May 1, 2018 | fantasy, reviews, romance
They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters.
Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.
Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.
It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart.
Heartstone, by Elle Katharine White
This is a romance in the sense that Pride and Prejudice is a romance. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given that the premise of the story is Pride and Prejudice, but in a fantasy world with dragons and wyrvens and gryphons, some of which are not happy with humans and would much rather see them all eradicated.
Since I like both Pride and Prejudice and fantasy novels, I was on board for this as soon as I read the promo. I’m glad to say it doesn’t disappoint.
Aliza Bentaine’s father works for the local lord in a position that commands some respect, so when his youngest daughter is killed in a gryphon attack (alas poor Kitty, we hardly knew you…), the lord responds by hiring a band of Riders to hunt down the horde. It’s not just any band of Riders that responds either – Alastair Daired, of the famed Daireds, is a member of the group. If you’re familiar with the plot of Pride and Prejudice, things proceed much as you would expect from there.
One of the things that makes this work is how the author uses the world to take a different look at some of the characters who are perhaps a little less developed in Jane Austen’s work. The expected villain is still there, of course, but other characters become a little more three dimensional and I think the story becomes a little more interesting as a result. I still have a lot of questions that weren’t resolved about the world – I want to know more about the Riders, and the Kingdom, and why the divide exists among the supernatural creatures. I’m hoping that we might see a sequel set in the same world, because I’m curious to see what happens when the events are no longer dictated by the plot of Pride and Prejudice. I want to follow the relationship of Aliza and Alastair and see where it goes, and what other secrets the world is hiding.
So if you’re a fan of either fantasy or Pride and Prejudice, this one definitely gets my recommendation. I’ve read a few of the other retellings that are out there and none of them have struck as much of a chord with me as this did. It’s not a perfect book, but it leaves you wanting more.
Mar 27, 2018 | fantasy, reviews, romance
When the great war between the Redwoods and the Centrals occurred three decades ago, the Talon Pack risked their lives for the side of good. After tragedy struck, Gideon Brentwood became the Alpha of the Talons. But the Pack’s stability is threatened, and he’s forced to take a mate—only the one fate puts in his path is the woman he shouldn’t want.
Though the daughter of the Redwood Pack’s Beta, Brie Jamenson has known peace for most of her life. When she finds the man who could be her mate, she’s shocked to discover Gideon is the Alpha wolf of the Talon Pack. As a submissive, her strength lies in her heart, not her claws. But if her new Pack disagrees or disapproves of fate’s choice, the consequences could be fatal.
As the worlds Brie and Gideon have always known begin to shift, they must face their challenges together in order to help their Pack and seal their bond. But when the Pack is threatened from the inside, Gideon doesn’t know who he can trust and Brie’s life could be forfeit in the crossfire. It will take the strength of an Alpha and the courage of his mate to realize where true loyalties lie.
Tattered Loyalties, by Carrie Ann Ryan
I’m doing a very good job of jumping into these paranormal romance series at the wrong spot. In this case, I picked up the first three books of the Talon Pack as a bundle on Amazon when they were on sale. Unfortunately, it turns out that they are the sequel to the Redwood Pack series. If I’d realized that, I might not have started here since, as is frequently the case, there are some world-building aspects that are not fully explained because the assumption is that the reader is familiar with them from previous books.
That said, this is the first book in the Talon Pack, which is apparently set about 2-30 years after the events in the Redwood Pack series. This at least means that the protagonists from the first series play minor roles. Instead, we focus on the Talon Pack — particularly its Alpha, Gideon Brentwood. His Pack is divided, in part due to the events that resulted in him becoming Alpha, and he’s struggling to unite them. When he catches his first glimpse of Brie Jamenson at a meeting with the Redwood Pack, he’s shocked to realize she’s his fated mate. She’s submissive, and he believes there’s no way a submissive wolf is what he or his Pack needs as the Alpha female.
Brie, on the other hand, has known that Gideon was her mate since the first time she saw him years ago. Since she also believes there’s no way she can be what he needs, she’s done everything in her power to avoid him. It’s only when her presence is directly required by her Alpha that she ends up in the same room as him.
When events in his Pack come to a head, Gideon is forced to admit that he has met his mate in order to buy some time. Now they have to learn how to make the relationship work, not just for themselves but also for Talon Pack. That will take time, and time is one of the things they might not have, since those who would rather not see Gideon as Alpha are finally ready to strike and see a submissive mate as an excellent way to hurt him.
I think if I was a bigger fan of the genre (rather than being a fan of select authors), this would probably be a more enjoyable read. As it was, it was solid, if rather one-dimensional. There was a lot of angst about the fact that Brie was submissive, and the book got rather repetitive in parts. Some of the overarching story that’s being played out over the entire series felt a little one-dimensional as well. Still, I enjoyed watching Brie finally show her inner strength and seeing Gideon finally realize what he had gained. I just wish I had a little more background into the different parts of the world.
