Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
Castles Ever After # 1

Izzy Goodnight has given up on her fairy tale dreams after her father died leaving her without any money or home.  Then she inherits a castle.  However, it turns out the castle is occupied by Lord Ransom who claims to rightly own the castle.  Now they must work together to figure out this mess.

This was probably one of my favorite books by Tessa Dare so far.  I really enjoyed the various characters. 

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier - 381 pages

Peter Nimble has lived a hard life.  Found by sailors with his eyes pecked out by ravens, he grew up on the streets an orphan until the evil Mr. Seamus took him in and taught him to be a thief.  However, when Peter picks the locks on mysterious carriage he is whisked into an adventure with a box of mysterious eyes that can do magical things.

This was a great book to listen to on audio.  The characters were interesting.  The plot twisted enough to keep you fascinated in the story.  This would be a great book for those who like the Peter and the Starcatchers books.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - 489 pages

Katsa is a Graceling -- someone gifted with an amazing gift that is signaled by her two different colored eyes.  She has what is considered the most dangerous of the graces -- the gift of killing.  Her uncle, King Randa, uses her as his enforcer and bully to keep his subjects in line.  Until the day she refuses to harm someone.  Now she's left everything she knows to work with Po, a neighboring country's prince, who is searching for why his grandfather was killed.

This is the first book in the Graceling Realms series.  It is an amazing fantasy for teens.  Katsa is a very empowered female who needs no one and can survive anything.  The only thing that is slightly annoying is her belief that a relationship with someone will diminish her in some way.  The book is also a tad strange in that the climax occurs two-thirds of the way through the book.  The remaining section deals with the effects of their plot on a single character.