A Lady of Persuasion (Toby and Isabel, Book Three): Tessa Dare

"Tessa Dare spins a witty, wanton tale of passion and conquest, as a reformer and a rake find unexpected love.

"Only one thing could convince Sir Tobias Aldridge, an incorrigible libertine, to profess undying fidelity to a woman he's just met.  Revenge.  What better way to get back at an enemy than by stealing that scoundrel's sister?  Not that Toby finds it a chore, seducing a beguiling, sultry beauty freshly arrived from the West Indies.  When the prize is Isabel Grayson, vengeance is doubly rewarding.

"Isabel is determined to marry a wealthy, powerful lord and become a lady of influence, using her rank and fortune to fight social injustice.  Sir Toby, with his paltry title and infamous reputation, is unsuitable husband material--but he makes her blood race, her heart pound, and her long-buried passions come to the surface. If she can reform the charming devil, she'll get exactly what she craves:  society's respect.  But it's a dangerous gamble.  For if Toby wins this battle of persuasion, Isabel could lose her heart."

Another gem from Tessa Dare!  A Lady of Persuasion is the culmination of this trilogy and I thought it fitting and appropriate.  Dare’s worlds are lately my absolute favorite into which to escape.  She writes such vivid stories and lively characters!  Her style is highly-readable and extremely enjoyable.  She is definitely a notch above even a large number of non-romance authors.  In fact, I would gladly read any book of hers if she decided to branch out and write other genres.  For now, however, I’m very happy to be reading Dare’s romance novels.

I went into this book very happy to finally see Toby get his own story (side note, I really fell in love with the name “Toby” – I struggle a little bit with the proper name “Tobias” because of the Divergent series, but Toby is so sweet).  He was essentially absent from the second book in the series (Sophia and Grey’s book following Sophia’s flight from her marriage to Toby), but he had a larger role in the first book (Jeremy and Lucy’s story where Lucy fancied herself in love with him, but he proposed to Sophia instead).  Toby felt a bit flat in the first book – probably just because he was not actually the “male lead” in that story.  I absolutely loved him in this book, however.  He was charming, witty, fun, intelligent, and devoted; such a dynamic character.  I love seeing characters grow throughout the duration of a story or series.  We were introduced to Isabel (Bel) at the end of the second book in the trilogy; she is the younger sister of Joss and Gray, and Sophia’s sister-in-law.  (The complex character- and family dynamics make for a very interesting overarching plot.)  Personally, I’m not a very religious person, so that little taste of hyper-religious and philanthropic Bel from the second book made me apprehensive about what her part in a romance novel would be and just how much Bel would talk about God.  She seemed so pious and goody-goody that I became nervous that Dare had pigeonholed her too much to make for an interesting “female lead” in the third book.  Thankfully (for my personal tastes, that is) Dare seems to have toned her pious nature down quite a bit for this book.  It certainly helped make the story more palatable and believable.  I came to enjoy Bel's selflessness.  While a bit extreme, it added character and made her quite unique in this genre.

Along the same lines of the other books in this early series of Dares, I've noticed she tends to leave out a lot of physical descriptions that I, personally, find necessary to "play out" the book like a film in my head (and no, I'm not talking about that kind of physical descriptions...).  For Toby, she seemed to rely upon minor physical descriptions from the first book in the series because very little time is spent on his physical description in this book.  I think she mentions his hair color, but I can't recall what color his eyes are.  Bel is only slightly more developed, but, again, I doubt I could recall her eye color if asked.  This is a trend upon which Dare improves in later books (and I can say this from experience).  Personally, I like when authors use these kinds of things to help bring the characters to life.  To be sure, Dare provides her characters with some of the richest backstories I've ever encountered, but I still need a way to be able to shape them in my mind.  She did a great job of this in the second book of this series (likely because of Sophia's artistic eye), slightly less so in the first book, and this third one in the trilogy was the least proficient in this field.

Additionally, I have to note how a little romance for Joss was brought into this book (don't worry, I won't give too much away).  While I liked what Dare did (I really wanted to see Joss come out of his shell), I found myself wondering if its inclusion was because she didn't have enough material for Bel and Toby, or she crammed it into Bel and Toby's story because she knew she couldn't come up with enough for Joss to have his own book.  However, the little snippets were well-placed and broke up some of the tenser parts of the book, which was nice.

