By The Book Reviews

Author: Carolyn Davidson

Pages: 304 pages

Published: 2001

Rating: 3-stars

Ellie has spent years taken care of her abusive father. Without her mother around, she had to do all the cooking and cleaning and had no one to teach her all the things that mothers do. When she lets a man take advantage of her because he says he loves her, she ends up pregnant and alone. Beaten by her father after he found out she was pregnant, she finds herself with no where to live and no way to support herself. When the town doctor, Winston Gray decides to hire her as his live in cook and housekeeper, she is shocked at her good luck. When people in town start to talk, he decides they need to get married and things get a whole lot more complicated.

I LOVE a good romance, especially historical romances. This one was a quick read but predictable. It was sweet throughout and watching Win and Ellie’s relationship change was good as were the friendships that developed. I’m glad that I bought it!

I picked this up at Borders!!

Author: Olivia Darling

Pages: 464

Published: March 2009

Rating: 3-stars

The world of Fine Art is filled with high-stakes, backstabbing, secrets, and betrayal. And for three women deep in the middle of it, things are about to get very interesting! Lizzy, Carrie, and Serena-three very different women all in love with the same thing-art.

Lizzy is working for an auction house in London and is talented and patiently working her way up through the ranks. In love with her boss, she thinks their relationship is more than just a casual affair. She thinks that her relationship with Nat has real potential but he seems to be using her for more then she realizes and her work is being taken for granted. Without her, he wouldn’t have much.

Carrie works for an auction house in New York City and is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to run their brand new house in London. Determined to outdo Nat, who burned her in the relationship department years earlier, she isn’t even close to being the woman he once knew. As she sets out to take London by storm she learns a few things about love and what is important in life.

Serena has a daughter to take care of and her no-good ex-husband is shacking up with an older and wealthier woman, but can’t seem to spare much for her or their daughter. Meeting a good who she thinks is great, she reluctantly gets involved in an art scam in order to take care of her daughter and to keep her new man happy. She may quickly get burned, not just by love but by the art world too.

Lots of sex in this book and cheating guys…Not a big fan of stories filled with guys who are jerks and cheaters. The art aspect of the book was very interesting tho. I’ve never read a book that focused around the fine art and auction house business. Of all the girls, I don’t know if I can even pick a favorite. They were all so different. Carrie was fierce the whole time. Lizzy let herself get screwed over by a guy but grew some backbone by the end. And Serena just seemed to always get the short end of the stick. All in all, I would suggest this book for an older audience, specifically anyone who enjoys reading British based books!

I bought this book at Borders!

Author: Hester Browne

Pages: 416 pages

Rating: 4 1/2-stars Really Loved it!

Random Quote: “Betsy, there’s only one dummy round here, and it’s not you, believe me.”

Betsy Phillimore left london years ago, when her adoptive father, Lord Phillimore told her that she would not be allowed to attend the family’s finishing school. Left on the doorstep of the school as an infant, Betsy was raised by Lord and Lady P (Franny). She had practically grown up at the school and was devastated when she was denied the opportunity to attend. Now, years later, she is back for Franny’s funeral and she is shocked with how she finds the academy. Failing about and not likely to survive past the current term, Betsy tries to create a business plan and a course list that will bring the academy into the modern age. With courses like cell phone etiquette and negotiating a pre-nup, Betsy is determined to keep the academy afloat. But will she be too late?

As she struggles to not only save the school, she is also determined to start the search for her birth parents, despite the many hurdles she faces. Add in trying to keep her crush on her best friend, Liv’s, brother a secret, and she has way more than she can handle! Can she juggle it all and get everything she wants?

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! I have read several books by this author and after being disappointed with the later books in the Little Lady Agency series, I was unsure of what to expect with this one. But I definitely am glad I picked it up! Betsy was awesome! She was smart, she was funny…and her relationship with her best friend Liv and with Jamie were great and well developed. I definitely was hoping for her and Jamie to get together from the very beginning, but I won’t spoil it and tell you if they did or not! You’ll have to check it out for yourself!

I bought this book from my local Borders!

Author: Leah Clifford

Pages: 432 pages

Rating: 1-star, Didn’t Finish

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

Eden didn’t expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.

And that’s only the beginning of the end.

First, I only got about 60 pages in to this book. It was an intriguing supernatural story, unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I would love to hear what others think, because I know that others have enjoyed it.

Author: Linda Conrad

Pages: 217 pages

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Sheik Shakir Kadir has led a life that many wouldn’t understand. raised by a tribe of nomads, he is used to living without. Now as a war rages on between his people and the Taj, he is ready to do whatever he has to in order to get the job done. When he finds out that his former love (who he still has very strong feelings for) is being held prisoner by the Taj along with other women, he knows that he has to run the mission to rescue them. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that she is safe.

Nikki Oliver used to be a princess. Until her father lost his throne and all of their money. Barely surviving, she takes a job in France and leaves her son with a babysitter, knowing its the only way they will get by. One day she comes home from work to find him and the babysitter gone. No one will help her rescue her son, who has been sold and is being held in a war-torn country. She heads off alone and that is when she is taken captive. She is shocked when Shakir comes to her rescue. Will he help her save her son too?

