Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

From Goodreads.com:

"YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE IS BAD WHEN YOU MISS YOUR DAYS AS A POISON TASTER...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies...."

Jennifer's Review:

Well, I gave five stars to the first book in this series. Magic Study also had me turning pages. Love the new characters Maria created in this story and the strength of Yelena keeps building. It did take me two days to finish instead of the one of Poison Study.

I kept wondering what was going on in Yelena's brother's mind, why he was so angry. Loved that she brought in people from Ixia to keep the story "together" with the first. I usually have a hard time when an author goes from one character in a book and then book two is about a character in the first book instead of keeping the same main character. Does that make sense? In short, I love this series and can't wait to pick up the third... my family isn't near as excited!

I  give Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder four and a half stars.

Lydia by Wanda Luce

Goodreads.com: Will Lydia ever find love?

At six and twenty, Lydia Hathaway has endured years of heartbreak, longing for a love that never came. Her deceased father's foolhardiness has left her family bankrupt, and Lydia is eventually left no alternative but to take a position as the governess to Susan Ashcroft of Danbury Park in Surrey. Anxious for peace, Lydia rambles early one morning across the muddy wilds of the Ashcroft estate, where she has a most unimaginable encounter with the notorious Lord Connor Denton.

As their paths continue to cross, Lydia falls ever deeper in love with the charming rogue while battling against his growing assault on her heart. In spite of his forward attentions, she considers his behavior toward her as nothing less than idle flirtation. And why should she think otherwise? As the wealthy son of an earl, Lord Denton may choose from among the most beautiful women of England's first circles. Tormented in a relentless battle to suppress a love she cannot overcome, Lydia resolves to leave the Ashcrofts and Danbury Park forever. After all, she is nothing to Denton isn't she?

Christina's Review: There were some issues with this book that I noticed with my beta reader's eye. There were several sentences in the book that had no spaces between words and then the last portion of the book was in italics because a letter was being read in the story and then the font never changed back. It is a Regency novel. I enjoyed it but it wasn't my absolute favorite. There were bits of the storyline that moved very slow and I couldn't believe when Lord Denton tears up. There were places in the story where I just rolled my eyes :)

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

From Goodread.com:

"About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear..."

Jennifer's Review:

I hadn't ready any other of Maria V. Snyder's books before picking this one up. I couldn't put it down. You can ask my family. They were quite annoyed that I had to finish it in one day.

I just really liked the main character, Yelena, and how much she was able to handle. She is strong willed...kind of like me. The twists in the story made it impossible to put down. I kept guessing what would happen next and was never quite right about any of it. Definitely prefer to not be able to guess every step in a book.

Will be checking out and reading the next two in the series and let you know what I think.

My almost fourteen year old started reading the first couple of pages and couldn't wait for me to finish so she could read it too. A book that gets you from the beginning.

I give Poison Study five stars!

A Heart Divided by Kathleen Morgan

Taken from Goodreads.com: It is 1878 and the Caldwells and Wainwrights have been feuding for decades. Still, Sarah Caldwell has misgivings when her father pressures her into distracting a ranch hand while he and her brothers rob the Wainwright place. When it becomes clear that hand is actually Cord Wainwright, Sarah realizes she needs to lay low. But Cord spots her in town and, with the sheriff away, makes a citizen's arrest, dragging her off to the Wainwright ranch until the sheriff's return. As the feud boils over, Cord and Sarah make a most inconvenient discovery--they are falling in love. Can they betray their families for love? Or will their families betray them?
Against the beautiful and wild backdrop of the Rocky Mountains comes this sweeping saga of romance, betrayal, and forgiveness from beloved author Kathleen Morgan.