As always, Dare provided her fans with an extremely well-written and well-thought-out book.  She has found a lifelong fan in me, to be sure.  I will say this, however:  The conclusion of this book (prior to the epilogue) was awkward.  Jem and Gray (somewhat inexplicably) show up at the official closing of the polls in Toby's borough.  Dare seems to realize the awkwardness and nonsensicalness of this situation and voices it in Jem's bewildered and annoyed commentary.  It's as if she's saying, "I get it, it's strange that all of the men would be here in this place because there's no real reason, but here they are."  I wonder if she was told to write it this way, because their presence was not really integral to the conclusion.  It seemed uncharacteristically awkward for Dare - especially because Jem and Gray didn't even seem to behave as I would have expected them to, given all I'd learned about their personalities from the prior books.  I will say that I really enjoyed the epilogue.  I love a good, clean wrapping-up of a series, and this served that purpose perfectly.  I loved the conversation between Lucy and Toby; it was really amazing to think how differently everything could have turned out had Lucy gone to Toby as she'd intended instead of Jem.  It's amazing how many lives one little decision can change!

Overall, I love Dare's writing.  This book was not one of my favorites of hers, but that should by no means deter you from reading it.  She's eloquent, creative, and captivating.

After You (Me Before You, Book Two): Jojo Moyes

"How do you move on after losing the person you loved?  How do you build a life worth living?

"You're going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit.  But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated, too.  Live boldly.  Push yourself.  Don't settle.  Just live well.  Just live.  Love, Will.

"Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life.  After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him.  When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can't help but feel she's right back where she started.

"Her body heals, but Lou knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life.  Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies.  They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding--the paramedic whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her.  Then a figure from Will's past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her  into a very different future....

"For Lou Clark, life after Will Trainer means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings.  But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and for whom both changes and surprises await.

"After You is quintessential Jojo Moyes--a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and rejoice at being back in the world she creates.  Here she does what few novelists can do--revisits beloved characters and takes them to places neither they nor we expected."

I know, I know…  I did exactly what I said I wouldn’t do and read the sequel to Me Before You very soon after finishing the first book.  I know I said I wanted to “sit” with the characters a bit more before I delved into the sequel, but I went to my local library and After You just so happened to be sitting in a prominent place on a display; it kind of seemed meant to be.  Mind you, I put off reading it right away and instead opted to read this little number by Tessa Dare instead.  That one was a great quick read, however, so it wasn’t very long before it was time to read After You.  I had the choice between reading the third book in Dare’s trilogy or diving back into the world created by Jojo Moyes.  I opted for Moyes.

Let me start off by saying I had my reservations about a sequel like this.  Moyes made it very clear that she wrote this book following the wave of interest and success of her first and the subsequent excitement over the film adaptation (which I have yet to see; I may force my husband to watch it with me this weekend).  Books spurred by these fan-driven questions rarely live up to the first.  I was nervous about reading After You because I didn’t want it to destroy my enjoyment and remaining “high” from Me Before You.  After reading it, however, I will say that I was only slightly right.

I enjoyed Lou a lot less than I did the first time around.  I get that she’s grieving for Will, probably dealing with some really serious depression, and her world has changed dramatically after Will’s assisted suicide, but she seemed to change too much – almost to the point where she seemed like a completely different character.  Her mannerisms, habits, and even her speech felt different to me.  I was hoping to see even a glimmer of the Lou I’d so enjoyed from the first book.  While we eventually get to see some of it, I missed her quirkiness and perception of the world.  Don’t get me wrong, I can see where Moyes was going with it – losing Will changed Lou’s entire outlook – but the change was so dramatic to the point where I almost didn’t enjoy it.  Parts of her life felt like they dragged on far too long, which is probably why this book took me so much longer to finish.  Some of it felt rather forced and beaten to death…

Sam, on the other hand, was an excellent character.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about having someone take Will’s place because I’d loved Will so much, but I grew to love Sam.  He was very caring and so much of what he did endeared him to me.  He showed another way of handling grief that provided relief from Lou’s all-consuming depression.  Like the Moving On group, he demonstrated that there is more than one way to grieve (and that some ways are healthier than others).

The purpose of the book seemed to be that Moyes wanted to convey an undercurrent/underlying message:  grieve, but move on and live.  The story sometimes felt more didactic than “for fun” because of this.

