Jean Johnson – The Flame

The seventh book in the Sons of Destiny series, published December 1, 2008.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: I don’t like his head



Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day – they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. Now that it’s his turn to look for a bride, the seventh-born brother burns with curiosity and anticipation…

Koranen of Nightfall is tired of the Curse – in his case, a destructive flame that courses beneath his flesh. His brothers have wives and lovers, but all Koranen has are blistering reminders of a touch that burns … unless he can find a woman able to endure the literal heat of his passion. Then the Aquamancers arrive, at last affording Koranen the chance to find his Destined Bride.
Ostracized for being too good at her job, Danau is resigned to her punishment: never knowing love. But fire and water always create steam, and things do get steamy as Danau and Koranen gradually realize they were meant for each other - even as Nightfall’s future becomes flooded with more trouble than either of them could have imagined.


This is Koranen’s story, the seventh brother. Koranen is a Firemage, he literally burns. He can use his bare hands while making glass or working in his forge, and he even occasionally sleeps in it, so it can drain away some of his body heat. Before their exile, as a youth he tried to court a maiden twice, only to end up with his handprints burned into her body. And so Koranen is a virgin, unable to make love to a real woman. Until he can find that rare woman who will be Water to his Flame.
So when they find out, there is a whole city beneath the Ocean, where Aquamancers are in abundance, there is some hope for him. Especially when they want to study the workings of the famous Desalination plant on Nightfall Island, with the intention of reproducing it for their own city. Morganen has negotiated for some single marriageable female Aquamancers, so his brother can find his destined Bride amongst them.

Danau is not interested at all in the handsome Firemage, she knows she will never be able to touch a man. Her touch literally freezes a man, giving him frostburn on parts of his body he really doesn’t want to be frostburned. The first two ladies that Koranen tries to date, soon find out his secret Curse, but they really dislike Danau for some obscure reason and don’t tell him that she is the one for him. They just point him to the fourth of them. And as Danau keeps turning him down, Morganen needs to step in to make Koranen persevere in his pursuit of all the Aquamages.

Together Koranen and Danau find out the secrets of the Desalinator, and they will be able to repair it so it can work on full capacity once more, which is necessary as the Island’s population keeps growing and growing.

But the Aquamancers came not alone to Nightfall Island. Their Council decided to get rid of all the recent shipwrecked persons they rescued, and amongst them are some bad apples. They know about Rora, and try to get to her for their own selfish reasons. A good woman gets murdered because of that.
But there is also a Priestess amongst them, who will be crucial in their task to resurrect the Convention of the Gods.


Another book filled with action, magic and love. Both Koranen and Danau are lonely, they know they will not be able to make love to a real human being, because of their powers. They can’t be kept under control when feeling desire or other strong feelings. So when they finally find out about the other, they know they are Destined to be together. And so happy not to be alone anymore.

Both Koranen and Danau have thrown themselves into their work, becoming the best there is in their field. And they can admire that devotion in the other. Together their powers are even stronger than alone, and I do wonder what their future will hold. Perhaps there is some more in the new series, the Guardians of Destiny.

I totally disliked Danau’s cousin and friend, for the way they kept hurting Danau out of pure jealousy. They sure got what they deserved when Kelly judged them.

I just keep loving those books, and I think they will be re-read again in a few years time.

The Seventh Son shall he decree:
Burning bright and searing hot
You shall seek that which is not
Mastered by desire’s name
Water shall control the Flame

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Lynn Viehl – Nightbred

The second book in the Lords of the Darkyn series, published December 4, 2012.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: he is not handsome at all, but the background is nice.



New York Times bestselling author Lynn Viehl's enthralling new series continues as a valiant warrior sets out on a dangerous quest for immortality...and endless love...

Jamys Durand has survived being made an immortal Darkyn, horrific torture, and years of gruelling warrior training. But he has no future to offer Chris, the mortal woman he loves, without his own territory. When he learns of a lost Templar treasure, Jamys vows to possess it and win his lady's heart.
No one knows Chris Lang wants to be a tresora so she can live with Jamys, her secret love. Her superiors offer to make her dream come true, but only if she finds the lost treasure before Jamys can. Working together, Chris and Jamys track the jewels through a shadowy maze of priceless artifacts, decadent secrets, and one ruthless opponent who can possess an immortal's mind...and will stop at nothing to have Chris.


I have to admit, I don’t like this series nearly as much as the original Kyn books, or the Kyndred spinoffs. And I don’t really know why. But first, if you don’t know these books at all, you can’t start with this one, you will have no idea what is happening, who is who or what the world building is. You need to start with the first series, trust me.

Three years ago, Jamys Durand and Christian (Chris) Lang fell in love, while Jamys was staying with Lucan and Sam. Thinking they are not worthy of the other, they still kept in contact through email over the years. Chris has given up her gothic looks and has done her best to become the most perfect tresora so she can give her oath to Jamys. Jamys in turn has gone back to his father’s stronghold, and started training to become a warrior himself. He wants to be the suzerain of his own jardin, so he can take care of Chris and ask her to be his mortal wife.
Jamys knows it is time to claim Christ for his own. Richard Tremayne, The High Lord of all the Kyn, has announced a treasure hunt for some magical emeralds. The Kyn who finds them, and hands them over to the High Lord will get the reign over Ireland. And with all the Kyn fleeing Europe where the Brethren are persecuting them mercilessly, there are plenty of people in need of a new place to live. Before long, only the deserts and wastelands will be available in America. The influx of refugees from Europe is really causing trouble for Lucan and Samantha, and somehow, Lucan is not behaving as he usually does.
When Sam goes of on a new police investigation, Lucan is really unhappy about that, and tries to prevent her from doing her job. And when she seems to be having an admirer, he totally goes over the line when he decides to take the man out himself. Somehow, he has lost 5 hours of his live, and has no idea why Jamys and Chris are on the run from him, or why Sam is so very mad at him. But still it takes a long time before someone finds out what is wrong with Lucan and knows what to do about it …

Both Jamys and Chris want to find the emeralds. Chris has been asked to by the Tresora Council, with the vague promise of getting what she wants most after handing them over. The council really does not want the High Lord to get his hands on them, as they fear for the world. With those emeralds he will supposedly be able to turn as many humans into Kyn as he wants, creating his own immortal army. But Chris can give up her dream of becoming a tresora, when she finds out that Jamys really is in love with her, and wants her to be with him for as long as possible. And so they start working together, following the last known traces about the emeralds. Revealing a lot of Chris’ dark past in the process.

And in the end it all comes together, the secret enemy who wants to take over Lucan’s jardin and wife, and Chris, and the man who lost the emeralds in the first place … and an ancient pirate legend involving a Dutch legend …


All the trouble for Lucan and Sam did get a lot more attention than the romance between Jamys and Chris, but it fitted the story and was very well written. I did have my suspicions about the bad guy early on, but did not connect everything. It also did not take very long to be swept up in the world of the Kyn again, their unique lore and culture.
Chris has worked so very hard, training with every possible weapon there is, in order to defend her lord when necessary, to deal with blood loss for a prolonged amount of time and still be able to do her duties, and whatever else can be asked of a tresora. No one suspects that it is not Lucan or Sam she wants to serve, but Jamys.
Jamys looks 17 forever, although he is several hundreds of years old already. Both his father and he have been tortured by the Brethren for decades, and when they were freed, no one thought they would ever be able to recover, and be sane again. But they did it, first Jamys’ father, when he found his new sygkenis, and Jamys started healing inside when he found Chris and her unwavering trust in him. Still he is treated as a boy by his father, and he is tired of it. This is why he started training as a warrior, to be a real man in the other man’s eyes as well. To earn his respect and that of the garrison that serves his father. I think that must be totally frustrating, to be a boy forever and treated as such.
They take great care of each other, and I liked reading about that. Jamys also has no hesitation whatsoever; he easily uses his Kyn powers to manipulate humans to give him whatever he wants. And Chris accepts it, and does not protest on behalf of the humans. This is kind of refreshing as well.

There was also another hidden enemy, speaking and capturing both Chris and Jamys in dreams. I do wonder who he is, and what will happen in the next book. I wish there was some more action on the Brethren side, but they don’t seem to be very organised in America at the moment.

The world Lynn Viehl has created, you either love it or hate it, there seems to be no way in the middle. I am one of the loving fans, but this book/subseries is just not as good as the rest. And although I did enjoy the story in this book, not as much as I used to. I will read the next book a bit sooner, Nightbound is already on my shelves.

