Review: A Hidden Magic by Angela Benedetti

Fey incursions into the mortal world have been on the rise lately, and Paul MacAllister's trying to figure out what the king of the local elven enclave Under the Hill is up to and how to stop it. Rory Ellison was caught up in one of those attacks and nearly killed by a gang of goblins. He doesn't believe they were real, though, and is resisting anything Paul might say to the contrary.

Normally Paul would be willing to let Rory go his own way, at least until he's taken care of more immediate business. But Rory has a particularly rare gift, one the elven king needs to have under his control in order to carry out his plan. Keeping Rory away from the fey who'll use him -- to death if necessary -- means protecting him night and day, whether Rory agrees or not.

A Hidden Magic is an excellent beginning to Angela Benedetti's new M/M urban fantasy series. She begins by plunging the reader directly into her world of magic and setting the dark atmosphere that will surround her characters.

Paul McCallister, Cal, Manny and Aubry are members of a Mage Team who use spells and other magic abilities to battle Fey, trolkins, goblins and other magical creatures and come "topside" to steal magic from humans so they can banish them back to Under the Hill where they belong. The urban setting for these disturbances: Downtown San Jose, California.

Rory Ellison has always been different. He has seen strange creatures all his life, and in fact after years of therapy and medication Rory believes these creatures are hallucinations -- a product of his deluded, psychotic mind. Rory is attacked by a dangerous gang of goblins and almost loses his life. The Sentinels come to the rescue and it is then that he finally learns the truth about himself. His life is about to change forever.

As Paul and the Sentinels protect Rory from more frequent and dangerous attacks from the fey, Rory battles not only his grave doubts about this new world of magic, but a growing attraction for Paul. And Rory fights hard! He doesn't want to believe and he doesn't want to be attracted. However, when all investigations as to the continuous attacks point to King Pelamine, things rapidly deteriorate for the Sentinels and Rory. The real battle begins.

I enjoyed this book. To develop Paul and Rory's romance, Benedetti uses sexual tension quite effectively throughout the story. It all builds up to an intimate encounter and the beginning of a relationship. Although both Paul and Rory are attracted to each other and there's a satisfactory outcome to their attraction, as follows with most urban fantasy series, there's room for further development of both the romance and the world building in future installments.

The two main characters in this story are well developed, although there's more depth to Rory's character than Paul's. The Sentinels as secondary characters are well defined, their personalities are set and it's obvious that they'll be pairing off in future installments. Aubry as the most powerful Mage and Cal as his assistant stand out in this story.

Benedetti uses Rory's introduction to the Sentinel's world of magic, his doubts, and the exploration of his new powers to introduce the reader to the world building for her new urban fantasy/romance series, and answers questions as the story moves along at a fairly fast pace.  The story was intriguing with lots of action, interesting characters and twists and turns along the way, it kept me turning those pages. A solid beginning to this new series.

Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy Romance
Series: Sentinels, Book #1
Released: May 26, 2010/Torquere
Grade: Solid B

Anesthezea's 2010 M/M Romance Challenge

Mini: Unfinished Business (Sentinels, A Hidden Magic #1.5) by Angela Benedetti

After a morning of saving the world, apprentice mage Cal Toscani heads down and works a full day in his busy restaurant, because foiling the bad guy doesn't pay the bills. After midnight, bruised and aching from the aforementioned foiling, and exhausted from a long day of work, Cal goes home hoping for a hot bath, a nice massage and some sex, not necessarily in that order.

His lover and master, Aubrey Fletcher, unfortunately remembers that he gave Cal a lesson that morning before everything got exciting, and he's determined to finish that lesson before anything else happens -- yes, right now. Cal finds himself naked in bed, trying to figure out how to remove Aubrey's spell, while a naked Aubrey does his best to be distracting. Cal's pretty sure he's going to explode long before he figures the damn thing out

As a follow-up story to A Hidden Magic, Unfinished Business -- a Sip by Torquere --is quite the hot short story. This is a quick encounter between Aubry and Cal and follows up on a scene that takes place in A Hidden Magic. However, this Sip stands well on its own as an erotic encounter.

