Book #17-21
Title : Juliet, A Novel
Author : Anne Fortier
Genre : Historical fiction, Mystery
My rating : 5/5
When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told that it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families immortalized in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse-“A plague on both your houses!”-is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo-but where is he?
I love historical fiction if written beautifully. And this novel is certainly are. Fortier described Siena in such a way that I'm definitely going there first if I ever go to Italy. Hahahaha... I love how she restructure Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and made it even deeper and more meaningful. This book is a true page turner for me and perfect from every aspect.
Title : A Christmas Promise
Author : Mary Balogh
Genre : Regency Romance
My rating : 5/5
A love that cannot be bought or sold proves to be the greatest gift of all, in this heartwarming classic that demonstrates once again why New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh is among the most celebrated authors of historical romance.
Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions-especially when a couple seems as well matched as Randolph Pierce, Earl of Falloden, and his bride-to-be, Eleanor Transome. Ellie brings to the marriage a vast dowry, while Falloden, though distant, is handsome, tremendously desirable, and possessed of a title most young ladies can only dream of sharing.
Yet Ellie is not most young ladies. She knows that she must honor her dear father’s dying wish for her to wed the proud earl, but she dreads a lifetime in a union without love-and how can Falloden claim to love her when he married her only for her fortune? As Christmas descends upon the Falloden manor, the warmth of the season may yet melt away the trappings of duty and wealth, leaving behind only a man and a woman destined for each other’s arms.
I found Mary Balogh only recently and I have to say that she is now one of my favourite authors of Romance novels. She wrote strong plots with great characters and so much emotion in the story. It's rare that I get for a romance novels nowadays to be able to invoke readers' emotions. She often discuss about class difference in her works and she merge it with the plot very well indeed. I got this novel in a book sale and I'm glad I bought it.
Title : The Secret Pearl
Author : Mary Balogh
Genre : Regency Romance
My rating : 5/5
Mary Balogh has no equal when it comes to capturing the complex, irresistible passions between men and women. Her classic novel, The Secret Pearl, is one of the New York Times bestselling author’s finest-a tale of temptation and seduction, of guarded hearts and raw emotion…and of a love so powerful it will take your breath away….
He first spies her in the shadows outside a London theatre, a ravishing creature forced to barter her body to survive.
To the woman known simply as Fleur, the well-dressed gentleman with the mesmerizing eyes is an unlikely savior. And when she takes the stranger to her bed, she never expects to see him again. But then Fleur accepts a position as governess to a young girl…and is stunned to discover that her midnight lover is a powerful nobleman. As two wary hearts ignite-and the threat of scandal hovers over them-one question remains: will she be mistress or wife?
This is definitely one of the most heart-rending romance I have ever read. I am instantly adoring the two lead characters, Adam and Fleur. Each experienced deep sufferings and is finally rewarded with the perfect person for each other. I simply love Mary Balogh.
Title : The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author : Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Genre : Drama, Human Interaction, Post-War Literature
My rating : 5/5
January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
I love epistolary novels. I guess it began with Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it’s one of my favourites and this book definitely joining LLD in my list. One can always expect a sad and touching plot when one is about to read a book about the WWII. This book does not disappoint, but it also comes with great surplus. A string of adorable characters, a sweet love story, and new knowledge about a particular island in England, Guernsey. It was again proven in this book that reading and books can create magic and happiness. I will always remember this quote and will always repeat it to anyone who is yet to discover the great power of a book: “That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive-all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”
Title : A Matter of Class
Author : Mary Balogh
Genre : Regency Romance
My rating : 5/5
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Balough comes a classic historical tale that sizzles with romance and unforgettable drama.
Reginald Mason is wealthy refined and by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by birth, a factor that pains him and his father. Bernard Mason, with the Regency society that upholds station love all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.
Though Bernard wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not to marry her, preferring instead to live as the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Bernard serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.
So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love-a story in which very little is as it seems.
Yet another Mary Balogh. I know I’m going in a frenzy just like last year’s Heyer. But I can’t seem to get enough of her works. This tale is especially sweet for me and refreshing unlike the usual plots in Regency Romance. Although you can easily guess the way in this story, but I enjoy it not even a bit less. I sincerely recommend you to her works. You will enjoy reading it as much as I do.