7 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Jean Johnson – The Storm

The sixth book in the Sons of Destiny series, published August 17, 2008.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: very nice



Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day – they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. Now the sixthborn son must find a way to trust his Destined bride …

First, his most heavily guarded refuge is breached. And now, the worst of all crimes against Rydan of Nightfall: Rora, a pesky, privacy invading foreigner, likes him and won’t leave him alone! Rydan knows he’s as appealing as a rosebush stripped of its blooms, so why does she persist? Any normal maiden should be seeking less thorny company than his.
But Rora isn’t normal. She alone sees the secret of what torments Rydan. And only she can persuade him to put it right before it destroys him. But Rora has her own secret as well – one of such vast power that other mages would kill in order to possess it. It once drove Rora and her sister into exile, and, in the wrong hands, its power could annihilate their world. In the right hands, it could change her and Rydan’s fate forever.


Something is wrong with Rydan, the sixth born brother, and one of the strongest mages in the whole of Katan. Ever since puberty hit him, he feels pain when amongst other people, making him shun them, and start living in the night, when most other people are asleep. His brothers have accepted his strange ways a long time ago, but Saber, the oldest, demands that he joins them for breakfast and supper each day, to be at least a bit social and they know that he is alright. Rydan does not know what is causing his troubles, he calls it his beast. And now he is used to roaming the night, being the Lord Protector of Nightfall, protecting the island and its inhabitants while his brothers sleep.
He has found the secret tunnels beneath the surface, and has become the Guardian to the Fountain, which was not easy. He stumbled upon it accidentally, and had to learn a lot before he was fit to be the next Guardian. So much magic cannot be abused by an evil mage. And he had to control his emotions and feelings to be able to wield its power for the benefit of the island. He was not happy when Dominor found out about it, and invaded his sanctuary. The only place where he did not feel his brothers, and was free of pain.

And now this tiny female has invaded his realm while he was sleeping. Still half asleep and drugged by Morganen, thinking he is still dreaming of his Bride, Rydan pulls her into his bed and starts kissing and touching her. After the initial shock, Rora decides she rather likes it, and as she is no longer on the Shifting Plains, she does not need to heed their customs any more.
But when Rydan comes to his senses, he feels sick to his soul, thinking he has violated his brothers’ bride! And he will make Morganen pay for that! But how did this woman invade his sanctuary, withouth setting of his many wards? Even Morganen would have trouble evading them as she effortlessly did. Of course Rora doesn’t know what to tell him; at least he has not yet discovered her secret, drugged as he was when touching her. But her Sight does tell her what is bothering Rydan, and she is determined to help him.
Rydan is an empath, and his own feelings and those of others are literally attacking him. How come that no one of his brothers ever figured that out? Sure there must be a way to shield himself from emotions, without becoming emotionless himself? After all, a mage can shield from magic and all kinds of other stuff as well.

Determined to get to know Rydan better, and to help him, Rora decides to get used to Rydan’s schedule, so they have time to talk, and learn about each other. And Rydan soon finds out that it is no use to tell her to stay away from him, she does as she pleases. And after thinking about what she is telling him, what she Sees, he knows she has to be right. And when he finds out the secret she is hiding, he wants to keep her safe from harm.

When Rora decides to trust the mages of Nightfall Island, and to tell them about her secret, she asks for help. Do they know how to get this power out of her? She wants to lead a normal life, and not be pursued for the rest of it. Dominor and Serena go back to Natallia, to do some research in the extensive library of Koral Tai, and so Serene can do some checking up on the spell she and Dominor performed in the Fountain there. When it turns out, the Magic of the Fountain makes her pregnancy a lot easier to bear, they decide to stay there until her child is born, and their job there is done.

But then an outside force is trying to steal the Fountain from under Rydan’s powers, and he has no other choice but to give control of it over to Dominor, while he and his other brothers fight the stranger. Rora proves invaluable, as he can use her powers to fight unseen, and beat the other mage. And when they save Guardian Sheren’s Fountain and her city from destruction, they sure are due some compensation. Which Morganen knows will be perfect for his own twin brother, Koranen …


I like Rydan, and he is my favourite brother of all 8. No, he is not a vampire, even though he roams and rules the night. He has the power of the storms, and lightning, and he is grumpy and anti-social. But I still like him. He dresses in black, just to annoy his brother Dominor, who does the laundry. And of course because it looks good on him. He really does not want a Bride of himself, he is used to being celibate as he hated being used by women before their exile. And he has no intention of giving up the one thing he rules: his Fountain. Of course, there is no stopping Destiny.
Rora is determined to live her life as well as she can, she is tired of running and hiding who she is. She knows she can trust these Nightfallers, and she asks them for help. They are all powerful mages, they don’t need her power. And she is very happy to finally find out what is inside of her, and now she even has the hope that it will perhaps be possible to get it out of her without killing her first. She knows she can help Rydan, and she really admires him and everything he has accomplished in those catacombs. The beautiful sculptures he has made, without knowing what he is creating himself. But Rora recognizes some of the scenes.

