New Moon is one the most exciting and exhilarating books that I have ever read. I haven't recommended it to a reader yet who could put it down. New Moon is a sequel to the New York Times best-seller, Twilight, which I also loved.

Although this book is about vampires, it is not scary or creepy in any way. It is an unusual love story about a 17-year old human, Bella Swan, and her beautiful, beloved, vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward's family, consisting of seven adult vampires, is unique because they have chosen to live their lives in the human world, depriving themselves of their thirst and need for human blood to sustain them.

Although the Cullens are quite successful in their aspiration to rise above becoming the horrible, frightening blood-sucking monsters that are typical of their kind, there is the ever-present threat for Bella that one of them could lose control and fatally attack her. Edward loves Bella and although he never wants to be without her, he is always mindful of how her chance for a normal life is affected by the fact that he is a vampire. When an innocent accident brings the possibility of attack closer to reality than the family ever supposed, Edward and Bella's love teeters on the edge of disaster.

I recommend this book for older teens and adults. I fell in love with the characters, especially Edward. An excellent book box favorite!

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Although this book is a classic surely loved by many, I am hoping to introduce this historical love story to those who have never read it before. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I read it for the first time this past winter and met an old world hero and heroine that I completely adore.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a story set in the time of the French Revolution, when the common people were thirsty for the blood of the aristocrats who had oppressed them for centuries. While the guillotine claimed many a life, there was a both respected and despised hero named the Scarlet Pimpernel, who eluded every trap and pit that lay in wait for him and rescued many a Frenchman who had been destined for death. Although his French enemies searched to unmask and rid France of the Scarlet Pimpernel, they were constantly thwarted by his disguises as he fooled even the cleverest Frenchman.

The self-assured, revolutionist, Monsieur Chauvelin travels to England to secretly offer the beautiful Lady Margarite Blackenly a deal she can't refuse in exchange for the discovery of the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Lady Blackenly easily sets Chauvelin on the path to unmask the Scarlet Pimpernel, but when realizes the identity of this ever-elusive man she finds herself bound by her heart to try to save his life.

Initially The Scarlet Pimperne l was a little hard to get into, but it is absolutely an adventure story that is well worth reading to the end. This is a book I am sure to read again and again. I recommend this book for teens who like history as well as romance.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Another book that I have read and re-read, The Blue Castle, is one of my very favorite love stories.

The main character, Valancy, is considered an old maid because she although she is still young, she has not married. People cluck their tongues in pity and cover their mouths to whisper when Valancy walks by. In fact, when compared with her much more vivacious and lovely cousin, they doubt that any man will ever see beyond her plainness and dull personality. She constantly endures the cracks and disapproval of her mother, her relatives, and even the townspeople.

Although Valancy has dreams and hopes of her own, she has not dared to reveal them to those around her as she constantly plays the role of the obedient and docile child.

One day Valancy's subservience changes when she receives a letter containing dreadful news. Armed with the knowledge that life may be short, she decides that she will start living hers to the fullest. She packs her bags, shocks her family, and heads to the outskirts of the community to care for an ailing classmate and her father, the town drunk. In the quiet peace of the woods, she not only finds purpose and meaning to her life, but much more than Valancy or her clan ever thought possible.