Novelspot

The Tarot. The Zodiac. Horoscopes. Mystics. Superstition. Sound familiar? Maybe you are really into some or all of these. I myself have little knowledge of most of them. I don’t go racing for the paper to read my horoscope every day. I don’t avoid walking under ladders and I don’t cross myself if someone blasphemes or if a black cat should stroll past me. Yet, whilst none of them play a role in my life, when it comes to reading I am fairly open minded and like getting my hands on books that have something of the unusual about them. Use of any of these in a book provides something out of the ordinary.

An author can style their whole plot around the Tarot, or the Zodiac, or something else. These can play an important role in the storyline. Yet, not having a great understanding, I am more interested in how the authors are able to manipulate their characters and some aspect of the celestial to suit their purposes, their story, rather than all the technical details about what these actually are. For instance, I’ll take how a sign corresponds with the character of the actors in the story over detailed descriptions of what the Tarot or the Zodiac is all about.

I dislike getting bogged down in the detail. Oftentimes I get lost and the information simply slips over my head. Any author who can present a tale where something celestial provides a strong influence, without clogging up the story with in-depth descriptions or dialog about how they work, has my thumbs up and appreciation. Of course, should you be accomplished in these areas then the detail may not bother or overwhelm you.

Heavenly Hijinks is, by and large, such a story. It is the first of the Planetary Passions series that I have been able to successfully read. My first attempt was a disaster and I gave up several chapters in (too much detail, wouldn’t you know). In Heavenly Hinjinks Ashley Ladd has created an unusual tale, with much mixed into the plot: the Zodiac, Gods and demi-gods, mystic inferences and Tarot Readings, to name a few. The plot has been weaved around the Zodiacal demi-God, Leo the Lion, and a skeptic, Clestie, which certainly provides something atypical. Without the use of the Zodiac, this tale would not have been the same. Indeed, it wouldn’t exist: not in the same great way, at least.

Clestie doesn’t believe in the occult, though her aunt had been a woman of deep faith and had her own mystical shop. For much of her life, Clestie has walked a fine line between her religious father, whom she loves – and who was violently opposed to anything that didn’t jibe with his own deep-seated beliefs – and the mystic aunt she adored. With her aunt’s death, Clestie and her cousin, Elizabeth, inherit the mystical shop. A professional dancer, Clestie is currently on a break but does not want the mystic shop in any case – in the beginning, at least. It was impossible to see how much her life would be changed by the shop; that she would discover hidden talents, or possibly a new purpose. She certainly didn’t foresee the entrance of Leo into her life. Gorgeous, loin cloth wearing Leo. Insane Leo. At least, he must be mad, for he certainly could not be telling the truth about being a Zodiacal demi-God trapped on earth. Could he?

It’s Leo the Lion’s 3,500th birthday and in an act of boredom and stupidity he leaped on a comet bound for earth. Now he’s stuck there. To teach him a lesson, his father, Zeus, has stripped him of the powers he did have and has forbidden friends and family to help him out of the bind he has gotten himself caught up in. He has to find a way back to the heavens on his own. After several weeks, he manages to track down the location of the mystic Petunia, who’ll be able to return him to where he belongs. Just in time, too, for without his guidance all his Leo charges have begun to run amok. Problem is, he finds that Petunia has passed on. She has left this realm, and her great-nieces are now installed in her place. The one niece has not a whit of magic, but Clestie… Leo senses much power emanating from Clestie, but it is trapped. To add to his difficulties, she doesn’t believe in anything celestial, let alone Leo’s belief that he is a demi-god. But she’s his only hope, so he’ll just have to stick around and do his best to convince her and tap into her trapped magic, using whatever methods he can. Of course, some of those delicious methods aren’t exactly a trial for him to undertake.

Heavenly Hijinks is a fabulous novel with an interesting plot and a great use of the Zodiac. Whilst reading the story, I was ecstatic not to come across too much, impossible-to-take-in detail about the Zodiac. There was some detailed explanation, mostly through dialogue, but with Leo teaching Clestie about the Tarot cards, what can you expect? Leo and Clestie were excellent characters, well developed and with their own little quirks. Leo in particular will make you laugh, with his ignorance of modern mortal living, which provides some truly funny moments. Meeting the other characters was also joyous, particularly Leo’s family. Zeus, Leo’s father, Hera, Leo’s stepmother, and Aphrodite, Leo’s sister, were all great and appealing, with a good development, particularly as they only make cameo appearances in the story.

