Posts Tagged 'Manhattan'

Envy by Anna Godbersen

Published January 21, 2010 Historical Fiction , RAC , Romance 1 Comment
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Genre:  Historical Fiction/Romance

# of Pages:  405

RAC Book:  Yes

In this sequel to Rumors Elizabeth and Diana Holland are still reeling from the shocking murder of Elizabeth’s husband, Will, as well as the surprising wedding of Diana’s beloved Henry to Penelope.  Elizabeth refuses to be seen in public despite the urging of her mother who wants her to get back into society.  Diana is refusing to receive any correspondence from Henry as he tries to explain his behavior.  Eventually, Diana relents and believes his reasons for marrying Penelope, but quickly realizes that it is unlikely they will ever be together.  As hard as Henry pulls away from the marriage, Penelope finds ways to force him back in and eventually they must face off in order to see if the marriage will last.  Meanwhile, Lina must find a way to hold onto her newly acquired status and is surprised at what lengths she will go to in order to live in the same circles as the Holland sisters.  Finally, as Elizabeth deals with her unending sadness over losing Will she starts to wonder if there might not be another reason for her poor health.

This third installment of the Luxe series picks up where Rumors left off and reveals everyone’s motivations as they struggle to keep what they want in this elite Manhattan society.  The ending again packs a punch as two main characters make surprising choices.  Readers will look forward to the fourth installment when it will be revealed if any of these characters will actually get to be happy in this difficult society.

Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

Published November 2, 2007 Fantasy , RAC 1 Comment
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Genre:  Fantasy

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages:  305

Series:  Blue Bloods

RAC Book:  Yes

In this sequel to The Blue Bloods Schuyler is looking for her grandfather in Italy while the rest of the blue bloods in New York are planning the biggest blue blood gathering of the year.  Mimi Force decides to throw her own masquerade party after the formal party, which causes a lot of trouble since she chooses not to invite everyone.

Once Schuyler finds her grandfather and is rejected by him, she returns to New York only to get very sick.  The doctor thinks her human and vampire genes are fighting each other, but since she is the first half-blood they have no idea how to treat her.  Meanwhile, Bliss is spending a lot of time with a new boy in school that all the girls love, but she can’t stop thinking about Dylan and what happened to him.  A dramatic event shakes up the entire blue blood community and they must all come to the realization that they are no longer safe and something is indeed hunting them.

This sequel asks more questions than it answers, which is not a bad thing.  As we find out more about this group of people (their rules and their past), we also learn that there is so much more we still do not know.  Students who enjoyed the first one will like this one even more as we move on with these characters.  There are a lot of suprising revelations that will make the next book in the series a must read.

Bittersweet Sixteen by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman

Published October 31, 2007 RAC , Realistic Fiction 5 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  230

RAC Book:  Yes

Laura Finnegan is the daughter of two brilliant professors living in New York City.  Despite the fact that her parents are professors, Laura still has to go to her private school on scholarship.  Laura’s best friend, Whitney, is the most beautiful and wealthy girl in school.  Sometimes Laura envies how easy everything is for Whitney, but then realizes that if she had everything so easy she never would have begun designing and sewing her own clothes.

Everything gets thrown into disarray when Sophie, the daughter of a movie producer, comes to their school and Whitney becomes territorial.  Laura manages to play peacemaker and even convinces the two of them to share their sweet sixteen party since they have the same birthday, but eventually they get into a fight over a boy and all bets are off.  Laura eventually gets punished for refusing to take sides.

Karasyov and Kargman do a nice job of depicting the haves and have nots in Manhattan.  Although some of the eventual outcomes seem too easy or perfect, many readers will enjoy the ending.  The feelings of the main character are portrayed in a way that most readers will be able to identify and sympathize with her.  A fun read.

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