Becoming Lady Lockwood

Becoming Lady Lockwood is Jennifer Moore's debut novel and subsequently my first read by her.

She has done her research! She masterfully delivers her flavor of the era with the various locales: Jamaica, a British naval warship, and London. She manages to deliver on the technicalities that add to the story rather than bog down the reader with excessive description. It's a difficult line to walk and Ms. Moore does it well.

I appreciate the devilish nature of having to tell the story from the minds of the two main characters. They must be presented with distinct voices without being different than the overall voice of the story. Tricky work. Ms. Moore does it with ease.

I enjoyed watching how this Pride and Prejudice beginning, in which the hero and heroine dislike each other upon first meeting, slowly broke down barriers between Amelia and William as the journey progressed. It was a slow and decidedly delicious affair. Savor it.

All of the characters, large and small, are fully fleshed out and come to life on the page, in your imagination, and, if you are very lucky, in the very spot in which you read. Emotions, expressions, manners all pour as naturally from the page as the characters. Likable to the core, all of them. Some especial favorites of mine: Sydney, Riley, and the sail master.

I like strong heroines who have a tendency to rebel against the rules of their era. Amelia is one of those. Hooray!

It's a clean read, just a few chaste Regency kisses, but we must have those or it wouldn't be a romance!

Grab your cup of tea and this book for a lovely read. I look forward to more of Ms. Moore's novels.
Her's are in the same company as Jaima Fixsen's, Lauren Skidmore's, and Julianne Donaldson's novels.

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Lady-Lockwood-Jennifer-Moore-ebook/dp/B00KC948RU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427160215&sr=1-1&keywords=becoming+lady+lockwood

Amelia Beckett is delighted to be a widow. Married by proxy to a man she’d never met, Amelia recognizes that a fortuitous entry into widowhood frees her from meddlesome chaperones and matchmakers. Heiress to her mother’s sugar plantation in Jamaica, she happily anticipates working in a man’s world, with the additional credibility of her new title: Lady Lockwood. But with the arrival of Captain Sir William Drake, her plans quickly go awry . . .William has traversed the Atlantic with one purpose. If he cannot prove that Amelia’s marriage to his brother was a fraud, she will be entitled to a sizeable portion of his family’s estate. He is determined to return this duplicitous “Lady” to London for an official hearing, and he carries with him a letter that will ensure her cooperation . . .Left with no choice, Amelia joins the captain on his return voyage to England, and the two quickly find that ship life does not allow for evasion. Amelia and William are ceaselessly thrown together, and amidst fierce storms and ocean battles, what began as antipathy seems to be evolving quite unexpectedly. But as they draw ever closer to their destination, will the impossibility of their circumstances shatter any hope of a future together?

 

Cinderella & The Book of Life

I haven't been posting lately on the movies I've been catching up on. Over the weekend I caught up on these two movies.

I actually went to the theater! I can't even remember what I last saw in the theater, it's been that long. Sad.

Cinderella was lovely.

I know there's been alot of backlash in the media about it, but spare me the drama. It's a fairytale. Kids get that. They grasp it. Sadly, and all too soon, they grow out of it.

First off, I'm a Lily James fan. I adore her on Downton Abbey. I loved watching her in this film. Somehow she is beautiful when wearing 'natural' makeup. Not all actresses can pull that off. She can and does. Only two questions. How heavy is the blue dress? How does she curtsy that low without falling over?

The prince is okay. Not my style of prince. But he gets the job done. And since when is Kit a prince's name?

Loved all the actors/actresses playing side characters. Recognizable faces and names. Great cast!

I totally want to go live on the set. Gorgeous!

Worth a view? Yes.
Worth a buy? Yes. We're big Disney fans here. Set up the preorder now.

Oh, and the word is that Emma Watson's been cast as Belle for the live version of Beauty and the Beast. Can't wait!

The Book of Life

This is like the Mexican version of Corpse Bride.

I found it fun and funny. All the songs had me cracking up. Clean humor. Good for the whole family.

Excellent animation. Lots of style.

Totally Team Manolo from the start.

Worth a view? Yes.
Worth a buy? I would watch it again but my kids weren't as taken with it. So, no. But I would like to get the sound track!

What did you watch this weekend?

Painting Kisses

Painting Kisses by Melanie Jacobson

I read her book The List a while ago and totally loved it. This one is a bit different but comes with the quality I expect in Ms. Jacobson's writing.

Get ready to be immersed in art. Lia is an artist who's been underground for three years. But circumstances force her to pick up her paintbrush once more, unleashing all she's held in. As emotion floods onto canvas Lia must face who she was, is, and wants to become. Not to mention figure out a mystery and her growing attachment to Aidan who baffles her.

Ms. Jacobson moves the story along at a steadily increasing pace that won't have you sprinting to the finish line but will leave you savoring every step of the way. Do yourself a favor, don't skip or skim her descriptions. They aren't wordy and are eessential to understanding the characters. You'll miss out on great word craft if you do.

It's a stunning sassy heartfelt tale and a quick read.

Mom's note: kissing, not French kissing or anything beyond.

