The Autumn Palace

Ondine #2

by Ebony McKenna

One boy, one girl, one plot to be foiled! Hamish the gorgeous man (and part time ferret) has a new job with the Duke as a spy in his Autumn Palace. So Ondine goes with him. She imagines a hugely romantic escapade together that involves lots of kissing. What she hadn't imagined was having to do endless laundry, go to school and keep Hamish the man a secret. All the while trying to find out who is plotting to kill the Duke. And if that weren't bad enough, it seems that Hamish is more interested in getting the Duke's attention than hers. Plus he's always in ferret form. Things can't go on like this! Can Ondine foil the would-be assassin, save the Duke and get her man back in gorgeous human form? It's going to take a little bit of magic, a lot of stolen kisses and some ferreting around...

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Paranormal

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Ebony McKenna writes YA romance as Ebony McKenna
She writes Regency Romance as Ebony Oaten

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ondine: The Autumn Palace is the second book in the fairytale adventures of Ondine and the love of her life – Hamish. The story is just as humorous and endearing as The Summer of Shambles and is even more evocative of the romantic fairytale setting.


The story begins with Ondine and Hamish ready to take a train journey to visit the Duke. Hamish is ready to take on his role as a royal spy and Ondine is ready to agree to anything the Duke asks of her if it means she gets to stay with her beloved. The troubles begin when Old Aunt Col arrives to play chaperone to the couple and journeys with them to the Duke’s Autumn Palace. From the moment they arrive shocking and disastrously funny magic happens. Think raining cats and dogs with an Ebony McKenna twist on it.


Ondine and Hamish take on their new employment hoping to spend every spare minute together. But their respective careers are rather demanding and they hardly have time to spare for a split-second kiss. Time is running out for the couple because if they can’t discover who has it in for the Duke, Ondine will be sent back to her parents and be love sick without her sweetheart.


The plot is a rather mix of magical fairytale fantasy and a “whodunit”. There are so many characters who would like to see the Duke removed from power that the young couple have their work cut out. I did realise fairly early on who wanted to kill the Duke but the mystery and fun was in the why and the particular methods.


The author delighted me in her characterisation of the main characters. Ondine is every bit as determined and diligent as she was in the first novel when it comes to practical tasks if not psychic ones. Hamish was just as charming and if anything revelled even more in ferreting mischief around the palace.


This novel is undoubtedly daft. You need a silly sense of humour to really get it. I am just the right type of person to enjoy this kooky, witty book. I loved the ending which was perfectly fairytale in its romance and idyllic setting. Ondine cast a spell over me but I still have one question: Will she ever find her inner witch?

[Angelc · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I absolutely loved the first book in this series - "Ondine: The Summer of Shambles." The mix of fantasy, sweet romance, and an adorable talking ferret had me head over heels in love. "The Autumn Palace" did not disappoint, and I was left with that warm fuzzy feeling all over again.

This time around, Shambles the ferret and his super cute human self, Hamish, along with Ondine and her Aunt Col, travel to the Duke's Autumn Palace. The Duke has enlisted Col and Shambles to utilize his ferret form to spy on his household. Ondine doesn't find it quite as glamorous as she thought when the only job available to her is in the laundry, and then she becomes the Duke's persnickety sister's butler. All the while, Hamish seems to be having a great time, how frustrating!

I must say I did miss Ondine's family in this one, but the prickly Infanta did start to grow on me as Ondine's employer. Hamish was such a cute and nice boyfriend, even if his work kept him from spending a lot of time with Ondine. Shambles wasn't quite up to as many antics as in the first book and I missed that a lot. But there was an unfortunate incident with a tube of toothpaste that was just like his old self.

Ondine and Hamish's romance was just as sweet as ever and their relationship grew in this installment. I can't say enough how much I love that their relationship is healthy! Sure they have disagreements, but they deal with it in a positive manner. In today's YA world of stalkers and abusive relationships being glorified as romantic, I LOVE seeing a healthy romance that is so swoonworthy!