I loved seeing this side of both Aubry and Cal and I thought it was an excellent glimpse into these two characters and their relationship. I definitely hope to see more of them in future installments. Hot, hot!

Genre: M/M Urban Fantasy Romance
Series: Sentinels (A Hidden Magic Story), Book #1.5
Released by: Torquere
Grade: B

Anesthezea's 2010 M/M Romance Challenge

Featuring SFR: Minis - Shielder Series by Catherine Spangler (Part 2)

Yesterday I began a new series of posts highlighting science fiction romance -- "Featuring SFR"-- with an overview of the Shielder series by Catherine Spangler (click here to read overview). Today, that same feature continues with Part 2. As promised it consists of information, and some quick personal notes on all five individual books.

I can NOT end this post without making a comment about the covers! This is definitely a case of "don't judge the book by its cover."As you can see, they are... well... quite dated and the first four definitely don't reflect the genre or content of the books.  The fifth book does have more of a sci-fi "feel" to it, although it still doesn't reflect content except for the somewhat pink moon. Ummm, but hey they are quite colorful, aren't they? ;P

SHIELDER (Book #1)

Outcast Heart
Unjustly shunned by her people, Nessa dan Ranul knew she was unlovable—but when an opportunity arose for her to save her world, she leaped at the chance, disregarding her own life. Setting out for the farthest reaches of the galaxy, she had one goal: to elude capture and deliver her race from destruction. But then she found herself at the questionable mercy of Chase McKnight, a handsome bounty hunter whose hard-muscled arms both captured and protected. Suddenly, Nessa found that escape was the last thing she wanted. In Chase’s passionate embrace she’d found a nirvana of which she’d never dared dream—with a man she could never dare trust. But as her identity remained a secret and her missions incomplete, each passing a day brought her nearer to oblivion. Nessa knew the truth could save her, but could she risk trusting her heart?

The first book in Spangler's Shielder science fiction romance series, this book is an excellent beginning to one of my favorite, older SFR series. Nessa was brave, vulnerable and relentless in her journey and Chase was sexy, brave and compassionate. I loved their romance and adventure. This book will hook you into reading the rest of the series.

SHADOWER (Book #2)

The Hunter
Sabin had been in every hellhole in the galaxy. In his line of work, hives of scum and villainy were nothing to fear. But Giza’s was different, and the bronze-haired beauty at the bar was something special. Not only could she sweep a man off his feet, she could break his legs an steal his heart. And though Moriah wasn’t what Sabin had come for, she was suddenly all he desired.

His Heart’s Prey
The man was a menace, what with his dark good looks and overwhelming masculinity. Worse, Sabin was a shadower, a bounty hunter, which meant he was only one step removed from the law. He was dangerous to a smuggler like Moriah, to her freedom. Yet he drew her as a moth to a flame, and even as she pledged to stay cool, her senses caught fire. Then, in his arms, Moriah realized that this bounty hunter was different. His touch was gentle, and his kiss sweet. And his love led to a fantastic freedom she’d never known.

The second book in the Shielder SFR series, Shadower is my favorite book. A smuggler, Moriah is one of the strongest heroines and my favorite female protagonist all around. Sabin is both sexy and intriguing, plus he also gets my vote for favorite male protagonist of this series. I loved both the action and the romance in this book.

SHAMARA (Book #3)

Freedom:
In a universe of darkness and depravity, the Shielders battled to stay one step ahead of the vengeful Controllers. Their survival depended upon the quest of one man.

To Live
Jarek san Ranul had found evidence of a wormhole, a vortex to another galaxy; escape from those who sought the destruction of his race was at hand. But when his search produced the most intriguing woman he’d ever met, he found he wanted something more than duty and honor.

To Love
On the run from a mighty warlord, Eirene Kane had to protect her identity. She was an Enhancer, one of a genetic few with a powerful gift. Then her flight hurled her into the arms of Jarek, a man who both stole her heart and uncovered her perilous secret – and though she knew she should flee, Eirene found herself yearning for both the man and the one thing he claimed would free them forever.

