Title: Dangerous Neighbors

Author: Beth Kephart

Genre: Historical/YA

Publisher: Egmont USA
Publication Date: August 2010
Hardcover 192 pages

Could any two sisters be more tightly bound together than the twins, Katherine and Anna? Yet love and fate intervene to tear them apart. Katherine’s guilt and sense of betrayal leaves her longing for death, until a surprise encounter and another near catastrophe rescue her from a tragic end. Set against the magical kaleidoscope of the Philadelphia Centennial fair of 1876, National Book Award nominee Beth Kephart’s book conjures the sweep and scope of a moment in history in which the glowing future of a nation is on display to the disillusioned gaze of a girl who has determined that she no longer has a future. The tale is a pulse by pulse portrait of a young heroine’s crisis of faith and salvation in the face of unbearable loss.

Stand alone or series Stand alone

Why did I read this book: I heard nothing but praise for Beth Kephart’s books and I saw this post by Amy on The Beth Effect and thought it was about time to read one of her books and when I got a copy of this book in the post, I was more than happy to give it a go.

How did I get this book: ARC from the publisher

Review:

Dangerous Neighbors is my first Beth Kephart book and it I thought it was a lovely, albeit short, introduction to the author’s exquisite writing. It’s a historical novel, set in Philadelphia, during the 1876 Centennial Exhibition where Katherine goes to say goodbye to the world, or perhaps even more, goodbye to her late sister.

The story is an exploration of grief from the perfective of Katherine after her twin sister Anna has died and it deals with the aftermath of her death and the feelings of loneliness, loss and guilt as well as flashbacks to Anna and Katherine’s relationship in the months before the tragedy occurs. The two always had a tight bond but once Anna falls in love with a baker boy, the sisters start to grow apart and it is in this elusive world of the “growing apart” that the majority of the story takes place both when Anna was alive and ultimately after she is dead as Katherine examines the past and the bleak future.

I loved, since I love this type of narrative, how Katherine’s is a bit of an unreliable narrator because the story is of course, tempered by her view of the world, by her deep love for her sister, and how she perceives their relationship to be. Where does their difference lie? Anna although gone when the story starts and present only in flashbacks from Katherine’s point of view is as much as an in-depth character as it can be: but is Anna really how Katherine paints her to be or is she someone that is just deeply different from her sister, perhaps more adaptable and more modern?

Dangerous Neighbors is a novel of grief – so sad and so fraught with unimaginable fear as well, because even though Katherine can’t see her life without her sister, she actually does love living, perhaps in a different way than Anna did. It is a novel about the dichotomy between the old and the new which is deftly explored in the relationship between their mother (a suffragist) and their father (who is afraid of “dangerous neighbours”) , in the setting of the world of wonders that was the Centennial fair and in the new reality of Katherine’s life now without the security of her bond with her sister, which was a bond of love but also of self-imposed duty.

It is a beautiful, so beautiful, story of one’s unravelling, of sour realisation and self-awareness: it begins with a fragmented Katherine and ends with a Katherine in the way to putting the pieces back together (although not all pieces).

This is a precious little gem, and I loved it.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

That night Katherine gave up trying to talk sense into Anna. That night she did not try to argue her twin sister out of her gargantuan joy; she did not try to save her. It was on New Year’s Eve that Katherine decided to begin to look the other way on purpose, but this time without anger, without the intent to prove a point. She decided to stop protecting Anna, so that she might love her more truly.

Verdict: I feel that Dangerous Neighbors was a great introduction to Beth Kephart’s writing: it is a lovely gem, full of in-depth characters, an exploration of grief which is of course, as some of the best books about grief, a book about life. Very Good.

Rating: 7 – Very Good – leaning towards a 8

Reading Next: The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks by E. Lochart

Title: The Body at the Tower

Author: Y.S. Lee

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Victorian

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: August 2010
Hardcover: 352 Pages

Orphan Mary Quinn works for the Agency, a secret spy organization run by and employing entirely woman. Her latest assignment has her disguised as a 12-year-old boy at the construction site of a clock tower near Parliament, investigating a mysterious death and the site’s overall generally bad reputation. Mary is skilled at her “trade,” but she finds being a boy harder than she expects when it brings back long-suppressed memories of her rough childhood.

To make matters worse—or better, in some instances—James, her old flame, has returned from India, changed in some ways, yet exactly the same in others. Will Mary be able to balance all the different parts of her life while she does her job, or will something have to fall—literally?

Stand alone or series: Book 2 in The Agency series

How did I get this book: Review Copy from the publisher

Why did I read this book: We were invited to join the Traveling To Teens Blog Tour for the release of this novel, and having heard nothing but praise for Y.S. Lee’s first book, I eagerly acquiesced. (Yes, I just used acquiesced in a sentence – it must be Ms. Lee’s Victorian vocabulary rubbing off on me.)

Review:

Since her stint in the gaol and her narrow escape from the gallows as a young orphan, Mary Quinn has flourished under The Agency’s tutelage. A burgeoning young spy, Mary takes on a dangerous new assignment to investigate the untimely death of a brick-layer that has plunged to his demise from a clock tower at a construction site near Parliament. In order to accomplish her mission, however, Mary must pass as a young boy – which stirs up some hard memories from her past, when she used to dress as a boy to avoid abuse and rape. Despite these issues and desperate to prove herself to her mentors at The Academy, Mary dives into her new role as “Quinn” with alacrity, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of the dead bricklayer and the stink of corruption that surrounds the site – though prying answers from men who think her to be an overly-educated, spying favorite of the founder of the site, one sir Harkness, proves much harder to accomplish in practice. And when a familiar face from Mary’s past, James Easton, pops into the picture as a sanctioned investigator things get even more complicated.

As with its predecessor A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower is another winning, impeccably well-written historical mystery from Y.S. Lee. The first thing one notices when reading The Agency books is how evocative and detailed the historical element is – it should come as no surprise that Ms. Lee holds a Ph.D in Victorian literature and culture. The strongest parts of The Body at the Tower were, for me, how seamlessly elements like sensationalist scandal sheets (with its tabloid inaccuracies, and its cheap ink rubbing off on Mary’s hands) or bricklaying techniques (they apparently would work in pairs, using a tool called a hod to carry bricks) were integrated into the story. Not only are details like this believable and time-period accurate (or so I am assuming, as I’m by NO means an expert at this sort of thing!), but they are interesting – never once did I feel like I was being info-dumped or in a dingy lecture hall. Rather, Ms. Lee manages to bring the grime and sweat of working class Victorian London to life by means of this nuanced narrative.

But enough with the details! What of the characters and the plot, you say? As with the first novel, Mary is a strong heroine, yet she is much changed in this second book. Less brash, Mary is a bit more subdued in this book as she grapples with concealment and identity.**

Another familiar face returns in this second book, with James Easton back on the scene as his and Mary’s paths cross once more. The banter and chemistry between these two books isn’t quite as lightheartedly winsome as it was in the first book, but that’s kind of cool. Though the two are reunited, they both have changed significantly, both physically and emotionally (James, frail from his illness in India, Mary in her boy-garb). There are new characters met in this book too that are memorable additions, in particular, I enjoyed Jenkins, a young boy Mary befriends on the job (as Quinn, of course).

Though the mystery isn’t really that much of a mystery, and the plotting a bit slow, the writing overall with its attention to detail and period is genuinely winsome. My only other criticism is how I wish there was more of the actual Agency in the book. I love the idea of this fictional spy agency for women as a revisionist sort of history, that in the words of author Y.S. Lee serves as an “antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn.” How cool is that? Though I wish there was more of an Agency presence in this second book, I’m pretty sure that they (along with Mary and James) will be back in full force by the time the third book in the trilogy comes out.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT READ A SPY IN THE HOUSE (highlight the white area below to read)

Mary’s ethnicity in particular is a huge point of contention with her. I really, really wish there was MORE exploration of her Chinese heritage in this book (though the thread is picked up by the end).

