Must-read romances: 'Temperance,' 'The Conspiracy of Us,' 'When'

Temperance by Ella Frank

What it's about (courtesy of the author):

"Tell me about this place. This…Arcania."

What if your life as you knew it ceased to exist?

That is the question Naeve Brannigan and her three sisters are faced with on the eve of their 25th birthday.

Continuing a tradition they've hidden from their mother for years, the four women arrive at a tarot shop to have their futures told.

Only this time their futures aren't predicted—they're forever changed.

They've awoken in a strange time and place with no knowledge of how they got there. All they have to go by is the word of a man who claims to be family—a family they've never heard of.

He tells them of a world they could never have imagined. One that has been cursed by an Empress fueled by old revenge—revenge their mother appears to be at the center of.

As they fight to survive the people and dangers of an unknown land, they slowly begin to unravel its mysteries to find that they hold the key to saving this world…this Arcania.

The question that remains for each of them is: Who do you become when the you that you always were is no longer?

Why you should read it: I've enjoyed every Ella Frank book I've read and was excited to pick up this new NA from her. I love tarot cards, as you all know from last week, and wanted to see what Ella's spin was on them, and wow … I love the world-building and all the characters (there are quite a few and multiple POVs). This was the first book I've read with quintuplets, and I can't wait for the next book in the series! I can't decide what I like more: the romance and hot heroes or the fantasy elements of the book. It was a perfect mix of both rich setting and steam. It seems like Ella excels in any genre she writes in, and I'm passing this along to my mother, who loves fantasy as much as I do. I'm not saying much about the plot and characters here because anything I say could be spoiler-ish. I will say that if you love fantasy, action, a really awesome heroine and heroes (you'll want to call dibs on Kai!), pick up this new series. I really wish this would be made into an audiobook. I think it would just add another dimension to an already action-packed plot.

What Ella Frank has to say …

Tell us about your new world!

Ella: I would love to! Let me see ... Arcania came to me one night while I was sitting down trying to decide what to write next. I wanted to try my hand at something new, and step away from the series I had previously been working on for a little while. I love paranormal and fantastical worlds, so I wondered if I would be able to delve into my imagination and come up with something unique. Then I bought myself a pack of tarot cards. I began looking through them, at the beautiful illustrations, and thought about how interesting it would be to have a world that existed based off of these cards.

What are you currently working on now?

Ella: I'm currently working on the second installment of my co-authored series, A Desperate Man, with Brooke Blaine. Plus, the third Temptation Series book, Trust.

Favorite line from Temperance?

Ella: Hmm, let me think. I have several, but one of my favorites is from Kai:

"Betrayal comes in many shapes and forms. Be sure you aren't so quick to pardon some while condemning others."

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall

What it's about (courtesy of Putnam Juvenile):

To fight her destiny as the missing heir to a powerful and dangerous secret society, sixteen-year-old Avery West must solve an ancient puzzle in a deadly race across Europe. Forbidden love and code-breaking, masked balls and explosions, destiny and dark secrets collide in this romantic thriller, in the vein of a YA DaVinci Code.

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada at the Champs-Elysees when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war.

They are part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle of Twelve, and Avery is their missing heir. If they discover who she is, some of them will want to use her as a pawn. Some will want her dead.

To thwart their plans, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the landmarks of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul and through a web of ancient legends and lies. And unless she can stay one step ahead of beautiful, volatile Stellan, who knows she's more than she seems, and can decide whether to trust mysterious, magnetic Jack, she may be doomed after all.

Why you should read it: This is such a fun, wild read. I honestly had no idea what to expect. It sounded like it was a bit high fashion, a bit National Treasure and a bit forbidden romance. What it ended up being was crazy — in a good way! Avery's entire life changes in the course of one night, and while I didn't understand how she could just up and leave with strangers, I will say that she's brave and follows her gut. In true Jessie fashion, I chose the wrong guy and fell head over heels for Stellan and just thought Jack was cute. I loved the "clues," the chases, the running and all the action. Avery and Jack get so beaten up but just keep on rolling. I will say that I wanted to see more of the families. They are so mysterious, so vicious, and I felt that if they have their fingers in every pie, then they would have been closer to finding what Jack and Avery found. I've already downloaded the audiobook.

