Goddess by Kelly Gardiner

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Versailles, 1686: Julie d'Aubigny, a striking young girl taught to fence and fight in the court of the Sun King, is taken as mistress by the King's Master of Horse. Tempestuous, swashbuckling and volatile, within two years she has run away with her fencing master, fallen in love with a nun and is hiding from the authorities, sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Within another year, she has become Mademoiselle de Maupin, a beloved star at the famed Paris Opéra. Her lovers include some of Europe's most powerful men and France's most beautiful women. Yet Julie is destined to die alone in a convent at the age of 33.

Based on an extraordinary true story, this is an original, dazzling and witty novel - a compelling portrait of an unforgettable woman.

For all those readers who love Sarah Dunant, Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel.

It’s always fun to read about strong women through history who’ve left their mark on the world. I had never heard of Julie d’Aubigny until I came across Goddess. She was a dichotomy - a woman well before her time who played up her femininity when it suited her but who wasn’t going to be held back simply because she was a woman. She enjoyed her notoriety and was simultaneously reviled and admired.

Julie’s story is told from two angles: her point of view as she “confesses” her many sins to a priest who comes to visit her on her deathbed. I use the term “confess” loosely here because she’s merely giving her side of her story. The other side of her story is told in third person. I enjoyed Goddess overall but I did have some trouble keeping up with the two POVs. When told in her voice, d'Aubigny tends to ramble, which is understandable as she’s gravely ill and struggles to stay focused. However, even on her deathbed she’s as feisty and cheeky as ever. I felt that once I got comfortable with the rhythm of her narrative, it would then switch gears and I’d have to adjust to the other POV. But that's just me.

Regardless, I was still fascinated by Julie’s life and her courageousness in being true to her convictions. Considering the limitations on women back then, even she knew at the tender young age of 13 that becoming a mistress to one of the most prominent men in Paris would be her ticket out of her oppressive household. She also knew her way around a sword, never turning down a challenge for a duel and besting many men while at it. After all, she learned from her father, a proficient swordsman himself. D'Aubigny later fulfilled her dream to become a celebrated opera singer. Throughout her short life, she never let herself be victimized by her circumstances, seizing opportunities that presented themselves and employing her sexual ambiguity to her advantage in many instances. 

With plenty of material to derive from d’Aubigny’s real life, Goddess is an unforgettable glimpse into the life of a remarkably charismatic woman who attracted as many people to her as she did heartache and scandals. I would love to see this come alive as a movie because I think everyone should know about this unapologetic, indomitable 17^th century heroine who never compromised herself. Julie d'Aubigny definitely had attitude and I am rather in awe of her.

~ Bel

French Kissed by Chanel Cleeton Blog Tour

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On the surface, Fleur Marceaux has it all. If only the facade matched reality. With one year left at the International School in London, Fleur’s struggling to graduate, her love life is a mess, and she can’t stop thinking about Max, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. But all that pales compared to the blackmailer determined to destroy her.

There’s a social hierarchy at the International School and Max Tucker is outside the velvet ropes. After watching Fleur break his friend’s heart, Max knows to stay away from trouble, despite the crush he’s had on her since freshman year. But when they’re partnered on a project, Max learns there’s more to Fleur than meets the eye, and she just might be worth the wild ride.

The more time they spend together, the further Max falls. And when a kiss awakens a passion Fleur never imagined, she’s unable to resist Max, who she had thought was all wrong for her but might be the only thing that’s right. But will he stand by her when her secrets are revealed?

Don’t miss the final book in the International School series. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 17 and up.

Oh boy, where do I even start? I fell in love with the International School series recently when I read both I See London and London Falling. I just couldn’t get enough of Samir and Maggie in both those books and was sincerely hoping that Cleeton would write another from Samir’s point of view considering the new direction he was undertaking. I didn’t get my wish. However, Cleeton did gift us with a book that’s all about Fleur.

It never occurred to me that Fleur would have an interesting backstory because I was so engrossed with the other two. Well, joke’s on me because there’s so much more to Fleur and in the process of getting to her, I’ve found her to be funny, confident, generous and loyal. 

