I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. Which is how she gets into trouble.

I really wanted to love this one but sadly, it missed the mark for me. I could never get into the story and romance between Nick and Bex, and didn't particularly care for either character. I also found there to be far too much dialogue and the fact that it's 500 pages was painful. In the end, I found myself skipping pages and chapters just so I could move on to another book.

Daughters of the Lake

Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb
After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together—only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. No one can identify the woman. Except for Kate. She’s seen her before. In her dreams…

One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. It’s time for the lake to give up its secrets. As each mystery unravels, it pulls Kate deeper into the eddy of a haunting folktale that has been handed down in whispers over generations. Now, it’s Kate’s turn to listen. As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past.


Man, did I love this book. I read a ton of books, some better than others, and then every once in awhile I stumble across a story I become completely enraptured in and can't put down - this is one of those books. Daughters of the Lake truly has everything for everyone - from romance, to mystery, even a little fantasy thrown in there - who doesn't love a good mysterious sea creature? Oh, and did I mention ghosts?

I especially love books with alternating stories from the past to present and in this case, I was not disappointed with either story. Of course, this book revolves around the main character, Kate, stumbling across a murdered woman, Addie, washed ashore with an infant. If that's not creepy and horrifying enough, Kate has seen this woman before; in her dreams. Kate becomes an instant suspect - because I mean, who has dreams about a dead woman from years ago? Thus begins Kate's quest to find out who Addie is, why she's dreaming of this mysterious woman and the special affinity women in Kate's family have for water.

In addition to Kate's story in the present, I loved Addie and Jessy's story in the past and the shocking secret and surprise we learn involving Addie's murder and how exactly it relates to Kate's own family history and story. There were so many twists and turns, I couldn't wait to find out what happened. Why did Addie wash ashore now when she was murdered years ago? Who is the baby? Who murdered Addie? So many questions which were all answered in the best possible way. Truly a great book which I would recommend to anyone.

Followed by Frost

Followed by Frost by Charlie N Holmberg

 

 Seventeen-year-old Smitha's wealth, status, and beauty make her the envy of her town—until she rejects a strange man’s marriage proposal and disastrous consequences follow. Smitha becomes cursed, and frost begins to encompass everything she touches. Banished to the hills, hunted by villagers, and chilled to the very core of her soul, she finds companionship with Death, who longs to coax her into his isolated world. But Smitha's desire for life proves stronger than despair, and a newfound purpose gives her hope. Will regrets over the past and an unexpected desire for a man she cannot touch be enough to warm Smitha’s heart, or will Death forever still it?

I absolutely loooved this book! Definitely reminded me of Frozen. Right from the start, I could not put it down - I felt like I was in the middle of a Fairy Tale. I loved the message behind the book, and the love story between Smitha and Lo. I could not recommend this book highly enough. Fantasy, romance and life lessons all in one!

Waiting on Wednesday - Dead in the Family

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

My "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
Pub. Date: 05/04/2010
Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place …or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives…

Seriously, maybe I should start a countdown since I can barely contain my giddiness over this release!! Eric = HAPPINESS.

Teaser Tuesday - Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


My teaser:

I added to my mental list of the odd things I'd done that day. I'd entertained the police, sunbathed, visited at a mall with some fairies, weeded, and killed someone.

p. 158 -- "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris

JANUARY WRAP UP

Books read in January: 10

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
The Notebook
Everlasting
The Choice
Body Surfing

Pick of the month : Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris
Okay, so first of all, I love, love, LOVE the Sookie Stackhouse series! I have actually read the whole series before, but since receiving the box set for Xmas, I decided to re-read them all. A bit obsessive, I know, but I'm sort of..... addicted to vampires (especially 6'5" viking vampires named Eric Northman, but that's beside the point), I'm working on it, okay? Dead to the World is the 4th book in the series and possibly my favorite as well. It revolves around Eric getting amnesia and having no memory of himself or his life. Sookie takes him in and inevitably, chaos ensues including a witch war, a kidnapping, a murder and a VERY hot romance. Seriously, amazing! If you haven't read the Sookie Stackhouse series yet I highly recommend you go out right NOW & pick yourself up a copy of Dead Until Dark - you will not regret it!