Book Review: The Last Mrs Parrish

Author: Liv Constantine
Title: The Last Mrs Parrish
Publisher: HarperLuxe
Publish Date: Oct 17, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.

To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.

Review: I am never ever ever going to jump into a book that everyone says I must read. This book, I don't really know what to say about it. It was addictive. It wasn't bad, but if I didn't find myself becoming invested in the story, I would have tossed it. (OK return it to the library)

Amber was just too nasty and the author made sure we knew about it. How she was jealous and didn't feel Daphne was undeserving of her wealth and social class, and her kids were brats. The first part of the book read like "I hate you but I want what you have." There was no subtlety here. That's why the first half of the book is so plodding. At every turn you get snide mental remarks from Amber.

Midway through the book we have a change in point of view and you get a different picture of how things are. Halfway through that point of view change you get an idea of what's going to happen.

I found things way too predictable for my liking especially since Amber's motives are spelled out in detail in the first half.

However there is one character that is not what they seem in the first half the book and that is the only reason that I kept on reading, but even for all the abusiveness you learn about, there is nothing there that really gives you a wow.

I actually found this book to be dull, and I was really looking forward to a good thriller, or a good evil chick steals the nice chicks husband and KARMA.

Actually Karma is the only thing that makes this book worth reading. Let's just say the one's that deserve having karma come up and bite them on the butt, gets it.

I think what bothered me was though we knew who was bad, obviously, we didn't know why? So it made things so one dimensional and in a story like this there needed to be some depth that was really lacking here.

I just wish I could have put the book down, because it really wasn't worth the time it took to read it.

Rating: 2 flowers

Book Review: Up and In

Author: Deborah Disney

Title: Up and In

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publish Date: December 1, 2014

Buy: Amazon

Blurb:

Distinctly middle-class parents, Maria and Joe have committed every bit of available income to giving their daughters Kate and Sarah the best education possible, which to them means attending the most exclusive girls school in the state. But when Kate befriends the spoilt and moody Mirabella, Maria finds herself thrust into a high society of champagne-swilling mother-istas she hasn't budgeted for. Saturday morning netball is no longer a fun mother-daughter outing, but a minefield of social politics.

While the increasingly neurotic Maria struggles to negotiate the school mum hierarchy, Joe quietly battles a midlife crisis and Kate attempts to grow up as gracefully as possible (without having her life ruined by embarrassing parents).

For every woman who has ever felt she may be wearing the wrong shoes, this is a book that will remind you - you're not alone.

Fans of Liane Moriarty and Fiona Higgins are sure to enjoy this debut offering from new Australian author, Deborah Disney.

Review: It is funny. I'm not a mom, nor did I ever have hopes of being one but I found I loved this book. There's something about this kind of story that makes me think of sitcoms. Fun sitcoms, that they don't make anymore, or a movie. I was trying to figure out how to cast this book the whole time I was reading

I found it amusing that as parents they were trying to be something that they weren't and how they were trying desperately to be liked by the wealthy parents that they were associating with because they were sending their children to the "right" school.

The parents from the right side of town are the Beas, with Bea being the Queen Bea so to speak. Maria's daughter Kate befriends her daughter Mirabella, and that's how everything starts. As the story goes on you see mother and daughter losing themselves trying to be like their friends or rather so called friends. It becomes apparent quickly that not many of the Beas are really friends with Maria and Kate, at times I thought, for the love of god, send her to a different school, get her out of these activities, Circus School? Who has this? What sane mum would pay for this?

I really wanted Maria to stand up to these women, especially when they were being particularly nasty.

This was really a light easy read that is really entertaining and super fun. The ending is perfect though I'm not sure Bea's response to Maria's message was really realistic considering her past behavior.

Rating: 4 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Supreme Macaroni Company

About The Supreme Macaroni Company

• Hardcover: 352 pages

• Publisher: Harper (November 26, 2013)

For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret.

A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: “A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything.” The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves—the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.

