Georgie Burkhardt’s sister Agatha is dead. Everybody says so. They have a body and it’s wearing Agatha’s blue-green ball gown. But Georgie doesn’t believe. So she sets off on a journey into the western frontier with her determination, her Springfield single-shot rifle and a mule named Long Ears. Georgie knows in her heart that Agatha must still be alive and she is bound and determined that she will find her.
Sissy:  This is another book that may at first seem too young for our demographic because the protagonist is only 13.  But it is another book where that supposition would be wrong.  It is good writing that transcends all age groups (well, probably not pre-school age, but you know what I mean).  How often, these days, do you get to (or even want to) read a good Western?  Cuz that’s what this is–True Grit meets The Birds.
 Bubby: Yeah, the birds kinda freaked me out a little bit. I am sad (I guess) that there are no more passenger pigeons flocking about the countryside – evidently they moved in these massive migratory patterns consisting of thousands and thousands of birds – but I am glad that I don’t have to live in a place that is full of pigeon doodoo. But the story is good and that’s all that matters.
Sissy: I do know that I never want to be in the middle of a pigeon migration. I never want to be in a pigeon hunter’s camp. And yes, I thought the birds were creepy. Georgie, however, I really liked. That girl has some spunk and tenacity. She was not going to be moved from what she believed and acted on it, even in the midst of some pretty dangerous times. I understand her point of view but I would also duct tape my 13 year old to the wall if they ever tried to do what Georgie did.
Bubby: Can you imagine, Sissy? If one of your older kids disappeared and then was presumed dead? And then your 13-year-old decided it wasn’t true and took off with his trusty rifle in the midst of the lawless wild west to go find his missing sibling? Terrifying! I really feel for Georgie’s mom. Here she is mourning the loss of one child and then the other runs off to who knows where. At least Georgie is not alone on her adventures. She has Billy McCabe, her sister’s former beau along to take care of her – although she ends up taking care of him instead!
Sissy: This story was engaging and fun to read although I wanted more out of the ending. I wanted Georgie to grow up and fall in love with Billy.
Bubby: Me too! Dangit!
Sissy: But that’s not what Georgie wanted. Her life goal was to be an unmarried shopkeeper and she had a great head for business. So I cannot impose my desires onto her life, although it would have made the story better I think.
Bubby: Who knows what the future could hold for Georgie? I personally see a sequel in the future. You know, Georgie’s store gets robbed and she heads off to deal some vigilante justice and ends up marrying the misguided thief who has a heart of gold. It could happen. Hey Amy Timberlake! You listening?
Sissy: Why don’t you drop Amy Timberlake an email right away – -I’m sure she’s just sitting waiting for your story ideas.
Bubby: I’m just saying that it could happen. You don’t know. At any rate, it was a great book. There were twists and turns that I didn’t anticipate and I truly didn’t know until the very end if Agatha was dead or would turn up alive. Definitely worth a read. 4 dusty, pigeon feathered bubbles from me, pardner.
Sissy: Oooh, stinky, Bubs! One Came Home is a quick, fun title to read. I give it 4 squeaky clean bubbles.
Bubby: Fine. I’m changing my bubbles to blue-green silk ball gown fabric covered bubbles. (Read the story, you’ll figure it out.) Ha!
Sissy: Much better.
Click HERE to buy One Came Home by Amy Timberlake at Amazon.com
© Bubble Bath Books 2013
Two-legged “Wolves” redistributing the wealth of noble citizens who pass through the forest, a princess who has hung up her dancing shoes and donned a red, hooded cloak, and grannies who turn out to be more evil than kindly–all these add up to a mashup of Robin Hood, Red Riding Hood, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses with some new twists, villains, and heroes added in for good measure. Â Princess Petunia finds out that wolves can be rakishly handsome and very helpful in vanquishing evil kings and ending family curses.
Sissy:  This is a delightful conclusion to the Princess series by Jessica Day George, wherein she weaves several different fairy tales throughout her own version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.  I was trying to read a different book altogether but couldn’t get into it, so I cast it aside and started on this one.  No problems whatsoever getting into it!