Their courting however, is delayed when “Madam Mist”, the voice of his Fountain, warns them about it. And when they later find out the reason why, they are glad they waited a while. Apparently, you can’t be a Guardian of two Fountains, and the thought that another man would be controlling Rora instead of him, is horror to Rydan.

I loved the action in this book, how the brothers all fight together to defeat the evil mage. How they finally learn how to interact with Rydan safely, and how they all become closer that way. And when Rydan falls for his Rora, he falls hard!

Another great episode in the continuing story of the Sons of Destiny. Only two more to go …

The Sixth Son shall draw the line:
Shun the day and rule the night
Your reign’s end shall come at light
When Dawn steals into your hall
Bride of Storm shall be your fall

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Jean Johnson – The Cat

The fifth book in the Sons of Destiny series, published June 3, 2008.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: nice



Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day – they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. For the fifthborn son, it is getting his Destined Bride to trust him…

Amara of the Shifterai has good reason to be wary of mages, because mages were responsible for chasing her and her sister out of their homeland. Being on the run for so long hasn’t put her in a trusting mood, yet there is something about Trevan of Nightfall – mage or not – that Amara finds difficult to resist. But can he be trusted with her most fiercely guarded secret?
Courting such a pretty yet prickly outlander won’t be easy, but Trevan is determined to try. She may be fierce, proud, and from a different culture, but he is the Cat, and none but the most fascinating and challenging of women could satisfy him. Of course, it would help if she stood still long enough for him to court her properly.


Trevan and his seventh brother Koranen are really feeling the lack of a woman of their own; especially now four of their brothers are happily living and loving their wives. Trevan was a real ladiesman before their exile, and he misses that. Trevan is a shapeshifter mage, and his speciality is crafting Artifacts. Objects than can be enchanted for a special purpose, and also look pretty. He is a real inventor, but his siblings don’t really appreciate his input all that much.
Of course Morganen knows his woman is coming, and sends Trevan off to go and look for her. His verse is telling him to find her in the woods, is it not? But Morganen also knows that there are two women coming at once, so he needs to do something about Rydan first, to make him more welcoming of his Destined Bride…

Amara has given up her birthright to become the next Queen of the Shifterai, to protect her twin sister Rora. Amara is a very powerful shapeshifter, a natural one, not a mage. And the woman who can hold the most shapes, is the Queen of the Shifterai. Rora has a powerful secret inside of her, and mages are willing to kill her to get control of all that power. And so they have fled their homeland, and have been shipwrecked. With Rora safe on a little float, and Amara shifted into some kind of sea creature, she is towing her sister to land, to hopefully a place where they can be safe.
Rora’s rare powers have indicated that they will be safe on this Island, and she truly beliefs that. Amara is not so trusting though, so when she is discovered, she denies the presence of someone else. And even though Trevan can read the tracks well enough to know she is lying, he wants to find out why, and not make her run off before he gets the chance to know her. Afteral, she is probably his destined Bride. And so Trevan takes her with him to the Castle, and gets her settled in. Unfortunately, she and Kelly totally rub each other the wrong way. Amara is proud, a real princess of her people, and she does not think Kelly, as a magicless outworlder, is worthy to be Queen. She has been training for it for years, and she had to give it all up to protect her sister. Of course she loves Rora, and would and will do anything to keep her safe, but it still hurts.
Amara makes everyone swear on a truth stone, that they will not harm her sister, or covet her secrets and power, without telling everyone about Rora of course. She needs to know if they will be safe her, after all, they are all mages! And her experiences with mages have only been bad so far.

