Robin D. Owens – Hearts and Swords

A collection of stories in the Celta series, published December 6 2011.
Genre: sci-fi romance / fantasy romance.



Heart and Sword

This is the story of the last part of the journey of the Ship, Nuada’s Sword, on the 250 year long trip from Earth to Celta. The military hero Kelse Bountry is Awakened from his cryonic sleep, to take command over the ship when the current Captain is murdered by some unhappy mutineers. They were born on the ship, have no idea of the dangers of civilization, and want to risk a dangerous trip through a wormhole they believe will lead them back to civilization. But the people in the cryonics bay have bought the ship and funded the expedition to get away from earth, where they are hunted and murdered because of their psy skills. And in the Ship, those powers have only increased on their offspring. So there would be no guarantee at all they would be welcomed instead of enslaved for their powers or murdered at sight.
They want to start a new world, far away from Earth, where they can safely practice their religion: Wicca.
Kelse has known battle all his life, and the old Captain’s Aide, Chloe, feels it is the right time to Awaken him, so he can take command, and get the people in the ship behind their original mission once more. They are low on fuel, and won’t be able to reach the starsystem they are headed for. One of the other ships has the same problem, only the third ship would be able to reach it, and that Captain wants them to go for it. But it would be a bad decision.
So Kelse has to fight the wanna-be mutineers, convince the rest of the crew and people on board that is would be wrong to shut down the cryonics bay just to safe some energy, and he has to keep his wife safe. She was Awakened by the Ship, and does her best to help him bear this burden. But he just can’t share all his fears with her, making them drift apart, except at night in their bed in the Captain’s Quarters.
And when the mutineers kidnap his wife, the stakes are raised high. But Kelse has an ace in his sleeve, thanks to his wife …
Will they reach Celta in time, and will they all land safely?

A great short story, and a nice introduction to the series. The previous 10 books all take place on Celta (yes of course they land safely!) but this was a nice peak in the why and how of colonization. With the lovestory of Kelse and Fern to enjoy, a married couple, trying to find their way back together after being asleep for 250 years. I liked it, a lot.


Heart Story
406 years after colonization, Druida City.

In the 6th book of the series, Heart Dance, we meet the Willows. How the evil old D’Willow gets replaced by her grandson, T’Willow, who has found his HeartMate. His mother Arbusca Willow was her own mother’s housekeeper, kept under her thumb with threats all her life. She also has a HeartMate, and was forbidden to see him, marry him. Now her evil mother is death, and she has contacted her HeartMate, not knowing who he is. They hadn’t connected in twenty-five years. Even then, they’d never met, but linked during hot, sexual dreams when their psi magic had been freed during vision quests.

But meeting is not enough to fall in love for real, there is a lot of anger between them. Resentment, that he did not claim her for his own, that her mother could make him leave the continent. She did not know her mother threatened to destroy his family, and she would have. And enjoyed it as well.
And Dri is angry at her for not defending him, leaving her mother. But how could she, she was just a young girl, being kept short and insecure all her life.
Dri needs her help with his GreatUncle, he needs her housekeeping skills. His Uncle Boner is a hoarder, and his cottage is filled to the brim with goods. Only narrow pathways lead from one room to the next. And somewhere inside, there should be a family Heirloom his father wants back.
But for the Bond between them to fully mature, they will have to overcome their anger, and work together.


A very nice short story, with a FamDog as the light note between them. When Dri doesn’t want to tell Arbusca, or Blush as she was nicknamed as a young girl, the little dog Mel has no scruples at all to tell her. And Blush likes being needed, and if there is a future for them together, she needs to know it all. I liked both characters, even though Dri could have been less focused on getting over the anger with sex.


Heart and Soul

After her divorce of Tinne Holly (sea Heart Duel, Heart Choice, Heart Quest and Heart Dance), Genista Furze fled to Gael City to start a new life under a new name: Nista Gorse. She found a job at a clockmakers shop, as she has enjoyed timepieces ever since a young woman. Tinkering with them, making them work again. Of course she doesn’t need to work for the gilt, but she liked it, likes having a purpose, be good at something.
The months have slowly passed, giving her time to settle in her simple life, an ordinary woman instead of the unwanted third daughter of one of the First Families. She still grieves from the loss her unborn child, and has been celibate all this time. Something she did not think was in her nature.
She has made no friends, kept to herself, except the morning and evening exchanges with her neighbour, who somehow always is working in his frontyard when she leaves her home, and comes back home. She knows he is a fighter, she has been around man like him for years. And she really does not want that for herself again. But still, she is attracted to Cardus in a way she hasn’t felt in a long time. He seems to like her for herself, Nista Gorse, clockmakers apprentice.

What Genista does not know, is that Cardus has been hired by her former inlaws, the Holly’s to keep an eye on her, keep her safe. Cardus has been doing his job as a guard well, but he has also slowly been falling for her. And not because she is very beautiful, but for the woman she is inside.
And then there is the dog who has been fed by both of them for a while now, who decides he does want to be a FamDog to both of them. And together they celebrate Halloween, and Samhain, creating a bond between the three of them. But what will happen when Genista finds out the truth? Will she forgive Cardus for deceiving her?


I loved this story, I have been feeling sorry for Genista throughout the series. How harsh it is to know your husband married you not out of love, that he has a HeartMate he just cannot have. And when she lost their unborn child, she new their marriage could never be repaired. Tinne Holly is now happy married with his HeartMate after all, and she is rebuilding her own life to what she wants herself, not to the expectations of the First Families, not living in a sentient house with her own family. She has gilt and Flair enough to support herself. And I like her for that, the courage it must have taken to move on, begin a new.
I also liked Cardus. He is just an ordinary man, a wounded fighter who was glad to get another guardjob. He did not expect to fall in love, feels himself far beneath her, in station and in gilt. But they complete each other. And of course the dog is a great secondary character.


Noble Heart

This fourth story is about one of my favourite Celta families: the Clovers. Unlike most other families on Celta, they are very fertile, 6 children per couple is average. Walker Clover is one of them, 27 years old and the private tutor of young Nuin Ash. He likes his job and his quiet life, just one of the Clover boys. But to his own dismay, he discovers he is not just one of the boys, and not average at all.
At 27, he goes through all three fazes of Passage at ones, instead of one Passage at 7, 17 en 23. And in one week of feverish nightmares and hard chores, Walker’s world is turned upside down. He finds out that his birth mother is Latif Heliotrope, with whom his father had a brief affair before he met and fell in love with Fen, the woman Walker thought was his mother. The Heliotrope family did not want him, and Fen and Nath did. And now that he has the highest amount of Flair of the whole family, his uncle Pink wants him to take over as Head of the Family.
Walker never wanted any of that, but his family has already arranged for the testing of his new Flair by his former employer, T’Ash. And Walker sure has enough Flair to be a GrandLord, and the ability to work with people. He could even one day become the Captain of all the Councils. Something else Walker never wanted. He will need a tutor in the ways of the nobility, how to take care of his new Family and how to take charge of them. Because uncle Pink does not really want to give up power, and still wants to dictate to Walker what to do. And especially whom to marry, instead of marrying for love like all the other Clovers. So Walker will have to put his foot down and take charge, make his own decisions.
With the help of Sedwy Grove, a young woman who got caught up in a scandal some years ago, (see the book of cousin Tris) he will quicly grown into the role of a GrandLord. He will have to make alliances for his Family, and seek out matches for his many cousins.
His own brother Barton will be the new head of security for the Family, and Barton takes his job serious.

Of course Walker has to learn a lot, and Sedwy is always there to tutor and advise him. They can’t help falling for each other, and that is not to the liking of Walker’s family. They want him to marry up, and not a woman who is attached to scandal. But they will learn that Walker will follow his heart, and that they cannot force him to do anything he does not want, even if it is supposedly for the good of the Family, now his own heart has chosen.
Walker is also hurt by the fact that the family of his birthmother, the Heliotropes, show absolutely no interest in him, even now that he has joined the ranks of the nobility.