Bubby: Don’t be alarmed that this is the third in a series. Princess of Glass and Princess of the Midnight Ball are fabulous and if you haven’t read them, then get to the bookstore or the library and read them right now! But reading them is not necessary to enjoy Princess of the Silver Woods. It functions quite well as a stand alone novel.  In the kingdom of Westfalia, the king and queen were blessed with not one, not two but TWELVE daughters. No sons. Because of the queen’s love of gardening and flowers, each daughter was given the name of a flower – Rose, Hyacinth, Poppy,Lily, Jonquil, Iris, Lilac, Violet, Pansy, Daisy, Orchid, and Petunia – the heroine of our story.
Sissy: Â But no Princess Buttercup, alas.
Bubby: That’s already been done, Sissy. I can lend you that book if you’d like . . .
Sissy:  Every time you write lengthy paragraphs and then cut me off after one bitty sentence I think that you must have a novel in you, Bubby, that’s just oozing and bubbling to get out.  Write it, already, and we’ll have a blog tour and spend all your money!
Bubby: Nope. No novel here. I just enjoy being obnoxious from time to time. Love you!
Sissy: Â And you are a professional! Â I liked the villains in this story–they are utterly creepy–and the whole Kingdom Under Stone is described in such a way as to totally creep me out with its creeptasticness. Â Cold, with the colors of bruises, and everything fake and itchy and twitchy, the whole place and its inhabitants are creepalicious. Â No wonder it sucks the very life out of the princesses who come from a place of sunlight and warmth. Â Also we have some very dashing and unconventional heroes to give us hope.
Bubby: I am sure that there’s some fantastically erudite parallel to be made here about light and darkness and evil and good and such but who cares? It’s a great story! I get tired of namby pamby pampered princesses who wait upon their handsome princes to ride up and save the day. Get off your butt and save your own dang day! That is what these girls do. In the first chapter of Princess of the Silver Woods, the leader of the local bandits (catchingly called the Wolves of the Westfalian Woods) attempts to rob Petunia – till she pulls out a pistol and tells him if he doesn’t back off he will get it! Right in the eye! You go girl! Sissy:  Why did you not enlighten us, oh queen of erudition?  Here–I’ll help.  Light, sun, warmth=good and happycakes; Dark, cold, hard=evil, rotten and suck festival.  And yes–these princesses are pistol-packin’ mamas and they know what to do with em!  Also handy with sharp, silver knitting needles.  I appreciate the way Jessica Day George uses many and varied fairy tale devices throughout this tale, and does it with wit and imagination to spare.
Bubby: I love almost all the characters in these tales – even the evil ones, but I must admit that I was not fond of King Gregor this time around. Why, you ask? Well, it’s because when . . . like I’d actually spoil the fun! Let’s just say that I don’t agree with everything he does. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you get there. But I do LOVE Jessica Day George. Not only does she write these yummy fairy tale remixes but she also has several books for the younger set that are wildly entertaining. And I know her. Yep. We’re like best buddies and stuff. Kinda. Ok, well, I know someone who knows her. And she said hello to me on Facebook once. That counts, right? Whatever. She’s a talented writer and I like her books. Although I do wish that this royal family had a last name – how cool would it be to have characters named Petunia, Pansy and Poppy Postlethwaite? If I ever do write a novel, my main character will be named Poppy Postlethwaite. Yep.
Sissy:  I’m telling you, Bubs, you need to get right on that.  And what is Queen Elizabeth’s last name?  Windsor?  People like that don’t have to bother with inane subjects like surnames.  Just call me “Your Majesty,” and that’s all I need.  “Your Eminence” has a nice ring to it, though.  Possibly  “One True Empress?” No matter what you call me, you can rest assured that I have good taste in books, and this one is a winner.  Read it, and have a mini getaway to the Kingdom of Westfalia.  The One True Empress pronounces it to be a 4 bubble read.
Bubby: Yes, your Royal High Maintenanceness. I agree, it is a great book. 4 ½ privileged and royal bubbles from me.
