Sunday, June 12, 2011

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison




Dragon Bound is the story of Dragos Cuelebre and Pia Giovanni. This story is set in a world where Elves, Wyrs (shifters), Faeries, etc are actual beings and functioning members of society. Dragos is the leader, King, of the Wyr and Pia is a half-breed Wyr who was blackmailed into stealing from Dragos. As soon as she completes the theft she goes on the run because stealing from Dragos is tantamount to a death sentence.


WHERE HAS THEA HARRISON BEEN ALL OF MY LIFE? I am absolutely in love with and am prepared to be her beta reader for the next book in this Elder Races series. From the first page down to the last page I was pulled snatched in. Pia is a feisty, strong female character. Even when she feels the situation is hopeless she pushes forward and doesn’t give in. I was instantly intrigued when it was mentioned that Pia was constantly cloaking herself and grew up never telling people whom and what she really was. One of the best plot devices of this book is the idea that your true name holds Power and if someone were to find out your true name then you were theirs to control. In the past, when I’ve read books with this particular design I’ve always enjoyed it. And the same holds true for this book. It’s anything but dull to see how [and if] the characters can manage to keep their true name a secret.

From the get go I was routing for both main characters. Even though Pia stole from Dragos and Dragos was a foul-tempered and jaded tyrant I was on both of their sides. I have to admit I was chomping at the bit to know what sort of Wyr Pia was mixed with. It had to be either something so horrible or so fantastic that she couldn’t share it with just anyone. Such delicious suspense. And you, the reader, finally discovers what she is its like a light bulb clicks on. 

Pia’s sass and Dragos' asshole nature complement each other perfectly. Such a sweet and sour tangy relationship. Although, there were a couple of times where Dragos’ comments literally made my jaw drop. I could not believe some of the things that came out of his mouth and the people who received these words, but the author definitely made it work. And only because of the personality and background Thea Harrison built into Dragos.

This new world Thea Harrison created is one I wouldn’t mind visiting for a couple more books, say a series of 5+ books. And of course there were introductions to possible participants in the next books in the series. I hope they all get their own book. :wink wink:














MINI SPOILER : And what’s an awesome story without adding in a little bit of ‘oopsie I’m preggers’ into it. I loved that the author added this in. It punted the rating from my medium all the way up to high.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

His Purrfect Mate by Laurann Dohner




His Purrfect Mate is the story of Anton and Shannon. This book is the second in the Mating Heat series and is centered around Shannon, a ¼ feline ¾ human mix, whom was abducted by members of Anton’s pack just because she was a feline shifter. Anton, a wolf shifter, feels obligated to protect her until he deals with the offenders, but this abduction happens in the middle of mating week.
If you haven’t read Mate Set its okay, HPM does not piggyback off of it. There’s a mention of those characters, but not having any familiarity with them will not upset your understanding of this book. 

I was torn between liking Shannon and not liking her because of how afraid she seemed to always be. When I found myself getting impatient with Shannon’s “unreasonable” fear I had to remind myself that she was raised by a human mother with old stories her father used to tell her about the savageness of wolf shifters. The story behind her character was original in that she hadn’t lived her entire life feeling different with unique abilities that she couldn’t explain. She knew exactly who her parents were and why she was the way she was.

The tension between Anton and Shannon, based on their different species, brings new meaning to the phrase fighting like cats and dogs. There was such disdain and genuine hatred between feline shifters and wolf shifters. There was an actual trespass and die rule.

I loved the chemistry between Anton and Shannon. Even their being enemies did not stop their budding attraction. It puts you in mind of Romeo and Juliet, but without the suicide. At the point where they acknowledge their feelings for each other I am instantly dying to know how they can overcome the hate their species has for each other. Throw in the fact that Shannon’s shifter pride doesn’t even know she exists and you have a recipe for disaster. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Laurann Dohner is an awesome author. She does action, romance and humor so well. Another reason I love her writing so much is she is constantly creating and developing. The vocabulary and turn of a phrase that the characters use is completely fresh. For example, when the shifters are in their human form they call it ‘in skin.’ In all the shifter books I've read, quite a few, I've never heard this phrase.


 My favorite part of this book, besides the steamy love scenes, was the fact that Anton took the time out to explain and express his feelings. Shannon didn’t have to pry it out of him. He was ready to share himself without any prompting from her.

It’s always a possibility, even with a favorite author, that they could write something you won’t enjoy, but at this point I have yet to reach that point with Laurann Dohner.