Another good read....

      Where do I even start?  This book was amazing!  Heather Dixon, has done an amazing story of retelling the fairytale of the twelve dancing princesses.  The story opens with Azalea, the oldest of the princesses and all of them named for flowers/plants, getting ready for her first ball.  Her mother has not been well, so she will serve as hostess.  Her mother calls her to her room so that she can visit with her, which leaves Azalea even more worried about her pregnant mother.  She tells the king, her father, about her concerns.  During the evening and the ball, her mother passes away, leaving Azalea in charge of all of her sisters, including newborn Lily. The castle is forced into mourning, which for the girls means no dancing.  Dancing is what they loved to do most with mother and they feel they have lost her more than ever.  The king goes off to war leaving the girls alone.

      Azalea continues to find ways to defy the mourning rules and her father, whom the girls feel does not even care that they are there.  Led to a secret and magical area of the palace, the girls meet Mr. Keeper, who earns the attraction of Azalea.  Is he as perfect as he seems?  Is the place as wonderful as what it seems?  And then there is Captain Bradford, who would make a perfect king for the country.  But will he make her a perfect husband?  Who will she choose, or rather who will choose her?  And will any of them survive the darkness that overtakes the palace?  

      This is a wonderful story that you can get lost in.  I giggled, I cried, I mourned with the princesses.  This is a wonderful, magical read that you should race right out and get!

Until next time & happy reading!

Tammy Jo 

Ruby Red

If you have not had the chance to read Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, then what are you waiting for?  This book pulled me in and wouldn't let me go.  First of all, let's just talk about that beautiful cover.  It is definitely "ruby red", not scarlet or fire engine red, but deep and intense.  The girl on the cover is eerily beautiful, and then you have the little clock looking item at the bottom.  The book is about ordinary and plain sixteen-year-old Gwen.  Gwen has grown up going to school, the movies, and hanging with her best friend Lesley.  Everything that her cousin Charlotte has been unable to do because she has been training all her life to be a time traveler.  When the gene mysteriously, and quite unexpectedly falls to Gwen, everyone's life is irrevocably turned upside down.  Gwen's mum is accused of conspiring to put her daughter ahead of Charlotte and sabotaging the entire project.  In a place where secrets and secret societies abound, Gwen is torn between the life she knew and the life she wants to know.  Along with the gene, Gwen inherits Charlotte's time traveling partner-to-be, Gideon.  Two years older than her, Gideon is more seasoned in the ways of time travel, especially with Gwen not having any training.  This book has mysterious characters lurking around every zap back in time.  Who can they trust?  Can they trust each other?  And will their lives ever be normal again?  Great read!  Highly recommend it!