The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik

* * * 1/2

Anna Eliot is tired of worrying about what other people think. After all, that was how she lost the only guy she ever really liked, Finn Westbrook.

Now, three years after she broke his heart, the one who got away is back in her life.

All Anna wants is a chance to relive their last kiss again (and again and again). But Finn obviously hasn’t forgotten how she treated him, and he’s made it clear he has no interest in having anything to do with her.

Anna keeps trying to persuade herself that she doesn’t care about Finn either, but even though they’ve both changed since they first met, deep down she knows he’s the guy for her. Now if only she can get him to believe that, too....

With her signature wit and expertly authentic teen voice, Claire LaZebnik (the author of fan favorites Epic Fail and The Trouble with Flirting) once again breathes new life into a perennially popular love story. Fans of Polly Shulman, Maureen Johnson, and, of course, Jane Austen will love this irresistibly funny and romantic tale of first loves and second chances.


Review:

Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel after Pride and Prejudice and Emma.  And this was a pretty good modernization of Miss Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth’s story.  LaZebnik does a wonderful job of transitioning a story about betrayal, growth and forgiveness into a contemporary high school setting.

Anna meets Finn their freshmen year when he joins her carpool to and from school.  It doesn’t take long before they hit it off over frozen yogurt, super cool online photos and secret kisses.  But Anna is one of the cool kids and Finn is not.  She is embarrassed to admit their relationship to her friends so she holds back on showing too much at school.  When Finn asks Anna to Homecoming she says that she has already agreed to go with friends but that she will meet him there.   Which is true, but …when the young Finn in his oversized suit comes over to Anna, she completely snubs him.  They avoid each other the rest of the year and over the summer Finn and his parents move away.

Fast forward three years later.  It is senior year and all the girls are giddy over the new hot transfer….Finn Westbrook.  Anna is still feeling horribly guilty about hurting the only guy she has ever really liked.  She has no real hope that Finn will giver her the time of day let alone forgive her but she attempts to apologize anyway.  His response is exactly what you would expect.  He isn’t mean but he also isn’t interested in her apology or being friends.  But her friends pull him into their group and pretty soon Finn and Anna are in constant awkward company.

This story definitely had its uncomfortable moments.  The Homecoming scene made my skin crawl.  Even though you see it coming, nothing can really prepare you for that kind of humiliation.  But I loved the overall message.  Much like our hero and heroine in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Anna and Finn (Anna in particular) have to grow and learn to be strong and stand up for their convictions before they can ever consider a relationship with each other.

My only complaint with the story is that I felt that Anna’s attempts at an apology were rather weak.  She made too many excuses.  Her apology would have gone a lot farther had she, rather than trying to justify her actions, simply apologized and admitted her actions were wrong.   Granted that is the adult in me talking.  Maybe I should be a little more forgiving to the teenagers.

As is always the case with books I really enjoy, the characters absolutely won me over.  I found the characters in this book to be wonderfully diverse and delightful. Well except for Anna’s parents and one of her sisters – the three of them were pretty despicable.  And I am not ashamed to admit that Finn might be one of my favorite book boyfriends ever.  I have a soft spot for cute nerds.  Make them dark haired and skinny and I’m a puddle on the floor.  Not so secret fact: The Executive Officer is a dark haired skinny nerd. So I might have a type.  And Finn might be it.

As you can probably tell, I found The Last Best Kiss to be a thoroughly entertaining and engaging book. This was a sweet story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a delightful teen romance.

Nat

The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle

* * * 1/2

A tale of love and marriage, society balls and courtship, class and a touch of scandal, Pamela Mingle's The Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a fresh take on one of the most beloved novels of all time, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Growing up with four extraordinary sisters—beautiful and confident Jane and Elizabeth, and flirtatious and lighthearted Lydia and Kitty—wasn't easy for an awkward bookworm like Mary Bennet. But with nearly all of her sisters married and gone from the household, the unrefined Mary has transformed into an attractive and eligible young woman in her own right.

When another scandal involving Lydia and Wickham threatens the Bennet house, Mary and Kitty are packed off to visit Jane and her husband, Charles Bingley, where they meet the dashing Henry Walsh. Eager and naïve, Mary is confused by Henry's attentions, even as she finds herself drawing closer to him. Could this really be love—or the notions of a foolish girl unschooled in the art of romance and flirtation?

I’ll make a confession here: I’ve never read Pride & Prejudice all the way through BUT I have seen the series with the charming Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Does that count? Anyway, I mention this because not having read P & P, I wondered if that would hinder me at all when I tackled The Pursuit of Mary Bennet.

If you’re looking for a sequel, this is certainly not it. Instead, Mingle has decided to write a story about the one sister we hardly know anything about. It seems daunting but I think Mingle steps up to the challenge nicely. Rather than mimic Jane Austen’s writing, she has planted Mary as the narrator, giving her her own distinct voice.  What we end up with is a lovely story about a sister once so easily disregarded by her family who steps out into the spotlight.

What surprised me most as I read Pursuit is how funny it is. Mary is essentially a girl after my own heart. She has a wry sense of humor, can be sarcastic and often times a bit too blunt. I love her! Her personality stands in sharp contrast to her sisters and other women of the time. To be honest, she would fit in easily with today’s crowd. And her older two sisters notice this change in her. Both Elizabeth and Jane admit to having ignored her for the most part and acknowledge that she is becoming a very smart and “well-mannered” young woman. They try to protect her from their family's scandals - though she is strong enough to handle them - and also encourage a potential courtship between her and Henry Walsh.

Her meetings with Henry are funny. They obviously like each other though customs of that time period forbid them from coming right out and saying it. That’s annoying. But Mary muddles through because she has plenty other things on her mind such as the mess that her sister Lydia has landed herself in. As with P & P, of course there are hiccups and misunderstandings that lead to a few tears and chaos. But as with P & P, things do turn around for the better.

I enjoyed reading The Pursuit of Mary Bennet very much. I went it to it with an open mind and returned with a particular fondness for Mary and her brand of girl power.

~ Bel

Spies & Prejudice by Talia Vance

From Egmont:

Fields' Rule #1:  Don't fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend.  She's busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she's sure all men commit.  And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant - and gorgeous - Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her "nothing amazing," it's no loss for Berry.  She'll forget him in no time.  She's more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother's death.  

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way?  Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat?  And why can't Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful not to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Spies & Prejudice is Jane Austen meets Veronica Mars, except Berry is fueled by her mother's death, where Veronica was fueled by her BFF's death.  Spies & Prejudice is full of intrigue, fun gadgets, betrayals and misunderstandings.  While some things were blatantly obvious, there were plenty of twists and turns to the story to keep you guessing about how it would end.  I hope this is the start to a series, because it was a lot of fun.

If you enjoy mysteries, Jane Austen and/or Veronica Mars (and who doesn't, these are three awesome things), you will enjoy Spies & Prejudice.  Check out Talia Vance's website for more info:  www.taliavance.com

~Shel