Reading Stack #17

I am still trying to finish Body and Soul. I actually do enjoy the series, but I just keep picking up other things. I am almost halfway through my Random Read, Girl in the Steel Corset. It is really good! I love Finley and her struggle between her two sides. I will try to focus on these two, but I am flipping through Beautiful Creatures and a couple of books I picked up at the library today.

Secret Letters by Leah Scheier

 

I finally finished a book! Secret Letters was one that I received as an egalley from Netgalley.
Ever since she learned her birth father's identity, Dora Joyce has been obsessed with solving mysteries. She is a keen observer and is not shy about showing her abilities, much to the dismay of her aunt and cousin. Dora's father is none other than the famous Sherlock Holmes, although he does not know of her existence. Dora's mother along with the man who she thought was her father died when she was very young. She lives with her aunt who is trying to turn her into a proper lady, like her married cousin Adelaide. When romantic letters from Adelaide's past are discovered and she is being blackmailed, Dora uses this chance to get her cousin to London to meet Sherlock Holmes and to, of course, introduce herself to her father. However Dora arrives to late and learns of Holmes' death at a waterfall, right as she is stepping foot on Baker Street. There she meets Peter Cartwright, a former messenger of Holmes, and an assistant for another prominent detective. Peter promises to help Dora, while also encouraging her inquisitive nature. The two team up to get Adelaide's letters back from a footman who works at an estate where the daughter of the lord of the manor has disappeared. It appears that more than one game is afoot and romance may also be in the air. Can Dora help solve the mystery, save her cousin, and not fall in love?

This was a really neat take on the Sherlock Holmes story. Holmes is not present at all in the story, but Dora shows herself as a true daughter of the famous detective. The romance in the story was perfect for the time period and her reactions to different events were very comical. A sequel is hinted at and I hope this is the case. Perfect blend of mystery, history, and light romance.

Favorite Character: I loved both Dora and Peter. Dora is a plucky heroine whose flaws endanger her, but Peter saves her without making her look like a weak-willed girl. They complement each other well and it takes them both to solve the case. I enjoyed hearing about their pasts and can't wait to see if they have a future together.

Favorite Quote: "Promise me that you'll stop telling the entire world that we're in love? It is destroying my reputation."

This was a  quick read with great main characters and a charming story line. Once I got close to the end, I had to stay up to finish it.  I give it 5 bars of chocolate!

Random Reads July

I am going to try to do this meme. I have never done a meme, but this looked like fun! All the credit goes to imlovingbooks.com. I first discovered this while looking at Auntie Spinelli Reads. I made a list of all the books I would like to read and then went to random.org. I had 72 on my list and my random number was 65, which was The Girl in the Steel Corset. I just picked this up at the library and it looks really good. Hopefully it will be as good as the pretty cover suggests.

Reading Stack #16

I finished both Goddess Legacy and Rapture. I will have to wait another week or two to publish my Goddess Legacy review until it is closer to the release date. I really really liked it! I am still reading Body and Soul and I have started another e-galley called Secret Letters about a girl who thinks she is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes. It has really captured my attention and I am close to the halfway point. Hopefully I will finish it this week.

Rapture by Lauren Kate

Rapture is another goodbye book as it is the last in the Fallen series. I read the e-galley and listened to the audio. Justine Eyre is an amazing narrator and I really think she captures Luce's personality perfectly.  Rapture picks up where Passion left off, with the fallen angels trying to prevent Lucifer from starting the Fall all over again. Luce, Daniel, Cam, Roland, Arianne, Gabbe, Molly, and Annabelle set off to find three relics from the time the angels fell to the earth. The three relics will help them pinpoint the spot of the Fall and stop Lucifer. Along the way Luce must discover her true role and will learn the true cost of love. She learns that Daniel may not be her first love and that she is actually more than she appears. Will true love prevail or will the sacrifice be too much? Kate definitely makes you root for Daniel and Luce.