Click HERE to buy Princess of the Silver Woods at Amazon.com
© Bubble Bath Books 2013
The Betarrini sisters, Gabi and Lia, have spent every summer of their lives in Italy with their archaeologist parents. On yet another hot and dusty archeological site in rural Tuscany, these two teenage girls are bored out of their minds.  The sheer boredom drives them to break their mom’s rule and enter an ancient tomb.  When Gabi places her hand atop a hand print, she  finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy in the middle of a fierce battle. With the introduction of handsome knights, castles, and intrigue, Gabi’s summer in Italy becomes much more interesting than she could ever imagine.
Sissy:  We have done reviews of books that involved time travel before, but this one seemed to be a bit different and refreshing, don’t you think, Bubby?
Bubby: Yes I do agree. I think part of the difference may be location – in Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren, we are in the luscious land of Italy. Specifically, Florence and Siena. Complete with fabulous scenery and fabulous heroic men. I’m definitely refreshed!
Sissy: Â How old are you? Â And how does your hubby feel about your penchant for other fabulous heroic men?
Bubby: There is not a man on the face of this earth, real or fictional, that can compare in any way with my husband. He is without peer. However, that does not stop me from, shall we say, appreciating beauty and such when it appears in my life! Surely you were moved by the bravery and handsomeness of Luca and Marcello?
Sissy: Â Okay, I appreciate chivalry as much as the next gal (I think it is a dying quality), and I am all for handsomeness.
Bubby: Yeah – you married a fairly fabulous man yourself, especially in the handsome and chivalrous department. Apologize for slandering me!
Sissy:  Nope.  You are a creepy 14th century knight lover!  And yes, my lovely hubby need not worry about my eyes wandering to fictional knights with bad breath.  That reminds me– I love how Gabi describes the smell of her beloved, all manly and positive, and I’m thinking that he probably smells like rank, dirty sweat and rotten, stuck between the teeth food.  But I guess that would take away from the romance…
Bubby: Bah, humbug. I am tired of your issues with the book genres we are reading – cozy murder mysteries have too many random dead bodies, foodie books have too many skinny people who eat anything they want and time travel novels have smelly people with bad hygiene. Me thinks you should just let go and FEEL. Become the story! Embrace the romance!
Sissy: Â Thank you, Dr. Phil. Â I am pleased with how well Gabi and Lia adapt to their situation and use their modern skills in the 14th century. Â I also enjoyed their bravery and prowess in battle, although I did have to suspend belief a few times to go along with them not being killed in some unlikely situations. Â I know that I would definitely have been dead. Â And really tired. Â And wanting a diet Coke. Â But all in all, I thought Lisa T. Bergren did a great bit of writing here.
Bubby: The author manages to put in a few clever plot devices (no, I won’t tell you what they are because that would spoil everything) that save Gabi and Lia from certain death once or twice.
Sissy: Â There are 3 books and 2 novellas in the River of Time series, and I read and liked them all. Â However, I had to take a break between them because there was just too much mayhem and battle and swordplay going on and I felt tense. Â I give Waterfall 3.5 bubbles.
Bubby: I enjoyed Waterfall immensely. I haven’t finished the series yet but it’s on the top of my to-do list. 3.5 bubbles from me too!
Click HERE to buy Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren at Amazon.com
© Bubble Bath Books 2013
A plague has swept through the Fifteen Realms, decimating the populace. It is believed that the dreaded disease was created and spread by the Healers – people who have the ability to absorb the wounds and diseases of the ill and injured into themselves. Throughout the land Healers are hunted and executed for the gold bounty on their heads. One such is a young woman named Avry of Kazan – only half-trained before the plague hit. Avry lives her life in hiding, revealing herself only when her desire to overcome suffering outweighs her need for safety. When she heals a small child, she is turned over to the town watchmen to await execution. Suddenly she is rescued by a stranger who wants to use her powers for his own agenda – to heal a plague infected prince who is the enemy of her people. As they make the daunting journey across the Nine Mountains they are attacked by mercenaries and encounter a multitude of magical dangers. As Avry learns more about the origins of the plague and the hidden motives of the Healer Guild she must face the fact that healing the prince may cost her own life. And not healing him may cause a war that will cost the lives of everyone around her.
