#TRRparty #Featured #Book Lady's Destiny by A.R. Von

Link: Amazon

When dreams haunt you in the most delicious ways and fate pulls you into destiny's path, what can be done other than to accept and submit to it.

Darkness is growing stronger, weakening the light and killing off what makes the world a beautiful place to live in. Enter a world of fantasy and dreams, passions and temptations. A world where dragons, unicorns, magic and mermaids really do exist. A world where love WILL conquer all!

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#TRRparty #Featured #Book Angel's Blade by Erin M. Leaf

Link: Erin M. Leaf website

Nathaniel doesn't want to go Castle Archangel: he's half-human and can't fly like the rest of his clan. Even worse, he likes guys and he's not exactly white. That makes him an interspecies outcast, but he wants to please his dad. Once there, he meets Zeke, the angels' sexy weapons master. Sadly, Zeke is straight and Nathaniel doesn't hit on men he can't have.

When Zeke meets Nathaniel, his gut tells him he's met his mate, but he's never been attracted to a guy before. Despite Nathaniel's wariness and his own fear, Zeke can't help claiming him when instinct takes over.

Unfortunately, Nathaniel isn't ready to bond, not even when their connection sparks dormant angelic powers. However, when Zeke flies into danger, Nathaniel follows. Demons stalk their people and it will take every angel who can wield a blade to fight the evil that lurks in unexpected places.

Be Warned: m/m sex

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#TRRparty #Featured #Book : The Pirate Princess by Kary Rader

Link: All Romance eBooks

To gain her freedom, Charlee must seduce the prince. To save the pirate, Prince Petra must win her heart.

BY HONOR ALONE

A handsome war hero, Prince Petra can have his pick of any lady in the kingdom. A man of virtue, he's saved himself for just the right one. But when the corrupt emperor of Isa Vis kidnaps a duke's daughter to force her into an alliance, Petra sacrifices himself—and his dreams of love—to save her. Betrothing himself to the distant captive, he leads a daring rescue across the stormy South Sea.

But The Light has other plans. On the voyage, Petra runs afoul of Charlee. Once a prisoner, now a pirate captain, the sultry siren holds him captive with more than just her sword. And when she offers a seductive wager—if he takes her body before they reach the City of Light, she wins absolution for her crimes—it is all he can do to hold firm. While he has every reason to bring Charlee to justice, he's also finally found a woman he wants more than honor. And he can no more trust her than he can trust himself.

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FEATURE and GIVEAWAY: Jeweled by Anya Bast

Book Interview with Anya Bast in December 2010

Q: How did the idea for this book come about?

I have always been intrigued by the French and Russian revolutions and wanted to write a world flavored with elements of both. That's where the seed for Jeweled came from. Then, like all my books, little by little, the seed sprouted and grew, fed first by Evangeline. Then came Anatol and Gregorio. After I had their conflicts worked out, the plot started to take shape, all set in the world I wanted to write.

Q: Your worldbuilding is fabulous! What kind of research went into creating the world (customs, political system, magic system, etc) of Rylisk?

Thank you! I did some research on the French and Russian Revolutions. Gregorio is, of course, the charismatic and intellectual figure who inspires the poor and downtrodden to rise up and throw off the yoke of their oppressors. Evangeline represents the privileged who are taken down a notch (or a million). Really, though, most of the worldbuilding came from my own imagination.

Q: What interesting thing have you unearthed in your research that you've incorporated in the world of Jeweled?

You're going to be sorry you asked that...

To read more, click here.

JEWELED is available at Amazon (print, Kindle).

Anya Bast is giving away an autographed copy of JEWELED!

Mechanics of the contest:

You can do either or both of the following to enter the drawing:

1. Post a comment or question to Anya in the comment box on the review site (click on this link) (2 chances to win) from now to December 31, 2010;

AND/OR

2. Check out our contest page for the book JEWELED from December 8 to 10, 2010 to enter your email address (1 chance each to win).

The winner will be announced in the comment box on the review site on January 2.

