My Sweet Sixteenth Century by:Rachel Harris

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother-to-be and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze. 

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

Cover:          4/5

Plot:             4/5

Characters: 3/5

Ending:        2/5

How would you feel if you stepped into a Gypsy tent to get your tea leaves read, and walk out to 16th century Italy?  The author handles most of the obvious pit falls of having no family, and not speaking Italian by having her immediately recognized by her aunt and uncle, and spontaneously understanding Italian.  Normally this would annoy me, but it was written in a way that made sense. It is also a true YA book.  There are few chaste kisses, and some cheesy pick up lines (which I am sure sound sexy as hell in Italian), but it is completely appropriate for young readers.  That being said, it was still sophisticated enough to hold my attention.

There were some 90's television show references that made me laugh.  When Cat first realizes she has been transported to 16th century Italy she thinks about the show Quantum Leap.  I have seen every episode, at least twice, so I started to imagine Sam and his handy calculator of destiny.  I, personally, love books written for teens that still appeal to adults.

The ending did bug me a little, don't worry I won't give it away.  There was a little bit of a cliffhanger, and the issue with the devastatingly handsome Lorenzo was only partially wrapped up.  It left room for a sequel, but I am not sure the author has plans for one.

Update: The author just informed me the sequel will be out in August and is titled "A Tale of Two Centuries"

Tab Bennet and the Inbetween by Jes Young

3 Stars

Tab Bennet is seemingly normal girl who has a normal job, loving family, and childhood friend turned fiance' until her sisters start disappearing. The book starts off with a bang instantly drawing into this story with Tab having a vision of the death of her sister Rivers. Then the story delves into the weird happenings that have been going on around the family, and house where they live. 
I enjoyed this book, and the story was different than most of the paranormal romances I read. There were no Vampires or brooding Werewolves in sight. There were no heavy issues going on, you can just read and enjoy. If you are looking for a really sexy book, this one might not be the one for you. 

The Good-
I loved the imagery used in this book. I felt like I could see the scenery and smell the earth the way she described them. 
There is a constant pace that does not leave you lulling and skipping through.
There is an intense love story going on.
The heroine is not a shrinking violet, she is pretty bad ass! 

The Bad-
The "romance" aspect was virtually nonexistent. I felt like I was being supernaturally cock blocked all the time. I would have enjoyed more steam. This book was a YA book with adult characters.
I would have liked a little more back story to Tab and the world she came from. If the author had spent a little more time developing her world I would have taken the book to the next level.