Archive for the ‘adult fiction’ Category
Review: Juliet by Anne Fortier
Juliet by Anne Fortier
August 24, 2010
Ballentine Books, 464 pages
ARC received from publisher–thank you!
After the death of her caregiver, her great aunt Rose, Julie Jacobs is given her inheritance, a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, as well as a new name–her birth name, Giulietta Tolomei. After traveling to Siena, Julie meets a cast of characters that will help discover the secrets of her past, as well as the curses of her family name. Julie discovers she is an ancestor of the first Giulietta–the “Juliet” that inspired Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, and in order to break the family curse, she must find the man that has descended from Romeo, as well as several artifacts that have been lost over the past centuries.
Juliet is a historical adventure, rich in detail. Several chapters alternate to past events, through letters that Julie receives, telling the details behind her family history and the history of Romeo Marescotti’s family. For those that love history, love Italy, or love Shakespeare, this will be an excellent novel. In terms of story-building and plot-building, the vast amount of history and details became cumbersome to a point. Many of the characters surrounding Julie were not extremely well-developed until very far into the novel, with many still not receiving their fair due. However, at the heart of this story is a romance, the romance that will be remembered for ages, as well as Julie’s own romance with the present-day Romeo. The fast-paced, suspenseful scenes will help to keep readers intrigued, and the plot moves smoothly between slow and fast scenes to keep the reader propelled to the end of the story.
For mainly adult readers, this book will appeal to older teens or to those with a special interest in the story of Romeo and Juliet. For myself, it was a nice change to read a book based somewhat on history, rather than the paranormal, and the character of Julie was refreshing. She was neither perfect nor peppy, and sometimes I actually found her a little annoying–but all the more that makes her believable in my eyes.
Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
June 8, 2010
William Morrow, 464 pages
ARC received from author–thank you!
Meena Harper is a writer for the hit television show, Insatiable. She lives out her rather normal life in New York City with her brother, Jon, recently unemployed, and her dog, Jack Bauer. After Meena’s at-work nemesis is given a promotion over her, the company that owns her television network decides to go a different route with the show, bringing in several new characters, cast as vampires. Vampires are all the rage, and the network hopes that bringing in a vampire plotline will help boost ratings and the company’s bottom line. Meena hates the idea and hates the idea of vampires, especially as she believes they promote an agenda of female weakness and dependence on a male companion.
Her problems are only beginning when she finds out that the guy she just started seeing, Lucien, the dreamy, hot, intelligent, probably a real-life prince, cousin of her neighbor is most likely a vampire. A really bad, really ancient vampire. And then her life gets a lot more interesting. In all the wrong ways.
Insatiable is a book trying to be a different kind of vampire book in this day and age when everything is a vampire book. I enjoyed that about this story. I think we’ll get more of a taste of this in the sequel. The story was certainly very different than any other vampire book out there. Lucien is your typical vampire–super hot, super desirable–but he’s a little more badass and it’s nice that he’s not always lusting after Meena’s blood (her body–that’s another thing altogether!). Meena is a very strong female character, not quite turning into a weak little girl around her vampire boytoy–one of her greatest fears, but I still felt she was way too attached, way too quickly to Lucien. The connection between the two was pretty believable, but the quickness of the story felt, well, just a little too quick for me. That’s my largest complaint with the book, because in general, I really enjoyed it. I loved it in fact, and can’t wait for the sequel!
Meg Cabot is bringing to this genre a whole new playing field, updating the vampire story for adults, but making it still fun and full of adventure, as we like to see in our teen vampire stories. I’d definitely recommend this book for older teens, as well as adults that are fans of paranormal stories. Also, if you’re a fan of Cabot’s adult books, you’ll really enjoy the humor she creates throughout the book. She really has a way of working in the littlest details that add humor and fun to the story, but don’t feel forced or contrived.
Valentine’s Weekend
In celebration of Valentine’s weekend, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite literary couples, from across all genres. Comment and share with me some of your favorites! Even those star-crossed lovers, that never seem to make it together.
1. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Of course, this is number 1 on my list. Maybe it’s cliche, but Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and I’ve read it at least 10 times. I’ll never tire of their story!
2. Jesse and Suze from the Mediator series by Meg Cabot
I’m one of the biggest Meg Cabot fans you’ll ever find. I’m pretty sure I own all of her books. And of her books, Jesse and Suze top my list as a great couple. The Mediator books are filled with an awesome amount of star-crossedness, longing, a little bit of lusting, but also true love.
3. Elspeth and Rushton of The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody.
Oh, these two. For several books in the chronicles you’re screaming, get together already! You love each other! But the complicatedness of this couple is what keeps me reading.
4. Numair and Daine from the Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce
I’m also the hugest Tamora Pierce fan, and especially fond of Numair and Daine. Despite their age and personality differences, they found a common love in each other–passionate, sometimes angry, but real, solid love.
5. Luciano and Arianna in the Stravaganza books by Mary Hoffman
I love these books, and I adore that they are in Italy–already uber-romantic, eh? Luciano and Arianna are wonderful together, and Arianna is such a strong female character. You love her and know what’s best for her–in Luciano–and eventually she sees it as well. These are excellent books, and I really hope more people are reading them!
6. Aislinn and Seth from the Wicked Lovely books
Will Seth and Aislinn be able to stay together despite her status as faery royalty? What is Seth going to do in Radiant Shadows? Those answers and more coming this year!