REVIEW: Pillow Talk by Ruth Hartman

ASIN B003ZK5HLY

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Fantasy

(c) August 2010, Class Act Books

Ruth Hartman's blog

Rating: 3 stars

Available now in Amazon(ebook)

What is a poor tooth fairy to do when she has a tooth ache? Go to the dentist of course! And that is exactly what Trixie Trident finds herself doing when she breaks a tooth on a french fry. Ouch! Luckily for Trixie, her dentist is the dazzlingly handsome, Graham Keebler. Unfortunately for her, Graham's dental assistant, Korkie, doesn't seem to like Trixie very much.

Can Trixie figure out a way to get Graham to notice more than just her teeth, or will Korkie be a permanent cavity in Trixie's life? 

Short. Sweet. Simple. Those three words describe Pillow Talk perfectly. As a G-Rated fantasy romance, I can't say I found the plot very fulfilling, and I didn't feel any connection to the characters. Yes, it was unusual to read a story about a Tooth Fairies, even if not much explanation of why Tooth Fairies exist is given. The mishaps Trixie finds herself in were mildly entertaining, and I even laughed out loud in some parts, but somehow the story fell a little flat for me.

My biggest problems were with Trixie's day job and the 'villain' character, Korkie. I didn't find it remotely believable that Trixie would have a successful custom jewelry business selling necklaces and bracelets made of dental floss and buttons. It just really didn't work for me. And Korkie was very unlikeable, which was the point, but the way her 'downfall' was executed just seemed like such an exaggeration.

Pillow Talk wasn't a story that I would classify as a must read, but it had its charm and light humor.

Reviewed by Missie

The Unread Reader

Check out Ruth Hartman's post "What's In A Name?"

 

Book Summary: 

Trixie Trident is much too busy to worry about her love life. Her shop Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings, Oh My! has her up to her elbows in beads; Benson the parrot is hungry; and she just chipped her tooth. Plus she’s seriously sleep deprived—that happens when a tooth fairy hits a busy stretch. That’s right, tooth fairy.

But somehow the ideal man drops into her life. Actually she drops into his office. Is it time for Trixie to give up her night job as tooth fairy? Or should she give up the handsome Dr. Graham Keebler? Of course she won’t have to worry about either if he’s stolen from her! Can a magical tooth fairy find true love with a practical dentist?

A copy of PILLOW TALK is up for grabs! US/Canada only, and no P.O. Boxes, please.

How to Enter: 

1. Comment in this post.
2. Be a follower! (GFC, Twitter, FB or GR). Old followers are automatically entered. 

Additional Chances to Win: 

Each time you spread news of this contest (via Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc) earns you one point as well. Be sure to come back and give us the link of your tweet or announcement.

Contest Duration: October 4, 1159pm EST 

Contest Winner Announcement: October 5

The winner will be selected via Randomizer.org. Be sure to come back and check the Winner Announcement post because instructions to claim your prize will be written there.

REVIEW: Bloodmaiden by Christine Schulze

ISBN 978-0984476886
Genre: Fantasy Romance
(c) May 2010, Old Line Publishing
Christine Schulze's website

Rating: 3 stars

Available in Book Depository (print)

There have been countless dragon stories in the fantasy genre. We have seen them in all kinds of different colours and shapes, and we have seen them with all kinds of different personalities. Still, Bloodmaiden manages to give us an alternate view on this overused theme.

The story is set in the world of Sulaimon, consisting of four dragon dynasties, in which dragons live in harmony with the people they protect. But in the dragon dynasty in the north, in the land of Tyrnan, the dragons ask horrible sacrifices of their people. And a young couple, Crisilin and her husband Chalom, have been chosen to fulfil the frightening ritual. By a twist of fate they are able to escape from their certain death, and get the opportunity to free their people for ever. We follow them on their quest to collect the four Aria, parts of a magical song that have been created so the dragons will never abuse any human being.

This book is truly beautifully written. The way the author describes the world, the way she chooses words and makes them flow. It draws you in, makes you feel what the characters feel. There are many sad stories in this book, and I really felt for those characters. But herein lies the biggest flaw too. In some passages we see such amazing writing, but then we have to fast-forward to the next event and the next environment with other characters. There just isn't enough time to enjoy it.

This story is incredibly fast paced, too fast paced even. We jump from kingdom to kingdom, travel at an inhuman speed, get all important events and plot twists dished up right after each other. There is just no time at all to get to know our travellers, to enjoy the fantastic world that is created in Bloodmaiden. It does keep you at the edge of your chair once the story sets off, but sometimes you need to catch a breath as reader. It sometimes gets a little bit too overwhelming, too much information in one time.

