My Birthday Wishlist!

It's my birthday on Saturday so I thought I'd share some of the books that are on my wishlist for then  (descriptions from Goodreads):

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest. But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

I featured this one on a Waiting on Wednesday post last year so I've been looking forward to reading it for a long time. I love fairy tale retellings and I just read another retelling of the same fairytale as Entwined called The Princess Of The Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. And that cover is gorgeous- it would look so pretty on my bookshelf!

Daughter Of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang

Athletiand strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu. Marco has no skills in the "manly arts" of the Mongols: horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Still, he charms the Khan with his wit and story-telling. Emmajin sees a different Marco as they travel across 13th-century China, hunting 'dragons' and fighting elephant-back warriors. Now she faces a different battle as she struggles with her attraction towards Marco and her incredible goal of winning fame as a soldier.

Dori came on the blog to do a guest post a few months ago so really want to finally be able to read her book! I love the sound of the setting of Daughter Of Xandu because it's unusual and different from many Tudor and Victorian set YA historicals.

Waterfall by Lisa T.Bergen

I've been wanting to read this ever since I read a glowing review over at Small Review because I've been meaning to read more time travels and this one sounds fantastic!

Lisa Tawn Bergren's new YA series, River of Time, is romantic, historical fiction in which the plucky heroine doesn't have to fear a vampire's bite but must still fight for her life.

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the fourteenth-century—and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.
 

Emily And The Scot by Kathryn Smith

Jamie MacLaughlin knows his place in the world and he's happy there. His dreams are simple and obtainable. But when he crosses paths with an impertinent English lass, his reaction to her is anything but simple. Emily Fitzgerald left England to avoid scandal. All she wants is a little peace and perhaps a little adventure in Scotland. She never imagined she'd meet a man who makes her want to go against everything she's ever been taught.

Thia regency romance for teens is a sequel to Anna And The The Duke, which I read last year and really enjoyed.

Princess Of Glass by Jessica Day George

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

This is the sequel to Princess Of The Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George that I read last week and carries on the story of one of the characters from there. I really liked the first book so I'm looking forward to continuing the story of one of the Princesses sometime soon.

I'll be sharing the books I got for my birthday in this Sunday's In My Mailbox!



Book Review: An Avon True Romance; Anna and the Duke by Kathryn Smith

Publisher summary/blurb:

Anna- At the very least, anyone in Anna Welsley's position would be satisfied. Anna is to inherit a fortune, and after a glittering London Season, is now engaged to a duke's son. Anna herself does not understand the vague feeling of dissatisfaction. While her mother industriously plans Anna's wedding, Anna herself reads poetry and wonders if what she's in is love or just an arrangement.

The Duke- As the estranged Scottish son of an English Duke who has just died, Ewan McLaughlin is the reluctant heir to his father's title. Arriving in London, he must face is father's widow, half sister and half brother, Richard, who was fully expecting to become the Duke himself. While acquainting himself with his new found relations, Ewan finds himself more and more often in the company of Richard's fiancee, the beautiful Anna.

When it becomes clear that Richard is conspiring against Ewan, Anna is compelled that Richard is conspiring against Ewan, Anna is compelled to warn Ewan. But what beings in innocence soon becomes betrayal as Anna finds the answer to the question in her heart- in Ewan.

My thoughts:

This historical teen,ya romance starts off when Ewan McLaughlin, who has lived with his Grandmother all his life in a small Scottish village where his family's Castle lies falling into dilapidation receives a letter to say that he must go to London at once because his father (who he has never had contact since baby and early toddler hood) has died and has left him the title of Duke. Angry and wondering why his father left the title to him, Ewan is reluctant to go to London but goes to meet his Father's new family who have been left behind. There are many challenges along the way such as the hostility of his half brother Richard towards him and the new ways of London society but when Ewan meets Anna Welsley and unsuspectingly falls in love with her, that just anger's his brother more as she is her fiancee. The story follows what happens to all the character's relationships between eachother and the obstacles that they have to overcome to follow their hearts.

I have heard from other people that this plot has been done several times before but this didn't spoil my enjoyment as I had never read a book like that before, but even if that is the case for the reader, I think the well developed and unique characters make up for this as I really cared about what happened to them.
I *loved* the romance between Anna and Ewan, it was so cute and just what I was looking for- a clean teen romance as many of the adult historicals are unsuitable. Anna's shy but bubbly occasionally, kind personality and the things that she did reminded me a bit of myself and Ewan was a great hero, tall and handsome but with flaws too so that he seemed human.  You get to know both Ewan and Anna well by the end of the book as each chapter, although written in the third person, follows what happens to either Anna or Ewan. Right from the beginning I thought they would be great together, especially with their love of books and poetry.
However, this book doesn't just focus on love as there is an element of adventure and mystery to it that adds an extra dimension to the book and makes you desperate to find out what happens at the end as it is quite unpredictable.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a light hearted book with an adorable romance set in the past that keeps your heart fluttering and makes you sigh! If you have never tried reading a historical romance before but enjoy modern day romances, this would be a great innocent read to start with.

If you like the sound of this book, why not add it to your summer reading list?