The Poison Diaries - Maryrose Wood (feat. Jane Northumberland)

The Story: Though only 16 years old, Jessamine is a very solitary girl. Living with her father, an apothecary obsessed with his plans, she enjoys taking care of their little Belladonna seedlings and wondering what wonderful (and venomous) plants are hidden in her father's garden that is locked and she cannot enter.

But Jessamine´s loneliness has an end when Thomas, her father, receives the presence of a very cruel man in his house and he introduces them a boy who mysteriously knew a lot of plants .
For Thomas, the wisdom of Weed, the boy, was too valuable and he adopts him in order to get more knowledge to cure people of the city.
But Weed´s knowledge was actually a an extraordinary power he only reveals to Jessamine, with whom he starts with a beautiful and intense romance.
So young and innocent, they would never imagine that love could be as poisonous as the plants of the secret garden.

My Opinion: The Poison Diaries, in my opinion, should not be characterized as a YA book. In fact, he's a real fairy-tale.
It is not easy to appreciate the beauty of this book because it is not simple. It's extremely original, uncomfortable (in the good meaning of the word), romantic and cruel. It´s a reading I´ll never forget.
Tasting as a classic, he advances slowly, beginning with an explanation, where we met Jessamine and are sesitized with her loneliness and her acceptance of the strange life that she lives. Although she longs to live away from that little cottage and see the world, she does not abandon her father and is content with whatever he tells her and bans.
But everything changes when Weed appears. Despite having his many secrets, he comes as a new hope for the girl, who conquers a friend. Of course this special affection begins to become love, and she is matched.
Unfortunately, if I speak here about the best and most genious part of the book, I'll be leaving a huge spoiler and it would be a shame. I can only say I was amazed and hipnotized from half the book ´till the end (not that the first part is bad, it´s wonderful), and that's exactly the point why it deserves the title of "fairy tale".
The end left me with open mouth because I did not expect what happened. There´s a hook for a sequel, and I just found out that there´s one, and his name is Nightshade. I want to reeeeead!
On the last page of the book there´s a reference to the Duchess of Northumberland, who really has a garden and a vast knowledge about poisons, and helped Maryrose to write this beautiful and gothic book.
I´m thankful to the gentle Maryrose Wood for sending me her book and for give me the opportunity to read this fascinating story.

How many stars: *****

Soundtrack? Open your eyes by Stream of Passion

Montana Dawn - Caroline Fyffe

"Hush," he whispered, as he took her face in his hands and turned it to see into her eyes. "Don´t you know I don´t want this unless I can have what´s here?" He tapped softly on both of her temples. "And this, too." He leaned down and kissed the spot where her heart beat wildly in her chest. "It would mean nothing to me without the rest of you."

The Story: In 1883, on a stormy night, Luke McCutcheon met a woman about to give birth, with only the help of a nine year-old boy.
Having such a good heart, Luke saw no other alternative but to help Faith, and together they brought the little baby to the world, at the first rays of dawn.
Feeling somewhat responsible for those lives, he decided to help the woman and her kids in their journey to a nearby town.
What he did not know was that Faith was hiding some secrets of her tumultuous past, which could harm the relationship that arose between them.

Minha Opinião: Montana Dawn could be just a novel written by a writer with experienced hands and a sensitive heart. It could be another story where the man falls for woman and they suffer to stay together. But no. Montana Dawn is a book with all of this and more. It is an unforgettable story.
Maybe it's the rich detail and the characters so interesting and almost alive that makes it so wonderful. I do not know! All I can say that I loved, loved, loved it!
Sometimes I couldn´t understand Faith. I know she suffered the bread like hell, but Luke was confident from the beginning, and there was no reason to shirk it and don´t reveal her secrets, but she insisted on the error.
I loved Luke´s familu and despite being a little devil, I really liked Colton, the son "adopted" by Faith. So protective and with so many bad things to remember.
If I wasn´t a fan of Westerns, I'm beginning to change my minds. Lovely scenarios, intense stories and beautiful passions... what else do I want?

How many stars: ****

Soundtrack: Don´t by Shania Twain