Fateful by Claudia Gray

Pages:  328

Publishers:  HarperTeen

Published:  September 13, 2011

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Review:

This book is such a page turner. And I'm not saying that sarcastically. I really loved it especially the main character. She's no afraid to stand her ground and she immediately knows when a person may become her friend and when when they might not.  She is resourceful and can do snappy banter.  Especially with her seriously stupid and really annoying stalker wolf.  What part of no is hard for him to understand.

The near end of the book was somewhat sad. I mean the Titanic sank and many people that Tess cares about dies. And then there's the story of her sister and what happens between her and the young heir of the Lisle family. Also the young lady who Tess serves turns out to have a dark secret.  She finds out that she and one of the servants, Ned, had been in love and Irene had miscarried his baby.

Altogether, this book has surprises in every chapter and I hope she makes a sequel. I'd give it 5 stars.

Fragment Friday's

This week’s Fragment Friday follows book 4 of the Iron Fey Series, Iron Knight.

Pages:  386

Publishers:  Harlequin

Published:  October 25, 2011

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing. 

Unless he can earn a soul. 

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought. 

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. 

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side. 

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale. 

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

This is a link to the excerpt:

http://harlequinblog.com/2011/07/julie-kagawas-the-iron-knight-synopsis-and-excerpt-released/

And to learn more about the book and see the trailer:

http://juliekagawa.blogspot.com/2011/09/iron-knight-trailer-debut.html

Tempest (Destroyers #1) by Holly Hook

Pages:  284

Publishers:  CreateSpace

Published:  July 7, 2010

Life blows for sixteen-year-old Janelle. Ever since moving to Florida, she's been accidentally breaking people's arms just by touching them. And yanking steel doors off their hinges. Then her new crush, Gary, sees her gray spiral birthmark and tells her she's a Tempest. A person who can turn into a hurricane by touching the ocean. Like him. So that's why she feels ready to explode when she's at the beach. As if that's not lousy enough, all Tempests have to become storms once in their lives. It's their secret law...and it's Janelle's turn. And it's not long before the Tempest leader abducts her. Janelle's told that she's destined to become the worst hurricane ever. And now she's the main weapon in the Tempest leader's plot to hold the world ransom. No way can Janelle live with herself if she kills thousands. But using the power she fears most might be the only way out.

Review:

Loved it!  This first book in the Destroyer series makes me see hurricanes everywhere.  Just kidding. But I'll always look at them differently. Such as thinking that anyone with hurricane names is one. Janelle is also a very strong main character. She doesn't let anyone walkover her. Example: her crazy mother who wants to destroy the world. The Tempests are like their own civilization with their own god and way of life. Hurricanes are also needed for many people near the coast. They provide rain during droughts and fertile soil for farming.

And just so this doesn't become the discovery channel let's go back to the book. I'll give you all a short summary of the book. Janelle finds out that shes a Tempest or hurricane and that she has to turn into one the day that hurricane Janelle is expected. She also finds out that her biological mother was a Tempest and that she wants Janelle to destroy New York, so the Tempests could take over. I'm the end she gets a surprise that she wishes could have stayed buried.

I'd give it 5 stars. Holly Hooke created a whole new world with living disasters that walk around like real people.

Beware, Princess Elizabeth (Young Royals #2) by Carolyn Meyer

Pages:  214

Publishers:  Gulliver Books

Published:  September 1, 2002

Imprisonment. Betrayal. Lost love. Murder. What more must a princess endure?

Elizabeth Tudor's teenage and young adult years during the turbulent reigns of Edward and then Mary Tudor are hardly those of a fairy-tale princess. Her mother has been beheaded by Elizabeth's own father, Henry VIII; her jealous half sister, Mary, has her locked away in the Tower of London; and her only love interest betrays her in his own quest for the throne. 

Told in the voice of the young Elizabeth and ending when she is crowned queen, this second novel in the exciting series explores the relationship between two sisters who became mortal enemies. Carolyn Meyer has written an intriguing historical tale that reveals the deep-seated rivalry between a determined girl who became one of England's most powerful monarchs and the sister who tried everything to stop her.

Review:

The second book follows princess Elizabeth, the sister of Queen Mary. She is the only monarch of England to have been a woman and not married.  This book begins with the death of King Henry VIII and the princess finding out three days later and her brother being crowned as king. When Edward dies of Consumption, princess Mary becomes queen and Elizabeth is told that she would be restoring the true church of England. The catholic church.

When she questions her sister's choices, she is imprisoned in the tower until she is released and sent back to court. When her sister is nearing death, Elizabeth is made the heir. Everyone expects her to marry and produce an heir because they believe that a woman does not have the power to rule. Kind of stupid really. Girls are much more powerful than guys. Check Amelia Earhart.

This story is told from the point of the child of Anne Boleyn. From her lost love to betrayal from someone close to her. This book provides an insight into the life of princess Elizabeth and how she created one of the most celebrated eras in history. I'd give it 5 stars.