Like so many other readers out there, I enjoy pondering what happens to characters after a book ends.  Epilogues can provide snippets to guide these imaginings, but some authors take it a step further and pen a sequel.  This is what Moyes did.  As she said, she wrote this book after receiving an outpouring of interest in what happened after the conclusion of Me Before You. As a result, it sometimes felt as if she was forcing it; like she was trying to answer a million questions asked by fans instead of writing for the characters' sakes.  I enjoyed some of the characters (who will remain unnamed because I don’t want to give the plot away), and others were not as organic.  There were a lot of rather obvious metaphors (especially with Sam and Lou’s blossoming relationship and the circumstances of their meeting) and some over-the-top situations that lessened my enjoyment because of their heavy-handedness.

I understand and appreciate what Moyes was trying to do and where she was trying to go with this book, but it did not even come close to my enjoyment of Me Before You.  Don’t get me wrong, I did like the book (even though the above seems like I’m being critical of it), but the first one in the series was just too big of an act to follow.  Parts of this book were sweet, parts were funny and painfully awkward (in an amusing sort of way), but others just didn’t live up to their potential.  I liked this book less than Me Before You, but that doesn’t mean I’d warn readers off of it.  It’s still worth the read if you’re interested in seeing where Lou ended up.  I found her lack of motivation and misplaced priorities to be maddening (I suppose I felt much the same way her family did).  Don’t think I’m unsympathetic to Lou’s depression and sense of loss, because I am.  I merely think she made poor choices in this sequel and was lucky to have things pan out as they did.  Lou’s difference in character from the first to the second book was probably the biggest hurdle for me.  I know her life was forever changed after her time with Will, but she felt like a completely different person.  I couldn’t connect with her as much as I did before.  Overall, the book was well-written and easily readable.  While I had some difficulties connecting with Lou and one or two other supporting characters, I enjoyed Sam very much.  I didn’t understand why so much time was spent on Lou’s current job, but it began to feel a little bit unnecessary and excessive - we get it, it sucks and she has to wear a terrible uniform.  As a follow up book, this was fine.  I still like the author’s style.  If this were a standalone book, however, I don’t know if would have been so forgiving.

Side note:  I did find a couple of typos in this book.  One was a quotation mark where it should not have been, the other was "th" instead of "the" toward the latter half of the book.  I caught these errors without looking for them, so I wonder how many others there were without me noticing them.

Surrender of a Siren (Toby and Isabel Trilogy, Book Two): Tessa Dare

"New author Tessa Dare takes passion to the high seas in this steamy tale of a runaway bride and a devilishly disarming privateer.

"Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society's constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite.  She wants a life of her own:  unsheltered, unconventional, uninhibited.  But it's one thing to sketch her most wanton fantasies, and quite another to face the dangerously handsome libertine who would steal both her virtue and her gold.

"To any well-bred lady, Benedict 'Gray' Grayson is trouble in snug-fitting boots.  A conscienceless scoundrel who said the seas for pleasure and profit, Gray lives for conquest -- until Sophia's perception and artistry stir his heart.  Suddenly he'll brave sharks, fire, storm, and sea just to keep her at his side.  She's beautiful, refined, and ripe for seduction.  Could this counterfeit governess be a rogue's redemption?  Or will the runaway heiress's secrets destroy their only chance at love?"

I finally get to do my RAIR method again!  (Granted, I’m nearly done with the book, but I’m just going to say this counts because I’m not done yet!)  I was happy to see Sophia get a book of her own.  She was very flat and almost non-existent in the first half of Goddess of the Hunt.  She felt more like a doll than an actual human being; that was, until she and Lucy bonded over Lucy’s budding romance with Jeremy.  I was very surprised by the ending of that book – I hadn’t expected Sophia to run off like she did; especially after Toby finally showed some physical and romantic attention toward her, just as she’d desired.

Sophia is a far more complex character than she seemed in the first book in the series.  Her knack for lying/weaving tales is interesting – if a bit bolder than I would have thought her capable.  This is probably the only thing I find a bit shaky about the story thus far – the ease with which Sophia spins lurid tales.  It is one thing for her to imagine them and make up stories for Lucy, quite another thing for her to tell them to Gray.  I like that “Gervais” made another appearance in this book.  I get that Sophia was drawing a lot of inspiration for her stories from the “dirty” book Lucy had given her, but I think her boldness with some of her audiences was a bit unbelievable

I like Gray thus far.  Unlike Jeremy in the first book, I felt like I got a very good sense of what he looked like from the get-go.  I also appreciate how the descriptions of him are told from the mind of an artist; the details are managed very well and I think they keep very true to Sophia’s mindset and training as an artist.  As for Sophia, I already learned about her from the first book, though I still feel like Dare is doing a good job writing from Gray’s point of view.  She threw in a bit of a character quirk about him (I won’t reveal it here, even though it’s not some jaw-dropping revelation) which, thinking back on it, I realize Dare kept very true to throughout the story.  I’m impressed.  She clearly gives a lot of thought to her characters.

