Review of Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Title/Author: Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross
Publisher/Date published: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, June 11th 2013
How I got this book: from the author for review, thanks!
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service — the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive.

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose.

The idea behind this novel fascinates me! I mean, it really is quite ingenious: make yourself look better by having a less well-looking person stand beside you and shine in comparison. It's like a theory I once read somewhere or saw on TV, how being in a group of beautiful people can transform someone from average to beautiful as well. It's really interesting to see how your perception can change because of your surrounding.

So we meet Maude, one of the so-called 'ugly' girls. She's come to Paris to escape what would have been an unhappy marriage and needs a job. She gets hired by the Durandeau Agency and soon the Countess picks her to be the companion for her daughter. But unlike usual, said daughter isn't supposed to know Maude is making her look better. So Maude tries to become friends with the somewhat difficult Isabelle and slowly they get to know each other and actually do become friends. Until Maude has to choose between keeping her secret and keeping her friend.

I liked Maude, I liked that you could feel that she wasn't worldly, being from a small town and just wanting to make her own way into the world instead of the one her father would have picked out for her. At times I was just cringing and wanting to yell at her to not be such a brat to her friends, and to stop being so UGH NAIVE! But it definitely felt like this was all in character for her, I just had this sense of foreboding you sometimes get. You know, the 'this has to go wrong SOMEWHERE' feeling.

And I really liked Isabelle, who I can truly respect for wanting to just be MORE. Learn MORE. Be a scientist. Though I thought she could have been a little less contrary at times, she knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go for it. She did have a healthy dose of arrogance and entitlement that sometimes rubbed me the wrong way a bit, but I liked that once she's your friend, she's a TRUE friend, that's always a good quality in my book.

It did sometimes feel a bit as if the countess was being evil just for the sake of it and didn't really seem to have her daughter's best interests at heart at one point in the story and that just felt a bit off to me. I get that she wanted to see her daughter get married, because hello, it's what having a debut and a season was all about, but you'd think she'd actually want her to get married to a decent person.

I really enjoyed Belle Epoque, I love that in the end there was a definite feeling of female empowerment and as I said at the beginning: the concept is just fascinating! Elizabeth Ross has written a strong debut and I hope we'll see more of her soon!

My rating: 3,5 stars

Daisy Update (44)

Hi guys!

So it's been two weeks since my last update and I've just been BUSY! I went back to work after my 3 week vacation and while work itself wasn't really all that busy, I just had a LOT of things I had to do when I got home from work. We had a couple of birthday parties and graduation parties and one soccer thing and I just don't know where the time went!

Some days at work were just a bit boring because all of a sudden it's gotten all quiet and there aren't all that many consults that need to be done or people coming into the ER. So I've been bothering my colleagues who did actually have work to do and drank coffee with our secretary and the nurses and just waited around for something to do. It was kinda nice that I got to spend some time with all the people at work because next week is my last and I will miss them so much!! I'm really excited about starting my GP residency, but I just wish I could bring all the lovely people I work with at the hospital with me!

The week before this one we had a work dinner and it was nice to spend some time with my colleagues outside of the hospital and just chat about non-work related stuff. I was on call, so I got called back into the hospital at some point, but I did get to enjoy some yummy food before that :)

Monday was the boyfriend's first day at his new job and guys, I'm loving getting up together in the morning! For so long it's just been me who had to get up at all and while I don't talk a lot before I've had my breakfast and tea, I do appreciate that another person is awake with me and moving about the apartment.

Last Friday I was working the evening shift again and I'd promised my colleague who was working the night shift, that I'd stay a couple hours extra so she could go to a party and OF COURSE it was the busiest day/night of the week! It felt like I was just running around and I was going on basically adrenaline alone and when that fell away when she arrived to take over the shift, I was just TIRED.