I really love this series and I'm hoping to see more Ondine and Hamish soon. Hopefully Shambles can stay out of trouble long enough for another book!


book sent by publisher in exchange for honest review

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Autumn Palace was a fabulous sequel to The Summer of Shambles – in fact, I think I liked it even more! Ondine had gone with Shambles/Hamish to work for the Duke, but things did not turn out the way she wanted at all. Instead of spending lots of time with her boyfriend, she was made to do laundry, attend lessons at school and help the very odd Infanta, while Shambles was off trying to find out who wanted to kill the Duke!

The narrative in Ondine was just amazing. So funny, sometimes even a little satirical, with the great sarcastic footnotes and all-round silliness that I couldn’t help but find hilarious (I mean, raining fish? I cracked up :P). And the Infanta, oh dear! At first I felt immensely sorry for Ondine, having to serve this clearly crazy lady and carry out all her bizarre requests. I mean, the woman fed her dog soup from a spoon...and put the spoon back in the soup pot. It was so disgusting yet I couldn’t help laughing at how insane the Infanta seemed to be! But as the book went on, she actually started to grow on me, and I appreciated her quirkiness (though the way she fed her dog still creeped me out). I could understand why she resented Vincent (Vincent was awful anyway) – it seemed so unfair that he would be the next Duke just because he was male, and now she was stuck as the Infanta and no longer had the chance to be Duchess. I liked how Ondine seemed to have an effect on her, and it was great to read about the two together!

Aunt Col, the witch responsible for turning Hamish into Shambles the ferret, played a bigger role in this one, and I have to say, I really liked her. She was just cool and a powerful witch, and knew how to get what she wanted. She and Shambles were the ones appointed the task of finding the person trying to kill off the Duke. I have to say, I did guess quite early on who the culprit was, but I just loved the way the mystery unravelled in the book and how Aunt Col, Shambles and Ondine put all the pieces together – the situations they got themselves into sometimes...I’m grinning just remembering them!

I did feel for Ondine and Hamish in this one, because they didn’t have as much time to be together as they wanted. But their romance was really sweet and I’m glad everything worked out in the end! Ondine’s time at school, though, was pretty awful. Ondine was clearly as smart girl, but because of her lack of formal education, she wasn’t doing so well in class, and it was really getting her down. I felt bad that she had to resort to the measures she did, and I think maybe she should have thought things through a bit more! But things were working against her anyway, so I can understand how she felt.

I did miss Ondine’s mother and father in this book (though the phone calls home were great) but I really enjoyed it overall. Even though this book was slightly longer than the first, I flew through it, and was sad when it was all over. I’m really hoping there’ll be another book in the series, because I’d love to see more of Ondine and Hamish! I’m also curious about Ondine’s “powers” – I know she claimed not to be psychic, but I can’t help thinking that maybe there was something really there? She was related to Aunt Col, after all!

Overall, The Autumn Palace was a great addition to the Ondine series and I loved all magic and mystery and romance! Recommended.

(Quick note just to say that I love this cover! I like the first Ondine cover too, but this one is really gorgeous, and so pretty in real life too).

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prelim review: Much like its predecessor THE SUMMER PALACE is filled with humor, misadventures and romance. I admit I enjoyed the first book a little more, if only because in this one it was heart-breaking to see Ondine go through so much trouble and have so much heartbreak over Hamish.

Fulll review:
Much like its predecessor The Summer Palace is filled with humor, misadventures and romance.  I admit I enjoyed the first book a little more, if only because in this one it was heart-breaking to see Ondine go through so much trouble and have so much heartbreak over Hamish.

Our devoted, and quite sappy, duo are on their way to the Duke's estate when they are waylaid by Old Col (Ondine's Great-aunt who had originally cursed Hamish all those years ago) and whisked instead to Bellreeve, the site of Hamish's ferret troubles and the autumn home of Duke Pavla, Hamish's new employer.  Strange occurrences (sudden twisters, raining fish, missing cutlery) abound as the trio attempts to find and foil the Duke's would-be murderer.

In some ways this is a more mature book then The Summer of Shambles.  Ondine has to learn to share Hamish, Hamish has to learn to curb his impulses and they both have to learn how to get by in the larger world. 

My favorite part of the book still remains the little footnotes on 'Brugel' history that McKenna includes.  The mystery was interesting though.  Its your typical murder mystery set-up--who benefits the most from the Duke passing?--but the eventual result is startling.  I wish there had been more explanation as to how it all came about, the motivations at least, since it was kind of 'It was this person!' and there is shock and lots of talking and suddenly everything has changed.

McKenna's wit and humor abound, filling each page with at least a smile if not a chuckle or giggle.  It not only keeps the book from feeling overly ponderous, but also helps to move the pace along quickly.  The book never felt like it dragged because I was enjoying myself too much while reading it.

[Yin Chien · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Autumn Palace is also known as the 'Palechia' in Brugelish. If you're not informed about this, Brugel, the place where Ondine lives in, is a fictitious country ruled by a Duke. In this book, Ondine's boyfriend Hamish/Shambles was recruited by the Duke to act as a spy in the palace to see if anyone has ill intentions towards the Duke. Unable to stay apart from him even for a day, Ondine decided to follow him to the Palace and got herself a job as a laundress.

Basically, this book doesn't have much action in it, but for some reason, I actually like it. The story is cute and the content is clean except for a few stolen kisses between Ondine and Hamish/Shambles. The characters are quirky, in a good way. The dialogues are often witty and have a Scottish feel about them.

Some of the words/phrases are created by the author herself, so there is usually an explanation of what it means in Brugelish at the bottom of the page. That shows the author's creativity, but it also irks me slightly to have to keep on referring to it because it breaks the flow of reading.

To sum things out, this quick, light book has its charm, but there is still room for improvements. I would recommend it to teenage girls aged 13 and above.

[Emmie Dark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the latest outing of Ondine and Hamish! Dastardly and mysterious deeds are happening all over the place at the mystical Autumn Palace and there are so many potential culprits! The foreign laundress, the seemingly clairvoyant butler, the dramatic infanta and the drunken duchess are all at play and it's up to Ondine and Hamish to work out what's going on.

In amongst all this, Ondine and Hamish still need to find time for their relationship and each other, which becomes increasingly difficult as Hamish becomes all wrapped up in his role as a spy and Ondine literally works from dawn to dusk!

With lots of the gorgeous humour from the last book (Brugelians eat "Toots Wheat" for breakfast!! (Although I'm not sure if you call them "Brugelians"...)) and plenty of magical fun and games, this was a great, fun read that kept me giggling out loud on planes over the past week.

[Alison Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Ondine series, set in the fictional country of Brugel. Ondine, Hamish and Old Col find themselves on a secret mission to discover who is trying to kill the Duke. Along the way they encounter a miscellany of potential (and real villains) before the truth is revealed.

Once again this book just fizzes along with wayward magic, the dilemmas of failing at Maths (Ondine has my sympathy), a sexy boyfriend who changes into a ferret at all the wrong moments and a cast of fabulous characters. My favourite part of the Ondine books are the hilarious footnotes explaining the quirks of Brugelese history and culture. This may be a YA story but there is plenty in Ms. McKenna's wonderful stories to keep the young at heart smiling too.

Highly recommeneded!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ondi and Hamish are up to their proverbial again in high drama - because there's always someone trying to knock off the Duke - and they're there to save the day! Again. But with more washing.

I love the characters, and just like the first book, once I'd started on the train to the palace I was along for the ride. Hardly put the book down and couldn't help but read some of Hamish out loud - because well, Scottish is like that.

[Centrumlumina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical book with interesting characters and a strong narrative voice. However, it would have been much more enjoyable if the main character, who is otherwise quite intelligent, didn't lose her wits whenever she's with her boyfriend. Realistic perhaps, but incredibly irritating, especially since it takes up about a third of the book.

