Lindsay's Reviews > The Luxe

So I'd be lying if I said I was oozing with excitement to read this book. In fact, I put off reading it for just about a year. A really good friend of mine recommended me this book and told me I'd absolutely love it but when I bought the book, I let it gather dust in the corner of my bookshelf.

There are two reasons why I put off reading this for so long: One, because its a Historical Romance. I cannot even begin to tell people how much I HATE (okay, hate is a strong word, but seriously, I don't like them) Historical Romances. I don't know what it is about Historical books but for whatever reason, I can't get into them. I tried reading Entwined and that was a bust. I tried reading Soulless and that was a dnf. Its mainly the time period, the way of life, and the characters that puts me off and no matter how hard I try, I can't get sucked in.

The second reason is that this book is in the third person. When I read books in third person, I hardly ever give them five stars, no matter how well written because as I've said before, I want to make a connection to the characters. I understand that this is difficult to do, especially when a writer wants to incorporate more than one voice in the novel but at the same time, I feel almost shut off from everyone.

So then finally, one year later, I picked this book up because the book I wanted to buy wasn't coming out until Saturday, I didn't feel like reading anything else, and I had only a minute to choose a book before I had to leave.

And, oh my god yeek I loved this book! I don't know how to explain it but I did! I fell in love with a historical romance third person book! Who would have thunk it? I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book.

At first, the beginning started off a little slow but then things began to pick up speed ergo the snowball effect. My heart simply burst for Elizabeth. I can completely relate to her when she thought about how trapped she felt in her life, especially since her mother was forcing her into marriage but then when she admitted she was in love with Will, her glorious sexy coachman, I think I died. Although Elizabeth would be characteristically described as fake, I applaud her. Because despite her wishes, she wanted to do what was best for her family but in the end, she decided to do what was best for herself. And she really truly loved Will. Even though we unfortunately didn't get to see much of him in this book, their love was innocent and true, something I have not seen in a long time. Elizabeth + Will = <3

Then there's Diana, Elizabeth's feisty little sister. God was she a beaut. She's the girl that most teenagers become when they try to find themselves. I really have nothing bad to say about her because she was so true and real to herself, yet completely opposite of Elizabeth. Usually when it comes to siblings, I prefer one over the other, but both girls were great to read about and I am glad that Diana did not resent her sister in the end.

Enter Henry, playboy/bachelor extraordinare. When I first read about him, god I couldn't stand him. He was arrogant, annoying, and frankly, a man slut. He was also macking it up with Penelope - who didn't seem to mind in the least - and in a way, I'm glad his father wanted him to straighten out, although his father did it for more selfish reasons instead of fatherly concern. Then there was a change in Henry, something gradual, yet sudden, small, yet monumental, and so so beautiful. Watching him fall in love with (view spoiler)[ Diana was the greatest thing. And I loved how she made him feel like crap at first. She really showed him how much of an ass he was but he still loved her and she loved him. Their circumstances however were completely unfair (hide spoiler)] but I loved how things turned out.

And Penelope...dear sweet god. This chick has serious issues. Vindictive, self-absorbed, manipulative, obsessive, and so many more despicable characteristics. She really was a disgusting person because even if she went for what she wanted and she was confident in herself, she didn't know when to quit, when to slow down, and when to leave the battlefield. And yes, at one point in the book, I felt so bad for her but in the end, all I saw was a vulnerable girl who would step on anyone to get what she wanted.

Finally, there's Lina. Lina Broud...what to say. For the first quarter of the book, I felt bad for this girl. She thought of herself as ugly and plain compared to her mistress Elizabeth. She felt trapped in her position as servant and longed for something more which I can relate to and more than anything, she wanted to feel loved as a beautiful woman. Her heart ached for her childhood friend Will and she longed to tell him how she had felt all this time, convinced he will feel the same. At the time, I crossed my fingers, hoping she would get Will but when I found out almost immediately after that Will and Elizabeth were together and happy I did a 180. Seeing Lina witness her two childhood friends together was heartbreaking and I can understand that but the lengths she went to to get Will's heart and make Elizabeth look bad was cruel and selfish. Plus, she based everything she wanted on what she thought Will wanted just so he would love her when he really never would. I just don't like Lina for her decisions, her lack of confidence in herself, and her obsession over Will. I can honestly see her going crazy over the next few books over this.

Overall, I LOVED this book as you can see from my lengthy review. Wow, I actually think this is my longest review, officially beating out my Perfect Chemistry review length. Woo hoo! I am happy to say that I loved the story line and although the writing could have been better in some parts, I loved this book nonetheless. I am currently in the middle of Rumors and boy oh boy are things getting exciting. And even though this is a historical/third person book, I am happy to say how much I loved it all.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars