TRB Challenge 2009: Games of Command

Title: Games of Command

Author: Linnea Sinclair

Published: February 2007

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Stand Alone/Series: Stand Alone

From the Author Site: Can she trust a man who is half-machine?

The universe isn’t what it used to be. With the new alliance between the Triad and the United Coalition, Captain Tasha “Sass” Sebastian finds herself serving under her former nemesis, bio-cybe Admiral Branden Kel-Paten—and doing her best to hide a deadly past. But when an injured mercenary falls into their ship’s hands, her efforts may be wasted …

Wanted rebel Jace Serafino has information that could expose all of Sass’ secrets, tear the fragile Alliance apart—and end Sass’s career if Kel-Paten discovers them. But the bio-cybe has something to hide as well, something once thought impossible for his kind to possess: feelings...for Sass. Soon it’s clear that their prisoner could bring down everything they once believed was worth dying for—and everything they now have to live for…

Hero: Biocybernetic Admiral Branden Kel-Paten, aka Tin Soldier, of the Triad. As a biocybernetic being, he is programmed not to feel and to be completely ruled by logic. But he goes against his programing and falls in love with Tasha Sebastian. But having these feelings can have him completely reprogrammed or destroyed if anyone finds out. So he has to hide them from everyone else while trying to get Tasha to see him as a real person who loves her. It doesn't help that Tasha's best friend is an empath and is currently serving as his Chief Medical Officer.

Heroine: Captain Tasha Sebastian, aka Lady Sass, of the United Coalition. An United Coalition captain with a shady past that she must keep hidden, especially from Kel-Paten. She has been transferred to Kel-Paten's flagship, the Vaxxar, as a part of the peace agreement to unite the Triad and the United Coalition against a mutual threat. What she doesn't know is that Kel-Paten has other reasons for her being on his ship. With the appearance of Jace Serafino on board the Vaxxar, Tasha's shady past is catching up to her.

Review: Another brilliant read from Linnea Sinclair. Tasha and Kel-Paten are an unlikely pair that create a perfect romance. Tasha with her intuitive style and Kel-Paten with his logic. Together they are unbeatable. You can feel Kel-Paten's longing for Tasha as he follows her around his ship just so that he can be in her company as well as his frustration at trying to be emotional while with Tasha and unemotional the rest of the time to avoid getting caught and reprogrammed or destroyed. Meanwhile, you can see Tasha's confusion as to why Kel-Paten is "spying". Kel-Paten's straight military bearing is a perfect foil for Tasha's more relaxed and rougish style. You have to love her "My name's No, No, Bad Captain! What's yours?" T-shirt and Kel-Paten's reaction to it as well as their "Sabastian", pause, "Kel-Paten" routine.

Linnea Sinclair has given us a second love story to enjoy in book. The love story of the rascally outlaw Jace Serafino and Vaxxar's CMO, Eden Fynn. Their story is a bit more intertwined with the storyline and is hard to discuss without giving away the plot. So I'll just say that it is fun to see Jace the outlaw try to steal Dr. Fynn's heart but ends up reforming to earn her love.

And let's not forget the lovable furzels, Reilly and Tank (although he is just a fidget)! All would have been destroyed had it not have been for these two furry, lovable and loyal champions. I want a furzel of my very own (I know my furry baby definitely has the furzel quality of loving her food and always wanting her food). The book just wouldn't have been the same without them and their furry commentary.

Keeper?: Most definitely.

Recommendation: I loved it. A great story with wonderful, memorable characters. I can't think of anything that would make this better. It's perfect as it is written.

Rating: A+

Review: Finders Keepers

Title: Finders Keepers

Author: Linnea Sinclair

Published: April 2005

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Stand Alone/Series: Stand Alone

From the Author Site: Now that they found each other, the universe won't know what hit it...

Blending hard SF with sizzling romantic suspense, Linnea Sinclair brings readers this red-hot adventure of two space outcasts on a collision course with destiny. Now that this star-crossed couple have found each other, the universe won't know what hit it...

Trilby Elliot is a barely legal independent trader. Rhis Vanur is the arrogant Zafharin military officer she rescued from a crash landing. It would have been a miracle if they survived each other's company on Trilby's slapdash starfreighter even under the best of circumstances. And these are far from the best of circumstances. For Trilby's best friend is missing and the warlike 'Sko are hunting both Trilby and Rhis. Suddenly they're in it together, for better, for worse--or until death blasts them to oblivion...

