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wow, where the first book was rich in atmosphere and personality - this one was quick and painful.
It was still full of atmosphere but there was less focus on it. Still lots of personality, but there was no need to introduce everyone again - we know the characters and the stage (although there were a few new names)

but the deception and crafty blackmail - this one is both heartbreaking and leaves you wishing you could pick the next one right up. Because this isn't the ending I wanted for ANYONE. Ugh, my heart is hurting..... ( )

Absolutely delicious. ( )

I don't even have a shelf for this because I refused to put it in with the "bon bons" which are things you actually like. I hated it. The characters are mean and nasty almost across the board. The ones that aren't, are wimpy and annoying. The ending is a real "gotcha" like all those movies or books that solve everything with "..it was really a dream." This book ends with a nightmare and no promise of redemption. I can only surmise that the author hates (or condescends to) her audience. I will not read another in this series because I am not a masochist. I must say, I do love the covers though. What's a cover without a book? ( )

Brutal but sweet love, jealousy and gruel fate. It's the three major things in this books. I loved it and I hated it. I still have a hard time to understand all that happened in this book. And I can't do anything but to read the next book because this series totally have me in its claws. ( )

Actually, I'd give this one a 3.5. it actually finished the first book. So this "installment", the 2nd half of the first installment.... and yes, my concerns for the first one flow through this one as well. ( )

I think I actually enjoyed the sequel to this book more than the first one.

The characters were more developed and it became more interesting as the plot progressed. Once again, Godbersen does a really nice job of creating the old-style New York atmosphere. She writes it well and manages to make fun of it without being too pretentious.

It looks like a thick book but I read it really easily. I didn't, however, go on to read the third or even fourth book in the series. I would be curious to see what happens so I might pick up the next few books, if I want something really light to read.

If you like glamorous, tongue-in-cheek sort of books, give this one a read. c: ( )

The book begins with Elizabeth Holland in California with her runaway love, Will Keller. While Elizabeth is having a good time in California, her sister Diana is anything but happy. Diana is stuck in New York, being one of the only two people that knows that her sister's death is a hoax. The other person, Penelope Hayes, decides that she would like to marry the rich and famous Henry Schoonmaker Jr., Elizabeth's ex-fiance. Throughout the book, Diana and Henry have a secret relationship and plan on somehow marrying. Meanwhile, Elizabeth hears of her family's worsening financial situation, and she decides that she has to help them somehow, seeing as the reason they remain having these troubles is that she did not marry rich Henry. Elizabeth and Will take a train to New York and reveal themselves to her mother and aunt. Henry's father, Henry Schoonmaker Sr., decides that for reputation's sake it would be a good idea for Henry to marry Penelope, who has been proving herself to be a very worthy socialite. Meanwhile, Lina Broud, the Holland's ex-maid, running out of money that she got from dishing Holland family secrets to Penelope, decides to move up the social scale with the help of Tristan, a tailor from the Lord & Taylor clothing store. With Tristan's help, she not only learns to act and dress like an educated lady but also meets and becomes the protegee of incredibly rich Mr. Carey Lewis Longhorn. Mr. Longhorn changes her name to Carolina Broad and develops a story about being an orphaned western heiress, and takes her to various parties where she officially meets Penelope Hayes. As a bribe to Penelope, whom Carolina wants as a friend to gain social status, Carolina tells Penelope of how Henry and Diana had a very special time one night in Diana's own bedroom. Penelope uses this information to blackmail Henry into marrying her in order to protect Diana's reputation. The wedding happens so fast that Henry has no time to explain to Diana what happened so she is very depressed and angry. Also, a man named Snowden Cairns, a friend of the late Mr. Holland, comes and helps the Hollands out of some of their financial troubles. They all decide it is best if Elizabeth and Will are married and sent back to California to avoid scandal. Snowden marries Will and Elizabeth at the Holland home. When they try to leave, at the train station, townspeople recognize the famous Elizabeth Holland and assume that Will has kidnapped her. They proceed to shoot Will, killing him, and returning Elizabeth to her home. The next day, it is all over society that Elizabeth Holland had been kidnapped by the old stable boy, and, conveniently, the Hollands decide to go with this story. The book ends with Henry and Penelope getting married, both Holland sisters heartbroken, and a promise to Diana from Elizabeth to get Henry back.

