Tag: Historical Paranormal Romance

Review: This Magic Moment by Patricia Rice

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized
The Particulars: Historical Paranormal Romance, Sourcebooks, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Smashwords ( I think)
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
Duke Harry of Sommersville indulged in a carefree, comfortable life— until a sudden inheritance leaves him plagued with a crumbling family manor and hungry debtors. What’s a desperate duke to do but marry the well-heeled woman betrothed to him for years?

Christina Malcolm Childe soon discovers the heavy demands of her new title and the dilapidated and haunted mansion that is her new home. To make matters worse, her magical gift of reading auras reveals that her laughing Harry has become a dark and bitter man. But this mischievous Malcolm has a plan of retaliation: to refuse to consummate their marriage until Harry learns to love her truly.

If only she can resist his raw masculinity long enough to determine the cause of his unhappiness and the mansion’s neglect. She must find her answers quickly, before the worm-eaten floors fall from beneath her very feet. That is, if Harry doesn’t sweep her off them first..

 
The Review:
I bought this when Patricia Rice re-issued the Magic series as e-books, but it is about to be released in print soon, I thought this was a good time to review it.
This is the fourth book in the Malcolm and Ives series, and it focus on Harry and Christina. I enjoyed following their romance, from a marriage of convenience to a marriage of love. They both mature a lot during the novel.Harry turns from an outgoing MP to a stern duke. His transformation is swift, overnight almost, but it makes sense. What I like is how he during the novel start to merge into a combination of his previous personality and his stern persona.
Christina was bubbly, and slightly tomboyish when the book started. But slowly she becomes more lady like. 
The  crumbling manor that Harry inherits felt believable,  since a lot of nobles struggled with maintaining their estates.  And Harry’s fathers wish to rebuild the manor was a part of that era.  I liked the mix of old and new in the manor. 
The plot was well crafted, and filled with unexpected twists. I loved how Christina’s gift of seeing ghosts and auras got her into trouble. And I loved Harry’s reactions since they made so much sense. What I liked was that they realised that they had to work together to solve the mystery, and save the estate.
That said, who the villain was felt a bit predicable to me, which pulls down the grade. ( That and the formatting errors. Which is fixed in the new edition.)

Review: Sanctuary Lost by Moira Rogers

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance


The Particulars: Paranormal Romance
The Source: Purchased at AllRomance
The Grade: B
The Blurb:

If there’s one thing that Brynn Adler hates, it’s feeling helpless and vulnerable in unfamiliar territory. Three weeks ago, life tossed her into just such a world. A world of werewolves she never knew existed—until she found out her sister was one of them.
The pack seems determined to hurry her back to the normal world of humans. But after everything she’s witnessed, she’s not sure she wants to go—especially if it means leaving not only her sister behind, but the one man who makes her forget her life is falling apart.
Now all she has to do is convince him to agree to a plan to force the pack to let her stay.
Joe Mitchell has been battling his protective instincts since he rescued Brynn from her kidnapper. Getting involved with her is a bad idea for a lot of reasons. She’s on shaky emotional ground, and a supernatural war is no place for a human woman. He’s not about to let her make a hasty decision, one that will only bring her pain and regret.
Now all he has to do is let her go.



The Review:

This is the second book in the series, and it isn’t stand alone. I don’t believe there are many spoilers to book one in it, but to understand the background, it is best to have read book one.

I enjoyed the insight this book gave me when it comes to the Hierachy of a Werewolf pack. I loved how everyone (except Gavin) are dominant to some wolves, and submissive to others.I also enjoyed the insight in werewolf politics it gave me.    

This is a heart wrenching book.  My heart ached for Brynn, as she struggled to pick up her life and adjust to the changes in her life.I liked how Joe was there and supported her, even though he didn’t always agree with her descions.  But he did his best to ensure she could defend herself.   

Brynn might be submissive, but I love the fact that she is strong. She knows what she wants. I also loved that she had to fight for it, both with her sister and the Alphas of Red Rock Pass.

The plot was action packed, and filled with unexpected twists.  I loved how Ms Rogers took Brynn’s wishes and turned them upside down.While Joe acted as Brynn’s Guide,  I also liked that in the end it was Brynn that reached a balance with her wolf.

As all this happens, other events builds up to a confrontation with Alan Matthews.
While nothing with this book was bad, it took awhile before it fully hooked me :).

Review: Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Kobo
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:

Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he’s come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right-hand man.

When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.
Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.
Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.
The Review:
This is the first book in Moira Rogers excellent Red Rock Pass series, which is one of my favorite series.
The world is intriguing, and filled with fractions. I loved how the tension between werewolves that follows the old ways and werewolves that doesn’t affected the plot. I could feel an echo of how fast our society has changed, and not necessarily for the better. What I also liked was how she hinted at the existence of other factions. I cannot wait to see how that will affect future books, both in this series and the Green Pine series. ( And future, unwritten series.)
But what I liked most was how Moira Rogers has spent time thinking about the details. I loved the tradition of Guide and Initiation, and how it was encouraged to take time before taking the plunge. At least in the Sanctuary pack, in non- Sanctuary pack I felt it was more on the whim of the Alpha.
The book crackles with tension. Both between Keith and Abby, but also tension between the Red Rock Pack and the Helena Pack.I enjoyed reading about Keith and Abby’s relationship. It would have been so easy for Keith to take the plunge, and become both Abby’s boyfriend and Guide. Instead, he is adamant that Abby makes an active choice about who she wants as Guide. Both Abby and Keith had their past, and I loved how it came back to haunt them. Both the Romance and the Action built on each other, and both stemmed from the characters protective instinct.  That combination led to a book I couldn’t put down.  
This book was fast paced, but sometimes it felt like things happened too fast. It is a sign of Moira Rogers skill that it never became confusing.