END SPOILER

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Y.S. Lee’s website, an introduction to the passage:

This is the fourth chapter of The Body at the Tower. Here, Mary arrives at the half-built St Stephen’s Tower (the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster). She’s disguised as 12-year-old “Mark Quinn”, it’s her first day of work, and she has zero experience of building sites.

It was only a short walk across the Thames from her new lodgings in Lambeth to the building site in Westminster. Nervous as she was about the first day of the assignment, Mary forced her attention outwards, to streets she would come to know well. All about her, men and women and children shuffled slowly workward, or perhaps home again after a night shift. The pubs did steady business as laborers drank their breakfast pints. Occasionally, a fresh scent – new bread from a bakeshop; a barrowful of lilies going to a florist’s – cut through the thick, earthy, acidic smells of the city. She dodged a wagon heaped high with sides of beef, and grinned at the pack of dogs trailing it hopefully.

Her destination, St Stephen’s Tower, loomed over all this. It was designed to look glorious and imperial, but the effect was spoiled from her angle by the missing hands on two of the clock faces. To Mary the tower merely looked blind, a spindly, helpless outcast marooned by the river’s edge. As she stepped onto Westminster Bridge, she realized was breathing shallowly. How foolish to think she could mitigate the odour of the river! She inhaled a careful breath and forced herself to take measure of its stench. Yes, it was still intensely familiar, if slightly less disgusting due to the cooler weather. After last year’s Great Stink, appalled Londoners had spent months arguing about the need to clean up the Thames. Campaigners crusaded, newspapers excoriated, politicians pontificated. But like most Londoners, Mary would only believe it once she saw the results. For now, she was grateful that the stink was no worse than last year.

She slowed her pace along the bridge, taking a long, deliberate look at the Palace of Westminster. Every child knew that this was the seat of government, where the Houses of Lords and Commons met. Yet she’d never paid close attention to the actual buildings, sprawling and imposing as they were. They’d been under construction since well before she was born. For most Londoners now, the Palace’s twenty-five year re-construction was merely an obvious, unfunny joke about government and the ruling classes.

Nothing moved inside Palace Yard. It was too early for the law-makers, and too late for the night watchmen. The entrance to the building site was separate and there would be no need to enter the Palace itself; no dangerous mingling of peers and working men. Even so, she made a circuit around the Palace proper, entranced now by its colossal mass, its relentless detail. It was a revelation: not beautiful in a restrained, classical way, but fierce and extravagantly Gothic. The intricacy of the design was hypnotic, overwhelmingly so, and the arrogance and tradition it represented made itself felt in the pit of her stomach.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: As mentioned above, The Body at the Tower is the second book in The Agency series. If you haven’t check out the series yet, I recommend you start with book 1, A Spy in the House:

Introducing an exciting new series! Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Also make sure to check out Y.S. Lee’s Guest Post on Notorious Victorians, posted earlier today!

Verdict: I truly enjoyed The Body at the Tower. A worthy sequel to A Spy in the House, this is a series I wholeheartedly recommend for readers looking for a richly nuanced Victorian mystery (with a wonderful heroine to boot).

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology

Welcome to our fourth guest post of YAAM, the 2010 edition. As part of our celebration of all things YA, we have invited authors from different genres to write articles about the books and the genres they write.

Today we are proud to be the tenth and final stop on the Traveling to Teens book tour, celebrating the release of author Y.S. Lee’s latest novel in The Agency series, The Body at the Tower. When we were asked if we wanted to participate in the tour, we of course were thrilled having heard nothing but praise for Ms. Lee’s work – and so it is our honor to present you, gentle readers, with a guest post from the author herself.

Please give a warm welcome to Y.S. Lee, as she tells us a bit more about some Notorious Victorians!

Welcome to the eighth and last installment of my Notorious Victorians blog tour, celebrating the publication of The Body at the Tower. Over the past fortnight we’ve looked at firebrands, reluctant revolutionaries, scandals and spectacles, and now deliberate rebels – all figures who have changed the way we live. Today’s essay focuses on the Edinburgh Seven – women who, like Florence Nightingale, challenged social expectations to pursue careers in medicine. Yet these women took it several steps further.

In 1869, Sophia Jex-Blake got permission to attend lectures at the Edinburgh medical school. (She had previously been rejected by Harvard and various medical colleges in England because of her gender.) Following immediate and vigorous opposition from students and some faculty members, the university reversed its position: it would not permit coeducational classes and could not offer private tuition to a single lady. Jex-Blake seized the loophole – she advertised for female classmates. Joined by Mary Anderson, Emily Bovell, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Edith Pechey and Isabel Thorne, the women agreed to fund their own separate lectures and began their studies that autumn.

Debate continued to rage at the school and in newspapers. Soon, the confrontation became physical: one day, when the women were scheduled to take an exam, a few hundred students – and possibly teaching assistants – massed in front of the building, heckling the women and throwing garbage at them. After the examination, Jex-Blake refused to slip away through a side door, but instead confronted the rioters. The school made a very faint show of disciplining the students for this outburst, fining three of them for “breach of peace”.

Despite this hostile environment, more women registered to study. There was good reason to be optimistic. Yet in 1873, while the women were still students, the university refused to grant them degrees. A court decision supported this position, and ruled further that women should never have been admitted in the first place.

On leaving Edinburgh, Jex-Blake went to London where she helped to establish the London School of Medicine for Women, which opened in 1874 with 14 students. Even so, some colleges of physicians refused to grant licenses to practise medicine to female students. As a result, many of the original students received their MDs in Switzerland, France, and Ireland. Women students were eventually admitted to Scottish universities a generation later, in 1892.

Sophia Jex-Blake and her classmates were able to challenge Edinburgh University and become pioneering physicians because of their social and financial advantages: they were not required to earn a living, their families tolerated (although they did not necessarily encourage) their radical notions, and they could afford the expense of a long and experimental education. Using their privilege and financial advantage for the common good made them rebels not only against the university, but against social expectations for young ladies of birth and breeding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Y S Lee was born in Singapore and raised in Vancouver and Toronto. In 2004, she completed her PhD in Victorian literature and culture. This research, combined with her time living in London, triggered an idea for a story about a women’s detective agency. The result, A Spy in the House, is her first novel.

Ying is also the author of Masculinity and the English Working Class (Routledge). She now lives in Kingston, Ontario with her husband and young son.

Things I’m learning to like, out of self-defense:
Early mornings (see son, above)

Thank you, Ying, for the awesome post! For more about Ying, you can visit her website, or follow her on Twitter.

If you missed any of the earlier stops on the tour, make sure to check them out:

Mon. 8/2 – Kristi (The Story Siren)
Tues. 8/3 – Kristen (Bookworming in the 21st Century)
Wed. 8/4 – Sarah GreenBeanTeenQueen
Thurs. 8/5 – Lizzy (Cornucopia of Reviews)
Fri. 8/6 – Ari (Reading in Color)
Mon. 8/9 – Mariah L (A Reader’s Adventure)
Tues. 8/10 – Steph Su (Steph Su Reads)
Wed. 8/11 – Cecilia (The Epic Rat)
Thurs. 8/12 – Laura (Laura’s Review Bookshelf)
Fri. 8/13 – The Book Smugglers

Also, make sure to stick around as later in the day, we’ll post our review of The Body at the Tower.

Title: A Wish After Midnight

Author: Zetta Elliott

Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Speculative Fiction

Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: March 2009
Paperback: 254 Pages

Fifteen-year old Genna Colon believes wishes can come true. Frustrated by the drug dealers in her building, her family’s cramped apartment, and her inability to compete with the cute girls at school, Genna finds comfort in her dreams of a better future. Almost every day she visits the garden and tosses coins into the fountain, wishing for a different life, a different home, and a different body. Little does she know that her wish will soon be granted: when Genna flees into the garden late one night, she makes a fateful wish and finds herself instantly transported back in time to Civil War-era Brooklyn.

