DRAGON’S PEARL by Jane Toombs

Publisher: Devine Destinies
Date published: June 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55487-548-1
ASIN: B003R7L7VO
Fantasy
E-book
Reviewed by Rebecca
Obtained via: reviewer purchased


There’s darkness afoot. An ancient evil has been freed after the death of the one who kept it at bay died. Now her young relatives plus the son of a long-dead guardian have come to her home as per her request to see to her last will and testament. The five young people will all be tested. Love will be found. And someone’s not coming home…

This is book one of Jane Toombs’ series “A Darkness of Dragons.” The prologue is the same one from book two, which I read first. I wrote the summery as a fantasy rather than a fantasy romance because it didn’t read like a romance. There is a distinct difference in the two genres- the plot focus. Both tell a fantastic tale of daring and usually have a somewhat dark under tone. Fantasy romance, though, places the importance on the development of a romantic relationship. Anything with, let’s say less than 50% romantic content, doesn’t really qualify as a romance, though it may still be a sound story otherwise. This was something I had noticed in book two of the series, as well, though it wasn‘t as pronounced.

At the beginning, we have Vran, the son of the old Keeper’s Guardian, traveling to her to help lay her to rest. We have Mona, the great niece of the old Keeper, sitting with her relative during her last hours. The two start to develop a romantic relationship, but when the three long lost cousins show up, that budding romance gets forgotten. It’s missing from about page 40 to page 120, so I’m not calling this a romance even if that’s what it was published as. When the others show up, there ceases to be a clear hero and heroine- another must for a true romance.

I’m giving DRAGON’S PEARL 3 hearts. Despite not really being a romance, it stands very well as a straight fantasy. There is a clear peril to be averted. There are five people who discover their heritage as descendants of either Merlin or the ancient dragons of old. There is a bad guy who tries very hard to snuff our budding heroes and heroines out. One gets tempted by evil. One gets tempted by selfish desires. One has trouble accepting what fate and genetics has dealt. One stands strong despite being battered by uncertainties. One loses a battle and disappears. In short, it has all the makings of a grand fantasy!

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

DOORWAY TO HIS HEART by Jo Barrett

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date published: September 2010
ISBN: none given
Time Travel, mainstream
E-book
Reviewed by Rebecca
Obtained via the publisher


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! Emily has lived a good life but she isn’t ready to give it up. Despite being terminally ill with cancer, she has kept up her hectic touring schedule as a concert pianist, trying to wring the very last drop from what time she has left. The day after her final performance, she indulges in her other passion- touring historic English manors. When she becomes dizzy and too weak to stand in the ballroom of the last one, she figures it’s a fitting place to die. But then she wakes up and she isn’t herself anymore.

Barnaby, Viscount Westmore, has had all he can take of his scheming wife and her vile games. When she wakes up after an attempted suicide, he is determined to stay far away from her. He can’t help wondering, though, why this woman who looks like his nasty wife suddenly dotes on the daughter she’d always despised. Is it a trick of memory or is it something more?

This story is a time travel Regency romance set in 19th century England. At 166 pages, it’s a bit long for a novella but a bit short for a full length novel. It’s well written and well edited. I noticed no major flaws, inconstancies, or flow problems. There is one steamy love scene toward the end and it’s tastefully done.

Warning: don’t read this with bagpipe music playing. I had Davy Spillane’s Midnight Walker playing at first and had to go grab the tissues! It explores the life of a woman with a zest for life who hadn’t expected to get a second chance to have a family. My favorite scene is where Emily walks in and finds her pseudo daughter, Michelle, throwing a temper tantrum and rather than spanking her, finds a way to turn it into a teaching moment. I personally wish I was as patient with my own kids. Her charisma made this story in my opinion. Barnaby is also a good, strong lead and very believable.

I’m giving this one four stars. The interaction between the two main characters is very satisfying and I really liked how the author slowly built the sexual tension between them rather than rushing right into it. The plot wasn’t so complicated that you had to struggle to keep up with it but nor was it ho-hum. The characters had actual problems to resolve and they did it well. This book had me hooked from the first page and didn‘t let go. It’s one I’ll want to pick up again.