This is also showed in the narration and the interaction between our couple. The events are described pretty accurately, but we seldom hear what Chrisilin, our first person narrator, feels, what she thinks about it. And this feels like such a waste, because we have seen how amazing Mrs. Schulze can write, and what she could have done with it, but just didn't. Our couple never talks, the only interaction we see is them holding hands or sleeping in each others arms. Sometimes Chalom throws in a "Are you alright, love?" and that's it for deep conversation that chapter. I did buy their love for each other though, there certainly is a bond between them. Sometimes we get a peek into their carefree past, and then they truly shine together.

Another little annoyance I had while reading this is that Chrisilin refers to our world. She once compares something to a roller coaster, or calls a palace "Chinese looking". How is this possible when she lives in a totally imaginary place? She tells us her aunt has told her about other worlds (including ours, apparently) but then forgets to mention how this different-worlds thing works. It felt like something the author didn't think through well enough.

This book has so much potential. If it had been longer and more extensive this would have been one of my favourite books. It has everything, but everything crammed in too few pages. I'd love to see what happens when Mrs. Schulze takes her time to write a book. This is a promising author I would keep my eye on in the future!

Reviewed by Celine
Nyx Book Reviews

Note: This book was provided courtesy of the publisher/author. 


Book Summary: 

"Zale. Gauthier. Varden. These three dynasties…They all sound like something out of an ancient, oriental myth or fairy tale. The concept of humans and dragons helping and living in harmony with one another, without fear. To me, that’s exactly what they are. A distant dream only read of, whispered secretly, quietly yearned for.

For, you see, I am the new Quelda of Tynan."

These words echo the mystery, horror, and romance found within Schulze's fantasy novel. Along with her new husband, Chalom, Crislin must choose to embrace cruel tradition, run from it, or stand against it. The young couple's only hope is to rally the help of the three peaceful dragon dynasties of Sulaimon—but tradition is not on their side, even outside the realm of Tynan. The dragons outside Tynan's borders have been rumored as too stubborn and proud to believe their Tynanian brothers would commit such horrors as inflicted upon the Quelda. Gaining their aid is not a likely hope. Yet, any hope at all is valued in Tynan...

If they are to stand a chance of bringing cruel tradition to a permanent end, Crislin and Chalom must brave the constant, consuming blizzards of the Ever-white. They must brave the three dynasties and the challenges awaiting there. Together, they must convince the dragon emperors to allow them access to the shrines which house the sacred Aria - protective strands of music which may be able to disperse the evil from Tynan and unite the four dynasties of Sulaimon as a whole once again. Their only aid stems from a sprite whose moods are as unstable as her magic, a young minstrel, and a mysterious fox. Despite the odds, such plans are daring, dangerous, unprecedented, but fully possible - if they can escape the Wall first.

REVIEW: The Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

ISBN 9781402236525
Series: The Elven Lords, Book 1

Genre: Fantasy Romance, Historical Romance

(c) July 2010, Sourcebooks

Kathryne Kennedy's website

Rating: 4 stars

Available at Book Depository (print) and Powells (print).

Kathryne Kennedy pens an ambitious tale of love, romance and sacrifice against the fantastic background of magic in an alternate reality of eighteenth century England. Sometime ago, the barrier between Elfhame and Earth was broken, and seven elven lords--bored with peace--migrated and carved out different sections of England for them to rule over. They engaged in war games, where the king was the prize, who has become something like a puppet, signing whatever papers the elven lords gave him.

Lady Cassandra, a human, joined the Resistance, a group of people who longed to free England from the elven lords' rule. Her mission was to kill the Fire Lord Mor'ded, and in order to get close to him, she married his son, Dominic Raikes, a half-human, half-elven, a cold, stern man who didn't seem to have a heart. Yet, she couldn't know that she roused feelings in Dominic he thought was long buried and dead. But a greater evil awaited them in the palace at Firehame, the revelation of which would turn their world upside-down...

First of all, I was captivated by the cover. It's scrumptious, especially the picture of Dominic. He reminds me of Orlando Bloom as Legolas (The Lord of the Rings) *to-die-for* *yum, yum* and for the first time in my book-reading days, I had a firm visual of the hero in my mind as I read the book.

