The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

Arin thinks he is over Kestrel, but he is lying to himself. He thinks she has betrayed him and her words of love were false.   He has been told that Kestrel has married a prince from another country, and they are honeymooning in some faraway land.  Little does he know that Kestrel has been sent to a work/concentration camp because her father found out that she was in love with Arin, and was sympathetic to his country's cause.

War is eminent, and both Arin and Kestrel realize the need to fight the Emperor and his quest for land and power.  Kestrel must first escape from the work camp, and she cannot do that without strength.  Her daily rations are tainted with drugs that keep her from thinking clearly.  Will Arin find out about the lies he has been told before it is too late for Kestrel?  Will they ever be together again?

This book is a Young Adult Fantasy and is the final book in a trilogy called the Winner's Trilogy.  There is an element of romance, action, danger, and good versus evil.

Start with Book 1 (of course) and learn about how Arin and Kestrel meet when she purchases him at the slave auction.  Follow their adventures until the final battle.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon traveled across the country to California to help take care of his ailing grandfather.  The year was 1989, and while his grandfather was lucid, Michael listened to this grandfather tell the secrets of his life.  While his grandfather slept, Mike tried to put together the pieces of the story.

Those mostly one-sided conversations covered his early life, the time he spent in prison, World War II, his involvement with the Space Program, and life in a Florida retirement community.  Mike finds that there was so much more to this grandfather than he ever imagined, and he also discovers the answer to many unanswered questions about his family.

This novel is based on Chabon's real life history,  Sam is a man of many talents whose personality is one that the reader takes a while to discover.  His is a life full of discoveries, yet is also filled with extreme sadness.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the hunt for the python.  I highly recommend this book -especially for those who love the era of the 30's and 40's.

"We seemed to float right through the air

Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere

And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you."   

Moonglow by Tony Bennett

Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Why won't it stop raining?  It has been raining for weeks.  Friends Erica and Clementine have been at odds since THAT weekend.  Why can't anyone talk about it?  And why is it still raining?

It was the weekend that Vid and Tiffany decided to have a barbecue.  No one really wanted to go, but Erica and Clementine decided it might be fun, so they invited their husbands to go along.  But something happened at that barbecue, and no one wants to talk about it.  The six adults who were there aren't sure how things went wrong.  But they do know that things did go horribly, horribly wrong.

Clementine and Erica cannot sleep, and when they do finally close their eyes, their nightmares won't allow them the rest they need.  Clementine would like to find a cellist's job, and Erica would like to be able to have a child.

This book is about relationships, friendships, unspoken thoughts, and the pressures of parenting.  Being an adult is not an easy thing, but coupled with the pressures of job security, job hunting, and a high pressure job, things can get out of hand very quickly.

This book is set in Australia, and while it did rain a lot, it was also fun to learn a little bit more about the culture.  Grab this book and head to the beach!

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter

Marcus Rippy is a star athlete.  He brings in millions of dollars in revenue for his team, and he is at a career high.  Marcus has also been accused of rape.  Will Trent, the lead detective in the case, would like nothing more than a conviction, but his witnesses keep disappearing, or are unable to testify.  Will also finds out that his ex-wife may be involved in this case, as well as some corrupt cops.  Now there is a body in the warehouse and it looks like Angie, Will's ex-wife, might have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mysteries are my favorite reading material, and this mystery kept me guessing throughout.  There are plot twists and turns as Will, Sarah, and Faith try to figure out just who was found in that warehouse. The ending isn't predictable, so jump in for a great crime story!

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choskhi

Maya grew up in a harem, and her mother died when she was very young.  All of her life she has heard that her horoscope predicted she would attract death and destruction to a marriage.  So Maya is content to remain single and happy.  She enjoys life around the palace and climbing to the rafters so she can listen to her father the Raja conduct business in his palace.

Then comes the day that her father says war is coming, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.  He is forcing her to marry a prince from another country.  Her father tells her that it is her choice who she marries, but she doesn't really want to marry a man that she doesn't know or love.  However, she will do her duty to help save the country she loves so dearly.  Maya soon realizes that what she learned in the rafters of her father's palace will help her govern in the new life she is about to lead. 

There is Indian folklore, mythology, reincarnation, and Otherworldly realms in this story. There are fantastical creatures, and many, many lives woven into one.  I enjoyed learning about the folklore and legends of another culture and country.  

Take the time to read The Star-Touched Queen. 

The One by Kiera Cass

The One is the third book in the Selection series.  America Singer is still in the running to be queen and married to Prince Maxon. There are six girls left, and one of them will be chosen to help rule the country.

There is a lot of unrest in the country.  There are uprisings in the North and the South, and sometimes intruders break into the palace, wreak havoc, and sometimes kill before they are stopped.  There are those who would choose to kill the king and his family, along with the ladies who were final choices to be Maxon's wife.

America also isn't sure she loves Maxon enough to become his wife.  She loves him, she thinks, but she also knows that the job comes with the marriage.  She also knows there needs to be sweeping changes in the country, but she knows the current administration will not allow these changes to take place.

There is also Aspen.  Aspen, the king's guard who is America's first love.  Aspen, the king's guard who is also assigned to guard America.  Who does America really love, and was she ever in love with Aspen?

These books are quick reads, and even though there are times I would like to shake America, I did enjoy the escape to another kingdom.  

The Fate of the Tearling by Erica Johansen

I honestly didn't want it to end. I didn't want it to end because I really felt like the author had an important message for all of us, and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss a thing.  I devoured the first two books, and I have been impatiently waiting for the third and final book in the series. The Fate of the Tearling is the third book in the Tearling series.

 William Tear has found an opening to another world - a better world where there will be no walls, hunger, controlling religion, or violence.  He and several thousand chosen people sail to the new world to begin a new life without technology and the modern conveniences we are used to.  Fast forward to Kelsea, the Raleigh queen who must try to save the Tear kingdom and everything that William tried to create.

The story opens with Kelsea in the clutches of the evil Red Queen.  The Red Queen also has the powerful sapphires that were part of Kelsea's power.  Kelsea's kingdom is rapidly crumbling, and she feels powerless to save herself or her kingdom.

I dreamed about this book, and at one point, I was trying to figure out a solution for Kelsea in my sleep.  In my waking hours, I thought a lot about what the author was trying to tell me as a reader.  Here is one of the quotes that made me stop and re-read the passage at least twice. "Entire countries would close their borders and build walls to keep out phantom threats. Can you imagine?" Sadly, I can imagine and realize that this is my reality.  

The author also speaks about organized religion and how we have somehow lost the true meaning of what church is meant to be.  Too often our churches spew hatred and tell people what and how to think.  "Sometimes I think: if they want to walk around armed and build fences and let a church tell them what to do, let them wallow in it. They can build their own town of closed thinking, and live there, and find out later what a sh**** place it really is." 

Will Good win over Evil?  Can one person save the kingdom from the darkness of humanity? Take the time to read the Tearling series, but also take the time to delve deeper into the author's message.