When Lucie came to Château Beaumont she was looking for a job that would get her away from home. She wasn’t prepared for the cruel and handsome Chevalier de Beaumont, and the strange tale born from her own hatred of him. But when an old witch curses the Chevalier to become a fearsome beast and Lucie a candlestick to watch him, everything changes.
As Beast, the Chevalier is quiet and kind, even to Lucie, only wanting to keep to himself and tend his garden. All too soon, Lucie finds herself drawn to- even befriending, the lonely beast. But with the arrival of Rose, a beautiful young merchant’s daughter, their fragile peace threatens to break. For if Rose offers to marry Beast, the Chevalier will return, and only Lucie knows how terrible that would be. And only Lucie has a chance of stopping it from happening.
Category Archives: Romance
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen
Megan Bannen’s debut novel, The Bird and the Blade is a rich and poignant story of love, loss, and the bloody struggle for power within a fractured Mongol Empire during the 13th century.
Jinghua lost everything on the day the Mongols invaded her home and slaughtered her people. Now she’s a slave in the house of one of the most powerful warlords of their time: Timur Khan, lord of the Kipchak. But when the Kipchak Khanate is invaded and its army destroyed Jinghua must follow Timur and his son Khalaf as they escape their conquered kingdom if she is to have any chance of returning to her own home.
But when Khalaf enters a deadly game to win the hand of a powerful princess, everything changes. Turandokht is treacherous, beautiful, and heir to the Mongol Empire. The man who weds her will be the next Great Khan, the catch? He must first solve three impossible riddles, or die trying. Soon Jinghua is forced to make an impossible choice: betray the boy she has grown to love, or give him up to the princess who would rather be his death than his bride.
Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt
Bookish Boyfriends, by Tiffany Schmidt, is a modern day combination of Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. A mix of all the chaos, surprises, and romance of those two masterpieces. This book is relatable and insightful by letting you identify with the characters of old stories. It is about a high school girl trying to find her own story.
In Bookish Boyfriends, Merrilee Campbell is obsessed with books. All her free time is spent reading and summarizing her stories to her two loyal best friends, Eliza and Toby, and basically anyone who is around to hear it. Merrilee always talks about how boys are so much better in books than in real life. Until one day, she meets a mysterious boy at her new high school who seems suspiciously like Romeo. Merrilee thinks Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story of all time. She wanders through the halls wondering if she will ever be his Juliet. Is this her story?
This never before seen combination of two classics has all the right components. If you are a fan of Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, or romance in general, you will love this book. It’s a perfect read for people trying to find their own stories, and their own bookish boyfriends.
After her father was sent to a rehab, Kira was sent to live with her aunt in Seattle, leaving behind everything and everyone she loves. Now she’s back to her old town and her father, wanting for everything – from her relationship with her dad to her bond with her friends – to go back to normal. But she soon realizes, despite her hopes, it’s not going to be easy to pick up where she left off.
Her dad invites three friends from the rehab – Nonnie, an old lady who, later on in the book, starts to almost fill the gap that Kira’s grandmother left after she died, Peach, who is a motherly type and cooks some delicious food, and Saylor who helps Kira with her homework and is working hard to become a yoga instructor – are living in her house when she gets home and are trying to put their lives back together as well. She is freaked out, for two reasons. First, she wants to be able to trust her father again and now three strangers are living with them, and second, if her social worker found out, Kira fears she would be sent away again.
Her three best friends are mad at her for not trying to stay in contact with them after she left, and totally neglecting their effort in trying to reach out for her (who can blame them), so there’s definitely a huge hole she needs to climb herself out of. Oh right, also, one of her best friends has started dating her ex-boyfriend, Jay, who Kira was madly in love with. This plot-twist definitely spices up the drama in the book. And of course, there’s sweet, caring Alex, who probably is the only normal person in her life, since her return, but her growing feelings for him, and her old feelings for Jay puts her, as well the readers, in a dilemma, though the answer becomes super obvious mid-way of the book.
As she starts to settle back into her life, and accept the changes around her. We see a development in Kira’s character as well as her relationship with the people in her life. The book also sheds light on the enormity of alcoholism, but rather than describing the darker aspects, it emphasizes on the lighter, more hopeful side of it, which brings the whole story to a bittersweet ending.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
When Miles asked his parents to send him to his father’s old boarding school, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. All he was looking for was an escape from the loneliness and drudgery of his everyday life and judging by his fathers wild stories, Culver Creek might be just what he’s looking for. And if he isn’t the most experienced in the wild shenanigans his dad described, well, its high school, what’s the worst that could happen?
What Miles didn’t anticipate was his new roommate Chip, who calls himself the Colonel. The Colonel introduces Miles— newly nicknamed Pudge, to a secret world of midnight pranks, bad alcohol and forbidden adventures. And at the center of it all is Alaska Young; clever, daring, unpredictable, gorgeous Alaska Young.