In the story, the first half anyway, Dominic was cold and stern and uncaring, even toward Cassandra. But it's a facade to deceive his father, for Dominic has suffered a lot of losses in the past when his father perceived him to care for something or someone. So, he was of a mind to keep his distance from his wife, even to the point of making sure everyone around them saw he prefers his mistress, in an effort to protect Cass even as the ice around his heart melted the more he was with his wife. Oh, I just love the angst here, the way Cass suffered from jealousy (Dominic also got bitten by the same bug later on) and struggled with it as she reminded herself of her mission.

Both Cass and Dominic are vividly portrayed, and their characters underwent growth that was catalyzed by the other. Once Dominic admitted his feelings, he was quite sweet and romantic with Cass, though this didn't come easy for him, for his half-elven blood made him cold and he had long been suppressing his half-human side. Still, he tried, and sometimes, that's all we want from a hero.

Cass was the perfect heroine for Dominic, being bold and brave, especially in things she believed to be right. I like that even after Dominic confessed that she'd become important to him more than his life, she didn't morph into Dominic's shadow living only for his love, but she remained her own person.

The dragon-steed Ador is one fascinating secondary character, serving as mentor/guide/oracle to Dominic. However, I feel that maybe he knows too much and prompts Dominic too much.

The twist toward the end caught me by surprise, yet now that I think about it, the author dropped enough clues throughout the story that point to that possible ending. Still, it was a lovely surprise and an unusual ending. 

The Fire Lord's Lover is an amazing start to what promises to be a wonderful series. You can't miss this! 


Book Summary:

If his powers are discovered, his father will destroy him...

In a magical land ruled by ruthless Elven lords, the Fire Lord's son Dominic Raikes plays a deadly game to conceal his growing might from his malevolent father-until his arranged bride awakens in him passions he thought he had buried forever... 

Unless his fiancée kills him first...

Lady Cassandra has been raised in outward purity and innocence, while secretly being trained as an assassin. Her mission is to bring down the Elven Lord and his champion son. But when she gets to court she discovers that nothing is what it seems, least of all the man she married...

Then Dominic and Cassandra together uncover an unspeakable evil, one that threatens the destruction of the magical realm they would give their souls to save...

REVIEW: The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt

ISBN 9781426890604

Genre: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance

(c) September 2010, Carina Press

Tia Nevitt's website

Rating: 4 stars

Available at Carina Press (ebook) on September 27. Also available at Powells.

Tia Nevitt makes an amazing retelling of the famous story of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of one of the common people in the kingdom--a spinster who owns the spinning wheel. Her story fleshes out the fairy tale, adding depth and value to the well-known tale. The virtues of sacrifice and doing good deeds are also reinforced.

Talia is a spinster and she and her mother make their living from spinning thread, a livelihood which was snatched from them when the king made the proclamation to burn all the spinning wheels in the kingdom, in a bid to save the little princess from the curse sixteen years hence. Little did Talia know that she was to play a significant role when the time of reckoning arrived...

First off, I have to say that this story is more of a fantasy with a sprinkling of romance. I have to admit to feeling puzzled by Talia's behavior toward Willard (a suitor) at the start, but I realize she was behaving like any teenage girl, a teenage girl who wasn't attractive and who saw Willard as her last chance of being married and having a family. However, she did mature over the years, and we see this in her actions and in her words, in the maturity of her thinking and in the way she mended her relations with her mother.

Talia's mother was a noteworthy secondary character. I love her spirit in loving and defending her daughter, especially toward the end. 

The Sevenfold Spell gives us a different perspective on how the king's proclamation had affected the common people, thus rounding out the tale. I like Ms. Nevitt's take on this because while there are many retellings, none gave the people a voice, the ones who were most affected as a result of the curse. That while the princess lived in luxury in the palace or singing and playing with woodland animals in a little cottage in the forest, hidden by her godmothers, women like Talia, who had no one to rely on but themselves, suffered. And while this story serves a good revisit into the fairy tale, it is not intended for children.

Reviewed by Carol

Note: This book is provided courtesy of the publisher/author.


Book Summary: 

Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?

Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying "good" fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said. 

Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.

Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia's prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation—which plays right into the evil fairy's diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she's willing to make?

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: The Battle Sylph by L.J. McDonald

ISBN 9780843963007

Series: The Sylph Series, Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) March 2010, Leisure Books, Dorchester Publishing
L.J. McDonald's website

Rating: 4 stars

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Fantastic worldbuilding, diverse characters, magic and a magnificent fantasy adventure in a whole new world!"

With the prevalence of vampires and werewolves and demons, L.J. McDonald's unique worldbuilding blew me away. She has created a fantastic world of sylphs and the humans to whom they were bound. The sylphs were elemental spirits (air, water, fire, earth and healing sylphs) and of course, there were the battle sylphs that protected the hive. Sylphs lived in hives with a queen as the leader and she could take one or more battlers as mates. Think bee hive with the queen bee and her drones and worker bees and soldier bees.

Actually, the sylphs originally lived in another world and they were lured over to this Earthlike world (the action mostly take place in the kingdoms of Eferem and Para Dubh) and bound to one human master. The battle sylphs were attracted to the promise of the woman used as a sacrifice, and this woman was to be their queen (their love and mate), but the human man who was to gain the battler would kill the woman and bound the battler to him instead.

Read more about the sylphs.

The characterization is wonderful and unique for the characters being portrayed. Because the story is told from several points of view, we note how the narrative and the conversation differed for each character based on the character's age, background, experience and individual personality and circumstances. This makes for a holistic reading experience, wherein the reader gets to see the world from different sets of eyes.

For example, both Heyou and Solie are young, and we are made aware of this in their individual narration and in their actions. Whereas Leon Petrule as the king's head of security is an adult and seasoned soldier, and this can be seen in the way he acted and make decisions and in his thought processes. Not only that, but he is certainly not a sterotypical villain. He might well be the character that underwent the most radical change in the story.

The pivotal characters in this story are Solie, who defied the sacrificial death appointed to her, and Heyou, the battler who became bound to her.

Solie is seventeen years old, and she is young and sheltered, having never gone beyond her own and her aunt's villages. However, she is taught by her aunt to be strong and independent in the sense that she didn't need a man, if she didn't want one. This served her in good stead when she was captured to be a sacrifice to lure a battler over for the crown prince.

Heyou isn't your common hero as well. Though he is a battler, he is young and untried when he first crossed the gate to be bound to Solie. Yet for all that, he knew his duty is to defend and protect the queen and the hive with all that he has, even to the point of death. I like the part where he had established a bond with Galway, a trapper who had rescued him when Heyou was near death. Because Heyou is young and reminds him of his son, Galway acts like a mentor and father figure to him, something unheard of in the usual relationship between a battler and his master, which usually includes lots of hate.

Both Solie and Heyou did grow some over the course of the book, especially Solie as she needed to adjust to her new role. For all that she's young, Solie is smart, and she knew that she needed help and wasn't too proud to ask for it. Even in her inexperience, she rose to the occasion when needful and that is something to admire. Having such young protagonists who act their age would've taken away much of my enjoyment from the book had it not been for the balance provided by the adult characters surrounding them, like Leon, Galway and the two battlers Mace and Ril.

However, lest I give you a wrong impression, the story doesn't just focus on Solie's and Heyou's romance. No, there is so much more going on, like how they'd unwittingly made an enemy of the king and the possible consequences of that, and about how the sylphs are making a new hive in Eferem and the ways they're going to impact the world. That said, I'm interested to see how Solie and Heyou would have grown over the years, and I'm especially curious to know how Ril's and Lizzie's fate would play out in the next book, The Shattered Sylph.

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble
Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

And this review marks the start of our new feature called Author Week!

This week, we have L.J. McDonald here with us, who will grace us with excerpts from her books (the sequel THE SHATTERED SYLPH is out next month, in case you're interested to know) and an interview! She'll be around, so if you have any questions, ask away!

Because we here at The Raving Readers love this book so much, we're giving away one copy of The Battle Sylph to a lucky winner! What's more, Dorchester Publishing has offered five additional copies for giveaway, so there will be six (6) lucky winners instead! Yay! Thank you, Dorchester!

And there's no geographical restriction, so everyone who lives on planet Earth, even the penguins in Antarctica, is welcome to cast your name into the hat.

