Review: Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley

Publisher: Harper
Pages: 272

Received: Received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss

Release Date: March 4, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Like Alice Munro and Colm Tóibín, Tessa Hadley possesses the remarkable ability to transform the mundane into the sublime—an eye for the beauty, innocence, and irony of ordinary lives that elevates domestic fiction to literary art. In Clever Girl, she offers the indelible story of one woman's life, unfolded in a series of beautifully sculpted episodes that illuminate an era, moving from the 1960s to today.

Written with the celebrated precision, intensity, and complexity that have marked her previous works, Clever Girl is a powerful exploration of family relationships and class in modern life, witnessed through the experiences of an Englishwoman named Stella. Unfolding in a series of snapshots, Tessa Hadley's involving and moving novel follows Stella from childhood, growing up with her single mother in a Bristol bedsit, into the murky waters of middle age.

It is a story vivid in its immediacy and rich in drama—violent deaths, failed affairs, broken dreams, missed chances. Yet it is Hadley's observations of everyday life, her keen skill at capturing the ways men and women think and feel and relate to one another, that dazzles, pressing us to exclaim with each page, Yes, this is how it is.

My Review:

I truly had an amazing experience reading this book, Tessa Hadley truly brings Stella's life out in the pages of the story. Not only do readers experience Stella growing up but it also shows how the environment affects people, as Stella grows up in the 1960's and moves through time.

Stella has a difficult life and she seems to fight back when she can, this story shows that some people will not let all this drama get to them and they will keep climbing and adapting to the changes around them. Readers meet Stella as a young girl who has a bright mind, but through many troubles she grows and learns about herself. This is a story about a smart girl who has some difficult decisions to make, and the people she meets throughout her life really change her experiences.

This is a book that truly shows the challenges of life that many people go through, and Tessa Hadley truly brings out an experience in her story. The relationships that Stella has through her life truly define how she turns out as an adult. I really enjoyed seeing the different people that come in and out of Stella's life and those that really help her learn how to do things. These people truly make a difference to Stella helping her get back on her feet after many troubling times.

It is nice to read a book that deals with such realistic situations, it is what truly kept me going with this story. I wanted to read about someone who has to deal with tough, real life problems, and seeing that they can get through life and fight through problems and come out stronger than before. Truly, this was an amazing book that I recommend to many people!

Blog Tour: Haze by Paula Weston

Publisher: Tundra
Series: The Rephaim #2
Pages: 448

Received: Received a copy from Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: September 9, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Gaby Winters' life used to be pretty normal. She lived with her best friend. She worked in a library. She was slowly getting over the death of her twin brother, Jude. And then Rafa came looking for her.

With him, her blood-soaked nightmares stopped. But now they are reality. She is one of the Rephaim - a wingless half angel, descended from the Fallen. Demons exist and they are hunting her.

She knows she's alive when she's meant to be dead. And that means maybe Jude is too. So why isn't she out there looking for him?

My Review:

Around this time last year I was asked to take part in the blog tour for the first book in this series SHADOWS and I enjoyed everything that was happening. There was mystery and action, so when I was offered the chance to take part in the tour for the second book I definitely jumped at the chance. HAZE begins right where SHADOWS leaves off, if the first book had a good amount of mystery and action, this book picks up right along with that.

Throughout this book Gaby is still reeling from the revelations that were brought about her life and she is still trying to come to grips of the person she was in the past. As the demons continually hunt for Gaby, she begins to believe that her brother Jude may be alive. This book attempts to answer some questions that readers have from the first book, but there are still so many questions left, which will definitely keep readers coming back for more from Paula Weston.

There is still so much going on, and I wonder how long this series will go on for, there is a good amount of action, but I feel like the story is still a bit slow and there is a lot of information still being thrown at readers. Paula Weston adds in a little more history that adds more to the danger of the Rephaim, making readers want to see more and really get deep into the memories of what has happened with Gaby and Jude in the past.

The characters are still just as amazing as I thought in the first book, each of them is tough, especially some of the newer characters, and yet they have a vulnerability to them as well, making them very well-rounded. I am interested to see if things will heat up in the next book, and I hope I don't have to wait too long for more of all these characters.

Also as a part of this tour, I took a character quiz and I ended up with Maggie. I definitely loved hearing that. Check out the books to learn more about her and everyone else!

Review: Claudine by Barbara Palmer

Publisher: Penguin Canada
Pages: 352

Received: Received a copy from Penguin Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: September 2, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Maria Lantos has a secret. She’s a post-grad student researching early erotic literature at Yale who puts her studies to work after hours as a courtesan named Claudine specializing in erotic role play. Her allure and stock of sexual tricks command top dollar from international clients. When Maria receives anonymous text messages filled with chilling threats, she knows her secret is out, and someone is hunting her—someone who knows a lot about her past and who’s intent on playing a starring role in her present.

As Claudine, she loves the brief anonymous liaisons that allow her to explore the darker side of power and desire. But now it’s Maria’s turn. Two men—charismatic Yale professor Reid Whitman and her business manager, Andrei Barinov—will test the limits of her sexuality and safety, forcing her to discover the depth of the dark places within her.

Claudine combines the pace of a thriller, the deep emotional connection of a romance, and the heat of a beautiful woman’s sexual discovery.

My Review:

This book is so far out of my comfort zone, but it just sounded so intriguing I thought I needed to try something different. I am very glad I got my hands on a copy of this story because it was intense but I loved every minute of my experience with this book. Maria Lantos is someone who is still growing up and learning about life experiences, but she has a secret life on the side to help her pay her way through school. When all of a sudden her secret is on the verge of coming out and Maria is being threatened by someone who knows more about her than they should.

What I absolutely adored about this book was how the mystery became so intense and there were so many suspects, you could not figure out what would come next. Palmer really knows how to draw her readers into the story, she breaks up the mystery and romance giving readers a good amount of both. I was very interested in Maria's life outside of her courtesan side. Maria is so used to this life that she has closed herself off to those people that want to get close to her, it is best for her not to get close because she has a troubled past.

I don't want to go into too much detail because it would give things away about this book, but Barbara Palmer definitely knows how to write scenes that will creep you out and go into a scene a few pages later that is hot and very sexy. This is a story about a woman who is learning more about herself and learning to let go of certain parts of her life. Maria lets two men truly test her ability to not only truly love herself but to let someone else love her. This was a beautiful story that I'm glad has taken me out of my comfort zone and I really hope this book opens me up to discover new authors in a genre I have been previously hesitant to pick up.

Don't let the romance aspect of this book fool you, it is a beautiful book with a thrilling mystery added in. I believe that people will be talking about this book for awhile.