Sissy: The story is full of magic, adventure, intrigue and romance. You really never know what’s going to happen next in the lives of a group of characters that you feel attached to immediately. Avry is the perfect heroine with a mix of compassion, femininity, courage and fighting skills. Her magical powers of healing are only the beginning of her potential. As the book unfolds you realized that Avry is so much more than just a Healer. I am excited to peel back even more of her layers in the next book of the series (Scent of Magic, available December 18, 2012).
Bubby: Wow. That was a mouthful, Sissy! I see that you really like this girl! I did too. In the first pages of the book, Avry is faced with an ethical dilemma – does she keep her powers secret, keep herself safe and let a little girl die or does she heal the girl, knowing that might mean facing her own death? Obviously she chooses to heal little Fawn. This sets the theme for the entire book. Avry would always rather do what is right than what is safe.
Sissy: Yes, Avry is much like myself. Always wanting to do the right thing.
Bubby: I roll my eyes in your general direction, dearest sister.
Sissy: The problem Avry has is that she never knows who to trust. Everything that she has believed in all her years could be wrong. Does she go ahead and let herself have feelings for a man who participated in the decimation of her people?
Bubby: Yes, and is the Healer’s Guild really the wonderful altruistic organization she thought it was or are they actually responsible for the horrible plague?
Sissy: Avry has lost all of her family except for her sister from whom she is estranged. That is completely unimaginable in my world. I would rather have a toothpick stuck horizontally in my nostrils than be estranged from my dear, dear sister.
Bubby: Awww! That is so sweet! I’m glad that this is published so that I can show it to you next time you decided to disown me! I love you too. You are strange, to be sure, but we are anything but estranged. To be without loved ones is truly something I cannot even fathom. I need a piece of chocolate just thinking about how awful Avry’s situation is.
Sissy: THis book has lots of exciting mysteries to solve and skeewumpus relationships to sort through.
Bubby: Skeewumpus? Wow. (Already ordered her a thesaurus for Christmas, don’t worry).
Sissy: AND it’s all very engaging and well written as is usual for a book by Maria V. Snyder. Bubby is just jealous that I am a wordsmith.
Bubby: *snort*. Wordsmith. *SNORT*.
Sissy: Of the Wordsmith Guild. You were not chosen as a child like I was.
Bubby: This is why I don’t drink carbonated beverages around you anymore, Sissy. I have ruined one too many shirts with the Diet Cola spewing as a response to your, ahem, imaginative wanderings. I must get back to the book now and mention that I have great respect for our author. I have read several series by her and it’s fascinating how she can write equally well in a fantasy/medieval genre like this book as well as in sci-fi like her last series (Inside Out and Outside In). Her characterizations really make the stories come alive.
Sissy: “Her characterizations really make the stories come alive”?
Bubby: That’s what I said.
Sissy: Who are you? Scholastic Press? The Weekly Reviewer? Where is your imagination? Let’s hear something new!
Bubby: Alright. How about this? Snyder weaves a rich tapestry of magic and mystery as she draws us into the saga of Avry of Kazan. Avry is a delightful rendering of a young woman at a crossroads – torn between her duty and calling as a Healer and her love of a man who has wreaked atrocities against her countrymen. How’s that, Sissy?
Sissy: I swoon. I faint. I wipe my fevered brow with a cold compress at the complexity of your verbalizations.
Bubby: Ha! Who’s the wordsmith now, huh?
Sissy: So back to the story, go out immediately and read it. It’s really good. Oh, and we forgot to mention the Death and Peace Lilies. Even the flowers in this story have personality! I give it 4 1/2 bubbles.
Bubby: I can’t wait for the sequel. Maybe if I am really nice Sissy will buy it for me for Christmas. I give it 4 bubbles.
© Bubble Bath Books 2012
Tara is your average everyday teenager. One evening she is walking home alone after a fight with her boyfriend George. She begins to feel strange; tingly, with goosebumps. Suddenly, right in front of her, she witnesses a girl changing into a werewolf. Then the girl attacks. 