I really liked this fourth story, a bit longer than the others, and it offered some great looks into the workings of the nobility of Celta. You can lose your rank when the Flair in a Family diminishes. The nobles are obliged to use their Flair for the good of the community, and are paid for that work. So if they cannot use their Flair for that purpose, they lose their status. And of course, a commoner Family can rise like the Clovers now have done. W
Walker has never had the ambition to be Head of the Family, to lead them all, but he does shoulder his duty and does what is necessary to make his Family prosper. With Sedwy by his side, and their FamAnimals near them, they are such a great couple.

I really do hope Robin D. Owens will write many more books in this fascinating world of Celta, as I do love them all. The people with Flair, the HeartBond between them, and of course the telepathic animals. Not only cats and dogs but also foxes and housefluffs. The historical feel of the world, the fights with oldfashioned swords, but also with blazers. And of course there are bad guys and girls here as well.

9 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Kalayna Price – Grave Witch

The first book in the Alex Craft series, published October 5, 2010.
Genre: urban fantasy



Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say.
As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself – who happens to look fantastic in jeans – nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigation a high-profile murder when she’s attacked by the “shade” she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around…
To solve this case Alex will have to team up with a tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something – though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex. But Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer who wields a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life … and her soul.


Alex Craft is a grave witch, she can raise the shades of the dead, which is something different than a soul, more like a memory. Which makes it very easy to just ask who killed them. The local police likes using her for that purpose. She needs a ritual, and a circle to be able to use her magic, and her Grave Sight. And using her Grave Sight has really damaged her normal eye sight, especially her nightsight, she is essentially blind at night.

Alex is making a little girl testify against her murderer, a first time for the courts, and it makes her the target of many outraged people. But still, a murderer has never been convicted this fast before, and Alex sees a new line of desperately needed income.
Her father is loaded with money, but there is no love lost between them. He stuffed Alex (then called Alexis Caine) in a boarding school at the first signs of her Grave Magic, and barely allowed her back home in the summer holidays. Her younger sister is the apple of his eye instead. When Alex turned 18, she legally changed her name, and made a new life for herself. Living with some great friends in the house owned by Caleb, an old fairy and an artist. Tamara is the medical examiner, and she is great in sensing if magic is used to kill someone, and their other friend is an assistant District Attorney.

The book starts at a funeral home, where Alex is raising the shade of a dead man, to talk to his son. Unfortunately, the father did not answer the question his son asked, about his fortune, and now the son refuses to pay Alex. And things do not get better when Death shows up. When the son dies of a heart attack, and Death claims his sole, the widow accuses Alex of killing him. Which is of course not true, but still, it detains Alex for many hours until everything is cleared up. Luckily, Tamara can quickly conform that this was a death by natural cause.

To her own surprise, Alex is called by her sister, Casey. The body of a disappeared politician has been found, and Casey wants Alex to raise his shade and find out what happened to him. Coleman was a political ally to their father, who is an important member of Humans First.
Alex reluctantly accepts the job, she never was close to her sister, and can’t imagine her life anymore, beloved debutante and hostess for her father.
So she asks her police contact, John Matthews, one of the detectives in homicide for a favor, letting her see Colemans body, even though it is not his case. But John wants a favor in return, asking her to raise the shade of a badly tortured young woman they found that night in a dumpster and Alex agrees. Even though raising three shades in one day is a heavy tax on her eyesight and energy.
And then things go horribly wrong. The shade of the young girl comes out screaming and fighting, and she scratches Alex badly on her shoulder. She cannot control the shade at all. But she does recognize Bethany. She uses a lot of her Grave Magic to put the shade back in the body, and then goes to work on Coleman. But there is nothing to raise. Like the body was never alive. And what is with the strange glyphs on the body? Only, no one else can see them. Except for the strangely strong ghost Roy who hangs around the body, claiming it used to be his and Coleman stole it from him 12 years ago.
Then a new and unknown detective arrives in the morgue, kicking her out. What is she doing, fooling around with his case without his knowledge? Exciting the morgue, they are faced with a mob of reporters, wanting to know what she got out of Coleman. How did they know she was there in the first place? And then someone shoots at Alex, and Death is there to push her out of the way of the bullet, which then hits John. Of course Death does not appear on film, and she is taken in for interrogation. How did she know to dive down the stairs? What did she see? But of course Alex knows nothing, and finally they have to let her go. John is still in the hospital, in a coma.

