The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

This was my kind of fantasy....royals, adventure, and some romance too. The story begins on the day of Princess Lia's wedding; Lia decides to flee the arranged marriage and escapes to a small town with her best friend Pauline. Once there, Lia works to blend in as a regular tavern maid. Little does Lia know that the two handsome strangers who show up in town are looking for her--one is the jilted prince and the other is an assassin hired to kill her. 
The story alternates between the narrators: Lia, Rafe, and Kaden. For a large part of the book, readers are not sure who is the prince and who is the assassin, which makes for added tension and suspense. The story has excellent twists and turns. At over 400 pages, the author keeps the story moving. I recommend this for readers who like an adventure tale with a bit of romance and a headstrong female lead character. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars! Check out my trailer here.

Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia

What I liked best: The author researched common rumors about several famed royals including King Henry VIII, Prince Dracula, Mary Queen of Scots, and more.

I learned the truth behind royal rumors, such as that Marie Antoinette supposedly said “Let them eat cake,” when she was told that the poor were starving. (Guess what....She did NOT actually say this).

I also learned a ton of fascinating facts about the royals and different historical time periods, such as that it became fashionable to color your teeth black (like tooth decay) because only the rich could afford the sweets that would rot teeth.

Read on to find out more! 

This could definitely be booktalked to gain interest, but students may need some background knowledge to understand it...such as roman numerals for the royals and some descriptions that correspond with the time period.

5 out of 5 stars. Very enjoyable and interesting. I sped through this one!