Splendor (Luxe Series #4) by Anna Godbersen

New beginnings. Shocking revelations. Unexpected endings.

As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Shoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty--but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love ay prove a losing battle.

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This series had been winding down since the first book ended, and this books ends where I suppose it should have. I loved The Luxe and Rumors and Envy managed to keep me hooked, but Splendor was a little too much melodramatic plot twists and forced endings. While Penny remains as evil as ever, she ends ups with what she really wanted, and Carolina, the former lowly maid Lina, who I personally was starting to forgive and beginning to root for again, lost a lot of what she was gaining. Carolina's story wasn't tragic, but it wasn't wasn't what it should have been, in my opinion. Elizabeth, who I loved from the start, may have been a redeeming part of the conclusion to the series, and I found myself smiling at how she ended up, although the overly dramatic twists early on in the book involving her father seemed false and like empty page-filling words. Diana Holland, tsk, tsk. I've loved Diana's wild and confident spirit since book one, and she even made me laugh a few times at the beginning of Splendor, but I felt Godbersen's rushed ending left her falling short of her reputation. I felt like I'd been cheated, and Henry, faltering and picking himself up again, was cheated in my opinion too, of the ending he deserved. By the end, it seemed like Godbersen was going more for the last laugh, the surprise ending, than the real ending. I know it's just a book and all, but sometimes charatcers fall into a pattern that you know the ending to. This book seemed rushed and overdone on several levels.

1 star for a good first one hundred pages, and a non-recommendation. The only way I'd suggest it is if you absolutely have to know the ending. (I feel your pain. I had to know too.)

Envy (Luxe series #3) by Anna Godbersen

Jealous whispers. Old rivalries. New betrayals.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, however, those watching New York's favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South.

Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city's most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope's finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope's social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune—and her fame—are anything but secure, especially now that one of society's darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.

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After the tragic ending to Rumors, things in Manhattan, 1899, are more complex and what was once fact is now only rumored to be true. To be honest, this book had me less hooked, mostly due to the fact that Elizabeth, heartbroken and mourning Will, takes up too many pages in my opinion. She mopes and I was right beside her for the first couple of chapters, but then I wanted something more to happen. With Penelope, things got melodramatic and a bit predictable. Lina is beginning to edge onto my nerves also, with her jittery, nervousness about everything and her cockiness when it comes to her current state. Henry and Diana's story continues as ever, and even though it is a bit repetitive (Henry does something questionable, Diana hates him, Henry professes his love, Diana forgives him), I still love the tumultuous waves of their relationship. Elizabeth's story takes a surprising turn, and while I found that a bit redeeming, (Will's death wasn't meaningless, I suppose), and I was glad to know her story was going somewhere, it was predictable, which worries me that the series will end the way I've already guessed it will.  However, for all its faults, I'm still itching to read Splendor, and I have no doubt it will be climatic, if not totally shocking.

3.5 stars, and a recommendation to fans of the series. Definitely read the first two books before this one.

Rumors (Luxe series #2) by Anna Godberson

True love. False friends. Scandalous gossip.
Welcome back to Manhattan, 1899
As rumors fly about the untimely demise of New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, all eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her sister, Diana, the family's only hope for redemption; Henry Schoonmaker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind; even Elizabeth's former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency. In this delicious sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Luxe, nothing is more dangerous than a scandal... or more precious than a secret.
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I expected a lot from the sequel to the Luxe, which left me craving more. With Elizabeth gone and Diana left to fill her spotlight, more tension than ever enters the scene. Penelope, Elizabeth's friend and secretive enemy, plans on stealing that spotlight and she does a fine job of it. While things heat up between the youngest Holland sister and her sister's former fiance, Henry, Penelope, jealous as ever, decides to put an end to their romance. Elizabeth, hidden in California, with Will, fears for her abandoned family in New York. And Lina, her pride more broken than her heart by Will's betrayal, learns that despite her background, sometimes the right words can earn you whatever you want. Rumors wasn't quite as amazing as its prequel, but it was surprising and just as emotional as ever. While Penelope grew to the point of evil, which seemed slightly unrealistic to me, I also lost sympathy for Lina, who became quite annoying with her slight boost in class. While the ending was definitely heart-wrenching, it seemed just the slightest bit empty to me, begging for a sequel so bad I almost didn't realize it was ending. Either way, Godberson hasn't lost her touch yet.


Rated 4 stars, and a recommendation to those who read the first book. The story line is too complex to be read without having read the first one.

The Luxe By Anna Godbersen

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys, with mischievous smiles, and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899.
Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone — from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud — threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.
With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps...
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It never ceases to amaze me how such amazing books go under the radar for so long. The Luxe, the first in the series, is most definitely one of the best historical fiction books written in a long while. Writers now have seemed to become more intimidated with the genre, maybe because of the effort it takes to maintain the air of sophistication lacking in many historical fiction novels. The characters, though sometimes a tad overdone, reflect teenagers that aren't too far from teens today. The story was full of intrigue, and despite the overall superficial tones, it manages to suck you in and make you feel as affected by the circumstances as the characters themselves are. The book was well-written and well-developed, leaving me craving for more. Even the sort-of-a-giveaway beginning was vague enough to make the ending a surprise. A great beginning of a series, and a beautiful portrait of the nineteenth century's high society.

My rating is 5 stars with a definite recommendation to any lover of the nineteenth century.