Thus far, I feel like both Sophia and Grey are well-developed characters.  Dare will sometimes develop either her male or female lead more than the other, but she has done a great job of balancing this out in this book.  When she does do this, the chemistry is excellent and it’s so easy to fall into the book and lose yourself.

I’m finding Gray’s self-deprecating behavior and statements a bit annoying.  I struggle with the fact that even I, the reader, don’t think Gray has done things “evil” enough to warrant his poor opinion of himself.  Maybe some worse confession is coming?  I’m not sure, but I’m nearly done with the book and I can’t quite see why Gray thinks he’s such a bad person.  He wasn’t a real pirate, but a privateer and sanctioned by the Crown.  Sure, he was sometimes selfish when it came to his brother, but he’s genuinely trying to make things right and it seems like he’s taken great strides toward doing so.  He’s trying to keep his promises, but I’m sometimes left frowning at the voracity with which he sometimes does this.  I guess his motivation is a little bit unclear and I’m wondering if it will be clarified as I read further.

I really like the book so far.  It’s a fun read and I’m having a difficult time putting it down.  I’m looking forward to finishing it and seeing how everything ends up!

…

Tessa Dare has done it again.  I sincerely enjoy her writing style, her storytelling abilities, her captivating plots, and the vibrant characters she weaves.  As a follow-up to Goddess of the Hunt, I thought this was a very appropriate book.

I will admit that I became a little bit annoyed at both Sophia and Gray.  Gray’s self-deprecating behavior felt a little bit overly dramatic and Sophia’s own self-deprecating behavior was overblown.  However, I will say that I got over this and really enjoyed the book nonetheless.  I realize there has to be some conflict and personality quirks to make the characters believable and create an interesting plot – Dare was only doing what she needed to do in order to create a unique story and (what I feel to be) her trademark captivating characters.  I’m always so impressed with how different her characters are from book to book.  I’ve read quite a few books by Dare (as I’m sure you can tell) and not once have I even sensed a hint of laziness or repetition in the creation of her characters.  This is a pretty remarkable accomplishment and one I think I’ve only ever experienced with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s works (very different branch of the romance novel genre – much darker and more paranormal).  A few authors I’ve read have fallen into this trap where they need to write another book and they recycle traits or personality quirks from other stories; part of me wonders if they always realize they’re even doing this because some of those authors are such prolific writers.  Still, Dare continues to impress me.

Overall, I thought the book was very good.  It’s definitely still one of Dare’s earlier works, but I enjoyed it a great deal nonetheless.  As I mentioned, there were points when I grew frustrated with some of the characters’ adamancy that they were “bad” people.  I never did quite understand why Gray thought himself such a wretched human being.  Sophia’s anxieties were a bit more solidified, but still a tiny bit frustrating.  I loved the chemistry between Sophia and Gray, though.  Gray was a powerful, confident male lead.  Sophia was so much better developed than she was in Goddess of the Hunt (of course, this is to be expected because this is, after all, her book).  I thought the dialogue was witty, the romance was sweet, and the characters were unique.  There was one bit toward the end that literally had me laughing out loud (I’m pretty sure my dogs thought I was crazy), but I won’t give it away so you can all enjoy it as much as I did.  I thought the last two chapters wrapped everything up quite nicely – even if I am a bit “unsatisfied” (for lack of a better word) about how Sophia chose to spend her trust (while a nice gesture, I don’t think it quite fit with everything else).  Sophia was brave, Gray was selfless, and we were introduced to Bel, a.k.a. Isabel – she stars in the final book in this trilogy.  As of right now, I’m a bit unsure about Bel.  While I realize she’s supposed to be selfless and pious, I just don’t see her being much of a romantic heroine at this point in time.  She was too good, too pure, too much a servant of God and missionary-like that I am unsure how Dare is going to pull off the final book.  I have faith in her abilities as an author, though, and that’s what’s driving me to read the final installment in the series.