Review: The Trouble With Magic by Patricia Rice

On By MikaelaIn Uncategorized
The Particulars: Historical Paranormal Romance, Sourcebooks, available as e-book and in print
The Source: All Romance
The Grade: B-
The blurb:
Is Her Magic a Gift or a Curse…?

All the Malcolms have some magic, but Lady Felicity’s ability to read people’s emotions simply by touching them or their possessions overwhelms her. She’s reached a marriageable age, but how can she ever wed when she can see so clearly a man’s guilty secrets?

Only He Can Tell the Difference…

Ewen Ives, itinerant rake and adventurous inventor, knows better than to underestimate the mischief of the Malcolms. But sparks fly when he encounters Felicity

The Review:
I bought all of Patricia Rice Magic Novels when she selfpublished them, before she sold them to Sourcebook. Except… this book, some how, went missing. So, when it was re-issued by Sourcebooks I knew I had to buy it again.
And I am glad I did.
I enjoyed reading about Ewen and Felicity’s romance. I liked Ewen’s chivalry, and his attempt to protect Felicity from the visions. Even when he made mistakes, he acted for Felicity’s welfare. And my heart melted as he struggled between doing what he must, and doing what he wanted. It fascinating to see him grow, from a wandering tinker and inventor, to a man satisfied with settling down.
At first Felicity’s lack of self confidence annoyed me . But that annoyance disappeared quickly as the story continued. She has inner strength that I admired, and it felt like she could do anything. As long as Ewen was there. And that was one of the aspects that I liked most. How Ewen and Felicity fit. They are different, yet somehow their halves meshed and became one.
But what I especially liked, was that both of them knew that they would have rough times in front of them.I liked how the romance, and the threat of bankruptcy that hung over Ewen’s head worked together. And I also liked how they worked together, both when it came to finding Felicity’s journal, and figuring out how the lock that Ewen designed broke.
And that, in combination with an intriguing and carefully crafted setting, created a book I couldn’t stop reading.
Despite all the things I loved with the book, it sometime felt like I was skimming pages, not reading them. But that didn’t last long though..

Review: Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

On By MikaelaIn reviews
The particulars: Historical Paranormal Romance, Sourcebooks, available as e-book and in print
The Source: Discover a new love
The Grade: D+
The blurb:
Sir Terence Blackwell is a lion shapeshifter who is determined to find the magical relic that killed his brother. When he sniffs out the taint of magic on Lady Felicity Seymour, a disinherited duchess, he’s sure that she’s far craftier than she first appears. Terrance believes that the easiest way to learn all of her secrets is to court the young miss. Unfortunately, Terrance’s plans for vengeance are soon thwarted when he finds himself falling under the lady’s enchanting spell…
The Review:
I downloaded this from Discover a new love since I read and liked The Firelord’s lover a couple of years ago.
This is a light paranormal, set in an alternate Victorian London. I had a lot of fun trying to guess which parts of London the different neighborhoods was based on. The alternative place names felt right and reflected the neighborhoods status.  How the magic system was set up appealed a lot too me.  I liked that you ( and your family) could raise or fall  in status, depending on which kind of magic you had.  I also liked that no one could do everything.  
The thing I liked most about this book was Terence and Felicity. Both of them were shaped by their backgrounds. Terrence just lost his brother, and is fiercely protective of his remaining family. And I liked the lengths he went to protect Felicity.
Felicity has spent her life being ignored. And her adaptions to that made me smile. But the first scenes made my heart ache as well since they showed very clearly how her life must have been.
Too me the plot was very predicable. From the way they met, to their courtship and then their HEA. The thing that kept me reading was Terence and Felicity’s relationship, but when I stopped reading yesterday I wasn’t sure if I would finish this.  In fact, it wasn’t until the last 70 pages or so that I felt that I was interested in what happened next.
A lot of that stemmed from my main problem with this book: I had a lot of problem connecting with the characters. I liked Terence and Felicity, but I didn’t love them. It felt like their feelings were just hinted at, and never truly shown. Which is too bad, since I felt that there was a lot of promise in the worldbuilding, and in parts of the plot.

Review: Merely Magic by Patricia Rixe

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Merely MagicMerely Magic by Patricia Rice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Book: Merely Magic by Patricia Rice

The Particulars: Historical Fantasy Romance, Sourcebooks, available both in print and e-book

Why was it in my TBR? Because I wanted to something to cheer me up

The Review:

The blurb:
With exhilarating wit, sensuality, and emotion, bestselling author Patricia Rice offers an enchanting historical romance. When a magical young woman meets a dark aristocrat in a moonlit forest, neither dreams that a strange and powerful love is about to change their lives forever….

My impressions:

I picked this up a year ago,when she put up the whole series on Smashwords and Kindle.  I admit, I fell in love. When I read that she had sold the series to Sourcebooks, I got really happy.

Drogo, Earl of Ives and Wystan is a scientist, that don’t believe in magic. Ninian Malcolm Siddons have grown up in Wystan. She accept that she is a witch. Both characters are strongwilled. And they are so different, but watching them carve out a life together was fascinating. There were moments in this book that made me smile. And other scenes made me cry. My heart went out to Ninian when she tried to get Drogo to believe. In her powers, and in his brothers. Despite the obstacles, they get their HEA.
I finished this book with a happy sigh. This is a heartwarming book, not as funny as some of the other books in the series. But oh so good.

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