Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig

This book starts on an ordinary day of Leslie Hiller's life when she's taking her best friend Cavett home with her for the first time. Leslie leads a nice life in the upper-middle class of New York, she's talented, smart and attractive yet... she isn't happy. She doesn't know exactly what is it she just know that's how things are.

After accidentally losing weight after having the flu, Leslie decides that her path to happiness is through being thin and begins a diet which quickly spins out of control as her 'goal weight' keeps dropping and she feels that can't stop.

I first read this book (with that cover, I read the Spanish version that's why I put it ;) ) when I was twelve and in middle school, I had been struggling with many self-esteem and self-image issues, mostly because my sister was size five and I was size nine and everyone in my family called me 'fatty' as if it was an endearment; and I was amazed by it.

There are no easy answers in this book, it is a struggle and even though the it practically ends with three dots its also very hopeful. This is one book I red and re-red almost every year at least once. I can't correctly say how much it meant to me back then but I can say that it is a must read.

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To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Samuel Hartley has a mission, to find out who betrayed his regiment at Spinner's Falls during the war; and for that he has come to London looking for answers. And so he meets Lady Emmeline Gordon, the sister of one of the men who died at Spinner's Falls, and with whom he falls in love.

If only things were so easy! They are from two different social classes, she's not interested on marrying him -at times doesn't even seem to like him if not for the fact that she can't stop thinking about him - and it's almost engaged to another man. Plus, there is there is one traitor to find!

This book is the first of a new set, The Legend of the Four Soldiers, and all the elements that made The Prince Trilogy so good are in here as well. As it's becoming tradition with Ms. Hoyt there is a story within a story, and these 'fairy tales' are unusual and evocative and I just love them.

I can't say I was quite as charmed with this book as I was with, say, The Raven Prince, mostly because I didn't like the heroine as much, but, over all, is still a great book. Samuel is blunt and honest, his sister is very endearing as is Emeline's son Daniel. And Emmeline's friends Lord Vale and Melisande intrigue me (they are up to be the couple in book 2: To Seduce A Sinner, out this up coming November).

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Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

Clio thought it would be a perfect summer as she just landed a job at a trendy art store where her crush, Ollie, works. But things quickly turn sour when Clio's Mom has to go to Kansas for the summer and she ends up in Italy with her crazy father.

Clio is not happy about this, she and her dad don't get along but to add to it, she's stuck on a boat with his dad's new girlfriend Julia, Julia's daughter Elsa and Julia's assistant Aidan... and no one will tell her what exactly are they all doing on the boat.

I really liked this book, the prose flows beautifully and even though it's in third person it allows you to connect with Clio and what she's feeling as things get confusing and messy and she keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Clio's relationships with the other crew members of the ship are the real strength of the book: her friendship with Elsa, her distrust of Julia and her lack of communication with her dad.

There is a bit of romance on the book but it doesn't overpower the story.

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1/2

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched is the third and seemingly last of the Queen of Babble books by Meg Cabot, which follow the life of Lizzie Nicholls a vintage-loving girl with a talent to refurbish wedding gowns. This book picks up immediately after Book Two (Queen of Babble in the Big City) ends, with dreamy/perfect Luke finally proposing to Lizzie.

Things should be perfect, this was just what Lizzie always wanted, her career is picking up and the man of her dreams just proposed (after breaking her heart a few days before by saying he didn't see her in his future); but there are some problems on this happy-happy picture: One, that Lizzie just almost slept with Chaz, her best friends' ex and Luke's best friend; and Two: She breaks into hives each time she thinks about marrying Luke.

What follows is Lizzie dealing with it all.

I liked this book but I'm not crazy about it, Queen of Babble started as a summer fling and it sort of outgrew itself. Just like the relationship between Luke and Lizzie, by now, Queen of Babble 3, things don't ring quite so true anymore and one wonders why Lizzie can't see it.

But I'll give Ms Cabot props for trying to do something different, instead of a more linear happy ending; the ending IS happy and satisfactory, it just doesn't happen to be my favorite book

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1/2

The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey

When you talk about the Arabian Nights or The One Thousand Nights and a Night, everyone thinks they know the story. And it would seem quite straight forward, as it belongs to a common place for most of us: the tales of a girl who spun story after story from dusk to dawn to save her life and make a king fall in love. Tells such as Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, or Sindbad the sailor, Aladdin... beautiful tales that have a place all of their own.

The Storyteller's Daughter isn't about those stories, but rather about the woman who told them and the man who listened and of how they really fell in love and how it was hard and almost didn't happen.

I found The Storyteller's Daughter to be a delightful tale, saying something I hadn't heard before about a tale I thought I knew so well.

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Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood

Miranda is back at Bard Academy for Junior Year but things aren't going all that well. First, she was stuck all summer working at her stepmother's all pink boutique and reading Moby Dick; and then her little sister Lindsay goes and crashes their dad's car through the boutique's window and gets shipped herself to Bard as well.

Miranda is less than thrilled about it, she and Lindsay are quite opposite in character and Lindsay wastes no time getting Miranda in trouble with Mrs. P - who seems to hate Miranda for no reason at all - and becoming friends with Parker, Miranda's super evil enemy.

There are some good things about coming back, though, like Heathcliff and seeing her friends again but soon Miranda finds herself having more company than she could like.

As with the previous two books, I adored this one. Having Lindsay around shows more of Miranda's family live and I found myself feeling for her. Lindsay is a bit annoying and selfish but I found their relationship quite real.

And Heathcliff is hot.

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Ps- Be sure to check Wuthering High and The Scarlet Letterman

The Scarlet Letterman by Cara Lockwood

If you go a few posts down you'll find my review for Wuthering High, the first book of the Bard Academy Series. I LOVED IT. And now is time for the second one!

The Scarlet Letterman by Cara Lockwood, picks up a few weeks after the end of Wuthering High during the second semester of Miranda's sophomore year at Bard. She has a gorgeous boyfriend, Ryan Kent, and things seem to be going all right... well, it is sort of weird that Heathcliff hasn't contacted her and then suddenly two things happen: First, a misterious man seems to be attacking students... a man who could very well be Heathcliff; and Two, someone is starting rumors about just how far have Miranda and Ryan really gone and the things she had to do to wear Ryan's letterman jacket.

As always the book is so funny, Miranda and her friends are likable and quirky and I absolutely love them. I won't say more of what happens because you won't guess. At least I didn't.

Another great read

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