When Death arrives in her apartment, he does not tell her much. But he does tell her, that the scratches the shade gave her, are a magical infection, and it will kill her if she does not find out who is behind this all and kills him or her.

The next day Falin, the angry detective, arrives at her apartment, barging straight inside and starts questioning her again about Coleman. The strange thing is, he believes her. They will have to start working together to find out the truth.


What happens next is a fast paced story, filled with action and magic and strange discoveries. Sometimes scary. But with the help of Roy the ghost, Falin and Alex will find out what has happened, and put a stop to Coleman’s plans.
I liked Alex, she is independent, and does not know what it means to give up. She is smart and resourceful, and she barges headfirst into danger. She is a Grave Witch, and she has no choice but to use the magic regularly, or the magic will take over.
And then there is Falin, who is sometimes a great character, and sometimes a jackass, and he seems genuinely to fall for Alex, but when she finds out the truth about who and what he is, she is not happy. And last but certainly not least, there is Death. One of the collectors of souls, and he has fallen in love with Alex for real, saving her life a few times. What is she to think of that? When she touches him, he can drink coffee and eat human food.
The plot is really good, but also the things Alex discovers about her own family and her history, are mind blowing. No way could the reader have seen that coming! There is humor in this book, and of course some love scenes. I want to find out more about her friends, and the Fae. And there is a stone gargoyle statue named Fred, who wanders the yard, talking to Alex telepathically. And Alex has a naked dog, named PC. Which is short for Prince Charming.
I liked the ending of the especially.

I am really looking forward to the next books in this series, and finding out more about this very neat world Kalayna Price has invented.

8 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Suzanne Enoch – A Touch of Minx

The fifth book in the Samantha Jellicoe series, published September 25, 2007.
Genre: contemporary romance.



Who says crime doesn't pay?
A year ago, Samantha Jellicoe robbed from the rich and gave . . . to herself! Now, though, she's using her larcenous skills for good as a private security consultant, trying to walk the high road for her sexy billionaire boyfriend, Richard Addison, and asking herself if there's anything more torturous than tracking down priceless artifacts (only to give them back!).
So when the Metropolitan Museum of Art asks for her help, she's only too happy to leap into the fray again: If nothing else, this adventure will help her avoid that little (not!) sparkly item Rick's been hiding in his pocket, and postpone another kind of walk—down the aisle. It's only when she's targeted by a deadly adversary after the same treasure that Sam starts to think that "till death do you part" is maybe the lesser of two evils . . .


To her own joy, Samantha gets a job offer from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Apparently, 10 years ago they had a very successful exhibition of ancient Japanese weaponry and art, and afterwards, the most important item, the ancient armor and ceremonial swords of the very first shogun, Minamoto Yoritomo was stolen. Japan is getting ready for a new travelling exhibition the Met would be very pleased to host, but they are getting excluded due to that unsolved theft. So Dr. Visconti asks Sam to look into things. The first job she tried, was a very quick dead end, and this one also won’t be easy. After 10 years, the statue of limitations has run out, and whoever owns the armor, owns it legally. So even if she can find out who has commissioned the theft and for whom, the Met cannot even ask for its property back.

But Sam also has a second theft to investigate. Olivia Donner’s class was the proud owner of a new anatomy dummy, named Clark. And Clark has been stolen. Of course many parents have offered to replace Clark, but that is just not right. They want their own Clark back, and the thieves punished. And even though it will not be very exciting for Sam, as the police thinks it is just a prank by some schoolkids, or perhaps from the highschool next door, Sam promises Livvie to look into it. After all, there is a lesson to learn in this all for the children.

Rick is really not happy with this new job for Samantha, as he foresees all kinds of danger. He knows she is bored in her new security job, and she needs the adrenaline, but he wants her safe, and where she is in his reach. They have been together for a year now, and he wants to marry her. Wants to have kids with her. But he has no idea if Sam is ready for all this. After all, he gave her the garden to redecorate as she saw fit 9 months ago, and she still has not started the work. Of course, a garden means putting down roots, and Samantha has lived a travelling life ever since she was a little kid. She still has an emergency backpack in the closet, and clothes under the bed.