I don’t think this is much of a spoiler, but I thought I would warn you just in case:  I liked how Lucy was brought back in at the end of the story.  I love seeing former “leads” return in other books in a series; it lends an air of realism and really rounds everything out.  I just thought Lucy might say something about how Sophia had changed because, at the very least, her appearance would be far different from when she’d last seen Lucy – before spending months at sea.  This is a small note, however.

I recommend this book.  Dare obviously did an insane amount of research after she decided to have this book set (at least 95% of it) on a ship.  She used excellent sailing terminology and it really helped to sell the story.  I already have the third book in this series waiting in my purse for me to read on lunch at work today, but I’m torn about whether or not I should dive into it just yet.  I love Dare’s writing, but I don’t know if I necessarily want to plow through this series in the span of a couple of weeks.  I should probably take a break and do some more of my Shakespeare reading for grad school.  While I absolutely love Shakespeare, I think I might love Dare’s writing just a smidgen more.

Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, Book One): Isaac Marion

"R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie.  He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains.  He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing.  He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

"After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend.  Julie is a blast of color in the dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R.  His decision to protect her will transform not only R but also his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

"Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between."

Okay.  I devoured this book (pun intended because, yes, I am just that corny).  It's not terribly long - I read the hardcover version which comes in at a little under 250 pages - but that is beside the point.  I simply could not put this book down.  I am thrilled with Marion's writing style, incredible storytelling, and knack for creating characters who, even though not all of them were living and breathing, really felt very...well...alive!

I convinced my now-husband to watch the movie version of Warm Bodies after it came out a few years ago.  Simply put:  I loved it.  I thought it was funny, well-done, great casting, and just enough zombie gore to keep my then-boyfriend interested (especially because he's such a fan of "The Walking Dead").  Now I am certainly not a person who normally cares for apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic movies, shows, and/or books.  I refuse to watch "The Walking Dead," "2012," "The Day After Tomorrow," and anything else that has to do with the end of the world as we know it - probably all stemming from my recurring childhood nightmares of all the terrible ways the world was going to end.  I was sold on Warm Bodies as soon as I saw the trailer because it genuinely looked like it had a great sense of humor.

I have to rewatch the movie since it's been a few years since I've seen it, but - if my memory serves me right - there is definitely more to the book than they were able to capture in the movie (doesn't that always happen, though?).  I feel like the portrayal of R in the book was highly existential, yet he retained the same humor I remember from the movie.  I am thoroughly impressed with how deep this book goes.  I had an inkling when it began with references to "Gilgamesh," but I am extremely thrilled with how much this book made me think and ponder my own existence.  It was lighthearted enough to be an enjoyable read, gory enough to be scary and exciting, eloquent enough to reach the level of reading to which I am accustomed, and fresh enough to be a very interesting read.  Marion is a brilliant author and I am so happy to have stumbled upon this book!  To be honest, I didn't even know that the movie had been based off of Marion's book!  I was at my local library on my way home from work on Valentine's Day and was walking past an end-cap with a sign that read, "If you love 'Walking Dead,' you should try these!" and Warm Bodies was on prominent display.  I think I even did a happy little jump when I saw it because it reminded me of how much I enjoyed the movie.

For those of you who have already seen the movie, this won't be a spoiler.  It miiiight be a little bit of a spoiler for you if you haven't.  I think the whole "zombie Romeo and Juliet" aspect of the story was played up a heck of a lot more in the film than it actually was in the book.  In fact, other than the balcony scene, I don't think I would have necessarily noticed it had I not known to look for it because of the movie.  (I am a little bit sad that the movie did away with R's button-down and tie; I liked the thought of him being a dapper zombie.)

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved the film adaptation.  The book is a little bit heavier on the existentialism and pondering of one's purpose than the film, but I hope that doesn't turn anyone off; it really is honestly worth the read.  If you have a queasy stomach or you're grossed out really easily, then this might not be the book for you.  R is a very descriptive narrator and Marion is an excellent writer...I could practically smell the rotting corpses...

Now I can't wait to go and watch the movie again!

*Aaaaand...my night is made.  Just saw that Marion has written a couple of other books that go along with this story.  I'm curious to see if they have the same depth and sense of humor that Warm Bodies did.