I am seriously ticked I have to wait so long for the sequel, especially with that ending! It's one of the more unique and fun books I've read in a while, and I loved that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I can't even imagine what will happen next. I recommend this for anyone looking for adventure, spice, forbidden romance and very powerful families who rule behind the scenes. Oh, and conspiracies, lots and lots of conspiracies.

What Maggie Hall has to say …

How did you keep the mystery and suspense up?

Maggie: In this story, there's always more to find out. At first, Avery has no idea what's going on, so that's suspenseful for her and for the reader. And once she does know, she realizes it's just the tip of the iceberg. There's history to discover, lies to unravel, personal secrets to expose. And she doesn't quite know what's going to happen when it all comes together ...

What are you currently working on?

Maggie: I'm currently working on book two of Conspiracy! Hint: Some serious stuff goes down. There are some surprises you'll never see coming. And, of course, there's kissing. ;)

Favorite line from TheConspiracy of Us?

Maggie: Choosing a favorite is impossible! But here's one I like:

They said intense situations could bring people closer than knowing each other for years. I suddenly understood what that meant.

When by Victoria Laurie

What it's about (courtesy of Disney Hyperion):

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she's unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

Why you should read it: I'm fascinated with the idea behind When … I mean, would it be better or worse to know when you're going to die? Not just the exact year, but the exact date? Maddie is a very realistic and relatable heroine. I felt for her, for her home life, her social life and especially when she's one of the lead suspects in a homicide of the boy she told a death date to. There's so much backstory that she feels complete, and I was right beside her as she fought the injustice of having the finger pointed at her and the struggles of just being innocent. The mystery/thriller aspect of the story is superb as well. I was just so sure the murderer was one of three people, and I was wrong on all accounts. The murderer is believable, though, and while I won't spoil it, it does raise questions about ethics that just blew me away. The romance is very much on the backburner and is just hinted at. The sweetest thing by far, though, was reading the dedication and then the last page. It melted my heart. If you're looking for a really fast-paced thriller with a hint of sweetness and a perfect heroine, I'd pick up When.

What Victoria Laurie has to say …

How did you come up with the power of death dates?

Victoria: It came to me several years ago one November when my best friend's father-in-law was dying of cancer. I'd told her that I thought he would pass very close to the holidays, and he ended up passing the first week in January. That experience hit home for me in a very powerful way, because my words had brought a bit of comfort to my best friend, because her father-in-law had been suffering so terribly toward the end, and she loved him like her own father and didn't want his suffering to be prolonged. It also made her feel very sad, however, that her time with him was going to be so short. I began to think of the terrible beauty in being able to predict someone's passing. What both a curse and a blessing it would be, given the circumstance, and that led me to think about it in an even more concrete fashion — like, what would it be like to have the ability on a very specific scale, down to the exact date, and what if that ability was given to a young teen who wasn't emotionally prepared to handle it? How terrible a burden would it be? How would it affect her and those she loved? And how would it be exploited by others? Those were all things I really wanted to explore.

What are you currently working on?

Victoria: I'm currently working on my next YA novel called Forever...Again, about a girl and her boyfriend who are murdered separately in 1987, and how she then reincarnates to solve their murders in 2015. I'm so fascinated by reincarnation, and I get to bring in much of the research being done on that topic at UVA right now, which is simply mind-blowing. I love the idea of a celestial do-over, and how our ideas about what happens to the soul once the body stops living are only now really being scientifically explored and empirically documented. It's fascinating stuff!

Favorite line from When?

Victoria: My favorite line in When is probably the very last line, when Maddie looks at someone else's forehead, and instead of a death date, all she sees is ... "Life."

Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for RT Book Reviews magazine and works in the submissions departments at Dreamspinner Press and Entangled YA. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).