I just re-read Shamara in September. I wanted to do this post and needed to refresh my memory. This book is key to the overall storyarc because this where Jarek fights to find a way out for the Shielder race, unfortunately this is also the biggest disappointment of this great series. The problem? Characterization and lack of focus. The overall storyarc seemed to lose focus in this installment and went in circles centering more on the romance and the weakest and most frustrating female protagonist of the series. For me, this was the weakest book of an otherwise excellent (classic) sci-fi romance series.

SHADOW CROSSING (Book #4)

Celie Cameron spent her youth as a smuggler, skirting the law. But though she's given that up, she misses the adrenaline rush of danger. Then a routine delivery goes haywire, throwing her into the arms of a handsome pilot—an android, or so she thinks—and Celie suddenly finds herself embroiled in a galaxy-spanning intrigue and deception. Rurick is a miracle creation. But though he attracts her as no human ever has, his secrets threaten all Celie has ever believed. She resists his allure...until she learns to trust her heart. Then they will challenge the evil that threatens the Verante quadrant, and love will bring light to the dark expanse of space known as Shadow Crossing.

The fourth book of the series was a definite a winner! And especially pleasing after reading Shamara (3rd Book), which was a disappointment. Celie, Moriah's younger sister and partner in her smuggling business, is another strong heroine, and Rurick was an excellent romantic pairing for her. Their adventures through space were exciting and the inclusion of the human-like android added to the story. Deceipt, fast paced adventure, romance, strong characters and lots of space time. Who can ask for more?

SHADOW FIRES (Book #5)

In the relentless heat of the wild Sauran desert, Jenna and Arion wage a battle of wills until they discover that the heart is mightier than any weapon-and that love will forge shadow and fire together.

The fifth book in the Shielder series, this is the FIRST book I read in 2005 and the one that later on (2007/2008) got me to read the rest. This is the most alien book of the whole series as it focuses on a Leor male protagonist -- a reptilian-like race -- and a female Shielder as the romantic central figures. The whole story takes place on the Leor planet. The romance itself is well developed, and I give the author high marks for making me fall in love with a reptilian-like hero. Spangler is quite creative developing this alien world.

After reading the series in order and re-reading this book, I found some inconsistencies in the heroine's personal conflicts, plus the fact that the Controllers become a factor here gives the overall storyline a predictable feel. Having said that, the creativity factor still ranked high when I revisited Spangler's alien world, and I couldn't forget how fresh it felt the first time I read Shadow Fires.

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Series: Shielder Series

Published: 1998 through 2004/Love Spell

Grade for Series: B+

Visit Catherine Spangler here. Find out more about her SHIELDER series here.

Featuring SFR: Overview - Shielder Series by Catherine Spangler (Part 1)

If you visit this blog, you know I love science fiction romance. Every so often I review a book or mention a favorite author, however to date I've not gone out of my way to highlight this genre. It's about time.

A shoutout to Heather from The Galaxy Express, one of my favorite science fiction romance informational blogs. Recently, Heather put together a list of blogs that review science fiction romance books. You KNOW I'll be visiting them! Here's a link to that list in case you're interested.

I'm beginning this feature by highlighting Catherine Spangler's SHIELDER series, a classic science fiction romance favorite. Published by Love Spell beginning in 1998 and ending in 2004, the series is labeled as Futuristic Romance and consists of five titles: Shielder, Shadower, Shamara, Shadow Crosser, and Shadow Fires.

World building: The world building in this series is excellent. Catherine Spangler certainly gets high marks for creativity. The Shielders are a humanoid race who are born with a natural mental shield. The Controllers have taken over most the galaxy by using their mind control abilities and brutal violence against those who oppose them. The Shielders' natural skills makes these two races enemies. The series begins when the Shielders, who have long battled the Controllers for survival, are almost decimated. The Controllers are systematically committing genocide against their race and colonies are being erased from the galaxy by deadly chemical viruses. The series then continues with the battle for survival of the Shielder race by taking the reader through different adventures, planets and ends with Book 4. Shadow Fires, Book 5, is related and involves a Shielder but it's focused on another alien race, the Leors.