But when Rora does not stay put as told by Amara, but manages to slip into Rydan’s lair, the sixth brother, Amara turns really defensive. He is not allowed to touch her sister! But Rora has had enough of her sister’s mannerless behaviour, it is her life to live after all, and she knows she will be safe here. Rora’s story is told in the sixth book, so this review will focus on Trevan and Amara.

It takes a few days for Amara to become more civil and trusting to the Nightfallers, and she does bump heads with Kelly more than once, but Trevan understands her. It is not easy to give up your birthright, and your culture and to know you can never go back home. Amara loved the management of the only City the Shifterai had, as they are a nomadic people, and so her skills are highly appreciated in planning the new city. And so finally Amara and Kelly get a little bit closer in their joined interest and appreciation of hard work.
It was fun to see how Trevan courts his lady, using her own courting practices, while Amara is finally ready for some more physical contact (which is forbidden to Shifterai Maidens). And how he sneaks into her bedroom and her arms in his disguise as a housecat. Of course all the others know about his Cat form, and conspire not to reveal it to Amara and Rora. Trevan is Kelly’s Vizier, or spymaster, after all, and they need to know about the secrets Amara is hiding.


I liked Amara, although she really is prickly and ungrateful to be welcomed to Nightfall Isle so easily. She is overprotective of her twinsister, but that is also understandable after having that job for over a decade, and having to flee their homeland together. Still, she slowly finds her own niche at Nightfall, and of course she falls for Trevan. He is interested in her as a woman, and not in her political power or status as a Shifterai Princess and future Queen. He wants to know her thoughts and feelings, and shares his own with her, which is really nice.
Of course their courtship is not easy, and she keeps running away from their problems, but Trevan always manages to find and catch her again.

I did not think Trevan could be so patient in courting his lady; after all he has a certain reputation amongst his brothers. He is happy that his Bride is also a shape shifter, as he enjoys flying, and his second brother Wolfer is afraid of heights, and prefers the Wolf shape, while Trevan is of course the Cat. But Trevan is strong and a capable mage and I liked how Amara defended him against his own brothers. They make a great couple together, I could believe in their courting and falling in love, even though it is of course Destined and Prophesied.

The world in this series keeps building upon itself, more cultures and countries are mentioned with every new bride, and Nightfall Island keeps developing and growing as well. I do love the interaction between all the brothers and their wives and how they work together, building a future. As always, hot love scenes, lots of magic and a very original story make this book one of my favourites.

The Fifth Son shall seek the sign:
Prowl the woods and through the trees
Before you in the woods she flees
Catch her quick and hold her fast
The Cat will find his Home at last.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Jean Johnson – The Song

The fourth book in the Sons of Destiny series, February 5, 2008.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: nice



Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day – they fulfil the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to Nightfall Isle, where women are forbidden. This presents a challenge for the brother whose magic has been destroyed …

Evanor, fourthborn of the Sons of Destiny, lost his voice – and with it, his powers – in the violent battle that freed his family from their greatest enemy. Thankfully, with the safe return of his twin, Evanor now knows precisely who can bring his songs back to life.
She is the enchanting widow Mariel, a Healer brought to Nightfall to help the brothers in their hour of need. For Mariel and her young son, that means leaving their beloved homeland for the unfamiliar island of Nightfall and its still-forbidden shores … and with it, risking the passion she stirs in her intriguing patient’s heart.
But a new danger looms when the Council of Katan learns there might be women on the Isle …


In the battle at the end of the second book, Evanor lost his voice, and with it, his power as a mage. Evanor is desperate, as none of the Katan Healermages is willing to come to the island and Heal him. Without his magic, he is nothing, having to use the Artifacts his brothers make for him to do simple things like shaving and laundry. His brother Dominor finally has some good news though. His wife Serina’s best friend Mariel is a Healer, and she is willing to come to Nightfall Isle with them, and her young son Mikor. She has not done major Healing in years now, and although she knows how to perform the magic, she wants to practice first. Queen Kelly graciously offers her the vicious citizen chickens to practice upon, and when Mariel meets them, she has no longer qualms to do so. Of course, she will make sure they don’t feel a thing, and are properly Healed in a few days time as well.
But after the “operation” to regrow his voicebox, Evanor will not be able to talk or communicate with his family for at least 3 whole weeks. Not even the whispers he can talk with now. She will even remove the desire to communicate, to make sure he doesn’t strain those delicate throat muscles. Having heard his voice in the music box he gifted Kelly upon her wedding, she wants to make sure he gets it back just as beautiful as it was before.

