A Hope Undaunted by
Julie Lessman
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
From Amazon:
The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and head-over-heels in love with her. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Cluny McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?
A Hope Undaunted is the engrossing first book in the WINDS OF CHANGE series from popular author Julie Lessman. Readers will thrill at the highly charged romance in this passionate story.
My Review:
Everything Julie writes is pure gold- this book is no exception.
With tears streaming down my face both in grief and is triumph for the O'Conner family I feel in love with another one of the sisters.
Strong defiant Katie who radiated strength from the pages I was unable to put this novel down into the late hours- finally finishing the last word at 4am.
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One Naughty Night by
Laurel McKee
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
From Amazon:
A hundred years has passed since the bitter rivalry between the St. Claires and the Huntingtons began. But in London, the feud goes on . . .
UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT, NOTHING IS FORBIDDEN
Lily St. Claire will do anything for the family that saved her from the streets. With their support, the young widow has become the hostess of The Devil's Fancy, London's most exclusive gaming den. She's determined to restore the St. Claire family fortune, lost a century before to the despised Huntington clan. But a ghost from her past may be her ultimate undoing . . .
Lord Aidan Huntington is handsome and wealthy, with a taste for adventure and a reputation for wickedness. A gambler and a rake, Aidan can't resist a seductive woman with secrets - but one naughty night with Lily leaves him wanting more. As Lily is drawn into London's dark underworld by an old enemy, Aidan will risk everything to save the woman who has awakened his deepest desires.
My Review:
While my homework does reveal that the F' word would have been used during the Victorian era I did find the usage of the word frequent and frustrating as its glaring presence pulled me from the story.
" the origins and usage of the “F” word, making it likely that the words was know in the 1820’s, but not used in polite conversation...."
"F--- has a multitude of slang synonyms such as screw, poke, plow, ride, sex, jazz ... with the rise of the middle class, and reached its zenith during the Victorian age, ..."
Ultimately I enjoyed this novel- the characters were compelling and likable, the sexytime a little over the top and yet believable in the context of the story.
I am looking forward to the next installment into the St'Claire saga, the setup and the end of book one was delicious and thought provoking- and I have already added it to my Christmas Wish-List!
Overall I liked it- three sparkly stars!
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Yarn: Remembering the Way Home by
Kyoko Mori
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
From Amazon:
A memoir of crossing cultures, losing love, and finding home by a New York Times notable author. As steadily and quietly as her marriage falls apart, so Kyoko Mori's understanding of knitting deepens. From flawed school mittens to beautiful unmatched patterns of cardigans, hats and shawls, Kyoko draws the connection between knitting and the new life she tried to establish in the U.S. Interspersed with the story of knitting throughout, the narrative contemplates the nature of love, loss, and what holds a marriage together.
My Review:
Such an honest and heart warming/breaking story-
I struggled to push thru this one but glad I did finish-
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