Kiss of Fate
Title: Kiss of Fate
Author: Deborah Cooke
Copyright: 2009 (Signet); 396 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-451-22616-7
Series: Dragonfire #3
Sensuality: Hot
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Possible spoilers for previous books!
Her: Eileen Grosvenor, PhD. She’s a comparative mythologist and in England to hunt down the real story behind a urban legend involving a dragon. A college friend asks her to look at some old, but odd, items up for auction and Eileen suddenly finds herself in the middle of a conflict involving dragons. She also meets her mysterious dream lover — a man she’s so attracted to, the fact he can shift into a dragon doesn’t concern her overmuch. Unbeknown to Eileen, she is in fact the reincarnated Louisa Guthrie, Erik Soreenson’s mate and Sigmund’s mother.
Him: Erik Soreenson, leader of the Pyr. Erik never expected to get a second firestorm. Diaster and betrayal marred his union with Louisa and their son grew up to be a Slayer. Erik also believes he’s the intended sacrifice in the third part of the prophecy. However, the Great Wyvern has other plans for him. Before Erik can continue to lead the Pyr in their fight against the Slayers, he must deal with the past and heal himself.
There is quite a bit going on in this book. Besides Erik having to come to terms with the fact he’s getting a second firestorm, there is still the problem of the dark academy (basically, zombie dragons) and the Dragon’s Blood Elixir. The Pyr have yet to find a way to destroy either. Their numbers are too small for a direct confrontation with the Slayers and their zombies — especially since two of the Pyr have expectant mates. Quinn and Donovan won’t leave Sara and Alex unprotected. Delaney, still struggling to overcome the nightmare of his time in the clutches of the Slayers, is more of a liability than an asset. But some things do start to go their way. A Pyr from an old blood line — long thought to have died out — is discovered, adding one more potential warrior to the cause. Plus, Rafferty gets his hands on the other enchanted, ancient dragons. With their help, one of the Pyr’s problems is solved, but at a great cost to them.
What I liked: Eileen, like Sara and Alex, rather calmly accepts the existence of dragons. Her profession, a collector and studier of myths and legends, probably helps in that aspect. I appreciate the fact that Ms. Cooke strives to gives us strong, rational heroines who can accept something so fantastic after a brief period of shock/disbelief. Sometimes I wonder if they are too quick. However, I rather have that than a heroine who refuses to believe what is standing right in front of her, and continues through half the book being stubborn about it. And doing stupid things that endanger herself because she doesn’t believe in dragons. Another thing that I’ve appreciated about the heroines is their “Whoa, not so fast, buddy” attitude concerning the whole destined mate/getting pregnant during the first go-around thing.
I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I’ve been denying myself the pleasure until I get caught up with my reviews.
What I didn’t: Nothing stands out.
Recommend to: Those who have read the first two.
Started: 1 October 2009
Finished: 14 October 2009
Rating:
Liked A Lot
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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by Christina on February 22, 2010
in 2009 "Pub" Challenge,5 Stars,Countdown Challenge,Fantasy,Ilona Andrews,Magic,Other Supernatural Beings,Paranormal Romance,Shape-Shifters,The Year of Readers 2009
On the Edge
Title: On the Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Copyright: 2009 (Ace); 309 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-441-01780-5
Series: The Edge #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Once upon a time, there was a young maiden named Rose Drayton. She lived in the Edge, that place between magic and mundane, raising her two younger brother to the best of her ability. Rose has a menial job in the Broken (our world) and it is barely enough to keep them fed and clothed. Rose also has powerful magic. Yet, instead of being a blessing, it has been nothing but trouble for Rose. She’s been sought after – literally hunted – by lesser, weaker nobles of the Weird solely, for the purpose of providing potentially powerful children; even other Edgers, more interested in monetary gain than community loyalty, have tried to snatch her up for the reward money offered by desperate peers. The only thing Rose really has is her pride, and if she can’t have love and respect and be desired for herself, she would rather be alone and poor than lower herself to the status of mistress.
Then one day, a knight appears. Declan, Earl Camarine, doesn’t get the chance to say “Hello,” before he finds himself staring at a crossbow aimed at him by a lovely young woman who then proceed to tell him she won’t sleep with him. Intrigued by her out-of-nowhere announcement, Declan gets her to agree to issuing him three challenges: if he succeeds, she will be his; if he fails, he’ll leave her alone.
But all is not right in the Edge. Strange dog-like creatures who seems to have an affinity to magic are endangering the Edgers. Rose and her brothers are not safe, and Declan insist on staying at Rose’s house, to better protect them. Declan and Rose must convince the other Edgers that they band together to eliminate the threat.
