Woohoo! A Royal Birth!

As many of you probably know... I am a huge fan of the royal family and of The Duchess of Cambridge...

I was pretty stoked back in December when we learned that she was pregnant and I immediately made my predictions.

Now all that waiting is over (sort of) and the Royal Baby is HERE!

I was correct in my prediction that the baby would be born in late July. However, I was wrong, when it came to the babies gender! I thought for sure it was going to be a girl, it even seemed that popular opinion would agree with me on that. However. the Duke and Duchess welcomed a Baby Boy at 4:24pm (their time) and we are now just waiting on all the other important details. Like, the name...

I really hope we do not have to wait long on the baby name, as I imagine they had some already picked out, beforehand. As I have said before I hope they do pick one name that is "traditional" although not crazy, just not a typically royal name. I also think it would be sort of funny if they did surprise everyone and go for the names on the bottom of the betting lists.

My name Predictions have changed slightly since my last post but not much.. The Child will most likely have at least four names, this is my previous predictions and my new predictions. I am not guessing what order they will be in but that they will be apart of the name.

Original Name Predictions                          New Name Predictions

1. Liam                                                        1. Edward
2. Charles                                                    2. Phillip
3. Phillip                                                      3. George
4. Frances                                                    4. Frances
5. Spencer                                                    5. Spencer
                                                                     6. James

All names have a history or meaning to them, so It would be interesting to see if any of these predictions are correct and to see what order they are in.. in fact I will make a loose full name prediction.. Phillip Edward George Spencer but don't hold me to that!


Are you guys excited and what is your name predictions?!

Cinders and Sapphires (At Somerton, #1)

Summary:

"Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.
For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.
Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton."

Plot: Although, a decently fun read; Cinders and Sapphires isn't an all too original plot. Pretty much follows like a Downton Abbey plot line and doesn't have a lot of surprises or twists.

Characters: The main characters to focus on are Rose and Ada. Both are equally like-able and have dilemmas that complements the others, which in return helps the plot go along. Sebastian has an interesting role and I imagine it will only get better from there.

Final Thoughts: I liked Cinders and Sapphires and will eventually read the rest of the series, although it is not a priority. I was hoping was just a little extra GLAMOUR like the title practically promises. Although, the ending is to be scandalous, i just felt so much disconnect from it. Which I guess may be how I felt about the whole book, it was just missing something extra to be GREAT.

Remember When You Were...

Twenties Girl definitely surprised me. It was not what I thought it was about. I originally thought it was about a modern girl who likes to live like she was in the twenties (which overall sounded like a boring book, but I love the '20's era). However I was ALL wrong. The book is set in London, England. Lara is the main character; who just broke up with her boyfriend Josh, dropped everything to go into business with her best friend to become a headhunter (although shes never done it before), and overall is just in a tough spot. Mainly, because Natalie, Lara's friend and business partner decides to move to India, fall in love and isn't exactly sure when she will be coming back. Leaving Lara and their assistant Kate, to figure the business out. On top of that Lara is convinced her ex is still in love with her and she has to go to the funeral of her Great Aunt Sadie; who she's never met. Now, this is where the book begins...while at the funeral Lara discovers that she can see her great aunt Sadie, who has taken form of her 23 year old body from the '20's. Being Lara is the only one who can see her, Sadie asks..well more like demands Lara stop the funeral and help her find her necklace; because she cannot be put to rest without it.

That may sound a little boring, but the book hilariously follows them through there journey. It's part ghost story, meets mystery novel, meets love story. There are two, three, maybe even four different story lines going on... all tied together perfectly. I read through this book rather quickly and not because I just HAD to know how it ended but because it was hilarious and just made me happy. I would say it was like I was watching a movie or reading a perfectly well executed movie script and I just wanted to know what the ending would be. The book is excellently written and since the writer is also British, there are a few words that I didn't quite understand but got the point. This is the perfect summer reading book, or a book to read while lounging by the pool. I'm actually excited to read some more of Sophie Kinsella's books.


What's Next?

The Next book in my pile of books to read is "Water for Elephants" by Sarah Gruen. I honestly do not know much about the book. I know it is a historical piece (which I LOVE) and it has to do with the circus. I mainly picked the book up for 2 reasons... One being I have heard great things about it and 2nd being that I know the movie is in production and I want to read it before it comes out..