Heavenly Hijinks is well-paced, and it’s impossible to tell where the story is going to go. I offer my thanks to Ashley Ladd for her clever concealment of the plot’s direction. I like to be surprised in my stories, but all too often I know or get a feeling about where the author is headed with the tale. There is some sex, described in detail, fairly traditional and inoffensive. Very enjoyable with a great twist on the Zodiac, Heavenly Hijinks is a satisfactory read, no matter your understanding of the celestial.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© November 2006

Want a babe with her bouncing vest just begging to be ripped as she runs in distress for knights to save her? Then run fast and far away from this book. Because Steve Lazarowitz has his nimble writer’s fingers on the current reader’s pulse, and he has surely gazed into the crystal ball of our readership desires.

A Leaf in the Wind is an amazing book that blows away the old cobwebs of others in its genre. It contains a strong female character that is a rare thing indeed. Raised by a trusted warrior in a magical place, this young elf is the last of her kind. Far from being pampered, she is trained to survive off of the land. She is not afraid to talk back, fight back, and stick up for herself. She might be the damsel in distress, but you will not see a swoon here or a plea for mercy!

Many fantasy books I have read have seemed written by formula at times. This one takes you by the hand and creates a world that not only feels real, but it makes you wish it could be. Yes, there are Mages, damsels in distress, royalty, evil magic, and the usual pubs and taverns. That is not what makes it unique, however. These characters really do change with time and in ways not always predictable—that says a lot for someone who has been reading fantasy for over forty years.

So what does this book offer? A fight for the throne and a mirror of our own political reality that is not only sneaky but includes misperceptions which are constant and real dangers to the truth. The magical elements are more like our own use of technology. Much of the magic in A Leaf in the Wind is like that in the hands of those who stumble upon it and sometimes with humorous results.

A Leaf in the Wind stands well enough alone that to find there are two others after this gives me great delight and sent me on a quest to Double Dragon eBooks to find them. Happily, it does not involve pots of gold.

Reviewed By Nancy Louise
© November 2006

Everyone does it. Perhaps only in the darkest recesses of thought, we all fantasize about our own death, the aftermath and impact of it. To brush near death, to feel its cold breath on the back of the neck, forces the mind closer and closer to its reality; forces one to truly consider its implications, both practical and emotional. To look back is also to evaluate the worth of the life and of a life’s work. Lisey’s Story could be Stephen King’s fictional therapy, dealing with the death that reached out and scratched him and to what he may have left behind. The haunter is the haunted.

Two years after her husband’s death, Lisey Landon has not moved on; she’s haunted by her dead husband; the memories they made together, the horror of his past and the literary vultures who wish to pick at the carcass of his left-behind work. Lisey finally begins sifting through the inundating mass that forms the remnants of her husband's work, the minutia of over twenty years, the bits of stories, the correspondence, articles and clippings. The emersion into his words and pictures brings her, as she knew it would, back to the pain of his loss.

“Time apparently did nothing but blunt grief’s sharpest edge so that it hacked rather than sliced.”

Compelled by the threats and violent torture of a madman, the clues left by her husband and the degeneration of one sister’s sanity, Lisey is forced to delve deeper and deeper into the memories and implications until she can free herself from them all. The hunt takes her to the jaws of a monster and into the fantastical world of Boo’ya Moon, a place of beauty and beasts, both magnificent and horrifying with the descriptions and imagery so finely wrought.

Boo’ya Moon is the realm of Scott’s salvation, where he retreated to survive the horrors of his childhood. It is a metaphor for the protective fragment in any human’s mind that allows them to withdraw from the dreadfulness of reality. Boo’ya Moon holds not only the best of Scott but also the worst. Lisey must conquer it all and like many widows, she learns just what she’s capable of and how to face the rest of her life without her husband.

Lisey’s Story is not precisely a love story, as its publicity contends, but the story of love and its power; a story laying bare the strange forces that ignite in the fecund setting of a marriage. It’s a story of all kinds of familial love, good parents, bad parents and siblings of all kinds, one that shows how love and dependency are interchangeable. King takes the opportunity to doff his hat, through Lisey’s tribulations, to what all the years of being Mrs. Stephen King must be like for his wife, the forgotten, ghost-like anonymity of it, while professing his complete and utter reliance upon her.

