STOP DRAGON MY HEART AROUND by Susannah Scott is a sizzling emotional drama that continues the fantastic story of the dragon shape shifters' quest to save their race. I give 3 stars and continue to recommend this series to all dragon lovers.
In the novel, Tee (Tallulah) is a Native American woman living off her reservation and working as a concierge at the Crown Jewel casino hotel. Aside from trouble on the reservation and the cut-throat competition between Tee and another concierge for the title of best/highest grossing concierge and the accompanying bonus, Tee struggles with her feelings for Leonidas, her boss and the second in command at the Crown Jewel. They recently shared a passionate kiss, but Leo is suddenly fighting his desire for her.
Leonidas has been left in command of the Crown Jewel by the honeymooning Alec, the King of the Dragons. He feels the pressure to keep the business running smoothly, but even more so, he feels the struggle between his incredible desire for Tee and his natural desire to continue his family line. Only his destined mate will help him save his waning dragon form. Since Tee doesn't have his dragon mark, Leo accepts that he must look elsewhere for his mate, but he is beginning to wonder whether he wants anyone else besides Tee.
I enjoyed STOP DRAGON MY HEART AROUND. This second installment of the Las Vegas Dragons series was more dramatic and less action-packed than the first, but such is life; not every person's story is the same. I applaud Susannah Scott's varying the challenges in each character's life. The book title is also a nice play on words.
I liked the characters, especially Tee with her inner struggle to move on from Leo even though she is in love with him. Since it has been a while since I read the last novel, I could have used some more substantive scenes with Leo and Tee that establish their relationship. The declarations of love were just a bit thin and unsubstantiated for me.
The romance was graphic and sufficiently pervasive to make this novel appropriate for adults only.
I also appreciated the description of tribe politics and the tension between the old and young members of the tribe when discussing the tribe's future; that aspect provided some interesting depth to the plot. I would have liked to see some more drama with Roy. In the beginning of the novel, he seems like a major character, and I expected more drama surrounding the competition--more scheming, more back-stabbing. While we hear what happens to him in the end, I would have liked to see a scene involving Roy and Leo's confrontation. I feel like Roy's character provided such an opportunity to add complexity and depth to the overall plotline, but ultimately, I felt like the opportunity was missed. As with Roy's character, the reader learns very little about Leo's family in Australia, though they could have been a greater presence in the novel.
On the technical side, there were a few typos and blocking issues, but they weren't overly distracting.
Overall, I liked STOP DRAGON MY HEART AROUND and look forward to the next book in the series about Jane and Nico.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=13744.
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Mark of the Tala (Twelve Kingdoms #1) by Jeffe Kennedy - 5 Stars
Magical, Magnificent and Mesmerizing - THE MARK OF THE TALA by Jeffe Kennedy will keep you glued to your seat until the end. I give it 5 stars and recommend to all.
In this character-rich novel that has the same spirit as the Game of Thrones series, Princess Andi (Andromeda) is the middle of three sisters born to the high king over the twelve kingdoms. She is used to blending in, being invisible, and feels most at ease while out riding her horse. One day while out riding, she meets a tall, dark and handsome man and his intimidating wolf-hounds. She thinks she is being attacked, but he claims to be taking her back where she belongs as his queen, according to the treaty. That one interaction turns Andi's world upside down, and she soon learns that nothing is as she was taught.
I absolutely loved this novel. The reader gets all the intrigue and plot twists as the Game of Thrones series, but the entire book is told from Andi's perspective, so it is easier to follow. I love the initial lesson offered by the novel, that history is a matter of perspective, and knowledge is useful in understanding all sides of the political dice.
I loved the characters, how unique they are, and especially the sisters, their interactions and love for each other despite their differing personalities. The world building is fantastic, easy to imagine and understand, and simply magnificent in its richness and complexity. The romance is understated and well done.
The pace and plotline were also well done. With plenty of characters to deepen the plot and plenty of action to keep the plot moving, the reader cannot help but want to read the book in one sitting to find out how it ends.
I cannot wait until the next book in the series and highly recommend THE MARK OF THE TALA to all readers.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=669.
