by Ebony McKenna
Publisher: Egmont Books Ltd
Release Date: Feb 7, 2011
Source: sent by publisherMy Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
One boy, one girl, one plot to be foiled! Hamish the gorgeous man (and part time ferret) has a new job with the Duke as a spy in his Autumn Palace. So Ondine goes with him. She imagines a hugely romantic escapade together that involves lots of kissing. What she hadn't imagined was having to do endless laundry, go to school and keep Hamish the man a secret. All the while trying to find out who is plotting to kill the Duke. And if that weren't bad enough, it seems that Hamish is more interested in getting the Duke's attention than hers. Plus he's always in ferret form. Things can't go on like this! Can Ondine foil the would-be assassin, save the Duke and get her man back in gorgeous human form? It's going to take a little bit of magic, a lot of stolen kisses and some ferreting around...
My Review:
I absolutely loved the first book in this series - "Ondine: The Summer of Shambles." The mix of fantasy, sweet romance, and an adorable talking ferret had me head over heels in love. "The Autumn Palace" did not disappoint, and I was left with that warm fuzzy feeling all over again.
This time around, Shambles the ferret and his super cute human self, Hamish, along with Ondine and her Aunt Col, travel to the Duke's Autumn Palace. The Duke has enlisted Col and Shambles to utilize his ferret form to spy on his household. Ondine doesn't find it quite as glamorous as she thought when the only job available to her is in the laundry, and then she becomes the Duke's persnickety sister's butler. All the while, Hamish seems to be having a great time, how frustrating!
I must say I did miss Ondine's family in this one, but the prickly Infanta did start to grow on me as Ondine's employer. Hamish was such a cute and nice boyfriend, even if his work kept him from spending a lot of time with Ondine. Shambles wasn't quite up to as many antics as in the first book and I missed that a lot. But there was an unfortunate incident with a tube of toothpaste that was just like his old self.
Ondine and Hamish's romance was just as sweet as ever and their relationship grew in this installment. I can't say enough how much I love that their relationship is healthy! Sure they have disagreements, but they deal with it in a positive manner. In today's YA world of stalkers and abusive relationships being glorified as romantic, I LOVE seeing a healthy romance that is so swoonworthy!
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I really love this series and I'm hoping to see more Ondine and Hamish soon. Hopefully Shambles can stay out of trouble long enough for another book!