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

MARSHALS' MOST WANTED by Raina James

Publisher: Siren Publishing
Date published: January 2010
ISBN: 1-60601-697-0
Sci-fi, menage, erotic
E-book
Reviewed by Rebecca
Obtained via publisher


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! Stev and Tarik aren’t just Galactic Marshals, they are also bond brothers. They were bound psychically as teenagers to be two-thirds of a mate triad. This strong link enables them to speak telepathically to each other and gives them a valuable edge over the intergalactic bad guys they hunt. Good thing, too: the Rogan Gang is planning a heist on Joker’s Wild, a world where the ancient wild west isn’t so ancient. There’s a high stakes poker game in the works and it’s up to the bond-brothers to take out the gang’s ship so they can’t get away.

Hope just knows this isn’t going to go well. Her brothers came up with a scheme to lure tourists to their working cattle ranch in an attempt to keep the family ranch from going under and being sold off. She wanted nothing to do with the plan but got stuck playing tour guide for the travel journalists her brothers lured into coming when one brother breaks his leg a few days before the dudes are due to arrive and the other’s wife is about to go into labor. There’s something about Stev and Tarik that makes her think they maybe more than what they claim, though. Or is that her hormones are telling her it was past time for her to start a family of her own?

This story is an interesting blend of futuristic sci-fi, old west cowboy, and shoot ‘em up thriller. It is roasty-toasty with the action starting up in earnest by the end of chapter three. The author did take the time to set the storyline first so the story keeps moving along after things heat up. I did notice a few inconsistencies, mostly shifts in names and slight personality variations, nothing that was overly drastic. For example, in chapter one, the author addresses Tarik as “Rik” several times but does it nowhere else in the book. There is some dirty talk, anal sex, one scene where the trio gets found naked after the fact but no out-right voyeurism.

The plot was very interesting. We have two sexy, strong heroes who are easy to like. We have one strong-willed woman who isn’t sure she appreciates being the bound mate of two off-worlders, though they help her past her reservations fairly quickly. The author has one heck of a hook to bring the three together and is very skillful at keeping both the pace and the sexual tension ramped up. I particularly liked that as some erotica, once it gets physical, fails to keep the sexual tension running high enough to keep me wanting to keep reading or forgets to keep the storyline moving along.

I am giving MARSHAL'S MOST WANTED three and a half stars. The plot is believable, the chemistry is good, and the characters are engaging. The story line would have been worth reading on its own. As an erotica, it was both romantically satisfying and sizzling.

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

Dragon's Diamond by Jane Toombs

Publisher: Devine Destinies Books
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55487--604-4
Fantasy
Ebook
Reviewed by Rebecca
Obtained via publisher


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! Long ago, the descendants of Merlin and the last of the dragon blood line made a pact to keep a dark evil trapped and locked away from the world. David, an apparent heir to the dragon bloodline, wakes up naked on a beach with no memory of how he got there. He is found by ten-year-old Kam and dragged off so he can help release Kam’s sister from a rusty animal trap then heal her.

Tima and her younger sister live by themselves on a secluded farm on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tima isn't sure what to make of her little sister's ability to "see things with her mind," but blissfully accepts the naked stranger Kam found as well as the bedraggled cat he called Nala. Kam is being trained as a witch by her twice great aunt, whom Tima doesn't like and that evil old woman seems to have fixated on David. Could the old woman have something to do with his family's ancient obligations?

This is book two in a series. I found the plot very interesting. The author opened up with a prologue set in medieval Wales and dropped a few words of Old English in, including the much misunderstood thorn, which is the Old English equivalent of the word ‘the’. In case you are wondering, the thorn is represented in Modern English as a letter ’y’. You can still see traces of it in things like “Ye Old Shoppe.”

