Rich Girl/Poor Girl Story With a V.C. Andrews Type Twist

Blogging for Books has given me another great chance to read a new book.  The book I am reviewing is Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore.

This story started out as your typical rich girl/poor girl story.  The two girls Genevra (Ev) and Mabel share a room in college.  The two don't talk to each other until they are brought together by the tragic suicide of Ev's cousin.  Ev then invites Mabel to stay with her at her family's estate, Winloch for the summer.

Once there the girls fix up the cottage that Ev will inherit (Bittersweet) and then their summer of fun can begin.  Mabel's first impression of the Winslow family is that they are your typical spoiled rich people all blonde, tanned and "raising" their children through au pairs.  Life could not be better, until she is recruited by an eccentric Aunt Linden (Indo) to expose her family secrets.

As Mabel delves deeper into the family history, she realizes that this family is not as perfect as it seems.  Lies, murder, violence, incest and theft run deep in this clan.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book.  It started off slow, but half way through really picked up.  The plot twist reminded me of the many V.C. Andrews books I read as a teenager.   The cast of characters both main and supporting had unique characteristics that made them all complex.  Very few people are what they first seem to be. I often found myself sneaking a few pages here and there just to find out  little bit more about what this family was really into.  I am eager to read another book by this offer.

A Eye Opening Look Into the Life for Women in Afghanistan

I decided to step out of the box on my usual genre of books. The book I chose to read is called :The Underground Girls of Kabul".by Jenny Nordberg   I am not a big fan of reporter account based books.  But, I was pleasantly surprised on how quickly I became drawn into this book.

This book delves deep into the roles that women play in Afghanistan life after the reform for women programs are started by both Russia and the United States.  While Ms. Nordberg is interviewing Azita, one of Afghanistan's few female council members, she discovers a secret life that befalls some girls in the country.  

Even though women were now being educated in Afghanistan, still in Afghan culture it is said that a family without sons is very weak and the parents are basically shunned by their peers.  So, some of those like Azita who gave birth to no sons would dress and raise one of their daughters as a son in order to be viewed as a strong family.  After discovering that Azita's son Mehran is actually a girl, Nordberg tries to find out more about this gender bending process.  

I'm not going to spoil the exact details of the book, but I can say that the information that Nordberg finds out is definitely very interesting.  This book really gives the reader a good picture of the struggles of the women in Afghanistan, including the reason why some women choose to stay disguised as men after their adolescence.  I would recommend this bok to anyone with interest in the Middle East and its cultures.

If anyone is intereste din reading this book, it can be found here.

Book Review - The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn

Time to review yet another book that has been graciously provided to me by Blogging For Books.  The second book I chose to read is called The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn  by Lori Benton.  It is a Christian Romance novel.

After watching her stepfather murder her mother, Tamsen Littlejohn decides to run away to avoid a marriage set up by her stepfather.  Tamsen is aided by a man named Jesse Bird who was raised by Native Americans after his parents were murdered when he was just 3 years old.

With a pursuit by both Tamsen's stepfather and jilted admirer, the pair go into hiding along with Jesse's "father" Cade, and Tamsen is introduced to a way of life far from the life of luxury she has been accustomed to so far.  The two ended being tested and tried living together while still trying to keep their Christian values intact.

I am not going to spoil the ending for you.  But, I do have to say there are many twists and revelations regarding the pasts and true identities of many of the characters.

Let me first say that I do not usually read Christian Romance books, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and give something new a try.  I am glad that I did. This book reminded me of a few others that I read by Julie Garwood.   I often found myself sneaking a few minutes of reading here and there.  I was anxious to see what was going to happen next.

I enjoyed watching how the characters evolved throughout the book.  Tamsen who started off as a girl who was used to taking orders without question ended up becoming a strong self sufficient woman.  Jesse who was basically a nomad most of the year ended up realizing that life was much more than just long hunts, and that settling down was not necessarily a bad thing.

The incorporation of Native American life and actual historic events was a nice addition to the story line.  It introduced an array of supporting characters that added to the charm of this book.

All in all I really enjoyed this book.  It was well written and kept the reader interested the whole way through.  I do not remember the book dragging at any point while reading.  The cast of main and supporting characters fit well with the story.  There were serious parts and comedic parts as well as a lovely romance story, which made a nice change of pace throughout the story.  I would recommend it to readers who enjoy western/historic romance novels.

If you are interested in reading this book, it can easily be purchased from Amazon here.

Romance Novel With a Taste of HIstory

 

The book I am reviewing today is A Triple Knot by Emma Campion.  As a lover of history and romance novels I was intrigued to read this story featuring Joan  of Kent.  I am glad that I did. 

Campion's portrayal of Joan as a strong female heroine, grabbed my attentIion right away.  A little reminiscent of another favorite authoress of mine...Jane Austen.  I loved watching Joan grow throughout this book, from a defiant child to a strong woman who took her future into her own hands. 

The romance between Thomas and Joan and their struggles to be with each other while being attacked from all sides kept me reading late into the night. 

The character of Ned and his obsession with Joan did also present many mysteries and betrayals keeping the the reader interested throughout.

This novel also had many interesting supporting characters such as Lucienne, Sir William, Philippa, Bella, Isabella and Efa that the reader could either grow to love or hate, often starting with one feeling and then changing to another. 

The only thing I really didn't care for was the ending.  It seems as if it ended too abruptly, leaving more than one question unanswered.

All in all, I think this book was very well written an kept the reader wanting more.  I easily got caught up in the story through all of its twists and turns.  I am anxious to read more from Emma Campion in the future.

 If you are interested in reading this book, it can be purchased on Amazon here.