There are very minor spoilers ahead. To read with the spoilers, highlight the text.

Hero: Lieutenant Rhis Vanur aka Senior Captain Khyrhis Tivahr of the Zarfharin hunter ship Razalka aka Tivahr the Terrible. Rhis is having a really bad week. First he was captured by the 'Sko, then he escaped only to crash land on a middle of nowhere inhospitable planet. But to his luck begins to change when he is rescued by Tribly Elliot and her envoy droid Dezi. In his hurry to return to the Razalka, he gets on the bad side of Tribly by trying hijack her ship only to find the ship inoperable and in the middle of repairs. He quickly sees that the only way he can get back to Zarfharin space is to fix Tribly's outdated ship. The only things he hadn't counted on was to fall "ass over teakettle" for Tribly. He's Zarfharin military arrogance slowly melts away to show a lonely man in dire need of love and understanding.

Heroine: Tribly Elliot, Captain of the Careless Venture, and an independent Conclave trader who is down on her luck. With her only crew, and best friend, Desi - an old DZ-9 envoy droid - she is attempting to fix/upgrade her ship on the sly because she can't pay port fees. So she has set up a temporary shop on a uninhabited and mostly unwanted plant. Part way through her repairs, a 'Sko fighter crash lands practically on her door step. Unable to pass up a good salvage opportunity, Tribly and her faithful Desi head to the crash site and get more than they wanted. Tribly is a gutsy trader who just wants to make an honest and decent living, but time and money are not on her side. Tribly is attracted to Rhis but is afraid to risk her heart since it was recently dealt a harsh blow. Her character reminded me of Beka Valentine from the TV series Andromeda.

Review: Another wonderful story from Linnea Sinclair. She has managed to create a very believable world and situation. Just enough detail is given to give this universe life and delightful food for our imaginations.

In this universe, the war between the Conclave and Zarharin Empire has just ended and peace between the two is still fragile. Tribly is a citizen of the Conclave, but they are more of an annoyance to her rather than anything else. While Rhis is a member of the Zarharin Imperial Fleet and is used to rules and regulations. So difference between the two makes for delightful times as Tribly pokes fun at Rhis's imperial arrogance and Rhis being constantly caught off guard with the unexpected, such as having to hit or wack a tool to make it function or start.

Although the Zarharin Empire and Conclave are peace, there is something shady going on with the Ycsko, an aggressive non-human group that share this part of the galaxy with the Zarharin Empire and the Conclave. This increasing tension between all the factions makes a very exciting story.

Once again Linnea Sinclair has delivered an action packed story with two very delightful lead characters. Strong, independent, loyal Tribly and arrogant, lonely, sexy Rhis. As well as a slew of others.
My favorite secondary character is Desi. He just like C3PO from Star Wars. Always willing to help but overly verbose on whatever topic is being discussed. Poor guy is doing a job outside his original programming but does it without complaint. And at times very literal, I suppose that is the way of droids and in particular, envoy/protocol droids.

One two this seem bother me about this book. First is the first love scene. It just seemed to jump out of no where. Sure they liked and were attracted to each other, Rhis had already tried kissed Tribly, but Tribly had rebuffed him. Then out of the blue she jumps him and they go on to have steamy sex. Sure she found him attractive and quite yummy to look at, but there didn't seem to be any build up to that scene. The second is that the book ended without answering some questions that were presented in the book. Although the book was written as a stand alone, I felt like it was set up for a sequel. One that would explain or wrap up all those annoying little sub-plot lines that were still hanging around as loose threads.

Keeper?: Yes

Recommendation: An excellent read. This a stand alone novel that is screaming for a sequel!

Rating: B+

Review: The Shadow Queen

Title: The Shadow Queen

Author: Anne Bishop

Published: March 2009

Genre: Fantasy

Stand Alone/Series: Black Jewels #6
Book 1: Daughter of the Blood
Book 2: Heir to Shadows
Book 3: Queen of the Darkness
Book 4: Dreams Made Flesh
Book 5: Tangled Webs

From the Book Jacket: Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens, who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now only one hundred Warlord Princes stand... without a leader and without hope.

Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who knows Protocol, remembers the Blood's code of honor, and lives by the old ways.

Languishing in the Shadow Realm, Lady Cassidy is a Queen without a court, a castoff. She is not beautiful. She thinks she is not strong. But when she is chosen to rule Dena Nehele, she must convince bitter men to serve once again.

