Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mini-Impressions: Storm's Heart (The Elder Races, #2) by Thea Harrison

During the rule of her murderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle "Tricks" Periwinkle found sanctuary among the Wyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the hearts of the public, but after her uncle's death, there are those who don't want to see her ascend the throne...

Able to wield thunder and lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr's best weapons. And he's the one sent to protect Tricks when she's almost assassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them- a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.
In Storm's Heat by Thea Harrison, the second book in The Elder Races paranormal series, Tricks is on her way to claim the Dark Fae's throne. On her way there, one of her cousins attempts to assassinate her and Tricks winds up alone in a motel room where Tiago finds her wounded and drunk out her mind. After a few disagreements and another assassination attempt, Tiago and Tricks begin the journey that will place them in danger and lead them to the Dark Fae's realm. As the heat builds up between the two, they'll fight an unknown enemy, uncertainty, and their own desire.

I liked Tricks in the first book and was really looking forward to her story. I loved the humor in Dragon Bound, and toward the beginning of Storm's Heat I found some of those same amusing moments. I mean Tricks has some great lines. However, to be frank it didn't take long for this character to become a bit of an annoyance. I found her to be a bit too "pouty," needy and superficial. Her "voice" got on my nerves after a very short period of time and that was not good news!

Tiago is a rather forceful alpha character. He was considered a god in the ancient times... but, unlike Dragos, Tiago is quite the softy and once he falls for Tricks (which is rather fast), all he wants to do is please her. He caves in pretty easily to her charm. The one thing he keeps intact is the overprotective bit... and of course, he is relentless once they mate. I liked Tiago, but didn't fall in love with his character.

My biggest problem with this story, however, would be the romance itself. I don't understand why Tiago and Tricks become attracted to each other all of a sudden after 200 years of having on and off contact with each other. What set it off? Why now? There's nothing in the story that explains this. There's no previous attraction or a hint that there was sexual tension or even an awareness between them throughout those years. Again it's the "mating" device that it's so often used in paranormal romance, but without anything to back up the "romance." Unlike the romance in Dragon Bound, I didn't buy this love that sprouted like mushrooms after a hard rainfall.

Overall I found this to be an average paranormal romance read. This particular installment in the series didn't stand out for me like that first book. When it comes to the next book in the series, I'm not sure that I will be reading it right off the bat either. I wasn't enamored of the vampire Carling, and although Rune seems like an interesting character, I think I'll wait and see.  Grade: C

8 comments:

  1. Aww it sounded good from the description but I dunno... after I read your thoughts it does sound a little average.

    *Sigh*

    :P

    Thanks for the review

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  2. Too bad this one didn't deliver like the first book. :(

    I just got this but not feeling any urgency to read it. From a number of reviews I've read, it looks like this one didn't quite live up to the first one.

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  3. Alex, the blurb sounds really good to me too. It has it's good parts. Tiago and Tricks are sexy together, and Tricks is quite the fashion diva, while Tiago is pretty much clueless... they have their moments. For me personally, this was an average read, though. Especially compared to the first book in the series.

    Leslie, yes. In comparing the two, no it did not. This is a good, average read. But as I said to Alex, it doesn't stand out like Dragon Bound. Plus, it didn't inspire me to read the Rune and Carling's story, which is a shame. I'll still look for Harrison in the future though... maybe another series? Future books in this same series? Let's see. I really liked that first one. :D

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  4. LOL, Hils, can I copy/paste your review? Please, please, pretty please? LOL. Pretty much felt the same as you.

    Like you, I really thought I'd like Tricks... but sigh, she didn't make the cut in my opinion.

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  5. Ohhh, lol Nath! You're so funny. :D I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I looked forward to this story, and (sigh) Tricks... she definitely didn't cut it for me either. Oh well... we'll see if there's something from Ms. Harrison in the future that will "do it" for me again. :D

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  6. I've heard such good things about the first book but have still to read it...

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  7. Orannia, the first book is an enjoyable, fun PNR read! Worth reading, imho. :)

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  8. I still haven't read the first one. That's too bad this one didn't work out for you.

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