Blog Tour - Blackmoore

I am extremely excited to be participating in the blog tour for Julianne Donaldson's newest book, Blackmoore.  I loved her first novel, Edenbrooke (in fact, I gave it a starred review here!) so much that I VOWED to be part of the blog tour for her next "Proper Romance" if it was humanly possible...and here we are, LOL. 

Blackmoore is the newest book in Shadow Mountain Publishing's A Proper Romance brand. 

A Proper Romance indicates a clean, smart, engaging, romantic story that will never embarass the reader. Now, I am not one to pass up any type of romance when I'm in the right mood, but I love the elegance and timelessness of the Proper Romance books.  They feel like absolutely anyone could read and enjoy them and I personally will recommend anything that Julianne Donaldson writes!

So, let's talk more about Blackmoore! 

Kate Worthington knows she can never have her heart’s desire and so believes she will never marry. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore on the cliffs above the seashore, where she must face the truth and the man that has kept her heart captive.

Set in northern England, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn to follow her heart. With hints of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, Blackmoore is a page-turning tale of romance, intrigue and devotion.

Once again, Donaldson won my heart.  I thoroughly enjoyed this romance.  Told through a series of flashbacks, readers get to see Kate's history unfold.  Learning the sordid truth about her older sister and her mother's scheming, scandalous ways... learning about how she lost her heart to the one man she can't have... 

This book actually reminded me a little of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The intelligent, talented daughter with bigger dreams than just following her mother's wishes of a "good" marriage. As Kate must deal with laughable suitors, an embarassing family, and having to see the man that she doesn't want to admit she loves, she also fights to break free of the life she sees herself imprisoned within.  Her pluck and determination are admirable.  Kate's story grabbed my heartstrings and simply wouldn't let go.  

When I finished the book, I found myself sighing aloud and already mentally counting down until another is announced.  To me, that is the ultimate test...and Blackmoore passed with flying colors! 

Want to learn more about Julianne Donaldson and Blackmoore?

You can visit the following places: 

Julianne's Blog

Julianne's facebook page

Julianne's twitter (@AuthorJulianne)

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Blackmoore Blog Tour page


Full disclosure: Review copy received from publisher for blog tour 

New School Year... New...Secrets, New...Scandals, New...Friends?

Since it's back to school season, we created a new display in the Teen Space at our Library full of YA books that have a new school year theme, but with some kind of twist.  Scandals, murders, secrets, and friends... or sometimes frenemies! Thus, "New School Year... New...Secrets, New...Scandals, New...Friends?" was born...

Some of the books that I chose were:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

A fabulous romance!

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris-until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne



Totally absorbing!
When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

Before there was ever Sex and the City...

The Carrie Diaries opens up in Carrie's senior year of high school. She and her best friends -- Walt, Lali, Maggie, and the Mouse -- are inseparable, and then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture. Carrie falls into the relationship that she was always supposed to have in high school-until a friend's betrayal makes her question everything. 

Private by Kate Brian

A true High School "soap opera!"

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy—the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they’ll do anything to keep their secrets private.

Other titles include:
Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Something to Hold by Katherine Schlick Noe
Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez
Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

If you have to go back to school, the least you can do is go back to school with a twist, right?

Mini Reviews: The Graphic Novel edition

Page by Paige

by Laura Lee Gulledge

Paige Turner has just moved to New York with her family, and she's having some trouble adjusting to the big city. In the pages of her sketchbook, she tries to make sense of her new life, including trying out her secret identity: artist. As she makes friends and starts to explore the city, she slowly brings her secret identity out into the open, a process that is equal parts terrifying and rewarding. (description from Amazon.com)


I really enjoyed this book.  I related well to the character, I thought the drawings were beautifully done, and it had a great plotline.  The conceptual artwork here really is stellar...check out this example:

So far, I think this is one of the best graphic novels I've ever read!

Freshman: Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense

by Corinne Mucha



Annie has just started high school and she’s a mess. Her older brother has told her that her freshman year will strongly affect the rest of her life, and if that’s true her future is looking grim: She’s a loser at sports, is jealous of everyone, and has totally fallen in love with her best friend’s older brother. When she gets cast as a moaning, hunched-over old lady in the school play, she starts to forget about the rest of her life. Now she just wants to make it through freshman year. (description from Amazon.com)

As much as I liked the story concept for this book, it felt disjointed to me.  I also really disliked the artwork.  It felt really juvenile and well, messy... Check it out:

Overall, this was not the graphic novel for me.

Soulless: The Manga

by Gail Carriger and Rem

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible.

 

Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? (description from Amazon.com)

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Okay, aside from the fact that I love this novel series, this was just a fun, fun read.  The illustrations were well done and matched the characters: 

The characters, of course, were just as I remembered from the books that I love.  Full of humor, snarkiness, and of course vampires, werewolves, and stuffy society matrons.  All in all I cannot wait until the next one comes out!!