Collide

 

When I saw Van Gogh mentioned on the first line of Collide I knew I would like the book, but I was not expecting to love it as much as I did. Modernisations are not my favourite sub-genre and even though sometimes I like them, I seldom love them, but Collide was a page turner book that kept me glued to it for two whole days and that completely changed my perspective. I absolutely loved this modernisation!

In this North & South variation Maggie Hale leaves her small town of Hillstone to pursue her dream of becoming a contemporary dancer in Las Vegas and it is in Sin City that she will meet Jay Thornton, someone she will misunderstand but who will intrigue her more than she would like to admit.

In Collide each chapter is focused the point of view of each of these two characters, so we will get to know each one of them very well, and this is one of the highlights of the book for me. The way Melanie Stanford organised and wrote the book made it absolutely irresistible and readers will keep wanting for more and more. The fact that the point of view changes with each chapters makes it a very dynamic book and there is not one dull moment in it.

I loved the Vegas environment and how real these characters felt in their own little world. I could picture their every move and imagine each scene in my head, I felt transported into that reality and I don’t believe there is anything better in a book.

I wasn’t too sure about Jay Thornton’s character in the beginning, but those doubts faded very quickly as I started falling in love with his character. He is compelling, and I could feel myself being drawn to him with every page I turned. But to be honest, I loved all characters in the book, Nico was an excellent modernisation of Nicholas, and I loved how the author made his relationship with Jay so similar to the original, in fact, It is astonishing how well Melanie Stanford translated the original story into this new setting. Everything was put together with a lot of care, and every little detail seemed to flow in the right direction every single time.

Mrs. Thornton does not exist in this book, and I confess that only made it better for me, I never really like her character in North and South books and Jay Thornton’s family life was much more interesting and modern, it made me love him even more,

The relationship between Maggie and Jay is incredible, I felt sparkles between them every time they were together and even though the first time he sees her dancing Song of the Cage Bird is one of my favourite scenes, it doesn’t stand out so much in comparison to the others because they are all great!

Collide is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year, and if I could give it a higher rating I would, I loved everything about it, the characters, the setting, the story, the writing… Every single aspect of this book contributed to it being a compelling, intense and wonderful book that I recommend to absolutely everyone, not just those who like North and South, but to everyone who likes a love story that carries along with it real life struggles. I’m sure most people will not have gone through the situations these characters went through as they are too extreme, but I could relate to their struggle to get a better life, Nico was the best example, but I could also relate to Maggie fighting for her dreams and for a career on something she likes and to Jay for fighting to get out of the loop kind of life he got himself into.

In short terms, bravo Mrs. Stanford! This is a book I will not forget anytime soon. Oh…and the cover is perfect for the story!!!

 

You can find Collide at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.ca

Longbourn’s Songbird

Longbourn’s Songbird is a modernatization of Pride and Prejudice that takes place in the United States of America in the post-World War II.

I don’t usually read modernizations but the era this book takes places intrigued me immediately, and after reading it, I can guarantee it is as good as some of the best regency adaptations I’ve read.

The scenario seemed very interesting to me (and I’m not easily tempted by modernizations), but I truly knew this book had bewitched me when in chapter four I read Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s first confrontation. The scene occurs in the Netherfield porch and the intensity and passion lived in that moment conquered me. I knew from that moment on I could not resist this book.

I don’t want to reveal much of the plot as I do not want to spoil your enjoyment when reading it, but the book takes an unexpected turn of events that gets us hooked to it until the end.

It is fascinating to see Darcy’s reactions in this modernization. We got to see Darcy more loose, more at liberty to react and exteriorise his pain. I liked that he wasn’t portrayed as flawless and that he made stupid mistakes. It made him more human, more real and it was much more appropriate to the historical time. I also liked seeing him admit it:

“I’m also human. I think you forget sometimes that I am fallible”

I found the Darcy/Elizabeth relationship thrilling and exciting. I absolutely loved the way he always reacted to her, and the way she enjoyed his reactions, but the book is much more than a Darcy/Elizabeth love story! All characters have their own story and all of them contributed to the interest I got in the book.  Their stories allow us to see a portrait of society at the time. Beau North approaches subjects such as race and sexual discrimination, domestic violence and homosexuality which made the book incredibly interesting. Longbourn’s Songbird is very appealing and interesting because is it obviously a Pride and Prejudice variation that will appeal to JAFF readers, but it is also an intriguing romance and a society’s portrayal that will appeal to any other reader.

The diversity of subjects approached made it a complex and profound book that appeals to a huge variety of readers, therefore, I highly recommend it to anyone.

Longbourn’s Songbird is available at:

Amazon.com – Longbourn’s Songbird

Amazon.co.uk – Longbourn’s Songbird

Amazon.fr – Longbourn’s Songbird