When they were still talking through the mirror, with Evanor on Nightfall Island, and Mariel in Natallia, they were already attracted to each other. Evanor was happy that she was not as slender as her friend Serina, he liked a more mature and filled woman. And so, even before the surgery, their courting begins. Mariel’s son Mikor really wants to have a new father, living amongst a bunch of nuns was not an ideal situation, as he needs a male influence in his life. At first he is disappointed that Evanor is not as good with a sword as Dominor, or Saber, but he comes to like Evanor soon enough. And Evanor knows that Mariel comes as a package deal, and he does want to take care of her and her son.

Evanor used to be the point of communication between his brothers and sisters in law, they only had to sing his name to get his attention, and he could relay all their messages to the others. So now, they have to come up with another means of communication. I have to admit, I got pretty soon tired of all the talk about cell phones from our world (where Queen Kelly is from, see book 1), and how they can reproduce it here with magic. It sure took a lot of time out of Evanor and Muriel’s story, no matter how handy the things are.

Kelly has proclaimed herself Queen of Nightfall Isle, and Nightfall independent from Katan, but now the Katan government has gotten suspicious about the strange shipments delivered to the Corvis brothers lately. Are there really women on the island? That is punishable by death! And so the King of Katan and almost half his council set sail to Nightfall Island, to see for themselves. And when Challenged, Kelly “rings the bell” to proclaim themselves an independent country, which means they have one whole year and a day to find a Patron Deity to worship, and who will protect them, and Katan will have to leave them in peace until then. More fighting ensues, and Saber kills Alys’ last cousin when he tries to kill Kelly, finally freeing Alys from all the spells laid upon her (see book 2, the Wolf). Of course Katan will not give up without a struggle, they had a very nice income from the free salt and algae blocks the Desalination plant produced for the past centuries. And to give in to those exiles? Never! But for now, they will have to leave, and Morganen sure sets them on its way.

Kelly really does not like the idea of a new god or goddess for Nightfall, that all the current and future inhabitants of the Isle will have to worship. She is American, and she is used to the freedom of belief. She wants to same for Nightfall Isle, but how to reach that ideal stage, is not easy. Still, she is stubborn, she will find a way. After all, they are determined to make Nightfall Isle prosper again, and repopulate it. For that, they will have to build houses for the new immigrants, and a city and everything that is necessary.


I enjoyed Evanor’s story for the most part. He is the quiet brother, content with running the household, and organizing the chores and provisions. He is a natural father to Mikor, and stern when needed with the energetic boy. Losing his voice is a total disaster, as he has lost his magic and his self worth with it. He fell for Mariel so hard, even though they tried to keep a bit of a distance at first, as they are Healer and patient, but that certainly did not work out. They became lovers pretty quick.
Mariel is a brave woman to start her life over again, and moving to Nightfall Island. I admired her for that. She is a nice person, a very good Healer, and a good mother. After losing her husband a few years ago, she is finally ready for a new man in her life, something more than the one night stands she sometimes arranged when on a trading mission with the nuns. Her Healing is also done with Songmagic, so she and Evanor really complement each other. Both quiet and really caring about others.

The ongoing story arc really makes me want to read all the books back to back, remembering more and more details the more I read. Jean Johnson has created a wonderful fantasy world, filled with magic and good and evil people. They are going to plan to build a new city, houses, a harbor, and make sure the new people are willing to contribute to the community. This series just has everything I love in a book, a great world building (although too much detail sometimes), great characters, magic, believable love stories, and hot love scenes aplenty. And all the brothers and their new wives keep working together to revive Nightfall Island. Jean Johnson has a wonderful writing voice, and I keep wanting more of her books. So far is has pretty much been that the brother falls in love with the first woman he sees, who is his Destined bride, after his brother-before-him gets hitched, but I know that will change.

The fourth of Sons shall find his catch
The purest note shall turn to sour
And weep in silence for the hour
But listen to the lonely Heart
And Song shall bind the two apart

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Marjorie M. Liu – Within the Flames

Book 11 in the Dirk & Steele series, published November 29. 2011.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: nice colors.