Characters: Throughout the series, Spangler doesn't restrict herself to introducing Shielder and Controller  characters. Instead, she mixes it up and the reader gets a wonderful view of the different beings and creatures that inhabit this galaxy that she created. Her male protagonists range from ship captains and doctors, to bounty hunters, leaders and aliens. The female protagonists also have different backgrounds and come from different planets, there is a brave Shielder, two smugglers, an Enhancer and a Seer.

Romance vs. Science Fiction: The romances in these books are central to the stories, more so than in most science fiction romance books today. Spangler combines all the ingredients I love in this genre and balances them quite well: the romance, science fiction details and space adventure in this series. The books are older and so is the style and some of them might feel bit dated. For example: the "absolute kick butt" space heroine is not there yet (although you'll find some of that in the books). The first book was published in 1998 and the last book in 2004, so you must take this into consideration when reading the series.

Issues: Spangler addresses different issues throughout her stories. You'll find a feminist thread as well as others through the whole series: how societies treat those who are different and the consequences of ignorance; male centered societies and how they affect females; the struggle for independence and validation, and of course there's more. She takes all of these issues, places them into a science fiction setting and weaves them into her great adventures.

There's plenty of "rescuing the female protagonist" in this series, yet... you'll find that, with the exception of one, most of the females do plenty of rescuing themselves and two of Spangler's heroines are smugglers -- not exactly the "come rescue me" type.

Conclusion: Most of the books have a great balance between the romance and adventure with excellent science fiction details. For the most part they are fast paced reads and the world building is easy to understand and follow. With the exception of one book, this is an excellent science fiction romance series -- a classic.

This is a two part post -- tomorrow's post will have pertinent information on the individual books: the series in order with covers, summaries and some quick personal notes on each book.

Review: Once a Father by Kathleen Eagle

Logan Wolf Track had horses in his blood. For this "Indian cowboy," teaming up with army sergeant Mary Tutan to enter the Double D's wild mustang training competition was a win-win proposition. This tough yet vulnerable woman was a natural with horses—and with Logan. She soon had the single father yearning for love and family, something he'd lost when his grown stepsons left home.

But as with horses, it wasn't enough for Logan to know how to ride this feeling; he had to know how to fall. And when Mary made a shocking discovery that threw their relationship into question, Logan knew he'd risk all to keep their untamable passion alive….

This is the book I was reading when I left on my brief vacation, and the one that stayed with me. It's the cowboys, the horses and the western setting. They always do it for me. In Once a Father, I really enjoyed the way Eagle's unique character combination and how she portrayed both the "Indian cowboy" hero and army sergeant heroine.

Logan Wolf Track is an expert at training wild horses -- he even wrote a book about it -- and he wants to join the Mustang Sally Training Competition. The fact that he's on the Indian Council leasing lands to Sally, however, disqualifies him to enter and win the $20,000 purse. Mary Tutan would also love to enter the competition and she does qualify, but her forte is training dogs in the army, not horses. Her friend Sally comes up with the perfect solution -- Mary will partner up with Logan and she'll enter the competition while he shares his horse training methods with Mary. If they win, they'll split the purse.

While Mary is on a 30 day leave from the army to take care of her mother who is ailing, she finds herself torn between wanting to spend her days with Logan training their their horse, and taking care of her mother. Although her mother is sweet and understanding, her father makes things difficult. There's no love lost there. Her father is a man who has emotionally and verbally scarred his entire family. He's also a rancher and has a problems with using good land to save wild mustangs.

Mary is a plain looking woman and doesn't think of herself as attractive, but what I like about her is that she doesn't really seem too concerned by it. Logan is immediately attracted to the character he sees on Mary's face and a mutual attraction and sexual pull develops pretty quickly after that. Logan is one of the nicest men I've encountered in a book -- a man with two grown up children, a giver -- and Mary is a strong woman who's still trying to find her true path in life. Together, they make a beautiful couple.