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel

How did we get this book: Thea received a review copy from the author, Ana borrowed hers from a friend (thanks, Karen!).

Why did we read this book: We follow Zetta Elliott’s blog and articles on Diversity. When we organized YAAM, we decided it was time to read her novel.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Ana: I started reading A Wish After Midnight one night and didn’t stop until I finished it. The important thing to say is how I might have finished the book but was not done with it or rather the book was not done with me: I lay awake that night thinking about it and about the history, the story, the text and the subtext, the characters until I could think no more. I loved it.

Thea: I gotta agree with Ana on this one – I loved A Wish After Midnight. This is a beautiful character-centered book about a girl struggling to survive in two different eras, dealing with racism across two distant – but not so different – time periods. Zetta Elliott’s writing, plotting, and characterizations are flawless, and – well, how else can I say this? – I LOVED this book.

On the Plot:

Ana: A Wish After Midnight is a semi-fantastical account of Fifteen-year old Genna Colon’s life. The year is 2001 and Genna lives in Brooklyn with her family – her mother and three siblings. Genna is Panamanian/African American and her dad went back to Jamaica a few year back after being disillusioned with racial inequality in America. The first part of the book follows Genna in her daily life in a small apartment in a run-down building , dealing with racism, poverty and the expectations of her mother who hopes she will do better one day. Genna spends her day studying, taking care of her small baby brother, developing a relationship with an African-American boy named Judah and often visiting a public garden in Brooklyn where she eventually meets Hannah, a white woman who hires Genna as a baby-sitter.It is in one of those visits to the garden that Genna makes a wish to the fountain and ends up in the past – back in a Civil War-era Brooklyn. Thus begins the second part of the book as she wakes up in the past in the body of a slave who had been recently published – as the slashes on her back prove. Confused and in pain, Genna is rescued by a quick-thinking, emancipated slave who was nearby and taken to an orphanage where she will recover from her injuries and then try to find a way back home.

A Wish After Midnight is a wonderful, vivid story. I love for example, how the details regarding Genna’s wish and how exactly she ended up in the past are up to the reader’s imagination because after all this is not what the story is about. Rather, it is a character-driven book in which Genna’s resilience and observation of the world are what really matters.

Slavery is a loaded issue and I thought the author handled it very well, and not heavy-handed at all. In fact, the plot is a subtle representation of slavery: by taking Genna from everything she knows and loves and thrusting her in a situation of which she has no control of, therefore re-living what her ancestors went through , with an obvious difference: a 20th century sensibility. This shift demands a lot from Genna but her keen eyes don’t miss anything. And she is lucky too, as she is sent back to NY and not a southern state and a NY on the brink of the Emancipation Proclamation and the New York Draft Riots.

The author is very deft at incorporating Historical events and the Brooklyn setting is incredibly realistic and the story is also a tale of two cities – of two Brooklyns separated in time. It is less about a cohesive plot of a time traveller and more like an exploration of what if feels like to be a black girl in Brooklyn in 2001 and in the 1800s.

It simply astonishes me that with this writing and this story the author was unable to secure a publishing deal and ended up self-publishing.

Thea: What Ana said. A Wish After Midnight is much more of a character-piece than a rollicking time travel novel, but that doesn’t mean that the plotting isn’t superb. The time/world-traveling teen conceit is a familiar one (one of my favorites and a book that Wish reminded me of is Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic, in which a teen jumps back in time to the Holocaust – and of course there will always be the comparisons to Octavia Butler’s Kindred), and Ms. Elliott does it brilliantly, putting her own spin on this familiar plot trope. First, Ms. Elliott brings to life Genna’s world in modern day Brooklyn, detailing her separated and struggling family, the grime and danger of a life in the projects but also Genna’s love of her siblings and mother, her books, and the lush botanical gardens where she goes to escape fetid reality. When Genna awakens in 1863, in a beaten body on the eve of the Emancipation Proclamation, she may still be in Brooklyn, but it is an entirely different world. With equal care and attentiveness to detail, Civil War New York is brought to vibrant life too, as Genna is first brought back to health and then works as a nanny in Dr. and Mrs. Brant’s home. The political landscape and the historical detailing is impeccable (author Zetta Elliott holds a Ph.D. in American Studies), creating a very real, tumultuous picture of a major city on the brink of war.

The most intriguing thing about A Wish After Midnight, and what makes it stand out from other so-called time travel historical fantasy novels, in my opinion, is how the book (through Genna’s eyes) examines race and identity over two very different time periods. In modern Brookly, Genna’s mother has an instinctive mistrust, even hate, of white people – which isn’t without grounds, considering the interactions that Genna and her family have every day. Genna’s boyfriend, Judah, is resigned that he will not learn anything in American schools and is determined to move to Africa. In contrast, Genna isn’t comfortable lumping together all white folks into the same generalization as her mother does, nor does she think Africa is the solution to all of life’s problems. And then, Genna jumps back in time, and experiences the world from a completely new perspective – as an assumed runaway female slave, vulnerable and utterly alone. There’s danger aplenty in Genna’s worlds – both in modern Brooklyn (one story Genna relates about a girl that was raped in a staircase at school is particularly chilling) and past Brooklyn, where being black – being a black woman – is incredibly dangerous.

But more than just an examination of racism, A Wish After Midnight is a book about Genna discovering and feeling comfortable with herself. But more on that in a bit.

On the Characters:

Ana: It is in the characterisations that I think A Wish After Midnight excels. All of them to some extent or another, but especially Genna. It is Genna that carries this book on her back and her voice is simply one of the best narrative voices I have read in YA. From her relationship with siblings for example (her eldest sister is often seen as evil as most older sisters are – my baby sister will probably tell you the same when she recollects our childhood, I am ashamed to say) to he relationship with her mother. She is extremely keen observer of her environment and I love how her views of both white and black people are balanced – white people are not all devils even though she feels and sees racism every day of her life. She navigates the sometimes hazy waters of an outlook that has shades of grey instead of being black and white. She is resilient, proud, inquisitive and fair.

I absolutely loved the diversity of the characters especially the ones back in the 19th century from her white employees to her black comrades. The former are good people yes and abolitionists but their views are often patronising and insulting. As for the latter, some of them feel justifiable anger and resentment but they all react in different ways and it is all part of the different experiences – and none of them are presented as being wrong or right. They are all possible reactions, part of perfectly legitimate responses to racism and poverty. Genna’s mother is fast in hating white people for example and Judah’s answer is to want to go back to Africa.

Speaking of Judah, I don’t like Judah as her romantic interest simply because I don’t like the way he usually treats her. But I like their interactions and how they discuss things and many times disagree and this discussion is rich in providing different sides of a debate. Judah is an interesting character and a perfect counterpoint to Genna – whereas he wants to go away and start anew, Genna still wants to make America her home and a home that would welcome everybody.

In the end, I cared deeply for these characters and hoped for the betterment of their lives – anywhere in time.

Thea: As Ana says above, this is truly a character-driven book. It is because of Genna that A Wish After Midnight shines so brightly – because of her keen, observant, even lyrical narration. Her interactions with her family (especially with her mother and her youngest sibling, Tyjuan) are moving and genuine, as is her relationship with Judah. It’s the little things that Genna says – her observation about girls wearing contact lenses, her likening her newly coiled and dreadlocked hair as seedlings needing to be tended – that are so memorable.

But beyond Genna’s skill as a narrator, she’s also a girl that sees herself as awkward and unattractive, picked on at school and by her own older brother and sister. Her remarks about her own looks, her insecurity about her hair and about how tall she is, it’s relateable – and it makes A Wish After Midnight also a story of self-discovery, and identity, as Genna becomes comfortable in her own skin.