Looking for Alaska is— surprisingly— among the most insightful and intense books I have encountered in YA literature. Looking for Alaska is, in a way, a more modern and well written version of A Catcher in the Rye, with language and experiences that the twenty first century teen will understand and identify with. Whether you’re a teacher looking for an interesting and meaningful story for your students, or a teen yourself, Looking for Alaska is a fascinating and philosophical story filled with vivid characters and an intriguing plot.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon Spier is just your typical teenager. He has a small group of close friends, gets good grades, plays small roles in the school musical, oh, and he’s gay. And nobody else knows. Nobody that is except Blue, the guy he’s been secretly emailing since August. Blue’s also gay, also in the closet, also at Shady Creek High, also the perfect guy for Simon. The only problem is that neither of them has a clue who the other is. And Blue wants to keep it that way. Which Simon is okay with. Totally
Things get even more complicated when Martin finds out Simon and Blue’s secret. Martin has a crush on Simon’s friend Abby, and if getting a date with her means blackmailing Simon into setting them up, then so be it. Now Simon must find a way to help Martin get what he wants, or face the consequences.
Soon to be made into a major motion picture, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a wonderful coming-of-age style book with a wide and varied cast of characters. The reader will find themselves relating to Simon, to his friends, the mysterious Blue, and even Martin. Between the friendships, the secrets, and the way other kids handle learning that Simon is gay, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a well written and timely novel for teens to read.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeymi
Magic is entrenched deep in the heart of Orïsha. For centuries the silver-haired Maji lived alongside humans, passing their magic down through the generations of their bloodlines. With the help of their patron gods and goddesses they call fire and storms, tame wild beasts, craft great structures out of metal and stone, and even summon the souls of the dead.
But eleven years ago magic disappeared. The defenseless Maji were captured and killed by the soldiers of a ruthless king, sparing only the smallest of their white-haired children. Now those children live in fear, as the lowest caste of the Orïshan society.
Zélie Adebola is a divîner, the daughter of a Maji mother, and was born with the white hair that signals a potential for magic. When Zélie meets Amari, a rogue princess in possession of a stolen magical scroll, everything changes. Chased by the king’s soldiers and Amari’s own brother, the new friends set off on a quest to bring back magic, before it is gone forever. But even with Zélie’s newfound powers, the road will be difficult and dangerous, and soon Zélie finds herself fighting not only the monarchy, but her own treacherous heart.
In this vibrant and beautiful book Tomi Adeymi weaves a story filled with myth and mystery, adventures and romance, and of course- magic. Told from the point of view of three different people, the world of Orïsha, the characters, and the story itself grows deeper and richer with every page. The story will grab you from the first paragraph, and draw you deeper with every page. Children of Blood and Bone is undoubtedly one of those all-too-rare books that worms it’s way into your heart, and stays there forever.
Love, Hate, & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
In her debut novel Love, Hate, and Other Filters; Samira Ahmed weaves a story that is bittersweet and beautiful. In Ahmed’s tale we can easily see the similarities and differences that both create and bridge the gaps between us. The story follows Maya Aziz, an Indian Muslim girl growing up in modern day America and the challenges she faces at home and at school after a terrorist attack whose main suspect is a Muslim.
After the attack Maya faces bullying and prejudice at school and work. As the only Muslim family in town- one with the same last name as the suspect, Maya’s family receives threats and hate from the people around them. As their fear grows, Maya’s parents begin to tighten their grip on Maya’s life, making her dreams harder to follow, and her future seem more full of fear than hope. As Maya does her best to walk the line between her parents wishes and expectations for her, and her own dreams, she encounters a wide cast of characters, both friend and foe.
These will help her find her way as Maya navigates the treacherous waters of high school and college. Love, Hate, and Other Filters is a timely novel that many people would benefit from reading. Not only does the story address racism and prejudice, but also manages to capture the essence of what it is to be a teenager.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
The city of Kos is a place of divisions. From the dust of the city commons, the Forum, to the gold and marble halls of the royal palace, the line between the lives of the rich and poor is clear and unbroken. But perhaps even more pronounced is the line between the normal people, and those with gifts: the mages, and the Aki.
Mages have the power to draw a person’s sins from their hearts, forcing them to take the form of great beasts made of shadow, the inisisa. Taj is an Aki, a sin-eater. He and his kind kill and absorb the insisa that the mages conjure. But despite what they do for them, Aki are despised by the people of Kos, shunned for the “sin spots” that mar their skin. But Taj is special, his sin spots don’t fade like others do, and more importantly, he can command the insisa. But as Taj’s gift grants him privilege and prestige in the palace, Taj is drawn into a web of conspiracy and deception. With traitors in their midst and rebellions on the rise, Taj must find a way to keep himself– and the beautiful princess Karima– safe, and the city of Kos standing.
Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashmore
In a tale as delightfully confusing as the mismatched halls of Tu Reviens, Kristin Cashore brings to life a world of art and mystery. The story winds through five alternate universes that take place if Jane had made a different choice in the first half of the book. Each retelling solves a separate mystery that takes place at the same time and place but is never really revealed in the others. Each choice spins the tale into a new direction and genre, be it sci-fi, mystery, adventure, fantasy or romance. With its colorful setting, dark secrets, and unique and quirky characters Jane, Unlimited more than lives up to Cashore’s previous books.