[Heidi Kneale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, teenage love! Ondine follows Hamish (against the reluctance of her parents) to the Duke's palace and there finds intrigue.

The story is solid, the voice and style light and fun to read. I like how the plot (and the intrigue in the palace) has a lovely, deep twist regarding the Duke's illness.

[Lindsey]

DNF
I just couldn't get into this book, I read Ondine a few years ago and enjoyed it quite a lot, so I don't know whether its because I'm just growing to old for the series or whether I just didn't like this book in particular I don't know, but I was a bit disappointed.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

such good fun. in my head, all of Hamish's lines are read by David Tennant.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fantastic book. Love the series. Wish it continued.

[Bull Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

E. McKenna is unknown to me, nor do I have any interest in her writings. I'm writing this as a review of A. A. Milne's 2nd collection of Winnie the Pooh stories, and the only stand alone edition I could find on good reads was this one. So in this second volume of Pooh stories we get the same literary style and the same humor as in the first volume. All that is well and good. However there is to me one huge horsefly in this ointment, and that is the little bouncing beast, Tigger!! I was never a fan of Tigger, and I believe it's because I was first introduced to the character in the Disney animated cartoons. He turned me off in the cinema first, and now that I'm reading the book that contains him, I'll just say a tiny bit of Tigger goes a long, long way. What's surprising is how well, for the most part, all the other animals accept his bullying, rude, blusterous behavior and speech. Equally surprising is the failure of Christopher Robin to take the little bouncing monster in hand and apply some proper discipline. It could have been done with a word or two or with isolation, and (I believe) within the world of the Hundred Acre Wood Tigger would have sulked a bit, but then would have sprung right back with better behavior and more courtesy. But alas!! C. Robin just lets the little stuffed Tiger go and do and act as he will. Ah, Mr. Milne . . . to think of what might have been!
LBC

[Cathforte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book, Ondine's voice is quirky and original. There was a strange printing error in my copy which re told a few paragraphs! Hilarious- pg 58 and 59 ( 7th edition 2017) I've never experienced that before and wondered if the writer was checking if we were paying attention- but no I actually think it was a printing error. Anyway as I mentioned at the start, I have really mixed feelings about this book. The 'helpful' footnotes for made up words is charming at first but a little pointless as the story progresses. I couldn't quite work out the age group of readers as younger readers might not understand implied political innuendoes , eg- reference to Unknown unknowns (which I found interesting) but my main gripe is the lack of development of the main protagonists. Ondine is at times naive, highly romantic but childish and Hamish sometimes sounds like a cheesy romance fiction character from a Highland Harlequin/mills and boon book. Like the misprint, I read to the end thinking "is there a hidden message?" Will there be a lightbulb moment when it all comes together? No it doesn't, and the actual mystery/whodunnit is not really worth reading to the end to find out- the solving of who the culprit is, is totally predictable. So it left me with a 'so what' feeling, neither awful nor wonderful.

[airazira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ondine the poor little girl feeling upset to be separated with Hamish, the Shamble. Then, she followed them and worked there. Many strange and bad things happened when they arrived in the palace. Its not a pleasent moment for Ondine when Hamish overly focused on his job as a ferret instead of being human.

I don't find any good intention because it involves Ondine, a fifteen y/o girl who is over reacted on admiring her love who is much older than her even though Hamish doesn't grow old as long as he is sworn. The journey doesn't suitable for the girl to be in.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet again its a lovely story and shows a progression in Ondines life. The book is short and sweet, very suitable for someone in late tweens, early teens.
The setting is idyllic, the story is interesting without having much action and the characters develop further.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double review of both books originally posted in: http://forget8me8not.blogspot.com.au/...

Covers:
Wow, both covers are so pretty! I love the girl in the cover and also the patterns surrounding the cover. The colours are also really beautiful and suitable such as the purple and pink colours to give a gorgeous effect! So adorable. Both cover gives off this fantasy feeling that makes me really want to read it since I first saw the cover!