Joining the Dirk & Steele Agency turned Eddie's life around. A pyrokinetic and former car thief, he cannot refuse an assignment to cross the continent in order to rescue an extraordinary woman in peril . . . even though he fears losing control of the destructive power of flame at his fingertips.
The last of her shape-shifting kind, Lyssa hides in the abandoned tunnels beneath Manhattan, seeking refuge from those who murdered her family a decade ago and would now destroy her as well. Like Eddie, fire is her weapon, her destiny . . . and her curse. Yet she wants nothing to do with this mesmerizing stranger who seeks her trust while enflaming her passion. For beneath Lyssa's extraordinary beauty are dangerous secrets . . . and even darker, nearly irresistible urges. But she has won the heart of a fearless protector . . . and all the demons in the world will not make him back down.


It has taken me a long time to finally pick up this latest (last?) book in the Dirk and Steele series. It has been lying on my shelf for longer than a year, but I have to admit to falling out of love with this series. The last few books have been quite dark, without much humor, and some kind of humor is a must in my reading. Still, this is Eddie’s story, and Eddie has been one of my favourite characters throughout the series.

Eddie and Lannes are sent to New York city, to find and protect a young woman, a girl who can control fire, a shapeshifter, a Dragon, from the Cruor Venator. A shapeshifter has asked Dirk and Steele to protect her, and now he is dead, murdered and tortured. He gave them some of her favourite places to hang out, and an old picture. Long Nu also wants them to find her, but she won’t tell why. The Cruor Venator are a truly evil kind of Witches, they steal power from blood, by killing and torturing their victims.
A girl being hunted is knowledge enough for Eddie, he will try to find her, and then protect her. His own past has come back to haunt him, and the memories are hard to live with. His own little sister died by the hand of their mothers boyfriend after she was abused for weeks. And Eddie, just a 14 year old boy back then, killed the wrong man. And now the murderer is free, out of prison again. Eddie never told his mother what he is; he just ran away from home and lived on the streets. Until Dirk and Steele found him and took him in. Now he is schooled and trained in controlling and using his powers, and he likes helping others, meeting others just as different as he is. The world is a stranger place than many people know.

His friend Lannes is a gargoyle, and especially afraid of witches after being tortured by one for centuries. But still he wants to help Eddie find this girl. And when they do see her, she flees. But it is not all that difficult for Eddie to follow her, and when she attacks him with her fire, he can withstand it, as he is fire himself as well. But the damage is enormous, and they need to get to a safe place fast. Which means Lannes’ home, and there Lannes finds out there is more to Lissa than being a dragon. She is part witch as well. And part … something else. And so he does not want her in his house anymore, even though he needs Eddies and Lissa’s help in rescuing his wife from her family. They don’t want to let her go home to him, as they think she married way beneath her. Of course they don’t know she married a gargoyle. Talk about bad inlaws!
But going to her rescue, endangers them all, as the Cruor Venator shows up on their doorstep. But together they can fight her, and win, but they need to run now, and fast.


If I would be telling you more, I would spoil too much, and I won’t do that. There are more important secondary characters in this book, and evil things happen.

Thrown together, Lissa and Eddie slowly start to share their background stories with each other, and discover they have lots in common. Of course, fire is attracted to fire as well, especially as they cannot hurt the other. Together they are a force to be reckoned with, and both are very protective of their friends, which I liked. For the first time in many years, Lissa gets to experience a bit of normal life, once she is living with Eddie, but of course that does not last long.

I am not sure I want to recommend this series. Yes, it is different and original, but it is not a fun read at all. It is a good book, a good series, very well written. But my emotions are just not very much involved in it. I think you can read it out of order, as there is not much of an overall storyline going on. I think I stopped loving this series after the sixth book or so. Of course, being a true book addict, I will probably buy the next book too, but when that one will be read?

7 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Jean Johnson – The Master

The third book in the Sons of Destiny series, published May 6, 2008.
Genre: fantasy romance
Cover: nice, but I cannot picture him as Dominor.



Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day – they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting Destiny, the brothers are exiled to Nightfall Isle, where women are forbidden. But when the third-born brother is taken by a powerful and beautiful mage, he wonders if she is the Prophesied Disaster, his foretold wife-to-be…

Kidnapped and taken captive by slavers, Dominor is sold to a lovely mage, who promises him freedom. But Lady Serina has plans for Dominor – to re-enact a Tantric mating ritual in order to reverse a spell cast centuries ago. Dominor agrees to help, but doesn’t suspect the secret she hides: there is more to this magical mating than she has revealed.
Once the ritual is complete, he will be returned to Nightfall. But when Serina’s secret finally shatters, exposing the truth behind the misunderstandings now separating them, Dominor is determined to retake possession of the woman who is his Destiny…


At the end of the first book, Dominor is kidnapped by the Mandarites. They need a strong male mage like him to fight their enemies, the women of Natallia. In Natallia, it are the women who are the ones with magic, treating the men like second rank citizens. The Mandarites have escaped the country to found their own, where they keep women as slaves, with no powers at all. And they try to breed magical sons on them, for which Dominor would be perfect. But Dominor has grown up respecting women, and has no intention whatsoever to join those Mandarites willingly. But for now he is their captive, drugged and bound with magic negating shackles in the hull of the ship.

After a major storm has blown the ship of course, they are captured by the Natallian navy, and all the people on board are sold as war prize slaves. Including Dominor. The Natallian’s don’t care that he was kidnapped; he is now a slave and will bring a nice price. Lucky for Dominor, the Lady Serina is looking for an outlander male mage, and she buys him, saving him from a life used as a stud by the Royal family.
Serina is the Guardian of a magical Fountain, up in the mountains. 800 years ago, a couple made love in the Fountain itself, accidentally using the magic for a Curse, that causes the male babies born with magic, be stripped of that magic and given it to the nearest female newborn. Serina wants to fix that imbalance, and she needs to retrace their actions as close as possible, and then use the magic to put things to rights. And for that, she needs an outlander mage. Serina is an arithmancy mage, and she can calculate anything.

When Serina is escorting the nuns of Koral Tai to the village for trading, she happens to see Dominor in the slave market, and she buys him. Dominor longs for a bath and new clothes, as he really smells like an outhouse and is still dressed in the rags his captors dressed him in. To get on his good side, Serina does buy fabrics for new clothes at his suggestion, and some new shoes and boots, on their way to the Inn. When Dominor is finally clean again, and dressed in his new clothes Serina made for him, using her magic, she tells him of her plans for him. If he swears a mage oath that he will help her with her project, she will set him free and return him to Nightfall Isle in a year. Dominor has little choice but to agree to the bargain, but he also likes to be a part of such an important magical working. And if his brother Wolfer has met his Bride by now, Serina might be his own Destined Bride. He sure doesn’t mind practicing lovemaking to this beautiful mage after his years of celibacy!

Dominor soon starts taking care of Serina, when she is lost in her calculations, shielding her from the nuns and their foolish questions, making sure she eats and sleeps on time, and he really enjoys being useful and needed. Back at the retreat, he meets Muriel and her son Mikor, Serina’s best friend, and the widow of the previous Guardian and a Seer. Muriel is the local Healer, and the one who took care of Serina before Dominor, but she is glad to give those duties over to Dominor.

Dominor never knew about Fountains, or Fonts, but he is a strong enough mage to be able to withstand the magic within. And he is astonished when he finds out that his sixth born brother Rydan, is the Guardian of a Fountain as well! Why did Rydan never tell him and their other brothers?


I enjoyed this third book. Dominor is very competitive and kind of arrogant, even though he is not the strongest mage of the 8 brothers. He is a generalist, good in many things, but Serina is totally brilliant in her field, a genius, and he admires her very much for that. He likes taking care of her, of being needed, because in daily things, she is kind of a shatterbrain. She does listen to his suggestions, and their lovemaking leads to falling in love soon. Now how can he convince her to marry him without spooking her?

Serina is a very strong woman, very smart, and dedicated to her work. But she is kind of a wanderer and does not intend to stay at Koral Tai for the rest of her life. The life of a nun is not for her. She enjoys men too much for that, and now she has to do some Tantric magic to right an old wrong. Dominor surprises her, with how he acts and takes care of her without any complaints. Sure, he is bossy, but Serina knows she needs it, or she would never eat anything after breakfast and just keep working on her calculations.
I liked that she buys cheap vases in bulk, just to be able to trash them when in a temper as her work does not progress as it should. It makes her more likable and human.

Mariel and Mikor make great secondary characters, and of course I already know they will feature in the fourth book, as the fourth brother Evanor is desperately needing a Healer with Mariel’s skills …

The Third of Sons shall meet his match
Strong of will and strong of mind
You seek she who is your kind
Set your trap and be your fate
When Lady is the Master’s mate

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian