Train Station Bride Review

Rating: 4/5

Title: Train Station Bride

Author: Holly Bush

Page Count (ebook): 147

Official Description

      1887 Debutante, Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Bostonfamily. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to theMidwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds hernew home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love.

    Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the North Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs... till now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. Noexpectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farmlife.Will fate and chance play a trick on Julia and Jake?

My Thoughts

     From the girlish Julia Crawford, unconfident and unsure of herself to the handsome and obstinate Jake Shelling, Train Station Bride is in every sense, a romance novel. The plot is split between the perspectives of Julia and Jake as they both embark on a journey to meet their 'mail-order' spouses and is filled with the playfulness of true love mixed with the sharper truths of being female in a strict society. Unlike some straight forward romances, Train Station Bride is filled with a slew of twists which I whole heartedly commend; I just love an unpredictable story! The artful way Bush wove the twists into the novel, added dimension to both the romance and the subplots within the book, creating wonderfully suspenseful scenes. Aside from the fact that I thought some of the love scenes could have been a bit more...steamy and polished, the romance between Julia and Jake was nevertheless well written and 100% believable.

I'm interviewing Holly Bush tomorrow so be sure to check back then!

Links:

Amazon

Author's Page

City of Fallen Angels Review

Show More

Show Less

Rating: 4/5

Title: City of Fallen Angels

Author: Cassandra Clare

Page Count (hardcover): 424

Inside the Cover

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

My Thoughts

     I'll admit it I had doubts, a lot of doubts. I absolutely adored the first three books in The Mortal Instruments Series immensly and for some reason after finishing the third, I came to the conclusion that it was a trilogy. With that in mind, I was contented with the ending so, when I heard there was a fourth book I was more than a little uncertain about it. Hadn't Clare already wrapped everything up? What story could there be left to tell?

    Let me tell you, I was wrong. I don't know how she did it, how she managed to create another masterpiece of Young Adult literature but she did and it was magnificent. City of Fallen Angels is absolutely riveting, I couldn't tear myself away from turning page, after page, after page. The descriptive language Clare uses to write drew me into the story and though I read the third book over two years ago, like a good friend, once I dug into City of Fallen Angels, it felt as if no time had passed.

Book Links:

Goodreads

75% off Youth Fiction Titles with code percyartemis75