Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord 
Series: Standalone
Published: March 31st, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
384 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: From the library
Warning: May contain spoilers
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 {Read my review of Open Road Summer}

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?

 
Sometimes you pick up a book at the exact right time and it consumes all your thoughts and emotions for the time it takes you to read it, and then even for awhile after that. The Start of Me and You was one of those books for me. Lord’s debut, Open Road Summer, was one of my favourite books of last year. I couldn’t imagine loving The Start of Me and You more (especially since I’ve dealt with some disappointing ‘second book syndrome’ lately), but I did. The Start of Me and You is not only one of my favourite books of 2015 so far, it’s made it onto my list of all-time favourites.

The Start of Me and You had everything I love: a fantastic main character who’s easy to relate to, friendships that are strong and healthy, real emotion, nerdy references, tons of character growth, humour, an adorable boy to swoon over, and realistic situations. I laughed and cried in equal measure through the course of this book. It’s been awhile since a book made me giggle the way this one did, and it’s also been awhile since I cried so much while reading - happy tears, sad tears, and tears of understanding.

I adored Paige. She had such an authentic voice, and there were so many ways I connected with her. Having experienced grief myself, her emotions regarding loss and recovery rang true for me. The pain of losing someone sticks with you forever and affects so much of your life, and it’s hard not to feel guilt at times for simply trying to move on with your life, heal, and really live. It was particularly difficult for her because she didn’t know or date Aaron long before he died, and yet she’s stuck with the label of 'the girl whose boyfriend died' and always wondering what might have happened if they’d really had a chance. That would be devastating at any time of life, but especially when you’re young and still trying to figure out so many things about life and love.

I loved Paige’s friends. They had the ideal friendship - not perfect by any means, but they loved each other unconditionally and were always there for each other. I wish there were more friendships like this in books. I know friendships, especially in your teens, can be unhealthy or rocky or they fall apart, but we see so much of that in books, it’s nice to see friends who stick together, support each other, and never give up on each other. There were so many beautiful moments between Paige and her friends that made me tear up or even start to full-on cry. I also absolutely adored Paige’s friendship with Max. MAX. Max, in all his nerdy glory, was pretty much perfect. I loved that he was an unapologetic nerd, and that even though that’s all Paige saw at first, she quickly learned what a genuinely good guy Max was, and that there was much more to him than just being incredibly smart. There were other great side characters, too: Paige’s grandmother, Ryan, and Ms Pepper in particular all added to Paige’s life and growth.

The Start of Me and You is a beautiful story about friendship, family, and love in its many forms. It’s about healing, learning to live, and not being afraid to live. Emery Lord has a knack for writing characters you wish were your best friends, and boys you wish were yours to fall in love with for real. I got this book from the library, but I’ll definitely be buying a copy of my own, because I loved it so much I know I’ll want to read again.  

Have you read The Start of Me and You? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? What are some of your favourite books about friendship? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: Standalone
Published: June 16th, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
368 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}
 

{Read my review of Time Between Us ~ Read my review of Time After Time}

  

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

I can’t remember the last time I felt compelled to stay up half the night to finish reading a book, but I did that with Every Last Word. I couldn’t put it down; I had to keep reading and find out how things would work out. When I finally finished at almost 3am, teary-eyed and smiley-faced, I had no regrets over losing a few hours of sleep. Every Last Word is incredible. It’s emotional and realistic and romantic and inspirational. I read Tamara Ireland Stone’s first two books, Time Between Us and Time After Time and while I thoroughly enjoyed them, it’s Every Last Word that has bumped her to my auto-buy list.