As he has done in many previous works (for instance The Shining, Misery, The Dark Half and Bag of Bones), King utilizes the writer as his vehicle. This time using him to offer more reflections on writing and language, contending with exquisite aptness, that the words and stories we all use and enjoy come from a ‘pool’, a place that is, as any writer knows, not always easy to find.

‘“I’ve told you about the pool, right?”

“Yes, Scott. Where we all go down to drink.”

“Yep. And cast our nets. Sometimes the really brave fisherfolk—the Austens, the Dostoevskys, the Faulkners—even launch boats and go out to where the big ones swim, but that pool is tricky. It’s bigger than it looks, it’s deeper than any man can tell, and it changes its aspect, especially after dark.”’

Looking at the body of King’s work, it is irrefutable that he swims in the deep end of the pool. Many of the scenes in Lisey’s Story are flashbacks, some are even flashbacks within flashbacks, layer upon layer of character depth and plot line. No one but Stephen King could get away with it (Jealous? Damn straight!).

Lisey’s Story is replete with that distinctive King flavor, that of a keen intelligent mind and its musings. However, it is the teasing foreshadowing, doled out crumb-by-crumb, of the bizarre to come that forces the reading on and on, faster and faster.

Reviewed by Donna Russo Morin
© November 2006

Ah, Love. How does one describe it? In a multitude of ways, of course. Love means something different to each individual. It cannot be categorized in a general sense. It must be free to take the form best suited to each person who finds themselves falling into… well, Love. Love An Anthology gives a wide selection of situations and characters, from the first love to the true love to the love found later in life. It is a smorgasbord from which one may pick and choose the pleasing delicacies to tantalize the senses and leave one satisfied, with many other treats for a later snack.

Katherine Smith begins the buffet with "A Slender Debt". Personally, I'd enjoy seeing this story expanded. I'd like to know more about Justin. The young widow Adrianne appears to be a little too tough, but perhaps that is the quality in a woman that Justin is looking for. He offers his body, a substitute for her dead husband. Adrianne succumbs to the desires of the man that the sea, which deprived her of her husband, has delivered to her door. There is no summary of this story, only commentary.

"Remember" by Judith Fox is the next course. Penelope Curtis returns to the scene of her childhood lost love, determined to enjoy her new employment. Unfortunately, the love that left her emotionally wounded and caused her flight from the island, Brent Day, turns out to be her employer and he has designs of picking up just where they left off. Unfortunately, the basic story is well planned but the delivery is choppy. There were too many dark or gray areas to leave me with a feeling of satisfaction at the end.

"A Soldier in Love" by Diane M. Wylie. Poverty and starvation will drive a person to do whatever it takes to survive. "A Soldier in Love" shows what one woman had to do during the Civil War to keep from dying in the street from the poverty thrust upon her by her father. The truths of the Civil War are presented well within the margins of the central love story. More background on Ryan would have been nice but the love of Ryan for Christine was perfectly presented against the background of the battlefield.

"Meant to Be" by Crystal Inman. Lack of communication has been the death of many a love affair. That lack was very nearly lethal for Lynn as she runs from the altar. Max is a strong character, stronger than his lousy brother who jilted Lynn. A series of miscommunications must be overcome if Max and Lynn are ever to find happiness.

"The Arrangement" by Crystal Inman. What do you do when you find a crazy but beautiful lady who says she is your muse lying in the bushes in the park while you're trying to get some writing done? Brendon Wardlow is about to find out how much he is willing to go through to become a best selling author…and how much he is willing to give up for love. I wonder at the security of falling in love with a muse. Both love and a muse can be so fickle.

"Restoration of a Broken Heart" by Barbara Baldwin. Restoration can come to more than just an antiquated manor house. An elderly heart can be reconditioned to a lovely new life with the proper touch. For romance to come in the advanced years is heartwarming, especially when it comes in the form of Joe who is the picture of the distinguished lover. Molly finds that after her divorce, Joe is just what she needs to complete her new life as owner of the Maple Manor mansion, soon to be the "Bed and Breakfast" Molly has dreamed of owning. Joe is romantic in the extreme and Molly is all but wrapped up in him on the first night they met. Their relationship progresses smoothly to an ending that gave me hope and a smile, especially with the loving references Joe makes about Molly's not so perfect body: "Don’t you know that the intriguing part of a woman is what's inside. A man's a fool if he only looks at the outside wrapping…" Pure romance.