Christina's Review: This is another book I found on Deseret Book's website. I had a baby in December and I have spent a lot of time reading lately as I feed my newborn a bottle.I thought this was a good story. Cord and Sarah are born into a feud and become sucked in by their fathers. They try and help dissolve the feud as they fall in love but there is too much hate between the two families. Can their love survive the feud? I like Sarah and Cord. Cord has to deal with being a constant disappointment to his father and Sarah has to be caretaker of her family and shoulders a lot of responsibility after her mother dies. The book has a good plot, clean romance, good characters, and a family feud! I have read a few online reviews and there are some list some cons in the book but I guess I got too caught up in the story that I didn't notice these. But I read to enjoy and I enjoyed this book. 

Defying Mars by Cidney Swanson

Jessamyn has escaped Earth with food for her starving world, but her troubles are just beginning. She must rebuild her life without Pavel, the Terran boy whose kiss haunts her. Her success is further tainted by the loss of her beloved brother. Ethan disabled the deadly lasers orbiting Mars, but this has created a fervor to re-open trade with Earth which Jess knows would be disastrous. Add into the mix a secret which could launch an interplanetary war, and Jess finds herself at the center of an intrigue where, in order to save the world she loves, she must defy it.

My review:

Not normally the type of book I would pick up, but by the time I got to the second half of the first book, Saving Mars, I was racing through the pages to see what happened. And by the end, I was DYING to read Defying Mars, the second book in the trilogy.

I love that Jess has faults. Some of them she overcomes, but mainly she just uses them to save the her world. Someone who was strictly obedient to official commands wouldn't have been able to do what Jess does. They wouldn't even dream of it. I love that by the second book, a bit of her naivety has worn off and she's not so raring to fly to Earth. But she does it anyway. She uses more reason to make her decisions, and basically we get to watch her grow up, which is TOTALLY what you want to see happen in a YA novel.

Imaginative, insightful writing make for a great second addition to Swanson's Saving Mars series.

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: Three-Time Christy Finalist Pens Another Winning Historical Romance
Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.
St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

Christina's Review: Since reading this blog I have ventured out from my comfort zone of reading just LDS fiction and a few YA novels. I have started reading some Christina fiction from the library. Some books I have read after reviews on this website and others from looking at deseretbook.com. I saw this one on Deseret Book's website. I immediately checked my library here in Indiana and was happy to see they had it. This is a new book, it was published at the beginning of March. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed reading a clean romance. I enjoyed the rivalry between Lucy and Charlie. I thought it was well written and it had a very engaging storyline. The book also talks about change and forgiveness. Both characters have to deal with forgiveness, forgiving others, themselves, and learn a great deal about the Lord's forgiveness. Lucy and Charlie learn to put the past behind them and move forward.

Fields of Elysium by A. B. Whelan

How can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers.

While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly’s life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.

My review:
The Elysiam field is the concept of the afterlife for humans who were related to gods in Greek mythology. I had to look that up, to know more about it, but it totally made this book make sense in a different way for me, and I just loved the way it was used to create the story in this book.

While the teens in this book were a smidge unbelievable to me--something about the way they use language makes me think of an adult trying to sound like a teen--the writing was good, the characters were developed, and the overall experience was great. Definitely recommend to my YA readers.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 5:

“Earth?” A shock wave rippled across Weston’s face. He spun on his heels to view the majestic landscape of our grand city. His hands flew to his head and cupped his temples. “I don’t think I’m allowed to do this. The Almighty sees everything.”

“The Almighty? What are you talking about?”

“We’re prohibited from coming back. We don’t belong here.” Backing up, he tripped over a tumbleweed and landed on his butt. I squatted beside him, offering him my arm.

“I don’t understand you,” I said desperately.

With his face troubled, he looked at me, seized my arm and started to shake it. “I can’t be here! My father will kill me if he finds out about this.”

“Why? What do you know about Earth? Have you been here before?”

“Going back to Earth and mixing with earthlings is forbidden. I can lose everything just by being here.”

“Going back to Earth? Are you guys from here originally? Oh, no …” I trailed off, chewing on a nail as an idea started to develop. “It can’t be. Or maybe it can … are you living in the afterlife? I read it somewhere. I think it was in a book about ancient Greeks or something. Yeah, that’s it. The Fields of Elysium. The heaven for heroes. … Are you dead?”