I connected with Sam early on and felt like I really understood her. Even though she started out kind of shallow and focused on superficial things, it was easy to understand in a way. She’d only ever known her small group of friends, all of whom were concerned with little more than makeup, clothes, boys, parties, and concerts. They were tight-knit, but it wasn’t necessarily about feeling a deep emotional connection or having a lot in common, it was the type of friendship that comes from convenience - they were thrown together at an early age and have known each other their whole lives. So because they’ve known nothing other than always being in each others’ pockets and wanting each others’ approval, Sam hasn’t ventured far outside that life. She likes what they like, does what they do, what they want, what they expect, and what they would approve of. But that’s not the real Sam. The real Sam is much deeper than that - she has interests of her own, she has a big heart, she has the capacity to be an amazing friend. It would be easy to say ‘get new friends’ or ‘leave the group’ but it’s not that simple. In high school, it can feel like you ARE who your friends are. Your friendships are part of your identity, good or bad. I completely understood her resistance to/fear of/uncertainty about leaving the group. I’m almost twice Sam’s age, but this was one way I really connected with her. For me, this has been a year of cutting toxic people from my life. A couple of those people are friends I’ve had my entire life. I wish them well and would be cordial to them if I ran into them, but I have no desire to have them in my life, spewing their negative toxicity and making me feel like I can never live up to their expectations. So this particular aspect of the plot hit close to home for me, because I could imagine how hard it was for Sam.

And then there was AJ. Oh AJ. *swoon* He was quiet and kind and gentle, a great friend, and just overall amazing. He and Sam were so good together. I loved the progression of their relationship from ‘not friends’ to friends to more. It was sweet and romantic and made me grin and swoon and even tear up. They were each exactly what the other needed, and they helped each other in so many ways, plus they had fantastic chemistry. 

I loved watching the changes in Sam and seeing her become her true self. She learned so much about life, friendship, love, and being true to yourself. She wanted so badly to be ‘normal’, to hide her OCD so people wouldn’t think differently of her. I appreciated and respected how her OCD was handled, and it was obvious the author had done her research (which she talks about at the end of the book in an Author’s Note). Sam really felt like a friend who was telling me about all the things happening in her life, and I was so, so proud of her progress and the things she learned. I enjoyed her therapy sessions, and I hope there will be people who truly need a book like this and need the encouragement to seek help. Sam shows that there’s no shame in getting professional help, and a therapist or a mentor or a doctor is there to help give you the tools to lead a fulfilling life.

Every Last Word is a beautiful, touching story. It deals with real life issues in a way that’s easy to empathize and connect with. It’s full of well-developed characters, emotion, and honesty. I’m grateful to Disney-Hyperion for granting me access to read this book early, and I’ll definitely be buying a copy for myself, because I know this is one of those rare books I’ll make time to read again. 
 

   

Have you read Every Last Word? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read Tamara's other books? Have you ever read a book with a main character who has OCD? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Fantastic Friday #5: Ripper Street

Fantastic Friday is a new feature here on Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Each Friday I'll showcase fantastic things from the past week - could be things I've done, places I've gone, a new song I like, a movie I've seen, books I've read, blog posts from around the blogosphere - anything at all!

What I'm finding fantastic lately: Ripper Street.

I am so obsessed with this show. I was browsing the DVDs at my library weekend before last and these caught my attention. Like many other people, I have a bizarre fascination with Jack the Ripper, so the title piqued my interest and I grabbed both seasons. 

While the show doesn't actually have to do with Jack the Ripper, the first season is set shortly after the Ripper's reign of terror in Whitechapel, and features the police force (division H) who tried to hunt him down. The main characters are Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew MacFadyen), Sargeant Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn), and American doctor/ex-Pinkerton Captain Homer Jackson (Adam Rothenberg). These three make a dynamic trio and have such great chemistry on screen. The characters are very different, but they have several core values in common: they're passionate about their jobs, want to help people, and are protective of those they love. Plus they're easy on the eyes, especially Mr. MacFadyen. ;-)

I love historic fiction, and Ripper Street is fascinating to me because it shows the seedier side of London in the late 1800s - dirty streets, poor people, prostitutes, mob mentality regarding several issues. While I've seen plenty of movies and TV shows set during the late Victorian era, part of what's so interesting to me is how this show doesn't hold back. A good portion of the show deals with prostitution - Captain Jackson lives in a brothel, and there are a few regular characters who are prostitutes - and they deal with issues surrounding religion, politics, homosexuality, and infidelity. Another fascinating aspect to me is that they don't just focus on the police work; we see a lot of Captain Jackson at work, examining dead bodies, performing autopsies, and doing a fair bit of scientific work. He's basically a one-man CSI unit using 19th century methods, and the work he does is really interesting. 