While the other characters are detailed and vivid – from Genna’s hardened mother to the cruelty of Mrs. Brant (what a terrible woman!), this really is more than anything else, Genna’s story, and she steals the show.

Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:

Ana: A Wish After Midnight is wonderful book that made me think, made me feel. I loved the writing and most of all I loved Genna’s voice and her portrayal as a strong, proud, resourceful young girl.

Thea: This is a beautiful novel, and one that I wholeheartedly recommend to readers of all genres, backgrounds and ages. Poetic, poignant, and memorable, A Wish After Midnight is a book that lingers with you long after the last page, and I cannot wait to read more from the talented Zetta Elliott.

Notable Quotes/Parts: We love this passage when Hannah tries to donate some clothes to Genna’s mother:

It’s ok that Hannah wants to help me, but I don’t need her to help my family. I don’t need her to put clothes on my back, and I definitely don’t need her to dress my mother. Sometimes people give you things, and they don’t know when to stop. They give too much, ’cause they want to fix all your problems, but sometimes you got to fix your own problems, your own kind of way. Hanna’s already paying me, and that’s what I said.

Additional Thoughts: Be sure to stop by tomorrow: Zetta Elliott will be here with an article on diversity in YA!

Rating:

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Thea: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Title:Ten Things I Love About You

Stand alone or series: The novel is a sequel to What Happens in London but can be read as a stand alone.

Why did I read the book: I ADORE Julia Quinn’s books and have read every single one of them.

How did I get the book: I asked Piatkus for a review copy.

Review:

Julia Quinn is one of my favourite romance writers and having read every single one of her books, I was looking forward to her annual offering, especially since Ten Things I Love About You has tie ins with her previous novel, What Happens in London, a book I absolutely loved.

I could carry on like this but really, there is a better way to write this review:

Ten Things You Should Know About This Book:

One This is a Julia Quinn book, therefore it is well-written and light and funny as usual. It also follows her recent streak of having uncomplicated, almost conflict-free, love stories, that flow smoothly as the protagonists fall in love. I am very fond of this choice, as I love to see the beauty of watching two people falling in love with each other by simply talking and getting to know the other. Uncomplicated does not mean that it lacks complexity though, if you were wondering, although in this case, the complexity comes from the characters because

Two the plot is as simple as its blurb indicates and if you are a regular Romance reader, chances are: you have seen it before. Annabel, the heroine is the practical, country girl, with a huge family depending on her for financial support which lands her in the London’s marriage market. Her prospects are not that good given her poverty but she attracts the attention of the Earl of Newbury, some old dude who really needs an heir and given the fact that Annabel’s family is so prolific (she has 7 brothers and sisters), she seems to be the real deal. The Earl does have a presumptive heir, whom he loathes and that would be Sebastian Grey, the handsome rake with a secret on the side: he is the writer of Gothic Romances under the name of Sarah Gorely. Which brings me to:

Three one of the best things about the book is Sebastian’s secret. Back in What Happens in London,the bit where he reads from one of his novels was easily one of the most hilarious things I ever read. I was very much looking forward to seeing him as the writer, and how it would play out. Being a Gothic Romance writer is part of who he is and it was both funny and interesting (I loved seeing him coming up with storylines and titles for his books (I think my favourite is Miss Truesdale and the Silent Gentleman) and Julia Quinn is way clever as she incorporates in her own storytelling aspects of it and

Four that adds an interesting aspect of self-awareness to the procedures. For example in one particular scene Sebastian uses his fantastic imagination to come up with an explanation for Annabel’s behaviour at the beginning of the novel – when they first met – bear in mind that by this point he still doesn’t know that she might be getting married to his uncle. He surmises that she must have a dreadful suitor who must have attacked her in a dark corner only to scrap it because that would be too soon in the novel for such a drama which is HILARIOUS and self-deprecating since that is exactly what happens in the book. It basically opens with Annabel being attacked by the Earl who tries to kiss her and she flees into the night and ends up bumping into Sebastian. This is actually my least favourite set up of all Julia Quinn’s set ups because is based on the

Five “I just know” principle. Picture this: the book effectively starts as aforementioned with Annabel, a virgin on the marriage market, bumping into a man she does not know, in the middle of the night, outdoors, in the heath. She decides not to introduce herself but she “just knows” that this unknown person can be trusted not to attack her, compromise her, kill her, or all of the above. She just surmises that he is the sort of men who “knew women”, he surmises that she is the kind of woman that is “warm” and that is the principle of the whole thing and that’s how they get to

Six Talking. Despite the ridiculous set up (again, I can’t stand the “I just know” principle) , they do an immense amount of talking throughout the book and these talks range from witty repartee (and Julia Quinn does that really, really well) to in-depth heart to heart conversation. Sebastian opens up to Annabel about his difficulty getting over the War, for example, and that is the first time he ever tells anyone about it. If it looks like I am more fond of Sebastian, well, yes, I am. Because,

Seven Annabel did not rock my socks off. She is one of the quietest of Julia Quinn’s heroines, who usually tend to be feisty. I like quietly strong heroines and Annabel certainly has a lot on her shoulders and is very practical about it which I thought was great. But at times she comes across as too feeble, and my initial impression of her TSTL tendencies never really diminished that much.

Eight Also on the list of things I didn’t appreciate all that much: the villain is way too villainous and his reasoning for hating Sebastian was well, not very thought-out me thinks; Plus, Sebastian changes his mind about getting married way too fast and caught me totally by surprise….he changes his mind in two hours (even if those were momentous two hours – as he says)…

Nine but in the end, the good trumps the bad and I enjoyed myself very much whilst reading the novel. It might not be the most original of romance novels available right now, nor it is the best that Julia Quinn can offer but

Ten it IS a Julia Quinn novel after all, which means that is better than most offerings out there, better than most romance novels I read this year with at least two sequences that are made of awesome (and that includes the proposal scene – the second one).

Notable Quotes/Parts:

She was grinning from ear to ear.

Seb thought of all the ladies he’d met in London, the ones who would have looked on in horror, or disgust, or if they had any humor, would have been bitting back their smiles, or trying to hide them behind a hand.

But not Annabel. She smiled like she laughed, magnificent and grand. Her eyes, greenish-gray turned pewter in the evening light, sparkled with shared mischief. (…)

She was the type of woman a man wnated to come home to. No, she was the woman he wanted to come home to.

Verdict: Although not the best that Julia Quinn can offer, Ten Things I Love About You has enough good – of the light variety – in it to merit a few hours of your time.

Rating: 6 – Good

Reading Next: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title:Wicked becomes You

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: April 27 2010
Paperback: 416 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

She’s been burned not once but twice by London’s so-call ed gentlemen . . .Gwen Maudsley is pretty enough to be popular, and plenty wealthy, too. But what she’s best known and loved for is being so very, very nice. When a cad jilts her at the altar—again—the scandal has her outraged friends calling for blood. Only Gwen has a different plan. If nice no longer works for her, then it’s time to learn to be naughty. Happily, she knows the perfect tutor—Alexander Ramsey, her late brother’s best friend and a notorious rogue.So why won’t a confirmed scoundrel let her be as bad as she wants to be?Unbeknownst to Gwen, Alex’s aloof demeanor veils his deepest unspoken desire. He has no wish to see her change, nor to tempt himself with her presence when his own secrets make any future between them impossible. But on a wild romp from Paris to the Riviera, their friendship gives way to something hotter, darker, and altogether more dangerous. With Alex’s past and Gwen’s newly unleashed wildness on a collision course, Gwen must convince Alex that his wickedest intentions are exactly what she needs.

Why did I read this book: I heart Meredith Duran’s books. I think she is one of the top romance novelists writing today.

How did I get this book: I requested a review copy from the publisher.

Review:

There are those books that make me think more about the art of reading and about the act of reviewing than any other and Wicked Becomes You is one of them. What is it that I do when I sit down to write a review – how do my biases work for or against a novel and how do these ultimately matter as I read and when I have to express them clearly when writing a review.

