Must read summer releases

On 24/05/201406/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

This summer is packed full with books that I’m itching to read.

To begin with, there is Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh. Which was the reason I re-read the series now. Mmm. ( I’ll admit that I’m crossing my fingers that my book store makes the same mistake they did last year. *cough*)

Then in July Shaman Rises by C.E Murphy releases. *sob* I’m still struggling with the fact that it is the last Walker Paper novel.

Also in July the third book in Patricia Rice California Malcolms trilogy releases. I’m having my fingers crossed that she writes more, though. If not… well… I’ll nag her until she changes her mind. 🙂

And Wen Spencer’s next Elfhome novel releases in July! Perfect for some fun, fastpaced summer read.

Oh! Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews is out July too. This book wraps up this series arc, although there will be more books. And Michelle Sagara’s Cast in Flames are out in July.

And in September, Ghost Layer by Robin D Owens is out. The first book was so good. But then all Robin’s books are really good. 🙂

So many books. So little time. 🙂 What books are you looking forward to read this summer?

ARC Review: Heart Fortune by Robin D Owens

On 06/08/2013 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available in print and as e-book

The Source: ARC from the Auther

The Grade: B

The Blurb:

On the faraway planet Celta, there are some forces you cannot fight…

Jace Bayrum has always been a loner. Concerned more with getting an adrenaline fix and making money to live on his own, Jace cares little for family ties or matters of the heart. On the other hand Glyssa Licorice, Jace’s former fling and true mate, is both loving and loyal. She is determined to track down her HeartMate and have him claim her.

After hearing that Jace has been involved in an accident, Glyssa sets out to find him, departing for the excavation site of the lost starship Lugh’s Spear. Though her goal is to help Jace and finesse him into recognizing her as his mate, the excavation itself draws her in…

Thrust by fate into working side-by-side, Jace and Glyssa’s electric connection from years before sparks once more. She intrigues him, and Jace begins to realize that a HeartMate can make a difference. And one as magnetic as Glyssa could be exactly what he has been searching for

The Review:

When Robin D Owens offered to send me an ARC of Heart Fortune as a thank you for helping her with the copy edits, I accepted.

Like all Celta novels, this was a well written novel, and for a nice change it didn’t take place in Druida. The camp setting felt believable. I really liked how there were a sense of community, and how they worked together to excavate Lugh’s Spear. But I also liked that not everyone was friends, that there were rivalry between different people.

Glyssa was born and raised in the city, but it was intresting to see how Glyssa gradually got used to life at camp, and the wilderness that surrounded it. I really liked Glyssa, and how she didn’t hesitate to stand her ground, yet she was willing to change to get a future with Jace. I also liked her with Lepid, her intrepid fox fam. And how he encouraged her to be more daring.

Jace on the other hand was used to living in camps, and to wander from job to job. I liked Jace. He had a sense of honor, and was determinded to keep his independence. This included having any relationships. But his reluctance to form a relationship with Glyssa made sense to me, since he had been scarred by his parents marriage.

The plot was well written. I liked that Glyssa and Jace’s romance moved slow, and that their relationship had its bumps. But I liked how they worked together to get over the bumps. And I really liked how the romance and the villain’s actions were connected.

Despite all the things I liked with the book, it wasn’t perfect. It missed that touch of angst that the best of Robin D Owens novels have.

Ten Days of Yule: Guestpost by Robin D Owens

On 18/12/2012 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized

Please welcome Robin D Owens, she is here to tell us about her latest release in her Mystic Circle series.

Thank you so much for having me! Now a little bit about the Mystic Circle Series:

A dwarf at the door, brownies in the garden, and a merman in the koi pond…strange things are happening in the magical cul-de-sac of Mystic Circle in Denver, Colorado…

Enchanted Ever After is the third in the Mystic Circle series. In book one, Enchanted No More, I had a half-human, half-Lightfolk djinn (magical fire person) as a heroine, Jenni Weaver. She was also a game designer.

In book two, Enchanted Again, I focused on people who were descended from Lightfolk and humans and had personal magic, particularly Amber Sarga, a cursebreaker…and for every curse she lifted, she aged.

With Enchanted Ever After, I have a completely human heroine, Kiri Palger, who wants to leave her tough computer help-desk job to write games. So gaming is an element. This really came about due to, of course, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and the movie The Last Starfighter.

Writing about a game (Transformation) that could physically change a person has intrigued me for a long time and finally gelled for me in Enchanted Ever After. In this case it changes Kiri from human to Lightfolk…to Waterfolk.

Of course she has a man – unbeknownst to her, a merman – in her life. Lathyr Tricurrent can sense the potential of full humans to become magical Lightfolk beings.

A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to write something contemporary, and set in Denver, but with fantasy components – thus Mystic Circle and the Lightfolk were born. The Lightfolk are magical beings, four major groups and four minor groups according to elemental magic: Djinn (genies)/Firesprites for Air; Dwarves/Brownies for Earth; Elves/Airsprites for Air; and Merfolk/Naiads for Water. I wanted magical creatures limited, so there are only these eight groups – and a few crossbreeds :). Humans with a touch of Lightfolk in their family trees can be more diverse.

Oh, and these Lightfolk are not “native” to Earth, but came through a dimensional portal that closed millennia ago, their magic has diminished…until an unusual event in Enchanted No More.
I DO have “native” magical beings, Treefolk and Dryads. Aric, my first hero, is one of these.

I’ve always been a sucker for architecture and houses. My first manuscript (which will forever remain in the drawer) had a sentient house, as does my Celta series. For Mystic Circle, I have a cul-de-sac of nine different styles of houses with a park – and a koi pond – in the middle.

