The Ruby Red Trilogy/The Precious Stone Trilogy - Kerstin Gier

Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
(Summary and image from Goodreads.com)

My summary: These books are so much fun! First off, look at that cover art. Just look at it. Stunning! Okay. So we have a teenage girl who finds out she is a time-traveler and becomes part of a society that aids and uses the time travelers to right wrongs that have occurred in the past. Naturally, the only other time traveler is a dashing, arrogant, teenage boy. They must dress the part, dance the dances, and time travel together in a race against time to save humanity.

Gwyn is a fantastic heroine. She is smart, funny, and a total teenage girl. I have not read a book or watched even a TV show in a long time that showed teenagers thinking and behaving like teenagers do. It's a strange shadow world between childhood and adulthood and the characters in the book showcase both the childishness and immaturity as well as the bravery of teens.

The three books demand to be read back-to-back. The books often break rather abruptly. There are chapter breaks with more closure. So get 'em all lined up and pray for a rainy weekend. If you're really curious, there are German movies of this series, so if you don't mind subtitles, they'd be fun to watch, too.

My rating:  5 Stars

For the sensitive reader: some teenage "snogging," a few olden-day duels, and a dash of language, but nothing R-rated.