"Echo of the Plains" by Kristy McCaffrey. Welcome to North Texas, 1895. It was a time when family came above all else. A time when a seventeen year old boy could suddenly find the love of his life, even if he had to fight with her to win her heart. Eli Ryan is tossed from his horse only to find himself looking up at an angel with green eyes. Finding he's not dead, he makes the re-acquaintance of Miss Cassie Callahan, the young lady whom he had known when she was but four or five. One wild stallion serves to drive Eli and Cassie apart and bring them together again in this sweet story of family loyalty and young love.

"Worthy Hearts" by Janet Mills. Alicia Cortez has too many big brothers. Well, not exactly brothers but the three men doubling as brothers where her dating life is concerned. And if they didn’t scare off any prospective boyfriend, her large family usually does. Trey Whitlock is not to be dissuaded from his desire to get to know Ali better. He brings a peace offering to his first meeting with the "brothers." Although Ali's roommates share every intimate detail of her bad points with Trey, he's still determined to be a part of her life. The first date is filled with earning the acceptance of Ali's friends, followed by an unexpected meeting of her rather large family. In Trey's heart, loving Ali is the prize worth earning.

"Where the Heart Is" by Barri Bryan. Coming home is the hardest thing Angela Murray has ever done--coming back to her childhood home that she swore she'd never return to. But her sister's funeral is more important than all of the hurt she associates with Paul's Valley. Unfortunately it puts her in direct contact with the man who drove her away when she was eighteen; the older man she loved with everything she had and was forbidden by her mother to see; the man who shunned her after being her lover; the man who became her sister's husband four years after she left town. Can she find a peace with the man who caused her so much pain?

How wonderful is Love? I suppose it would matter just what you have to go through to find it, to grab hold of it, and to keep it forever. In this collections published by Whiskey Creek Press, there is a love scenario for each person, whether it be in the form of a short story or the heartwarming poetry that is included in between. Love An Anthology is a feast that everyone can find a sweet morsel or two within and finish with a sigh of satisfaction.

Reviewed by MargeAnna Conrad
Copyright © November 2006

Murder most foul, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy! Nobody liked the victim. In fact, they hated him. Practically everybody had a reason to kill him. But which one did it? Final Argument, by Kenneth L. Levinson, is a modern murder mystery done in the traditional style, a true “whodunit” of Agatha Christie proportions. This is a novel that does more than entice one to try and figure out who did it, even before the hero does; it practically demands it!

Adam Larson, an attorney in the Denver area, receives a phone call from his girlfriend, Josie Ballantine. She is “distraught,” because she has received a subpoena. A real estate broker, she sold a house which subsequently burnt while restoration work was in progress. Although she feels she is not directly involved in the whole thing, since it was a done deal, Josie, along with the gas company, her insurance company, and the prior owners, are all being sued by the new owners. Josie is understandably irate and scared.

When Adam learns who the plaintiff’s attorney is, he is taken aback. The man representing them is none other than the infamous Daniel T. Scadman, known to all and sundry as Madman Scadman. He will stop at nothing, resort to any measures, in order to win his cases. This places Adam in a predicament, because he and Josie haven’t been getting along well and he doesn’t like to mix business with the personal, but he feels he must help her under the circumstances. Still, Adam knows it can only add stress to an already stressful relationship.

After an unsatisfying telephone call with Madman Scadman, a deposition date is set. Everyone comes to Adam’s offices to complete it. But the deposition gets off to a bad start. Scadman, it seems, is intent on making everyone angry, furious in fact. His questions, his demeanor, and behavior all appear to be deliberately contrived to create a confrontation with all. Arguments break out over procedure with Scadman not allowing Josie to fully answer questions. His confrontational manner doesn’t stop with her, but is applied with equal animosity to the other lawyers present. The situation spirals out of control, as all the defense attorneys and their clients become ever angrier with Scadman.

Finally, over yet another bone of contention, Scadman jumps up. Matt Bruner rises, trying to calm him. They scuffle and Matt is slammed against the corner of a bookcase, his blazer torn, his back hurt.

Adam Larson calls a halt to the deposition. He retires with Josie from the room, in order to placate the now thoroughly upset woman. While they talk, the others also adjourn from the library, taking a break. Adam then recalls everyone, in order to formally end the deposition, and call for a court-appointed referee. Scadman is nowhere to be found. Finally, Adam checks the library. There, sprawled on the floor with his head bashed in, lies Scadman. He is stone cold dead. To make matters worse, ironically, he was bludgeoned to death by the murderer using a legal exhibit, a piece of evidence from another of Adam’s legal cases.

