Tuesday, September 28, 2010

RION by Susan Kearney

Publisher: Grand Central
Date published: December 2009
ISBN: 978-0-446-54332-3
Futuristic romance, Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by publisher


Trying to make his way back to his home planet of Honor, Rion crashed first on Pendragon and now finds himself on Earth. With a bundle of secrets he sets about to seduce his friend Lucan’s sister, Marisa to help him free his planet from enslavement by the Tribes. As Marisa soon learns, the Tribes were the marauders who King Arthur fought some fifteen hundred years ago. When Rion receives a predetermined signal he must return to Honor, he foregoes a gentle wooing and abducts Marisa.

Marisa is less than pleased with Rion’s actions and immediately attempts to escape him. She soon finds herself between a rock and a hard place because the Enforcers intend to kill her. When she hears what has driven Rion to the path he is on, Marisa finds herself not only with a change of heart. She finds her heart belongs to Rion. There’s one little problem, Rion cannot marry an off-worlder, even if she did play a role saving the royal family.

RION picks up shortly after LUCAN, the first book in Susan Kearney’s Pendragon Series, ends. In RION Ms. Kearney amps up her signature ultra hot romance writing and some of Rion and Marisa’s love scenes had me fanning myself because steam was rising off the pages. I liked Marisa as an independent woman who, despite being hurt in the past, is open to loving again. She doesn’t simply cave in to Rion when he kidnaps her. Instead she tries to regain control over her life. When she learns what is driving him she decides to stand by him after careful thought and consideration.

Rion is amazing. I believe he was the sizzle that caused the steam to pour off the pages.

What I struggled with was in the middle of running for their lives, not once, but many times, Rion and Marisa are able to put their fears aside and have amazing sex. Ms. Kearney does explain their ability to experience such intense sexual encounters in the midst of turmoil and being shot at as a way to get in touch with their innate dragon strength and abilities. When we learn who Merlin the owl is at the end of RION it seemed rushed.

I’m not a fan of fantasy and had I known the story centered around dragonshifters I probably would not have opted to read it. That said, I do like the tie in of dragons and King Arthur and look forward to JORDAN.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

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