The Supreme Macaroni Company is Trigiani at her comedic and dramatic best, the inside story of a family business, and the shoemaker who carries on the tradition while juggling a new marriage and family. The pull between old world Italian ways and American ambition tear at Valentine, as a secret is revealed that changes the course of her life. The story takes the reader from the cobblestone streets of Greenwich Village, to lush New Orleans, and home to Italy, in Tuscany and on the Amalfi coast, with a surprise twist that takes the action to America’s rust belt, Youngstown, Ohio.

Review: Adriana Trigiani is one of those authors that you can't help but love. She weaves stories of complex families and love and life.

I read The Shoemaker's Wife last year and it blew me away.

The Supreme Macaroni Company is no less awesome. This is the final book in the Valentine trilogy and it is a fine conclusion to this series. I think it could be read as a stand alone novel, but reading the prior two books will help you along so that you understand the wild and wonderful family dynamics.

I love Valentine and love Gianluca....The relationship you see here is so real and full of drama, even though their world isn't one that most could relate to. They don't have high society drama, but rather family drama. The kind of drama you get when two cultures marry.

And though I don't wish to spoil things...you will be crying towards the end. No, you will be bawling your eyes out.

This is supposed to be the last book in the trilogy, but I hope Adriana continues Valentine's story, because it didn't really feel finished to me.

Rating: 5 flowers

Rex Robot Reviews Book Review: The Sins Of Viscount Sutherland

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Author: Samatha James
Title: The Sins Of Viscount Sutherland
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: May 31, 2011
Review Copy Provided By: Rex Robot Reviews and Haper Collins
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: He is reckless, bold, dangerous . . .

Men envy him, women desire him . . .
And one woman wants her revenge.
Claire Ashcroft has good reason to despise Viscount Grayson Sutherland. A wildly unpredictable man with a frightening reputation, Sutherland is responsible for a death that deeply pains her. She'd kill him if she could. Instead, she'll employ her feminine wiles to make him pay. And once he's deeply, irreversibly in love with her, she'll shatter his vulnerable heart.

Her scheme works perfectly . . . too perfectly.

Review: My review can be found at Rex Robot Reviews
Rating: 4 flowers

Crazy Book Tours Book Review: The King's Daughter

Author: Christie Dickason
Title: The King's Daughter
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: Aug 20, 2009
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Crazy Book Tours
Book Blurb: Superb historical novel of the Jacobean court, in which Princess Elizabeth strives to avoid becoming her father's pawn in the royal marriage market The court of James I is a volatile place, with factions led by warring cousins Robert Cecil and Francis Bacon. Europe is seething with conflict between Protestants and Catholics. James sees himself as a grand peacemaker -- and what better way to make his mark than to use his children in marriage negotiations? Into this court come Henry, Prince of Wales, and his sister Elizabeth. Their louche father is so distrusted that soon they are far more popular than he is: an impossibly dangerous position. Then Elizabeth is introduced to Frederick of Bohemia, Elector Palatine. He's shy but they understand one another. She decides he will be her husband -- but her parents change their minds. Brutally denied Henry's support, how can Elizabeth forge her own future? At once a love story, a tale of international politics and a tremendous evocation of England at a time of great change, this is a landmark novel to thrill all lovers of fine historical fiction.

Review: I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. I was gung ho for a book about a royal that wasn't a Tudor.  Elizabeth's story seems to be dragged out. There were times when I had to look up information about her so I had an idea of how old she was.

The first part is the slowest dealing with Elizabeth's unknowing part in the Gunpowder Plot to assissinate her father. Christie doesn't spare her readers from the gruesome outcome. Elizabeth witnsses the execution of Fawkes and his conspiritors. They were hung, drawn and quartered.

This was definitely an age were punishments were gruesome.

But the book isn't bad. It really paints a good portrait of what James I was like and the relationship between Elizabeth and her brother Henry and her younger brother Charles. I often found Baby Charles was portrayed a bit unfairly. He seemed to be a spoiled brat, yet all accounts of him that I found said he emulated his older brother Henry.

