Redneck Cinderella by LuAnn McLane

Jolie Russell and her widowed father were having a bit of money troubles when land developer Cody Dean showed up on their doorstep with a multimillion dollar offer for their land. They accept with the condition that they get to keep their house -at least the location - and Cody agrees.

And, just like that, Jolie goes from rags to riches, but almost a year later Jolie still feels lost and unaccepted by the community where she landed - Cody uses the Russell's land to build an upscale gated community, and now Jolie and her father live there - and she's still nursing her hopeless crush on Cody (whom she has liked since high school).

Enter Cody's brother Brett. Brett isn't into the whole high society thing -even though his family has money - and he genuinely likes Jolie, so he comes up with an idea to help Jolie fit a little bit better... and to make his brother just a little bit jealous.

Will Jolie ever fit in? Will Cody be her prince charming?

You'll have to read to find out but my take on Redneck Cinderella is that it was funny and sweet. It lost me a bit around the middle when I wanted things to speed up a little, but over all it was a nice little read.

Jolie was so funny and I liked how she was very aware that money doesn't buy happiness. Cody was a bit harder to like at the beginning, but he did grow on me, as did most other characters in the book, and it ended up being a quite satisfying read.

Oh! And Jolie's dog was adorable.

1/2

Series Review: The Prince Trilogy

Three friends, three loves stories, three fairy tales.

I admit I was quite late in join the ranks of Elizabeth Hoyt's fans. I had heard lots of praise for her debut, The Raven Prince, but since I famously dislike most buzzed-about books I was a bit reluctant to read it. Eventually I did take the plunge and never regretted it.

The Raven Prince is the story of Edward de Raaf, Earl of Swartingham, whom -after surviving a small pox epidemic that killed his entire family, and the death of his first wife (who died in childbirth some ten years prior) - is ready to move on and start a new family, he wants his family's home, the Abbey, to be full of children and happiness once more. As such, the last woman he should be interested in is Anna Wren, a young widow who works as his secretary (Edward is an Agricultural scholar, and often writes papers about such matters, needing someone to transcribe them in a clear hand). Anna has no connections or money, and she's quite sure she can't have children, still some attractions are undeniable and this is one of them.

After The Raven Prince, comes the Leopard Prince, about one of Edward's friends, Harry Pye; he's introduced in the first story, along with Viscount Simon Iddesleigh, the three gentlemen are friends and agrarians. Harry works as an estate manager for Lady Georgina Maitland, a relationship that turns quite complicated when they begin to feel attraction for each other. Georgina is a bit eccentric and never really thought about getting married, she knows engaging in a liaison with Harry isn't the smartest move but she can't help herself, and neither can Harry. But where will that take them?

Finally, The Serpent Prince kicks off when Lucy Craddock-Hayes finds Viscount Simon Iddesleigh half-dead on her doorstep. After finding out some finer points regarding the death of his beloved brother Ethan a few years before, Simon is bent on revenge and the people he wants to take revenge from are beginning to take notice, which lead to his half-death estate. Lucy is for the most part quite happy living with her father in their small town, but meeting Simon changes everything...

Well, of course I'm not going to spoil or anything, but all these three books were wonderful and in some way unusual. Plus, Mrs. Hoyt wove these funny little tales into her books (the titles of the books come from said 'tales') and it's a trait that has carried on to her other works, and I often find myself re-reading them.

Recently, all three books were given a cover make over (the ones posted above) which was why I decided to do this series review.

Original Covers:

At the Movies: How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup is a teenage boy growing up in a viking village, and he happens to be the one that doesn't quite fit in, even though he's the chief's son. Everyone - even his own father - sees him as a clumsy boy that often does more harm than good when he tries to help.

Now, Hiccup's village has a pesky, pesky problem: Dragons. Everyone has a pretty much anti-Dragon mentality in the village, but when Hiccup actually manages to knock down an elusive kind of dragon, his mentality changes.

Keeping his dragon secret, Hiccup finally makes a friend, and realizes what wonderful creatures they are, and he finally finds the courage to give everything of himself when his Dragon-friend and other loved ones are put at risk.

How to Train Your Dragon, is a lovely story about the desire to belong and the need to stay true to yourself. Further more is full of humor and the best kind of movie magic. Smart, snappy and sweet, this movie is delightful and my favorite movie of the year, so far.

Cover Love #5 - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Here's the cover for Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (according to Amazon), it's the latest collaboration between Rachel Cohn and David Levithan and comes out October 26th of this year (again, according to Amazon).

And here's the summary:

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

I personally loved Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List, so I might check it out.

Books Read in April

Here is an update of the 100+ Reading Challenge and the 2010 YA Reading Challenge. The books read for the YA challenge are in cursive and have their corresponding number next to the review link.

33. Saving Grace by Julie Garwood (review)
34. The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins (review)
35. Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (review) *YA19*
36. Something About You by Julie James (review)
37. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (review) *YA20*
38. The Comeback by Marlene Perez (review) *YA21*
39. The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (Re-read)
40. A Match Made in Court by Janice Kay Johnson
41. In for a Penny by Rose Lerner (review)
42. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (review)

So, that's it for the month, I have to admit I didn't read as much as I wanted, mostly because of my teaching course. But I hope to do better next month!

See you in May!!!