There's a lot of violence and quite a bit of gore in Ripper Street, but there's also a mixture of everything else you can imagine - romance, intrigue, drama, humour, heartache. I've been recommending the show to all my friends over the last couple of weeks. I'm almost done the second season and I'll be sad because I know it'll be awhile before I'm able to get my hands on season 3!

  

Do you watch Ripper Street? What shows are you currently obsessed with? Tell  me in the comments below or chat with me on Twitter. Also, feel free to link me to blog posts, articles, pictures, songs, videos, or whatever you thought was fantastic this week that you want to share!

   

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Review: One Night by AJ Pine

One Night by AJ Pine

Series: Only You #1       
Published: April 21st, 2015
Publisher: Intermix
248 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Kobo}

{Read my review of What If (If Only #2)}

When she lost it all, Jess decided to cope by living a lie.

But you can’t keep on pretending forever…

Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.

Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine…until she meets Adam.

Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns—giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.

But while Adam might be the best thing that’s happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened...and why he'd never want her for more than one night.

I adored AJ Pine’s first two books, If Only and What If. She writes great, complex characters with real life issues, and One Night was no exception. One Night is an emotional story about two people who were broken in their own way, but who helped each other learn how to heal.    

Jess is haunted by many personal demons. Her life changed two years ago, and since then she’s kept people at arm’s length to keep her heart safe. She never fully let herself heal and recover from the trauma in her past, and it’s affected her entire life, even though she doesn’t realize it. Jess wasn’t always easy to like throughout the book. I’m all for flawed characters, and while I sympathized with Jess and felt horrible for the things that happened to her, I went back and forth between really liking her and wanting to throttle her. In closing herself off, she became self-centred and almost all her actions had selfish motivations. She didn’t care about anyone else because she was so busy focusing on her own problems - or more accurately, avoiding her problems. That being said, I fully believe you don’t have to like or agree with everything a character does if there’s a reason for it. Jess learned a lot about herself through the course of the book and changed her self-destructive, hurtful, selfish behaviour. Her first inclination was always to push people away and not let anyone get close, but Adam and her roommate Zoe slowly took down her defenses and forced her to see some ugly truths about herself that made her want to change. I loved that Zoe wasn’t afraid to call Jess on her shit and tell her how selfish she was; sometimes it takes someone to point something out to you before you fully realize it and try to change the behaviour. I appreciated and enjoyed Jess’s growth, even though it took awhile and was frustrating to watch at times.

While I had issues with Jess, I thought Adam was pretty damn close to perfect. He was strong, patient, and determined. Being a basketball star, he had girls falling all over themselves for him, but he was focused on his career and overcoming his injury so he could keep playing through the end of college. He was sweet and funny and his charm and openness drew Jess in, despite her desire to keep her guard up. I loved the chemistry between these two and thought they were great together. Their interactions ranged from fun, funny, and flirty to frustrating to sexy. Despite Jess’s actions making me want to scream sometimes, I never stopped rooting for these two. It was obvious they really cared about each other, and that Adam’s love had a healing affect on Jess’s broken heart. 

Other things I loved about this book: the side characters, especially Zoe and Regan. They were fleshed out well, and they each had something important to teach Jess. I loved all the little touches in the book that were like a running joke and kept me grinning, like the shitty coffee, the cake, the Chinese food, and Vampire Diaries. They made me feel like I was part of the story, like I was actually hanging out with Jess and Adam and Zoe. I also loved how depression and trauma were dealt with in a believable, compassionate, respectful manner, and that ultimately Jess wasn’t ashamed to get help and make sure she had the tools to heal completely and live a full, happy life.

One Night was a love story in every sense of the word. It was about learning to love yourself, learning to love others, and learning to let others love you, even when it’s not easy, and even when it hurts like hell. It shows that horrible, life-altering, agonizing things can happen to you, but if you have the strength and a great support system, you can overcome anything. Love and friendship really do have healing powers, and One Night explores that in a beautiful, realistic way. This was another great book from AJ Pine, and I’m eager to read whatever she writes next.