What I liked: There is a lot going on in this book, stuff I didn’t even touched on — the above is just the main plot points. There’s William, the cute and mysterious guy who seems interested in Rose, but she can’t put her finger on the reason he seems a little off to her. Then there is George and Jack, Rose’s 10- and 8-year old brothers. Both are adorable without being cutesy. And of course, all the world building. There is quite a bit of it, since the Weird and the Edge are not simliar. Each has their own “rules” and culture. The elements seem familiar — the Weird sounds like a historical, but with magic — and even Rose thinks the nobles live the life of leisure attending parties and balls.
It took a bit, but I eventually warmed up to Declan. He comes across as your typical historical snooty noble — and you wonder why Rose isn’t falling for William instead. There’s more going on, of course. Once Rose gets to know Declan a little better, I started to like him.
What I didn’t like: Casshorn and the “hounds”. Yuck.
This book was the first full length novel I read on my e-Reader.
Recommended to: Fans of fantasy or paranormal romances (yes, this one is more a romance than the Kate Daniels books).
Started: 29 September 2009
Finished: 30 September 2009
Rating:
LOVED IT !!
Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
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Line of Scrimmage
Title: Line of Scrimmage
Author: Marie Force
Copyright: 2008 (Sourcebooks); 356 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-4022-1424-3
Series: N/A
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Contemporary Romance (second chance)
Spoiler-ish: I tried to be vague about a certain plot point, but if you’re good at ‘reading between the line’ and guessing things, read at you’re own risk.
Her: Susannah Sanderson. Susannah’s on the verge of divorcing her super-star quarterback husband, Ryan Sanderson, and marrying a man who has a normal job, and who can give her the quiet life she’s wants.
Him: Ryan Sanderson. After winning the Super Bowl for the third time, Ryan has only ten days to change Susannah’s mind before the divorce is final.
Sanderson vs. Sanderson: Susannah has long felt that she comes in second in his life, after football. The point is re-enforced when Ryan returns to playing shortly after a family tragedy. Years of worrying for his safety on the field and watching other women coming on to him all the time have fed her insecurities and compounded the problem. She’s finally had enough and filed for divorce. The judge insists on a six month cooling off period. Ryan spends that time playing football; Susannah spends part of that time planning her wedding.
In His Defense: Instead of turning to her husband in their time of grief, Susannah made Ryan feel like it was his fault. She chose to turn to her family for comfort. Hurting himself and feeling unwanted, Ryan returned to the only thing that made sense to him: football. Had he asked for it, he probably could have asked for a leave of absence, but what would have been the point if Susannah was closing herself off to him, refusing to talk about things. Not helping the situation is the fact her family has never thought highly of him. She came from money; he was raised by a poor, single mother in Texas. To them, Ryan is just a dumb jock, no matter what his college diploma reads. Her family approves of Henry Merrill, the man she’s on the verge of marrying. Though Ryan is hardly perfect, he’s never cheated on Susannah nor has he ever been tempted to do so. She means the world to him, and he knows that she’s part of the reason he’s not just another over-paid prima donna with a bad boy reputation. She keeps him grounded.
Reconciliation: Talking about the tragedy and its aftermath goes a long way in starting the healing process; however, there’s Henry and his parents, and Susannah’s own family who all think that she’s making a mistake. And then there are Susannah’s own insecurities. No matter how sincere and up front Ryan is, Susannah still jumps to the wrong conclusion about him and his actions. Near the end, after Henry’s last vindictive attempt to break them up, I felt that Ryan was on the brink of falling out of love with her. He doesn’t, of course. He knows if he lets things fester and allows it to drive them apart, Henry would win.
Verdict: One of the reasons I liked this book as much as I did was the fact that, when the book starts, Ryan seems to be just another smug, alpha male jerk who thinks he can win the wounded party over with a few kisses and promises. But Ryan knows he’s screwed up big time; he is sincere and he’s willing to beg for a second chance. Once he got to tell his side of the story, I started rooting for him.
Downside: At times, I found myself wanting to shake either Ryan or Susannah — mostly Susannah in the latter half of the book — when one of them did or said something stupid. And I really would have liked to have seen someone deck Henry.
Recommend to: Those looking for a straight-forward, non-paranormal romance and those who enjoy second chance romances. It’s light on football — the season is over when the book starts — so non-sports buffs can breath a little easier and give the book a chance.
Started: 22 September 2009
Finished: 29 September 2009
LOVED IT !!
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