Goddess of the Hunt (Toby and Isabel Trilogy, Book One): Tessa Dare

“Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband.  But first she needs some target practice.  So she turns to her brother’s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man.  But her practice kisses speak a smoldering passion – one that could send all her plans up in smoke.

 

“Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets.  He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming, he must give his passions free reign.  Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control.  When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin?  Or will he risk his heart and claim her for his own?”

 

I’ve said it before and I am sure I will say it many times in the future:  I love Tessa Dare.  She is easily one of my favorite authors.  It is rare that I encounter an author who is so fun, so readable, and so creative as Dare is.  I enjoy each and every single one of her books that I pick up, and I have a very, very hard time putting them back down.  This is one of Dare’s earliest books and, while I can tell (because I’ve read so many of her books now), it doesn’t make the book any less enjoyable.  Her style has shifted a bit over the years and her characters have become more well-rounded, but the common thread of fun, exciting, creative plots remains.

 

I am thrilled this book is a series because I have really enjoyed a lot of the characters; however, I’m a bit baffled by the fact that I’ve found a couple sources that call the series “Toby and Isabel Trilogy.”  I have no idea who Isabel is after finishing this book, but I’m sure she will come into play eventually.  I have some suspicions, but I don’t want to divulge them just yet.  I also feel like there could even have been a prequel!  Henry, Lucy’s older brother, and his wife, Marianne, seem to be very much in love.  In fact, Jeremy even says his friends’ marriage is a love-match.  They seem rather happily married because Marianne keeps popping out little ones.  I want to know more about them and their story!  Even though Henry rubs me the wrong way as a brother and guardian, I am interested in his character as a man – especially because he steps up in the latter half of the book.  I hope Dare might consider writing a prequel for Henry and Marianne, even though Marianne fell a little bit flat in this book (of course, she didn’t exactly play a major role).

 

As with a few of her other books, I think Dare developed one of her lead characters a little bit more than the other.  In the case of this book, I think Lucy was more developed than Jeremy.  Jeremy had a much better backstory, but his present-self (does that make sense?) was a bit flatter than Lucy’s.  She was all energy, life, and fire.  Jeremy – while I understand Dare was trying to make him into a cold, stoic, monolith of a man, I felt as if I didn’t see nearly as much from his point of view; nor did I quite feel satisfied with the shift into his realization that he did, indeed, love Lucy.

 

Lucy’s pursuit of Toby was amusing.  Her shenanigans – while a little bit over the top – were funny.  (I still find myself asking where in the heck she got the book from which she learned her “seduction” techniques.)  I got a good sense of who Lucy was and Dare gave us information on her upbringing, but I don’t feel as if her backstory was quite as developed as Jeremy’s (as previously stated).  Everyone told me how they thought she felt about missing seasons in Town and not having her “coming out,” but I don’t recall ever really knowing how Lucy felt about it.  Knowing what I do of her character, I think she may well have been fine with it, happy to remain free in the country.

 

Jeremy’s character was developed rather differently.  I don’t think I got a decent sense of what he actually looked like until very late in the book (much later than normal), which felt a bit strange.  I don’t recall even learning his eye color until quite a few chapters in the book.  This was a little bit strange for a book in this genre, which relies so heavily upon its readers’ imaginations and ability to (for lack of a better phrase) “be attracted to” its male leads.  Thinking back on it, I don’t think I got a good description of any of the male characters in this book!  How odd.  I think this may have just been an oversight because it is one of Dare’s earliest published works.  She’s gotten much better about this.  It is because of this that Jeremy remained rather ambiguous in my imagination for quite some time and it felt a bit odd.  I did enjoy his backstory very much.  Dare has a knack for developing male leads who have some powerful, unique backstories; this is something I always find impressive and one of my favorite aspects of her work.  Jeremy (by the way, I adore his nicknames “Jem” and “Jemmy” enough where I have a newfound love for the name and would consider it for one of my as-yet-non-existent-future-children) was a decent character.  I was frustrated with the poor communication he and Lucy shared, but I suppose that means that I genuinely cared about them and I was invested in them – always a good sign.  Bits and pieces of the story were a bit over the top, but I didn’t mind this overmuch.

 

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Dare’s books; therefore, of course I am going to recommend this one.  I would not go so far as to say that this book was my favorite of hers, but I will say it’s up there on my list.  I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy (and I’ll keep not-so-secretly hoping for a prequel for Henry).  It is a fun, easy read and Dare is by far one of the best romance authors I’ve ever read.

