[Livro] The Girl With The Make Believe Husband, de Julia Quinn

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Título em Português:--
Série: Rokesbys #2
Autor(a): Julia Quinn
Editora: Piatkus
Páginas: 352
Data de Publicação: 30 de Maio de 2017

Sinopse:

While you were sleeping...
With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife
When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true...
Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.

Opinião:
Depois de ler o primeiro livro da prequela, não aguentei e fui logo comprar o segundo. Porém, este ficou claramente atrás do primeiro livro da série.

Sou sincera, não gosto de um romance baseado em mentiras. É verdade que foi em parte por uma boa razão, mas não caiu desde logo muito bem.

Celia é uma personagem que ainda não sei muito bem se gosto dela ou não – estou mais inclinada para a negativa. Edward sim, agora Celia… Teve tantas oportunidades para dizer a verdade e no fim foge?!?!? Não, acho que posso dizer claramente que não gostei dela.

Não me ri com este livro, tirando um sorriso vago com uma ou outra piada que Edward tentava dizer.

Foi uma pena que o tenha lido logo a seguir a um livro que achei tão bom. Este nem lhe chega aos calcanhares. Não é mau, mas quase nem parece escrito pela mesma autora. Acabou por ser uma desilusão.

Title: The Girl With The Make-Believe Husband
Serie: Rokesbys #2
Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher: Piatkus
Pages: 352
Publication date: May 30th 2017

Synopsis:

While you were sleeping...
With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife
When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true...
Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.

Review:
After reading the first book of the Bridgerton’s prequel, I couldn’t wait to go and buy the second one. But this one was, clearly (and sadly), behind it.

I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t like romances based on lies. It’s true that this one had a real valid reason for its lies, but it didn’t start very well for me.

Celia is a character that I’m not sure I like…. I’m more inclined for the negative. Edward, yes, Celia… She had so many opportunities to tell the truth and in the end she runs away?!?! No, I think I can clearly say I don’t like her.

I didn’t laugh with this book, I didn’t have fun with it… I might have had a smile or two for Edward’s jokes, but that was it.

It was just bad luck that I read it right after such a good book like Because of Miss Bridgerton. This one doesn’t even come close to it. It’s not bad, it just didn’t seem written by the same author and the story didn’t do it for me.

It ended up being a disappointment.

[Qual a mais deliciosa?] Uma Paixão de Vermelho

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Capa mais deliciosa: Capa portuguesa (a da direita)

Porquê?
Carla: É preciso admitir que, em geral, as capas nacionais são sempre bem mais bonitas que as originais - especialmente neste género literário em especifico. E assim há entendem qual é a minha favorita, certo? Obviamente a versão portuguesa, pois é muito mais elegante e conjuga muito melhor tanto a paleta de cores como a composição da imagem.

Joana: Gosto muito mais da elegância da capa portuguesa. O vermelho continua presente para dar com o título, com ar histórico na mesma. É uma capa mais apelativa e mistura bem cores.

E vocês, qual a vossa favorita?

The most delicious cover: Portuguese cover (the one on the right)

Why?
Carla: We must admit that the majority of the Portuguese covers is way prettier than the original ones – especially in this genre in specific. You already guessed my favourite cover, right? It’s obviously the Portuguese cover, since it has a better use of the colours and also a better composition in general.

Joana: I prefer the elegance of the Portuguese cover. The red is still there to match the title, still with a historical look. It's a more appealing cover and I like the mix of colours used.

And you, which one do you like the most?

[Livro] Because of Miss Bridgerton, de Julia Quinn

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Título em Português:--
Série: Rokesbys #1
Autor(a): Julia Quinn
Editora: Piatkus
Páginas: 352
Data de Publicação: 29 de Março de 2016

Sinopse:

Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...
This is not one of those times.
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbours for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.
Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...
Or not.
There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.
But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...
Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...

Opinião:
Because of Miss Bridgerton era um livro que eu já tinha debaixo de olho há algum mas que estava a tentar não comprar a pensar na edição portuguesa, mas depois de alguns livros que não me estavam a agradar e começar a sentir o início de uma reading slump achei que estava na altura de comprar o livro – e que bem que soube!!!!

Tenho de admitir desde já que sou uma gigantesca fã da família Bridgerton e por isso poder ler um pouco sobre esta família (ainda que na forma de uma prequela) dá-me a sensação de estar a voltar a casa.

