An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason by Virginia Boecker

“When Lady Katherine's father is killed for being an illegally practicing Catholic, she discovers treason wasn't the only secret he's been hiding: he was also involved in a murder plot against the reigning Queen Elizabeth I. With nothing left to lose, Katherine disguises herself as a boy and travels to London to fulfill her father's mission, and to take it one step further--kill the queen herself.

Katherine's opportunity comes in the form of William Shakespeare's newest play, which is to be performed in front of Her Majesty. But what she doesn't know is that the play is not just a play--it's a plot to root out insurrectionists and destroy the rebellion once and for all.

The mastermind behind this ruse is Toby Ellis, a young spy for the queen with secrets of his own. When Toby and Katherine are cast opposite each other as the play's leads, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. But the closer they grow, the more precarious their positions become. And soon they learn that star-crossed love, mistaken identity, and betrayal are far more dangerous off the stage than on.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I really enjoyed this historical twist involving a murder plot centered around William Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night. Our assassin, Katherine Arundell/Kit Alban, watched her father killed by the local sheriff during a raid on their house for being practicing Catholics during Elizabeth I’s reign. Protestantism was the official religion of England at the time. Escaping, she travels to London to meet up with one of her father's friends. Disguising herself as a boy, Kit becomes involved in an assassination plot for the queen to take place during a private showing of Twelfth Night.

Her plans become a bit derailed when she meets her co-star. Without going into too many details, this book was a great read. I loved the ending of the story. 

Visit Virginia Boecker’s website.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

“A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.

The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn't supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn't know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they're both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia's ever seen. As Claudia's world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Emma Mills is now an auto-read author on my reading list. In Foolish Hearts, Claudia is forced to team up with Iris, the girl Claudia overheard getting dumped by her girlfriend. After a failed joint English paper, the two agreed to work on the upcoming play in conjunction with the neighboring boys' school. Working on costumes for the production, Claudia begins to spread her wings and finally begins to make friends at school.

When Claudia catches the eye of Gideon, a popular boy, she fights her attraction. As she continues to hang out with Iris, a new friendship between the two flourishes. When several problems arise in her family, Claudia learns that she needs to take a leap of faith and live her life.

With the plot revolving around the play A Midsummer's Night Dream and a couple of fandoms, readers will stay up all night to see how Claudia story ends.