our answers. And the best part is it's free!


If you're interested in reading the conclusion to The Specialists series, you can find the chapters here.


Enjoy!

How to Buy a Love of Reading Update

It was brought to my attention by Lenore that How to Buy a Love of Reading is not, in fact, a YA novel, but rather an adult novel. I had been under the impression that it was YA and directed to teens, which is why it received a two star review. If you're an older reader (the real target audience), the book may be something you'd enjoy and want to look into. However, being a teen myself and this being a YA blog, I still stand by my review of the book.

Sorry for the mix up.

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

To Carley Wells, words are the enemy. Her tutor’s innumerable SAT flashcards. Her personal trainer’s “fifty-seven pounds overweight” assessment. And the endless reading assignments from her English teacher, Mr. Nagel. When Nagel reports to her parents that she has answered “What is your favorite book” with “Never met one I liked,” they decide to fix what he calls her “intellectual impoverishment.” They will commission a book to be written just for her—one she’ll have to love—that will impress her teacher and the whole town of Fox Glen with their family’s devotion to the arts. They will be patrons— the Medicis of Long Island. They will buy their daughter The Love Of Reading.

Impossible though it is for Carley to imagine loving books, she is in love with a young bibliophile who cares about them more than anything. Anything, that is, but a good bottle of scotch. Hunter Cay, Carley’s best friend and Fox Glen’s resident golden boy, is becoming a stranger to her lately as he drowns himself in F. Scott Fitzgerald, booze, and Vicodin.

When the Wellses move writer Bree McEnroy—author of a failed meta-novel about Odysseus’ failed journey home through the Internet—into their mansion to write Carley’s book, Carley’s sole interest in the project is to distract Hunter from drinking and give them something to share. But as Hunter’s behavior becomes erratic and dangerous, she finds herself increasingly drawn into the fictional world Bree has created, and begins to understand for the first time the power of stories—those we read, those we want to believe in, and most of all, those we tell ourselves about ourselves. Stories powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her.

Gibson’s writing took some getting used to. The best way to describe it would be classical. It isn’t the type of writing you can half focus on and still comprehend, it requires your complete focus or else you’ll find yourself mentally walking in circles in a dizzying confusion. Definitely not the kind of writing you’d expect to find in a young adult novel, and yet, it fits. The only thing that detracts from what would be a beautifully written novel with an imaginative plot was the language and content. The integration of modern cursing and taboo behavior and comments into the classical writing style shattered the ambiance of the language.

The novel would have been perfectly fine if Gibson had emitted the risqué behavior and language. Gossip Girl and F. Scott Fitzgerald just don’t mix. It almost felt like the book was trying too hard to please teens when, without it, I believe teens would’ve enjoyed it equally, if not more.

A diamond in the rough, How to Buy a Love of Reading was full of rich, beautiful writing and colorful, intriguing characters. The lewd language and behavior of these characters, however, was a blemish in what would’ve been a wonderful novel otherwise.

2 Stars

P.S. I’m sorry to write nearly an entire review solely on the content of a book. However, since the content is such a huge part of the novel, I felt that it was necessary.

Book Trailers (3)

Yes, I did mention once that I was going to make this a monthly feature. If you're a long time reader of the blog, however, you know my lack of ability to stick to a schedule (at least in the blogosphere). That said, here is the third installment in the not-so-regular book trailers (and author interview) feature:

Find more videos like this on Sarah-land

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a stunning novel, full of mystery and intrigue.

The Salem witch trials have been a source of curiosity for years and the town is commonly used as the setting for witch novels. However, unlike other Salem novels, this book asks the question that many books fail to. Rather than just associating Salem with magic, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane focuses on the women of the trials and, more specifically, the possibility that one of them actually was a witch.

The academic mindset of Connie gave the novel a voice I haven’t encountered in many other novels. Her work and research to uncover Deliverance’s secret was all logical and realistic. It was this realism and voice that made it seem plausible Deliverance had really been a witch and magic existed, since, after all, everything else in the book was strongly anchored to real life.