He also doesn’t like it that she wants to pick his brains about his acquaintances, who are collecting Japanese art and objects and weaponry, and who had enough money 10 years ago to commission the theft. Stoney is also not happy to give up his information. People are not trusting him anymore, and what if they have to go back to their former life? He is very reluctant to share what he knows on the names Rick has come up with. He only does tell her she did one job for one of the suspects, Toombs, once. Luckily, there is Aubrey, who knows everything in Palm Springs, and he can introduce her to Toombs, or Wild Bill as he likes to be called. Even though Tooms has the reputation of being dangerous. And when Walter disappears and won’t answer his cellphone, not even for his girlfriend, Sam gets worried. What happened to Stoney? She really needs his advice now that she has figured out what Rick is about to do!

When Visconti keeps pushing for results, he finally tells Sam she has only 10 days to find the goods. Sam doesn’t like it that he kept that from her, now she has no time to plot and plan as carefully as she usually does before a job. She even has to take Kate Donner with her when the opportunity arises to take a sneak peak in the house of some of the other suspects. Kate is horrified at first, but also thrilled at the opportunity to be a getaway driver in case the inhabitants get home too soon.

And through it all, Sam also investigates the disappearance of Clark the anatomy man. She has a lead quite soon, but she has to be very careful how to follow this up. And I have to admit, this was all quite funny.


The plot of this book became really scary for a moment for Sam, and Rick who insisted on accompanying her, was furious. In the end though, the one who made things right, was a surprise! A really great book, unfortunately, the last in the series. The plot is great, even after reading it multiple times, the characters feel like friends, there is humor, action, friendship, lovescenes and everything a great book needs.

I do believe this last one is the best, and I keep hoping for a new book or short story in this series. After all, Sam and Rick are such great characters. With her new job of stolen art retrieval for musea, there sure are new plots and suspense twists to write! And I do admit to being curious about her mother, was she really fine with Martin taking off with Samantha when she was only 5 years old?

This is a series I do recommend to everyone. Perhaps even to Anachronist ;)

9 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Maggie Sefton – Unraveled

The ninth book in the Knitting Mystery series, published June 7, 2011.
Genre: cozy mystery



Spring is in the air of Fort Connor, Colorado – and it’s a time of new beginnings for the House of Lambspun knitters. But for Kelly Flynn, a March chill lingers as she tries to mend her broken heart … and solve a cold-blooded crime.

Kelly’s longtime romance has come apart at the seams. To distract herself, she burrows into her demanding consulting business, hangs out with her knitting pals, and takes on the challenge of knitting a scarf from gorgeous unraveled silken sari yarn.
When Kelly accompanies her friend Jennifer to meet with Jen’s new real estate client, the two women discover him shot in his own home. The client, Fred Turner, had a reputation for being difficult at best, unscrupulous at worst, and he had a long list of enemies – from his estranged wife to bitter business associates. Unravelling the tangle of clues may prove to be Kelly’s greatest challenge yet. But it’s the only way to catch a killer who’s anything but sorry…


Kelly’s heart was broken half a year ago, when her boyfriend Steve walked out on her. His business went down the drain, and he could not handle it. So Kelly has buried herself in her new job, and she really likes it. She has to go to Denver a lot, and often stays the night in a nice Inn, a great suite with a lovely Jacuzzi for herself.
She has to attend a lot of boring meetings for the new project her boss is starting, but at those meetings she just might meet the man who mends her broken heart. If only Steve was not attending some of the meetings as well on behalf of his new boss! So what to do if and when he approaches her? Does she still love him?

One of Kelly’s bosses is Arthur Housemann, one of the few still successful builders in Colorado. Due to the many homeowners losing their houses, his rental properties are filling up, which is of course good for his bottom line. But now he is very happy, he has been looking for some property for himself in the Canyons near Fort Connor, and he has found the perfect place. A place he has been admiring for many years now, in Poudre Canyon. The only drawback is that the seller is Fred Turner, another real estate tycoon but with a very bad reputation. So he has decided not to negotiate, just offer the asking price, so Turner has no chance to be difficult. There is some previous bad blood between them.