E que bom que foi com a Billie Bridgerton! Acho que há muito tempo que não me divertia tanto com um livro. Tivemos o jogo do palamalho (o malho da morte!!! <3) e tantas aventuras divertidas, com as mães das nossas personagens principais a interferirem para juntar Billie e George, que tanto me lembram o Anthony e a Kate (Peripécias do Coração).

Billie é divertida, forte e destemida, enquanto que George sempre sentiu uma distância entre ele, os seus irmãos e os vizinhos Bridgerton , porque sabia que tinha de aprender tudo sobre a propriedade e como geri-la, etc.. E , de alguma maneira, inveja a liberdade deles mas também estava contente com a sua posição pois sabia que seria bom e feliz a cumpri-la. E quando ele e Billie finalmente se aproximam (com a ajuda de um gato arisco!) tudo começa a mudar. Para melhor, claro.

Talvez para algumas pessoas este livro e o Peripécias do Coração sejam demasiado semelhantes, mas para mim são praticamente perfeitos, não mudava nada.

Foi um livro que me fez rir e sorrir (o que me ganhou alguns olhares estranhos no café da livraria onde o estava a ler) – enfim , o livro ideal com um final perfeito.

Title: Because of Miss Bridgerton
Serie: Rokesbys #1
Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher: Piatkus
Pages: 352
Publication date: March 29th 2016

Synopsis:

Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...
This is not one of those times.
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.
Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...
Or not.
There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.
But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...
Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...

Review:
Because of Miss Bridgerton is a book that I had in mind to buy for a while now, but was hoping to stay strong until the Portuguese version came up, however, after a few less entertaining books and starting to feel like I was in the beginning of a reading slump, I thought it was time to buy it – and it felt so good to do it!

I must admit I’m a huge fan of the Bridgertons so anything that involves this family (even as a prequel) gives me this feeling of coming back home.

And how good it was to start doing it with Billie Bridgerton! I have to say I hadn’t had such fun reading a book in a long time. We had the mallet of death (<3) and so many fun adventures, with the mums of our main characters interfering to try and get Billie and George together – and they remind me so much of Anthony and Kate (The Viscount Who Loved Me).

Billie is so funny, strong and fearless, whereas George always felt a distance between himself, his brothers and his neighbours, the Bridgertons, because he knew he had to learn everything about his dad’s estate and couldn’t afford to “loose” time playing around. In a way, he envied them, but he was also happy with his position because it made him happy to do his job and he was good at it. And when he and Billie become closer (with the help of a cat!), everything starts to change. For the best, of course.

Maybe for some people this book and The Viscount Who Loved Me are too similar but for me they are practically perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing.

A book that made me laugh (really laugh, getting me some strange looks at the bookshop’s café where I was reading it) – well the perfect book with a perfect ending.

[Livro] Ensnared, de Rita Stradling

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Título em Português: --
Série: --
Autor(a): Rita Stradling
Editora: Kindle Press
Páginas: 380
Data de Publicação: 23 de Maio de 2017

Sinopse:

A Near Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake. Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong. To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see. Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.

~ Recebemos este eArc via NetGalley. Obrigada! ~

Opinião:
Ensnared traz-nos uma versão robótica de A Bela e o Monstro. O monstro não tem nada de monstruoso e uma das melhores partes do livro é a casa onde a Alainn vai viver com ele – esta casa “conspira” para juntar Alainn e “monstro”, com a ajuda de macacos inteligentes.

É um livro com uma boa ideia de base e lê-se com facilidade, mas no fim soube a pouco. A robot Rose é uma personagem de que não gostamos desde logo, assim como o seu criador, o pai de Alainn, que não é tanto o não gostar como com Rose mas antes uma personagem irritante que apetece dar um par de estalos.

Sei que é uma crítica pequena mas não há muito mais a dizer. É uma versão robótica do conto que, apesar de interessante, não é extraordinária.

Title: Ensnared
Serie: --
Author: Rita Stradling
Publisher: Kindle Press
Pages: 380
Publication date: May 23rd 2017

Synopsis:

A Near Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake. Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong. To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see. Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.

~ We’ve received this eArc via NetGalley. Thank you! ~

Review:
Ensnared brings us a robotic version of Beauty and the Beast. The “beast” has nothing monstrous about him and one of the best things about the book is the house where Alainn goes to live with him – this home “conspires” to get together, with the help of intelligent monkeys.