The romance itself is heart warming and although there's not a lot of external conflict, I enjoyed the characters and their internal and personal struggles. Although the sexual scenes between Mary and Logan are written in an almost mystical way and not necessarily to my taste, others might find them pleasing and I must say that there's just something about Eagle's writing that I enjoy. The title of the book fits the story, Eagle gave it a bit of a twist that gave this story and characters depth.  

Eagle's protagonists are warm and down to earth. The story is quite contemporary, and while it centers around Mary and Logan, the plight of the wild mustang in the West is also a focus. Training the chosen horse plays a big role in the story and romance that develops between Mary Tutan and Logan Wolf Track -- Eagle integrates the two in an almost mystical way. Characters from the previous two books in this series make appearances, and I'll be definitely pick up those books.

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Western
Series: Western American Series - Book #4
Released: Harlequin/Silhouette Special Edition - September 2010
Grade: B  

September 2010 Reads

Well September was busy month for me, and it went fast! I'm feeling relaxed and renewed after my week off and have energy to burn. Hopefully that will translate into a few more posts and reviews. :)

I dedicated half of September to re-reads, while I kept Mariana company during her Re-reads Month and really enjoyed reading loved/favorite books. My biggest problem was choosing them. An interesting note: I noticed that most of my comfort or favorite books are in the "B" category (B, B+) -- yes some of them are A's, but very few. Does that happen to you?

And finally I do have Challenge Updates this month. After four months of not reading or reviewing any books for the In-Death Challenge, my block was broken and I'm again on a roll again! I also finally began reading the book I chose for Orannia's BIG BOOK Challenge, Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, and *drum roll* I finished reading and next week will be posting my last review for Anasthezea's 2010 M/M Romance Challenge. Yes!

Here are my September reads:

Total books read: 22
Re-reads: 11
New reads: 11

Favorite book AND Biggest Surprise this month?

• Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie: A

Believe it or not, this is my very first Jennifer Crusie book! This is one of those authors I kept seeing around and always decided to read later. I left a comment on Tracy's blog saying so and her answer was... "Girlfriend, what are you thinking?" So, she very generously sent me a second copy as a gift and sure enough I gobbled up that book. Tracy was right, what the heck was I thinking?! What fun! Just... what fun! So yeah [sigh] late to the party, but had a great time anyway. :D 

Biggest Disappointment

• Marrying McCabe by Fiona Brand: C

I know this is an older book, but I've been looking forward to reading it for quite while -- it took me all this time to find this old copy and purchase it. The first three books in Fiona Brand's SAS series are favorites and I just expected more from this one, and you know what those high expectations can do. Brand still weaves a good story and I enjoyed some parts of it, however in my opinion this book was definitely not in the same category as the first three in the series. You can read my thoughts here. 

Complete List of Books Read

1. Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas (Re-read): B
2. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (Re-read): A
3. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger (Re-read): A
4. Cullen's Bride by Fiona Brand (Re-read): B+
5. Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb: B-
6. Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb: B+
7. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard (Re-read): A-
8. Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard: C
9. Blue Moon (Under the Boardwalk Anthology) by Linda Howard: B-
10. Overload (Summer Sensations Anthology) by Linda Howard: B
11. StarCrossed 1:Demon Tailz by McLeod & Valentine (Re-read): B+
12. StarCrossed 2:Opposite Ends of the Spectrum by McLeod & Valentine (Re-read):B+
13. Reckless Seduction by Amanda Young (Re-red): B-
14. Reckless Behavior by Amanda Young (Re-read): B
15. Tabula Rasa by Tori Temple (Re-read): B+
16. Marrying McCabe by Fiona Brand: C
17. Truly, Madly by Heather Webber (Upcoming Review)
18. Once a Father by Kathleen Eagle:  (Upcoming Review)
19. Shamara (Shielder, Book 3) by Catherine Spangler (Re-read): B-
20. In Enemy Hands by KS Augustin:  (Upcoming Review)
21. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie: (Upcoming Review)
22. The Doctor's Wife by Cheryl St. John:  (Upcoming Review)

How was your September? What book was your favorite? I chose an "oldie, but a goodie." Was yours an "oldie," or a new release?