Thus, this review is going to be more of an exercise of examining my reading and reviewing as a result of those biases.

Bias number 1: I adore Meredith Duran’s writing. I loved every single book she’s written with every fibre of my being. I think she is a sophisticated writer whose prose is beautiful in itself and whose characters are complex and extremely well developed.

Bias number 2: I utterly dislike the specific tropes of this novel and if it wasn’t for bias number 1, I doubt I would have read it at all.

Bias number 2 trumped bias number 1 completely and as a result I didn’t enjoy reading this book even though I wanted so much to love it.

The blurb does a pretty good service laying out the premise of the novel. Society darling Gwen Maudsley is jilted at the altar and finds that the fact that she is probably going to be an outcast now, totally liberating. Deciding that she’s had enough of being Miss Congeniality, she strives for the title of Miss Wicked. Alex Ramsey, is her late brother’s best friend, someone who has vowed to see to her comfort. In the eyes of society he is a rogue, although he is not one, really. He does have some issues about being free of shackles and makes his living travelling around and even though he is attracted to Gwen, he tries to stay away because he knows that being too close to her would result on losing this freedom.

They both end up in Paris at the same time and from there they travel to Monte Carlo going from friends to lovers, and then they live happily ever after. The plot is pretty simple and one that I have seen many times before which is not the problem at all. Meredith Duran has proven over and again, that a good writer can turn a well-used trope into something unique.

To wit: Wicked Becomes You is a perfectly fine, standard Romance Novel; and that is one of the problems I found with it. Because I am used to reading Meredith Duran’s novels which so far have been way more than standardised novels. To me, they were extraordinary and Wicked Becomes You reads as an average novel. I asked myself: is this fair? To hold this against previous novels? I even discussed it with Thea and we came to the conclusion that it is not about being fair. We have to take into account expectations, how one holds the author’s work in esteem and that books do not exist in a clean vacuum of nothingness.

Mind you, it is not that the book is badly written – I find that this is an impossibility when it comes to this author. My copy of the book is replete with earmarked pages. It is not that is badly plotted, the story flows perfectly from points A to B via C even though I thought that the secondary plotline regarding Alex and his investigation of how his brother sold one of their estates to be unnecessary.

The thematic centre of the novel is Freedom. Freedom to love, to be who one is, to do as one pleases, to come and go. That’s what ultimately moves the characters. Gwen wants a family to love but the freedom to choose and the freedom to be wicked if she pleases. Alex wants to be free and is afraid that love would come with too much attachment. Which brings me to why I did not love the novel. The romance is well-written and has an interesting plot, but I was not emotionally engaged with the characters and their motivations.

Alex for example, irritated me to no end. He came across as patronising and condescending towards Gwen and at times I thought he was more interested in teaching her lessons than effectively winning her heart. (The prig). The reasoning behind his “issues” stem basically from being loved too much as a child and smothered by his family. I will admit that there is a good reason for that and psychologically speaking, I guess his trauma may well have believable grounds but to me, it read as silly and inconsistent (he so obviously loved his brother, sister and Gwen and her brother) instead of complex. Although one can certainly argue both ways.

Then, there is Gwen and we return to Bias number 2: the trope of a girl trying to be wicked. I have NOTHING against a woman, trying to be free of society’s rules in order to live a fuller life, engaging in sexual activity, absolutely nothing. I root for characters like that. It is just this is one difficult trope to write because it usually lands the poor female character in TSTL Situations. Gwen, is up to a certain point, a believable, relatable, intelligent character who ascertains her position in society by manipulation, discipline and smarts. I believe in this character’s intellect but when she arrives in Paris in her pursue of a “wicked” lifestyle it is a though her brain takes a break. She tries to be daring but comes across as stupid: in one scene she overdresses with too much make up, huge earrings, a very daring dress –the very description of the way she dresses makes it plain that it is overkill. My gripe is that, as an intelligent character that is used to being in society I am sure that THAT Gwen would have known when she is dressed as “daring” and when she is dressed like a “clown”. One of the characters even muses that it is as though she went shopping in a brothel. And yet she is clueless in that scene. Similarly one other scene puts her in direct danger when she goes off alone with a man she just met in the middle of a debauched party at the Moulin Rouge!

My point is: there is a difference between being “wicked” and being “stupid” and I think a character who is portrayed as intelligent and smart should know the difference in order to be consistent, even being the innocent that she is. That marred my enjoyed of the novel and my level of engagement with the book varied greatly. I will admit that there were wonderfully romantic parts but overall this was a miss to me. And this is not easy for me to say because of bias number 1. My heart lies bleeding at my feet as I finish this review.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

One foot into the lobby, Alex came to a stop. Mrs. Beecham had assured them that Gwen was flattened by grief, but here she was picking her way down the stairs, an oversized valise clutched to her chest. More to the point, she had an envelope between her teeth.
The sight arrested him. It seemed historic. He could probably sell tickets to it. Proper Gwen Maudsley, carrying a letter in her mouth for convenience’s sake.
In fact, now that she’d embraced creativity, he could think of several other uses he might suggest for her lips.
It was a hot, predictable thought, useless and thoroughly irritating. So many willing, complex women existed in the world. Gwen, on the other hand, was determined to be agreeable. A more boring goal, he could not imagine. It said nothing good of him that he found himself watching her all the same.
So turn away, he thought. She had paused mid-step, and now was contorting her shoulder, screwing it up toward her mouth, to catch the edge of the letter. This leverage, she used to readjust her toothy grip. Awkward move, quite unlike her. How long since he’d seen her so close? Last June? Yes — in the garden at Heaton Dale. The breeze had carried away her shawl, and the late afternoon light falling through the oak leaves had strewn a delicate filigree of gold across her smooth, pale shoulders—
Well, yes, she’d always been pale, hadn’t she? Many girls were, nothing special there. Her current pallor probably owed to shock. Difficult morning she’d had, being jilted in front of five hundred people; if she realized that someone now witnessed her indecorum, the mortification would probably serve her the death blow. He stepped backward, out of view from the lobby.
A panicked squeak reached his ears.
He leaned back into the foyer in time to spot her bobbling. She caught her balance, barely, but that valise was almost too large for her to see over. Another round of toothy acrobatics, and she was going to fall on her head before she made it to the landing.
Muttering a curse beneath his breath, he approached the staircase. “May I help?”
“Oh!” The valise plummeted to Gwen’s feet. The envelope pursued a more leisurely descent, floating down to the first step, glancing off its edge, then sliding down several more. It was addressed, but he could not make out the name.
“Alex!” Gwen’s large brown eyes rose from the envelope, which was nearer now to him than her; as she gave him a wide smile, he had the curious impression that she meant to distract him from this knowledge. “How do you do this afternoon? So glad to see you back in town!”
This good cheer seemed a bit unlikely, even from her. “I’m tolerably well,” he answered slowly. Her eyes looked a bit bloodshot. Someone needed to rub the color back into her cheeks, but not him. Some titled xenophobe would do it. He cleared his throat. “And how are you?”
She set a slipper atop the valise and lifted her chin. The posture put him in mind of explorers staking their sovereign’s flag in new ground. “I’m splendid,” she declared.

You can read the rest of the excerpt here.

Additional Thoughts: I may not have liked this one but I loved every single one Meredith Duran’s novels so far. If you are not a romance reader and would like to try awesome historical romance novels, you could do no wrong if you start with either The Duke of Shadows or Bound by Your Touch. Please, please don’t let these god-awful covers put you off.

If you are a romance reader and haven’t read Meredith Duran: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Verdict: Ojectively speaking, this is a perfectly fine romance novel which unfortunately, from an emotional point of view,failed to engage me.

Rating: 5. Meh.

Reading Next: The Prince of Mist By Carlos Ruiz Zafon

“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free reign so they can go wild and write about anything they want. It can be about their new book, series or about their career as a whole.