I’ve enjoyed writing the books, toying with magic and brownies who love embroidered shoes and CHOCOLATE, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy the time you spend in Mystic Circle – watch out for firesprites!

Robin

Book recommendation: Heart Secret by Robin D Owens

On 02/07/2012 By MikaelaIn Uncategorized


Click on the Cover to pre-order it from Amazon

On the faraway planet Celta, there are some things you can never tell—until someone discovers your Heart Secret…

When a virulent disease killed the woman he loved and her baby, Garrett Primross was left alive, a reluctant survivor. Now, as a private eye, he strives to banish the memories of his past and rebuild his life. The Healers of Celta have something else in mind: Discover why he survived.

He is monitored by Healer Artemisia Panax—his HeartMate, a love he never pursued. Still mourning his loss, he refuses to acknowledge her. Since her family was publicly disgraced, she’s used to such treatment. She wants nothing more than to guard her livelihood and protect the secrets she’s sworn to keep.

Thrown together by duty, Garrett and Artemisia find the body of the last Black Magic Cultist who ruined her family. Suspicion flares, but they have little choice but to investigate the crime together. When their own lives are placed in danger, they realize that denying their HeartMates is only denying their own futur

Review: HeartMate by Robin D Owens

On 02/02/2012 By MikaelaIn reviews

The Particulars: Futuristic Romance, Berkley, available as e-book and in print
The Source: My bookshelf
The Grade: B+

The blurb:

All his life, Rand T’Ash looked forward to meeting his HeartMate, with whom he could begin a family. Once a street tough but now a respected nobleman and artisan, he has crafted the perfected HeartGift, which, in the custom of the psychically-gifted population of the planet Celta, is the way a man finds–and attracts–his wife…

Danith Mallow is irresistibly drawn to the magnificent necklace on display in T’Ash’s shop, but she is wary of its creator, despite an overpowering attraction. In a world where everyone is defined by their psychic ability, Danith has little, and thus is at the opposite end of the social specturm from T’Ash. But T’Ash refuses to accept her rejection, and sees it as a challenge instead. They ARE HeartMates, but can T’ash persuade his beloved to accept her destiny by his side?

The review:

This is a fast paced read, filled with romance, action, and Zanth of course. No Celta book would be complete without a Fam. The setting is a refreshing mix of regency customs and magic. Every part of the world feels solid. From the nobles to the Downwind gangs. But what made the book so good were the romance between Danith and T’Ash.
I loved reading about T’Ash and Danith’s romance. Everything went wrong from the start for T’ash. Danith rejects him. But their romance shouldn’t be an easy one. T’Ash is a powerful GreatLord, with a large dose of inborn arrogance. Danith is a commoner, an orphan, with very little Flair.

Meeting T’Ash turns Danith’s life upside down. Suddenly she is showered with gifts, since T’Ash is determinded to follow every step in the etiquette book. ( That scene made me smile) It isn’t just the gift that affect her. She finds out she isn’t as Flairless as she thought. With every change, she clings harder to the familiar.
I loved how Mitchella stuck by her friend, even if her help might have caused problems between T’Ash and Danith.
But the romance plot were intertwined with so many other things. From T’Ash past, to HollyHeir’s request that he honor a blood debt, to events unfolding in the background. All of the action and danger stems from this part of the plot.

So for what I didn’t like. It felt like everything happend too fast. For example, Danith went from being flairless, to having a unique Flair. Yes, it is spread out during the book, but I wish it had taken a bit more time. But, on the other hand it wouldn’t have been the same story without it. Also, I didn’t feel that tugging that I get from really good Robin D Owens novels.

Review: Heart Search by Robin D.Owens

On 30/07/2011 By MikaelaIn reviews1 Comment

Heart Search by Robin D. Owens

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Particulars: Futuristic Romance, Berkley, available in print and as e-book

The blurb:
Latest in the long-running series from the award-winning author of Heart Journey.

Noble Laev T’Hawthorne must rebuild his life after marrying a woman he believed was his HeartMate, only to fall victim to her greed.

Abandoned at fifteen, Camellia Darjeeling values her independence above all-even as her father and uncle emotionally scourge her and extort money. For Camellia, trusting men, even her HeartMate, is too risky.

When Laev and Camellia meet, they refuse to acknowledge that they are true HeartMates. But their destiny cannot be avoided…

My impressions:
This is the 10th novel in the Heart Series. It is set 15 years after Heart Journey, and features the next generation. The hero is Laev Hawtorn and the heroine is Camellia Darjeeling. Like all Robin D Owens books, the characters are flawed. Both Laev and Camellia struggles with their past. They have both been scarred, and both are wary of love.

Camellia is a strong, indepenent woman, that’s carving out her own niche in the Society. A bit more about the history of the world was revealed. Camellia’s logic made sense to me. It is a sign how multifaceted the world is that Robin D Owens managed to add another facet to it. ( Which is a feat after ten books).

The plot was good, with a lot of twists and turns but it felt like the first half missed a layer of internal conflict. It wasn’t until 100 pages in that I felt that tug at my heart that all good Robin D Owens novels have.

And that’s the reason it doesn’t get a four.But it was a good read, and I do recommend it.

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Enchanted No More by Robin D. Owens

On 14/01/201113/07/2014 By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations2 Comments

Enchanted No More by Robin D. Owens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Guilt-ridden by a mistake that cost her family their lives, half-Lightfolk, half-human Jenni Weavers turns her back on her magical heritage…until her remaining brother who hates her is trapped and she’s the only one who can step into an alternate dimension to save him.

This is Robin D Owens at her best. She have taken common fantasy races, and turned them into something unique. The plot grip you from the start, and keeps you on the edge, wondering what happens next. And the characters. All the characters felt like they had a function, like they moved the plot forward.

Go,read.

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