One of the most interesting things about this novel was the interludes to historical Connecticut. Not only did these flashbacks build suspense and add key details to the story, but they helped to make the women mentioned throughout the course of the novel seem real. Deliverance is not just a name scribbled on a piece of paper, the name of a women lost to time, she was a human being. She had a family and a life and human emotions. Her story isn’t just another example of the witch trials, but her life and the implications that the trials had on the lives of women for generations.

4 Stars!

Wordplay with Ally Carter

Where was I Sunday? Hanging with Ally Carter of course!

The wonderful people at Books Inc. in San Francisco hosted a Wordplay event with Ally Carter, author of the New York Times Best-seller I'd Tell you I Love you, But then I'd have to Kill you. The event, A Movie-Lover's Guide to Writing Novels, was all about how the tricks from the big screen can be adapted to novel writing. And let me just say that it was a fantastic workshop. Not only did I learn a lot about movies and writing screen plays, but I also learned a lot about Ally's work before she began writing novels and some awesome tips on how to better my writing. PLUS I got some insider information about the upcoming Gallagher Girls novels (like the ending scene of book 4) and her newest project, Kat/ Heist (which I now know the premise, title and some of the plot of). I'd love to tell you everything...but then I'd have to kill you.

I hope you all had an awesome weekend and, those of you who are lucky enough to be out of school already, are enjoying the summer.

P.S. Don't forget, Ally's newest novel in the Gallagher Girls series, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, will be released tomorrow, June 9.

Feeding the Fire...

Okay, so unless you've been... I don't know... living in a cave for the past few weeks, you probably know that the first poster and trailer for the New Moon movie, the next in the Twilight saga, were released recently. Even though I'm fairly sure most Twilight fans are already aware of this and have probably watched the trailer (and the scene with a shirtless Taylor Lautner. Don't act like you didn't rewind it!) multiple times online. But, since this is a book blog, and the movie is about a HUGE book phenomenon...enjoy:

Airhead Winners!

The five lucky winners of the Airhead giveaway, who will be receiving their own copy of Airhead by Meg Cabot, are:

Bookworm,

Pirate Penguin,

Dori,

Ashley,

& Nikki

Congratulations! I've sent you all an email, so check your inbox and reply ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

The Clique Summer Collection

The Pretty Committee is spending the summer apart, but they’re never far from drama... Five girls. Five stories. One ah-mazing summer.

Want your own set?

One (1) grand prize winner will receive their own set of The Clique Summer Collection.

All you have to do to enter is:

• Leave a comment with your name and email*
• Contest ends June 30, 2009
• All entries must be in by 12:00 midnight EST
• Winners will be announced July 2, 2009.

Good luck!

*If you're not comfortable with leaving your email in a comment you can also email me your contact information. I fully understand the need for Internet safety and will be happy to comply with anyone who may want to keep their information private.

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

While there were a few things about Sea Change that bothered me, overall I greatly enjoyed it. The story was interesting and unique, holding my attention from beginning to end.

My major complaint about the book, one of the only ones for that matter, was the characters. Miranda and the other teens on Selkie islands were likeable, but not believable. From the start of the book I had trouble seeing Miranda as a sixteen-year-old girl. She seemed more like she was thirteen than sixteen and when the other minor characters were introduced, I felt the same way. The girls didn’t seem mature enough to be juniors and seniors. Luckily, Leo grounded the story well. Unlike the other teens who acted younger than their age, he was far more mature than a boy of seventeen and balanced out their personalities nicely.

In her standard way, Friedman ends the book with a few open ends, leaving the reader satisfied but the story open. The only complaint I have about the ending was that I felt the lore of the island, specifically Leo, was never really explained or resolved. But, then again, when are legends ever fully explained?

With its June release, Sea Change will be out just in time for summer. I can definitely see this book becoming a great pool side read with its fun summer romance and island setting.

3.5 Stars!


If you like this, you might like... Cruel Summer by Alyson Noël or Mermaid Park by Beth Mayall