Painting Kisses Amazon Link

Lia Carswell is good at what she does—even if it isn’t as glamorous as her old life in Manhattan. The popular waitress works hard in a small Salt Lake City diner, with the goal of easing her sister’s financial strain. And with her witty personality and good looks, she’s something of an enigma to the male customers who vie for her attention. Ever the professional, Lia keeps her distance—with one exception. Aidan is a breakfast regular, and Lia’s easy rapport with him draws her attention, though she would never let their relationship get serious—especially since he’s not the only one trying to catch her eye. Her handsome neighbor Griff has been hinting that he wants more than a neighborly relationship.Then her old New York artist life comes knocking, and an offer is made for a series of commissioned paintings. Lia knows it would ensure financial security for her family, but she doesn’t know if she wants that life anymore. When she undertakes one final project, she reawakens her heart and soul. And as she finds herself falling in love and needing an outlet more and more, she realizes her paintings might be her saving grace.

Spy by Night

Spy by Night by Jordan McCollum is a prequel novel to her other Spy series books, all of which should immediately go on your 'To Read' list, if you haven't read them yet. If you haven't read them, then do read them in the order the story follows rather than the pub dates to enjoy the story in order. 

I've been reading her Spy novels and novellas as they come out. I'd like to go back and read them in story order.

Spy by Night is the story of how Talia and Danny become a couple. It is on par with the rest of the Spy series. Lots of emotional depth, foreign flavor, and relationship baggage to overcome, all while keeping their virtue intact and moving past their pasts.

Ms. McCollum shows her ability to tug the characters heart strings and keep an endless tug of war going between them on and off the page. I especially enjoyed reading chapters from each character's point of view to gain better insight to their emotions and motivations.

It's a fast read, well-crafted, clean, and well researched read. Pick it up and enjoy!

Mom's note: kissing, but no French kissing or anything beyond.

http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Night-Another-Day-prequels/dp/194009612X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426097827&sr=8-1&keywords=spy+by+night

After watching her parents’ marriage crash and burn, CIA operative Talia Reynolds doesn’t believe in “happily ever afters.” Besides, her job entails eighty-hour weeks, juggling a dozen covers and disguises, and tracking down a dangerous Russian spy ring. She hardly has time for romantic entanglements, even if she could let her guard down enough to get close to anyone. But all the rules she lives by could be broken when she meets aerospace engineer Danny Fluker.

Danny moved to Canada for a great job — and a chance to start over after a bad breakup. Dating definitely isn’t in his plans . . . until beautiful and enigmatic Talia throws a perfect storm right in his flight path. When he catches a glimpse of the real woman behind her façade, he has to get to know her better.

Talia has to find a Russian spymaster before he figures out she’s not who she claims, and failing to keep her two lives separate in the process could mean the death of more than just her budding relationship. Danny has to decide if a future with Talia — and facing the past — is worth the risk of getting hurt again. If they can break through the barriers keeping them apart (and avoid a major international catastrophe), they just might have a chance at being happy together.

The Son of Neptune

My daughter is a huge Rick Riordan fan. She reads all his books.

I listened to all the Percy Jackson books on audio during cross country drives a few years back. Now, she requested I read The Heroes of Olympus series so we can have discussions about them. 

I figure it's only fair. I ask her to read books so we can chat about them. (Although she didn't end up liking Anne of Green Gables like I'd hoped.) So, she should be able to make book requests of me too. 

I didn't put up a review of the first one. I planned to wait until I finished the whole series. The problem with reviewing the series one by one is there's not a lot to say to without giving away spoilers. 

In The Lost Hero we follow Jason Grace to Camp Half-Blood. His problem: amnesia. Total amnesia. He's a demi-god from the Roman side of the world. The gods have kids as both of their historical personas: Greek & Roman. So there are camps for both. Jason and Percy get swapped as the leaders of each of their camps, along with a memory wipe, so they make new friends and accrue new followers as they help save the world. In The Son of Neptune, we hear about what Percy's been doing at Camp Jupiter while dealing with his memory loss.

It's amazing how often demi-gods can save the world without dying when you have a good series going. This one has a fun twist by coming at the obstacles from the Roman perspective. Plus, we get all new characters to love, or hate, as much as the old ones. Slick story-telling and marketing scheme all rolled into one. 

Not that I'm slighting Mr. Riordan. I dearly wish I had his mythological flare and awesome YA storytelling skills. 

The books are good and just what I've come to expect from the Percy Jackson series.. Hero+Friends+Quest=Save the World. When you have a formula that works, there's no reason to change it. 

Worth a read? Of course!

Clean: Yes, as far as I'm concerned. It always cracks me up when they swear in Greek or Latin because it's really nothing horrible, just funny. 

Violent: Yes. A hero has to kill monsters after all, but not gory. 

Will I read the next one? Already started. 

Kids 9+ can read if they have the skills. 

http://www.amazon.com/Son-Neptune-Heroes-Olympus-Book/dp/1423141997/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424902647&sr=8-1&keywords=the+son+of+neptune

Percy is confused. When he awoke after his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain-fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. When the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now, because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. 

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes, but he doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely-enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart. 

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.