And of course, I have many, many more couples I love, but these are a few of my favorites. Share your own in the comments or on your blog! If you write about this on your blog, comment here and let me know so I can check it out.
Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Although my true love is for YA novels, I am also a big reader of many types of adult fiction, especially when it comes to the Stephanie Plum novels. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum is one of my favorite fictional characters. She’s hilarious, and also relatable, but yet out of this world!
In the 15th installment of the Plum series, Stephanie is once again single (recently broken up with her on-again-off-again hottie boyfriend Joe Morelli) and still working for her cousin’s bail bonds office catching delinquents and your normal selection of crazies–a flasher and an old man that attacked his dentist, amongst others. Stephanie is once again recruited to work for Ranger, another notch on the bedpost of her past, as a somewhat undercover spy–someone’s been breaking into houses using Ranger’s company’s security devices, and Ranger thinks he has a traitor on the inside. The only person he can trust is Stephanie, and as a woman always in need of a few dollars, she agrees to take the job, despite the fact that it will bring her into close proximity to Ranger and his exceedingly gorgeous body and sly ways of getting Stephanie into bed with him.
Stephanie’s also dealing with Lula, her coworker/sidekick/friend/large and loud African-American woman, that recently witnessed the murder of a famous cooking show chef and is now at risk of being hit by the guys who did it. But what else is new when it comes to Stephanie Plum? It wouldn’t be the same if her car (or multiple) didn’t blow up, her apartment didn’t catch on fire, and if she didn’t get shot at a few times, right?
Honestly, Evanovich gets better with every novel. After 14, you’d think, hasn’t there been enough? HELL NO! I was reading this last night and literally laughing out loud almost the entire book. Lula is one the most hilariously crazy, insanely awesome characters I have ever read. What she says, does, eats, and um, releases from her body, will make you laugh until you cry. She really stole this novel and made it another great addition to the Plum family of books.
I can’t wait to find out more about the 16th book, and will be sure to share with my readers anything I should discover. If you haven’t check out the Stephanie Plum novels–these would be great even for older teens–the books have sex and foul language, but I think the comedy will appeal to many ages.
For More: Check out Evanovich’s web site where you can read excerpts of all of her books!
Meg Cabot News
Meg Cabot just posted in her diary that the Heather Wells novels have been optioned for a TV series by ABC family! Best news I’ve had this week! Here’s hoping that this becomes a reality–I absolutely adore those books, and ALL of Meg Cabot’s work!
Austenland
Austenland by Shannon Hale is an absolute must for ANY fans of Jane Austen out there! In this great (but, yet, a bit short) novel, Jane Hayes, a New Yorker, is whisked away to the time of Austen; propriety, politeness, and corsets abound! A wealthy aunt dies and leaves Jane an odd sort of inheritance–3 weeks at Pembrook Park, in England, where women come to fantastize and act as if they are living in the 19th century, complete with servants, men wearing tight breeches, and no air conditioning!
If you know me, which many of you, do not, you will know that I am a very large fan of Jane Austen. I’ve read all of her novels, and her incomplete novels, and everything I possibly can even remotely relating to Jane or her stories. So, of course, I loved this book, because it sounds like an amazingly wonderful dream. Do places like this exist? If so, please someone buy me a ticket? And make sure Colin Firth is waiting at the door?
I am the utmost hopeless romantic. I relate to the main character, Jane, because she is searching for her Mr. Darcy. Wouldn’t it be great to find your own Mr. Darcy? That’s what you think, right? That’s what I think, but honestly, have you really thought about it? Thought about THE MR. DARCY? The story is called PRIDE and Prejudice, and he was for sure, a very prideful man. And in the end, perhaps humbled, a bit, but still proud. Is that what I really want in my future soulmate? I’m still trying to figure that out, but really, am I holding out for too much? Is my pedestal, perhaps, a bit, TOO high?
Something to think about… aren’t books great at doing that?!
Anyways, this book was great. I read it in one sitting. Go read it now, women of the world.
(DISCLAIMER: If you are reading my blog, you may notice I seem to enjoy every book I’ve written about. Well, I just happen to love almost every book I read, no matter the subject matter. If I don’t enjoy a book, I won’t keep reading it, so therefore probably won’t blog about it. But maybe the time will come, when I too, will read a horrid novel, and share with the world. For now, you will have to deal with my amazing positivity and extreme promotion of every novel I come across. That’s just me. And I say amazing a lot. In case you haven’t caught on by now.)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Last night I finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A few years ago, in college, one of our class assignments was to read The Kite Runner, which he also wrote (and which there is currently a film out based on this novel).
A Thousand Splendid Suns is extremely emotional. I can’t imagine that anyone would read this novel and not feel ANYTHING. I definitely cried at a few critical moments. This novel tells the story of two women growing up and facing extreme hardship and betrayals in Afghanistan over the past 30 or so years.
I sit and read this novel and think, “A few thousand miles, and that could be me.” Fate has granted me the life of an American citizen, and all the freedoms that come with that. I will never be forced into a marriage I do not want. My family will never be so poor that our stomaches ache with hunger pains and we fear for our lives. If I am assaulted, or beaten, or hurt in any way, I have the right to speak up for myself.
As a woman living in the world today, I recommend that all women, from every background and age, read this book. I recommend every man read this book. You’ll surely be touched by the amazing strength of these strong women.
