Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart by Laurel Ann Nattress
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so much fun! I usually don't like all the stories in anthologies, but these stories were all quite enjoyable and well written.  It was also fun to see which book and/or Austen letter quote each author's story was based on.  So worth the read and definitely a keeper!


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Jane, A Woman's Determination And The Wild West Frontier by Michael R. King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jane McKechnie Walton was an amazing woman and her story is gripping.  Unfortunately, the writer of her story needed a better editor in order for this book to be a truly wonderful read. I love that her mother is my great-great grandmother from the second marriage in Utah, so there's a connection to her.


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Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book! You feel like an insider and can see her true self, not the serious persona you see in public.  Her work load is huge and she has to be politically neutral (how many of us could do that???) and her efforts as an ambassador to the world are grace itself. I love that her husband, Prince Phillip, is so mouthy.  Sounds so much like my own husband (LOL) that I know how she must feel when he says something controversial. I love that the people still respect her despite the scandals that have rocked her family.  She is a great example of endurance and grace and a wonderful symbol representing her country.


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Forbidden by Syrie James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The writing style is great and the story is well told, but it's just so much like other books I've read.  I'll keep reading the series as it comes out, but my expectations are just more of the same...Love Syrie James's adult novels--read those for sure!


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Jane by April Lindner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Quite a bit, actually.  However, I had to give it a lower rating for the f-bomb and sex scenes.  A bit overdone for my tastes.  As for how well it followed the original, "Jane Eyre," it was quite well done.  Taking into consideration how difficult it can be to translate 19th Century mores into the 21st Century, she found some clever ways to manage that problem.  As for the age difference between the two, it felt a little more awkward in today's society than it felt in the original.  Maybe I see it that way because I'm at the other end of the age spectrum now.  As a teen, I often dreamed of marrying a much older man.  Now I've decided I just like how men look in their 30s and so now I'm attracted to younger men. ;) Sad, but true.


So, if you think you might want to read this book, just know I give it a 5 star rating for the well-translated storyline and 2 stars for language and sex. (Wish I could give it 3 1/2 stars)


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Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love, love, LOVE Shannon Hale's sense of humor!  She is such an amazing writer, in my humble opinion.  I love that she can develop her stories without a reader being able to guess which direction it's going to take.  The thought processes of the heroine are so funny, mostly because the reader can totally relate. Her characters are so believable--even our beloved Miss Elizabeth Charming, who is so over the top but sweet in her own way.  It seems like every time a new Shannon Hale book is slated to come out, I get extremely excited and have great expectations.  You would think that excitement would lead to a letdown upon finally reading said book, but with Shannon Hale, I have never been disappointed (except for the ending of 'The Actor and the Housewife'--gah! Yet still a great book). She is my fantasy bff!!!  Oh, to commune with a mind like hers!


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Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think this is a better book than many of the reviews hint at.  Having said that, I also don't think this is Mette's best effort. It seemed rushed and disjointed and some of the emotional swings were very dramatic. But I still enjoyed the story line and understood some of the swift emotional swings, as I am one who has been known to have some. :)  It's not so unbelievable for teenagers to have a change of heart about who they love--they're still learning who they are and what they want in life.  I just didn't like how Izzie was choosing who Brennan was going to love.  Although, I had a friend who thought she knew who should love who in HS, too.  It can happen, people!  Silly, but true. Being blind to the desires others have is also a pretty common teen ailment.  Izzie was in her own love bubble and, even as close friends as they were, I think she just couldn't see things from Brennan's point of view.  I can't read minds, can you?  And yet, so many reviews suggest she should have seen Brennan's love for Mark.  As for Izzie loving both boys, I can see that, too.  Who wouldn't want the safety of the known over the unknown?  But there is also the draw of excitement to the unknown, too. Plus there was the subconscious draw of like to like (both magical). I think this book deserves a little more credit than it's getting.  Come on, people!  This surely can't be the worst book you've ever read.  If you think it is, I'll send you some that really are.


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