How to enter?

Today's question: What is the best paranormal story/series you've read? Why do you love it?

Extra chances to win:
+ 3 if you're a follower of this blog
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
           on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,
           your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you tweeted about
           this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You also wrote a blog
           post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to qualify, be sure to come
           back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win!

Contest ends on March 12 (Friday), 1159pm EST.

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced on March 13 (Saturday).

Good luck!

REVIEW: King of Sword and Sky by C. L. Wilson

Series: Tairen Soul series

Author's Website

Summary:

This book continues from Lady of Light and Shadows. Rain and Ellie have wed, and they now travel to the Fading Lands to keep Ellie safe behind the mists, as someone wanted to do her harm. Ellie learns that the tairen kits are dying, and she has to save them, else, the fey will die with the tairen.

Comments:

I wish I could just say "great book!" and the review would be done. It is in fact a great continuation from Book 2, and I kept turning the page, wishing the story would never end. Happy that there's a 4th book to look forward to, but sad that I'd have to wait a few more months!

Here, Ellie learns more of the fey and their land, and she's met fey who like her and who don't like her. The tairen, however, like her, and even name her, when they wouldn't name Rain's former mate. She also binds a few more men to her, when she wipes away the weight on their souls, the way she did for Bel and Gaelen. She reasons out that this may save them in the coming war, and she continues to save more despite the toll on her and on Rain.

Tairen are possessive creatures, and though Rain knows with his mind the rationale behind Ellie's actions, he can't stand the jealousy as he watches men touch his beloved. Oh yes, Rain finally knows that he loves Ellie (not just because of the true mate bond) and he confesses as much in the previous book. In the course of this book, we see Ellie change from acting on her own to acting as part of a couple later in the book when she decides to consult Rain on an important matter and to abide by his decision.

We also see that the fey learn more about Ellie's history, that she really is fey (not just half fey, or half Eld) but the identity of her parents elude them. I want to see a reunion between Ellie and her parents, and I want to see Rain's (and the other fey's) reactions when they learn just who Ellie's parents are. And I will curse the author and I will feel cheated if her parents died in Eld without Ellie and the fey knowing who her parents are.

The High Mage has also gotten "badder", with more powerful weapons at his disposal. I do wonder how the fey will beat them in the next book. I'll say it again, I'm waiting with impatience for Queen of Song and Souls. I anticipate a great read, based on the last three books.

Book Rating: 4 stars

REVIEW: Lady of Light and Shadows by C. L. Wilson

Series: Tairen Soul series

Author's Website

Summary:

The story continues from where Lord of the Fading Lands ended. Ellysetta Baristani continues with her devotions, a necessary Celierian ritual which is the prelude to the actual wedding. Meanwhile, Rain courts the Celierian king and powerful lords to his cause --to maintain the closure of the Eld borders with Celieria, as his gut feel tells him the Eld mean nothing but evil intentions toward the Celierians in the supposed trade agreement they sent the king for negotiations.

Comments:

This book is a powerful continuation to the story started in Lord of the Fading Lands, fleshing out the situation in Celieria and culminating in a strong conclusion at the end. If the two books had been combined into one, I wouldn't have experienced the I-was-cheated feeling when I finished reading Book 1.

Here, the mystery of Ellie's identity and background deepened as she was able to do great feats that even the greatest living trained shei'dalin wasn't able to do. What I like most was that Ellie finally came into her own toward the end, and it was a pleasure to see her transformation into the woman that she had the potential to be.

The author introduced another character--Gaelen vel Serannis, and I like his wicked, playful manner, especially when he teased the young fey who thought he had nothing to offer them, not even battle tactics, all because he had fallen to the dark side. When fey men killed, the souls of the victims will weigh on their own souls and continue to accumulate until such time when darkness consumed them. Then, they have the choice of an honorable death (suicide) or going to the dark side and being exiled from the Fading Lands forever.

Rain was devastated when he learned something repulsive about Ellie (repulsive to him because he's fey), and his reaction was believable, though it brought great sorrow and distress to Ellie. He did make up for it at the end, but I felt he should've groveled more.

Overall, I love the book, which is a magical blend of fantasy, suspense and romance.

