Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

/ Whitnee / 6 Comments

jacktheripper

“I was determined to be both pretty and fierce, as Mother had said I could be. Just because I was interested in a man’s job didn’t mean I had to give up being girly. Who defined those roles anyhow?”

Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Published: September 20th 2016 by Jimmy Patterson

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Romance, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller/Horror

Stars: 5       Content Rating: 4

Synopsis:

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

**********

Hello book junkies! Or is that just me? I first fell in love with this book for the cover. Yes, scroll back up and check out that cover. It is so gorgeous. Then I read the title and was so curious. It sounded so intriguing. I added this to my TBR list ages ago and never got to it until a few friends and I decided we needed to read it! Oh my goodness. It was so much better than I was expecting it to be. I’m not even sure what I was expecting exactly but it was so much better than I thought.

It takes what is known of the real serial killer “Jack the Ripper” and puts it into a fictional scenario. This book totally brought the stories to life. Even most of the timeline is correct. The year is 1888 and Audrey Rose is the daughter of a Lord and has all the privilege one could want, only she is curious curious woman who loves science and in 1888 that is just plain crazy. Her uncle is a forensic scientist and does research on the human body. He allows her to study under him and help him puzzle out deaths and crimes along with his apprentice Thomas Cresswell.

When the murder becomes more than one, and the bodies are found missing organs the mystery to solve the case becomes Audrey’s top priority. She has made it her mission to stop Jack the Ripper before another innocent woman is murdered.

I really enjoyed the characters.  I love that Audrey Rose is a science geek but still loves being a girl and pretty things. I love the banter between Audrey and Thomas. I enjoyed them together and glad there is a sequel. I do have to say that I did predict the ending but it kept me guessing on if I was right clear till the end. I really enjoyed the ride that was this thriller. I’m not one to read thrillers just because usually I read at night and they get my brain going and I freak myself out. ( I can’t handle them) I gave the content rating a 4 because some of it is pretty descriptive and a little horrific but it was done well. I don’t think it was too much or feel that it would give you nightmares, but I still wanted to warn you.

I already ordered the sequel ‘Hunting Prince Dracula’ and can not wait to continue this series. There is also another coming out in the fall called ‘Escaping from Houdini’ that you should keep your eye out for!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

received_860543777431739

 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

/ Whitnee / 2 Comments

thehatinggame

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Title: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne

Published: August 9th 2016 by William Morrow

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Chick-Lit, Adult

Stars: 5            Content Rating: 6

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

********

Hello book NERDS! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! I had picked ‘The Hating Game’ for my small town book club pick this month. I want to start out by saying that I LOVED it. I didn’t want to put it away. I read it really fast and enjoyed every minute. If you like enemies to lovers then this book is for YOU.

I loved the little things. First, they both work in a publishing company. From the very beginning they were opposites. Lucy is colorful from her choice in clothes down to her bright red lipstick and Joshua has the same 5 shirts he wears in order every week. She is a little cluttered while he is a minimalist and a clean freak. She is friendly to everyone in the office while they are all terrified of him. They work together EVERY SINGLE DAY. They get on each others nerves and try to be better than the other with all their tasks until one day a promotion is announced and the hating game reaches a whole new level.

I love how much personality gets put into these two characters. I don’t want to go into too much detail, because as always, I want this to be spoiler free. Circumstances seem to plow the way for these two to become lovers instead of haters. When you know someone THAT well from all the hating, the line to loving is easy to cross. I fell hard for the quirky and endearing characters. This novel was well written with a witty humor that I adored, plus just a little bit of saucy. Who wouldn’t enjoy?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

received_860543777431739

 

 

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

/ Whitnee / 5 Comments

wintersong

Title: Wintersong

Author: S. Jae-Jones

Published: February 7th 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Retelling, Fantasy

Stars: 4             Content Rating: 5

Synopsis:

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

********

Hello dear readers! I want to start off by saying how much I enjoyed this book. It surpassed expectations. I have been doing a book exchange with a friend and she sent me this book last October? November? I honestly can’t remember it was F O R E V E R ago. I felt so bad that it was taking me so long to get to it but it wasn’t one I was looking forward to. Gin… if you are reading this, I’m sorry! I’m sorry that it took me so long and that I wasn’t that excited about it. Because, I loved this book. I didn’t really know what it was about, but the Goblin King? Um.. okay. Ha ha.