Me Before You (Me Before You, Book One): Jojo Moyes *UPDATED*

“Lou Clark knows a lot of things.  She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home.  She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

“What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

“Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live.  He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

“What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour.  And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.”

I finished this book a week or so ago after devouring it in a matter of a few days.  I will admit that I was one of those people who only became aware of the book after the film version came out in theaters, when was it, about a year ago now?  Anyway, I have yet to see the movie (though I have a friend who says she loved it).  I love the casting and I may just have to see it now that I’ve finished the book.

I went into reading this book with certain expectations based upon my experiences with the movie previews.  I expected a sad love story.  I was not quite expecting the sense of joy and the way in which the book made me really take a look at my life and wonder if I really am living up to my full potential – would I regret not having done something or seen something, had a certain experience or just stopped being so worried about what others thought?  The answer is yes.  I would certainly have a lot of regrets if my life ended tomorrow (or, at the least, I was rendered incapable of trying those things that I had been putting off or always found excuses not to try).  This made me all the more determined to try new things; and the book was also a strong reminder to appreciate what I can do, have done, and look at each and every day as a gift.  I believe this will stay with me long after I’ve returned this book to the library.

Moyes designed very dynamic, interesting characters that made the story both enthralling and believable.  I felt sympathy for Will without feeling pity (something I can imagine was very difficult to do; Moyes obviously didn’t want her readers to pity him – Will wouldn’t have wanted them to pity him), and I thought Lou was endearing and quirky.  Their interactions were highly entertaining.  They had a very well-done blend of witty banter, lightheartedness, and seriousness – just enough where I feel like Will was an extremely realistic character.

I almost dreaded reading this book because I had a very strong feeling I was going to turn into a blubbering pile of hot mess – I don’t think this is really a spoiler because it seemed like a tragic love story from what little I gleaned from the trailers and movie reviews; this should be pretty general info for most people interested in reading this book.  I have to say that I was WRONG.  I kept waiting for the tears to come…I almost WANTED them to come (who doesn’t love a good, cathartic cry induced by a great book?), but it didn’t happen.  I wonder if it’s because I’d worked myself up to the expectation of crying well before I even read the first page.  Don’t take this as a negative indication of the moving nature of the story; I still enjoyed it tremendously.  Of course, I have a feeling I’m going to bawl like a baby when I see the movie (because now I just have to) – I could be wrong again, but I don’t think I am.

Anyhow, I loved the characters, the settings, the writing style, and the story.  The plot was interesting and the writing style was highly readable.  I sped through this book and enjoyed every minute of it.  It was filled with highs and lows with good pacing in between so I remained interested.  I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to anyone looking for an honest, moving love story.  Stay away if you’re looking for a romance novel (because there is, indeed, a big difference between a love story and a romance novel), but someone looking for some well-written modern Brit Lit should really enjoy this book.  I’m impressed with Moyes’ craftsmanship.  There are snippets of warm, sunny joy which provide relief from the potential “downer” of the subject manner; as well as moments of gut-wrenching honesty that yank you back to the reality of the characters’ situations and smack you in the face like…well…a motorcycle (hope the simile wasn’t too tasteless).  This careful dance was artfully engineered by Moyes.

I was actually surprised to discover that Moyes wrote a sequel to this book!  Me Before You was published in 2012 and After You was published in 2015; per Moyes, she was inspired while working on the script for the film for Me Before You and was answering a ton of questions about what happened to everyone after the book ended.   I don’t know if I am necessarily going to rush out and grab a copy of the sequel because I kind of want to “sit” with these characters and their story for a bit (and, to be honest, I’m nervous that the book will live up to the first one – I always feel a bit let down after an author pens another book in response to a film).  I sincerely hope the sequel lives up to the first one.

Overall, I highly recommend this book.  I will also recommend that most of you will need a box of tissues on hand.  Happy reading!

