Polite Society by Mahesh Rao

Stars: ★★★

More info

Pre-order here

Book will be published on August, 20th, 2019

General info

A story about the lives of rich people in India. It is said to be a rerepresentation of Jane Austen's Emma. I have not yet finished Emma so I cannot confirm a hundread proecent. The story of Ania who tries to fiddle in the lovelives of everybody else and forgets her own. A story of love, despair and how money does not always make life easier or happier. You could almost say money does the opposite. 

Things I liked

I enjoyed that throughout the whole story, there is Ania, who playes a part in all the other characters' lives. And I liked that I got to follow the lives of so many interesting people. I also feel that it really portrays lives of reach people in a realistic way. There is events that could happen in reality and there are problems that people could actually face. I also think, and this may make me a horrible person, that it is very refreshing that not all the characters live happily ever after.

Things I did not like so much

To me, the story was interesting but it was still a bit boring. I also sometimes had a hard time following the plot. For me, although the book gets more interesting toward the end, the ending on its own is just plain weird and very sudden. There are things to be said in my opinion and not all characters get their ending. They simply just exists. 

Conclusion

All in all, it is a book that left me feeling conflicted. I both like it and dislike it if that is even possible. I guess I will have to finish Emma now to see if they really are similar. I would say you have to read the book to really know if it's worth reading.

* ARC received through the publisher via First to Read Scheme 

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Stars: ★★★★★

More info from Goodreads

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Publishing date September, 3rd, 2019

General info 

Annabelle is a poor girl from the countryside who gets into the first female college at Oxford university. She’s actively trying to get government to give women the vote.
Then there is Duke of Montgomery. He’s all about duty and when he meets Annabelle, his life turns upside down. They go through ups and downs when they face the expectations of the society and other obstacles. This is a beautiful story about real love and soul mates. 

Things I liked

I have to say I really like the poor country girl and a rich duke set up a lot. It might be a bit cliche but not in a historical romance usually. I also really like the characters and especially Annabelle. She’s strong, inspiring and clever. And I appreciate Montgomery too. He’s brilliant and in the end he does the right thing. 

Things I didn’t like 

At least right now, there’s nothing I could say that I didn’t like. Well certain characters but I guess that’s a given with any book and that’s good thing really. 

Conclusion

All in all, this book is great. It has strong characters, a beautiful plot and it truly shows the type of life women had in the past. The happy ending truly was just the cherry on top. 

* ARC received from the publisher through First to Read scheme

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Stars: ★★★★★

Pre-Order here

More info here 

General info 

Gavin and Thea rushed into marriage and now three years later it’s catching up with them. Thea wants divorce and Gavin is willing to do anything to win her back but is that enough? Thea also has to work through her troubled childhood to be able to fully engage in her marriage. 

Things I liked 

I love, love, love the book. It’s a brilliant story and it fully restores my faith that I will find my perfect match someday. I love the idea that real men will read romance books and that they actually study and enjoy them at least to some extent. 
The characters were great, especially Gavin and the rest of the bromance book club members. 
The story itself is beautiful and I like that there are actually chapters from the romance novel Gavin is reading in the book. 

Things I did not like 

First, I have to say there is not many things that I didn’t like. 
Thea and Thea’s reluctance to do anything to fight for her marriage pissed me of at first. And she was just full on ready to run.
Second, I didn’t like Liv. If I had a sister and she was like Liv in a situation like the one in the book I would not be happy. 

Conclusion 

All in all, this was a brilliant book. I enjoyed it immensely and I’m a bit sad that I’m finished with it. The author’s writing style was also pleasant and I wouldn’t mind reading more from her. I recommend this book to everyone from the bottom of my heart. 

* free copy of the book received from the publisher through the First to Read scheme

The girl in the green silk gown by Seanan McGuire

 This is a ghost story but it’s also so much more than just a ghost story.

Meet Rose Marshall, the girl in the green silk gown, the phantom prom date and so on. She’s a hitchhiking ghost. 

Add the person who already killed her once and want to kill her again and you’ve got a prober adventure in your hands.

This book is amazing, the book pulls you in from the first words and keeps you in until the very last period. I loved every second if this book. 

Add all the amazing characters and you’ve got a marvelous novel in your hand that just hooks you in. 

The author also manages to include a a lot of Greek and other types of mythology into the book and that makes the book even more interesting than it already is, and somehow more realistic, as much as a fantasy book can feel realistic.

All in all, this book is amazing and my only regret is not reading the first book in the series. 

I recommend this book from the very bottom of my heart. 

*ARC received from the publisher via First to Read.

The girl in the green silk gown will be published July, 17th!

Scandal above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley

First, thank you for Penguin Random House publishing for selecting me to receive this ARC via First to Read.

Jennifer Ashley's Scandal Above Stairs is the second installment in the Below Stairs Mysteries series (or sometimes it's mentioned as an installment of the Kat Holloway Mysteries Series). Although, it is a second book in a series, it doesn't really show. You can totally read this as a standalone but I wish I had read the first book as well, mainly because this second book is so great.

In this book, there's two main characters, Kat Holloway, a cook, and Daniel McAdam, who I just want to call a mystery. They are both intriguing, complex characters that I love and both of them still a bit mysterious, although, Daniel more so than Kat. They both have secrets which makes the book so much more interesting and they have a relationship that is very passionate, yet it mostly stays in the bounds of what society saw as appropriate in 1880s.
Then there are the supporting characters, like Tess, a cook's assistant who grows on the reader as you move through the book. And of course, there's Lady Cynthia, an Earl's daughter who likes to dress up in trousers, James, Daniel's son and Mr. Thanos, a wealthy man, who does not see the difference between an aristocrat and a man born in the gutters.

The plot itself is quite fast-paced, exciting, and there's still a feel of danger to it. There's a few mysteries going on, and even though there's murder and danger, the book's atmosphere is still light which makes the book very easy, and quite quick to read. You don't have to take breaks because you can't make sense of what you are reading anymore. You really just want to find out who the villains are and hope that none of the good guys gets hurt. The story kind of just hooks you in and doesn't let go. 

All in all this book is absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed Ashley's way of writing and I'm looking forward to reading more of her works.

The book will be published on July, 3rd, 2018 so not a long way to go!

You can find more of the book from here
And you can purchase an ebook from here and a physical copy here