Theran's cousin Gray is a Warlord Prince who is damaged in mind and body by the vicious Queens who once ruled Dena Nehele. Yet something about Cassidy makes him want to serve - and makes him believe he can be made whole again.

And only Cassidy can prove to Gray - and to herself - that wounds can heal and even the whisper of a promise can be fulfilled...

The Cast of Characters:
Theran Grayhaven, Green-Jeweled Warlord Prince and last of the Grayhaven line, the last that can claim Jared and Lia as ancestor. As the strongest living Warlord Prince and the last of the Grayhaven line, it is his duty and dream to see Dena Nehele restored. Having grown up in a warrior's camp, he has few manners and is bitter that only Queen he has is a Rose-Jeweled and, in his eyes, unattractive one to try to rebuild Dena Nehele with and not a powerful and stunning Queen that would impress and attract others to his cause.

Jared Blaed "Gray" Grayhaven, Purple Dusk-Jeweled Warlord Prince and cousin of Theran (on his motherside and not truly of the Grayhaven line). When he was fifteen he was captured and tortured by the evil Queens because he was mistaken for Theran. The torture has left both mental and physical scars that done have been able to heal. In his mind the Grayhaven estate is a prison and Queens are those that only cause pain. Even though Cassidy is a Queen living in Grayhaven, Gray can't stay away from her and slowly finds that he wants and needs to be more than he is, to be more than a broken Warlord Prince. To become someone that Cassidy would want as a friend and lover.

Cassidy, Rose-Jeweled Queen from Dharo in Kaeleer, the Shadow Realm. Her court had just abandoned her because she did not come from aristocratic family, does not wear a powerful Jewel and is not pretty. She is gentle coerced by Jaenelle into accepting the "temporary" position as Queen of Dena Nehele in Terreille. As Queen of Dena Nehele, she faces challenge after challenge. The first is to set up her court, which she must do if she is to rule and there are only bitter men who have only known war and pain all their lives to choose from. Then to try to rule using Protocol and the old ways of the Blood that has been completely forgotten in Dena Nehele and is constantly running into roadblocks placed in her way by Theran.

Review: Another fabulous book by Anne Bishop set in the Black Jewel world. This story takes place approximately two-years after Queen of the Darkness and focuses on the territory of Dena Nehele. The main storyline, of the struggle to rebuild Dena Nehele, is woven with the continuing storyline of Daemon Sadi, Jaenelle, Lucivar and Saetan. Although it was interesting to see how they were all doing, it took away from the main story and at times was distracting.

The story in Dena Nehele, falls into two story lines. The first is the rebuilding of Dena Nehele as a territory and Theran's desire to lead this restoration. In order to do this, Theran needs a good Queen. And he gets Cassidy, an unattractive and not very powerful Rose-Jeweled Queen, of which he is embarassed. So he spends his time trying to hide her from the rest of Dena Nehele. Thus hampering Cassidy's ability to rule the territory. The interaction between Cassidy and her new court is spare at best. I wish there had been more there. The struggle of these men to learn Protocol and the old ways is completely lacking as is Cassidy's attempts to teach them. I felt that this storyline was not taken to completion. Only the surface has been touched and there is definitely more that needs to be told.

The second storyline is that of Cassidy and Gray. Gray has been so wounded that he has stayed an adolescent in order to protect himself. To hide from the past instead of facing it and learning to live with it. With the appearance of Cassidy, Gray finds himself wanting to be more than he is so that Cassidy will want to be with him, first as a friend and later as a lover. His struggles and triumphs come through clearly and you find yourself cheering for him. Cassidy has taken a bitter blow and has been basically told that she is both undesirable as a Queen and as a woman. It does not help that Theran's reinforcing these beliefs. But she runs into Gray and knows that he is hers to protect and perhaps more. With each of Gray's triumphs, Cassidy finds herself struggling with new and exciting feelings for Gray. It a love story of acceptance from both sides. This story, while satisfying, wasn't taken to its completion. There is definitely more there to explore.

The Kaeleer storyline, that of Saetan, Daemon and Jaenelle, was interesting but it probably would have made a better short story on its own rather than as a thread in this book. These interludes about characters we've come to love did not add anything to the main storyline, they were a distraction. Bumps in an otherwise smoothly flowing story of Dena Nehele's restoration and a budding romance.

Overall it was a great read. It was nice to catch up with our old friends and see how they are faring. And it was nice to meet some new friends and learn about their stories. I just wish they hadn't interferred with each other. In addition, I hope that Anne Bishop will pick up where she left off because there is definitely more to these stories than what is presented in this book.

Keeper?: Yes

Recommendation: Although this is book 6 in the on-going Black Jewels world, it can be read as a stand alone. But I think to fully appreciate the whole of the storyline the reader should read the first three books (Daughter of the Blood, Heir to Shadows and Queen of the Darkness) prior to reading this one. In addition, The Invisible Ring (Jared and Lia's story) could be read for additional background information but isn't necessary to fully enjoy this book.

Rating: B+

HLO Pleads to DIK to Free the Heroes

Now that the DIK draft has been completed, the HLO sends a plea out to the DIK to release their "captive" heroes and allow them to return to their storybook homes and heroines (after a short stop at the Hero Shelter/Get-Away to recover from their ordeal... or think of excuses as to what they did on their vacation ^_~). We would welcome our DIK sisters with open arms (and we would share our books, chocolates, rum and vacationing heroes).

All over the storybook worlds, evil is running amok without the heroes to fight the ongoing forces of evil. The headquarters of the HLO (Get-Away Island) is over-flowing with heroines who have lost their heroes. Extra shipments of chocolates have been ordered to keep the heroines (and founder Alice and myself) calm. Some of the hero creators (Nalini Singh and Meljean Brook) have joined in our cause to help "liberate" their heroes from the clutches of the DIK.

The list of heroes who have been "drafted" and who they are serving is thus:

• Ana - Bowen MacRieve (Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Kresley Cole), Sebastian St. Vincent (Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas), Royce Westmoreland (A Kingdom of Dreams, Judith McNaught), Conrad Wroth (Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kresley Cole), Logan a.k.a. Wolverine (X-Men Comics), Fox Mulder (X-files spin-off books), King Leonidas (300 Graphic Novels)

• Bridget Locke - Mr. Jules Cassidy (All Through the Night, Suzanne Brockmann), Bones (One Foot in the Grave and Halfway to the Grave, Jeannie Frost), Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen), Judd Laurens (Caressed by Ice, Nalini Singh), Simon Hunt, (Secrets of a Summer's Night, Lisa Kleypas), Theodore Westgaard (Years, LaVyrle Spencer), Cadeon Woede (Dark Desires after Dusk, Kresley Cole)

• Carolyn Jean - Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris), Joe Morelli (Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich), Ranger (Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich), Michael (Guardians Series, Meljean Brook), Adrian (The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne), Han Solo (Star Wars Novels), Captain Kirk (Star Trek)

• Christine - Acheron (Dark Hunter series, Sherrilyn Kenyon), Qhuinn (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Vishous (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Butch O'Neill (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Belial (Guardians Series, Meljean Brook), Gaelen vel Serranis (The Tairen Soul series, C.L. Wilson), Clay Bennett (Mine to Possess, Nalini Singh)

• Ciaralira - Ethan McCabe (Demon Night, Meljean Brook), Hugh Castleford (Demon Angel, Meljean Brook), Westley (The Princess Bride, William Goldman), Lord Robert Andreville (Robin) (Angel Rogue, Mary Jo Putney), Kieran vel Solande (Tairen Soul Series, C.L. Wilson), Garret Langham, the Earl of Mayne, (Pleasure for Pleasure, Eloisa James), Dr. Samuel Cornick (Mercy Thompson series, Patricia Briggs)
  

• JenB - Vane Kattalakis (Night Play, Sherrilyn Kenyon), Angel (Angel, Johanna Lindsey) Rule (The Demon You Know, Christine Warren), Kade (Riley Jenson Guardian series, Keri Arthur), Challen (Warrior's Woman, Johanna Lindsey), Calvin Morissey (Bet Me, Jennifer Crusie), Heath Boscastle (Wedding Night of an English Rogue, Jillian Hunter)

• Katie(babs) - Alexander (The Bronze Horseman, Paullina Simons), Rehvenge (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), James Diaz (Cry No More, Linda Howard), Gabriel "Sully" Sullivan (Gabriel's Ghost, Linnea Sinclair), Rain Tairen Soul (Tairen Soul Series, C.L. Wilson), Jack Prescott (Dangerous Lover, Lisa Marie Rice), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Sir Arther Conan Doyle)

• KristieJ - Derek Craven (Dreaming of You, Lisa Kleypas), Dax Silverbrake (Sky Pirate, Justine Davis), Ciaran Tamberlane (My Forever Love, Marsha Canham), Branden Kel-Paten (Games of Command, Linnea Sinclair), Gray Rouillard (After the Night, Linda Howard), Wizard (Driven, Eve Kenin), John Thornton (North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell)