*UPDATE:  So I made my husband take a time out from his video game to lend his Playstation over to a much worthier cause...I rented the film version of Me Before You from the library.  I'd wanted to see this in theaters, but never had the chance.  I'd rented the DVD before, but never got to watch it and had to return it before I could.  This time, however, I vowed that we would use our traditional Friday night date night to eat corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes (it was St. Patrick's Day) and watch this movie.  Of course, this was not accomplished without the appropriate amount of grumbling and groaning from my male counterpart.  When I finally got him to put the movie on, however, I was so happy I did.  I recognized so many actors!  I was surprised how many familiar faces were involved in this project.  We had a few from Game of Thrones, one from Harry Potter, and another from The Hunger Games, to start.  Very cool.  This, of course, grabbed my husband's attention (thank you, casting!) and he was a better sport after that.  Let me take a moment to say Emilia Clarke has the most expressive eyebrows I've ever seen and it's glorious.  We don't get to see the bubbly, energetic side of her in Game of Thrones, so it was fascinating to see her in such a different light.  The movie's pacing was quicker than the book (though I'm not surprised) and a few things were left out, but I wasn't too broken up about it.  Like most film adaptations (Harry Potter included), the writers and filmmakers seem to rely on the belief that most of the audience will have read the book.  I'm not saying the movie was unenjoyable without having read the book, but I think I appreciated it more because I had.  The biggest difference between the book and movie was the fact that I cried.  I expected to cry when I read the book and I was surprised when I didn't.  Boy did I cry during the movie.  The casting was spectacular - I definitely enjoyed the chemistry - and I became invested in the characters.  The costuming for Lou was perfect.  Even my husband admitted that the movie "wasn't bad," so I'm counting it as a win in my book.

The Queen's Fool (Tudor Court, Book Five): Philippa Gregory

“A stunning novel set in the Tudor court, as the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth is played out against a background of betrayal, conflict and passion.  The savage rivalry of the daughters of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth, mirrors that of their mothers, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.  Each will fight by any available means for the crown and future of the kingdom.  Elizabeth’s bitter struggle to claim the throne she believes in hers by right, and the man she desires almost more than her crown, is watched by her ‘fool’:  a girl who has been forced to leave her homeland of Spain, as a Jew fleeing the Inquisition.  In a court where truth is wittily denied and lies are mere games, it is the fool who can speak plainly:  in these dangerous times, a woman must choose between ambition and love.  Elizabeth will not make the same mistakes as her mother.”

The teaser for this book does not really do it justice; it makes it seem as if the book is more about Elizabeth than anything else, but this is not true.  The book is told from the point of view of Hannah Verde (or, Hannah Green), daughter of a secretly Jewish printer and bookseller, after she is brought to the court of the young Edward IV only a short while before his premature death.  In a series built upon historical facts, Hannah represents a deviation from this technique.  She has a gift of “the sight” and, essentially, has premonitions and sees angels.  Following one of these visions, Hannah is brought by Robert Dudley to court as his little spy.  Without detailing the progress of the book in too much detail, Hannah’s loyalties are a very complex mixture of devotion, girlish love, admiration, and familial responsibility.  She “changes hands” several times throughout the book from Robert Dudley to Queen Mary, then to Elizabeth, and back and forth, back and forth.  It is a great device to capture important details from all sides without having to use an omniscient narrator.  The reader only knows as much as Hannah knows.

The parts of her story where she switched households between Mary and Elizabeth were interesting; I enjoyed the insights into their characters.  However, I think the most interesting were the bits where we saw Hannah’s betrothal to Daniel and everything that follows after it becomes too dangerous for her Jewish family to stay in England.  I believe Hannah is a supremely strong individual – I cannot imagine surviving what she does.

All of the plots, the scheming, the subversion that we know of the Tudor court from Gregory’s previous books remain in this one.  I think the structure of this book was a wise way for Gregory to incorporate the stories of these half-sisters instead of creating two separate books that would have had a great deal of overlap to the point of being detrimentally repetitious.  I particularly enjoyed the portrayals of Elizabeth and Mary from Hannah’s eyes.  I could absolutely see notes of Katherine of Aragon in Mary (especially the passion with which she loved her husband – for those of you who have read The Constant Princess, you know that Katherine calls the passion of the women in her family their curse) and both Henry and Anne in Elizabeth (in Elizabeth’s easy Tudor confidence and her ability to get what she wants from others).  I didn’t, however, see much of them as they were portrayed in The Taming of the Queen.  Perhaps because that one was told from the point of view of Kateryn, a woman who was determined to love the girls and their brother as if they were her own?

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book.  It was an easy, interesting read.  Hannah’s story was extremely interesting and it served to broaden the world far past the limitations of England’s shores.  Gregory did an excellent job on this book.  Though it strays from the format of her other books in the series, it is definitely worth the read.