Mar 20, 2018 | fantasy, reviews, romance
The daughter of a Warrior King, Lara was trained as a healer. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to warring Firelanders. Unable to depose her sibling or negotiate peace, Lara serves her people by healing the warriors—on both sides of the conflict—who are injured in battle.
Lara finds herself educated in her enemy’s language and customs in return for her attention and compassion. She never expects that her deeds, done in good faith, would lead to the handsome and mysterious Firelander Warlord demanding her in exchange for a cease-fire. To save her land and her people, Lara trades her freedom to become the Warprize.
Warprize, by Elizabeth Vaughan
I read a lot of fantasy growing up. Well, I shouldn’t put that in past tense, because I still read a lot of fantasy. Which means I’m always happy to find a new-to-me fantasy romance, especially when it’s as well written as Warprize.
It’s clear from the beginning that Lara’s world is under serious pressure. As a healer, she works to save lives. All lives, no matter what her half-brother the king would prefer, and so she defies his will to treat the prisoners of war. That also means she keeps her silence when she discovers one of the prisoners is a high-ranking general for the opposition — because she knows her half-brother would kill him if he knew the truth.
What Lara doesn’t realize is that her actions will bring her to the attention of the Firelander Warlord, who demands that she become the Warprize in exchange for a cease-fire. With his army nearly at the city gates, Lara agrees to give up her freedom and her body in order to save her land and her people.
What comes next is the meeting of two cultures — a meeting that doesn’t always run smoothly. There are more than a few occasions where Lara nearly does something out of ignorance of the Firelanders’ ways and it takes a while to clear up all the misunderstandings between her and Keir, the Firelander Warlord. Both of them make mistakes as a result, but it is clear why Lara falls in love with Keir over the course of the book and vice versa.
I liked that Lara wasn’t content to simply sit on her hands but instead insisted that she be allowed to use the skills that she had worked so hard to master. There were a few occasions where I wanted to shake my head at her naiveté but she grew past much of that over the course of the book so I could forgive her. (Hopefully there’s not a reversion in the second book, which I’m looking forward to.)
If I have any quibbles, it’s that the resolution (and motivation) for some of the events in the last third of the book are a little lacking. Some of that might be to allow space to build for the sequel, but at least some of it felt like it could have (and should have) been resolved there. The motivations of the main villain were unclear and it came across as a little flat as a result. Still, I really enjoyed the book and do plan on reading the sequel. I highly recommend you check it out if you’re a fan of fantasy romance.
Feb 6, 2018 | fantasy, reviews, romance
A dutiful daughter. A prince forced to find a bride. If the shoe fits…
Once upon a time…
When the Emperor’s army comes recruiting, Mai signs up, seeing it as the perfect escape from her stepmother and a lifetime of drudgery. Armed with her mother’s armour and a pair of magic shoes, Mai marches off to war…only to find herself sharing a tent with the General’s arrogant nephew, Prince Yi.
The best swordsman in the Empire, Prince Yi wants to make war, not love, but the Emperor insists this will be Yi’s last campaign before he must marry. Prince Yi has never met his match…until now.
Can one woman win the war and the prince’s heart?
Dance: Cinderella Retold, by Demelza Carlton
I am a sucker for fairy tales.
This is not something new. And Cinderella stories? Well, you can ask my mother about how many times she had to play Prince Charming as I lost my shoe running away when I was 4. She’ll be thrilled to tell you all about it, preferably in a way to maximize my embarrassment.
Anyway, what I’m saying is that I am there for any Cinderella retelling you want to offer me. Which is how this book ended up in my to read pile. Since I don’t have a lot of extra time right now, the short length moved it to the top.
Since I started with no expectations beyond the title, it was an interesting read. I often think of medieval as referring to European settings, but in this case the book was set during a roughly similar time period in China. I don’t have the background to judge how authentic the history was or how accurately the culture was represented, so I want to be really clear about that. (This review is giving the benefit of the doubt that it is at least reasonable. If new information comes to hand I reserve the right to change my opinion.)
In true Cinderella fashion, Mai lives with her father and stepmother. Her father is a retired general and country lord, shunning the courtly life and mourning the loss of his true love, Mai’s mother. Mai’s stepmother has two daughters and is raising them to fit in at court, something Mai has no interest in. Mai prefers to dance the martial dances with her father and looks on in horror as her stepmother breaks her daughters’ feet to bind them.
Over time, Mai becomes proficient at martial arts. When an envoy comes requesting her father go and serve in the emperor’s siege, he refuses. Wanting to keep her father from dishonor and being told by her stepmother that she will never marry well because her feet are too large, Mai agrees to impersonate a man through a small enchantment cast on her by her stepmother and goes off to take her father’s place. There, her skill with the sword earns her a place on the battlefield — and a bunk in the prince’s tent.