I appreciated the historical accuracy, but the fictional characters Christie added didn't enhance the story. In fact, they detracted from an otherwise interesting story. I would have liked to know more about Elizabeth than the battle between her and her father over marriage. The slave girl, Tallie, didn't even seem necessary as a character, since she didn't make an appearance until Elizabeth was presented in London. There were some scenes that just didn't seem plausible for a princess to be doing, particularly when they snuck out to a brothel so that Elizabeth could learn about lovemaking, via a peephole in a wall.

Elizabeth wasn't very interesting. I found myself more interested in the intrigues of the court. Her father's preference for men. The religious beliefs of her brother, who had his men pay a tithe when they swore. All were more interesting than Elizabeth and her desire to choose her husband. It is because of the rest of the family that I finished this book. Had Christie not brought those characters to life, I probably would have abandoned this book.

Rating: 3 flowers

Book Review: Delirium #7

Author: Lauren Oliver
Title: Delirium
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: 2/1/2011
Copy Provided By: The Publisher & Rex Robot Reviews
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love - the deliria - blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demand that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she would be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review: I reviewed this books for Rex Robot Reviews. To read my review click here
Rating:  4 flowers

Book Review: The Darkest Hour

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: The Darkest Hour
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: Oct 1, 2005
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: ThunderClan's darkest hour is upon them, as Tigerstar's quest for power plunges all the Clans into the most terrible danger any cat has ever faced. In order to save his Clan and his friends, Fireheart must uncover the meaning of an ominous proclamation from StarClan:

"Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest."
The time has come for prophecies to unfold, and for heroes to rise ...

Review: This is the final book in the first series of Warriors books and it is a fitting end for the most part. Old enemies and new are vanquished, though ridding the forest of the old enemy seems a bit lacking.

There's a lot of undercurrents in this book, and as you read the series you start linking things together. StarClan is the heaven of the world of feral forest cats. In these book you see Cats lose faith and have their faith returned. It doesn't preach a catlike religion so much as it reminds the cats that those who have gone before them, watch over and help them.

Like the other 5 books, there's death. The Erin's love to kill of Cats and since there's a great battle coming, there's many cats going to StarClan.

There's also another Clan of Cats brought into the story, thanks to ShadowClan's leader, Tigerstar. These cats are horrific beasts. Not at all nice. If you think Tigerstar is nasty, wait til you meet Scourge and his crew. Pure EVIL!

There are some beautiful things in the book too. When Tigerheart goes to get his 9 lives and become Tigerstar, is one of them. It is also a tearjerking part of the story, as each cat that has gone before comes to him.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a series of books as much as I have Warriors.

~ I plan to do a recap on all 6 books of the first series over the weekend.

Book Review: A Dangerous Path

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: A Dangerous Path
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: May 24, 2005
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: The saga continues in the fifth book in the Warriors series as the cat Fireheart, now deputy leader of Thunderclan, finds himself taking on even more responsibility because clan-leader Bluestar is both physically and mentally ill. Add to that the dangerous machinations of treacherous Tigarstar, the head of Shadowclan, and a pack of renegade dogs. Bluestar becomes certain that all the members of her clan, including Fireheart, have betrayed her; the ancestral Starclan cats have abandoned her; and Windclan is hunting in Thunderclan's territory. After Bluestar declares war, it's up to Fireheart to find a way to avoid the battle. Hunter maintains the established characterizations of his sentient cats, who still retain their feline natures. With compelling intrigue and fast-paced actions, this is one of the most exciting books in the series--and, happily, there's another volume to come.

Review: I'm writing this review from a fangirl point of view. This series is fantastic, but the Erins (Erin Hunter is 3-4 people depending on the series etc) are very sadistic. They really enjoy killing off cats in strange and unusal ways.  In this book there are at least 3 cats that die, and one will totally break your heart.

I haven't totally recovered from the death of Thunderclan's medicine cat, Yellowfang from a previous book, and now this! Ahhhhh!

