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Violet is purchased by the Duchess of the Lake, a member of one of the four founding families. For all intents and purposes, Violet Lasting is no more: she is now 197, a possession belonging to the Duchess. Her sole purpose is for the continuation of the Lake bloodline. The change is hard for Violet and as the realities of life as a surrogate become more clear, she realizes that her fate is more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. But things become even more difficult when Violet begins to fall in love with a boy who’s not meant for her.
Amy Ewing’s The Jewel does bear a marked resemblance to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, I found I quite enjoyed it. The intrigue and the danger are darker than most dystopians because of the ramifications involved in using teenage girls as brood mares and the world itself is quite intricate.
The Jewel is the first in a projected trilogy and so there are the usual cliffhangers and unanswered questions. As an opening story, though, I was completely hooked and I can’t wait for the next book to come along.
9/14 Becky Lejeune
THE JEWEL by Amy Ewing. HarperTeen (September 2, 2014). ISBN 978-0062235794. 368p.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
It’s likely that Eddy Harkness will never live down the notoriety of the Turnpike Toreador case. And yet he does hold out some hope that if he keeps clean while on forced leave he may one day be welcomed back to his old team. Until then he’s taken a job on his old hometown force, quietly waiting for his punishment to run up.
Thayer has written several other books featuring his detective Armond diPino who operates in New York. This novel opens with DiPino working in a relative’s store in San Francisco in order to fully recover from a gunshot wound received in another book.
The death of their king has left the once proud Greatcoats in ruins. Brought together by an idealistic monarch and tasked with upholding his law, they were the keepers of peace and justice in an otherwise dark and lawless land. But the various dukes, landed gentry throughout the kingdom, banded together to bring down the Greatcoats’ king.
Phillips is my favorite contemporary romance writer and I always look forward to her books. That said, if this was written by any other writer I probably would have put it down 10 pages in. The main character is Annie, a ventriliquist, and the book opens with Annie conversing with her puppets. Not my thing but since it was Phillips, I kept going and I’m very glad I did.
A year in Italy as part of the renowned Enteria program offers Tabitha Deacon her first opportunity for adventure. A smart girl who’s had relatively little experience of the world, she approaches her year abroad with careful attention and focus. But that doesn’t mean she won’t have time for fun. Taz joins up with a group of three other students from the UK and suddenly has an in to every elite party and club in Grifonia. For the young twenty-something it’s a dream come true in every way – until it ends in tragedy.
Daniel Trent and his fiancee are partners in the unusual business of guiding families of kidnapped victims when dealing with the kidnappers. They have the expertise to help the families understand what the kidnappers really want, and what amount of money they will accept to return the victim unharmed.
The Survivors Club series, Book 1
Bella Vista Chronicles, Book 1
, which I liked so much that I immediately ran out and got this book. They don’t have to be read in order, but probably is better to do so.