Without warning, Tara finds herself in a fight to the death – a fight that she wins. Stunned, she is found by a gorgeous boy named Wes who initiates her into a world she never knew existed. A world where if you aren’t a werewolf, then you are born to hunt them and the two factions are at war – with Tara and Wes caught between sides. Tara must find her place in this new world and decide who she is, who she loves and what she is willing to risk to have what she wants.
Bubby: I was initially thrown off by the title of this book. Dirty blood? Icky. Then I realized that it was a reference to Wes’Â heritage. It was used as a slur, just like when Malfoy calls Hermione “mudblood” in Harry Potter. I knew right then that Max would become a great character – after all, so did Hermione! One might think that this book is going to be your typical teenager/werewolf/romance novel. One would be wrong. There are twists and turns and intricate plot changes that elevate it above the average.
Sissy: I was initially put off by the fact that this was a book with werewolves and the last dang thing I want to read about is werewolves anymore.
Bubby: But you liked it, didn’t you. Huh, admit it. You liked it.
Sissy: Yes I did like it and I’ll tell you why.
Bubby: I just bet you will.
Sissy: It wasn’t stupid like the last teenage magic book I read (which shall remained unnamed). The main character actually HAS a character and she finds the male love interest annoying because he’s a boy.
Bubby: She finds him annoying because he keeps secrets from her and drives a car (Aston Martin Volante, thank you very much) that no teenage boy has any right to be driving. Boys in expensive British sports cars are too cute. Not that I’d know from personal experience, mind you, but just look at James Bond. I rest my case.
Sissy: Also annoying is the fact that one of Wes’ powers is that he can make people forget things. And he pops up out of nowhere. But Tara also has powers and the book hints that she might have ones that are more unique and rare than his.
Bubby: I enjoyed the unique plot. Turns out that there is a secret alliance between Weres and Hunters that is trying to create peace between the two races. Wes and Tara have a special place in this alliance because for reasons I will not divulge, both the Weres and the Hunters want them on their side. Wes and Tara are also the only ones with “powers”.
Sissy: There are also sneaky and secret family connections and a surprising villain.
Bubby: Although she isn’t introduced until near the end of the story, I LOVED Tara’s grandma. She is a crusty no-nonsense old biddy who takes no crap, drives a Hummer and loves her family with all her heart. What’s better than that?
Sissy:Reminds me of you a little!
Bubby: Thanks! Although I only wish I drove a Hummer. Or a Mustang. Instead I drive a crappy minivan.
Sissy: I had a Porsche once.
Bubby: I remember. You made me ride in the non-existent back seat. And you only had it for like ten minutes.
Sissy: Fun sucker. That is what you are. OK, so back to the story. What is Grandma’s connection to the alliance? Is she CIA? OSS? A buyer for Bloomingdales? I will never tell.
Bubby: Actually, we don’t really find out much. That would be why there is book two, Cold Blood and book three, Blood Bond. Haven’t had a chance to read them yet, but they are high on my list.
Sissy: And when Bubby buys them, I will borrow them.
Bubby: You are my favorite book collection parasite.
Sissy: Your life would be nothing without me.
Bubby: OK. Whatever. I really liked Dirty Blood and I give it 3 1/2 bubbles.
Sissy: It was good, but not memorable for me. 3 bubbles.
© Bubble Bath Books 2012
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch, the daughter of a non-gifted mother and a warlock. Â When she casts a spell at her high school prom and it goes horribly wrong , her father decides she will be punished by being exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. It just goes downhill from there for Sophie. By the end of her first day at Hex Hall she has made three powerful enemies, developed a crush on a hot warlock named Archer, and been assigned to a roommate who just happens to be the only vampire in the whole school. Just when Sophie thinks it can’t possibly get worse, she learns that someone, or something, has been attacking students and her new roommate is believed to be the culprit. As Sophie delves deeper into the mystery she uncovers the deadliest secret of all: an ancient society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.
