Benedict Hall--Cate Campbell

Title: Benedict Hall
Author: Cate Campbell
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp, 2013
Pages: 378 p
Source: VOYA
Compensation: none

Frank Parrish is back in the States after voluntarily serving overseas for the King’s Army in the First World War. He is looking for work when he runs into a fellow soldier, Preston Benedict, who promises to help him. Parrish winds up getting entrenched in Benedict’s family life, especially with his sister Margot, a doctor at a time when women were encouraged to be nurses but not doctors. Benedict Hall alternates the viewpoints of the story between Parrish, Preston Benedict, Margot Benedict and the Benedict’s African American butler Blake.

The novel starts out slowly, taking time to introduce each of the characters and establish the background of the story. It feels very much like a show setting the stage and the back cover claims that fans of TV’s Downton Abbey will enjoy it. Once the introductions are done and Campbell focuses on the heart of the tale—Preston’s odd sadistic nature and its effects on those around him—it truly does become a page-turner. Campbell has a flair for historical fiction, which is not surprising since Campbell is author Louise Marley’s new pseudonym for stories that are pure historical fiction. Benedict Hall will not disappoint fans of the genre. Campbell handles issues of gender and race, as well as family conflict quite well against the larger backdrop of a country coming of age. 

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

the moon and more--Sarah Dessen

Title: the moon and more
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking, 2013
Pages: 448p
Source: VOYA
Compensation: none

Sarah Dessen’s books all have the same general framework, a troubled girl meets up with a troubled boy (usually over the summer) and their friendship blossoms into romance and helps the both of them overcome their troubles. The Moon and More is a bit different. Eighteen-year-old Emaline has a good family, good friends, a happy relationship with long time boyfriend Luke, and is generally satisfied with her life in the beach town Colby. Things are not perfect, she has a rocky relationship with her estranged birth father and she is not able to attend the ivy-league college she has been accepted to because of money, but they are good enough. Enter Theo, a young man in town assisting a filmmaker shooting a documentary about a local artist. Theo’s presence adds the trouble and murkiness to Emaline’s satisfied life and leads her to question everything she once believed.

Dessen continues to create characters and stories that readers love. She is a gifted writer The Moon and More is a welcome change to her standard formula, while remaining true to her overall theme of young adults finding themselves. Close readers will appreciate the cameos from previous novels. Dessen fans will not be disappointed with this latest offering.  

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links & buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.