Mr. Darcy's Secret by Jane Odiwe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a relief to read a 'Pride and Prejudice' sequel without gratuitous sex scenes. Thank you! Overall, the book was enjoyable, but I tend to dislike added intrigues that can be solved with a little communication between people who are generally open with each other. I just don't think Elizabeth would have withheld so many things from her husband.  I very much liked most of the new characters added to the story--especially the Butlers.  The book would have been just as enjoyable (maybe even more so for me) without the Wickham intrigue.  Even so, it was well worth the read.


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The Season by Sarah MacLean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the friendships in this book and how the romance developed.  Good, strong girl characters and boys who love them for it.  Just be aware that all the other books this author has written have more adult language and situations.  This is a one book for young adults deal.


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Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

That was a hard book to get through.  My heart was aching through most of it.  So sad, but it really made me think about what is important in life.  Just make sure you're in the right mood when you read this.


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Passion by Lauren Kate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was my favorite with them visiting past lives to figure out how to end their 'curse.'


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Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute, modern retelling of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' (which happens to be my second most favorite Austen book).  While there's some language I didn't appreciate, it was limited and a clean story otherwise.  I had some trouble keeping characters in order in my mind (they had different names than the original) and she added some new ones that added to the chaos. For the most part, it was an enjoyable read.  Just don't expect it to beat the original--not even close!


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The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

What a disappointment!  When I look for Jane Austen spin-offs, I like them to have substance, clean language, and tasteful displays of affection.  This book has none of these things.  The characters were mere caricatures of the original book with some of them not even remotely like the original.  Most of the book is set in the San Francisco area--England is a sideline.  Jane and Bingley are surgeons??? So bizarre. And why is Elizabeth's best friend a gay Mr. Hurst?  Lizzy's hatred of Darcy changed overnight, rather than over months.  And they acted on their attraction before really getting to know or love each other--with a LOT of PDAs (so not Darcy's personality). Typical modern romance theme there.  And I really don't enjoy seeing the F-bomb every other page or so.  The idea of Darcy being a judge and Lizzy an attorney was inspired--they played well off each other in the beginning, but that's as far as the inspiration went.


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Great Article!

Can you say "moderation in ALL things?" This article makes me feel like I'm not so bad after all, but there's still things I can improve on.

How to Land Your Kid in Therapy - The Atlantic