By Amanda Quick
Victorian England, Venetia is a wellbred young woman, left penniless when her parents die. But unlike so many stories of its ilk, she doesn’t become a governess. No, Venetia earns a livelihood for herself and her younger sister and brother as a photographer. To give herself respectability she assumes the role of a widow, taking the name of Jones, in honor of the one night of exquisite passion she experienced with Gabriel Jones, before he was killed in an accident. But Gabriel isn’t dead and suddenly she has a husband to contend with.
Second Sight is a nice piece of fluff, with a paranormal touch. Venetia can read auras. Gabriel Jones is a member of the Arcane Society, and possess his own psychic abilities. And of course there is a villain and lots of danger. As I said a nice piece of fluff, with a happy ever after ending.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, September 3, 2008
Second Sight
Amanda Quick
An Arcane Society Novel
G.P. Putnam
2006
ISBN: 0-399-15352-7
Showing posts with label Paranormal Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paranormal Romance. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Smoke Thief
By Shana Abe
I’m not quite sure how this book made it out of the romance paperbacks and into hardback, and into the fiction section, rather than romance, because it is one of those Alpha Male finds the only woman who can complete him and it becomes a battle to make her submit. Christine Feehan and other have made this kind of romance very popular, but it isn’t vampires this time, but dragons.
Over the centuries, the dragons to protect themselves have learned to masquerade as human. The Drakon, the remnant of the once proud species lives in hiding in England, living in villages upon the rural estate of the Marques of Langford. To keep the dragons’ secret, they are forbidden to leave the confines of Darkfirth, although a few have gone rogue to be hunted down and returned. But now the new Marques of Langford, Kris, has a problem. There is a jewel thief in London who sounds suspiciously like one of them, but there is no one missing. Kris must discover who this rogue is and bring him home.
Rue grew up despised by the Drakon, a halfling, whose father was human. On her seventeenth birthday, Rue discovered she could turn, turn into a dragon with wings. She is the first female in several generations to be able to turn, which makes her the alpha female. She knows that she will be forced to marry Kris. While she has loved Kris from afar, as has every girl in the shire, she refuses to be forced to submit and stages her own death, escaping to London. There she uses the inherent dragon skills, especially the ability to turn into smoke, to become a master thief and leads a life full of adventure and role playing, knowing that one day, the Drakon will come for her.
Kris sets a trap for her by bring their greatest treasure, a huge violet diamond, to London to put on display. Unable to resist, she visits the museum and is caught by Kris. Kris is shocked to realized that she is a woman, and in the instant she turns to smoke, he realizes that she is his future mate. Then someone steals the jewel. In the confusion, Rue escapes. Kris has her scent and tracks her down and she is returned to Darkfirth.
Rue makes a bargain with Kris and the Council. She will recover the diamond and lead them to the other runner hiding in London, in return for her freedom. She and Kris set off to London and exciting adventures, Kris planning on using the time to win her love. She already loves hm but is determined not to give away her independence.
The story is interesting, the twists and turns intriguing if somewhat predictable. The dragons are shapeshifters, shifting first to smoke and then to dragon form. When the regain human form, they have left their clothes behind, and are naked, which causes Rue some problems and some interesting possibilities between the two of them. The setting is rather generic England, supposedly around 1740, but there wasn’t enough to set it as a particular period. The heroine, as is often the case, was too modern in her attitudes for the period.
Do I recommend it? Yes and no. If you are like my husband, looking for a good fantasy novel, you probably won’t like it. The romantic elements are way too strong. But romance readers will definitely enjoy it. I was reminded of the Regency romances I used to read, but way more interesting.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, October 25, 2005
The Smoke Thief
Shana Abe
Published by Bantam Books
Copyright 2005
ISBN: 0-553-80448-0
Genre Subgenre: Fantasy Romance
I’m not quite sure how this book made it out of the romance paperbacks and into hardback, and into the fiction section, rather than romance, because it is one of those Alpha Male finds the only woman who can complete him and it becomes a battle to make her submit. Christine Feehan and other have made this kind of romance very popular, but it isn’t vampires this time, but dragons.
Over the centuries, the dragons to protect themselves have learned to masquerade as human. The Drakon, the remnant of the once proud species lives in hiding in England, living in villages upon the rural estate of the Marques of Langford. To keep the dragons’ secret, they are forbidden to leave the confines of Darkfirth, although a few have gone rogue to be hunted down and returned. But now the new Marques of Langford, Kris, has a problem. There is a jewel thief in London who sounds suspiciously like one of them, but there is no one missing. Kris must discover who this rogue is and bring him home.
Rue grew up despised by the Drakon, a halfling, whose father was human. On her seventeenth birthday, Rue discovered she could turn, turn into a dragon with wings. She is the first female in several generations to be able to turn, which makes her the alpha female. She knows that she will be forced to marry Kris. While she has loved Kris from afar, as has every girl in the shire, she refuses to be forced to submit and stages her own death, escaping to London. There she uses the inherent dragon skills, especially the ability to turn into smoke, to become a master thief and leads a life full of adventure and role playing, knowing that one day, the Drakon will come for her.
