In Holding Court, Juliet Verity, has a gift/curse where she blurts out unusual phrases that seem to predict the future in some way. Her friend, Cami calls it "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome." The only place that Jules can find to work for the summer is Tutor Times which is an old castle that the owner has made into a tourist destination. Jules plays the the Maid of Kent who was a crazy nun that predicted the future. How perfect is that?
During Jules's first day, she accidentally stumbles on a dead body that immediately disappears before anybody else has a chance to see it. The rest of the book is about Jules trying to fit into her new job and find out what happened to the woman that she found that she knows was dead.
Jules is quirky and funny, especially some of the things that she "blurts," but her condition leaves her feeling like a freak that can't ever fit in. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book, but toward the end when the mystery gets solved and Jules confronts the feelings she has for a boy she works with, the problems seem to be too quickly and easily solved. Overall, this was a good story with some humor, romance, and mystery. ( )

REVIEW LOST : Here is publisher's review:
"When sixteen year old Jules Verity, who suffers from what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome" (spontaneous outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies that she can't control) takes a job at a castle turned dinner theater known as Tudor Times, all she wants is the chance to make some money, wear a fancy gown, and ogle gorgeous-but-taken Grayson Chandler from afar. Instead she's forced to wear the most mortifying costume ever, stumbles over a dead body that promptly disappears, and becomes a suspect in a jewel forgery scam. Determined to prove she's not a total freak who hallucinated a dead girl, Jules goes looking for answers in the secret passageways of Tudor Times. At first she's thrilled when Grayson volunteers to help her on her quest to find a dead body, but his sudden interest in spending time with Jules becomes suspicious when she discovers his girlfriend may be guilty of a lot more than perfect hair and fabulous cleavage. And if she can't unveil the truth in time, wearing an embarrassing costume and her psychic outbursts will be the least of her problems." (www.amazon.com) ( )

In Holding Court, Juliet Verity, has a gift/curse where she blurts out unusual phrases that seem to predict the future in some way. Her friend, Cami calls it "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome." The only place that Jules can find to work for the summer is Tutor Times which is an old castle that the owner has made into a tourist destination. Jules plays the the Maid of Kent who was a crazy nun that predicted the future. How perfect is that?
During Jules's first day, she accidentally stumbles on a dead body that immediately disappears before anybody else has a chance to see it. The rest of the book is about Jules trying to fit into her new job and find out what happened to the woman that she found that she knows was dead.
Jules is quirky and funny, especially some of the things that she "blurts," but her condition leaves her feeling like a freak that can't ever fit in. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book, but toward the end when the mystery gets solved and Jules confronts the feelings she has for a boy she works with, the problems seem to be too quickly and easily solved. Overall, this was a good story with some humor, romance, and mystery. ( )

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not effect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Juliet Verity has the misfortune (in her opinion) of being from a family with psychic gifts. Her gift, or curse as she sees it, is spontaneously blurting out prophetic sentences that make absolutely no sense at the time.

When she takes a summer job at Tudor Times, nothing seems to be going right. Her costume could not be more unflattering, she has to spend every day close to her unattainable long-time crush, and she stumbles onto a dead body that is gone by the time she can bring anyone back to see it.

But Jules knows what she saw, and she's determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. And if some of her predictions come true along the way, and her unrequited love seems just that little bit more requited, all the better.

This is a read that is just plain fun. Juliet is a great character, full of sarcasm, wit, and The Princess Bride quotes. Her love interest is cute, and funny, and even his girlfriend, who in most books the readers would be supposed to hate, is sweet. The mystery is a good one, full of twists and turns, secret passageways, missing pearls, and scuttling around an old castle.

I hope Held brings Juliet and her friends back for another mystery. I would definitely read it. ( )