Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Megan Rosenberg and her father have just moved to Ireland from Boston and it's a bit of a culture shock. But, Megan makes new friends and settles in...except for the mysterious Adam DeRís and his family. Although Adam seems to be watching her, he refuses to say anything beyond polite greetings. As Megan finds herself drawn to him despite his reticence, she discovers that she is part of a larger destiny involving Adam, his family -- and magic. Megan is excited to learn more, but she finds that there are dangers as well...

This is the first book in a series; the second book Shadow of the Mark will be released July 9, 2013.

I felt as though this book started a little slowly; some parts seemed awkward and excessively detailed. However, it did get better about halfway through and I enjoyed the ending, so the series might improve as it progresses. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans who enjoy romance and stories involving prophecy.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Dark Mirror series, Twilight, The Other Book, or Rampant

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

In the first book, Switched, Wendy Everly has had a complicated life -- her mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday, claiming that Wendy was not her child -- but now she is seventeen and has just moved to a new town with her aunt and brother. Just when she starts to think that she could settle in to an ordinary senior year of high school, she meets Finn Holmes, an odd boy who spends most of his time staring at her. Finn tells Wendy that she is actually a changeling, switched at birth, and now he's going to take her home to meet her real family.

The series continues in Torn and Ascend. Wendy learns more about her family and the world of the Trylle.

Overall, this series was engaging and a fairly quick read. It started a little slow and I found some of the love-triangle drama in the second and third books to be a bit tedious. However, the characters are well developed and the concept of changelings in the modern world is certainly an interesting twist. I would recommend this to older fantasy who enjoy stories in the real world with a bit of romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Me, My Elf, and I, or Radiant Darkness