So I read a series in April I absolutely loved starting with this book:
Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase
Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her
hands dirty. Working on a master's degree in wildlife biology while
helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity
gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the
small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it's to
discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of
her life in ways she never dreamed . . .
As crown prince of Lilaria, Alex D'Lynsal has had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures in the press have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She's stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone's front-page news. While Sam tries to navigate her new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.
(synopsis from Amazon)
Good: It's basically Princess Diaries but College version. I loved it. I love Sam. She had a personality that I could relate to. A hard working woman, focused on her Master's degree, helping her father out who is sick and of course a little shocked about how her life is turning out. Alex was your typical prince, he seemed a lot like Prince William to me. Anyway I liked this book, the sweet romance between the two started out as he's a prince and way out of my league to oh now he's available and interested. The book was incredibly predictable but I still enjoyed it. The characters were unique and it was a short read (I finished it in an hour).
Not so Good: There is one sex scene in the book. And I mean sex scene. After I realized it was going into a lot of detail about it I skipped ahead a few pages and didn't miss anything. Really the book could have done without that, which is why I don't often understand why authors put those scenes into books. The book was very cliche, like I said before, you knew exactly what was going to happen and the plot didn't deviate at all from that story line. There were no twists at all which made it a little boring. If this isn't your type of genre go ahead and skip it, you aren't missing much I promise.
I went ahead and finished the last two books of the series which the second one is about the prince's sister and the third one is about the prince's brother.
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
As crown prince of Lilaria, Alex D'Lynsal has had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures in the press have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She's stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone's front-page news. While Sam tries to navigate her new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.
(synopsis from Amazon)
Good: It's basically Princess Diaries but College version. I loved it. I love Sam. She had a personality that I could relate to. A hard working woman, focused on her Master's degree, helping her father out who is sick and of course a little shocked about how her life is turning out. Alex was your typical prince, he seemed a lot like Prince William to me. Anyway I liked this book, the sweet romance between the two started out as he's a prince and way out of my league to oh now he's available and interested. The book was incredibly predictable but I still enjoyed it. The characters were unique and it was a short read (I finished it in an hour).
Not so Good: There is one sex scene in the book. And I mean sex scene. After I realized it was going into a lot of detail about it I skipped ahead a few pages and didn't miss anything. Really the book could have done without that, which is why I don't often understand why authors put those scenes into books. The book was very cliche, like I said before, you knew exactly what was going to happen and the plot didn't deviate at all from that story line. There were no twists at all which made it a little boring. If this isn't your type of genre go ahead and skip it, you aren't missing much I promise.
I went ahead and finished the last two books of the series which the second one is about the prince's sister and the third one is about the prince's brother.
Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it's never too late for second chances.
It's been a year since it happened--when Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her--the perfect way to convince everyone she's back to normal. Next: Join a club--simple, it's high school after all. But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?
(synopsis from Amazon)
Good: I love young adult fiction, and even better young adult romance. Paige was a person I could relate to a lot. Always organized, has her planner all laid out, picks her outfits out for school the night before (yes I used to do this), and doesn't really do much to branch out from her small group of friends. I like that she finally decided to do something different then what she is used to and joins a school club that is completely nerdy and out of her comfort zone. This one decision changed the rest of the year for her and led her to find a new romance. I didn't have a high school boyfriend and I am kind of glad cause let's be honest Zack is way better than anyone I could have met in high school. But I felt that her high school romance was probably really typical of those who did have boyfriends.
Less Good: The book moved a little slowly for me. It took me a week to read this one, when generally I can knock out something like this in a day and a half. It just took a while to get into it. It was spot on to how relationships form though and the author did a good job of building up character's and making you like them or not like them. The whole swimming thing. I understand that her previous boyfriend died in a swimming accident but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it affected her so much. I mean they dated for two months, she wasn't even present at the time of the accident and yet she had all this anxiety about swimming since then. It seemed weird to me but I just can't relate to that. No one has ever died that has been close to me, so I can't relate to those feelings at all. I'm not saying it's bad to have those feelings cause everyone knows I have anxiety about a lot of things but it just seemed weird to me given all the circumstances of her that relationship. Maybe one of you can read the book and explain it to me better?
We didn't get to know her sister very much. It seemed like they weren't close at all and she was her one and only sister. Even though my sister is 2 years younger then me we are still pretty close and I look up to her a lot, even in high school. It seemed like Paige could care less that she was there and wasn't very aware of her. Paige was pretty self absorbed but that's a high school kid for you.
Would I recommend it yes and I gave the book 3.5 stars.
So for May I have a lot on my list:
Breakfast at Tiffany's- I love the movie and figured I should finally read the book.
The Crown- the final book in the selection series comes out this week. I can't wait.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are - I bought this book based on some recommendations, maybe it will help with my anxiety, we will see.
The Siren- I picked up the hard copy of this book one week shopping at Walmart and with a lot of camping trips/vacation trips I am probably going to knock this one off my list.
What are you reading in May?
XO
Caitlin
It's been a year since it happened--when Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her--the perfect way to convince everyone she's back to normal. Next: Join a club--simple, it's high school after all. But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?
(synopsis from Amazon)
Good: I love young adult fiction, and even better young adult romance. Paige was a person I could relate to a lot. Always organized, has her planner all laid out, picks her outfits out for school the night before (yes I used to do this), and doesn't really do much to branch out from her small group of friends. I like that she finally decided to do something different then what she is used to and joins a school club that is completely nerdy and out of her comfort zone. This one decision changed the rest of the year for her and led her to find a new romance. I didn't have a high school boyfriend and I am kind of glad cause let's be honest Zack is way better than anyone I could have met in high school. But I felt that her high school romance was probably really typical of those who did have boyfriends.
Less Good: The book moved a little slowly for me. It took me a week to read this one, when generally I can knock out something like this in a day and a half. It just took a while to get into it. It was spot on to how relationships form though and the author did a good job of building up character's and making you like them or not like them. The whole swimming thing. I understand that her previous boyfriend died in a swimming accident but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it affected her so much. I mean they dated for two months, she wasn't even present at the time of the accident and yet she had all this anxiety about swimming since then. It seemed weird to me but I just can't relate to that. No one has ever died that has been close to me, so I can't relate to those feelings at all. I'm not saying it's bad to have those feelings cause everyone knows I have anxiety about a lot of things but it just seemed weird to me given all the circumstances of her that relationship. Maybe one of you can read the book and explain it to me better?
We didn't get to know her sister very much. It seemed like they weren't close at all and she was her one and only sister. Even though my sister is 2 years younger then me we are still pretty close and I look up to her a lot, even in high school. It seemed like Paige could care less that she was there and wasn't very aware of her. Paige was pretty self absorbed but that's a high school kid for you.
Would I recommend it yes and I gave the book 3.5 stars.
So for May I have a lot on my list:
Breakfast at Tiffany's- I love the movie and figured I should finally read the book.
The Crown- the final book in the selection series comes out this week. I can't wait.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are - I bought this book based on some recommendations, maybe it will help with my anxiety, we will see.
The Siren- I picked up the hard copy of this book one week shopping at Walmart and with a lot of camping trips/vacation trips I am probably going to knock this one off my list.
What are you reading in May?
XO
Caitlin
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