It is really hard to believe these are kids books, but they are grades 6 and up so I guess the kidlets can deal with the violence of the feral cats lives. I only wish that she didn't kill off so many of the cats in each book, and its always one cat that the reader is truly attached to, or a just a senseless death. This book has so many that its ridiculous.

Does it stop me from reading?

NO!

It is like a soap opera. I have to keep reading to see what happens next in the lives of these cats and it is looking like Thunderclan is going to be going through some big changes in the last book of the first series.

I can't wait to see what happens next. These cats have truly become part of my life. The sad thing is..there are two series after this!! Tis crazy, but it is a good crazy!

Love live Fireheart!!!

Book Review: Rising Storm

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: Warriors: Rising Storm Book 4
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: Feb 15, 2005
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: The cat Fireheart and his fellow ThunderClan members are back in the fourth installment of the Warriors series. In this episode, Fireheart has been deputized to replace the ousted rogue cat Tigerclaw, but his new job is made harder by the lingering apathy of the clan's leader. Fireheart must overcome doubts about his ability, struggles with his apprentice, a deadly fire that threatens to finish off the clan, a potential new love, and an enemy that returns from his past. Hunter once again tells a good, suspenseful adventure story that urges readers onward, and teens may find their own journey toward adulthood echoed in the protagonist's struggles and self-doubts. Although background from earlier books may be useful, this can be read on its own; a handy list of characters at the beginning of the book will help readers keep track of Hunter's large cast.

Review:  Book four of the first Warriors series will have you crying more often than not, especially if you have fallen in love with the cats of ThunderClan. I know I have. I started the first book in series one last week and I'm starting book 5 today!

Book 4 is the most dramatic so far. There's a lot of action and a lot Clan Cats going to StarClan. So if you are a crybaby, and I am, you will be sniffling through this book.

There's also a blossoming love, which is nice. This book needed a bit more happy.

This story also sets the stage for what's to come. Readers already know Bluestar's secret, but after the betrayal she suffers at the end of Forest Of Secrets she's changed and not for the better. The actions in the last book have taken a lot out of her. It is a good thing that Fireheart is such a strong character, even though he still falters now and then.

The bright stop in this book? Cloudpaw, the kittypet, kitten, that is Fireheart's nephew. He's so silly and arrogant, that you have to adore him.

This series is addicting. I really can't wait to continue on with the books. They are fast and fun reads and they make you wonder if your cats are really thinking some of those things!

Book Review: Forest Of Secrets

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: Warriors: Forest Of Secrets Book 3
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: October 1, 2004
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: As this third book in this series begins, Fireheart, former house pet turned warrior cat, continues to be torn between his allegiance to his Thunderclan and his suspicions that Tigerclaw is planning to take over as its leader. When Fireheart gets proof of his deceit and presents his findings to the clan's wise and compassionate leader, she refuses to believe him. Tensions are already running high between the clans because the cats are getting sick from fish from the polluted rivers, flooding is widespread, and they must invade each other's territory for food. The tragic death of Graystripe's mate as she's giving birth and his betrayal of the clan by loving a cat from an enemy clan bring the simmering tensions to a boil as both groups claim rights to the kits. Other secrets come to light as Tigerclaw, exiled in disgrace, vows revenge and Fireheart becomes the new deputy. This exciting book is not for the faint of heart as it is often violent. It is reminiscent of Greek drama, with its huge cast of characters (a chart of allegiances is included), intrigues, divided loyalties, star-crossed lovers, and parents murdering their offspring. Fans of the series will lap it up while impatiently awaiting the next entry.

Review: Have I mentioned these books are addicting? I've read the first 3 in less than a week! Each picks up right where the last one left off, so as soon as you finish reading one, you are ready to jump into another.

So far, this is my favorite of the series. It had so much action and adventure and love. Yes, there's even romance among the cats!

There's a lot going on in these books too, from betrayal of one of the cats in the higher ranks of the clan, to romances between clans and then some. It is kind of a like a cat soap opera in print.

I love the personalities of the cats. Erin really makes these cats come alive. I don't think I could pick a favorite cat..I love Yellowfang and Cloudpaw and of course, Fireheart. After so many books, these cats are as real to me as my own kittypets...erm cats.

What I find the most appealing is that though these books are written for a young audience, Grades 5 and up, they really can be read by anyone. They aren't terribly childlike, and that's good for me, because I'm thirty six!

If you like cats and fantasy, these books are definitely something to look into. I can't wait to get into book 4!

Book Review: Fire and Ice

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: Warriors: Fire and Ice
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date:  2004
Rating: 4 stars
Book Blurb: Fireheart could hear a roaring around him, like wind in tall trees. The acrid stench of the Thunderpath stung his nostrils, together with a new smell, sharper and more terrifying. Fire!



Book Two of WARRIORS continues Fireheart's quest to be a true warrior, when he finds new danger lurking in the woods as the chill of winter sets in.


WindClan is missing, and hostilities between the remaining three clans place all the cats in peril. Illness and tragic accidents weaken the camp, and ThunderClan needs all its warriors to defent itself - but Fireheart suspects that certain cats may not be as loyal as they appear.

Review: Fire and Ice picks up exactly where Into The Wild leaves off, with Fireheart and Greystripe becoming warriors for Thunderclan. These are not books that you can read out of order for that reason. There's too much that can be missed if you jump around.

This book sees the two friends growing emotionally as they take on their duties as mentors. Fireheart has much to deal with has he discovers a relative when he's sent out with his apprentice to the edge of their territory near Twoleg Place. He also helps to bring back Windclan, who were driven away by Shadow Clan in the last book. There's also betrayal brewing and you can see the distrust between some of the cats grow in this book.

It is very easy to fall in love with these cats and readers will do so more and more with each story, because they really appear to be human. In this book you see one cat falling in love and another getting just a touch homesick for his kittypet family, even though he doesn't want to return to Two Leg Place.

This is wonderful story, that will leave you thirsting for the next book. Thankfully my sister read them all so I can just jump from book to book.

Book Review: Into The Wild

Author: Erin Hunter
Title: Warriors: Into The Wild Book 1
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: January 2004
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: For generations, four clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to laws laid down by powerful ancestral clans. But now things are changing: ShadowClan has banished WindClan and is threatening RiverClan and ThunderClan by insisting on hunting rights within their territories. What's more, each year the TwoLegs encroach further into the forest, and prey is becoming scarce. A prophecy reveals, "Fire alone can save [the] Clan." Into this dangerous situation wanders a "kittypet," a young, bright orange tomcat whose courage earns him, despite objections by some, a place as an apprentice ThunderClan warrior and the new name of Firepaw. In this first spine-tingling episode in the planned Warriors series, Firepaw learns the ways of the wild life, facing many dangers and treachery both within and without his new clan. Intelligence notwithstanding, the cat characters are true to their feline nature, making this sure to appeal to fans of Clare Bell's long-popular Ratha's Creature (1983) and its sequels and also to followers of Brian Jacques' ongoing Redwall series.

Review:  Erin Hunter really does a nice job and bringing cats to life in her Warriors books. Into The Wild is the story of Rusty a kittypet who wanders into the forest to find an apprentice of the Thunderclan.  He leaves his life as a housecat (kittypet) behind and is allowed to join the clan.

This series of books really shows the reader a lot about human nature through the fantasy world of these cats.  Through Rusty (Firepaw) you see how bigotry can be more than a little hurtful. The Clanborn cats look down at Firepaw because he was a kittypet.

These cats' clans are like tiny countries and they wage war over territories. They hunt, they play and they survive through working together as a team.  Each of the cats has something unique that they do, be it a mother, a healer or a fighter, and if they all can't work together the clan falls apart.

In this book, Rusty turns into a regular Clan cat from housepet. We see his struggles and triumphs. We watch as he builds friendships.

There's so much that goes on in these 280ish pages, but one thing stands out above all other things. You will love these cats for the human traits Erin has given them. As soon as you finish the last page, you'll be reaching for the next book and the next after that.

The writing isn't all that fantastic, but the story is. These are definitely great books for cat lovers and tweens.