Kris sets a trap for her by bring their greatest treasure, a huge violet diamond, to London to put on display. Unable to resist, she visits the museum and is caught by Kris. Kris is shocked to realized that she is a woman, and in the instant she turns to smoke, he realizes that she is his future mate. Then someone steals the jewel. In the confusion, Rue escapes. Kris has her scent and tracks her down and she is returned to Darkfirth.
Rue makes a bargain with Kris and the Council. She will recover the diamond and lead them to the other runner hiding in London, in return for her freedom. She and Kris set off to London and exciting adventures, Kris planning on using the time to win her love. She already loves hm but is determined not to give away her independence.
The story is interesting, the twists and turns intriguing if somewhat predictable. The dragons are shapeshifters, shifting first to smoke and then to dragon form. When the regain human form, they have left their clothes behind, and are naked, which causes Rue some problems and some interesting possibilities between the two of them. The setting is rather generic England, supposedly around 1740, but there wasn’t enough to set it as a particular period. The heroine, as is often the case, was too modern in her attitudes for the period.
Do I recommend it? Yes and no. If you are like my husband, looking for a good fantasy novel, you probably won’t like it. The romantic elements are way too strong. But romance readers will definitely enjoy it. I was reminded of the Regency romances I used to read, but way more interesting.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, October 25, 2005
The Smoke Thief
Shana Abe
Published by Bantam Books
Copyright 2005
ISBN: 0-553-80448-0
Genre Subgenre: Fantasy Romance
Monday, November 3, 2008
Midnight Never Come
by Marie Brennan
I had a hard time classifying MIDNIGHT NEVER COME. I suppose it falls in the category of a paranormal romance. But it lacks the steam or the erotica that we have come to expect from paranormal romances. I’m not even sure I would classify it as a romance, for it lacks the typical structure of romance novels, even thought the love story between Deven and Lune is an integral part in the story. Then is it a historical novel? Set during Queen Elizabeth I reign, it does indeed stand the test for a historical novel. The historical details are rich and vibrant and the characters literally step out of the pages of history. But it is more than just a historical novel. The author Marie Brennan has added to the convoluted machinations of the Royal Court another player or rather group of players. The fairy Queen Invidiana and the fae of the Onyx Court, which exists beneath the city of London in a parody of Queen Elizabeth’s own court. Deven, one of the Queen Elizabeth’s own Gentlemen Pensioner, (fancy term for guards), is also in the service of Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s Principal Secretary. He is a spy. And he is set the task to discover the identity of the secret player who has been influencing the Queen and English politics. Deven doesn’t expect that his search will lead him to the woman that he loves and wants to marry, or that all she appears to be is a lie, and she herself is a fairy, the Lady Lune, and a spy for the Onyx Court. Now perhaps we could call it a historical mystery, for the two of them must uncover a secret that threatens both Courts.
I found myself enjoying the slow pace of the book, that followed more the pattern of historical mystery novels than the usual paranormal fantasy. I enjoyed the richness of the historical detail, but I also enjoyed the glittering made up world of the fae.
So what is MIDNIGHT NEVER COME? I guess you could call it a paranormal fantasy - historical - romantic - mystery. That’s quite a mouthful to describe an unusual and interesting blending of genres, Marie Brennan has managed to make it all come together and work. MIDNIGHT NEVER COME is well worth reading.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, October 14, 2008
Midnight Never Come
Marie Brennan
Paranormal Romance / Historical
Orbit
June 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-02029-9
ISBN-10: 0-316-02029-X
I had a hard time classifying MIDNIGHT NEVER COME. I suppose it falls in the category of a paranormal romance. But it lacks the steam or the erotica that we have come to expect from paranormal romances. I’m not even sure I would classify it as a romance, for it lacks the typical structure of romance novels, even thought the love story between Deven and Lune is an integral part in the story. Then is it a historical novel? Set during Queen Elizabeth I reign, it does indeed stand the test for a historical novel. The historical details are rich and vibrant and the characters literally step out of the pages of history. But it is more than just a historical novel. The author Marie Brennan has added to the convoluted machinations of the Royal Court another player or rather group of players. The fairy Queen Invidiana and the fae of the Onyx Court, which exists beneath the city of London in a parody of Queen Elizabeth’s own court. Deven, one of the Queen Elizabeth’s own Gentlemen Pensioner, (fancy term for guards), is also in the service of Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s Principal Secretary. He is a spy. And he is set the task to discover the identity of the secret player who has been influencing the Queen and English politics. Deven doesn’t expect that his search will lead him to the woman that he loves and wants to marry, or that all she appears to be is a lie, and she herself is a fairy, the Lady Lune, and a spy for the Onyx Court. Now perhaps we could call it a historical mystery, for the two of them must uncover a secret that threatens both Courts.
I found myself enjoying the slow pace of the book, that followed more the pattern of historical mystery novels than the usual paranormal fantasy. I enjoyed the richness of the historical detail, but I also enjoyed the glittering made up world of the fae.
So what is MIDNIGHT NEVER COME? I guess you could call it a paranormal fantasy - historical - romantic - mystery. That’s quite a mouthful to describe an unusual and interesting blending of genres, Marie Brennan has managed to make it all come together and work. MIDNIGHT NEVER COME is well worth reading.
Reviewed by Linda Suzane, October 14, 2008
Midnight Never Come
Marie Brennan
Paranormal Romance / Historical
Orbit
June 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-02029-9
ISBN-10: 0-316-02029-X
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