The Gossip Girl of 1899: sinfully delicious summer reading! The soap-opera derring-do sweeps you along for the ride but what's particularly luscious are the artful descriptions of the rich and privileged, including their furniture ("the ormolu-encrusted arm of his chair"), their gestures ("he switched the cross of his legs after he spoke") and of course, their fashion ("it was made of a garnet-colored silk faille in rows of tucks and volants...and flowed outward at the knee and was garlanded at the neckline and hem with yards of white point d'esprit"). It almost makes you wish you could have floated along in 19th century high society if only high-necked lace collars didn't sound so uncomfortable! ( )

So unbelieveably boring.
It would be a good book for the right kind of person, but that person is not me. ( )

This was quite enjoyable but not as good as the first book in the series. ( )

The 2nd in the Luxe novels. A YA romance set in late 1899. ( )

I had bought the book as a fantasy escape novel and was challenged to get into it. I read it over a long course of time, swapping it out for other more engaging novels. It picked up about halfway through. I finally did finish it and was disappointed with the ending. ( )

As Rumors opens, we are reminded of the state of things when the first novel in the series, The Luxe, concluded: Elizabeth Holland, daughter of one of New York City's finest families and engaged to Henry Schoonmaker, successfully faked her death and joined her one-time servant and true love, Will, in California. Her sister Diana and Henry have in the meantime fallen for each other, but can meet only furtively given that Henry was only recently engaged to her sister. Penelope Hayes is just as determined as ever to secure Henry for herself, but is confused as to why he no longer responds to her advances. Carolina Broud, once a humble servant in the Holland household, has now secured a wealthy benefactor and inserts herself into high society by selling information about her former employers.

I enjoyed this sequel just as much as The Luxe, though I'm not convinced there is anything special about Henry (other than his wealth). He comes across as kind of slow and dull. Although Penelope is depicted as the villain in this series, she too is disappointingly one-dimensional. That said, it's still most definitely a page-turner. I was stunned (shocked!) and heartbroken by the climax at the train station, having not seen that coming at all. ( )

A very strong sequel, although I was seriously pissed at the ending. That's not a fault of the book per se, just the stories natural progression I guess.

Still, if I get Penelope Hayes by the neck, she better pray for mercy...... ( )

An addictive historical fiction series. After wolfing down two books, I conclude that the author's a sadist- to her characters AND to her readers. There was a plot twist where I just looked at the words on the page and exclaimed "WHAT?"
Still, I'll read the next! ( )

3.5/5

I enjoyed the second part of this series and I'm definitely interested in reading the next one.

Full review on my website www.thebooktower.webs.com ( )

An addictive historical fiction series. After wolfing down two books, I conclude that the author's a sadist- to her characters AND to her readers. There was a plot twist where I just looked at the words on the page and exclaimed "WHAT?"
Still, I'll read the next! ( )

An addictive historical fiction series. After wolfing down two books, I conclude that the author's a sadist- to her characters AND to her readers. There was a plot twist where I just looked at the words on the page and exclaimed "WHAT?"
Still, I'll read the next! ( )

An addictive historical fiction series. After wolfing down two books, I conclude that the author's a sadist- to her characters AND to her readers. There was a plot twist where I just looked at the words on the page and exclaimed "WHAT?"
Still, I'll read the next! ( )

Can I just say that I really hate Penelope? I know it's not very mature, but there it is. ( )

Very good. Left me wondering which direction she is going to take the series. ( )

The Luxe series is a fun read--juicy, entertaining, and imbued with delicious details of material life for the upper class in turn-of-the-century Manhattan. Anna Godbersen is a young writer and from the first book in the series to the second, you can see her grow as a writer. Her stories become more fluid and her style becomes more graceful. I love the idea of historical fiction for the teen set and I think Godbersen has hit on a potent formula. I admire her willingness to explore the desirability and allure, but ultimate emptiness, of materialism. ( )

Mini Review
Alright. I'm officially unsatisfied with the ending. Really. I know that not every story can have a happy ending but at the same time, some characters are killed off or taken away some how and it really does not add to the shock value. I still loved this book and all but the end was not good. That's really all I have to say. ( )

http://joriesreads.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/anna-godbersens-the-luxe-series/ ( )