3.75 stars

 

  

Have you read One Night? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of AJ's other books? Let's talk here or on Twitter! 

   
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Review: Lion Heart by AC Gaughen

Lion Heart by AC Gaughen 
Series: Scarlet #3
Published: May 19th, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
348 pages (eARC)
Genre: Young Adult Historic Fiction
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

{Read my review of Scarlet || Read my review of Lady Thief}

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

My love of all things Robin Hood began when I was a very little girl who fell in love with the Disney version of the classic legend. I’ve always loved the idea of this charming, heroic outlaw who outwitted the nefarious Sheriff of Nottingham and wannabe king, Prince John, and swept Maid Marian off her feet. So when I discovered Scarlet a few years ago and found out it was a completely new twist to the Robin Hood legend, I was intrigued...and as I read it, I fell in love with AC Gaughen’s tale of Robin, still a clever, swoonworthy figure, but also so much more, and I also fell in love with Scarlet, a strong, kick-ass, determined heroine we don’t see enough of in books. There were familiar elements of the Robin Hood legend, but it was also twisted it in many ways, turning it on its head and making it something completely, wonderfully new and magical.

I loved Scarlet and Lady Thief, and I was equal parts excited and sad to read Lion Heart. I was eager to see how things would turn out (and worried, too, after the events of Lady Thief) and sad because I didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters I’d grown to love so much. Lady Thief was one of the most painful books I’ve ever read. I basically cried my way through the entire book and had to stop reading a few times because it hurt so much and made me so uncomfortable (not in a bad way, which I know sounds weird...I gave the book 5 stars). It was beautiful and brutal and heartbreaking, and I was afraid of what Ms Gaughen would put these characters through before the end.

Lion Heart had all the elements I loved about the first two books: action, romance, intrigue, friendship, humour, and yes, even those moments that make your heart ache. I laughed and cried and fell even more in love with the characters. And what an amazing cast of characters! Besides Scarlet and Robin, I adored Much, Allan, David, Bess, and Eleanor. Even the detestable Prince John makes a great character in his own sick, evil, power-hungry way. He’s always the villain in Robin Hood, but we’re often just told he’s the villain and we see bits and pieces of his evilness, but in this series, he’s a true villain, completely unredeemable and horrible. As for Eleanor, I think Ms Gaughen made a brilliant choice by adding her as a character in the second and third books. I’ve always been fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine, and I think Scarlet needed someone wise and steady, but also someone who wouldn’t be oppressed, who wouldn’t back down, and who fought for what she believed in and the people she loved. Eleanor and Scarlet were two fierce, brave, kick-ass ladies, and I admired them so much. 

There’s not a whole lot I can say about the plot without getting into spoiler territory, but I loved this book so, so much. I loved that Scarlet didn’t wait around to be saved, she didn’t sit around wringing her hands and feeling sorry for herself, she leapt into the action, and used her intelligence and her physical abilities to help herself and those around her. She and Robin made my heart ache in the best possible ways, and together, they were unstoppable.

Lion Heart was the perfect end to a fantastic trilogy. Scarlet is one of the books I recommend the most, and now I’ll be recommending the entire trilogy...often and loudly. ;-) I've read countless versions of the Robin Hood legend, but the Scarlet trilogy is hands down my favourite, and certainly the most memorable. Scarlet, Robin, and their band of Nottingham residents will always have a special place in my heart.

*Please note, all quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof of Lion Heart.  No copyright infringement intended*

"Rob's and my love had always been made in the cracks, the jagged little edges that came from the ruin of something else. It were a place that weren't supposed to be filled with love, but that's how it had always been. Our love filled the broken bits and made us whole again. There weren't no perfect time to love him, not ever, and it had always been with the threat of death and hurt hovering round us. And we'd love each other anyway. Sure, and true."

"Scars never left, even when you couldn't see them." 

"His grin grew broader, wider, fuller, like he were pulling stars down from Heaven and tucking them into his smile."

"I think life becomes a fabric of choices, interwoven, all related." 

