Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

"The teenage Countess Meliara finds herself compelled for political reasons to leave her small castle in county Tlanth to stay at the royal palace Athanarel in the capital city, Remalna. She is completely unprepared for court life, preferring to run barefoot over the hills rather than learning how to hold her fan correctly, but luckily her brother's new fiancee takes Meliara under her wing and teaches her the nuances of court etiquette. Mel soon finds herself swept up in a dizzying whirl of flirtation and political intrigue, and she remains confused about both until a plot to take over the throne brings many secrets to light."

Fantastic! I was sad when I finished the first book and didn't have the second one on hand to beging reading right away. So, I immediately went out and bought the "duet" version, where books one and two are combined (with a fun bonus short story at the end). I really enjoyed this version, I think its best to read it all as one book instead of two seperate books. I loved Court Duel! Mel really grows a lot in this installment. I read this on our recent roadtrip and it really made the time fly by. Her relationship with Vidanric is perfect. I won't give anything away, but I loved the direction the author went with their storyline and I was on pins and needles the whole time wondering if they would or would not end up together. I totally recommend this book to anyone would loves a nice, clean romantic fantasy! (Jess, this means you! I think you'd love these books!)