When I picked up this book I was definitely in the mood for a good romance. This book was a little more action then it was romance and the beginning was a little confusing and hard to follow, which is why I couldn’t give it more then 3 1/2 stars. I thought that once it got going it was very good tho and I couldn’t wait to finish it and find out what happened!

Author: Kelley Fitzpatrick

Pages: E-Book

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Its Christmas Eve and Holly is eager to get home after leaving her job as “Mrs Claus”. After ignoring her sister’s attempts to set up a blind date for her, she is strangely and suddenly kidnapped. Once in a van with a very good looking man named Ryan, Holly is terrified…until she realized that her sister and her sister’s boyfriend (who is Ryan’s brother) set up the entire thing. Having both refused the blind date, they are both annoyed with the circumstances but Ryan is more then willing to make the best of it. As they try to survive Christmas Eve they realize that this “hostage situation” may end up working great for both of them! Good thing every holiday isn’t this exciting!

I downloaded this book for free onto my kindle while sitting at a baseball game, bored and cold! This was the perfect thing to warm me up! It was cute and funny but I could have used more. It just seemed much too short for me. But it was free, so can’t really complain.

I downloaded this free for my kindle app on my phone!

Author: Lauren Oliver

Pages: 441 pages

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Love is a disease that doesn’t exist anymore. The cure has fixed it and now things are a lot easier. Society takes care of them and keeps them safe. The curfew is made to protect them and thats what the fences are for. In 95 days she will finally be able to get cured and will be able to be happy. Lena doesn’t want to end up like her mom, who killed herself because of the disease. Lena, who lives with her aunt and uncle, thinks that once she gets the cure she will be saved.

After meeting a boy, she quickly begins to feel differently. She doesn’t want to be matched, she wants to be with the guy of her choice and to be able to feel things and not be numb. Sadly, society is determined not to let that happen. Lena quickly realizes that things aren’t as great as she once thought and that society is only looking out for what is best for them.

This is the second book of Lauren Oliver’s that I have read and I have to say that I liked the first one better. This book was too similar to so many others that I have read and wasn’t unique enough to really stand out. I would recommend checking it out at your local library.

Author: Lynne Graham

Pages: 448 pages

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Two great stories combined in one book…

The Italian’s Wife

Homeless with her son, Holly has hit rock bottom and doesn’t know where else to turn. When she is almost hit by a fancy limo, things change rapidly. Rio is shocked when he finds Holly and her son in front of his limo. Still upset from catching is fiance in a compromising position, he starts to think that he should just marry the next woman he meets. As he gets to know Holly he starts to think that maybe, just maybe he can make a family with Holly and her son. But Holly is unsure if she can live without love…especially now that she is starting to fall for Rio.

The Spanish Groom

Dixie is still struggling to find something that she is good at. Super clumsy, she seems to be unable to keep a job and her new job is no exception. The only thing that she seems to have done right was to befriend a kind old man, who unfortunately, now seems to be ill. When Cesar, her boss and the adopted son of the old man she befriended, fires her he also offers her an insane proposition: to pretend to be engaged to him in order to make the old man happy. Unfortunately, real feelings start to develop and a series of unfortunate misunderstandings keep getting in their way.

When I bought this book I didn’t realize that it was actually two stories but I am definitely glad for the surprise! Both of these stories were steamy and were almost pure perfection! The only problem: I wanted more!!! I am a sucker for a good romance and both of these stories were great. Although the misunderstandings that occurred were frustrating they all seemed to work out, which made the books so much better! I would definitely recommend these to any romance fans!

I bought this book at Borders!

Author: John Boyne

Pages: 24o pages

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Its 1942 in Berlin and Bruno’s life is almost completely untouched by the war. Besides having to turn off the lights at night, almost nothing has changed. He still gets to hang out with his friends and do what he wants. All those things change when his father gets promoted and they are forced to move out to the country, where his father will be running a concentration camp. Bruno, however, has no idea what his father is doing with his work, all he knows is that he hates the fact that they had to move and he has no one to play with anymore. When he stumbles into the concentration camp fence he meets his first friend since the move. He doesn’t understand why they can’t play together or why his friend is wearing stripped pajamas…

I saw the movie before I read the book, so I already had a pretty good idea about what was going to happen. They were very similar and both were good. I am planning on using this book for the Holocaust project that I am doing with my students next quarter. I am sure that they will enjoy it.

I bought this book through Scholastic Book Club!

Author: Lola Rein Kaufman with Lois Metzger

Pages: 112 pages

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Random Quote: “Your grandmother is not one of them.”

When Hitler comes to Poland, Lola’s life changes and she is only a child. First her father is beat up for being Jewish and then dies from complications. Then, during one of the early raids to gather up Jews, Lola, her mother, and her grandmother hide inside a wall and manage to avoid detection. Although they stay safe for awhile, her mother ends up being killed my soldiers. After this happens her grandmother knows that she has to get Lola out and get her to safety. In the middle of the night Lola is sent to meet a Ukrainian woman who is willing to hide her, for a little while at least. As she is shuffled from place to place many risk their lives in order to hide her and she makes it through the war safe. Unfortunately, she is one of the few…

April is Holocaust Remembrance month and this book is a great book for younger teens to read. Some of it was a little slow, but it is short and a very quick read. I would recommend it for anyone ages 10-15 years old.