The final chapter of the Embassy Row series is as twisty-turny as its two predecessors. Now aware of the truth at the true heir of the Adrian royal family survived ace is on the lam, hopping from Oklahoma to the streets of Paris and even to Russia. But she can't escape her new reality: that she and her brother, Jamie, are among the living heirs to the throne. With Jamie out of commission, it's up to Grace to assume her role as princess or continue to risk death. Though the romance thread plays second fiddle to the succession drama, the fast-paced action will keep Carter's fans on their toes.

In this third book, Grace and her brother are on the run because of a dangerous secret: they are the real heirs to the Adrian throne. They can't run forever, though, so Grace returns to Adria to find the answer to a two-hundred-year-old puzzle. Grace weighs her own desires against duty to family and country in this compelling, haut monde political thriller.

Gr 8 Up-racie's adventure continues in this third title in the series. Her motivation in this book is clearly to save her brother's life by sacrificing herself, but that doesn't seem to satisfy the Society, as it wants to extinguish the bloodline before a potential overthrow of the current system that it has spent 200 years maintaining. Carter provides nonstop action, and series fans will happily suspend disbelief as Gracie pulls off Jason Bourne-type escapes with the aid of multiple passports and thousands of dollars in foreign currency. Those who haven't read the first two volumes will likely be lost. What happened to Gracie's brother, and why he is so incapacitated? Who is Amelia? Why is Gracie avoiding returning to Adria to claim her seat on the throne? Gracie has inner conflicts that drive her to react impulsively and without considering potential consequences, such as meeting up with a prime minister whom she knows she can't trust and who has betrayed her in the past. As in most stories of kingdoms and bloodlines, the central tension comes down to who is willing to go the farthest to keep secrets and gain power. VERDICT Fans of the best-selling series will enjoy this latest installment.Jessica Lorentz Smith, Bend Senior High School, OR