This book is a Persephone and Hades retelling and it is all about the music. All you musicians out there that know all the musical terms will enjoy it because I feel like the analogies went over my head a little bit. I still felt like I understood what was being conveyed and thought that element was a fun addition to the story.  Elizabeth is a sweet girl. A plain girl that loves music but her talent is over shadowed by her brother and just because of the fact that she is a woman. She can play the violin and piano but loves to compose. Her grandmother is always reminding her of the old laws. The big one being that the Goblin King needs a bride and the veil between both worlds will be soon at hand. Elizabeth believed in those stories when she was young but now, with growing up and the added responsibility of helping their family’s inn, she has all but forgotten those stories.

When her sister is taken to be the the Goblin King’s bride she alone ventures into the underground to play the game with the King to set her sister free. She is surprised to remember she knows the Goblin King and the games they played as children, but they are no longer children and he still needs a bride. Will she be smart enough to best him? She only has to sacrifice her music, which really is her heart. But maybe that isn’t such a bad thing if the person you are making the sacrifice to loves your music as much as you do.

I’m telling you this book is amazing. It is dark and hauntingly beautiful. It has the feel to it like a Bronte novel. Dark and Gothic their love isn’t practical or pretty but it’s heartbreakingly true all the same. I loved reading this story and wondering at how it was going to end. Lucky for you, the sequel has just come out. I am definitely going to read it, since this ending left me with something of a mystery to figure out.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

received_860543777431739

Mar: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

/ Whitnee / Leave a comment

March Book Announcement!!!!

Okay, so after reading ‘The Hating Game’ (which I really did love) I decided that for book club a sexy contemporary romance was probably not the best choice. I began to worry that some of you might be put off from my book club! I have decided to go with this charming story of Arthur Pepper and his mystery hunt for closure after he wife’s passing. If you have already read ‘The Hating Game,’ then I hoped you loved it like I did. If you have not then you have been warned it is a fun, sexy romance.

Thecuriouscharmsofarthurpepper

In this poignant and sparkling debut, a lovable widower embarks on a life-changing adventure
Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.
But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam’s possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he’s never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met–a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.
I bought myself the hardback copy from Amazon.

The Girl with the Make Believe Husband by Julia Quinn

/ Whitnee / Leave a comment

makebelievehusband

Title: The Girl with the Make Believe Husband (Rokesby’s #2)

Author: Julia Quinn

Published: May 30th 2017 by Avon

Genre: Romance, Historical, Regency

Stars: 4           Content Rating: 8

Synopsis:

While you were sleeping…

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He’s unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier’s life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie…

I told everyone I was your wife

When Edward comes to, he’s more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he’d always assumed he’d marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true…

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby

******

After reading this back cover..

Me:”Who wouldn’t want to read this book?”

Everyone Else: “Um, why would I?”

Well just let me tell you! I just adore Julia Quinn’s novels. They capture me every. single. time. I did read the first book, ‘Because of Miss Bridgerton.’ I loved that one too! Unfortunately I didn’t write a review for it and it has been awhile.  All these romances are the same in the way that you don’t really need to read the series in order. Or as a series.  Each book stands as it’s own individual love story. However, I do recommend reading the in order because there might be spoilers if you don’t. Also the other characters and their personalities make more sense when they show up in the sequels after already being introduced in a previous book.

In this book I found that I liked Edward Rokesby. He was funny and a stand up guy. A little mischievous but good hearted and he fell hard for a girl he had never met and was happy he married her. Even if he didn’t remember the wedding?

I liked Cecilia as well. She has such a good heart but found herself stringing a web of lies from here to China to try and find her brother and Edward was her only chance to do so. Only she felt like she has known him forever and however will she come clean?

The humor was great. The saucy romance was fun and instead of the usual London scenes it was America. Revolutionary War times. I really enjoyed this story and if any of you need a good romance author, Julia Quinn is your lady! The Bridgerton’s will keep you entertained for a good long while!

xoxo,

received_860543777431739