I liked the way this story took on and tweaked the standard Cinderella tropes to set itself apart. I’ll admit that my brain kept trying to add in Mulan references (unsurprisingly if you’re a Disney fan). The hero and heroine are reasonably well developed, given the length of the book. Although it’s billed as a standalone book, there are a few characters that definitely give off the vibe of “recurring character where questions are answered in another book.”
All in all, it was a fun and quick read. I don’t think it’s made it into the category of “would reread” but it hit all the notes that I look for in a Cinderella story, so if that’s your cup of tea, I’d recommend giving this one a look.
Dec 5, 2017 | fantasy, reviews, romance
The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past…but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.
Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel’s right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality…the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.
As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting…and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more…
Archangel’s Blade, by Nalini Singh
I’ve been busy this week with Christmas prep and some crafting and as such am behind on actually reading, so this week’s review comes out of the queue. Since Archangel’s Consort finished what I think of as the story arc of Elena’s transformation and the initial fallout, as well as introducing us to the world and some of the characters that inhabit it, I was really looking forward to seeing where Nalini went next. Given the amount of time spent getting to know the Seven in the first three books, it’s unsurprising to see one of them take the lead now.
Dmitri might be a vampire, but he’s old and powerful — powerful enough to serve as second in command to Raphael. That and his friendships with Raphael and the rest of the Seven serve to keep him from growing too jaded, even if part of him continues to mourn for the wife and children he lost over a thousand years ago. That’s what makes his reaction to the hunter the Guild sends in response to a vampire murder so unnerving.
Honor spent two months at the questionable mercy of unknown vampires, nearly dying before her friends managed to rescue her. The experience has left her scarred, a shell of the person she was. Yet when she meets with Dmitri, the reaction he inspires in her makes it clear that she is far from broken. Whatever it is between them, it burns hot and fast even as evil both old and new haunts their path.
I will admit that I was happy to step away from Raphael and Elena for a bit and explore the world from a different point of view. Dmitri has been an intriguing character since the first book, when he and Elena butt heads, and as we learned about his past I was a little skeptical of Nalini’s ability to pull off a happy ending. It speaks to her skill that I fully believe in how she managed it.
Honor comes to the relationship with her own scars, both physical and mental after her ordeal. One of the things I really like about the plot is that Dmitri doesn’t usurp Honor’s vengeance while still maintaining the necessary control over the vampires beneath him. He has to be involved because he is Raphael’s second in command, but he manages to handle it in a way where Honor is able to achieve the closure she needs. Honor’s recovery is more believable because of that, and it lets her inner strength shine through.
If Angels’ Blood was paranormal romance and then Archangel’s Kiss and Archangel’s Consort were both urban fantasy, Archangel’s Blade swings back into the paranormal romance category. This is a definitely a series where you want to read the books in order, so if you haven’t already, this isn’t the book to start with. If you enjoyed the previous books, however, I think you’re definitely in for a treat with this one. I’m looking forward to enjoying the next one.
Nov 1, 2017 | fantasy, reviews, romance
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed – an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn – but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control – even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority…
They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing – and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…
Archangel’s Kiss, by Nalini Singh
The events at the end of Angels’ Blood make it very hard to wait on reading the sequel. Elena and Raphael managed to stop Uram but the price was nearly Elena’s life. Now she’s the first angel Made in human memory, saved by the Archangel who loves her. The transformation doesn’t come without a price, however, and Elena isn’t very good with limits.
Of course, the Cadre is still the Cadre. Elena’s position as Raphael’s lover means she is his weakness, something both of them are having trouble adapting to. For the first time in centuries, he knows what it is to fear. When Lijuan invites them to a ball, there is no choice but to accept the invitation and hope that they’ll both survive.
I love that the events from the first book have consequences, both good and bad. Elena is an angel, yes, but instead of everything being perfect from the beginning, she’s weak. As hunter-born, she was strong for a human and she’d spent years honing her skills with weapons. She still has those skills but her body is different now and she has to learn how to adapt, especially to her wings. After all, having wings isn’t the same as knowing how to use them.
The focus of this book is still Raphael and Elena, although we get to see more of the secondary characters we met in the first book. Raphael’s Seven continue to guard and serve, which means helping protect Elena, since she’s his weakness. We explore the Refuge, where angelic children are raised, and learn a little more about the various archangels in the Cadre. Nalini is really good at creating multidimensional characters that still have a hook you can identify, and that’s definitely in full swing here.
If the first book was a paranormal romance, this book is rather firmly on the urban fantasy side of the divide. We see more of the growing relationship between Elena and Raphael, and learn some of the past that has shaped both of them, but there is no new couple here like we see in the Psy/Changeling books. (There’s plenty to suggest that will come, though.) The focus here is instead the consequences of the first book and the growing sense that something isn’t right in the world. The world-building continues to be excellent and Elena is a strong heroine without losing her ability to be vulnerable. We’re sharing in Elena’s journey as she struggles to cope with all the changes that have happened, without losing her sense of self.
Overall, I think that if you enjoyed the first book, you should definitely read the sequel. As for me, well, I have a series to catch up on.
