Happy Literary Friday! How are y'all? Is it hot in your neck of the woods? It was very hot for Independence Day, and we had the best vacation. It was truly a blessing having the whole family together for a week!
Today I'm sharing three mini reviews with you of books I read while on vacation. Two are romances, and one is a literary classic. I'll start with the romances.
The first book I'll share with you is considered a "dark romance," and I ordered it from Barnes & Noble because they were selling an exclusive special edition. I thought the book was pretty, and it's also a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. I have enjoyed retellings over the years, and I thought I might like it. I did not realize it was considered a dark romance when I ordered it, and I wasn't aware of how popular this sub-genre is becoming.
The book is entitled One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti, and it is Book One in the Grimm Bargains Series. Notice the pretty cover and beautiful edges. The endpapers are also pretty with drawings of thorns.
According to Goodreads:
Information is power, and those who control it live like gods.
In my world, billionaires play deadly games of insult and influence where magic is the dirtiest weapon of all. Here, even a powerful princess can be swallowed by the darkest of shadows . . .
My name is Alana Beaumont, and due to a recent tragedy, I’m the sole heir to Aquarius Social, a family business being systematically dismantled by an unseen enemy. My father’s solution is to give me in marriage and create a coalition with a competing family, so I’m torn between my thirst for revenge and my duty. Now I just have a week to finish my hunt before the wedding.
There’s nothing like an assassination attempt to cut short the best of plans—even worse is my unwanted rescue by Thorn Beathach, the Beast whose social media empire is driving Aquarius under. The richest, most ruthless of them all, he protects his realm with an iron rule: no one sees his face. When he shows himself to me, I know he’ll never let me go.
Adam may think he can lock me in his castle forever, but I’m not the docile Beauty he expects. If the Beast wants to tie me up, I’m going to take pleasure from every minute of it . . .and we’ll just see who ends up shackled.
My Review:
First I'll share what I did like about the book. There are four powerful families who control the world's four largest social media platforms. They are not only powerful due to their wealth: The are also powerful physically, and receive longevity based on the ability to "charge" specific crystals. Engagement on the platforms also increase this power. I thought how the families wielded and remained in power was truly like a modern fairytale.
The plot and love story between Alana and Thorn were well written. The story moved at a very fast paced, which I liked. What I didn't like about it was that it definitely had a dark element (although most fairytales have this, I know), and it was a wee bit too spicy for me. The author does provide trigger warning to readers at the beginning. I will probably give it a high rating on Goodreads because it is very well written for what it is. I'm just not into dark romance I've decided.
The second book I'm reviewing is Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle. My daughter gave it to me for Mother's Day. She wanted to purchase something for me from a very cute online shop called Wildflower Fiction, and Sarah Hogle is a favorite romance writer of hers.
These are all the extras that came with my book.
According to Goodreads:
A steamy second-chance romance about a magical florist’s unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart as she fake dates his soon-to-be stepbrother.
A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’.
So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating.
What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.
My Review:
First of all, I did not think that this romance was as steamy as the book blurb claims. There is a lot of flirting and sexual tension between the two main characters Romina and Alex, but honestly I think this story is more of a slow burn. The best thing about this book is the witty dialogue between well-drawn characters, and the magical realism elements are definitely charming. The book's "misunderstanding" is well played, and it is a brilliant plot point that enhances Romina and Alex's reuniting. If you like second chances love stories, magical realism, situational comedies, and witty and entertaining dialogue, then you should love Old Flames and New Fortunes.
The classic I read is Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April. It was part of my quarterly The Literary Book Club Subscription Box.
I have made a commitment to read and reread classics, and for this reason I subscribe to The Literary Book Club Box. I like it because it has encouraged me to read classics I might not pick up. Elizabeth von Arnim was a piece of work, I tell ya! Originally from Australia, she was married German royalty, and after his death she had a multi-year affair with H.G. Wells. Then she married British aristocracy, Frank Russell, the eldest brother of Bertand Russell.
According to Goodreads:
A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.
The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other—and the castle of their dreams—through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don’t anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete.
The Enchanted April was a best-seller in both England and the United States, where it was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and set off a craze for tourism to Portofino. More recently, the novel has been the inspiration for a major film and a Broadway play.
My Review:
Arnim wrote this novel while staying in a real fifteenth century castle while vacationing in Portofino. She does an amazing job depicting the castle setting of the novel, and the reader truly is immersed in a well-researched sense of place. There are four main characters in the novel: four women who travel to Portofino to spend the month of April in a castle with stunning gardens and views. Lotti Wilkins is the vivacious young wife of a not so very delightful barrister husband. She and a fellow member of her women's club, pious Rose Arbuthnot, both see the newspaper ad on a miserably rainy winter's day. In order to afford the rent, they find two other women to join them. Mrs. Fisher is an elderly woman who lives in the past. She clings to Victorian manners, and is a bit of a tough nut. Lady Caroline "Scrap" Dester is a twenty-something socialite who is vapid and conceited. There is a reason for her conceit and entitlement because she is so incredibly beautiful and charming that even when she attempts to be aloof others don't perceive her intentions.
I enjoyed this classic far more than I thought, mostly because of Lotti's character: She is sunshine! There is also a magical element to her personality as she's clairvoyant: She sees events that will happen in the future, and she acts on this information with total conviction. This is the reason why the married women (Rose and Lotti) invite their husbands to Portofino to stay for the remainder of their vacation because Lotti "sees them" at the castle. There are a few surprises and twists to the plot that maintained my interest, and at the very least the novel is a lovely companion for the armchair traveler.
... Why, it would really be being unselfish to go away and be happy for a little, because we would come back so much nicer.
Do any of these titles appeal to you? What are you currently reading?
So far, I've read:
One Cursed Rose
Old Flames and New Fortunes
The Enchanted April
I pledged to read 15 books this summer, and I'm almost halfway there!
Bastille Day Vignette
More CSA Recipes and Links
Midsummer Tablescape
Until next time...
Happy reading!
Ricki Jill
It's been a while since I've read a dark romance. The premise of One Cursed Rose is intriguing though, and I do love Beauty and the Beast. Old Flames and New Fortunes sounds cute! The Enchanted April sounds the loveliest of all. ♥
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