So I spent yesterday lazing around and doing groceries. We did go to a birthday party, but we didn't stay very long because I needed SLEEP. So today will be spent lazing around as well ;) And doing all the blogging stuff, because seriously, I kinda slacked off this week because we had a tiny heat wave and our apartment was boiling hot and it made my brain turn to mush.

This week is my last week at the hospital and I'm sad to leave! All these people I work with have been a big part of my life for the past year and it's weird that it's highly probable that I'll never see some of them again. So Friday will probably be a highly emotional day for me...
I hope you're all having a relaxing Sunday!

Blog tour, review AND giveaway of Catherine by April Lindner!

I am so excited to be part of this blog tour!! Thanks for having me!
For the full tour schedule, go here.

Title/Author: Catherine by April Lindner
Publisher/Date published: Poppy, January 2nd 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years — a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her — starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK

Ok, confession time: I never much cared for Wuthering Heights. *hides* I can't help it, in Wuthering Heights, Catherine REALLY annoyed me and I could never truly understand what was so great about her or Heathcliff and that kinda ruined the story for me. BUT I am always up for a retelling and I have to say that I enjoyed Catherine a lot more than the original story!

I liked that the POV alternates between Catherine through her diary entries and Chelsea, Catherine's daughter. It's really interesting, cause obviously I knew the general storyline, but I like that April Lindner gave her own spin to it. It definitely had a contemporary feel instead of just feeling like it was forced into a modern jacket and that's something I really appreciate, because it can get that way sometimes.

I really liked Chelsea. Though I thought it wasn't very responsible of her to just go off without telling her dad and start looking for her mother without telling ANYONE where she's going and just putting her complete trust in total strangers, BUT she's a nice girl and I loved that she sometimes just blurted stuff out without first thinking about it. I recognized a little of myself in that quirk, and I know how you can just want to take it back, so I could relate to this part of her. I liked that she doesn't just give up and doesn't really take no for an answer when something is important to her.

I REALLY disliked Wuthering Height's Catherine, but Catherine's Catherine (lol) not so much. She did make me roll my eyes a couple of times with her thinking that 'nobody had ever loved each other as much as she and Hence', I mean SERIOUSLY?? Talk about self-absorbed. But other than that I was rooting for her even though I knew things couldn't end well.

So, SPOILER ALERT: of course Chelsea discovers what happened to her mother. And I was kinda wondering: what kind of incompetent policemen were on this case? Because really, if a 17-year-old can solve it in basically no time at all, WHAT HAVE YOU ALL BEEN DOING??? It was a bit too easy. How did they not suspect this person of killing her? And ugh, Catherine, how could you go to this person and NOT think, gee, maybe I should tell someone I'm going there? HELLO, this is how you get killed. UGH. It's like yelling at the TV and expecting the candidates of a show to hear you and get the answer right...

So rant over.

I very much liked Catherine by April Lindner and am happy to report that I liked it better than the original version. Catherine was more likable, the writing was more engaging and while I did have some minor problems with it, I was very entertained throughout reading it! I'm even more excited to read Jane soon, because that is a retelling of one of my favourite classics :)

My rating: 4 stars

April Lindner is the author of two novels, Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights, and Jane, an update of Jane Eyre. She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped. She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs. A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

TWITTER | WEBSITE | BLOG | GOODREADS


GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Up for grabs is a hardcover copy op Catherine by April Lindner to 3 lucky winners!

The rules:
US only.
Must be 13 or older to enter.
Giveaway ends July 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter and contacted by email.

So what are you waiting for? Go enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Daisy Discussion: Book Snobbery

So it's been a while since I last did a discussion post, because really, my brain has just been so relieved when I wasn't working, it didn't really have the energy to come up with something besides ....

But today I would like to talk with you guys about book snobbery. The event that triggered this is that recently I went to my local bookstore and saw Dan Brown's latest, Inferno, lying around being pretty for a price I just couldn't justify NOT bringing it home with me.
So I went up to the counter, the guy behind it took a look at it, sneered a bit, asked 'is it a gift?' and had this sort of pitying look on his face when I told him it wasn't and didn't even say anything after he'd handed over the bag with the book after I paid for it.