Now the great question arises. Who committed the murder? Whodunit? Was it an angry attorney, perhaps the fighting-mad Matt Bruner, or one of the clients? Could someone have slipped into the building and murdered him? These are the questions that Adam Larson and his girlfriend Josie Ballantine must try to answer.

Final Argument, by Kenneth L. Levinson, is an excellent mystery story. Kenneth shows real skill and talent in the creation of this piece. Final Argument is an intriguing novel, one that grabs the reader at the outset and doesn’t let them go until the final page. I particularly enjoyed the pace of the book, the way that Kenneth wove facts about law and trial lawyers into a solid and interesting plot. The main character, Adam, has a self-deprecating humor, which supplies a light and needed touch to what otherwise might be a very grim subject. If I had any quibble with this book, it is that I would like it to have gone on a little longer, touched on Adam’s and Josie’s relationship in even more depth. But then, when something is this good, one always wants more of it.

With all the main ingredients of a gripping story, a fast-paced plot, an intricate mystery, well-developed characters, a victim the reader will love to hate, and even a rocky romance, I would recommend Final Argument to anyone, and not just fans of mystery fiction. Kenneth L. Levinson has a winner here. Do yourself a favor and read this book! You won’t regret it.

Reviewed By Rob Shelsky
Copyright © November 2006

Birth
Rebirth
Renewal
Redemption

Starting over from nothing. Sounds scary. It may be but it can also be the perfect cure for the common ills of a society. Not that I would want to see this happen with humanity. We'd only make the same mistakes over again and who has the time for that? One man has seen the benefit of this and has incorporated it into the saga of the Aethereal. Æthereal's Pride is the product of a fresh beginning and throughout it's pages it has attained each of the aforementioned stages.

Katherine gives birth to her daughter, finding that life among the Ursar clan has given the child many unexpected benefits. The Pride, yet another branch of the Guardian race, experiences rebirth through the one surviving family of Leonids after their home world is devastated by the Grays. They decide to cure the ills of their society beginning with their four cubs. A renewal of Spyder, who was severely injured in the previous installment, takes place that is unexpected by all involved.

The level of excitement in the battle scenes and the depth of the development of the characters and situations included in Æthereal's Pride has brought redemption to my expectations of the creative genius that is Christopher W. Wilcox, Sr. With the imagery and story line threaded throughout the series, it is worthy of branching into out as a mini-series or into the film industry for the large screen. I have believed this from the first novel, Æthereal, and that belief has not wavered. Look out, Star Trek and Star Wars,; here comes Æthereal. My only disappointment lies in the fact that there are few books yet to come in the Æthereal series.

Reviewed By MargeAnna Conrad
© November 2006

The historical novel is experiencing a great resurgence. With the works of Phillipa Gregory, Elizabeth Kostova and Diana Gabaldon topping the best-sellers list, the genre is enjoying grand popularity. This new release by Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab’s Wife, is another engrossing mix of the historical and the fictional.

During difficult times, people want and need someone to blame, someone upon whom they can ply their anger and frustration. In French history, the greatest accusation has always been the one made against Marie Antoinette. In some works, it would actually appear as if this Austrian woman alone was the impetus for the French Revolution of 1789 when, in fact, the seeds of unrest had been planted a hundred years earlier, under the reign of Louis XIV. It was from this Louis’ wife that the words “Let them eat cake” actually came. In Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette, Naslund proposes an opposing contention: the defense of Marie Antoinette in her own words.

Written from the first person perspective of Marie Antoinette herself, the book reads like a memoir or as if the famous Queen sits quietly telling the tale of her life. In many places, the author utilizes the young woman’s own words where historical records were available, text taken from the memoirs of others who chronicled the Queen’s words. The rest of the story, like so many historical novels, is “imagination, based on research.”

Fourteen-year-old Marie Antoinette is poised on the brink of a precipice when her life will change forever. The story begins, as does her journey, as she travels from Austria to France to meet and marry her future husband, Louis XVI, a fifteen-year-old adolescent. Though she is young, this version of the famous story finds Marie Antoinette cognizant of the importance of the moment. Her early words, untainted by adult experiences, are innocent yet her intellect warns her of what is to come as the wife of a King. Her fear at leaving her old life, her old world, even her old name is clear amidst the bravado that attempts to pretend otherwise. Even before she meets her betrothed, she can recite their stark differences: Louis Auguste’s preference for books over all else, her dislike of reading and love of nature. However, what she does she does for peace in Europe, and she does so with full knowledge, though the knowledge does nothing to alleviate her fears.

