Scandal by Carolyn Jewel (Review by Bella Aire)

Description:

The earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction. This unconventional and intelligent woman proves to be far more than an amusing distraction-- she threatens to drive him to distraction. Unlike the women who usually fall at Banallt's feet, and into his bed, Sophie refuses to be seduced. And soon Banallt desires her more than ever-- and for more than an illicit affair.

Years later, the widowed Sophie is free, and Banallt is determined to win the woman he still loves. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe his declaration of love and chivalrous offer of marriage-- her heart has already been broken by her scoundrel of a husband. And yet, Sophie is tempted to indulge in the torrid affair she's always fantasized about. Caught between her logical mind and her long-denied desire, Sophie must thwart Banallt's seduction-- or risk being consumed by the one man she should avoid at all costs...

Review:

Scandal is an intriguing read. The beginning introduces us to two characters with a shared history. Readers’ interests will pique early at the hints of estranged love and betrayal that Carolyn Jewel drops. Time flashes back and forth from Sophie and Banallt’s past to their present without revealing the truth of their past separation. Jewel deftly weaves a romantic page turner.

I loved the complexity of the Scandal characters and the unusual circumstances under which they met. Overall, Scandal was a wonderful and satisfying romantic read.*

*NOTE: Scandal is clearly a romance novel of the more adult variety. It is not for younger readers or for those who feel uncomfortable reading about mature situations.

Check out Carolyn’s website here (and if you look around, you may find descriptions of the characters from Scandal): http://www.carolynjewel.com/

Visit here to read a sample chapter of Scandal: http://www.carolynjewel.com/chapters/scandal1.shtmlhttp://www.carolynjewel.com/imgs/scandal_small.jpg

Purchase Scandal here: http://www.amazon.com/Scandal-Berkley-Sensation-Carolyn-Jewel/dp/0425225518/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233701317&sr=1-1

always,

~bella aire~

Speed Reviews- Recent YA

Quick reviews of my recent YA reads.

Reckoning- Lili St. Crow (Book 5)
I'm not going to lie- the ending was rather lackluster. I often enjoy not-quite-resolved conclusions, but I needed some more closure from this ending. I suspect many readers won't feel quite satisfied with the way this 5-book series ends.

Hallowed- Cynthia Hand (Book 2)
If you liked the first book, you'll definitely like this one! The choice she made in the end killed me.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Laini Taylor (Book 1)
Very highly recommended. There is something very mysterious, delicious, and fragile about this book. The author has a true talent.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines (review by Bella Aire)

Synopsis:
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.

Review:
This book was certainly one to pique my interest. The premise was a promising one, and it possessed a theme that I suspect will hit a wave in young adult popularity in these next few years (not unlike the popularity seen with pirates and vampires in this age group).

Girl in the Arena has a wonderful idea...but a poor execution. The violent dystopian spin on this novel is reminiscent of great works such as 1984 and, as the inside cover boasts, Fight Club. Like those novels, Girl in the Arena makes a reader pause to think..what if? Books such as these serve as a reminder to our culture to be wary of the direction in which we are heading, and, for that reason, these novels are always useful.

This novel didn't stop at creating a warning through the plot; it proceeded to issue warnings through the characters. For example, Lyn's mother has married seven times and no longer knows how to keep her life together without a man's presense in it. As the novel progresses, we learn that her seven husbands weren't exactly strong candidates for that role (with her second husband perhaps being the sole exception). The only interruption in her role as a wife is her role as a mother. Unfortunately, this interruption is not strong enough to fight her identity as a wife. In addition, Lyn's mother has to follow a strict set of rules as the wife of a gladiator and holds little, if any, freedom in life. This character makes it obvious that no woman should live for a man...nor should she be completely reliant on him.

Other than the strong social commentary, Girl in the Arena proved to be a rather weak novel. The writing was choppy and uneven in certain places, and the book ended somewhat abruptly. But what bothered me most was the lack of connection between the author and Lyn. This author/protaganist connection is vital to any strong novel. This does not mean that the author has to like their character (some of the greatest classics in literature have some of the most unlikable protaganists). Rather, the author has to fully understand their character. I didn't get the feeling that Haines reached out and truly felt what Lyn was thinking, feeling, or seeing.

Still, despite its lack of finesse in certain areas, Girl in the Arena serves as a good compare-and-contrast novel against the world we live in today. I particularly recommend it to anyone interested in dystopia and the decline of humanity. However, if a reader really wants a strong, modern, Young Adult novel in this catergory, I would have to reference them to The Hunger Games, the first in Suzanne Collins' brilliant trilogy.

always,
~bella aire~


Check out this amusing Girl in the Arena YouTube video here.
Or stop by Lise Haines' site.

Finally, you can purchase Girl in the Arena here.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Synopsis

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

Review

Despite some less than complementary reviews, I chose to take a chance on Sookie Stackhouse. This was in no small part due to the Anthony Award Charlaine Harris’ novel received.

While I generally enjoy supernatural stories, I’ve been very wary of them lately, thanks to a certain current fad involving vampires, werewolves, and bad writing. Since Dead Until Dark features both vampires and shapeshifters, I was cautious about purchasing the first Sookie Stackhouse novel.

Dead Until Dark was neither as good as I had secretly hoped, nor as bad as I had outright feared. The writing has a straightforward, frank quality that appeals to me, and the vampires were not overly romanticized. However, the novel fell short at characterization.

I’ve read in some reviews that Sookie is unlikable, and I wouldn’t say that this is necessarily true. Sookie has dealt with a lot in her life, and I felt she deserved a bit of leeway. What I didn’t like was her borderline “love-at-first-sight” with her romantic interest, Bill Compton. She seemed primarily attracted to him because she couldn’t hear his thoughts*. While this makes a relationship easier, it doesn’t make a relationship necessarily “right”. Especially when she seemed to know so little about Bill.

In addition, many readers will feel a disconnect with the characters. All of the characters display apathy on some level throughout the novel. While I appreciate characters with faults (Scarlett O’Hara, Heathcliff, and Mr. Rochester are a few to name), I much prefer emotional faults, and ones that readers are easily able to empathize with. While I wouldn’t rule out apathy as a "good" fault immediately, I found the fact that it was so prominent off-putting.

I am in no way saying that Dead Until Dark is a bad, or even poorly written, novel. Those who like easy thrills and a chaotic mystery will probably enjoy this novel. I suppose it just wasn’t for me.

Your thoughts?

~bella aire~

Interested? Purchase Dead Until Dark here.

*Side Note: Dead Until Dark was published in 2001, nearly 5 years before the Twilight phenomenon.