Book Reviews #5- Da Vinci's Tiger by L. M. Elliott

Genre- Historical Fiction

Goodreads Ratings - 3.43 /5 Stars

My Ratings- 3 /5 Stars

Hardcover- 304 Pages

Language- English

Publisher- Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date- November 10, 2015.

ISBN-10- 0060744243

ISBN-13- 978-0060744243

Amazon Link- Da Vinci's Tiger (Amazon)

Synopsis

For fans of rich and complex historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring or Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces. 

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

About The Author

Laura Malone Elliott is the author of Under a War-Torn Sky, a NCSS/CBC Notable Book in Social Studies, a Jefferson Cup Honor Book, and winner of the Borders' Original Voices Award, and its sequel, A Troubled Peace, also a NCSS/CBC Notable; Annie, Between the States, an IRA Teacher's Choice and NYPL Book for the Teen Age; Give Me Liberty; and Flying South, a Bank Street College Best Children's Book. She lives in Virginia with her family.

Connect with her on Facebook at L.M. Elliott Facebook

Follow her on Twitter at L.M. Elliott Twitter

Or Visit her at her website lmelliott.com

My Thoughts

"Rich, compelling, and beautiful portation of a relationship between a painter and his muse. Recommended to Sharon Biggs Waller's fans."

I'm  not really a big fan of historical dramas, but this book (well, mainly its cover) caught my attention. And I know how they say that you don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know that a book's cover is the first thing that captures the attention of a reader. 

"Most men are hunters and collectors.You must know the difference between those who do so out of true appreciation and affection, those who do it for sport, those who do it for prestige and to possess what others admire and desire, and those who do it desperate to use a woman as a shield."

"Sing of us. Sing of yourself. Sing of what treasure lies inside women's hearts and minds if men but look beyond their preconceived notions. We think, we feel, we bleed when hurt. We have courage when tested. Someday men may laud rather than fear that. That is my hope. So Sing, Ginevra. Make them Listen."

"I beg your parden. I am a mountain tiger."

Elliott's book displays a very accurate lifestyle version of Renaissance and Florentine's. One has to admit she knows how to weave a beautifully illustrated story that catch its reader in its web the moment you start reading her first lines. 

                   Da Vinci's Tiger was one of those book which makes me view the world from a new point of view. And even though its not my cup of tea, I would tell you all to at least give a thought towards reading it. Since I can guarantee you one thing that you wouldn't regret your decision. I don't.

Reviewed by,

Sona Dasgupta,

The Offficial Blogger of Golden Book 24*7.

Wednesday Wonders #3 - First Touch by Laurelin Paige

Little Introduction Note - Wednesday Wonders is the featuring of the book you ought to look out for.

  I'm seriously intrigued with this book. There's an interesting amount of mystery here, which compels one to get irresistibly excited. The Dark maze of suspense shown through its introduction is one of the reason which made this book, a "Highly expected release of this week'' of our Golden Books 24*7. Hope you all will be with me in this!

First Touch by Laurelin Page

Publication- St. Martin's Griffin

Publication date- December 29th, 2015

Language- English

ISBN-10- 125007519X

ISBN-13- 978-1250075192

Amazon Link- First Touch (Amazon)

Kobo Link- First Touch (Kobo)

Read my Review Here

Synopsis

DESPERATE FOR THE TRUTH. OBSESSED BY DESIRE…

Emily Wayborn is finally her own woman.

After a string of shameful relationships and reckless partying with her best friend Amber, she’s now a successful voiceover actress, her wild past and everyone in it firmly behind her. Until she receives a cryptic voicemail from her former friend that sends her spiraling into the darkness she thought she had outrun. One thing is clear from the message, Amber is in trouble.

Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that leads her to Reeve Sallis, a gorgeous and equally dangerous hotelier known for his power games and shady dealings. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must return to her playgirl ways to uncover his secrets and track down her friend. But as she becomes more entangled with him, she finds she's drawn to Reeve and his depravity despite her growing conviction that he may be the one responsible for Amber’ s disappearance.

    About the Author

Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there's kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. 

You can connect with Laurelin on Facebook at Laurelin Paige FB 

or follow on twitter at Laurelin Paige Twitter

 You can also visit her website, Laurelin Paige, to sign up for emails about new releases and a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate in a monthly drawing.

Wednesday Wonders #2- The Best Goodbye ( A Rosemary Beach Novel) by Abbi Glines.( My review and a teaser!)

Little Introduction Note- Wednesday Wonders is the featuring of the books you ought to look out for.

The Best Goodbye By Abbi Glines

Amazon Stars- 4.3 Stars

My Ratings- 5 Stars

Publication Date- December 1st, 2015.

