In the conclusion to The Luxe series, all of the characters have been fighting for a happy ending. Now it's time to find out who will get it. Will Diana ruin Penelope's plot to keep Henry? Will Elizabeth recover from her husband, Will's, death and have their child in a safe home? Will Penelope get her prince? And will the once maid Carolina convince the world of her worth and capture the man of her dreams?
Ouch. It's over, and I'm sad. I loved loved the saga of all of these mad New York society folk. It was a whole new world, full of very believable emotion and a whirlwind of drama. Anna Godbersen is an artist, let me tell you! It was like she was there, describing it all in detail. So much research must have gone into these novels.
Diana was always my favorite, of course. I was dying for her to finally get Henry! I thought theirs was the one love that might be real. I hoped against hope for them. We catch up with the two in Cuba, where Henry is pretending to be a soldier and Diana is searching the world to be with him, unbeknownst to New York's high society. I thought this part was great, Diana really shines in this part of the world, where she is free to be as bold as we know she is. And again, Godbersen made me feel like I was there.
Elizabeth is still in pathetic shape. However, in this book she actually starts to shine again. In Rumors, #2, I started to get a feel for the real Elizabeth, the strong woman who actually thought for herself. In the middle of this book, I started to see her emerging again, much to my relief. I knew it, though. I knew how that would end. Although, she is probably the best off of the characters at the end of the day.
Penelope was really annoying in #3, a petty wife trying to make Henry love her. In the beginning of Splendor, she starts that way again, ugh. But finally, with Henry gone, she finds the old Penelope and says "Screw you" to society again. It's fun for awhile, although I kept wondering when it would come back to bite her in the end...
Carolina has undergone the most drastic change. She is finally an independent heiress, but comes to realize it's not what she wants most anymore. What she wants is Leland, the handsome rich guy she so happens to now live beside. I wanted her to have him, the poor girl. But she went about it the worst way possible. I kept cringing at her behavior, because I wanted her to succeed. She was a likeable character, unlike before, when I hated her a little for being such a petty, evil, and selfish creature. Now, I loved her, and wanted the best for her.
The endings were bittersweet. I was left feeling a bit incomplete, but I know it was how it had to be. It was a simple, but sad ending to the complex Luxe series.
I just cannot get over how well done these books are. She puts so much thought into them with the snippets from the columns and books at the beginning of each chapter. There were so many twists and turns as well. That, with all of the minute details she added to the story, really impressed me. I highly recommend picking this series up if you like romance, era novels, or the gossip girl feel. I'm truly sorry to see the series end.
4.6/5
but 5/5 to the series as a whole!
Shay-la
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