• LesleyW - John Matthew aka Tehrror (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Jeremy Danvers (Women of the Otherworld series, Kelly Armstrong), Vayl (Jaz and Vayl series, Jennifer Rardin), Curran (Magic Bites and Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews), Richard Tremayne High Lord of the Darkyn (Darkyn books, Lynn Viehl), Duncan Reever (Stardoc books by S.L. Viehl), Lucivar Yaslana (the Dark Jewels books, Anne Bishop)

• Lisabea - Adrien English (Adrien English series, Josh Lanyon), Colin Ames Beaumont (Demon Moon, Meljean Brook), Jake Romero (With Caution, J.L. Langley), Nate (My Fair Captain, J.L. Langley), Savitri Murray (Demon Moon, Meljean Brook), Derek Knightly (At Love's Command, Samantha Kane), Captain Jack Sparrow (some spin-off book surely, Disney)

• MaryKate - Roarke (In Death series, JD Robb), Lucas Hunter (Slave to Sensation, Nalini Singh), Maximillian Pesaro (Gardella Chronicles, Colleen Gleason), Cameron Quinn (Sea Swept, Nora Roberts), Jacob Green (Vampire Queen Servant series, Joey W. Hill), Captain Jack Seward (All Through The Night, Connie Brockway), Hawke (Psy/Changeling series, Nalini Singh)

• Naida - Edward Cullen (Twilight, Stephanie Meyers), John Atlantis (Entangled, Kathleen Dante), Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion, Jane Austen), Aragorn aka Strider (Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien), Tristen (Legends of the Fall, Jim Harrison), Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones Diary, Helen Fielding), Ian (The Host, Stephenie Meyer)

• Samantha Kane - Doyle/The Queen's Darkness (Merry Gentry Series, Laurell K. Hamilton) Cat, a young pirate (The Windflower, Laura London), Chief of Police Jack West (All U Can Eat, Emma Holly), Tom Paoletti (Unsung Hero, Suzanne Brockmann), Angel a.k.a. Angelis (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Angel Chronicles, Nancy Holder and or Angel: After the Fall, Brian Lynch and Franco Urru), Rhys (Merry Gentry series, Laurell K. Hamilton), Jack Reacher (Jack Reacher series, Lee Child)

• Sarah - Clay (Women of the Otherworld series, Kelley Armstrong), Nathaniel (Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Series), Barinthus ( Meredith Gentry), Lucas (Heaven Sent Series, Jet Mykels), Jericho Barrons (Fever Series, Karen Marie Monings), Katou Youji (Haru wo Daiteita/Embracing Love, Nitta Youka), Taylor MacAllister (Dangerous Ground, Josh Lanyon, Hot Tub, Splish Splash)

• Sarai - Jake Riordan (Adrien English series, Josh Lanyon) Gage Travis (Sugar Daddy, Lisa Kleypas), Vaughn D'Angelo (Visions of Heat, Nalini Singh), Zarek of Moesia (Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon), Jonas (Breed Series, Lora Leigh), Sterling "Harvard" Chase (Kiss of Crimson, Lara Adrian), Cam Rohan (Mine Til Midnight, Lisa Kleypas)

• Shannon - Sam Donovan (Mr. Perfect, Linda Howard) Sam Starrett (Troubleshooter series, Suzanne Brockmann), Max Baghat (Troubleshooter series, Suzanne Brockmann), Adam Hauptman (Mercedes Thompson series, Patricia Briggs), Captain Malcom Reynolds a.k.a. Capt. Tight Pants (Firefly/Serenity franchise & comics, Joss Whedon), Izzy Teague (Code Name series, Christina Skye), Stan Wolchonok (Over the Edge, Suzanne Brockmann)

• Sula - Rhage (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Asa McIntyre (Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty), Dain (Lord of Scoundrels, Loretta Chase), Ian Witherspoon (At Love's Command, Samantha Kane), Nathaniel Bonner (Into the Wilderness, Sara Donati), Keir of the Cat (Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan), Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood, Russell T. Davies/BBC)

• Thea - Jamie Fraser (Outlander, Diana Gabaldon) Joscelin Verreuil (Kushiel's Legacy series, Jacqueline Carey), Jacob Black (Twilight Series, Stephanie Meyer), Batman (some spin-off book by someone), Remy LeBeau a.k.a. Gambit (Uncanny X-Men, Chris Claremont), Roland Deschain (Dark Tower books, Stephen King), Tyler Durden (Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk)