"My heart holds my love, my hope, and my faith. My heart is unyielding, my heart is stalwart, and my heart is true."

"There's a funny thing about light and darkness - like hope, you can never blot out either one completely. They always exist, side by side, bright light making shadows darker, darkness making the light more beautiful, a tempting siren call. I can't hate the darkest parts of myself. They are the things that showed me how special and rare the bright flames of trust, loyalty, friendship, and love were. My darkness showed me how to love Rob. But now I choose light and fire and love. Now I choose freedom."

  

Have you read any of the books in the Scarlet trilogy? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? What's your favourite Robin Hood incarnation? Let's talk here or on Twitter! 

   
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Review: Carry Me Home by Lia Riley

Carry Me Home by Lia Riley 
Series: Off the Map 3.1
Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: Grand Central/Forever
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{Add to GoodReads || Buy on Amazon}

{My review of Upside Down || My review of Sideswiped ||My review of  Inside Out}

Love doesn’t have to be perfect to be true…

Years ago, Tanner Green loved Sunny Letman. She was meant to be his first kiss, first love, first everything. Then their world spun upside-down and out of control.

Free-spirited Sunny doesn’t do commitment. Sure, guys are great for a night or a week, but she always leaves first. That is, until professional skateboarder and town golden boy, Tanner Green, unexpectedly walks back into her life.

Despite their broken history, a fragile and undeniably electric connection still holds them together. Now Tanner has to convince Sunny that even though love isn’t always perfect, it’s worth sticking around for. . .

And the award for best opening line of a book goes to...Lia Riley! Seriously. “Shoot me, I like sex. If I wait for true love before getting busy, I’ll be covered in cobwebs, and that’s bad news for someone with arachnophobia.” With an opening line like that, is it any wonder I love Lia’s books so much? There’s just something about her stories, her characters, and her writing style that sucks you in.

Upside Down, Sideswiped, and Inside Out were three of my favourite books of 2014, and put Lia near the top of my auto-read list. Her unique stories, relatable characters, honest writing, and hella sexy scenes make her books compulsively readable, and Carry Me Home was no different.

From the little bit we got to know about Sunny and Tanner in Talia and Bran’s books, I was curious what their story would be like. I had a certain mental image of each of them in mind, and in many ways it was smashed to pieces. Sunny and Tanner were complex characters, and for a novella, we got to know a lot about them, their histories (separately and together), and what drives them. They both had issues and carried a lot of emotional scars from things that happened to them in the past. They seemed like they shouldn’t work together, but they did. I absolutely loved them together. For such a short book, these two made me run the gamut of emotions from happy to heartbroken to angry to frustrated and everything in between. They helped each other in so many ways, and each became better people. Considering the length of the story, I’d say it was no small feat to have such intense, believable character growth.  

Like with Ms Riley’s other books, the sexytime scenes in Carry Me Home were off the charts hot. I joked to a friend that I was tempted to rig up my Kindle in a Ziplock bag and just take it into a freezing cold shower. It was THAT hot. And yet the sexytimes were also really beautiful and meaningful and added to the story. I had trouble describing it in my reviews of Lia’s other books, but I love that she doesn’t shy away from sexual stuff, and that it’s completely honest and open and believable. You don’t read a lot of stories like that, and it makes me love her books even more. I also really loved the sex positive messages in the book; Sunny was completely unashamed of her sexuality, and it was so nice to see a guy who lacked somewhat in experience and wasn’t a total player. It was a refreshing change from all the books out there with the timid, inexperienced girl and the sex god guy.

Carry Me Home was a beautiful story. I could have continued reading about Sunny and Tanner forever. I didn’t want their story to end and was sad to say goodbye to them, even though my heart was full.