Story:

Ondine's life is about to be changed...by a ferret.

Wow, both books were such a fun read! I absolutely enjoyed reading both of them. The first book explores Ondine's meeting with Shambles the Ferret who is actually a boy who is cursed by a witch. She tries to break the curse while taking care of her family's hotel. The story is really exciting and fun. It's hilarious too! So many times I laughed when there were really funny scenes between Ondine and her family, Ondine and Shambles (a.k.a Hamish) and it makes me really enjoy reading both books. Not only that, there are romantic scenes in this book which makes it so adorable!

To make this book even more special and fun, there are FOOTNOTES in this book. Yep, you heard me right. FOOTNOTES. Like in Essays. And the footnotes in this book are SO HILARIOUS sometimes. LOVE IT!

Characters:
I LOVE ONDINE and HAMISH! They are so adorable, cute and their relationship makes me feel all gooey inside. Hamish is so sweet and he has SCOTTISH accent. Ondine is such a fun character to read about. I love her a lot in both books. I also love her family. Her father is totally an awesome dad. Hey, I want a father like Ondine's father too! And her mum, super awesome. The characters are so fun to read about!

Overall:
Need a fun, light read with sweet and heart-melting romance? Then The Summer of Shambles and The Autumn Palace is the perfect book for you! With fun and hilarious characters, you'll come to love Ferrets more than you know! YES, FERRETS ARE AWESOME.

Thank you Ebony for the review copies!

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ondine and Hamish have had the whole summer to find each other and fall in love. Now autumn has arrived and Hamish is called away to begin his employment with the Duke as Shambles, his ferret alter ego, to perform duties as a spy. Ondine, although forbidden by her parents to leave home, has decided to follow her heart and Hamish to the Dukes palace the Autumn Palechia. Ondine's parents will not be happy about this at all. However the greater problem will be, if after travelling all the way to the other side of the country, if she is permitted to stay.

Being in love Ondine and Hamish want only to be together, however it is Shambles who is more often then not making an appearance much to Ondine's dismay. However with the very real threat to the Dukes life Ondine can hardly blame Hamish for being preoccupied with his job. As Ondine, Hamish/Shambles and her aunt Colette are set the task of finding this would be assassin, a task that is proving extremely formidable in a palace as there is no shortage of secrets and backstabbing, they find time is running short.

The Autumn Palace is a place filled with hard-working, demanding, spoilt, misunderstood and generally crazy people. There is a feeling to the palace that has people acting in ways they wouldn't normally and Ondine is no exception. Ashamed at her behaviour having spied, lied, cheated and betrayed while all the while holding down three jobs as well as keeping up, or failing at, school work, Ondine still manages to redeem herself. A love story wrapped in a mystery, Ondine may at times be ruled by her emotions but she is by no means incompetent, being quite ingenious and clever. A sweet and intriguing story that will leave you gushing and guessing to the last page.

[Tara-Jayne (♥ I Read, I Love ♥) Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all , i want to thank Ebony McKenna for writing another amazing book!

From the first book, Hamish got given a job to spy for the Duke, and Ondine doesn't like it, so she goes with him to the Dukes palace, and starts a job and goes to school.

Ondine thinks Hamish is spending to much time working then being with her, and Hamish is actually enjoying working for the duke.

They have to find out who is trying to kill the duke, and its hard because there is 3 suspects, The Duchess, The Dukes sister and Lord Vincent. So Aunt Col, Ondine and Hamish has to be spy's and try and figure out who is behind it.

When Hamish is being Shambles in ferret form he is quite the funny one, and brought some laughter to me, especially the Dog incident. Ondine doesn't like when he is ferret form because she just wants kisses with the hot guy Hamish.

There is new Characters as well as the same old ones, and one of them is the Infanta, Anathea who is the Dukes sister, at first i hated her, because she was bossy and childish when it come to the part she complained they started without her. She got on my nerves but then she started to change and done things for herself and it wasn't until the end where i loved her.