I’m a big fan of anything that draws from ancient lit, and this story does that via the original stories about Merlin and the two dragons. Also included is a rich vein of Finnish mythology, an interesting cat named Nala, whose part in the story is unfortunately unclear, an evil witch who is trying to corrupt a good witch, and a bumbling redneck. Any plot that has someone easy to dislike is bound to have a lot of potential. This story has two easy-to-dislike bad guys. The hero and heroine seem to have some nice chemistry, as well.

I’m giving this book three hearts. It was well organized and easy to get through. I don’t know if I’d read it again, but it was enjoyable. I have added the first book of this series to my “to be read” list, mainly because I’d really like to know what’s up with Nala the cat.

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

UNDER A HALLOWEEN MOON by Beverly Breton

Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Date published: September 2010
ISBN: Not listed in book or on publisher's website
Contemporary Romance
E-book
Reviewed by Rebecca


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! Annika, a thirty-something divorcee, works hard at her 9-5 job to keep the bills paid and still be a full-time mommy for her five-year-old daughter, Mindy. She bakes home-made cookies from scratch, sews costumes, and never misses a school event or dance recital. But ever since meeting the widowed father of Mindy's best friend, Livy, at the Halloween parade, Annika isn't quite as content with her single-mom life style.

Cameron is the talk of the kindergarten moms. Tall, handsome and hard working, everyone loves him. Annika, though, wonders if maybe he's a little too hard working to be any good at long term commitment. Or is she just a little too scared to take another chance on love?

This is a sweet story with just a hint of heat from mutual attraction and not even a kiss between the main characters. It is fairly short, about forty-two pages long. It is written in third person from Annika's point of view. The charisma between the main characters was good. I found no major problems flow, layout or grammar. I wouldn't have minded seeing the author expand it a little, explain the back story a bit more or let us see things from Cameron's point-of-view. The prose was a bit flowery for my taste but I don't think most readers would have a problem with it.

I'm going to give this three hearts. It's a good read, but a little on the ho-hum side for my taste. Then again, my taste in books runs a bit more toward fast-paced paranormals and fantasy. Over-all, this is a nice bit of light holiday themed reading.

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

LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN FOR JULIE by C.R. Moss

Publisher: Devine Destinies
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55487--605-1
Paranormal romance
E-book
Reviewed by Rebecca
Obtained via publisher


CLICK TO PURCHASE! Orphaned at birth, Trent was raised by his mother’s best friend and her family. Thanks to the Lenape blood he inherited from his father, he never quite fit in with his adopted family. While participating in a ritual to find his life path, Trent finds himself inexplicably sucked several hundred years into the future.

Julie is a young woman trying valiantly to figure out where her life is headed after her rotten snot of an ex-boyfriend dumped her. To make matters worse, the depression that set in afterward caused her to loose the baby she had been carrying. Julie vowed to never let another man close enough to hurt her that badly again. But there was definitely something compelling about the strange Trent. Perhaps compelling enough to make her willing to give him a chance?

The best way to sum this story up would be to say it is a book of almost. It is almost a YA, but not quite. It wants to be a paranormal but isn‘t- not quite. While magic is used as a plot device to bring Trent forward in time and to help Julie accept that he really was a time traveler, there just isn’t anything overtly paranormal about this story.

That being said, it was a fun read. It’s a classically sweet romance with a bit of light petting but no heated love scenes. The author did a good job of making the main characters compelling and kept the plot rolling along. There is a definite feel of unrequited sexual tension that is never resolved and when paired with some awkward phrasing, keeps this book from being truly satisfying.

Technically, this book falls into the category of telling rather than showing. I don’t believe one writing style is better than the other so long it is done consistently and well. The author did a very good job of keeping the monologues from messing with the pace, so I’d say she did it well. There is one minor viewpoint switching at the end of page 62 and the beginning of page 63. There are a few commas here and there that are out of place or missing. And, as I stated earlier, there is some awkward phrasing, mainly words used out of context or not used entirely correctly and some swearing that doesn‘t quite fit with the over-all feel of the book.

I give FOR JULIE three and a half hearts. It was an interesting story that I might someday want to read again. The technical flaws keep it from being a true four-heart book, though.


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