Stories & Sweeties: merit press

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright {review + giveaway}

The Heir and the Spare
by Emily Albright
♦publisher : Merit Press
♦release date: January 18th, 2016
♦hardcover, 288 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult/New adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.

In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

Review: The Heir and The Spare was a fun rompy story of a girl with a family secret who suddenly finds herself not only in the attention of a real-life prince, but also discovers she is royalty herself. Many a young girl's fantasy, no doubt, which made this a fun tale of romance and wish-fulfillment, with a few little bumps along the road.

Evie was a good character but she definitely had her issues. I loved the bits about her mom's letters, their connection and the whole quest to discover her mother's past. I also loved how outspoken and fiesty Evie was, especially when putting snobby titled girls in their place, even at times when she was inwardly feeling less than confident. However, some of the overreactions to certain situations with Edmund and the overly childish name-calling (even just in her inner dialogue) came off as more a middle school level of maturity than university freshman .

The plot moved very quickly and was so fun to watch unfold as Evie tries to figure things out with Edmund and find out what her mother is trying to tell her. There were some definite swoon-worthy moments and heartbreak along the way. This definitely felt like The Princess Diaries as far the "duchess lessons" were concerned and a few other scenes that seemed similar to other "american-goes-abroad" type books and movies (one especially at the end that felt straight out of "What a Girl Wants").

Still, despite a few character issues and scenes that felt a little too familiar, I can't deny that I still really enjoyed this one for it's swoony romance and British charm. It gets points for just being fluffy and fun and a perfect book to reach for when one needs a quick read and a little cheering up. :)

Find Emily Albright online: Website • Twitter • Instagram

Purchase Heir and the Spare: BookDepository • Indiebound • Amazon

I've ended up with an extra ARC copy of this one, so I want to pass it on! Anyone in the mood for a little fun royal romance? ;)

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie {review}

Sweet Madness
by Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie
♦publisher: Merit Press
♦release date: September 15th, 2015
♦hardcover, 224 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens.

However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.

But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.

(I abridged the description from goodreads--IMO they gave way too much away!)

Review: This was dark, dark stuff, my friends! I mean, if you know anything about Lizzie Borden, even if it's just the rhyme, you know this story is going to be the very furthest thing from sunshine and rainbows. But it did still surprise me just how gruesome and gorily detailed this was.

There is something about historical fiction where you know what's going to happen at the end. It's not the same as when a story is just predictable---I found myself completely draw into this fictional account just to see how exactly that inevitable end would be reached. It was interesting seeing it from the maid's point of view, as someone who is not part of the family, but still completely entwined in all the madness. I did find it a little off-putting how one second she was so annoyed that Lizzie was following her and she was fearful of her, then the next turn she was going on about Lizzie was her best friend and she would never leave her. It felt inconsisent, but in some ways I suppose it fed into the feeling of quiet chaos that threaded through this whole story. Lizzie's friendliness toward her straddled the line between extreme concern to full-on obsession. As the story moves along, she divulges secrets about the house and family that get creepier and creepier. But Bridget's need to stick with this job if she wants to eventually bring her sister from Ireland, mixed with her confused devotion to Lizzie, her fear of Mr. Borden, and her worry about the voices she hears in the house all make for a tightly strung intensity that felt like the turning of a screw, like I was just waiting for everything to explode.

Which of course, it did. As I mentioned above, there are no holds barred in the vivid and blood imagery use to describe the historically rumored "40 whacks". So be prepared if you take this one on!