Sissy: I had a love/hate relationship with this book and the subsequent two books in the series. It was one of those things where I HAD to know what happened and therefore had to buy the sequels but at times getting to the resolution made me feel fidgety and teeth-grindy.
Bubby: Pretty sure I bought all three of these and shared, but that’s not the point.
Sissy: Whatever. You know what I mean. Â I liked this author’s magical spin on diversity, and I liked the various twists and turns that kept things fairly interesting. Â The descriptions of Hex Hall and its matron were vivid and gave me anxiety, but in a good way. Â Plus there were some new and creepy paranormal beings introduced that could give me nightmares if I were an overly emotional person like Bubby.
Bubby: Not even going to respond to that attack on my character. (I am tender hearted, that’s all!) I did think that there was an overdose of teenage angst. I tend to lose patience quickly with kickbutt girl characters that agonize over whether or not the hunky boy really likes them. On the other hand, I probably would have reacted the same way that Sophie did had I been in her situation. Cute boys still make me swoon!
Sissy: The teenage angst helps with the character development and story line, but sometimes I just want to tell them characters to shut up and own their “ness.”  I was conflicted about Archer and  the mysterious Groundskeeper boy.  I couldn’t decide which one I thought Sophie should love, or who looked more like Zac Efron and who looked more like Chris Hemsworth in my mind.
Bubby: Own their own “ness”? I think I need to buy you a dictionary for Christmas. You keep making up words! Â Yes, there was too much emphasis on teenage romance issues. But I liked both boys too and overall it was a great book and a great series. It kept me interested all the way through and I can’t wait to read more by this author. 3 3/4 bubbles from me.
Sissy: I did like them. I did read them. I do recommend them. But, if there was a new episode of “Downton Abbey”, I would have watched that instead. Â 2 1/2 bubbles.
© Bubble Bath Books 2012
18-year-old Celaena Sardothien is an assassin.  While serving out a sentence of hard labor in the salt mines for her crimes, she is summoned to an audience with the Crown Prince,  Prince Dorian.  He offers to return her to full freedom if she will be his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Each member of the king’s council is to sponsor a champion- all grown men except for Celaena.  If she can beat out her opponents in a series of elimination challenges, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted freedom.  While she enjoys her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, she is bored and irritated by court life until suddenly one of the other contestants turns up dead. And then another.  Now Celaena must find the killer before she becomes the next victim.
Bubby: This is a fantastic debut by a new author. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I strongly recommend reading the four “prequel novellas”. They deal with Celeana’s life before the events in Throne of Glass and give a great look into her background. There are quite a few references in the novel to events that happened in the prequels so that might be confusing if you haven’t read them. (The novellas are The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and the Empire, The Assassin and the Underworld and The Assassin and the Desert.)
Sissy: Â A bit violent. Enjoyed it nonetheless. It made me want to spruce up my assassin-ninja skills.
Bubby: It’s a book about assassins. Did you think it was going to NOT be violent? I didn’t think that the violence level was very high at all. Not anywhere near Hunger Games level, for instance.
Sissy: Â True that. However, what were you thinking, Bubby, when you threw me into this moral dilemma? How do I reconcile the fact that I love this protagonist and her companions when they kill people for a living?
Bubby: Yeah, I just ignored that part. I decided to assume that they only killed naughty people and so that makes it o.k. It’s not any different than a murder mystery, is it?
Sissy: Â I actually really liked the fact that there was a female heroine who kicked butt on all the guys. Â Kinda reminded me of myself.
Bubby: Â Umm. Yes. Â That’s what I was thinking all the way through. “Wow! The way Celaena just took that guy down TOTALLY reminds me of Sissy!” Not. But I did love the book and I can’t wait until the next installment in the series is published.
Sissy: If you like complex characters, intrigue and romance, do read this book. I give it 3 bubbles.
Bubby: I loved it. Have I mentioned that I loved it? 4 1/2 bubbles all day long.
Click HERE to buy Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas at Amazon.com
Click HERE to buy Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas at BookDepository.com
©Bubble Bath Books 2012
Bubble Bath Books 