How (Not) to Marry a Duke - Felicia Kingsley

 

Date of Reading: 19/07/2018

Author: Felicia Kingsley

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: August 2018

Translated by: Alessandra Rotilio

Rating: 4.5/5

From: NetGalley 

 

 

 

About the book:

 

A hilarious romantic comedy perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jo Watson and Meg Cabot.

One minute, Jemma Pears is a struggling theatrical make-up artist in London. The next, she's been left a vast fortune by her estranged grandmother. The catch: she must marry a man with a title to inherit. Jemma thinks this is truly impossible: she's a romantic, searching for true love, not just a convenient marriage... and besides, where would she even find a titled guy?

Enter Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham. His legacy: massive debts that he must pay back immediately or risk the bank seizing his assets. Or worse: his mother's wrath!

When their lawyer hears of their situations, a secret match is made despite their mutual hatred of each other: through marrying Ashford, Jemma can inherit and Ashford can pay back his debts immediately. Problem solved. That is, until their marriage is leaked to the press and everyone finds out...

Now they have to play out the charade for at least a year or risk going to jail for fraud!

A hilarious pretense ensues and Jemma must battle against a crazy mother in law, a stuffy aristocracy, and finally, and most surprisingly of all, confusing feelings for Ashford...! 

 

My Review:

 

      Reading this book was like getting exposed to Nitrous Oxide aka, the laughing gas. Fortunately, I am not too old, so my teeth haven't come off. But then again, I must have given a total scare to my hostelmates with all the shrieks of laughter coming from my room. I think you got the picture now.

      Since you are acquainted with the after effects of a laugh out loud romantic comedy now, let me come to the story. Predictable, for sure, but the novelty comes through the narrative style and the witty dialogues. Often it reminded me of a Korean drama I used to watch of a common girl forced to be married to an arrogant Prince. But Jemma is not an innocent, childish character; she is resourceful, fearless and a bit opinionated in a good way. She never runs out of ways to shock Ashford and also the readers.

      The Duke in the story, Ashford Parker is the epitome of elegant wit. I thoroughly enjoyed his narration and unique perspective of the events. The way he handles his mother and the rapport he enjoys with his best friend Harring produce the most hilarious moments in novel.

       A word of advice before you go hunting for this book. Never dare to open this precious thing in train or while waiting for the bus; well, that is, if you don't want to be stared at. Have fun reading!!!

Modern Persuasion - Sara Marks

Date of Reading: 06/07/2018

Author: Sara Marks

Publisher: Illuminated Myth Publishing

Year: 2017

Rating: 4/5

(This review copy is offered to me by Lola's Blog Tours, but the opinions expressed are completely my own)

About the book:

This story of second chances is inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion. 

Eight years ago Emma Shaw picked her career and family over Fredrick Wentworth, the man she loved. Since then she has built a career as a book editor and spends her free time making sure her father and sisters are taken care of. Fredrick has spent the same years building his career as a screenwriter under increasing public scrutiny as a celebrity. When the editor of Fredrick’s first book is injured, Emma is forced to travel with Fredrick on his book tour. The former lovers are joined by his publicist, Patrick, and her intern, Louisa, who play intermediaries over the month. Emma and Fredrick spend the entire tour avoiding the elephant in the room. 

Tension builds as they each learn about the current version of the person they once loved and resolve the ramifications of their choices.

My Review:

        I have always found it tough to decide which of the Austen books is my favourite. And 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Persuasion' were the top two contenders. I haven't resolved it yet, still, the latter is a book I keep close to my heart. So I jumped at the opportunity to review this modern version and as expected it was mesmerising.

       The author has retained the names of the original characters except that of the heroine, who is addressed as Emma instead of Anne. The story is set in the background of the publishing industry and that is what captivated mostly. Who could put away a book that talks about writing and publishing and book tours?

        Emma is an admirable protagonist who turns down Fredrick's proposal, not because she is persuaded but for her career. And she came up as a successful editor too. A level-headed heroine who is not looking for her Prince Charming to rescue her, I must admit, gives due justice to Austen's lead role.

      I did love the narration and the way the story progressed quite freely without any digressions. What it offers us is a peek to the publishing world and the delicate way books are judged and promoted. If you are looking for an enjoyable read to finish in one sitting, then this is just your pick.