It’s a book with a good idea as a base, and it’s easily read, but in the end it wasn’t much… The robot, Rose is the character we hate from the start, almost like its creator, Alainn father, although with him is more like he is an annoying character that we just spend the time thinking we want to slap him so he actually see the reality and not what Rose tells him, or shows him.

I know it’s a small review, but there’s not much more to say. It’s a robotic version of the fairy-tale that, even though it had an interesting concept, didn’t make it much further away from that.

[Livro] The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen, de Victoria Alexander

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Título em Português: --
Série: The Lady Travelers Guide #1
Autor(a): Victoria Alexander
Editora: Harlequin Books
Páginas: 401
Data de Publicação: 23 de Maio de 2017

Sinopse:

Really, it's too much to expect any normal man to behave like a staid accountant in order to inherit the fortune he deserves to support the lifestyle of an earl. So when Derek Saunders's favorite elderly aunt and her ill-conceived—and possibly fraudulent—Lady Travelers Society loses one of their members, what's a man to do but step up to the challenge? Now he's escorting the world's most maddening woman to the world's most romantic city to find her missing relative.
While India Prendergast only suspects his organization defrauds gullible travelers, she's certain a man with as scandalous a reputation as Derek Saunders cannot be trusted any farther than the distance around his very broad shoulders. As she struggles not to be distracted by his wicked smile and the allure of Paris, instead of finding a lost lady traveler, India just may lose her head, her luggage and her heart.

~ Recebemos este eARC através do site NetGalley, pela autora. Obrigada! ~

Opinião:
Primeira leitura da autora Victoria Alexander. Foi talvez um livro um pouco grande de mais – se lhe tirasse talvez 50-100 págs do início do livro teria sido melhor.

Começa um pouco devagar, mas quando o enredo se começa a desenvolver lá ganha folgo. Este “guia” é um livro sobre o desabrochar de uma rapariga que sempre foi muito séria e nunca aproveitou as coisas boas da vida – e uma ida a Paris vai mudar isso.

Gostei de Derek Saunders desde o início e de India Pendergast à medida que o livro foi avançando, como era suposto. Ela percebe como trata as pessoas e como se trata a si própria, e que há lugar para tudo no mundo, seja um vestido prático ou um vestido cheio de folhos.

A evolução de India está bem-feita e o mistério da prima Heloise, apesar de um pouco estranho e facilmente resolvido no fim do livro (talvez fácil de mais), foi também interessante, com uma mistura de estranheza.

No fim, um livro que divertiu e me fez passar um bom bocado.

Title: The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen
Serie: The Lady Travelers Guide #1
Author: Victoria Alexander
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Pages: 401
Publication date: May 23rd 2017

Synopsis:

Really, it's too much to expect any normal man to behave like a staid accountant in order to inherit the fortune he deserves to support the lifestyle of an earl. So when Derek Saunders's favorite elderly aunt and her ill-conceived—and possibly fraudulent—Lady Travelers Society loses one of their members, what's a man to do but step up to the challenge? Now he's escorting the world's most maddening woman to the world's most romantic city to find her missing relative.
While India Prendergast only suspects his organization defrauds gullible travelers, she's certain a man with as scandalous a reputation as Derek Saunders cannot be trusted any farther than the distance around his very broad shoulders. As she struggles not to be distracted by his wicked smile and the allure of Paris, instead of finding a lost lady traveler, India just may lose her head, her luggage and her heart.

~ We received an eARC through NetGalley, given by the author. Thank you! ~

Review:
First time I ever read anything by Victoria Alexander. It may be a bit too big – if had 50-100 pages less, it might have been better.

It was a bit slow to start, but when the plot starts to develop, it gains some strength. This “guide” is about a girl/woman who was always very serious and never enjoyed the good things in life – and a trip to Paris is going to change that.

I liked Derek Saunders from the very beginning, and India Pendergast as I started reading a bit more and more of the book, just like I think it was supposed to be. She starts to realize that she doesn’t treat people – and herself – very well, as well as understands that there is a place for everything in her world, be it a practical dress or a ruffled, very feminine dress.

India’s evolution is very well done and the mystery of Cousin Heloise, although a bit strange and too easily resolved in the end, also had its degree of interest.

In the end, it was a fun book that I thoroughly enjoyed.