Kelly’s friend Jennifer is a real estate agent, but there is almost no work for her either. So she works at lot in the catering business with their friend Pete, and at the university, so she can make ends meet. As Turner is such a difficult client, her boss has given her the listing, and Kelly uses that to find out more about the property and about Turner. That weekend, they decide to go up to the place, and check it out. Then Jennifer finds out from Anita, Turner’s assistant (who has an office in the same building as the real estate agency) that Turner had an other offer on the property, and did not discuss it with her, and has gone to meet that interested person, she is not pleased! She fully intends to barge in on that meeting. But when Kelly and Jennifer arrive, they find Turner dead on the floor. Apparently he killed himself with an old pistol. Still, something does not feel right to Kelly, and she takes a few pictures of the gun in question while Jennifer calls the police. The only person they saw on the road to the property was Renee Turner, his wife. According to gossip, they were going through a rough divorce, and Renee was accusing Fred of hiding money from her. Which is why she had Anita tell her about his business dealings.

Kelly is not really interested in the case, until their friend Jayleen asks her to sleuth on behalf of her good friend Renee. She just knows she is innocent; it is just not in her to kill her husband like that. But if not Renee, who did it? Her boss Arthur Housemann is also acting strange, not taking her calls, avoiding her at the office. Could he have done it? Especially when he asks her to make a survey of his properties in case he needs to sell them to pay for legal fees…..


To be honest, I did see it coming, the real murderer, still, the why was fascinating. It is so often the newcomer to the books, even if you really do not expect it. But I still very much enjoyed this book. I do have to warn you though, if you do not like romance in your cozy mysteries, there is much more of it than usual in this series.

I like Kelly a lot. She handles everything very well in my eyes, she misses Steve, but she does not ignore him, but she also does not forgive him instantly. They cannot go back to the way they were, if ever, they will have to start again. She also has a big dog named Carl, who is always trying to catch Brazen Squirrel, but ofcourse, the squirrel is much faster than Carl. But it is fun to read about.

Kelly belongs to a great group of friends, they support one another, and they do hope Steve and Kelly will get back together. They know that Steve was a total ass, but they can also see that he is very sorry, and still in love with Kelly. I do like their attempts to bring them together, and that they did not dump one of them over the other. I really like catching up on all their lives. Like Megan, finally finding a wedding gown she loves, and decisions about the catering and stuff. And of course Burt has a large role in all the books, acting as Kelly’s sounding board and inroad on the ongoing police investigations (he is a retired cop). If only I liked to knit or something, the descriptions of the House of Lambspun, and all the skeins of wool and silk and angora and whatever, all the colors, it is so vivid!

To all knitters, I heartily recommend this series. It has a knitting pattern and a recipe in the back of all the books.

8 stars.

It was kind of bittersweet reading this book. It takes place in March, when spring is just around the corner, and the snow is melting. And Kelly admires the sights up in the canyons. She loves it up there. And in real life, today, and for a few weeks now, there are raging wild fires in that region. Yes, Fort Collins and the canyons in this book, and even the knitting shop are real places. My thoughts keep returning to the pictures Maggie Sefton posted, and I do hope the fires will be controlled soon, and the area will survive this. So much nature and houses are destroyed already.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Cherry Adair – Afterglow

The second book in the Lodestone Trilogy series, published March 20, 2012.
Genre: romantic suspense, with a little psychic in it.



A deadly mission uncovers a lust worth killing for . . . in this breathtaking new novel from national bestselling author Cherry Adair.

Pleasure with a price.
A high-profile celebrity wedding in Monaco is the kind of A-list event security specialist Rand Maguire excels at. Everything goes like clockwork, until guests start inexplicably losing all their inhibitions. . . .
Painful secrets from the past.
Rand is no stranger to the effects of Rapture. His chemist father's attempt at a cure for depression caused Rand's mother's death years ago, and put his father away for her murder. Now, someone is circulating Rapture in a campaign of terror, intending to manufacture and sell it on a global scale. But with no leads, Rand feels the heat.
Passion with no limits.
Sexy Lodestone agent Dakota North is sent to help Rand kick-start his search, armed only with her uncanny sixth-sense. But what they discover in their race across Europe is more far-reaching and lethal than an erotic street drug. From a Barcelona bank heist to a million-dollar arms deal in Paris, Dakota and Rand giving in to an insatiable craving for each other in nights of pure carnal delight, no senses left untouched. No Rapture necessary.


