Splendor by Anna Godbersen

Genre: YA Fiction

Author Website: www.theluxebooks.com

One Word Review: Mediocre

First Line: “Fifty years ago, every American girl wanted to be a European princess.”

Synopsis: “A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes. Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.” -GoodReads

Jess’s Review: If a debutante's greatest fear is that the public will lose interest in her; then her fear became a reality in Splendor. It was only because I was invested in the series that I enjoyed Splendor as much as I did. Frankly, there is not one thing in the book that could not have been accomplished in book three. The book is slow to get going, the story lines tired and predictable and in the end it felt like beating a dead horse. The ending was rushed and left me feeling like the rest of the book was just a filler to get to the last 50 or so pages. Carolina is on the cover of this book and to me she was a peripheral character and not capable to carrying most of the book. Like Kath, I think the series would have been better off as a concise trilogy. Hmm, where have I heard that before? Cough, Cough Stephanie Meyer...ahem. I am very partial to trilogies. I think you must have one heck of a story line to carry more books and keep my interest. However, I'm glad I saw this one through. I liked seeing how each character ended up and that each character seemed to get their just desserts. The series was a fun one and this one was fun as well, just to a much lesser degree. I say the series is definitely worth your time and that Splendor is easy to skim!

Reading Order:

Book One: Luxe

Book Two: Rumors

Book Three: Envy

Book Four: Splendor

Splendor by Anna Godbersen

Genre: YA Fiction

Author Website: www.theluxebooks.com

One Word Review: Posh

First Line: “Fifty years ago, every American girl wanted to be a European princess.”

Synopsis: “A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes. Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.” -GoodReads

Kathy’s Review: I’ve been waiting for this one for quite awhile and was excited to finally get my hands on a copy so I could dive back into the crazy socialite lives of Elizabeth, Diana, Penelope and Carolina. This was a good conclusion to the series, although I was a little disappointed with how some things ended up, for the most part I thought everyone got what they deserved. This book didn’t captivate me like its predecessors and thought it was kind of lacking some of the drama and intrigue that I enjoyed so much in the other novels and I think really would have been better as a trilogy. I thought some storylines were kind of neglected and then resolved too quickly (Elizabeth), while others were drawn out and didn’t quite have the ending I was expecting. If you enjoyed the first three books then you will probably like seeing what happens with everyone.

Reading Order:
Book One: Luxe
Book Two: Rumors
Book Three: Envy
Book Four: Splendor

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. After completing your post return to Breaking the Spine and add a comment with a link to their post. This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Splendor
By Anne Godbersen
Release Date: October 27, 2009

Synopsis: It’s a new year, and Manhattan’s favorite socialites are stirring up brand-new drama: Elizabeth uncovers a dangerous secret from her past; Diana has an opportunity to follow her heart and claim her future, Lina discovers money can buy happiness…for a time, and Penelope finds that life without Henry brings unexpected pleasures. In this dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, old ties are broken, fresh bonds are formed and every decision comes at a cost.

Why I’m Waiting: The fourth installment of the Luxe series is worth waiting for because nothing makes me feel quite so guilty and quite so pleasant at the same time. In other words, the Luxe series is the ultimate guilty pleasure! I indulge myself in all the gossip and scandal and smile knowing that thankfully it is just a book and no one I know was injured in the process. Personally I’m hoping that Lina plays an extremely small role in this book, that Penelope gets a large serving of humble pie, and that Henry has indeed grown a back-bone.

Envy by Anna Godbersen

“Two months after Elizabeth Holland’s dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana’s side, however, those watching New York’s favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South. Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city’s most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope’s finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope’s social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune—and her fame—are anything but secure, especially now that one of society’s darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.”

What is it about these books? Once I start reading I couldn’t put them down. I once again was drawn up into the drama of 1900 New York society. I have a love-hate relationship with these characters, there are defiantly those that I am rooting for and those that really need to get what’s coming to them. I enjoyed this third book as much as the first two, maybe a little more. For the most part, the characters really grow and thought about the people around them and not just themselves. Diana is definitely my favorite, although she made some poor choices in this book, I am excited to see what adventure she gets herself into in the next installment. Henry continues to grow on me. He really starts to come into his own, and finally starts to stand up for himself. I’m not sure if it’s all a little too late, but I enjoyed the twist his path has taken and am eager to see how his character continues to grow. Elizabeth was a bit more real to me, it was obvious what her condition was at the beginning, but she wasn’t as whiny as she had been in previous books. Carolina and Penelope both continue to drive me crazy! I really hope things are able to work out for Teddy, not sure how this is going to happen now, but he is probably the only nice, good guy in the entire book and he deserves a little happiness. I am sad it will be about six months before the next book comes out. What am I suppose to do until then?

