Bite-Sized Reviews :: Edition Seven

I've been reading quite a few books recently! Well......quite a few books for me. You may read a new one every day, but I'm not quite up to that speed yet. ;) Anyway! There's been several pretty cute ones and I decided to cover some of them today. So it's mini-review time! :)

Making Marion - I randomly chose this off the "new books" shelf at the library. I liked the cover and the synopsis sounded cute. And it was! Cute I mean. For a fun read for entertainment purposes only, this is the story for you. Very loosely based around the story of Robin Hood and Maid Marion, it combines real time with past memories. While plenty of stories use this model, I did feel the transitions to Marion's past weren't as smooth as I preferred. And there were other moments I would get jarred out of the story and have to try to immerse myself again. So it isn't a perfect story by any means. But cute nonetheless.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs - Modeled loosely on my favorite Austen story, Persuasion, of course I had to pick it up when I saw it at the used bookstore! And I did enjoy my time spent with Anne and Ben. But fyi, the majority of the book is lots of details about college admissions and what students (as well as parents, teachers, and guidance counselors!) have to go through as they try to pick and choose what schools to apply to. The love story really takes a back seat during most of the story. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing! It was an enjoyable read and Anne's adventures with her students and parents can be either nightmarish or amusing, depending on the parent or guardian involved. So all in all, I'm glad I read it.

Courting Magic - I've been hearing great things about the Kat, Incorrigible series for quite some time now and just hadn't gotten around to reading them yet. So when I saw this novella was available, I decided it was perfect to give me a taste of Ms. Burgis' writing and to see if I'd want to read more of the series. And I do! Because this story was SO much fun! Now I want more details on what's happened in Kat's younger years, so you can bet I'm planning to pick up the first three book sometime soon. Read this one for a feisty heroine, mystery and magic, and a sweet romance! :)

Flat-Out Celeste - I read Flat-Out Love a few years ago, and while I wasn't blown away, I did think it was a fun story. So I decided to try a sample of this one on my kindle and Celeste had me at hello! I can see why her family is so protective of her and why they love her so much. Trying to make your way through your teenage years when you're just a little different than everyone else is never an easy thing to do. And Celeste has much to learn. Then Justin enters the picture. He's as quirky as Celeste and they simply get one another. They like each other just as they are, none of this trying to change each other stuff. They're so good for each other! Definitely a fun romance.

The Headmistress of Rosemere - SO wonderful! For some reason, I had been hesitant to read this one. But that was silly, because it's perfectly delightful! ;) I'm happy to say some of the things that bothered me about The Heiress of Winterwood were not present here at all. And Ms. Ladd's writing has only gotten better. Switching between Patience's POV and William's, we get to watch the mysteries unfold alongside them. And we get to watch them fall in love! But it's not just a straight-up romance, which is great. There's so much going on and the answers are strung out so we're waiting with baited breath for what will be discovered next! Ms. Ladd is a fabulous storyteller and I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. (Thanks to my local library. :) I'll certainly be adding this one to my own bookshelf soon!