Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

8 Stars

From the back cover: When Persephone Lancaster receives a marriage proposal from the ill-tempered Duke of Kielder, she refuses — and then reconsiders. The obscene sum of money he’s offering Persephone would save her family from ruin. With her characteristic optimism, she travels to the far reaches of Northumberland to wed a greatly feared stranger.

Lodged deep in a thick forest infested with wild dogs, the Duke’s castle is as cold and forbidding as the Duke himself, a man with terrible scars on his body and his soul. But the Duke’s steely determination to protect his heart at all costs is challenged by his growing attachment to his lovely and gentle bride. With caring persistence, Persephone attempts to pierce the Duke’s armor and reach the man beneath. Yet he cannot tolerate such exposure, and his repeated rejections take their toll. But when grave danger arises, the Duke realizes he must face the risk of revealing his true feelings or lose the woman he cannot live without.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Seeking Persephone, by Sarah M. Eden.  Ms. Eden is an LDS author and writes books set in Regency England.  This is the first book in a series based around the Lancaster family.  At only 280 pages it was a fairly quick read. Although it's set in Regency England, the descriptive language is not as difficult to read or understand.  It was sweet, clean, moved quickly and had interesting and witty characters.  I enjoyed the dialogue between characters, and insights into relationships.  I'm giving it 8 stars because it is definitely a chick book, and therefore won't appeal to all readers.  If you enjoy books from authors like Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, you'll probably enjoy this!

Austenland by Shannon Hale

7 Stars

"When her great-aunt bequeaths her a trip to a role-playing resort called Austenland, Jane must discover whether playing dress-up in Regency clothes can cure her of her [Mr. Darcy] obsession and help her find real love, once and for all." (Synopsis taken from the Superfast Reader.)

This was a GREAT book for anyone who loves chick lit. It's clean, it's funny, the heroine is quirky and likable, and it's a quick, fun read. There are a couple of "awkward" moments that some might not enjoy (*ahem, Ashley* ;D ), but it was still pretty recommend-able. The best part about it, to me, is that Hale actually manages to keep you on your toes about how it's all going to end. Ultimate moral of the story: Hale writes better youth-oriented books, BUT I'll continue seeking her out.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

4 Stars

Summary: Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother. (taken from this inside cover)

Review:

This was a very insightful look into the mind of an autistic child, which is completely new to me. It was fascinating to see how he processed information and what seemed like little issues were drastically huge issues to him (for example, he hated the color yellow and could not touch it because it made him feel sick). There was also some subtle humor in the dry comments and observations. I did enjoy the mathematical aspects. I always remember Stephen Hawkings when he said that mathematicians see the world completely differently from non-mathematicians, and Christopher's comments reminded me of that. However, to me I just found the theology and the plot too depressing.

-Amy