~Favourite Quotes from Carry Me Home~

Sunny: “Despite my name and outwardly bright demeanor, I know I’m not good enough for any golden boy. I attract darkness.” ~ 18%

Tanner: “I’ve never known anyone more alive than Sunny Letman. If life’s a crazy journey, she’s in the driver’s seat, top down, wind in her hair, making you wonder what it would be like to go along for the ride.” ~ 22%

   

Have you read Carry Me Home or any of the other books in the Off the Map series? What did you think? If you haven't read them, do you plan to? Do you like reading novellas that are part of series? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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Review: A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley  
Series: Standalone
Published: April 21st, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada
480 pages (ARC)
Genre: A mix of contemporary and historic fiction
Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

 

{Read my review of The Winter Sea || Read my review of The Firebird}

For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread — its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal's cipher. But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal's reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn't hold the secrets Sara expects.

It turns out that Mary Dundas wasn’t keeping a record of everyday life, but a first-hand account of her part in a dangerous intrigue. In the first wintry months of 1732, with a scandal gaining steam in London, driving many into bankruptcy and ruin, the man accused of being at its center is concealed among the Jacobites in Paris, with Mary posing as his sister to aid his disguise.

When their location is betrayed, they’re forced to put a desperate plan in action, heading south along the road to Rome, protected by the enigmatic Highlander Hugh MacPherson.

As Mary's tale grows more and more dire, Sara, too, must carefully choose which turning to take...to find the road that will lead her safely home.

Susanna Kearsley earned a spot on my auto-read list after I read The Winter Sea and The Firebird. I fell in love with the stories, the characters, the settings, and Kearsley’s ability to move seamlessly between the present and the past and weave a story that’s full of romance, intrigue, and excitement. Her latest release, A Desperate Fortune, is no different.

This book started out quite slow. For about the first hundred pages or so it was hard to get interested or invested in either of the dual story lines. But I had faith in Ms Kearsley and was sure A Desperate Fortune would end up wowing me as her other books did. If it had been any other author, I would have set the book aside after that first night of reading, but by the next night when I picked it up again, the story picked up too, and I found it easy to get lost in the pages.

I liked Sara a lot, and found it fascinating how her mind worked. The portrayal of her life and struggles with Asperger’s was done really well. Her relationship with her cousin Jacqui, who was basically her champion, was also quite interesting. Jacqui understood how Sara’s mind worked and what her triggers were, and she wanted Sara to live as ‘normal’ a life as possible. She thought she knew what was best for Sara, and sometimes her idea of helping kept Sara sheltered and stifled, but it was obvious that it came from a place of love. You don’t see many close cousin relationships in books, and I enjoyed the dynamics between the two. I also really enjoyed the relationships Sara developed while she was working in France - Denise, Noah, and Claudine were all great characters and they each had something to teach Sara about life, love, and companionship. Then there was Luc. One of my favourite thing about all of Susanna Kearsley’s books is the romantic element. She sure knows how to write swoonworthy men! I loved how patient and understanding Luc was, and how he quietly made a place for himself in Sara’s life without pushing her. 

As with Ms Kearsley’s other books, it was the historic aspect of the story that grabbed my attention (and heartstrings) the most. Mary wanted more excitement in her life and she got it when she was asked to pose as the sister of someone King James had a special interest in. I loved how the story unravelled slowly, with the reader kept wondering about things as much as Mary was. Mary and her companions made a motley crew, and each of them had secrets to keep, partly for their own protection, partly for Mary’s, and sometimes just because that was their nature. The romance in the historic parts of The Winter Sea and The Firebird were amazing, so I was sure it would be no different in A Desperate Fortune, and I was right. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but once I realized what was happening, I fell in love right alongside Mary. I longed for more scenes with them together, and hoped everything would fall into place for them. As much as I loved Luc, it was Mary's love interest who really stole my heart. And just like with Sara and Luc, Mary's love interest quietly made a place for himself in her life. Their romance was slow and sweet and beautiful, and I could have continued reading about it forever.

Susanna Kearsley has written another incredible book. A Desperate Fortune is compelling, intriguing, romantic, and unique. There are so many little details in her stories that make you smile, touch your heart, and ultimately make her tales unforgettable.

Susanna Kearsley and Genevieve Graham are going on tour together from May 9th to 13th. If you'd like to meet these two fantastic authors, check out the Timeless Tour site for more information.

    

Have you read A Desperate Fortune? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of Susanna's other books? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

  
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