So this could be a coincidence, he could have just been having a bad day/hour/life, but it seemed like he was just dismissing me because I was purchasing a book that didn't live up to his standards!
I was a bit huffy at this and only good manners held me back from telling him something like "well, you know what, I've probably read more books in the past year than you will in a lifetime". Because I also realized that would make me as much a book snob as he appears to be.

I've always been a firm believer that anyone should just read what they want and not be looked down on because it might not be the next work of a literary genius, as determined by the masses. Some people like to read classics, some like chicklit or historical romance or fantasy or any number of the amazing span that is all of the genres you could be reading. And who is anyone else to judge what qualifies as what you 'should be reading'?

I feel that you 'should be reading' what you enjoy reading, because what other point (except for required reading) is there? I do agree that there are some books that I enjoy for the time being, but I know they will probably not still be read in 10 or 20 years, some books will stand the test of time, while others may not. There are books that will BE classics in the future, but I'm just not the kind of reader who only wants to read those books, because I would surely miss out on some gems that may not become classics, but I still do love with all my heart.

I don't think anyone should be looked down upon because of what they read. Because they READ. I'm still a big fan of the Book Depository bookmark that tells me I burn 50% more calories while reading than I would while watching TV, which only burns a couple more calories than sleeping. So yeah, I don't care what you exercise your brain with, I'm just glad you're reading (not that there's anything wrong with watching TV either).

So can we just start accepting that not everyone wants to read the same thing and not look down on each other for whatever it is that floats your boat reading-wise? Anyone else had an experience like mine? What do you think on this subject?

Review of Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Title/Author: Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead
Publisher/Date published: Dutton Adult, June 4th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

So there's been a lot of talk about Richelle Mead's new series. Some good, some bad, a lot of it just mostly disappointed it isn't like Vampire Academy. And it's not, like Vampire Academy I mean, but for me that was pretty much ok.

I haven't yet finished her uber popular VA series (don't throw things at me, I swear I'll get to the last 3 books soon!) and though I am a fan, I knew from the summary that this would be something else. And I like that. I mean, why would an author pretty much write the same book over and over again?

I admit that it took me a while to really get into the story, mostly because there's just so much to this world you don't know and while I thought her writing style is as engaging as ever, it did take a little bit longer for me to connect to the MCs here than it did with Rose, I really liked both Justin and Mae! They are both very strong, very well fleshed out main characters, flaws and all, and I love that! They're complicated and human and just full of character and though I didn't necessarily always agree with their choices, I could root for them and for me that's really important. I loved that Mae is actually the strongest physically of the two.

This world that Richelle Mead has created in Gameboard of the Gods is fascinating! There's a whole set of rules and intrigue and I loved all the religions that were mentioned! It's fascinating that with religion pretty much being banned, all these little cults pop up and Christianity isn't really all that big anymore.

And seriously, I LOVED the paranormal twist on all this! The book definitely got more excited once that part started creeping into the storyline and I was amazed by how much I was enjoying reading it then! It was a bit slow to start, but in the end it was so worth sticking with this book! It probably helped that I had a lot of time on my hands and could just read a huge part of it at a time.

If you're expecting VA, you'll be disappointed (just like so many people were that The Casual Vacancy wasn't Harry Potter), but if you go into Gameboard of the Gods with an open mind and heart, I think you can definitely come to love this new series that Richelle Mead has crafted! It's a bit dark and mature and I really enjoyed it!

My rating: 4 stars

Review of Of Triton by Anna Banks

Title/Author: Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) by Anna Banks
Publisher/Date published: Feiwel & Friends, May 28th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through Net Galley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms — Poseidon and Triton — against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself — and her Gift — to save a people she’s never known?