In this character-rich novel that has the same spirit as the Game of Thrones series, Princess Andi (Andromeda) is the middle of three sisters born to the high king over the twelve kingdoms. She is used to blending in, being invisible, and feels most at ease while out riding her horse. One day while out riding, she meets a tall, dark and handsome man and his intimidating wolf-hounds. She thinks she is being attacked, but he claims to be taking her back where she belongs as his queen, according to the treaty. That one interaction turns Andi's world upside down, and she soon learns that nothing is as she was taught.
I absolutely loved this novel. The reader gets all the intrigue and plot twists as the Game of Thrones series, but the entire book is told from Andi's perspective, so it is easier to follow. I love the initial lesson offered by the novel, that history is a matter of perspective, and knowledge is useful in understanding all sides of the political dice.
I loved the characters, how unique they are, and especially the sisters, their interactions and love for each other despite their differing personalities. The world building is fantastic, easy to imagine and understand, and simply magnificent in its richness and complexity. The romance is understated and well done.
The pace and plotline were also well done. With plenty of characters to deepen the plot and plenty of action to keep the plot moving, the reader cannot help but want to read the book in one sitting to find out how it ends.
I cannot wait until the next book in the series and highly recommend THE MARK OF THE TALA to all readers.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=669.
Leave No Stone Unturned (Lexie Star #1) by Jeanne Glidewell - 2 stars
LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED by Jeanne Glidewell tells the tale of a woman who suspects that her new son-in-law murdered his previous wife, and who sets out to investigate before informing her daughter of her suspicions. While the plot presented an intriguing idea, the execution of that idea left much to be desired. I give it 2 stars for its slow pace, simplistic plot, and unrealistic romance.
In this first installment in the Lexie Starr series, Lexie Starr grapples with the conundrum of whether to tell her newlywed daughter, Wendy, that her new husband, Clay, may be a murderer. She takes some rather risky steps to find out the truth – leaving no stone unturned in her quest – and in the process, Lexie’s car is sabotaged, Wendy is abducted, and all of their lives are put in danger. Oh, and Lexie falls in love.
Overall, the idea behind the books is intriguing: If you thought a loved one was in a relationship with a murderer, would you tell your loved one, and if so, when would be the appropriate time? Unfortunately, there were several problems that made my interest in this novel fizzle away like helium leaving an untied balloon, the first being the pace of the novel. The beginning was too slow, and the ending was too fast. There were many pages that contained information that did nothing to advance the plot, instead causing the reader to be caught in a quagmire of minutia.
For example, the history of Wendy’s charm bracelet is detailed, as is its loss and the efforts to replace it. Also, the reader gets almost a moment by moment view of Lexie’s visits to the dentist and auto mechanic prior to leaving on her road trip. These scenes were unnecessary in their length. It is enough for the reader to know that Lexie inquired with a Stone Van Patten, who lived in South Carolina, about finding the pieces for a replacement charm bracelet, and that she went to the mechanic and had her car serviced before embarking on her trip. The number of pages devoted to those issues were wasted on me to such an extent that I nearly quit reading. The novel took entirely too long to get to the point. The pacing issue also reared its head in the end of the novel, where the resolution was so fast that I felt as if I had whiplash. The climax and resolution could have been expanded to create a more balanced novel.
There were also several opportunities to expand the plot and give it more substance and depth, but in the end, the linear plot led me exactly in the direction I expected. I won’t give anything away, but I will say that I’m always disappointed when I can guess the ending correctly at the halfway point in a mystery novel.
As for the romance, the novel depicts a more mature relationship between Lexie and Stone, which is nice departure from the typical romance novel. The book is definitely a mystery novel with romantic elements, rather than a romance with a bit of mystery, and contains no graphic scenes that would make it inappropriate for younger readers. Still, the romance was not believable given the incredibly short amount of time that passes from first meeting to the declarations of love. I could have been satisfied with the resolution of the mystery leaving a question as to whether Stone and Lexie would try to make something of their mutual affection, and then adding an epilogue wherein some months or year later they decide to get hitched because of their love for each other.
Overall, I was disappointed in LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED. The issues I raise here can certainly be addressed in any future Lexie Starr mystery novels though, and because I love mystery novels, I’m definitely willing to give the next installment in this series a chance to entertain me.
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