Book Review: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

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Suspicion
Author: Alexandra Monir
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery
Released: December 9th 2014
Review Source: Delacorte Press | Goldberg McDuffie

"Take The Princess Diaries and add magic, murder and mystery, and you've got SUSPICION. A delightful read!"—Amy Plum, author of the of the international bestselling Die For Me series

"If Alfred Hitchcock had directed Downton Abbey, the result would have been this book. Alexandra Monir takes us on a gripping, nonstop thrill ride with just the right amount of supernatural and an ending that you definitely won't suspect. I devoured it in one sitting."—Jessica Brody, bestselling author of the Unremembered trilogy

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.

At a young age, Imogen faced a terrible tragedy. While visiting her cousin at the Rockford residence, a terrible tragedy occurred.  The Rockford was supposed to be a magical place for Imogen but now it is a place that hunts her. Imogen lost her parent to a horrible fire accident on the grounds of this place.

Now left as an orphan, Imogen lives overseas. To protect her from the nightmares, Imogen’s guardian keeps secrets from her. But as she turns 18, her past comes knocking at the door. Imogen discovers that the remaining members of her family are now dead. To make things worse, she is next in line to become the Duchess of Rockford. And she is appointed to return to the land she was born. The land of myths, the land of all of her fears. Though warned not to returned, Imogen decides to take the challenge and tries to uncover the truth of her past.

Honestly, I had high hopes for this novel. Though the writing was appealing, I have to confess the more I read, the more I became disappointed. I liked the first 40% of story - it was very The Princess Diary-ish like. Yet the story lacks romance and mystery, it wasn’t thrilling. As I turned the pages, I kept hoping something magical would happen…it never did.

Overall, Suspicion’s pace was good, the writing was pretty but the story itself was… dull. It had potentials but it fell short of the mark. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Suspicion

Author: Alexandra Monir

Release Date: December 9th 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride

Book Review: Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir

Timekeeper
Timeless #1
Author: Alexandra Monir
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Romance/Science Fiction
Released: January 8th 2013
Review Source: Authors on the Web
Available: Amazon
Review: Timeless

Summary: (from goodreads) When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.

Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.

Alexandra Monir's Timekeeper combines breathtaking romance with a tale of complex magic in a sequel that will have every reader believing in the transcendent power of love.

I was so happy to find out there was a sequel to Timeless, because I fell in love with the first book. I was ready to throw the first book when it got to the end of the book because I thought the story was over with and then I was sent the second book and I was like a kid in a candy store. I was so happy.

The book starts off when Michelle is in high school and she notices a new student that started at the school. When he turns around she almost has a heart attack because the new boy looks like the love of her life Philip from the 1900s and is also wearing the ring that Michelle lost. Michelle can't stop smiling and drooling and she tells her best friend that is Philip from the 1900s and she doesn't believe her. So what does she do she goes up to him to see if he remembers her and she ends up making a fool of herself. She keeps telling herself that is Philip and he will finally notice her and she will be the happiest woman alive. Well she goes back to the 1900s and the Philip there takes her to the hotel and gives her a sheet of music to show the Philip in her time so she does. But the hotel that she ends up going to is the one that Philip is staying at in the 20th century. Along the way she goes back in time and finds out there is a mystery tunnel in the mansion and when she goes there she finds her Fathers journals. So when she starts reading them she finds out that her father was a Time Traveler. Whenever he wanted to be with her mother he would go to that tunnel and her mother would meet him there. Michelle also finds out that it is against the rules for a Time Traveler to have a child with somebody that isn't a Time Traveler because that child will have half time travel and the other half will live in their century. Well after reading the journals she talks to her grandparents and finds out she is a Time traveler like her father. At school one day Michelle hears music coming from a piano that sounds familiar and she goes and sees and notices it is Philip. So she goes in and starts chatting with him and gives him the sheet music. Well come to find out he does remember her and it is Philip from the 1900s. Well through this whole story Michelle is being chased by a relative of hers named Rebecca. Well Rebecca wants her killed because she has rift with Michele's father. Because Rebecca use to be her fathers fiance and he ended up not marrying her because of something that she did to him. 

I could go on forever with this but I don't want to ruin it for you. If you have read the first book and loved it you won't be disappointed with the sequel to it.

Book Review: Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Timeless
Timeless #1
Author: Alexandra Monir
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Romance/Science Fiction
Released: January 11th 2011
Review Source: Authors on the Web
Available: Amazon
Blog Tour: 1/14/13 Feature

Summary: (from goodreads) When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book from the beginning to the very end. I could not put this book down. I fell in love with the characters and the theme of the story. When I was reading this book I felt like I was in the story along with the characters. I can't explain it. If you want to read a really good book where you feel satisfied when the book is over with then this is the book.

The main character Michelle Windsor is just a typical high school student that had a single mother and never knew who her father was. Just heard stories about him and knew that on her mothers side she had a very wealthy family that she has never met. Well one day changes her life forever. Her mother drops her off to school and that is the last time Michelle sees her mother because her mother ends up being killed in a car accident. Well Michelle doesn't have any family until she finds out that her mothers parents want her to move to New York City to live with them. First thing is she never has met them and second she always thought they never wanted to meet her. So when she arrives she is use to living in a house where her mom had to work so hard to make money and now she is living in a huge mansion and never has to worry about money. Before she left she ended up meeting with a lawyer and was given some jewelry that was her mothers. In the safety deposit box she discovers a key and wonders what it is. Well in her room she discovers a diary that was written by one of her relatives and when she goes to open it up she notices the key is shaking and moving so she goes to the key and when she touches it along with the diary she ends up going back in time. When she goes back in time in 1910 she ends up going to a ball and at that ball she notices a very handsome man that looks so familiar. Then she thinks about it and that man was the man that she has been dreaming about her entire life. At the ball he notices her and she looks familiar to him. Well every time she wears this key she can go back in time and be with Philip. Every time she goes back and hangs out with him the more she falls in love with him. So Michelle is trying to stay in the 20th century but sometimes she ends up in the 1910s. But her biggest wish is to be with Philip forever. 

There are a lot of things that happen in this book. Its a roller coaster book that keeps you on your toes and keeps you rooting for the main characters to be together. I was cheering them on until the end. Read this book because it was written beautifully by a wonderful author. The one question you need to ask yourself while reading this book. Would you love to go back and time and change things the way you want them to be to have a different future for yourself.