Chances by Carolyn Brown. A+

"Adelida Broussau took a big chance by saying she was Rueben Hamilton's new bride. But even a rat will stand up and fight when it's cornered and she was surely feeling the pinch of being pushed in the corner. Her sister, Maria, was dead. Her sorry, Yankee loving brother-in-law, Victor, had issued her an ultimatum to be out of New Orleans by night, or else; then stole the rest of her money so she couldn't leave. Then there was Rueben, hit on the head for attempting to thwart a bank robbery, his memory gone and leavingtown that very day. All she had to do was say she was truly his wife. Everyone in the chaos after the robbery already thought they were newlyweds. So she took a big chance andlet them go right on believing she was.

Rueben Hamilton went to New Orleans from southern Pennsylvania at the request of the President of the United States to help with the reconstruction of Louisiana after the Civil War. He'd gone into the bank to finish his business before boarding The Queen for the first leg of his journey home. He didn't remember the bank robbery. All he remembered was awakingwith a headache, no memory, and a wife fresh from the Acadian bayou country. None of it made a bit of sense.

It was supposed to take a month for them to reach Love's Valley, an obscure little valley near Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania. That was if everything went according to plan and Rueben's memory didn't return; if he didn't toss Adelida off at the next port of call to fend for herself, or worse,throw her overboard. But fate played her hand and dealt the two of them some unforeseen cards that turned their world upside down"

-Back of the book

I absolutely love this author! She writes big suspense novels that take place in western time or, like in this one, the Civil War. This one is pack full of action and, like Garnet, has huge unexpected twists and turns. I can't wait to get a hold of Carolyn Browns other books!

Princess Academy

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. B+

"Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.

Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates."
-Back of the book.

I heard about this book from my friends but didn't really want to read it because I thought her other books were pretty boring. But I got a copy for my birthday and decided to give it a whirl. It wasn't the most exciting book and not the cleverest fantasy, but it was well written and I think it's a good book for girls around the ages of 9-15. I liked it enough to keep reading it and I thought it was a very cute book with fun, creative characters, but I don't think I'd put this other in my top ten list.

Garnet

Garnet by Carolyn Brown A+

"Garnet Diana Dulan swung open the doors of the Silver Dollar Saloon, sucked up a lunch full of cigar smoke, and listened intently to the sounds of men playing poker and the scrape of boots across the wooden floor; she felt right at home. After just minutes inside the doors of the saloon she knew she'd made the right decision to leave her sisters and the wagon train of brides heading to California.

Quickly she negotiates a job with the owner to play piano in the bar for room and board. Garnet is happy with her new arrangement and starts to settle into her new routine, that is until she runs into Sheriff Gabe Walker.

Sheriff Walker is convinced that this unusual, blue-eyed beauty is not the kind of woman he needs taking up residence in his clean town, and he won't rest until he runs her back to where she came from. But Garnet is a sassy Southern woman who speaks her mind and won't listen to a word he says. In fact, Gabe is certain that he can see lightening streak across her blue eyes in brilliant, jagged lines when she's angry.

The two lock horns on more than one occasion, but when her life is threatened and she is wrongfully accused of murder and robbery, it is Gabe who saves her from lynching. Considering all the damage already between them, it will take a miracle for either of these two to put aside their stubbornness and admit their love."

-Back of the book.

I really loved this book! It was just one of those random books I found at the library and decided to read, I had no background on it. These are series of books all about all five sisters. Willow, Velvet, Gypsy, Gussie, and of course Garnet. There is a book for each sister! It's totally fun and takes place in the good old western times. I totally have to pick up the other books! If there as good as this one was then I'm sold! The best part of this book is that it's so unexpected! I mean there were somethings that are really predictable but others were...wow! I won't say any more about the surprises. I also really liked it because it's not a real famous book so i can recommend it to my other book worm friends :) It's not that old of a book and I liked how the author wrote it. It's so intense the the characters are down right hilarious!

Wildwood Dancing

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. B-

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm.

"But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop. When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love."
-Back of the book.

I liked this book because when the book starts they already know about the other world and the very first thing that happens is they go there on a full moon. I kind of liked that because you don't have to go through the sometimes boring part of them finding it. What I didn't like was that it was kind of a rip off of Pride and Prejudice. There are five sisters, the oldest falls in love, the creepy cousin wants to marry the second oldest, Their rich and the dads worried they'll lose everything to there cousin, and it's in the second cousins point of view who is the "sensible" one. But it wasn't very advencres ether. It was an ok book but but I wouldn't by my own copy or read it again.

Spells

Spells by Aprilynne Pike. A+

"Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?"
-Back of the book.

I really love these books and the author! There good clean romance fantasy and this one is better then the last! In this one you get a hole lot more about the fairy world in the book and a whole new adventure! I can't say much without giving anything away. But there is sort of a love triangle here between David and Tamani. (Personally I like Tamani.) And I read on Aprilynne Pike's blog that the next book is called "Illusions" and should come out around May 2011. I hope!

Linger

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. D-

"In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole."
-Back of the book

Sometimes a series gets better as the books go on like Twilight, Wings, or The Hunger Games(except the last one.) But this is not one of those series! I REALLY think she should have stopped with the first book and I REALLY hope she'll stop after this one. The ending was fine the way it was in the first book and now it's all confusing and weird. And I just really didn't like the way his book was written. I usually like the books that have different point of views but in this book It it was not fun because I hate half of the characters in the story. But the bottom line is I really regret buying this book.

Wings

Wings by Aprilynne Pike. A+

"Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever."

-Back of the book

This is a phenomenal book! It was such a fun fantasy book! I'm pretty picky about fantasy books because a fantasy book isn't fun unless the author makes it seem real. I relate it to the Twilight books a little because they both have mythical creatures but the author makes them different, like this book is about fairy's. But there different; they have wings that look exactly like flowers, they only have wings once a year, and there are four different kinds of fairy's based on what season they were born. It's creative and adventurist! This book totally makes it in my top ten and is a must read!