Splendor: A Luxe Novel

Jacket:
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.
In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

*spoilers*

The sun faded from the sky and the light around them grew purple and soft, and she began to feel that they might go on, just as they were, for a very long time. p. 386

I really enjoyed this entire series.  Thankfully, someone knew it was a good idea to stop at four.  If it had kept going then it would have become tedious.  But Godbersen found the perfect ending for all her characters.  And while some got the happy ending you'd expect, some got the ending they deserved and I was happy to see that.  All to often, the direction of the plot is turned in order to let everyone have a happy ending.  But that's not what happens in real life and certainly not in this book.  So I was glad for that.  I think Penelope and Henry, who have more and more reminded me of a Rhett and Scarlett, deserve each other for all the chaos they have inflicted on each other and everyone else.  I'm glad Elizabeth finally got the right man who will love her forever and that Diana had the sense to get out when she did.  And so I would say that this series was definitely worth reading and worth my time.

Envy: A Luxe Novel

The saga of Manhattan's elite at the turn of the 20th century continues.  The Holland sisters are each bereaved in their own ways, each for extremely different reasons.  Penelope Hayes is feeling triumphant as is Carolina Broud.  But each girl will have to deal with a dramatic turn in her life and, as always, society watches their every move.

She was unsteady at first, but she kept on bravely and didn't look back. p.260

*spoilers*
This series is compared a lot to Gossip Girl and for good reason, but it reminds me, in ways, of Dangerous Liasions and the like.  There are a lot of manipulations on the part of Penelope and she is really the one who sets everything in motion.  After having blackmailed Henry into marrying her, she is desperate to keep him so she concots many plots to dispute Diana Holland, the girl Henry really loves, and make herself look better.  Really Penelope would have been better off leaving Henry alone.  Why she felt she had to marry him, I don't know.  I understood why she had to keep him though.  At that time, a divorce would have been such a scandle and Penelope traps herself into her own situation.  I was getting such a Scarlett/Rhett vibe from Penelope and Henry in this book, it was a little weird.

The Hollands were less interesting in this book especially Elizabeth.  I expected such a great showing from her especially at how Rumors ended, but she fell flat.  Although I do hope she marries Teddy somehow.  She should have married him in the first place, because the whole Will plot was stupid in the end.  And Diana was ridiculous trying to somehow keep Henry and never really getting it.  He is trapped and he will never be better than who he is (like Nate in GG).  So I'm hoping for something more interesting in Splendor, the last book.

As an aside, I did find some of the historical trivia thrown in very interesting.  For example, women had to wear stocking with the swimsuits on the beach and couldn't show any flesh.  And I love the description of all the clothes.  It seems so beautiful if stifling.

Teaser Tuesdays - Splendor

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
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The skirts of the women all around them brushed up against one another to form a solid wall of fine pastels; their mouths, and whatever they were whispering, disappeared behind their fans.  Light twinkled from the jewels that sat on Penelope's wrists and neck and waist and hair.

p.50 Splendor Anna Godbersen

Teaser Tuesdays - Envy

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
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Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

Her cheeks were flushed from the champagne she had drunk at dinner, and because she was unused to removing her clothing without the help of her maid, she found herself repeatedly subsiding into giggles and fits of hilarity.  Eventually her companion crossed toward her and began to slowly undo the ribbons himself.

p.2 Envy - Anna Godbersen

Rumors: A Luxe Novel

The second installment of the Luxe novels finds New York society still mourning the loss of Elizabeth Holland, its former jewel. But rumors abound that Elizabeth is still alive as her body was never recovered from the river. Her younger sister, Diana is still fervently in love with Elizabeth's one-time fiance despite the fact that society would never allow them to marry. Henry returns her feelings but has no idea how to be with Diana without flying in the face of everyone. And Penelope Hayes has set her sights on marrying Henry and is willing to destroy anyone in her way. Who will survive the heiress' plots or is the bigger question who won't survive?

*trying to avoid spoilers if you haven't read the first one, highlight white areas to see them

Rumors was even better than The Luxe. At the end I was wishing for the next book. I NEED to know what happens next, NEED, I say. Anyway, the story moved along quickly and there was very little rehash of the first plot and it was subtly done when there was, which is nice in a sequel. I hate being bashed over the head with a summary of the first book in a series. (Remember Babysitter's Club & Sweet Valley anything where the summary of characters was almost verbatim book to book. I hate that.) I'm really liking Diana and Henry and poor Elizabeth. Their characters are developing nicely and I feel so bad for all of them. The ending was surprising and shocking. I really didn't see it coming, but I have a feeling that the next book, Envy, is going to be so great. I have a feeling that Elizabeth is going to be a force to be reckon with now that she is back. This series is so much better than Gossip Girl, the series it is most compared with and that it exceeds in most ways.

Teaser Tuesdays - Rumors

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

"He knew that she was out there, along the wall somewhere, surrounded by all those social harpies with their expectations and narrow definitions, with their fans and cutting remarks, with their meager hearts. She would be looking about her with a certain tremblinginnocence."

p. 388 Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen

The Luxe

Elizabeth Holland is society's sweetheart in this Gossip Girl-like novel set during the turn of the 19th century. She is thought to be the perfect debutante, sweet, proper, yielding. But Elizabeth has secrets and passion of her own. She is compelled to do the right things, however, and marry Henry Schoonmaker, a rich playboy, who has his sights set on someone else. Elizabeth's sister, Diana, as well as her friend, Penelope, have stakes set into who marries Henry Schoonmaker and Penelope is not going to let him marry Elizabeth without a fight.

Let me say that I'm a fan of the Gossip Girl books. Some of them are tedious and, frankly, there are too many of them, but they are a good read and fun and easy. So I went into this book knowing it was suppose to be Gossip Girl, only historical. And it was. Elizabeth was much like Sabrina, only better and Penelope was much like Blair, only slier. Henry was a Nate character, but less stoned and more aware and Diana was a Jenny. What made this different was the society and the history involved. Also Elizabeth was much more caged in by what she could do or who she should love. The ending was not unexpected but was a nice turn-around and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Teaser Tuesdays - The Luxe

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

"She was unable to smile at this. She was too busy wondering if Will might still love her when she was a Mrs. Schoonmaker."

The Luxe Anna Godbersen