Songbird by Syrie James

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: When Southern California radio deejay Desiree Germain hosts a contest on the air, she is immediately taken by the smooth, deeply masculine voice of caller number twelve, Kyle Harrison. Later that afternoon, the man behind the voice walks into her studio, and Desiree is instantly smitten. 

Kyle Harrison is not only devastatingly handsome, he is a brilliant, extremely wealthy entrepreneur from Seattle who is used to getting what he wants. Desiree can't help her attraction to Kyle—and if the intense way he looks at her and keeps delaying his flight back to Seattle is any indication, it seems her feelings are more than reciprocated. 

They embark on a thrilling, passionate love affair that plays havoc with the life Desiree has struggled so hard to carefully control. With a divorce under her belt and her career finally going places, she is concerned that their whirlwind romance is doomed to long-distance failure.



It might take a Maserati, dozens of red roses, and a lot of airplane tickets, but Kyle is determined to sweep Desiree off her feet and claim her as his own—forever. Can Kyle convince Desiree to risk her heart and her career for love? 

Sexy, witty, tender, and deeply poignant, Songbird is a page-turning tale that will ignite your senses and bring a smile to your heart. 

Number of pages: 236
My review: I have read three of Syrie James' other books and I have loved all of them, and this being the fourth it was just as good! When I was contacted to read and review this book I was ecstatic because I can always rely on Syrie James' works to be a breath of fresh air, so to speak, in the reading sphere. She writes flawlessly and clearly and it doesn't seem fake or overdone at all. Her words roll right off the page and causes you to finish her novels quickly not only because the plots are so good, but because the writing itself is an excellent piece of art too.
And Syrie James has lived up to my expectations once I again! I flew through Songbird! It was amazing on all sorts of levels; there was really good plot and character development, so you actually felt for the characters instead of just lazing along wondering what would happen to them. The setting was believable (extremely believable for me since I have been to/live around the Southern California area and I have been to Seattle as well). However, for people who hadn't been to either area, Syrie James did a good job of describing what each setting looked like including all the sights, sounds, and hustle and bustle of each city.
The romance between Kyle and Desiree sometimes became a little too unbelievable for me (they fell in love after only 3 weeks? Seems a tad fast) but overlooking that their relationship was very adorable (I especially loved the scene where Desiree met Kyle's family).
Anyways, it was truly a great read and perfect for February and that Valentine's Day feel! I would recommend this for older teens and adults since sometimes it gets a little...saucy; let's put it that way.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Paige

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The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 298
This being the second novel I've read by Syrie James I think I can safely say I love her writing even more now! She writes impeccably and the twist that she added to the way of writing as Jane Austen instead of about her or her books was simply fantastic!
How did Syrie James do this you ask? Well here's what happens in the book; Ms. James writes as Jane Austen writing her diary about her life (the interactions and basic things that happen are made up, but the places she went and the people she met are real!). Jane's life parallels many of her stories and we can see from this fictional piece of work perhaps how Jane got the ideas for her stories (any true Jane Austen fan will notice the similarities between her stories, and Syrie James helps out along the way by adding footnotes that make the whole story a lot more adorable than it already is).
Jane accounts her daily life and how she feels about moving homes, meeting new people, dealing with her family, and the struggles she encounters with her writing. Now, I don't know if this is true or not but it's written in the story, Jane often feels she should give up her writing because she isn't good enough, or because she's a woman, etc. Thankfully for me er the world, she continues to persevere and write her stories with the push and support from her sister Cassandra and Jane's love interest Mr. Ashford (who sounds absolutely charming!).
I love the way this story was written (can't say I loved the ending though...not because of how it was written but because...well you have to go read it! I don't want to spoil it!). There are only so many ways authors can switch up, flip around, and totally change the worlds that Jane Austen has created, but to create a story where Jane Austen herself is put into a slightly fictional world, well, let me just say that it TOTALLY worked! I loved this story from beginning to end and Syrie James' writing always grabs me from the beginning and begs me to read what happens next as quickly as possible.
I would definitely recommend this to any true Jane Austen fan who has read most/all of her works (like me!) because it is such a cool way to view the world of Jane Austen, literally through her eyes, and the way England was in the early 1800's. 
5 out of 5 stars for me! I will definitely be reading this again (if I ever find the time...)!
See you soon!
Paige

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Forbidden by Ryan James and Syrie James

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 410
This book was AMAZING! It was super easy to read and I finished it so quickly because, time just flew by while I was reading. The story follows Claire through her adventures of meeting Alec, an angel at her high school and she discovers the powers that she has as well.
Typically, I'm not drawn to books like this because they're usually all the same; girl meets immortal/fantastical boy, they fall in love, they are separated, girl mopes around, get together in the end. This story went sort of a different route. Claire wasn't a "Mary-Sue" (no description of character, is made so that any person reading feels they can be this person, she has no emotions it seems, and complains a lot about the boys in her life-think Bella from Twilight)
Anyways, Claire actually interacted with her friends and told them what was going on in her life, and they supported her and believed her! This was totally new for me because no other books I've read like this have taken that approach. Claire also stayed true to her schoolwork which was refreshing because in many of these books people seem to blow off school a lot. She also didn't become completely self-absorbed with Alec, she participated in other school activities, and even seemed so human to me when she was confused whether she even liked him or not (Mary-Sue's typically fall immediately in love with the male counterpart).
Alec, was also an amazing character and he seemed so adorable. The pair's relationship seemed totally believable despite the unbelievable circumstances, and the way they worked through different obstacles was very...refreshing. The whole way the book was written seemed to take a different stance than most teen paranormal romance novels and I really appreciated that.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to buy it and have it for myself (I checked it out from the library). Also after meeting Syrie James, herself at the L.A. Time Festival of Books, I loved this book even more! Definitely 5 stars!! Check it out for a good quick read!
See you soon!
Paige

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