You did it! We figured this one out! It is a truth universally acknowledged (by me for certain) that the Bitchery pretty much knows everything, and really, it's true. Scroll down to see the solution for this HaBO - and many thanks!
This request is from Shiloh Walker, who is really, really hoping someone can help her, and her daughter out:
My daughter is getting into reading romance. I'm trying to keep her more to the YA, which is going well, since there is so much of it out there, butI was trying to remember two of the YA that I read in school, but I can't…
I do remember they were in my high school library, but that's not much help.
One of the them, the hero was a soap star who ended up to school like a regular kid for a while and the heroine had a crush on him and ended up calling his 'soap star' name. It wasn't a 'typical' name….Blaine. Stone. Something. I can't remember. It didn't end with them living happily ever after, I think he went back to his job. That's all I remember. And I was in high school in the early 90s.
The other one…he was a vampire. Another one that was read in the early 90s. I don't remember hardly anything about it, but I think he died at the end and for SOME reason, I think there was a park or playground involved at the end…??? Maybe he went there with the heroine because that's where they met? I remember he was happy about ending it all for some reason? That's all I can remember, but it wasn't exactly a sad book, even though he did die.
I know that's not a lot to go on. But if any of the bitchery readers could help me out, I'd be so grateful…
Soapy stone hero and vampires with playgrounds? This is some seriously tough HaBO – anyone recall these books?
The second book, was it by any chance The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause? The hero was a vampire and the heroine had her mother dying. She helped him stop his brother from killing people. They actually met at the playground, and he died at the park. The heroine’s name is Zoe and his name is Simon. Let me know if it sounds familiar and I can take pleasure in doing a HABO 😀
http://sveta-randomblog.blogsp…
If it helps, I wrote a book review about the book:
http://sveta-randomblog.blogsp…
Yes, that was my first thought too! I loved this one as a teenager. ACK’s Blood and Chocolate was also awesome.
The details don’t quite match up, but your #1 reminded of a YA romance I read in high school, Just a Summer Romance by Ann Martin. Here’s the summary of it from Amazon:
Spending the summer with her family on Fire Island, 14-year-old Melanie Braderman meets Justin Hart, the boy of her dreams. Justin is Melanie’s first boyfriend, and while he seems to enjoy their days together, he is insistent that theirs can only be a “summer romance,’’ and the two part in September. Melanie tries to forget Justin, and even begins dating someone else, when Justin appears on the cover of People magazine as the star of a new TV show. Melanie is determined to get in touch with Justin and learn just what their summer together meant to him.
It’s definitely not the one you’re thinking of (written waaaaay later, for one thing), but I’m going to recommend Meg Cabot’s Teen Idol as being slightly similar to #1, and a fun read, too. 🙂
The Silver Kiss could be the one-I’m putting it down to get for her anyway. If not other reason than because I might like it. 😉 Thank you!!!
Just a Summer Romance doesn’t sound right. I know the girl had recognized the boy from a soap opera when he showed up at the school.
Thanks for the help folks…
I’m adding another vote for The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause. All I can remember about it is that there was romance involving a vampire and he died at the end, but it wasn’t supposed to be seen as a completely bad ending… That ending was why I’ve reread Klause’s Blood and Chocolate more. I decided I preferred it when the guys live. 🙂
That’s what I was thinking of too, though I couldn’t remember the title. I’m pretty sure those characters show up in another Martin book where there’s 11 kids.
I don’t remember as it a ‘bad’ ending, either, because he was just sorta tired or something. I can’t remember-twenty+ years. Ack. how did that happen. O.o
That may well be the book. I read a sample but 2/3 of it was a note from the author, so I’m going to see if I can find it at the library first. If it’s the right one, I’m buying it.
Oh my God I know a HaBo! I am so excited!!
I’m 90% sure the first one is You Never Can Tell by Ellen Conford. There doesn’t seem to be much of a description anywhere online, but the hero’s name is Brick Preston. While Brick fell for the MC, she was infatuated with his soap opera persona, which was essentially a moody jerk. So Brick started acting like a jerk, and eventually she realized she liked him better (shocker) as a nice guy.
This is the copy my library had, and it was from ‘84. Maybe you’ll recognize it?
http://www.amazon.com/You-Neve…
Brick… oh my goodness. That might be it! Even the cover looks right! Thank you!!!
yay!! I’m sure @Alison Kate had the contemp and I just bought a copy of that one from Amazon. I’m not as positive about Silver Kiss, although it sounds pretty close-I’m going to to dig on more for it, too. thanks, everybody!! I’ve been banging my head over these for a while now.
Adding my vote for #2 being Annette Curtis Klause’s The Silver Kiss. Though I’ll admit, I also had to double check that it wasn’t either Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde or one of the early Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books. But nope, I’d put money on it being TSK.
Oh I’m so glad! Ellen Conford also wrote a novel about a American teen who found out she was really a princess, but had been switched at birth. (A Royal Pain). I got a kick out of that one, too.
Amelia atwater Rhodes would have been a small child in he early 90s…she is 27 now, if I recall correctly (she published her first book at 17 if memory serves). But her books are super good!
Seeing as both of your titles have been found, may I suggest for your daughter the site forever young adult? They specialize in ya books, do book reports (and drinking game! But she’s too young for that) and are generally fabulous. They’re basically the Ya bitchery and I love them.
http://www.foreveryoungadult.c…
I’ll keep the site in my bookmarks, thank you!