Today’s guest is the lovely and talended, romance novelist Kate Noble. Her second book, Revealed released last year, made Ana’s top 10 books of 2009 and has just been nominated for a Rita Award. She is a regular at this here blog and you can read our interview with her as well as her mucho cool Smugglivus post. Her third book The Summer of You is out this week and Ana reviewed it here.

Please give it up for Kate Noble and her Inspirations for writing The Summer of You:

Thanks, Ana and Thea, for having me! I’m going to try very hard not to get to gushy and sentimental with this post, but sometimes, sentiment is the only option.

There are many, many inspirations for anything I write: a song I hear on the radio, its beat providing the rhythm for a scene, a TV character’s funny quirk that my brain randomly remembers from an 80s sitcom, or some enamel figurines I saw in a museum or on Antiques Roadshow. All these little touches are what I draw upon when writing a book, and there’s not enough time to list them all. So I’m just going to stick to the biggest inspiration I had for The Summer of You.

I have been particularly lucky to be born into the family to which I belong. Sometimes, it didn’t feel that way… 1993-1996 weren’t always fun (high school rarely is), and I am still regarded as something of a genetic oddity – I’m left-handed, the only person in my family with curly hair, and the only one who did not enter a math or science profession. But they have always supported me, always found me… interesting, and always loved me. But also one of the reasons I am terribly, terribly lucky, is that we have a family cottage. A summer house.

It has grown gradually over the last sixty-some years, from a plot of land where my grandparents once pitched a tent, to a one-room bungalow, to eventually having plumbing, a kitchen, and separate bedrooms.It sits on a small lake that serves as the center of all the day’s activities. Water skiing in the morning, sailing in the afternoon, canoeing at sunset. All of our neighbors have known each other for the whole of their lives — knows the spastic straggle-toothed kids we used to be, and the adults we are now. When we were kids, there was mischief, when we got a little older, there were first kisses and crushes. And now, the next generation is starting to begin the same cycle. Spending at least a little time at the cottage every summer binds my family together – which considering we are spread out across the country, is something of a feat. As one of the few constants in my life, it is therefore a huge influence.

My lake. Can’t you smell the serenity?

My heroine, Lady Jane Cummings, leads a very chaotic life. Trying (to her frustration, unsuccessfully) to care for her ailing father by day, and running from party to party in London by night. To slow her down, I decided to send her to her own version of my summer cottage, in the Lake District of Northern England.

Of course, being the daughter of a duke, her cottage is bigger than mine.

Jane may escape the whirl of London, but she can’t escape people altogether. She’s got her own neighbors, who haven’t seen the duke and his family (by far the most illustrious residents of the area) in five years, and are therefore immensely curious about Jane’s life. Nor can she escape the weight of her family: her father’s memory is beginning to fail him, and her brother Jason could write a textbook on being irresponsible… if he wasn’t so lazy.

And she’s got one hell of a sexy neighbor in Byrne Worth.

Byrne, the brother of Marcus Worth, my hero from Revealed, is a bit of a mess. A war hero, he sustained a wound to his leg that left him limping and in pain. The laudanum prescribed to numb his leg also numbed his existence for a while, and he is just now trying to find normal again. I felt he needed a place like the lake as much as Jane did.

Jane and Byrne have met before in London, but their crossings then were brief, and both were preoccupied with…erm… other things (and if you want to know the ‘other things’, go read Revealed). But now, slowed down by the pace of life in the country, they have the chance to get to know each other… and themselves, as they are now.

Because, at its core, this book is about confronting change. How we reconcile our younger selves to who we grow up to be. Some people resist change, some people embrace it, some stumble through. The lake, the cottage, serve as a constant. A source of peace — something that doesn’t and won’t change, as Jane, Byrne, Jason, and everyone else makes their way to who they will be next.

About the Author: Kate Noble love books. Romances especially. But, being born into a family of doctors, scientists, and mathematicians, she didn’t discover she was adept at writing until, oh, about junior year of high school. Which came as something of a relief, as she was hopeless at memorizing the Latin names for all the bones in the human body. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle eludes her to this day.

Kate Noble lives in Los Angeles. The Summer of You is her third book.

And now for the giveaway! Ana, Thea, take it away!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane’s attention- rumors that the lake’s brooding new resident is also an elusive highwayman.

Jane must face the much discussed mysterioso after he saves her brother from a pub brawl. She immediately recognizes him from London: Byrne Worth, war hero and apparent hermit-whom she finds strangely charming. The two build a fast friendship, and soon nothing can keep this Lady away from Merrymere’s most wanted. Convinced of his innocence, Jane is determined to clear Byrne’s name-and maybe have a little fun this summer after all.

We have two copies of The Summer of You to giveaway. In order to enter, leave a comment on this post telling us which was your favorite summer holiday. Contest is open to ALL and will run till Saturday April 10th 11:59pm (PST). We will announce the winner next Sunday in our weekly stash! Good luck!

Title: The Summer of You

Author: Kate Noble

Genre: Romance/ Historical

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication date: April 6,2010
Paperback: 352 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone but characters first appeared in Revealed

Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane’s attention- rumors that the lake’s brooding new resident is also an elusive highwayman.

Jane must face the much discussed mysterioso after he saves her brother from a pub brawl. She immediately recognizes him from London: Byrne Worth, war hero and apparent hermit-whom she finds strangely charming. The two build a fast friendship, and soon nothing can keep this Lady away from Merrymere’s most wanted. Convinced of his innocence, Jane is determined to clear Byrne’s name-and maybe have a little fun this summer after all.

Why did I read the book:Kate Noble is one of my favorite romance writers right up there with Julia Quinn, Loretta Chase and Meredith Duran.

How did I get the book:ARC from the writer.

On the covers: ALL of her covers so far have the headless woman IN THE SAME POSITION. The first time, it was cute what with the cute yellow address and all. The second time was unoriginal. The third time? IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE.

Review:

I am a huge fan of Kate Noble’s novels, she writes beautiful, deeply romantic books, that never fail to engage my emotions and always, always remind me of how much I love Romance novels, when they are done well. Her first book, Compromised was very good; her second book, Revealed was as close to perfection as a romance can be. The Summer of You falls somewhere in between the two – better than the first but not as made of sheer awesomeness as the latter. Still, it is a damn fine book regardless of which genre it belongs to.

Jane Cummings is a Lady. Daughter of a Duke, sister to a Marquis, she is in her element when she is attending parties of the Ton and she enjoys her place in society very much. Or she used to. For the past year, she hasn’t been around that much. About one year ago, her mother died and she was left alone (whilst her brother Jason decided to finish his Grand Tour of Europe) to grieve and to take care of her increasingly sick father in one of their far away properties. Sick of being alone and in charge, afraid for her father’s help, she decides to go back to London where she meets her brother who just returned from the Continent. He is adamant that their father should not be in society anymore: as third removed cousin to the King, his dementia might spark gossip about a Royal Family in the throes of mental disease.

Jason decides they must retire to the countryside and the settle on the Cottage, one of their properties in a small town within the Lake District, where they used to spend their summers when they were younger. Jane, not particularly happy about moving away again, alone with her father, blackmails Jason into joining them and off they go.

Upon arriving there, they find that the town is still pretty much the same, dealing with the same issues as before and with the same gossipmongers. Those are the ones to talk about the new guy in town. Someone who showed up a little over one year ago, who makes no attempt to become part of the town, who growls at people and keeps to himself. And because of that everybody thinks he is the highway man who has been attacking the neighbourhood. Jane knows better though: the man is Byrne Wroth, brother to her friend’s husband and someone she met before (in Revealed). She also knows (or rather suspects) that he used to be a spy for the Crown and now has retired even since he had bullet injury to his leg that has all almost crippled him. It is to recover from this injury (and from his addition to the opiates that alleviate the pain) that he moved to the small house he inherited from an aunt.