Book Rating: 4 stars

REVIEW: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson

Series: Tairen Soul series

Author Website contains lots of information about the world, the people of the series. Check it out!

Summary:

Desperate to save his land and his people, Rainier vel'En Daris, Lord of the Fading Lands, went to Celieria, even though the place brought him nothing but grief and terrible memories of the slaying of his heart mate and where he, in his madness, almost razed the world with his tairen fire. He never expected to find salvation in the form of Ellysetta Baristani, the woman who called out to his soul, his true mate. But who is Ellysetta Baristani? How could this mortal woman call to him, when a true mate bond--the highest form of bonding--can only occur between unmated immortal feys?

Comments:

I love love love this book. Why? Let me break it down for you.

The world that the author created is fantastic, with rich details and back history on the mortals and immortals who mix and live together in the same world, complete with humans, feys and elves. The story is full of intrigue and politics and jealousy, and we have a truly evil villain that you'll love to hate. You don't see much of him yet in this book, but wait till the next two books.

The fey men are tall and handsome and powerful. Not just powerfully built (their main mode of travel is by running! and they're not even winded after going on for long distances), but excellent warriors (they spend hundreds of years in training) and powerful in terms of the magic they can summon to their hands. The fey women are beautiful and good and full of compassion, the very base of their healing art. The men are intensely protective of their women, and the sole reason they trained so hard is to be judged worthy enough to protect a shei'dalin (fey women who can heal) when she leaves the Fading Lands, like when she's requested to perform healing on people who live in other nations. Many times throughout the book, I wish I were fey. You don't see that kind of men anywhere here, certainly!

Rain...to be honest, I can't imagine a guy named Rain. I look at the cover art and he doesn't look like a Rain, but that's a personal bias. I thought it would be better if his full name--Rainier--were used all throughout instead. Anyway, Rain is a great hero--tortured, loyal, protective. I think he didn't dare accept Ellie at the start, because he didn't want to replace Sariel, his heart mate whom he loved, and I think he couldn't believe he could have a true mate. That's because he's a Tairen Soul and Tairen Souls don't have true mates. Why? If I tell, it would be a spoiler, so I'll leave it to you to discover, though I'm dying to say why.

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It's because to be true mates, each party must be the equal of the other in every way, and that's all I'm saying.

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Rain does have to exert effort to court Ellie, as per fey custom and win her over so that she would bond with him and thereby complete their true mate bonding. Ellie, however, resists the bond, because she had secrets that she didn't want Rain to know, because she was afraid he would be repulsed by her should he know. The true mate bond would enable your mate's thoughts to be your own, so that it's like talking in your head and knowing all your deepest secrets. But Rain is determined to win Ellie and save his people, and there's nothing more sexy than a guy who's determined to have you (that is, if you want him too).

Ellysetta, on the other hand, is sweet and young and timid, and in this book, quite passive. She is described as having orange hair, which is unusual, and is the object of ridicule by the people she knows (except for her family). The one thing that stands out about her is that she's very kind, and she's scared of what she perceived as something evil that is in her that she tries very hard to keep imprisoned. I find she didn't have much personality, and this is something that bothered me in this book.

The pacing of the book is slow at times, but there are enough exciting parts to make up for it. There's also a running mystery throughout the series as to Ellie's real identity. The presence and wickedness of the villains and their villainous acts make the danger real, and I just can't help but to keep on turning the page to know what happened next or to unravel another small mystery. In view that I've already read the next two books, this is a very well-plotted series, and the way the author hands out the pieces to the readers make for a very engaging and addicting read.

This book is the first in a series of four, which tells the complete story. It is better to read it in sequence: Lord of the Fading Lands, Lady of Light and Shadows, King of Sword and Sky, and Queen of Song and Souls. When I finished Lord of the Fading Lands, I felt slightly cheated, because it was very obvious to me that the story isn't finished. There are a lot of loose threads left hanging. If this were marketed as a fantasy book (and not a romance, which seems to have a maximum word or page count), the four books would be packaged as one into one big tome, like the Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey, which reached approximately 1,000 page per book (depends on the edition you're holding). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book enough that I quickly went to get the next two books and am looking forward to the last and fourth installment. A keeper, this book deserves a special place on shelves. I will certainly read this book over and over.

Book Rating: 4 stars