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1***

I really enjoyed Of Poseidon when I read it and really liked the lovestory between Emma and Galen, they really made me root for them and feel EVERYTHING. And yeah, there was pretty much a cliffhanger at the end that left me going GAH! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK! So yeah, I was pretty excited about starting Of Triton. I still haven't gotten over my Ariel-induced mermaid obsession :)

Of Triton picks up where Of Poseidon ended, or a little after that, with Emma drugged and kidnapped by her own mother. Which in all honesty, seemed a bit extreme to me. Emma's mother and I do not really hit it off and I rolled my eyes because of things she did a lot. I seriously get wanting to protect your kid, but well, it just seemed a bit off and while I thought it was nice Emma's mother and Grom were united, they seemed a bit too all over eachother at first for two people over 50. I don't know, I guess I just don't really respect her as a mom-figure, though she did redeem herself a bit in the end.

Aside from this, I really enjoyed Of Triton. I loved getting to know more about the mermaid-politics and there's enough intrigue to keep me entertained! I'm actually kinda sad that most of the novel took place on land, because, well, I KNOW land, I want to explore more of this gorgeous underwater world! I did love that we got to meet Goliath again, he is one awesome whale-pet!

I actually liked that in Of Triton, Emma adresses her grief over losing her best friend, Chloe, in the previous book. I felt that it was sort of glossed over in Of Poseidon and it seems only normal that Emma needs to deal with this and not just ogle the manfish-candy.
Emma and Galen are cute together, but I didn't feel any of the urgency I did while reading Of Poseidon, they were just comfortable together and it lacked that spark, though I'm still a Galen fan. Even if he is a bit too protective.

Anna Banks does write a compelling story and I very much enjoyed reading this out on my balcony in the sunshine. I felt the urge to read on and find out what would happen next and even though it's been a year since I read Of Poseidon, getting back to this world felt natural and I'm eager to see what will happen in Of Neptune! I'm also pretty glad this didn't end on a cliffhanger, because seriously, my heart cannot take it.

My rating: 4 stars

Review of Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

Title/Author: Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare
Publisher/Date published: Avon, May 28th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season — or any season — but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training”… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure — a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess — can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

Seriously you guys, Tessa Dare is fast worming her way into my top-historical-romance authors list!! Also, she has pretty hair in her author picture on Goodreads. I'm slightly jealous, my hair doesn't take well to attempts to tame it, hers does it seems.

But enough about hair and more about the splendidness that is Any Duchess Will Do.

I so, so loved Pauline! She's bookish and an amazing sister and just all in all good people. I loved that she changed her dream from owning a library to owning a library filled with naughty books, because seriously, that is just plain awesome. I loved that she stands by her sister and is just fully herself with Griffin and doesn't back down in the face of all of his dukishness.

And Griff. Wow. That is one manly man if I ever saw one. I love that he is such a well-rounded character and not just a handsome vehicle for the heroine to lay her love at. He's so much more and I loved him for it. He has hidden depths and hurts and all I wanted to do was just hug him and make all the sorrow go away.

As much as I loved these two, I ADORED Griffin's mother! She brought the funny moments and she clearly loves her son and just well, I'm a fan. We meet her just after she's drugged her son and 'kidnapped' him, on the road to Spindle Cove, though he doesn't know this yet. From the first chapter:
"Do not be alarmed," he told her.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. Bad for the complexion."

LOVE.

And guys, THE ROMANCE! SAH-WOON! THIS is what I want from my romance novels! Tension and steamyness and a real connection and HEARTBREAK and OMG ALL OF THE GOOD STUFF! And when you combine this with laugh out loud funny moments, you've completely won my heart! There were TEARS in my eyes and sweet moments and just *sigh* It was THAT good.
So yes, if you like the genre, do yourself a favor and read this book, you won't regret it! It kept me up into the early hours of the night when I really should have been catching some beauty sleep and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT.

My rating: 5+ stars