Meet the author:

Born in Boston, MA and raised in Miami, FL, Sara has two masters degrees and plans to never stop getting over educated. She now lives in Lowell, MA and is a librarian at UMass Lowell. She likes the idea of having all the academic regalia she can ever possess and winning with the most degrees in her family. She cries at nearly every movie she sees (ask her about when she cried at a horror movie), but it’s full-on weeping for Disney animated movies. She loves reading nearly every genre but likes to write romance and fantasy books.

Here Comes the Best Man - Angela Britnell (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 26/06/2018

Author: Angela Britnell

Publisher: Choc Lit

Place: UK

Publication Date: July 10, 2018

Rating: 3/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Being the best man is a lot to live up to … 

When troubled army veteran and musician Josh Robertson returns home to Nashville to be the best man at his younger brother Chad’s wedding he’s just sure that he’s going to mess it all up somehow. 

But when it becomes clear that the wedding might not be going to plan, it’s up to Josh and fellow guest Louise Giles to make sure that Chad and his wife-to-be Maggie get their perfect day. 

Can Josh be the best man his brother needs? And is there somebody else who is beginning to realise that Josh could be her ‘best man’ too? 

My Review:

       I am not a fan of first sight love stories, preferring to read the gradual building up of a relationship. But the book kept me going partly due to the lovely repartees constantly engaged between the pair.  Josh, without a doubt, is the best man in the novel and captures our hearts with a frankness that is quite foreign nowadays.

        The novella comes as a sequel to "The Wedding Reject Table", but can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the previous one in the series, but the constant references make me think it has a good premise and now I will surely have to look into that. Chad and Maggie seemed to have gone through some high waters and now it's his elder brother's turn to reveal his cowboy charm.

        If I want to change anything about the book, then that will be the length. I couldn't shake the feeling that the book would have fared better with a slow take on things with some added insights into the characters. Is a week really enough for Josh to sort through his feelings towards his dad and for Louise to regain her courage to love again? On the other hand, the short length has its benefits and a single sitting will see you finished it in no time.

Meet the author: 

I was born in the beautiful county of Cornwall in southwestern England and grew up in a small village there. I return frequently to visit family and friends but especially to savour the cool rainy weather and hot tea. After school, I joined the Royal Navy and served for nearly six years. I held varying jobs from being the only woman in the staff of a sports centre to arranging social engagements for the Captain of the base. My last assignment was to Denmark where I thought I would spend a wild two years in Copenhagen only to discover I was being sent to a NATO Headquarters in a quiet town on the Jutland Peninsula. I was only disappointed for a while as I met my own tall, dark, handsome stranger there - a US Naval Officer named Richard who became my husband.

I have always been a voracious reader, even at 5 years old my school reports show a keen interest in English and very little in math - some things never change! Although I enjoyed writing in school it wasn't until 2001 that I was tempted to take a creative writing class at a local recreation centre which has sparked my new career.

When I'm not busy writing I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I try to grow English flowers in the Tennessee heat and succeed some of the time. I belong to the wonderful Red Bandanas Writing Group, Jubilee Readers Book Club, and volunteer at my local library so you can see that words are important to me.

I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it so sit back, make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy a break from everyday life.

Matchmaking for Beginners - Maddie Dawson

Date of Reading: 23/06/2018

Author: Maddie Dawson

Publisher: Lake Union

Place: Seattle

Year: 2018

Rating: 4/5

From: NetGalley

About the book:

Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.

When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbours running from happiness. Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.

And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most.

My Review:

       I added this to my overflowing TBR pile, due to the numerous positive reviews I found on the web. And the novel won't disappoint you a bit. As you must have guessed already, the storyline is unique and the incorporation of magic realism blends well with the plot.

        What interested me most was Marnie, the imperfect heroine. I have seen many complaining of her as she has cheated on her fiance. Well, obviously that is a major issue, but may be that is what makes this novel dear to our hearts. Even with the little magical powers involved, this splashes us with reality, giving a break to perfect Cinderella stories.

         Then there is Blix, who I think have blixed all us readers. One could almost feel her wishes of happiness flowing throughout the book, seeping into our bloodstream and to our heart. Her matchmaking projects are one of a kind and many a time I felt really jealous as to how she marched on with her life.

        All in all, I will recommend this precious book to anyone looking for a different romance read. It will surprise and enthral you till the very end!

Meet the author:

I'm the author of seven novels about love, crazy families, secrets, parenthood, and--yes, they have reasonably happy endings. Kind of like life. My newest, Matchmaking for Beginners, is released on June 1, 2018. My other novels are The Survivor's Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World and A Piece of Normal. 

My first novel, What Comes After Crazy, was written under the name Sandi Kahn Shelton