If I had to pick a couple of “themes” for the novel it would have to be: memories and change. All of the characters are saddled with memories of their past, and what it used to be. Jane and her moments as the toast of the ton and of her father’s healthy days; Byrne and his former glorious past at the top of his form and free of addiction; Jason and being free of responsibility or once he arrives at the lake, about his first love Penelope; a secondary character, Victoria and his memory of falling in love with Jason when she was little.

The fact is though, all of it is in the past and they all need to accept how everything has changed. Some of them like Jane and Byrne find mutual comfort that helps them in that. Byrne proves to be a much welcome respite to Jane’s day to day life, having to deal with the horrible reality of her father’s illness (having had someone suffering from dementia in my own family it is so easy to sympathise with Jane’s life) , with her brother’s irresponsibility and her own solitude. Similarly to Byrne, Jane is a breath of fresh air, someone who pulls him and pushes him to get out of his funk. They both need to find the footing to their new circumstances and they do that with honesty and true appreciation for each other.

Jason, on the other hand has a more difficult journey, he is the character who abhors change, who completely fails to grow up. He is a spectacular secondary character in the way he is portrayed: at the time, the reader feels compelled to kick him the ass, sometimes it is hard not feel a smite of sympathy for him. I will not be surprise if he gets his own book and I would actually welcome it. So many times, sequel bait is boring as it is predictable, but not here.

The Summer of You is a very slow-paced novel, but it is one to be savoured. The writer takes her time setting the foundations of the novel by introducing us to all aspects of Jane’s life prior to engaging in the romance proper. It provides a vivid, real insight on the lives of many residents of Reston and I am not kidding when I say that I loved getting to know all of them. The secondary romance storyline between Victoria and…someone else is nearly as compelling as that of Byrne and Jane.

The writing is absolutely lovely. Sometimes filled with humour:

The rust colored dress set her hair afire, and the sparkle in the large teardrop diamonds at her ears; it matches the sparkle in the depth of those brown eyes and her smile, wide and welcoming…
Stop it! A distracting line of thought was one thing, he surmised, but he refused to be accused of romantically sensational description.
Rust colored dress, sparkling eyes, indeed. She looked beautiful. Which was a constant for Jane, he reminded himsefl. No need to be so…syrupy about the matter.
“I have to say, sir, this is not a terribly welcoming expression,” Jane said, her seductive alto far more welcoming than the look on his face, apparently.
He almost rolled his eyes.Seductive alto. He must be going soft in the head.

Sometimes profoundly moving, be it the scenes where Byrne opens up to Jane, or Jane’s relationship with her father (the final scene between them made me cry) or the one sex scene in the book. In fact, I would call it the “love making scene” : the thing about Kate Noble’s books is that all of them, we get to see the couple in the actof falling in love and more than titillate, the sex scenes are there to effectively bring them together in the climax(hee) of their relationship. The one here is very, very beautiful, the point of view alternates between them every paragraph of so and it is just…..sigh worthy.

If I have one criticism is that Jane is a more fleshed our character than Byrne is. I don’t feel like I really know him as much as I know Jane (or as much as I knew his brother Marcus when he was the star of his own book – Revealed) . I do know one thing though, actually make it too things: I do know they belong to each other once the book is finished and I know that this book belongs in my keeper shelf.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: The words “I love you” are never uttered in this book and yet there is not a shadow of a doubt that they do love each other:

He bought his head up, and her eyes caught his in wonder, as both their breathing slowed, both floated back down to the reality they had left behind. But before they landed, she found his ear, mumbled those words she had come here to say and only now, in this state of total loss and freedom, had the audacity to speak.
When he repeated them back, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, he became acutely aware that for the first time in his life, everything he wanted was granted, and he could think of nothing else to ask for.

Sigh worthy right?

Additional Thoughts: Make sure to come back later as we Kate Noble will blogging with us about what inspired her to write the novel – plus a chance to win one of the two copies we will be giving away.

Verdict: The Summer of You is beautiful and tremendously romantic. Another winner from Kate Noble who should be on every historical romance reader’s keeper shelf.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Steampunk Week 2 approaches so loads of Steampunk novels in the horizon.

Welcome to guest dare! For those new to the feature, our Guest Dare is a monthly endeavor in which we invite an unsuspecting victim to read a book totally outside of their comfort zone. You can read all previous Dare posts HERE.

This month’s victim is Jeff – one of the minds behind the awesomeness that is Alert Nerd and the dude who talks about geeky things at Jefferson Stolarship. When we invited Jeff for the dare, we just knew he would be reading a Romance Novel. So please, ladies and gents, give it up for Jeff!

——

Title:The Duke of Shadows

Author: Meredith Duran

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: March 2008
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin has no interest in courting trouble. But when violence seizes the British colonies, she must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn. In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. When Emma’s life falls into his hands, Julian cannot imagine the lengths he will go to keep her safe — or how love itself will become their greatest danger. A lifetime later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian will finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned . . . and some passions may never die.

Why did we recommend this book: : This is one of Ana’s favorite Romance novels by one of Ana’s favorite romance novel writers.

Jeff’s Review:

When I was younger and more inclined to be glib and cynical, I opined that I could write a historical romance novel pretty easily. I was in college, and I’d just found a bodice-ripper half-hidden under a friend’s bed; of course, wrapped up in my haughty, self-important English major-dom, I mocked her terribly. Romance novels were nothing but insubstantial and overly florid frivolity, I said, and even I could just churn one out if so inclined. My outline involved a chaste yet listless Spanish noblewoman abducted by fierce privateers whose harsh and demanding captain taught her about love and adventure…not in that order. I didn’t dissuade Anna from reading her book, and I ignored the hypocrisy carefully when I cracked open a Star Wars novel later that day. And though I talk a good game, I never did get around to writing that book. Go figure.

It was that incident that I had in mind when Ana and Thea dared me to tackle Meredith Duran’s The Duke of Shadows. Though I’d broadened my horizons since my all-genre-fiction-all-the-time period, I wasn’t sure that my forays into ‘chick lit’ had really prepared me for what I was about to read. I’m not one to back down from a dare, but I kind of dreaded the promise of purple prose and quivering members. I forgot for a moment that I’m an unabashed consumer of melodrama.

I couldn’t put The Duke of Shadows down. I devoured it greedily and in large, uncouth bites. Like its heroine, it seems unassuming at first blush, but has something incredibly compelling hidden underneath its exterior. So compelling that I found myself talking to the book in the way that some people shout at the victims in slasher flicks. You know, “Don’t run UP THE STAIRS!” It hit me when heroine Emma was reunited with the titular shadowy duke after a four year absence and they both overreacted in the exact wrong way. I sat bolt upright in my comfy reading chair and informed Emma and Julian both that Marcus – the evil Viscount – had deceived them both.

Does The Duke of Shadows adhere to the conceits of the genre? Well, of course it does. The romance between the headstrong, artistic Emma and brooding, conflicted Julian is so unrealistic that it might as well be supernatural. Julian is practically perfect in every way – breathtakingly beautiful, absurdly wealthy, erudite, compassionate and a master marksman. Emma is a rich, headstrong tragic heiress who is herself unconventionally beautiful and a superbly talented artist. I realize that that’s like complaining that water is wet; we’re dealing with romantic melodrama, so I accept that it’s par for the course. Despite that, their mutual attraction seems real, and their banter organic. The romantic in me roots for them almost immediately, especially in contrast to Marcus, Emma’s racist womanizing bastard of a fiance.

Would I have enjoyed this book if it weren’t for Meredith Duran? I’m not sure. She makes the book move quickly, makes the dialogue not only pop but sound real, and despite being inside her characters’ heads frequently, the voice of the book is efficient and not overburdened with filler adverbs the way this post is. The inside-back-cover bio of Duke describes Duran as a lifelong history buff, and that’s something that definitely shows in the life she’s able to breathe into the setting of the book – colonial India.

