Splendiferous!

That’s the word I would use to describe this series.  It’s full of twists and turns – things that are expected, yet unexpected at the same time.  I am sad to see that this series is over.

Splendor is the final of the Luxe novels, following The Luxe, Rumors, and Envy – all by Anna Gobbersen.  Most of the focus is on the Holland sisters – Elizabeth and Diana – and others of Manhattan high society.

Teddy Cutting, who is in love with Elizabeth and Henry Schoonmaker, who is in love with Diana, was engaged to Elizabeth, but married to Penelope Hayes, are off fighting in the war.  Henry gets only set to Cuba though because of his famous name.  Diana runs off to find Henry, which she does successfully until they are found together and sent back to New York.

While Henry was gone in Cuba and on his way back, Penelope mingles and flirts with Prince Frederick of Bavaria.  She thinks that perhaps if she gets her way she’ll get a title of a princess, because she realizes Henry doesn’t love her anymore.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth is pregnant with Will’s baby, though Will, her first husband, is dead.  To make her position in society still good she married one of her late father’s associates, Snowden Cairns.  Elizabeth is excited to be a mother yet still misses Will terribly.  She begins to suspect some things about her second husband while preparing his desk in their new home and what she discovers changes things for both her and her child.

And Carolina Broad, once Lina Broud – Elizabeth’s maid, is garnering the affections of one of Manhattan’s elite, Leland Brouchard.  However, Tristan Wrigley, who helped Carolina gain the affection of Carey Lewis Longhorn and his wealth, is threatening to expose Carolina’s past.

The questions to be asked – what is the secret Elizabeth discovered?  Does Diana get her happy ending with Henry?  What about Penelope and this Bavarian prince?  And will Carolina get her happy ending with Leland?  I won’t spoil the ending, but in some ways I was happy with how this book ended, yet in others I was sorely disappointed.  I am sad to see this series over as I felt like I got to know these characters really well over these four novels.  I would highly recommend this series – although this is probably more of a teen/young adult novel I think older women might like because it is a quick and easy read.  I myself read this book in a day because I just couldn’t put it down!

This might be my last blog for awhile – I am graduating in a few days and will be moving back home or to where my new job is located.  Wish me luck!

Getting Green with Envy

It seems to be a common thing in the novels of The Luxe series.  Someone is jealous of someone else’s life and would do anything to ruin their happiness.

With Envy, the next in Anna Gobberson’s Luxe novels, we continue with the story started in The Luxe and Rumors.  What was different about this prologue was that the point-of-view was from a sparrow flying around Manhattan peeking in our character’s lives.

Diana isn’t doing well.  Henry is now married to Penelope – but only because Penelope would tell that Diana and Henry slept together and Diana is a whore.  However, their marriage isn’t going well – Henry and Penelope aren’t sharing a bed but Henry’s father is pressuring Henry for grandchildren.  Carolina, or Lina, is doing well, having been taken under the wing of Carey Lewis Longhorn in the last novel, a bachelor who is more like a grandfather to her and provides her with necessities.  Elizabeth isn’t doing well either – she married Will at the end of Rumors but while heading back to California people thought Will kidnapped her, so Will was shot and killed.  She’s not quite ready to go back into society life, even though her mother is pressuring her to do so.  Mrs. Holland even organizes a small luncheon, inviting Elizabeth’s closest “friends” over.

While at the luncheon, Penelope brings up that she and Henry are planning on going to Palm Beach, Florida.  She asks Elizabeth to come, and Elizabeth’s mother says Elizabeth would love to go.  Henry earlier asked Diana, who he truly loves, if she can find a way to go. When Penelope asked Elizabeth, Diana said she would go with her sister.  Penelope acts like she’s excited about all of this, when in reality she’s upset.  So the trip is set – Henry, Penelope, Carolina, Elizabeth, Diana, and two others – Teddy Cutting, who likes Elizabeth, and Penelope’s brother, Grayson Hayes are off on their trip to Florida.

Even though the book changes locations, drama still is around.  One lady is constantly pursued by a gentleman.  Another young lady isn’t having a good experience on the trip, and finds out on her return that she’s expecting.  Men are falling in love, but are the ladies accepting?  And what’s up with the war?  That’s something I don’t want to completely give away because I want you, as a reader to be as shocked as I was when I was reading.

This book is definitely enjoyable, but you need to read the others so it all makes sense.  I am exciting to see how it all ends in Splendor, the last novel in the series which I haven’t read yet, but will be reading for next week.  I hope you are all excited as I am!

It only takes one person to start a rumor…

And it can be a very juicy rumor indeed.  One person’s statement can spread like wildfire, changing a person’s reputation forever.

This is definitely the case in Rumors, the second in the Luxe Novel series by Anna Gobberson.  Continuing right from where The Luxe left off, we start again with a prologue of Henry Schoonmaker getting married, but to whom?  The book then goes back to the beginning, leading up to the prologue.

Everyone is tragically mourning Elizabeth, who “died” in the last novel, but really escaped out west to find Will, who she truly loved.  Elizabeth didn’t want to marry Henry, who actually loves Diana, while Penelope is obsessed with Henry.  However, only Diana and Penelope know Elizabeth is alive, and Penelope is taking Elizabeth’s place as society’s darling – putting on a show to make her seem like a better candidate to become Henry’s wife.  Even Elizabeth’s old maid Lina, now the society darling Carolina due to information Lina gave to Penelope about Elizabeth is making the rounds in the Manhattan social circles.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth gets a note from Diana about their mother being ill.  Elizabeth heads home to New York with Will.  Diana and Henry still dance around each other, finally making love but being discovered by the maid, who is Lina’s sister.  Scandal ensues when Lina feeds this information to Penelope.  How will Penelope use this information to her advantage?  Does Elizabeth get her happy ending with Will?  I’ll leave that up to you to discover – I couldn’t put the novel down last night because I had forgotten about all the suspense that occurs at the end, and I don’t like spoiling novels for people!

Anyway, what will happen next to these characters?  There are two more books left in the series – Envy and Splendor.  Hopefully we’ll see Diana finally get to be with Henry, or will Penelope get her way once again?  Find out next week when I review Envy!