The Kiss of Deception 
By Mary E. Pearson
I would recommend for this book trail mix to go along with all of the time they spend on the road.
Lia is a princess and a first daughter in a world where the eldest daughters are always married off often for political gain. Her father has decreed that she is to marry the Prince of Dalbrek , a near by kingdom with which they seek to improve relations. Lia, who has never met this prince and is known for her quick temper, is livid and has no desire to follow tradition and be condemned to an uncertain life not of her choosing, so she takes her fate into her own hands and runs away with only her faithful servant Pauline, but she is pursued. Lia also had two love interests, Rafe and Kaden, who are more then they seem.
I really liked Lia as a character. She didn't complain very much and when she didn't like something she took it into her own hands to change her situation. She is also smart and has a quick temper. She stands up for herself and doesn't rely on other to things for her. At the same time she is very likable and relatable. She reacts realistically to events that happen around her. I also liked the implications about who she is and what power she has, and hope to see where the author takes it in the future. While in the beginning she takes a little warming up to I really enjoyed her as a character. The other characters were enjoyable as well. They were all developed with their own quirks and secrets to be uncovered.
The world itself was also very interesting with its own religion that Lia seems to respect and scorn, as it has governed her whole life. There was a lot of interesting things interspersed throughout the novel, and the author only gives you a taste of the world was a whole leaving some things to be developed later.
While I did love this book over all the one part I did not like as much was the beginning. I felt like it dragged a bit and that it took a while to get to know Lia's character as who she is, not as the princess running away. Overall The book was very strong. I just felt the beginning could have used some improving.
4/5 Stars

Take Back The Skies
By Lucy Saxon 
    To go with this an éclair to pair with the stormy skies.
Take Back The Skies is set in a very original steam-punkesque universe where ships sail through the sky and storms not the ocean is the threat.
Catherine or Cat is a very likable and well rounded main character. She has spunk and independence which is much appreciated. She doesn't let others decide things for her, and she figures things out quickly.
The book starts out with Catherine planning her escape because her father has decided to marry her off, and her mother is dying, so there is nothing keeping her there. We then begin to explore the universe,  as Cat has stowed away on a smuggler's ship.
The universe its self is fascinating with elements of steam punk, dystopia, and fantasy all melded together. In addition the universe is truly original. All to often books seem to fit it to cookie cuter formats with some variation. However this book creates a fun new world.
Its on the ship that we meet the majority of the other characters including the main romantic interest, Fox. All of the characters are fleshed out well and I really liked Fox. He was interesting, funny, and he and Cat take time to like each probably because Cat pretends to be a boy.
The ending and final part of the book is also really interesting because of all the twists that I'm not going to spoil. Its safe to say that you won't see them coming.
While there is another potential romantic interest introduced, Prince James. I appreciate that Cat shows no interest. Also I liked that the characters react very naturally to events that happen.
4/5 Stars
Lucy Saxon Take Back the Skies