Book Review: Splendor by Anna Godberson

Splendor concludes the Luxe series, wrapping up all the story lines of our characters.  Diana left New York for the unknown, seeking to follow the love of her life, Henry Schoonmaker, who joined the army to escape from his wife Penelope.  Penelope is finding that being the center of society isn't enough, and she longs to take the step up to royalty.  Caroline Broad has fought her way into the inner social circles and hopes to marry into an old family to seal the deal.  Meanwhile, Elizabeth is adjusting to her quiet married life, awaiting the birth of her child, and discovers a surprising secret among her father's papers. Intrigue, gossip, and scandal follow all of these characters right to the unexpected conclusion.

Things I Liked:

Godberson has a really rich, gorgeous style of writing.  The details are minute and they really make the setting and the time period come to life.  The story is every bit as engrossing as soap operas, and equally addicting (though, I've never watched any soaps).  Here's a sample of her writing:

"Her pretty skin had grown rosy with exertion, and her lashes formed black, pointed coronas around shiny eyes.  A mad piano played in the corner, encouraging the droves to drink faster and laugh louder - an imperative they merrily obeyed." p52

Things I Didn't Like:

Despite the alluring story, the plot is very contrived and somewhat predictable (in that you expect something wild and unexpectedly shocking to happen). It is also terribly improbable.

Read-alikes:

Definitely pick up the first three books in the Luxe series first
A little like The Season by Sarah MacLean

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:

s-factor: none

mrg-factor: X

innuendo and references mostly

v-factor: ->

one slightly disturbing scene

Overall rating: ***

What are your guilty pleasure books?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage,
I will get a very small percentage