• Tracy - Zsadist (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward), Phineas Tucker (Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie), Dorian (Psy/Changeling Series, Nalini Singh), Wrath (Dark Lover, BDB series by JR Ward), Caine Allen (Caine's Reckoning, Sarah McCarty), Daemon Sadi (Black Jewels Trilogy, Anne Bishop) Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. aka Indiana Jones (spin-off book somewhere)

• Tumperkin - Mick Tremore (The Proposition, Judith Ivory), Michael McNeil (Wild at Heart, Patricia Gaffney), Christian, Duke of Jervaulx (Flowers from the Storm, Laura Kinsale), Graham Wessit (Black Silk, Judith Ivory), Sebastian Verlaine (To Have and To Hold, Patricia Gaffney), Charles Audley, (An Infamous Army, Georgette Heyer), Sydnam Butler (Simply Love, Mary Balogh)

To see the complete draft history go to the following sites:
ROUND 1: CarolynJean's.
ROUND 2: Sarai's
ROUND 3: lisabea's.
ROUND 4: MaryKate's.
ROUND 5: Christine's.
ROUND 6: Katie(babs) & Kristie(J)'s.

ROUND 7: Sula's

Some heroes who were residing at the Shelter/Get-Away were drafted. These heroes are at the top of the "liberation" list.

• Daemon Sadi aka The Sadiest (The Black Jewels novels by Anne Bishop)
• Hawke (Psy-Changling Series by Nalini Singh)

Again the HLO pleads to the DIK to "release" their heroes. The heroes will be spending some time at the Get-Away to recover their skills to fight the forces of darkness and to regain some dignity after being place in an apron and forced to dust (no names to be named ^_^).

Join the Heroes Liberation Organization (HLO)

The Heroes Liberation Organization (HLO) was founded by Alice and myself in response to the mysterious disappearances of heroes. Many of romances best heroes had started to disappear and their heroines, in growing concern, needed aid to find and reunite with their heroes.

After some investigation, it was discovered that an organization known as the Desert Island Keeper (DIK) had "drafted" heroes and brought to the DIK island where they were being taught un-hero-like tasks. Instead of fighting evil and the forces of darkness, the heroes were being taught how to give massages, dusting furniture and performing other un-hero-like activities. The hero draft continues:

ROUND 1 (completed): CarolynJean's.
ROUND 2 (completed): Sarai's
ROUND 3 (completed): lisabea's.
ROUND 4 (completed): MaryKate's.
ROUND 5 (completed): Christine's.
ROUND 6 (in progress): Katie(babs) & Kristie(J)'s.

Next...ROUND 7: Sula's!

After witnessing the horrors of the island, brave island insider Alice as joined me to found the HLO. Our manifesto is to:

1. Create and maintain the Desert Island Keepers Hero Shelter and Liberation Get-Away.
2. Protect and shelter heroes from DIK
   
3. Liberate the heroes from their bondage.
4. Reunite the heroes with their heroines.
5. Help heroes readjust to the sane world.
6. Drink foo-foo drinks made from our natural spring water.

For the Get-Away Island rules please see Alice's blog.

As previously stated by Alice, the following heroes have come to the island for "protection" and shelter:

• Hari (Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Liu) - For both Amy and Alice (yes, we share!!! ;p)
• Morgan Grant (Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas) - For Alice
• Julian of Macedon (Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon) - For Amy
• Nick Gentry (Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas) - For Alice
• Daemon Sadi (Black Jewel Trilogy, by Anne Bishop)- For Amy
• Rafe McCay (The Touch of Fire by Linda Howard) - for Alice
• Wren Tigarian (Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon) - For Amy
• Haku/Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi/Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki)- For Alice (I want him for my child, I want him to be with Chihiro and them as my children!)
• Hawke, Riley, and Drew (Psy/Changeling by Nalini Singh) - For both Amy and Alice
• Douglas, Duke of Ethingham (Lessons in Seduction by Melissa Schroeder) - For Alice

In hearing about the shelter, the following heroes after also arrived at the island:

• Drustan and Daegus MacKeltar (Kiss of the Highlander and Dark Highlander by Karen Moning) - For Amy
  

In order for the rescues to be attempted, we need help. Please join us to liberate the heroes and reunite them with their heroines. Get-Away island membership is included with membership to the HLO!