I second Amelia Atwater-Rhodes! I loved her books in high school… She has a vampire series and fantasy one as well. Both are great reads that I would highly recommend.
Den of Shadows: http://www.goodreads.com/serie…
The Kiesha’ra: http://www.goodreads.com/serie…
Ignore my comment here…checking something
Silver Kiss definitely sounds like the right book.
It could also be one of the books in L.J. Smith’s Nightworld series –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N… – but I’m not sure which. And the only other 90s vampire series I can think of is The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike. But that’s about a female vampire so that’s definitely not it although the series is still pretty popular with the teens at my library.
It might also be L.J. Smith’s Forbidden Game trilogy – the guy isn’t a vampire but a demon, but the amusement park and ending details sound correct…
Definitely sounds like The Silver Kiss. I read that book so many times I could practically quote you lines. The girl’s name was Zoe, and her mom had cancer. I remember them standing in the hospital, looking down at her sick, sleeping mother, and he says to Zoe, “Hence your beauty,” and she said, “She’s not like she was,” and he says, “I can still tell.”
<<spoiler alert=”“>> I’m spacing on the boy’s name, but I’m 99% sure it was Simon. He had a younger, vicious brother, and they set a trap for him in the playground to kill him. (They dug a pit and lined it with spikes.) Once they succeeded, Simon decided to wait and meet the sunrise. It was sad, but not overly sad.
This is the first time I knew one!!</spoiler>
Random Batgirl Seal of Approval ™
The spikes sound right. This is very likely it.
Thanks so much, everybody.
I read that one a few times! I loved the roller skating scene!
I was amused that SW thought the H’s name might have been Stone and it turned out to be Brick. (Brick?? I think I would have mentally changed it to Stone, too.)
@Alison, I haven’t read the HABO book, but I absolutely LOVED ‘A Royal Pain’! It was ‘The Princess Diaries’ before they existed. I’d definitely second that as a recommendation for a cute and fun YA romance.
Shiloh, if your daughter likes reading YA romance, I can’t recommend The Changeover by Margaret Mahy strongly enough. It’s fantastic. It appears to be out of print right now, but you may be able to find it used. It’s even been subtitled since I read it in 1984; it used to be just The Changeover, but now it’s The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance. 🙂
Oh, goodness, I loved ‘The Changeover’ as a teenager. I think it was my favourite book at thirteen, and I’ve got huge chunks of it memorised. Sorensen Carlisle is still the prototypical damaged hero for me.
‘The Tricksters’, by the same author, is also lovely, but considerably more complicated and probably for older readers.
When I was 12 years old, I sneaked my mother’s copy of ‘Purity’s Passion’. o_0
What was she thinking, leaving that book lying around? Heck, what was she thinking reading that book?
Yeah that definitely sounds like Silver Kiss. I would also HIGHLY recommend ACK’s Blood and Chocolate. Silver Kiss was ok to me, but Blood and Chocolate will always be one of my favorite YAs!
I don’t know the HABO this time, but can I strongly recommend Richie Tankersley Cusick as a YA author who combined mystery/suspense with a perfect blend of YA romance. She was my favorite as kid/early teen. I started with Someone at the Door, which was my absolute favorite.
However DO NOT give your daughter Blood Roots. It was meant for adults, and is the most wtf, incesty, gag-inducing read that I think I have ever touched.
Totally agree re: The Changeover by Mahy….fab book. But if your lass is into fantasy you could do worse than the great Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire in Stubble, which is her version of TamLin, & is brilliant
I remember a Royal Pain. I totally love Ellen Conford and still have some of my old books by her. Also, when The Princess Diaries started getting popular I totally confused it with A Royal Pain and was like “wow, that book is ANCIENT.”
Brigid, you know she’s local, right? I just ran into her at a signing in bethesda last week.
Thanks for all the recs… I’ll keep them in mind. Unfortunately, I dunno if the straight fantasy ones will work yet. Try as I might, I can’t seem to hook her on high fantasy stuff. She loves PNR and UF stories, but high fantasy isn’t catching her yet. Maybe I just need to the right book.
second one was difinitely silver kiss!
@shiloh Re fantasy, I understand the Dragonriders of Pern series is aimed at YA (though I’m pushing 60 and enjoyed them immensely). I don’t think there’s a single one that doesn’t have a romance aspect. Author is Anne McCaffrey.
Oh the first time I get one of these and everyone knows too (of course) But I’ll join the chorus going “silver kiss!”. Loved that book. Although I prefered blood and chocolate, which is one of my favourite books ever and one of the few I have reread several times. Must admit, enjoying reading these reccomendations too and am noting down several books to try and hunt down!
The Dragonriders were my absolute favorite books when I was a teenager. I would start with Drangonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums, as they’re more geared to YA than the others. I must’ve read Dragonsinger more than 50 times. And a good gateway both to fantasy and to Romance. So I second that wholeheartedly.
I have to second (or third) The Changeover and DWJ’s Fire and Hemlock and add Howl’s Moving Castle. I LOVED those books. I’d also recommend Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Deerskin (though Deerskin touches on the effects of incest). McKinley is EPIC at YA fantasy/romance. Sorry I’m completely going off topic….can you tell I spent everyday of my childhood with my nose in a book?