Beyond The Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning - #bookaday 12

Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlanders, 1)
Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Historical Fantasy

I was looking for a book similar to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, but shorter. The description of this one sounded like it would work - girl goes back in time and meets a ruggedly handsome Highlander.  This was included the Fae so I thought, yeah, this could work.

The writing just wasn't the same. The take just wasn't the same. I guess I wasn't looking for a similar book, but the same book! I do own Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in Gabaldon's series, so I will just go with that one instead.

Mistwood by Leah Cypess - #bookaday 11

Mistwood
Leah Cypess
Genre: Paranormal

I'd read this one a few year ago. It was long enough ago that I'd forgotten much of it outside of vague notions and ideas.

It's time for Rokan to be king and he's afraid for his life. Many years ago the crown was protected by a Shifter but there was a tragedy involving the last royal family. This creature was said to be born of mist and fog and could shift into any animal including a human being. Rokan travels to Mistwood to find his Shifter and binds her to him using a special bracelet.

The Shifter, Isabel, is finding it hard to shift and doesn't really understand who or what she is though she feels it's her duty to protect Rokan. She just has to figure out who exactly is threatening the crown.  She is finding it more and more difficult to do her Shifter job due to emotions clouding her judgement. Though the Shifter is supposed to be less than human.

I liked this one because it's more of a character study instead of the relentless action you find in many books of this genre.  I would have liked to see more romance but I enjoyed what was there.

Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer - #bookaday 10

Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
Kate Hattemer
Genre: Realistic

I've been trying to get back into our Goodreads Mock Printz which I co-moderate. Honestly, Whitney has been running the board alone since last year when I stepped down to be on the Excellence in Nonfiction Committee. She has diligently scoured reviews, posted polls, e-gathered books on the shelf, and started numerous discussions. There would not be a group without her.

The group is currently reading We Were Liars, which I read back in February, and The Vigilante Poets.

The poets, led by Luke, though story is told by Ethan, take offense at the continued presence of the For Art's Sake reality show. They feel the corporate greed actually hampers the art and using the work of Ezra Pound, take a stand to get the show ousted.

Throughout the book, I loved the voice of Ethan, though I times I questioned a teenaged male would spout those words. This was based purely on the brothers I grew up with and the teenagers present in my daughter's life. I enjoyed all the lit talk as the daughter just finished an AP Lit class. There were several instances where I thought about looking things up but was too lazy. Despite the cop-out ending, I thought this was fun. Which also means, I don't see it winning the Printz. Also, not a fan of that cover.

True Love by Jude Deveraux - #bookaday 9

True Love (Nantucket Bride, 1)
Jude Deveraux
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Not my usual fare. It's been a billion years since I read any Jude Deveraux. I'd been looking for a romance and I also wanted to read about Nantucket (never been but makes me think of summer) and someone on Goodreads had just finished this one. Luckily, they had it at the public library - on Overdrive.

Alix is an architect student who gets sent to live in the Kingsley House on Nantucket as part of the will of one of her mom's closest friends.  She can live there for a year and work on her culminating project for architecture school.

Kingsley House happens to belong to Jared Kinglsey Montgomery - a famous architect whom Alix admires and would love to have look at her drawings. (snicker). Jared would rather not, especially since he knows a great deal about Alix that he needs to keep secret.

Another resident of the Kingsley house is Jared's grandfather, Caleb. His five-times great, dead grandfather.  Caleb can only be seen by certain family members and he is hoping that somehow, he can connect with Alix and she can help him move on.

Despite the contrived storyline of past and present overlapping, this was fun.  I will actually read the second book.