Review: The Secret of Flirting

The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries

Rating: 3 Stars

I enjoyed this installment in Sabrina Jeffries’ Sinful Suitors series. Even though it is the 5th book, it can easily be read as a stand alone. 

This follows the same formula as most historical romances: the couple meets, falls in love, some sort of conflict occurs to keep them apart, and the conflict is resolved. However, Jeffries does an excellent job of weaving in historical accuracy and political details of the time so well. The characters also are all very fleshed out, and have flaws that give them depth and keep the reader rooting for them throughout the story. I also enjoyed the secondary storyline with Lady Ursula. Even though it was a minor part of the story, there was a twist there that I wasn’t expecting, and I definitely enjoyed that. 

All in all, this was a great book to escape into, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good historical romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this book.

Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Rating: 4 Stars

This was the first book from one of the reading challenges that really took me outside my comfort zone. I chose this for Popsugar's cyberpunk prompt. I didn't even know cyberpunk was a genre! Since I'd never heard of the genre, I turned to the Goodreads message boards to find a book that would fit the prompt. This book was the most recommended by far, in part I'm sure by the fact that this is being adapted into a movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, that will be released in March. 

This is a book set in 2044, which is actually not as far away as it once seemed. But in this book's 2044, reality is even uglier than we could imagine. And because the world is so ugly, everyone takes part in the OASIS, a virtual reality utopia. The man who invented the OASIS dies and starts a quest that takes place through the course of the book.

This book is very heavy on the 80s references and computer/tech world, which is not something that normally interests me. However, Cline does a wonderful job of drawing the reader in with the story, regardless of how into tech you are. The story is an adventure story at its core, so if you're interested in stories about quests, or adventures, or the future, this is the book for you!