The Luxe

THE LUXE is set in the glittering and decadent world of turn-of-the-century New York, where romance and intrigue rule the lives of society's elite. Elizabeth and Diana Holland are daughters of one of New York's oldest and most respected families. But when their life of luxury is threatened by the death of their father, Elizabeth must make a marriage of convenience in order to secure her family's financial future.Her fiance is Henry Schoonmaker, a known playboy, who is also the heir of a rich and respectable family. Little does Elizabeth know that her best friend is one of Henry's lovers and had hoped to win Henry's affection for herself. Elizabeth's engagement is further complicated by her own secret love affair with Will Keller, a family servant who grew up alongside Elizabeth.Henry is forced into the engagement by his overbearing and ambitious father. He has some secrets of his own, including a growing affection for Elizabeth's sister Diana. Their involvement offers some of the book's most romantic moments.THE LUXE begins with the disappearance and assumed death of one of the book's main characters, which only adds mystery to the melodrama. The complex plot and attention to detail puts THE LUXE above many historical romances. Its mix of female rivalry in glamorous settings and scandalous plots will appeal to many readers.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This book is as current today as when it was written in 1816, because the themes of rekindled romance and overcoming barriers to romance are also current. At the age of 19, Anne Elliot, daughter of a baronet, falls in love with Frederick Wentworth, who has no fortune or title. Anne is persuaded by a close family friend, Lady Russell, to refuse Wentworth’s proposal of marriage. Eight years later, he returns as Captain Wentworth with his fortune made, but with some bitterness towards Anne for having let herself be talked out of marrying him. By now her family has had financial problems and must move from their family home to Bath. Without giving away all the twists and turns that keep throwing Anne and Frederick together, let me just say it is a very entertaining story, well worth your time to read.

Newpointe 911 Series by Terri Blackstock

The Newpointe 911 is a series of five books that will intrigue you from the 1st page you turn. It takes the reader into the lives of the Newpointe, LA fire department, a small town just outside of New Orleans. Written by Terri Blackstock, these books are a quick read, and you will not want to put them down. The main characters are, of course, the fire department employees. There is love and romance, murder investigations, as well as riveting drama in each book.

Ms. Blackstock only planned on writing four books, but after September 11, she wrote “Line of Duty” to give the readers an inside glimpse of what the fire fighters had to deal with. This series also gives glimpses of New Orleans and the Cajun people. I loved this series, and I believe you will too.


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The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer

I recently read the 11th Commandment by Jeffrey Archer, recommended to me by a co-worker. It is the tale of CIA assassin Conner Fitzgerald. The book covers his activities through several countries and identities. Archer shows the human side of Fitzgerald by letting the reader in on his family life. They, his wife and daughter, know nothing of his CIA activities, only suspect.

I found I could not read this at night and keep all the characters and identities straight. However, with a very unexpected ending, this is entertaining reading.

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Written by Phyllis Kelly

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Herod Sayle has something to hide. A MI6 operative died trying to find out what it was. Now the fate of Britain lies in the hands of an untried 14 year old boy.

Alex has had his world turn upside-down. His only relative, Ian Rider has been killed in a car accident coming home from Cornwall, but there is something fishy about the police report and Alex decides to investigate. Little does he know that his investigation will draw him into his late Uncle’s undercover world, for Ian Rider was a spy for the British government. Blackmailed into taking over his uncle’s assignment and given only two weeks of training, Alex is sent to Port Tallon to discover what Herod Sayle is hiding behind his generous donation of supercomputers, know as the Stormbreaker, to every school in the country.

Join Alex in this fast-paced adventure packed with high-speed bike chases, a Portuguese man-of-war, evil villains and of course, creative gadgets. Brave, resourceful, funny and knowing karate (which is always a bonus!), Alex Rider is a teenage James Bond that teenagers and adults will love.

Listening For Lions by Gloria Whelan

Gentle, nostalgic, and fueled with old-fashioned girl power, this involving orphan story will please fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic "The Secret Garden" and Eva Ibbotson's "The Star of Kazan" - Booklist, starred review

Listening for Lions tells the story of young Rachel Sheridan, daughter of missionaries running a hospital, church and school for the natives near Nairobi in Africa. In 1919 tragedy strikes the family when a patient is brought to the hospital with the deadly influenza disease, and Rachel loses both her parents to the epidemic.

Alone and friendless among the British who have settled in the area, 13 year old Rachel is taken in by scheming neighbors, the Pritchards. Disowned by their family in England and having lost their own daughter, Valerie, to the epidemic, the Pritchards plan to send Rachel to England in place of their daughter to ensure Grandfather Pritchard, who has never seen his granddaughter, will not write the greedy pair out of his will.

Rachel, sent away from the only home she has never known and forced to live a lie, is terrified that revealing her secret would hasten the elderly gentleman's death and she would be sent to live in an orphanage. Surrounded by greed and lies, Rachel must rely on her irrepressible spirit and dream of returning to her beloved Africa to change from victim into heroine.

Beautifully read by Bianca Amato this book is aimed at young adults and teens. It shows that with a little courage and a lot of determination all dreams are possible.

To request this book from the Jefferson county libraries click here.