The British Raj is the perfect backdrop for exotic romance, especially set as it is against the backdrop of Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. I know the tendency can be to correlate India with outsourced call center reps and their longtime feud with Pakistan and move along, but it is a breathtakingly beautiful country with an exotic mix of old and new, even at the time when The Duke of Shadows takes place; in fact, the division between and admixture of tradition and modernity is a bit sharper because it’s fresher. As a result, the book also has some things to say about nationalism and cultural identity that gave it added depth. Emma, steeped in British court society but too independent to let it govern her thinking, is the perfect point of view character for the story.

I thought that The Duke of Shadows was a great read, and I’m glad that Ana and Thea urged me to step outside my comfort zone and try something new. Am I going to have to clear out room for a ‘Harlequin Shelf’ in my library? I doubt it, honestly, but I’m certainly not going to steer away from a great book that just happens to be a romance again.

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Yay, Jeff! We are most delighted that you enjoyed your dare!

Next on the Guest Dare: Peter from Bitterly Books reads Scalped Volume 1

Until next month!

“Inspirations and Influences” is a new series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free reign so they can go wild and write about anything they want. It can be about their new book, series or about their career as a whole.

Today’s guest is debut author Rose Lerner, whose Historical Romance novel In For A Penny is about to be released next week. The book, about a marriage of convenience based on companioship and mutual respect between a ruined lordling and a rich Cit, shook Ana’s world and brought back her love for the genre with a vengeance. And we are delighted to have the author here today to talk about her Inspirations and Influences behind the book:

Please give it up for Rose Lerner:

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There are plenty of things that show up in In for a Penny that I love wholeheartedly: making lists, men who speak foreign languages, and ballads about girls who run away to sea, for example. But the influences at the heart of the book are all things that make me angry, and matter to me a lot.

1. A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer.

I adore Georgette Heyer. I envy her prose style to the soles of my shoes. And A Civil Contract makes me want to throw it at the wall every time I read it.

It’s about a penniless lord who marries the daughter of a self-made man for her money. Jenny is “too commonplace and matter-of-fact to inspire…passionate adoration,” unlike the woman Adam loves, a high-strung aristocratic girl with beautiful eyes. So far, so good. Except at the end of the book, Jenny’s in love with Adam and he is still not in love with her. Instead, they discover that a marriage of quiet content can be more enduring than passion.

I’m not opposed to that sentiment, and I know a lot of readers love the book for that very reason. But why Jenny? Why is Jenny denied what every other Heyer heroine gets: the passionate adoration of her hero? What if , I thought, I wrote a marriage of convenience between a penniless lord and the daughter of a self-made man where he’s the one who feels inadequate, and she’s the one with the ex-boyfriend?

Until his father’s death, my hero Nev has never had to deal with either responsibility or business management. And my heroine, Penelope, grew up helping with the books in her father’s brewery. Nev is impressed and a little turned on by her accounting skills, but he can’t shake the lingering fear that she’d be better off with sensible, ultra-competent Edward…

2. Jane Austen, especially Sense and Sensibility.

Jane Austen is another writer who remains a huge influence not just on me, but on the entire romance genre. She writes the best comedy of manners ever. She does amazing banter. She writes strong female characters (mostly) and charming heroes (mostly).

And yet, Sense and Sensibility makes me angry. Jane Austen sets up her world so that a girl can be an Elinor, and be sensible and level-headed and live up to her responsibilities, or be a Marianne and be enthusiastic and talkative and willing to take emotional risks. By dividing those traits up into two characters and then making Marianne silly and kind of obnoxious, Austen says that you can’t be both.

I don’t want to choose between being a girl worthy of respect and being a girl who says out loud how she feels. In order to become an Elinor, I’d have to lop off entire parts of myself, lock them away and be ashamed of them and never look at them again. Which is, I think, a thing that people do to themselves. It’s something my heroine Penelope, who wants desperately to be an Elinor, has done to herself. (Luckily, Nev comes along to help her find those bits of herself again…) This brings me to Influence #3:

3. Trying to be taken seriously.

I think we’ve all had the experience of not being taken seriously, of being treated like someone whose thoughts don’t actually count for whatever reason. It’s an awful feeling.

Penelope’s whole life has been shaped by that feeling. Her nouveau-riche parents started out as working-class Londoners, but they sent their daughter to a finishing school for young ladies. The other girls all made fun of her–for the way she ate, the way she talked, the way she dressed. So she watched everything she did, trying to prove that she wasn’t vulgar, that a working-class girl could be just as good as the daughters of lords. That’s something I haven’t experienced personally, of course. But I drew on personal experiences and family history to help me figure out how to write about it.

As a teenager I struggled to present my opinions in a level-headed manner, so that my dad would take me seriously. (Alas, I frequently ended up crying in the bathroom and/or yelling…) As a girl majoring in math in college, I tried to seem confident and smart, and always wore my most serious clothes to seminar. There were whole years of my life when I wouldn’t wear pink. And I love pink!

My grandmother (whose parents came to the U.S. from Poland) made the transition from being very poor as a child to being middle-class as an adult. She remembered showing up to her first day of school speaking only Yiddish, so she didn’t teach her children Yiddish at all. She was very proud of her education. She tried not to speak with a Brooklyn accent. She wanted my mother to be a doctor even though my mother was one of the most squeamish people I’ve ever met.

Don’t get me wrong, my grandmother loved her family and was proud of where she came from. And she really did like opera, it wasn’t just an affectation. But she also censored herself and her kids, and had some bizarre blind spots. For example, she believed that she had a more classy taste in clothes than her own mother, and was always complaining that my mother looked schleppy and giving her fashion advice. Let’s look at some family photos.

My great-grandmother (in the middle):

My grandmother with her mother, and one of my grandparents together (making a joke with their Old-Timey Married People pose):

My mother. On the left she’s in a dress my grandmother bought for her (with her two brothers), and in the right she’s in a dress she bought for herself (with her youngest brother):

To find out if the trend continues into my generation, all you have to do is look at my author photo:

Clearly bright, busy patterns run in the family. Is that because we’re peasants at heart? Maybe, maybe not–but who cares? Of course, I can say that. I can really not care, because I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. My grandmother did.

I tried to show that with Penelope. I tried to show that she’s playing a losing game, but at the same time I didn’t want to criticize her for playing. Because in her situation, I think it’s impossible not to want approval, and not to feel like you should be a credit to where you came from.

So there you have it, three of my inspirations and influences! Thanks Book Smugglers for having me!

About the author: I discovered Georgette Heyer when I was thirteen, and wrote my first historical romance a few years later. My writing has improved since then, but my fascination with all things Regency hasn’t changed. When not reading, writing, or researching, I enjoy cooking and marathoning old TV shows. I live in Seattle with two roommates, four cats, and too many books and DVDs to count. You can learn more about the author on her website, where you can find an awesome excerpt of the book, cool characters’ interviews and a contest to win not only her book but also a package of 10 of her favorite Regency-themed books.

Thank you, Rose!!!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

IN FOR A PENNY

No more drinking. No more gambling. And definitely no more mistress. Now that he’s inherited a mountain of debts and responsibility, Lord Nevinstoke has no choice but to start acting respectable. Especially if he wants to find a wife-better yet, a rich wife. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She’s pretty, rational, ladylike, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem.

IN FOR A POUND

But when they actually get to Nev’s family estate, all the respectability and reason in the world won’t be enough to deal with tenants on the edge of revolt, a menacing neighbor, and Nev’s family’s propensity for scandal. Overwhelmed but determined to set things right, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other. And to their surprise, that just might be enough.

We have one signed copy of In For A Penny to giveaway. In order to enter, leave a comment on this post. Contest is open for residents of US and Canada ONLY and will run till Saturday February 20th 11:59pm (PST). We will announce the winner next Sunday in our weekly stash! Good luck!