As any human’s thoughts stretch out like the many divergent strands of a spider’s web, so does the narrative, laying bare this woman’s innermost feelings and emotions. This is not the Marie Antoinette of the revolutionist history as most know her, but a flesh and blood young woman thrust into the most glamorous, chaotic and dangerous court of the day. The strange French customs of the time are revealed through her Austrian eyes: the overt opulence of dress, make up and décor, the hedonistic, pleasure-obsessed behavior and the danger inherent in the subterfuge of court life.

The months of unconsummated marriage with Louis XIV turn to years and though they sleep in the same bed, it is only somnolence and contemplations that they share, thoughts and feelings but no physical intimacy, and the lack of it worries upon her mind above all else. Her journey to womanhood was so short, so absent of a childhood, she fails to realize her husband is not yet a man. She sees in his inabilities a lack of desire.

“The question is whether I shall strangle on bitterness or shame. People say I am pretty and have great charm, but to my husband I am more hideous than a dragon. I want to throw back my head and spout up my misery. I want to be torn apart by dogs.”

The humble introspection and unveiling of fears cannot camouflage how quickly Marie Antoinette becomes accustomed to the gargantuan riches of her husband’s court or the power inherent with being the wife of one of the most influential men in the world. She betrays herself with her own thoughts, offered as mere trivia, between her seemingly more profound intellectual discoveries. Her naïve mistrust of those around her who actually wish her ill brings her further into trouble and into the tainted eye of the people. As the young Queen evolves from child to woman, her lack of physical satisfaction becomes all-consuming and seems to be offered as the excuse for all her aberrant behavior.

“I have tried always to make him welcome, have never shunned him, but sometimes I am filled with irritation and impatience, for which dancing and laughing and teasing someone else are the only release. Now there is gambling too."

When finally children come and she gives France an heir and more, she finds the pinnacle of her popularity, but it is short lived and the fall from the mountaintop is longest of all. Even as Marie Antoinette sees glimmers of her ill-fated future, her natural tendency toward opulence and abundance takes place without her notice; she speaks of it as she speaks of taking a bath or getting dressed, but nothing can stop the unwavering course of her destiny.

It is easy to happily surrender to the exquisite storytelling of Marie Antoinette, to hang on to her every word and forget her medium is a twenty-first century author. Sena Jeter Naslund has painted a picture of a completely loving, loyal, and well-mannered, if a bit spoiled, woman. It is a portrait in complete opposition to the one etched by the rest of history. It seems almost naively wrought; certainly, there should have been some admission of guilt in this highly intelligent, introspective woman’s words. There is a veiled acknowledgment of her love for Count Axel von Fersen and an equally obscure reference to the truth of their relationship. But such words are accompanied by a sense of rationalization on her part, an ‘it’s not my fault I acted this way’ attitude, much as children exhibit when caught breaking the rules.

This extraordinarily crafted work, rich in both language and historical detail, is a treasure among the many books on this unique woman’s life, brilliantly accomplishing what the movie by Sophia Coppola did not. Whatever beliefs one may have of Marie Antoinette’s true actions in those illustrious days so long ago, the author has so successfully and endearingly personified the woman, it is difficult not to feel a prickle of grief at the violent end of her life and at the end of this intellectual, stimulating and engrossing work.

Donna Russo Morin
© December 2006

What comes to mind when you think of historical romance? For me, the regency period is front and foremost. I adore the Lords and Ladies, the balls, the marriage marts with the ambitious mamas, love triumphing over practical arrangements. There are so many ways a regency romance can unfold, and I love them all. Yet, the regency period is not the be all and end all of historical romance. For instance, there is also the medieval period, which is the genre A Knight’s Vengeance falls under.

Ordinarily, were I to buy an historical romance I doubt I’d look at anything that wasn’t of the regency period. Yet that is simply a reflection of my main preferences. With so little money to be spread amongst ebooks and print, limiting myself to buying my favorites is a course I must take. I must spend wisely, if not frugally, since that’s simply impossible. While A Knight’s Vengeance didn’t change my preference for the regency period over all other historical romances, it did demonstrate that I can enjoy books of other genres as much as I do books from my favorite genre.