I still have no idea if I did like the story or not. Which makes it very difficult to think of writing a review. To be honest, I found the story and the plot very over the top and totally unbelievable. Also, I really really dislike Rand. He is such a @$$hole, and how he treats Dakota is horrible. And if he really hated her as he claims, he would never have taken her with him on this roadtrip through Europe. Which is another beef for me. No matter that Europe is so much smaller than America, I really can’t believe the distance they travelled from country to country in the amount of time they used.

Also, the sex while under the influence of Rapture and their behaviour, I just cannot like it. Pushing each other away, and then kissing, and then saying no. Hurting each other. And if he loathes his parents, knows how mad they are, why did he believe them? His father is in prison in Italy for murdering his mother (who kept the pursestrings) and he really wants to believe he is innocent. But that means that Dakota was behind it all, and though she is the love of his life, and he immediately beliefs that?
And a prison in Italy, no matter how corrupt the country seems, I do not believe him capable of walking in and out at will, and being there just when they show up to talk to him …

I think I am really openminded in just going with the story, but this one really did not work for me. Rand turned to trust and believe way too late in the story, and for Dakota to not hold a grudge and make him grovel, I wish she had more of a backbone.
Also, there are some torture scenes in this book, which are just wrong. And icky.

So, an unbelievable story, a hero I dislike, absolutely crazy bad guys, and a journey that is all over the place, sex under the influence of drugs and crude talk about it later. Also, in the blurb there is talk about a weapons deal? Not in the book at all! Okay finished with ranting, and I have decided that I do not like the book, which does not mean it is a bad book.

Cherry Adair will still be an autobuy author for me, the next book has been pre-ordered, but this series really does not work for me.

6 stars, purely for the fact that I like the writing style, and some of the story or I would have never finished the book.

If you have read this book, please talk to me about it!

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Winner of the giveaway The Flower Bowl Spell by Olivia Boler

Life got in the way of blogging a bit, so I am late in announcing the winner of the giveaway of The Flower Bowl Spell by Olivia Boler. As usual, in my own lowtech way, I have let my boyfriend draw a name out of my hat:

Susan!

Email is on its way to you! Congratulations!

Edited: Susan has declined her prize, so I had my boyfriend pick a second name:

Blodeuedd!

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© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

New books to look forward to for July 2012

This is the list of new releases for the month of July I am looking forward to:

Alexis Morgan – My lady mage
Christine Feehan – Samurai Game – GhostWalkers 10
Jean Johnson – An Officer’s Duty – Theirs not to reason Why 02
Juliet Blackwell – In a Witch’s wardrobe – Witchcraft mystery 4
Victoria Laurie - Lethal outlook – Psychic Eye 10 HC
Annette Blair – Cloaked in Malice – Vintage Magic Mystery 5
Catherine Coulter – Backfire – FBI 16 – HC
Ilona Andrews – Gunmetal Magic – Kate Daniels
Karen Marie Moning – Fever Moon – HC
Lynn Viehl – Dead of Night – Youngbloods 2
Susan Wittig Albert – The Darling Dahlia’s and the Naked Ladies – Darling Dahlia’s 2 PB
Yasmine Galenorn – Night Seeker – Indigo Court 3
Ellery Adams – Pies and Prejudice – Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 01
Anne McCaffrey + Todd McCaffrey – Sky Dragons HC

I have read a total of 23 books this month, which is awesome, but only 3 of my list for June.

Did I match my reading solutions for last month?
I have read 3 cozy mystery/mysteries:
Leann Sweeney – The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon
Tamar Myers – Eat, drink and be wary
Maggie Sefton - Unraveled

3 books longer than 1 year on my shelf:
Jayne Ann Krentz – The private eye
Susan Sizemore – In my dreams
Tamar Myers – Eat, drink and be wary

but 0 of the books I have won.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian