Mini Reviews: Heist Society, A Perfect Proposal, Forgive My Fins

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society #1
Published: 2010

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind.

Then a powerful mobster is robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back.

First an all-girls school for spies, and now a family full of master thiefs? I don't know where Ally Carter gets her ideas from, but I love her imagination and concepts!

Just like the Gallagher Girl books, this book contains a possible love story - but that is not the main storyline. Heist Society is about so much more - values, friendship, family, and bravery. There is no doubt that Kat is a smart girl, she wouldn't have been able to be a successful thief otherwise, but she also has compassion, wit, courage and integrity.

Heist Society is an adventurous and thrilling read , and I will happily read the sequel (Uncommon Criminals).

Rating: 3.75 of 5

Title: A Perfect Proposal
Author: Katie Fford
Published: 2010

Sophie Apperly's family has never taken her seriously. Fiercely academic, they see her more practical skills as frivolous whilst constantly taking advantage of her. So when her best friend Milly invites her over to New York, she jumps at the chance. It'll do her ungrateful family good to do without her for a while. What s more, she's on a quest America holds the key to solving her family's financial woes, even if they don't deserve her help.

From the moment Sophie hits the bright lights of Manhattan she's determined to enjoy every minute of her big adventure. So when an evening at an art gallery throws her into the path of Matilda, a spirited old lady who invites her to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, Sophie willingly accepts, much to the dismay of Matilda's grandson Luke. Undeniably attractive but infuriatingly arrogant, he is very protective of his grandmother and seems to doubt Sophie's motives for befriending her. No match for the formidable Matilda, he eventually admits defeat, but first he has a proposal to make. He'll help Sophie in her quest to save her family from financial ruin if she repays the favour. But just what does she have to do in return...?

It's not often I read adult novels, but when I do I prefer to read books like this one! A Perfect Proposal is a chiclit novel - but it's not all glamour, beauty and gossip. No, A Perfect Proposal has heart and humour.

Sophie is a down-to-earth heroine who is kindhearted and intelligent.
Luke is a successful business man who likes living a luxury life, but he is suspicious of the people around him, thinking they're after his family's money.

When Sophie and Luke meet, they immediately dislike each other, but with a little help from Luke's grandmother Matilda, these two very different people might end up tolerating each other after all...

Rating: 4 of 5

Title: Forgive My Fins
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Fins #1
Published: 2010

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Forgive My Fins is definitely a fun read! I loved Lily - she was a hilarious character. She had a short temper, spunk, spirit and humour. She was hilariously bungly, ungraceful and frank. I LOVED Lily's sea slang, she used words like "Blowfish" and "Son of a Swordfish" as foul language. Although Lily was sweet and funny, I found her a bit naive and irritating at times.She was so hung up on the thought that Brody was the love of her life, although she didn't really know him at all. Quince was a great character, and I loved when he called Lily "princess" - so hot!

Rating: 4 of 5