Publication- Atria Books

Language- English

Paperback- 256 pages

ISBN 10-  1501115383

ISBN 13- 9781501115387

Amazon Link- the Best Goodbye

Synopsis

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the next sizzling novel in the Rosemary Beach series, featuring well-known playboy and Blaire’s half brother, Captain.
The look on Rose’s face had screamed that she was hiding something. Hell, she’d practically run away from me. There was something to that. I knew there was...
After ten years in the employ of a mysterious crime boss, River “Captain” Kipling is ready to leave his sordid past—and his cover occupation as an upscale restaurateur—behind him. The only thing standing in the way of his “retirement” is his commitment to launch a new restaurant in the resort town of Rosemary Beach. With his sister, Blaire, nearby, Captain can delay his dream of running a humble bar on the waterfront, but the unwanted attentions of his head server, Elle, have him itching to get out.
Until he notices Rose Henderson, the new server at the restaurant. All he knows about the pretty redhead with the cute glasses is that she’s a hardworking single mom from Oklahoma. But there’s something overly familiar about her laugh...something strange about the way she looks at Captain...

My Reviews 

Page-burning scenes and mind-scrambling chemistry! Captain & Addy's story is gonna own you.

The Best Goodbye. Oh man ! there aren't words that are enough to describe the amazingness of The Best Goodbye. Abbi Glines is one of my favourite author, so I always expect a great deal from her books. And amazingly, she keeps on  increasing my expectations. 

   "He pulled me close to him and lowered his mouth to my ear. "You're my reason for everything."
 "I can't remember what my life was like before you."..."I don't want to remember." He smirked."I remember what mine was like before you, and I don't ever want to live without you again."
 "Because when River Joshua Kipling decided you were worth protecting, he did it with everything he had."
      
     The book is written in the dual pov of River Joshua Kipling (Captain) and Addy (Rose). As always Mrs. Glines' writing style capture you in the story the moment you start reading the first lines. And the storyline is marvelously incorporated, River & Addy story has more history than you could have imagined. I could go on and on, but it's suffice to say that The Best Goodbye is guaranteed to be one of the best read of your life.....
    
Here's to increasing the expectations!

Reviewed by,
Sona Dasgupta.

Keep Scrolling Down For A Teaser...

Her car was in the driveway when I pulled up to Addy’s house. When I’d gotten to the office and found out she’d called in sick, I had turned and walked right back out. She wasn’t sick. At least, I hoped she wasn’t. I was more than positive she’d called in sick to stay away from me. Which I deserved, dammit. Last night had gone wrong.

I wanted Addy. There, I said it. I fucking wanted Addy. The idea of her with anyone else drove me mad. But how could I have her? The man I was now could never be someone she would love.

I parked my truck and headed for her door, not sure what I intended to say, but I had to say something. This thing between us had to be fixed for Franny’s sake—and my sanity. Sleeping last night had been impossible. The look on Addy’s face before she had turned and walked out of my office had taunted me. How could I protect her from me? I’d protected her from everyone else, but I’d never had to protect her from me.

The small porch of the guest house they rented was clean, with potted flowers giving the place a homey feel. Even the steps were swept clean. Addy gave our daughter so much. I’d never be able to give her what Addy could. But I wanted to give her everything in my power.

Before I hit the top step, the door swung open, and Addy stood there, glaring at me. That should have been the first thing I worried about: what I was going to say to fix this. But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her much larger breasts were crammed into a top that wasn’t quite big enough to contain them. God help me, I wanted her naked.

“Why are you here?” she snapped.

I had to shake my head and force my eyes off her tits to regain focus. Looking up at her angry face helped. I didn’t want her angry at me. I had to find a way to make up for last night and the shitty way I’d handled things. But she needed a bra. A potato sack would be even better. “I came to talk,” I said.

“Talk,” she said, not moving from the door, a look of steel on her face. That only made her hotter. A mad Addy was not a scary one.

“Can I come in?”

“No,” she snapped.

I was going to have to do better than this. “Addy, I’m sorry. I was an asshole last night, and I would like to talk about what happened. Please.”

That softened her up a bit. I could see the anger she was using like a shield slip some. She bit down on her bottom lip and took a step back. That was a good sign. “OK. Fine.”

When she turned to walk back inside, I took the moment to enjoy the view of her ass. It was a jerk move, but her body was so filled out now, and I hadn’t seen it naked looking like this. The body I had once claimed as mine no longer looked the same, and I wanted to see more of it.

“Would you like a drink?” she asked, glancing back at me.

I jerked my gaze off her butt to shake my head. “No, I’m good, thanks.”

“OK, then, talk.” She looked at me with a directness I wasn’t used to from her. Lately, she hardly looked me in the eyes. But then I’d brought that on myself, too. She motioned for me to take a seat on the sofa, and she sat in the chair across from it.

I wished I’d come more prepared. I had made a rushed decision to come over once she wasn’t at work, but now that I had her alone, I didn’t know where to start. She looked annoyed. Again, I wasn’t used to that.

                            *************************************************

Want To read more? Go, buy it with the link given above....