This book both surprised me and didn't surprise me. I had guessed part of the secret, but was surprised about Luce's love history. I thought it was a fitting ending to the series. Lauren Kate weaves a sweet love story into the Fall and embellishes on a little discussed religious event. Part of the religion talk bothered me, because of the whole it is a good thing Luce is not baptised and the human sacrifice that occurs in the story. Kate's depiction of the Throne was interesting and I liked that she focused on the theme of mercy, as that is a big part of love that is often overlooked. I waited a few days on writing this review to focus on what I really thought about the book. I enjoyed the storytelling and was only squeamish about the two things I mentioned earlier. I don't really think it is making fun of religion or anti-religion as much as it really isn't meant to be taken as being about religion. Looking at it as a story that uses part of religious heritage in the same way others use Greek myths, I think it is good. I think that is the way Kate meant it to be taken and that is the way I will look at it. Her use of mercy as an attribute of the Throne lines up with Christian and Jewish religions. I can't wait to read more of Lauren Kate's writing, because I love her descriptions and flawed characters.

Favorite Character: I wish Shelby and Miles were mentioned more in the book, as they were my favorites from the previous three books. I think Arriane and Roland are the most interesting and I love their type of love as a platonic one where each one leans on the other. Kate seems to leave some room for hope with Roland and Cam at the end of the story.

Favorite Quote: "Are you prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice for your love?"

This is a hard one to rate. It is not quite a 5 bars of chocolate book, but a 4 seems to low. I will give this 4.5 bars of chocolate. It was a good, sweet ending to the series.

Reading Stack #15

I finished Timepiece and only have one more character point of view left in Goddess Legacy. However I will have to wait a bit before I post the Goddess Legacy review. It is really good. Aimee Carter just keeps getting better and better. I loved the insight into the character's minds. You definitely won't look at Calliope and Persephone in the same way. I hope to finish Goddess Legacy tonight or in the next day or so. I received Underworld as an audio to review, so I won't review it on here. I am working my way through Rapture in e-galley and audio, so that is definitely on my list this week. I hope to get more into City of Lost Souls, for some reason I just don't want to finish it and then have to wait awhile for the next one. I am going to add Body and Soul by Kade to my list. I also picked up Starters at the library and will slowly be reading this. That will be all on my stack for now, but I may add a different title or two before reviewing again.

Timepiece by Myra McEntire

I finally finished another book this month! Summer Reading programs are great, but they really take away from my reading time.

I received Timepiece as an e-galley from Net-galley, but this is an impartial review. When I first saw that is was going to be from another character's point of view other than Emerson, I was disappointed. When I saw it was from Kaleb's point of view, I was really unsure about it, but boy did Myra McEntire make me happy in the end. Kaleb in the first book seems a bit self-centered, but you do pity him for losing both parents. However the same thing happened to Em and she seemed strong and selfless. It is only from Kaleb's point of view that we really see he is one of the most selfless characters in the series. Kaleb has to deal with everyone's emotions, which drives him to drinking, until he gets involved with Lily. Lily was one of my favorite characters in the series and seeing her from Kaleb's eyes made me like her even more. Lily finds things and what the Hourglass needs her to find is Jack Landers. Chronos, another time-related organization, wants Jack and after killing Em and then reversing time, they show Kaleb they can take everything he loves, if Jack doesn't take them first. Kaleb, Lily, Em, and Michael must track down Jack, not kill him, and bring him to Teague, a former colleage of Liam, Kaleb's father. Teague is the head of Chronos. Coupled with the ultimatum is the fact that time rips are appearing more and more and everyone with the time gene can see them. Kaleb must try to keep his friends safe, restore his mom to her normal self, and find Jack, all while trying not to self-destruct. With his friends' support and Lily's help, he just might succeed. The prize though may be bigger than the Hourglass thought, with the revelation of the Infinityglass, which is cleverly the focus of the next book. A slightly cliffhanger ending has us all anxiously awaiting the third book!

I loved this just as much as Hourglass! McEntire is extremely talented, especially with getting into the minds of her characters. Very few people could pull off presenting a series from more than one POV and really capture their characters well. I can't decide which book I like best, which will make my Best of 2012 difficult!

Favorite Character: Again it is Lily. She is loyal, headstrong, and strong. She refuses to break in situations where most people would just sit and sob. Seeing her from Kaleb's point of view just made her more likeable.

Favorite Quote: "'Meow.' Best come-on line ever. 'If you ask to rub my belly or make any of the obvious body-part jokes, I'll steal your sword and you'll leave here needing a peg leg. Or worse. Got it, sailor?'" If only all first meetings were as sweet. ;)

Obviously this is a five bar of chocolate rating! Loved it as much as the first! Definitely one of my Best of 2012.