Like I said, first place is a tie, so here's the second half of it. Lisa T. Bergren's River of Time Series is fan-freaking-tastic!

Book I: Waterfall.................... Book II: Cascade................... Book III: Torrent

Story in a Nutshell

Two teen sisters, Gabi and Lia, are hurtled back in time to medieval Italy. Danger abounds but so do smokin' hot Italian knights. The girls get sucked into the political intrigue of the day but never fear...hero Marcello saves the day and sweeps Gabi off her feet. After a trip or two back to present day Italy, eventually mom and dad relocate to the past as well. Does everyone live happily ever after? You'll have to read it to find out!

What's So Great About It

The characters. I got totally attached to Gabi and Marcello. I rooted for them. Sniffled for them (stoic Scandinavians don't cry). And even felt the heartache at their forced separations. I felt like I was part of the family.

Good thing Lisa is working on book 4.