Her funny side is brought out by her increasingly growing and perplexing attraction to Max, an American and fellow schoolmate. He’s opposite and unlike anyone she’s ever been attracted to. For his part, Max has the same feelings too. However, he’s baffled as to how to deal with this. As far as he has seen, she’s the Ice Queen (a popular moniker he invented for her years ago), high-maintenance, very French and very much out of his league. He has spent so much time trying to dislike her while fighting his crush on her.  When they’re partnered together for a class project, the snark and insults are secondary to all the sparks that fly all over the place. They get slightly defensive as they find themselves in the ridiculous position of being self-conscious around each other. Seeing these two who supposedly hate each other be so awkward around each other is very comical.

One of the highlights is an incredibly steamy pub scene involving Max in a well-tailored suit and a comprehensive lesson on the various bases, American-style. Holy. Hot. Sexual. Tension. Lucky Fleur! No lie – it made me want to take my husband out to get fitted for a suit!

Sexual tension aside, both Fleur and Max are contending with their own things. Fleur has been silently dealing with a blackmailer who won’t leave her alone and Max has to nail down a job or go back to his parents in Chicago with his tail between his legs. Both are incredibly defiant and want to take care of their business on their own terms. They may come from two different worlds but in the end, both of them are defying their families’ low expectations of what they can achieve for themselves. They have great friends standing by their sides which means yes, Samir, Maggie, Mya and George make appearances, which makes me happy!

French Kissed ends this series on a good note. It makes me slightly sad but having been an international student myself once, I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through these characters.  They’ve all grown up, discovered their independence and evolved into people they can be proud of. Along the way, these steadfast friends have become the most loving and supportive of families. If you're looking for something with a bit of international flavour, French Kissed and the entire International School series will do it!

~ Bel

Hey, check Chanel Cleeton's giveaway to celebrate the release of French Kissed! 

Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Synopsis taken from book cover:

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more.  So she’s less than thrilled about being shipped of to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Étienne St. Clair.  Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all…including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Lights, wishes have a way of coming true.  Will a year of romantic near misses end with their long awaited French kiss?  Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.

I admit it.  I am a sucker for romance.  Sure a lot of girls like a little romance in their books.  But I am talking about a book just about romance.  No plots about Shadowhunters fighting evil and mind control (no offense Jace).  No plots about fallen angels trying to sacrifice girls in order to become human (don’t worry Patch, Bel still wants you).  I am talking pure unadulterated romance.  The kind of story where the main plot is about the Boy pursuing the Girl or the Girl crushing on the Boy.   All of it leading up to a smile-inducing ending where the Boy kisses the Girl and they live happily every after (or so we assume).

Anna and French Kiss is THAT book.  It is THAT romance.  It made me think of all my favorite romantic comedies.  Princess Diaries.  Serendipity.  Definitely, Maybe. When Harry Met Sally (yes I am dating myself). The movies I don’t mind watching over and over again because they make me happy.  Positively giddy.

Stephanie Perkins does an amazing job of building the tension between Anna and St. Clair.  Her simple descriptions such as legs accidentally brushing each other in a darkened movie theater will set your book on fire.  Quick, make sure you put that fire out though because the story is just getting started.  We suffer with Anna and St. Clair for an entire school year of mistakes and misunderstandings that keeps them apart.  All the time wondering, is this it?  Is it finally going to happen? 

And as much as I enjoyed the romance in this book there were a myriad of other things to love.  Such as:

• Anna’s growth as she maneuvers through her senior year at a new school, in a new country, with no immediate familial support.

• Anna’s new friends.  These aren’t token friends added to the story just because.  They are wonderfully developed characters that you learn to love as they take Anna under their wings.

• The laugh out loud moments.  Anna’s internal dialogue often had me laughing hysterically.  She is wonderfully dry.  I don’t know that anyone else could make me laugh at the following sentence  “Trousers.  Honestly.”  And yes, the exchanges between Anna and her friends were also hilarious at times.  Let’s not even mention some of the funny exchanges between her and St. Clair.

• Never have I been happier to hear a girl call a guy an asshole.  Won’t tell you who, what, when, where or why.  But it was fitting and it was deserved.

• I learned a new word that I will now use regularly…Callipygian.  Seriously, look this up.  It’s fabulous.

• And most importantly, how can I not love a book where a group of friends bond over crepes and Girl Scout cookies?  This is Bibliojunkie heaven.

Really, I could go on and on.  I enjoyed it that much.  I haven’t had many happy reads lately and to me this was a happy read.  So go!  Go now.  To your local bookstore or library, either one.  Just go and pick up this book.  In the end you will be smiling and will be happy that you listened to me.

~Nat