Folly by Marthe Jocelyn

Folly by Marthe Jocelyn tells the story Mary Finn and James Nelligan, about ten years apart in the late nineteenth century.

Mary is the oldest of 5 children who, when her father remarries, is sent away to an inn to work to be out of her stepmother’s hair. She doesn’t like working at the inn and when a well-bred woman with no idea how to take care of her child come into the inn, Mary takes care of the baby and is then invited to join the staff of the young woman’s home. So Mary comes to London and meets Caden Tucker, a soldier in London.

James is an orphan, who was raised in the country for the first 6 years of his life before being returned to the home for orphans in London. Having been raised in a home and calling his foster mother Mama, James has a difficult time adjusting to life in the home (with all the rules that come with it).

There are two other narrators thrown in, Eliza, who works with Mary at the home in London and Oliver, a history teacher at the Foundling Hospital where James lives, who provide a different take--and also cause problems--on the story.

It's a tale of a fallen woman and the chances she takes, the heartbreaking decisions she makes, The chapters are brief, end on cliffhangers, and want you to keep reading. It’s not a very long book, but a very rewarding quick read. It’s a little dark, but has a surprisingly touching ending.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett and Rosie March live in our world, but they know something we do not know: Fenris are real and very very dangerous. What are Fenris? They are werewolves, the Big Bad Wolf, the men who turn into wolves and chase pretty young women, only to kill them. And because Scarlett and Rosie know this, they know they are the only ones who can battle the Fenris and make the world a little more normal for the rest of us.

Their tiny Georgia town of Ellison has the occasional Fenris, but when more and more show up, Scarlett and Rosie and Silas (one of the Woodsman's sons, and Scarlett's hunting partner) determine they need to move to Atlanta to perhaps help prevent the Potential from being turned.

Silas, who has left Ellison (and Scarlett & hunting), tells Rosie there is more than hunting in the world, there is more to life and shows her some of it while they are in Atlanta. Scarlett becomes ever more frustrated because she can't gain the attention of the Fenris--they are attracted to young, pretty girls, and Scarlett--covered in scars & missing an eye from an early Fenris attack--is not what they're looking for. But Rosie is.

Rosie becomes more the bait than the hunter and only when she is taken and held as bait by the Fenris to lure the Potential does the story really pick up the pace. Scarlett & Silas become desperate to rescue Rosie, and make a risky plan to save her.

Jackson Pearce's Sisters Red is an interesting and unexpected retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (both Scarlett & Rosie hunt with red cloaks); it moves at a decent pace, but doesn't entirely draw you in. There's a bit of a love story, a bit of angry, and a whole lot more fighting than you would originally think. Pearce makes the fights real (people get hurt) without being too gory and the love story is not too romantic for those who aren't into that (love is a motivation more than much else).

On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

I have finally finished reading Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. The last of the books is about Gregory, seventh child of eight, and the youngest son. He's determining what kind of purpose his life shall have (army? or clergy? he's a terrible shot, so that narrows the options) at his brother Anthony's house party in the country. He would like to fall in love one day, and knowing that all seven of his siblings managed to make love matches, Gregory is a bit of a romantic in hoping he'll have the same opportunity. The woman just hasn't come about yet.
And then--most dramatically--he sees her. The back of her neck to be precise. Miss Hermione Watson, as he is introduced to her, is all that is lovely and beautiful and he falls in love immediately. It matters not that her heart is taken by another young man, it matters not that her friend Lady Lucinda Abernathy is a bit of a pest (even though she is trying to help him win Hermione), it matters not that they have nothing in common.
Nothing matters until Miss Watson is caught with a young man in a most compromising way. So they must marry (not the young man she originally thought had taken her heart) ending Gregory's brief lapse into love.
Surprisingly, he's not as affected as one would think. His no longer addled brain realizes how very little he had in common with Miss Watson and how unhappy they should make each other. Her friend Lucy on the other hand is different, and as with many romances, Gregory and Lucy fall in love.
And, as with many romances, it is not that easy. Lucy becomes officially engaged to a young man because it is the wish of her family, and no matter what Lucy & Gregory may feel for each other, they cannot be together. Especially once Lucy finds out there's a little blackmail involved.
That summation of the novel makes it sound so much more dramatic than it really is--as with all of Quinn's Bridgerton series, there's humor and wit and it's an overall entertaining read. I only wish there had been a bit more of the other Bridgertons, as a sappy way to say goodbye. Good read and though she's excellent about not giving much away about the stories of the other siblings, it's best to read the series in order.

The Cup of the World by John Dickinson

Phaedra is just 15 when she witnesses the court trial of a woman for witchcraft; she and the other young ladies of the court are not supposed to be there, but they see the proceedings nonetheless. The woman is spared and the young ladies are shooed out of the court. The young ladies are presented to the king by their fathers, officially marking their transition to womanhood. Phaedra then goes home with her father to Trant and the courting begins. For two years Phaedra is courted and refuses the young men of the Kingdom; she does not want to marry, she does not plan to marry.

Since she was a young girl, she has dreamt of a man and the two of them talk and have developed a friendship almost. When Phaedra discovers that her ability to refuse may soon run out, she speaks with the man in her dreams and he tells her to wait at a certain place. The man is real and takes her to his part of the Kingdom, against the wishes of Phaedra’s father, but she is happy and in love.

War breaks out in the Kingdom and Phaedra’s husband is gone for long periods of time, in which Phaedra is left alone in a castle that she is not familiar with. She makes discoveries about magic, about witchcraft, about her husband, her father, the King and herself that startle her, and Phaedra must keep going to understand her world and her place in it.

