Fiction Wednesday aka Fiction Tuesday

Leave it to Hilary Duff to get in on the Young Adult novel circuit. She's got everything else going for her. With a little help from Elise Allen she brings you ELIXIR.

STORYLINE: Clea Raymond, 17, lives a charmed life. She travels the world with her best friend, Rayna, partying in countries near and far. Her mother is kept busy by her work as a United States Senator, but she loves her daughter with all her heart. And Clea has a cute guy trailing her every move–her bodyguard/voice of reason, Ben. Everything would be just perfect, except for the fact that her beloved father, a world-renowned surgeon, has gone missing while on a humanitarian mission in Rio. She can't stop thinking about him and his disappearance, and one night she stumbles onto something that might help her find him. Looking through photos she took on vacation, Clea notices a strange man who lurks in the background of every picture. Then, she starts having dreams about him. She's always a different woman in a different time period with him–and she always dies a brutal death. With the help of Ben, Clea travels to Rio to try and figure out the mystery behind her father's disappearance and the identity of the stranger in her pictures and her dreams. This entertaining book has a good mix of romance and suspense with a little reincarnation thrown in for good measure. Clea is caught up between the love she feels for the mystery man and the feelings she starts to have for Ben. Yet she soon figures out that there's more to this love triangle than she realizes. The fast-paced story will keep readers turning the pages until the very end, which hints of a sequel. Even those not impressed by the author's star power will enjoy this tale of love across the ages.–Traci Glass

Of course, customers who have bought this have also gotten Nicole Richie's Priceless. I must say, I do find this story more interesting than Nicole's, who perhaps will become the new Jackie Collins. Many have fallen in love with the main character Clea in Hillary's novel. Of course, there is the mystery of Sage, Clea's love interest (although, he may come off as a stalker or creeper at times). Its said, Duff is giving a whole new spin on the paranormal. Yet some will be put off that her main character is just too rich and perfect. And there is more "telling" than showing unique descriptions in the book.