There isn't much to say apart from READ IT! and please do it in a private place and not in public because you may get looked at funny when you burst out laughing on a bus or something. Please for Ebony, read this book!!

[Michelle Fayard · Rating 4 out of 5]

With warm wit and believable imagination, Ebony McKenna follows through with her sequel, Ondine: The Autumn Palace.

Ondine and her aunt accompany Hamish, Ondine's sometimes-ferret sometimes-human boyfriend, to the duke's palace where they must discover who wants to assassinate him--and do away with them. Ondine is forced to work first as a laundress (her experience in her parents' pub have made her an expert at removing food and wine stains) then as a female butler to the duke's sister, the Infanta Anathea.

The only problem is the Infanta--along with the duke's wife, the Duchess Kerala, and his son, Lord Vincent--is one of the top three suspects. Ondine fears, however, it will be her heart that is done in, as Hamish takes to his new job with unexpected zest. Will Hamish be able to "ferret" out the truth in time to save the duke and their relationship?

Hamish's Scottish brogue and slang, which Ebony deftly defines with humorously written footnotes, combined with excellent dialogue and lovable characters make her books an extra delight.

If this is your first time to read a fantasy, you've picked the perfect one to enjoy. And if you're already of fan of fantasy that sparkles with romance and wit, the Ondine series is sure to please. You'll find yourself eagerly awaiting the release of the third title.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading and falling in love with Ondine, The Summer of Shambles, I had big expectations for Ondine, The Autumn Palace. And with a smile on my face I can honestly say that it exceeded all of them.

All of the main characters are still likable and entertaining. I especially liked aunt Col and wished there was more of her in the story. She was pretty hilarious when she used her wicked powers. I hope that she gets a bigger role in the third book. The only complain I have is that Ondine was a bit too pouty, either because Shambles didn’t return to his human form or that he didn’t had any time for her.

I really liked the romance in this story. It was just lovely and so sweet, just how I like it in fairy tales. It wasn’t hard to find out who the person was that wanted the Duke death, but it was still enjoyable to read how Ondine, Shambles and aunt Col connected the dots together.

Ondine, The Autumn Palace was a fun, light-hearted book. You should pick it up if you want to be super entertained. I definitely recommend to all fairytale fans!

[Hweeps · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars T_T
This was a somewhat miserable read for me... Wasn't engaging, and although certainly funny at some points, it lacked a certain something that made me want to keep on reading. The only reason (or reasonS) I ploughed on was because

1. I hate to leave a book uncompleted.
2. I had a good impression of the first Ondine book.

I kept hoping it'd be better toward the end, but nooo..

It was interesting because of the 'mystery', I suppose, but it was also pretty meh too. Oh well! At least I can move on to my next book now! :) Divergent here I comeee!

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like this one nearly as much as the first. The reference notes that were cute and humorous the first time around, were irritating and not as funny the second time around.

There were a couple references that annoyed, mostly things that mocked Australia. This annoyed me because, it would exclude non-Australians and most likely insult the actual Australians who read the book. It was confusing, especially since the author is Australian.

If there's a third, I won't read it.

[Amal Rawiah]

i can't find this book in any bookstores. hope you sell this book in scholastic catalog. i've read ondine #1.. i like it very much <3 i want to know what's next about when hamish work with the duke :/ will hamish does not care on ondine lately because he like the job that the duke gave?

[Jewlya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story stayed in my head for days after I read it. With such sweet characters and a fabulous romance I couldn't tear myself away. I loved this sequel as much as I loved the first, which was a lot, and I can't wait to hear more from the world of Ondine and Hamish.

[Cat]

The Ondine books are such enjoyable reads! I can't wait for more!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great, colorful sequel to the first Ondine book.
An array of awesome characters live at the palace...and one of them is trying to kill the Duke!

[Zoe]

3.5 stars, not as good as the first book. Felt rushed and overly childish.