The Cup of the World is an intelligent, thick read. As most epic fantasies, it takes a little bit of reading to get into, but once the story picks up it does not let the reader go. Dickinson does not give anything away to the reader; much of what occurs the reader must puzzle together herself, and this is a rewarding read. This book is the first in a trilogy and is followed by The Widow and the King and The Fatal Child.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit I was wary about reading this book. It's about vampires and werewolves. Two things that are definitely not my scene. I enjoy fantasy, but more of the high fantasy than the paranormal/supernatural fantasy. But a very good friend recommended this book to me and it is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Carriger, and I'm a sucker for series. So I read it.
I loved it.
It's another 19th century London setting, and Alexia Tarabotti is on the shelf (she's not married and is around age 30). She has two half sisters who are twittering nitwits, but she is very nice to them. Her mother (who remarried) is concerned with propriety and is still very desperately looking for a husband for Alexia. Alexia is not overly concerned. In fact, she would rather stay single.
There is something special about Alexia, something inherited from her deceased Italian father. Alexia is a preternatural: she is soulless, and thus able to turn vampires and werewolves (prevalent and accepted in society, so long as they follow the rules) mortal with her touch. Her family is not aware of this power; the government agency that handles the supernatural beings of England is aware of her, but her state is kept quiet and low-key.
Lord Maccon knows, though. He is the Alpha of the London werewolf pack. Alexia always seems to be getting in his way, especially when it comes to any investigations regarding supernaturals. When the reader meets Lord Maccon, it's because Alexia has accidentally killed a vampire. (He was very rude and didn't seem to know the proper etiquette when in public, like not lunging at and trying to feast on a person.) Alexia would love to work for the government, but of course, Lord Maccon does not think it appropriate, Alexia being a woman and all.
Carriger does a great job of establishing the normalcy of vampires and werewolves being accepted in London society (interestingly, they are not in America), down to the fact that places that cater to werewolves have cloakrooms with spare clothes, because of course, when men are werewolves, they are not wearing clothes. Scandalous! She does a brilliant job of describing the transformation into werewolf as well.
The main meat of the story is the mystery: rove vampires and werewolves (those not belonging to hives or packs) are missing all over England. It turns out they've been kidnapped by a mad scientist--seriously, a mad scientist--whose intention it is to rid the world of vampires & werewolves altogether. Alexia lands right in the middle of it and is being used for nefarious reasons as well.
The humor is great in this story; the exchanges between characters witty (even though Alexia hates her friend Ivy's taste in hats); the pacing good and the action sequences pretty intense. The romance isn't bad either. I eagerly await my library to get Changeless, the second book, so I can catch up with Alexia.

It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn

One of my co-workers told me about the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. The series is about the love lives of 8 siblings in 19th century London, all very popular and each with his or her little quirks. It's a clever, witty series with just enough romance thrown in without it being overwhelming.
It's in His Kiss is the 7th book in the series, focusing on Hyacinth Bridgerton, the youngest in the family. Hyacinth is 22 and in her 4th season. She has been proposed to 3 times her first season, twice her second season, and once the past season. So far, there are no takers for this season. Hyacinth is outspoken, opinionated, and loves a good battle of wits. She is not the type of young woman to allow a man to tell her what to do or to be coy and demure. Perhaps this has something to do with her husband-less state?
Lady Danbury (who makes an appearance in all of the Bridgerton novels, an opinionated old woman who wields a mean cane) has a grandson, Gareth. Gareth and his father do not get along at all and due to sad circumstances, Gareth becomes his father's heir. Until his father kicks it, however, Gareth is practically penniless. Lady Danbury dotes upon him though (and Gareth is very good to his grandmother) and would like to encourage her young friend Hyacinth to entertain the idea of perhaps becoming affectionate with Gareth.
Being a romance, these two main characters do get involved, but not entirely in the way one would think: it begins with an diary in Italian and the promise of hidden jewels. And a very poorly written romance novel.
Quinn's Bridgerton series are fantastically fast reads; the characters are engaging, the details good, and the plot entertaining with a dash of seriousness and a whole lot of humor.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

I have not read many titles written by two authors, but I did read Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan and that’s when I began to admire David Levithan’s writing. Now I hear that John Green is very popular and when I found out about Will Grayson, Will Grayson written by Green & Levithan I thought I would give it a try.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is fabulous. Not only because it takes place in the Chicagoland area, and not only because it is written by two extremely talented young adult authors, but because the characters are very alive and the story is true.

John Green’s Will Grayson is a young man who lives by a few rules: 1) Shut up and 2) Don’t care. He is kind of drifting in his school and social life because he ended up writing a letter to the school newspaper defending his best and long time friend, Tiny Cooper. Tiny is a huge human being and also very gay and Will was defending Tiny’s right to be on the football team regardless of his sexual orientation. Well, that gets Will kicked out of his Group of Friends and so he has Tiny and Tiny’s Gay-Straight Alliance (including Jane–is she a gay part of the alliance or a straight part of the alliance, Will wonders).

David Levithan’s Will Grayson is a depressed young man with very few friends, one of them being Maura, who Will sometimes sees as a nuisance and not so much as a friend. The person that makes Will’s day better is Isaac, someone Will has only talked to online and shared social networking sites with. Isaac lives in Ohio but decides they should meet. This is when Will Grayson meets the Other Will Grayson.

It’s a story about friendship and figuring out who you are (at least for today) and it’s a story about Tiny, who has written a musical called Tiny Dancer: The Tiny Cooper Story which puts himself and his relationships out there for everyone to see. It’s a fantastic book.