Book One: The Luxe
Book Two: Rumors
Book Three: Envy
Book Four: Slendor

Rumors by Anna Godbersen

“As rumors fly about the untimely demise of new York’s brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, all eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her sister, Diana, the family’s only hope for redemption; Henry Schoonmaker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind; even Elizabeth’s former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.”

I enjoyed this book as much as the first. It is a definite page-turner, and I actually grew to like some of the characters a lot more than I had in the first book. Having read reviews of all three books I kind of had an idea of what was going to happen, but it was still fun to read and see how everything plays out. I’m now a fan of Diana & Henry and hope that somehow things can work out for them. Penelope is still awful! I almost feel sorry for her, she probably could have anyone she wants, but don’t you want someone that actually wants you back? As for Lina, wow! I just don’t like that girl and its sad to see how far she has fallen (although in her mind she seems to be rising). I hope that she learns some lessons and that “what goes around comes around.” And last but not least, Elizabeth. For some reason she is still kind of a mystery to me. I don’t really feel one way or the other. Her character is suppose to be so loved and likable, but she does nothing for me. The ending has left me wondering what is going to happen with Elizabeth, I’m hoping she gets some personality and is a little more fun to read about.

Book One: The Luxe
Book Two: Rumors
Book Three: Envy
Book Four: Splendor

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

“Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan’s social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City’s elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone—from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud—threatens Elizabeth’s and Diana’s golden future. With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city’s gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan’s most celebrated daughter disappear…”

Where do I begin? I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I actually really enjoyed this book. It’s full of romance (maybe a little too much romance), mystery, a large helping of jealousy and of course, betrayal. It is defiantly a book that I couldn’t put down and when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. I normally don’t care for stories that jump around from more than two points of view, but in this case it was rather entertaining to see all the drama going on, and all the misunderstandings. There is no way I can write this review without giving away some spoilers, so I would recommend reading the book ASAP and then read my review.

The story follows the lives of five different characters, Elizabeth, her sister Diana, Henry, Penelope and Lina (Elizabeth’s maid). They all seem to have the concept of love and lust confused, and for some reason they all seem to hate Elizabeth for really no reason other than jealousy.

Lina. The cover describes her perfectly: Spiteful. Throughout the book I just wanted to yell “HE’S NOT INTO YOU”. Lina has built up this non-existent relationship with Will (another employee of the Hollands) and when she finds out that he and Elizabeth have a relationship she of course thinks that Elizabeth has somehow tricked him. Lina drove me crazy and I think she’s a little pathetic. I hope that she turns herself around in the following books. Get over Will and find someone who actually loves you.

Penelope. What a horrible, spoiled little girl. She is completely caught up in herself and her own little world. She has a secret relationship with Henry and when Henry proposes to her best friend Elizabeth, she of course hates Elizabeth and doesn’t even get mad at him. Her character reminded me exactly of Olivia on MTV’s The City.

Henry. Oh, Henry. What is it about guys like Henry? He is completely spoiled, lazy, irresponsible, a complete womanizer and yet all the girls want him? He really drove me crazy the entire time. For me he had little redeeming quality and yet by the end of the book I kind of liked him. All along I thought he was chasing after Diana because she was something he couldn’t have, but I am starting to think that maybe he does have feelings for her. This still doesn’t make it right because he is marrying her sister! That is just gross and wrong on so many levels.

Diana. At first I didn’t like Diana. She came across as very young and irresponsible, especially when she was actually excited to find out that her family was poor. She doesn’t really have a grasp on reality. Also, she goes after her sister’s fiancé and doesn’t seem to have a conscience. I was glad toward the end when she finally started to have remorse and to start to think of her family and not just herself.

Elizabeth. She is still a total mystery to me. From her point of view she is almost two different people. She is constantly trying to please everyone around her, especially her demanding mother and is sacrificing herself for her family. On the other hand she is deeply in love with Will and shows a carefree side when she is with him. Most of the time I thought she was kind of boring.

Reading Order:

Book One: Luxe

Book Two: Rumors

Book Three: Envy

Book Four: Splendor