As a boy, Geoffrey de Lanceau had not the strength or the skill to save his father’s life. Accused of treason, Geoffrey’s father was slain during the siege of their keep right before Geoffrey’s eyes. He managed to move his father away from the scene of the battle, but his father died in a rat infested stable, his wounds too grave too survive. Geoffrey swore vengeance to the heavens, certain that his father was no traitor but instead had been betrayed.

Revenge has been a long time coming, but at last is at hand. His service to the king during the crusades lost him his brother in battle and gave him severe wounds he barely survived. But in thanks from the king, he has been given Branton keep and he is now in the position to claim his rightful birthright. He will take Wode from the man who murdered his father, and justice will have at last been done. His plan is solid – except for just one thing. He never foresaw falling in love with his hostage, Lady Elizabeth Brackendale, daughter of Arthur Brackendale, the scum responsible for his father’s death. But will this stealth love alter his course, or will he forge ahead – and lose Elizabeth in the process?

Lady Elizabeth Brackendale’s love for her father knows no bounds. She will do anything to protect him, to stop his worry. Rumors abound that a knight is to seek vengeance against her father for a past deed, though Arthur had acted at the King’s command and done nothing wrong. Though she had long dreamt of a strong, loving husband to ease her father’s fears for her future she has been betrothed to Baron Sedgewick, a lecherous and disgusting old man she has no intention of marrying. Somehow she must change her father’s mind, yet before she can do so she is kidnapped, a pawn in a game de Lanceau is playing with her father. She is determined to hold out against him, to find a way to stop him and save her father, if not herself. Her feelings toward him change so subtly, so slowly, she hardly notices at first. Yet, she comes to realize throughout her captivity and her attempts to escape that she is in love. She has come to know Geoffrey: his character, his history, and his motivations. She is now torn between two men, loving both. What can she do to save them both? Together, can Elizabeth and Geoffrey uncover the truth of the past and forge a new, happier future?

A Knight’s Vengeance is an excellent medieval romance that drew me in and made me enjoy the plot. My attention was held throughout, and even now the tale lingers in my mind. Geoffrey is a tormented man, his father’s senseless murder having haunted him for most of his life. His need for vengeance has dogged him every step of the way, and has made him who he has become. His thirst for revenge is such a large part of him that without it he would be lost. Elizabeth is a maiden, one who likes to please and protect her beloved and loving father as best she can. She, too, is haunted and grieves for a parent’s death. Her mother died in childbirth; her new sister lasted not many hours more. These two characters both have heavy burdens to bear and paths they thought they needed to follow. But love has a way of changing things. Following them on their journey is truly joyful.

The plot is well thought out and entirely believable, bringing to mind long ago times. Fanciful, maybe, but what is reading if not an escape? There is violence but the violence that fits the period. There is also sex, but again this isn’t described in modern, stark language but in a tone befitting the genre of the novel. A Knight’s Vengeance has a marvelous storyline and is surely a must read for medieval fans – and it’s bound to whet your appetite if you’re looking for a taste of this genre.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© December 2006

In India, a small sect continues the practice of having more than one husband. This practice traces its roots back to an ancient goddess. Just imagine the benefits of having more than one mate.

Savannah Holden, the heroine of Jory Strong’s Roping Savannah, has secretly fantasized about having two males at once, more than once. Of course, it is only a fantasy; one she will not even share with her best friend, Krista.

Draigon D’amato is a winged sentinel of his world. His homeland of Baraqijal, a place not unlike him, is starkly beautiful and filled with danger. As a bounty hunter, Draigon understands duty and obligation better than most. It is time for him to form a triple bond between himself, a Vesti, and a human female. Due to a virus introduced during the war between Amato and Vesti, the sperm of both species is compromised. Only the combination of two males, one of each race, with a Fallon gene-carrying human female will result in children. Outside of this bond, Draigon will remain lonely and childless. Only problem is he doesn’t have a co-mate, or a human female mate. In fact, female with the Fallon gene are few and hard to find.

Savannah Holden, born a rancher’s daughter, is anxious to be more than her father’s daughter or a rancher’s wife. The feisty beauty wants to administer justice, which leads to her position on the police force. It is not enough to be an officer when she knows she could do more as a detective. All she needs to do is break open a big case to move up. She is willing and ready, unfortunately, two co-workers keep getting in her way. Then there’s the exploding Beemer, and to top it off, a gorgeous black-haired bounty hunter appears by her side.

