Sixteen Scandals
My fellow Georgette Heyer fans will enjoy this irreverent YA romance, in which Primrose Ainsworth decides to launch herself into society on her sixteenth birthday, regardless of her parents’ decision to hold off her debut until her sister lands a husband. She sneaks out with her best friend to the notorious Vauxhall Gardens to celebrate and finds plenty of adventure and romance in the sparkling London wonderland.
by Sophie Jordan
My fellow Georgette Heyer fans will enjoy this irreverent YA romance, in which Primrose Ainsworth decides to launch herself into society on her sixteenth birthday, regardless of her parents’ decision to hold off her debut until her sister lands a husband. She sneaks out with her best friend to the notorious Vauxhall Gardens to celebrate and finds plenty of adventure and romance in the sparkling London wonderland.
This is exactly what it sounds like — a fun, fluffy Regency romance with a happy ending and all the loose ends tied up. Which, OK, may not make for literary greatness but which definitely makes the perfect poolside reading. Of course it’s ridiculous that a well-brought-up young lady could break all the social rules so thoroughly and not end up a social pariah, but that’s part of the fun of historical romances — that we can bend some of the ridiculous social rules and ask “what if?” If this is your jam — and it is my jam — it is a fun, fast read that will probably make you laugh if you don’t try to take it too seriously.
(The title, in case you didn’t notice, is a riff on the teen movie classic Sixteen Candles. So there’s that, too!)
The Inheritance Games
There’s a big mysterious house full of hidden passages and secret codes. There’s a complicated family that is full of people who are Up To Something. There are Mysteries From the Past coming to light in the present. And there’s a reasonably satisfying conclusion. I’ll forgive it the love triangle and occasional plot hole for the sheer fun it was to read. This is a perfect summer book.
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Several people recommended The Inheritance Games to me, and I totally see why: It’s a fun, fast-paced read full of puzzles and surprises. Is it the best book I ever read? No. Did it make the perfect poolside reading pleasure? Totally.
Avery has no idea why she’s named in the will of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne — or why her inheritance depends on her making his enormous Texas estate her home for one year. (This is complicated by the fact that Hawthorne’s family, who have been disinherited by the same will, will be living in the house with Avery.)
Still, after being broke since her mom died a few years ago, Avery is up for the challenge. This inheritance could be her ticket to college and a life where she doesn’t have to wait tables to keep the lights on. But it quickly becomes obvious that Tobias Hawthorne is up to something, and his will is just the beginning of a long game. With help and hinderance from Hawthorne’s four grandsons, the media stalking her every move, and an estate full of secrets, Avery is going to have do some quick thinking and careful strategizing to figure out why a wealthy stranger made her his heir and what secret the Hawthorne estate is hiding. Luckily, Hawthorne picked the right girl for the job. Avery was born for this challenge.
There’s a big mysterious house full of hidden passages and secret codes. There’s a complicated family that is full of people who are Up To Something. There are Mysteries From the Past coming to light in the present. And there’s a reasonably satisfying conclusion. I’ll forgive it the love triangle and occasional plot hole for the sheer fun it was to read. This is a perfect summer book.