Pimpage and Reviews

Greetings all quasi-sane personages. Once again I have survived the misery called the menstrual migraine (ugh). At least I am lucky enough to still be able to read while curled up in my little ball of misery. But enough about me.

The nice folks over at the Book Binge are wonderful summertime contest, the giveaway is a beautiful hand bag, some books and other treats. All entries into the contest must be e-mailed by June 30th. See the folks at the Book Binge for details.

In addition the wonderful folks at the Book Smugglers are having a long weekend with Loretta Chase. They will be interviewing Loretta Chase tomorrow and giving away three copies of Ms. Chase's latest release Your Scandalous Ways.

Now on with the reviews:

Title: The Song

Author: Jean Johnson

Published: February 2008

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Stand Alone/Series: Book 4 of The Sons of Destiny

From the Author Site: Evanor, fourth-born of the Sons of Destiny, lost his voice—and with it, his powers—in the violent battle that freed his family from their greatest enemy. Thankfully, with the safe return of his twin, Evanor now knows precisely who can bring his songs back to life.

She is the enchanting widow Mariel, a Healer brought to Nightfall to help the brothers in their hour of need. For Mariel and her young son, that means leaving their beloved homeland for the unfamiliar island of Nightfall and its still-forbidden shores…and with it, risking the passion she stirs in her intriguing patient’s heart.

But a new danger looms when the Council of Katan learn there might be women on the Isle…

Review: Book 4 and still enjoying the series.

Evanor, who is the Lord Chamberlain of Nightfall, lost his voice and his magic since he is a Song Mage. Without his voice to direct his magic, he is without magical power. Since Katan still considers them exiles, no healer of sufficient power is willing to come to Nightfall Isle to restore his voice.

Enter widowed Mariel, a healer of sufficient power from Natallia and best friend to Serina, the wife of Evanor's twin Dominor, and her son Mikor. She must reacquaint herself with her skills in order to regenerate Evanor's vocal cords, with the help of the citizen-chickens. The addition of the nine year old child to the island required some adjustment for the others.

Evanor and Mariel are immediately drawn towards each other, but the courtship is awkward since Evanor can barely speak. And both tend to be reserved with very little wild swings of passion. The love story is much quieter in this book than in the previous three.

The continuing subplot takes a bigger role in this installment. The Council and King of Katan are beginning to question the unusual purchases being made by the brothers, items that seem to imply that there might be women on the island, and also the news that the brothers are charging for resources that were once free has enraged some on the Council. Again the bit of humor made the book fun to read especially the continuing joke of the "citizen-chickens" and one can't help but giggle at the title of "Councilor of Conflict Resolution".

Keeper?: Yes

Recommendation: Yes

Rating: 3.5 of 5


Title: The Cat

Author: Jean Johnson

Published: June 2008

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Stand Alone/Series: Book 5 of The Sons of Destiny

From the Author Site: Amara of the Shifterai has good reason to be wary of mages, when mages were responsible for chasing her and her sister out of their homeland. Being on the run for so long hasn’t put her in a trusting mood, yet there is something about Trevan of Nightfall—mage or not—that Amara finds difficult to resist. But can he be trusted with her most fiercely guarded secret?

Courting such a pretty yet prickly outlander won’t be easy, but Trevan is determined to try. She may be fierce, proud, and from a different culture, but he is the Cat, and none but the most fascinating and challenging of women could satisfy him. Of course, it would help if she stood still long enough for him to court her properly…

Review: I have to say that this has been my least favorite in the series so far.

Trevan, the romeo of the brothers, is frustrated with the lack of female companionship and longs for a woman to call his own, whether she be an illusion or real. When he finds signs of a new woman on the island, he immediately sets out the catch her as his destined mate.

Amara, a power natural shifter of the Shifterai, is wary of mages due to the unusual power her twin has inside her. She was a princess and the next Queen to be of the Shifterai but due to the fates she was forced to leave her people to protect them and her twin. She is "prideful, prickly and paranoid" and a general pain in the ass for the first half of the book. She has a bit of the superiority complex, is constantly butting head with Kelly, who is now Queen of Nightfall, and is completely distrusting even though she made everyone swear by truth stone that they had no interest in acquiring any additional power than what they already had.

There was some humor in the story but not nearly as much as the previous books. The love story is weak, since Amara spends most of her time running away and avoiding the issue while Trevan tracks her down because he believes that she is his destined mate. There was no real chemistry between them, no real passion until the nearly end of the book. The subplot continues smoothly. What I found most interesting is the budding relationship between Rydan, the night-loving, antisocial brother, and Amara's twin sister, Arora. Their story will be told in The Storm.

Keeper?: Yes

Recommendation: Yes

Rating: 3 of 5