Kye, a Vesti warrior male, is watching over Krista Thomas, who is Savannah’s friend and Kye’s cousin’s selected mate. Beside the red-haired Krista stands an animated female, who Kye knows will be his intended mate. The only thing is he must get a sample of her DNA to take back to the scientists to test for her compatibility. Only after he sinks his fangs in her neck during intercourse and leaves his marker will he reveal that he is not a gorgeous, human male. Of course, there is the problem of a co-mate. Despite his body’s urging, there is no purpose of retaining the luscious Savannah unless he has an Amato to complete the triangle.

Life is hard when you’re trying to fill out a mating triangle. Of course, it is difficult when the bad guys want you dead and your co-worker might be dirty. Somehow, Savannah, Kye, and Draigon come together to fight together and fight against each other with relative success and sizzle.

There is an incredible amount of back-story relayed through the prologue and in each chapter. This seems to be necessary to understand the plotline, but can be difficult. I found myself re-reading paragraphs, even chapters to try to figure out what was going on between the Vesti and the Amato. The Fallon gene element was murky as well. The plot line and characters were interesting and make the book a recommended read. The reader will have to work a little harder at the beginning. Prior novels probably explain the whole Fallon gene issue for the reader. My mistake was in not starting with the original Fallon Mates novel.
Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© December 2006

Remember your first love? That "jump" your heart made whenever you saw him? There were all those firsts you shared: first love, first kiss, and the inevitable first broken heart. Maybe sometimes you wonder what your former flame is up to or what would have happened if you stayed together? Imagine your old boyfriend showing up on your doorstep, years later, after you married someone else? This is Isabella McNeil’s dilemma in Lightning Strikes Twice.

Dark-haired beauty Isabella is always a little in love with Luke Mitchell all through high school. She’s too shy to show him. Instead, they remain friends, close friends, sharing almost everything. Isabella dreams of telling Luke when the time is right how she feels. It just hasn’t been right with graduation and the prom, not to mention finals, all crowding in at the end of the year. Before she gets the opportunity to break the big news, she finds out from the biggest gossip in school that Luke is leaving for the Army. Talk about working under a deadline.

Luke Mitchell’s home is more like a prison and the warden is definitely his father. His father works him harder than two ranch hands and still badmouths him. On one level, Luke realizes his father is a self-absorbed tyrant, but his treatment still hurts. The only ray of light in his stormy world is Isabella. Some days if it wasn’t for her bright smile or caring attitude, he couldn’t make it. That’s why it is especially hard to leave her when he heads out for boot camp. The Army is his only chance at improving his life and himself. Perhaps, if he’s lucky, and Isabella feels the same way he does, she’ll wait for him.

After a tender parting after graduation, things go downhill. Luke and Bella start a long distance courtship through letter writing, but it isn’t the same as an in-person romance, especially when Deacon Brodhi comes sniffing around. Deacon is determined to break up the burgeoning romance between Isabella and Luke. He spikes Bella’s drink and assaults her. Weeks later, when Bella turns up pregnant, big brother, Jack ramrods a shotgun marriage through despite his sister’s strenuous objections. Luke finds out through Jack that Isabella is married. Outside of the Army, there doesn’t seem to be much to fill the gaping hole left in his heart by Isabella’s abrupt departure. Unfortunately, he stills love her -- no matter what.

The story is a familiar one with an endearing couple, Luke and Isabella, finding true love only to be separated. The context seems to be rather twisted though. No girl marries her rapist. Isabella could have filed assault charges or left. Loving parents, which are what Isabella is supposed to have, would sense the wrongness of the situation, perhaps send her away as many parents did in that time period—a long visit with a distant relative. Luke seems equally stymied by inaction. He would have received several leaves including one after boot camp, another after Ranger training, including regular liberties. Their correspondence seems a bit awkward, too. The total isolation of Isabella and Luke doesn’t ring true. Jack, as Luke’s only source of information, is a far stretch, since Luke left a gossipy little town which is filled with plenty of informants that that would love nothing better than to send gossipy little missives to Luke. The bad guys including Deacon and Luke’s father are too evil, making them little more than cardboard cutouts. This story is reminiscent of a melodrama.

Lightning Strikes Twice has the beginnings of being a very sweet, sentimental love story, but loses its way by trying too hard. The couple could have lost touch if Luke was forced to go on a year long, no contact tour. Isabella doubts Luke and takes up with someone else is a possible division tactic. There are a dozen different ways to divide the two without bringing in a stereotypical heavy. A few tweaks can make this story more realistic and compelling. I would like to see more research into the military aspect.
Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
Copyright © November 2006