Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

Determined to reevaluate her life, Jude Murray flees her complicated life in Chicago to take refuge in a beautiful cottage in the picturesque village of Ardmore in Ireland. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery and refreshed by the more relaxed lifestyle, Jude finds herself fascinated by the local folklore. Even her cottage seems to have a resident ghost and Jude decides to embark on a personal research project to find out more.

Finally back home in Ireland after years of travelling, Aidan Gallagher is also something of an expert when it comes to his country's haunting myths. He's returned to devote himself to managing the family business. But in Jude Murray he sees a woman who can soothe his heart and stir his blood. And he begins to share the legends of the land with her -- while they create a passionate history of their own... - Synopsis from the back cover of the novel.

My Thoughts

I picked this book up at the airport thinking it would be a good light read for my long flight south. What I got was an exceptional story of love; exploration and self-discovery that made me laugh, nod my head in agreement and cry. Jewels of the Sun has touched me like no other romance novel has, and to this day, nothing I have read can even compare. It is not just another romance novel, but a story of learning to live your life to it’s fullest, to take chances and follow your dreams. After having just been through a recent relationship break-up (and a bad one at that), this could not have come at a better time.

Our heroine is Jude, a onetime university professor who has quit her job, sub-let her condo and moved to Ireland to ‘find herself’. After having her marriage break up in less than a year, she is confused, angry, sad and a little bit neurotic. Jude settles in Fairie Cottage and begins work on her academic paper but this soon turns to her writing of Ireland’s legends and stories, and following her life long dream.

Our hero, Aiden, is a resident of Ardmore who, after years of travelling the world, has come home to take over the family business – the local pub. Intelligent, sexy, compassionate & strong, he is everything a woman could want. He sets his sights on Jude and pursues her, eventually convincing her that she is a warm, smart, beautiful woman with much to offer the world.

Their love story is wonderful, the characters rich and very real. From the tomboy Brenna to the the vain and adorable Darcy to Sean the very talented and angry artist they pull us in, making us wish that we could be lucky enough to find friends like them. Added to this is a secondary plot with a touch of supernatural. It is the story of Prince Carrick and Lady Gwen. Separated by a three hundred year old curse, they wait for the spell to be broken so that they can finally be together.

Maybe it’s my fascination with everything Irish, I don’t know. But every time I read something of Ms. Robert’s that is set in Ireland, I am never disappointed. Her writing style is always engaging, the scenery vivid and beautiful. In this book you can feel the essence of Ireland through the people, the ambiance and the music. In all, this is a fantastic book, one that I could not put down and have read again and again. It’s a ‘feel-good’ story, teaching us that love is something that should never be given up on, no matter how bumpy the road may be.

Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue

Sarah Douglas is a successful romance novelist who’s come to Scotland hoping to overcome her writer’s block and to come to terms with her strange ability to sense the emotions of everyone she touches. But from the moment she arrives, her problems only intensify. From the stalker – who might be only a figment of her imagination – to her attraction to the darkly handsome owner of the cottage she’s rented, nothing goes as she had planned.

Ian McCullough is neck-deep in his own trouble. A half-mortal descendant of Faeries, he’s been a Guardian for more than six hundred years, but he’s never encountered a woman like Sarah. Assigned to protect her, he finds the job tougher than he could have imagined. Oh, he can handle the stalker, and event he renegade Faeries trying to kidnap her. But falling in love means forsaking his role as Guardian – which is something he could never do.

But there is no denying the passion that exists between the two souls fated to be together.

My Thoughts
Highland Guardian is another winner for Melissa Mayhue and she proves that whether writing time travel or contemporary, she knows how to write a compelling romance. She creates a fabulous world in this book (intertwining a mature faerie culture into modern times) and she has infused depth in both her hero and heroine. There is also an older woman/younger man plot which adds interest to the entire story. The novel is filled with romance and the loves scenes are totally hot, without being overdone. This entire book makes me want to jump on an airplane to Scotland and find a Guardian of my own!

Ms. Mayhue has created a strong supporting cast and we shall, no doubt, see their stories soon. Soul of a Highlander is scheduled for release this May, and I can honestly say that I will be first in line to buy it as it contains the story of Ramos & Mari, who we first met in Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband.

While certainly no Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband, Highland Guardian is a book that shouldn’t be missed.

The Star Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

Some say the Circle of Bacwyr is a myth – and practical Isadora, a young, widowed attendant to the Empress, numbers among them. But for Captain Lucan Hern, the powerful Circle is as real as the daggers he hides under his clothing. The warrior was raised solely to find – and capture – the elusive Star of Bacwyr. But his teachers never told him exactly what it was. They only made one thing clear: Stay away from witches…

Sounds easy enough. Then Lucan meets Isadora, a decidedly different kind of beauty. She is oblivious to his attraction while he is equally oblivious to the fact that she’s a witch. And he believes her ring is the Star he’s been searching for.

Isadora has slept in a cold bed these long years – but the arrival of this gorgeous creature sets her body afire. And after a lifetime of searching for the Star, Lucan all but forgets it, waiting for Isadora to give herself to him freely, when he will take her beyond her wildest dreams…

My Thoughts

The Star Witch is the third and final book in the Fyne Sisters trilogy (see The Moon Witch and The Sun Witch) and is the story of Isadora, the eldest sister. A curse from a wizard on an ancestor of the sister’s has robbed this family of love for three hundred years. It has personally touched Isadora as she lost her husband Willym, as the curse said she would. As a result, she has vowed to never love again.

When we last saw Isadora, she was taken to Emperor Sebestyen and imprisoned. Liane, his former concubine who is now his wife, makes Isadora her personal witch. Isadora, who has teetered on the line between good and dark magic, gratefully accepts the offer and hopes to rectify the mistakes she has made in the past.

Lucan is at the palace for two reasons: first to decide if his brother should be able to marry his pregnant mistress and secondly, to regain the Star of Bacwyr which he believes to be the ring that Isadora wears. Because of this, he requests that Isadora become his concubine while he is at the palace hoping to have an opportunity to steal the ring, and Sebestyen, seeing an opportunity to spy on Lucan, forces Isadora to comply. From the moment she looks upon Lucan her body responds to the sensual creature that he is while she does her best to fight it. What starts out as a simple mission for Lucan soon turns in to much more as he cannot get the prisoner out of his mind; his desire for her is that strong.

Rebels led by the other two Fyne witches are coming to attack the Emperor, who sends Isadora to a hell where no one has ever returned. Isadora sees this as the chance to finally lift the curse even if it takes her death to do so while Lucan risks his life to rescue the woman he loves.

While our hero and heroine is most certainly Lucan and Isadora, the subplot of Sebestyen and Liane pretty much steals the show. Since the first book, we have been following the twisted relationship of these two and no matter how twisted and evil these two are, you can’t help but wish them a happy ending. Even though Sebestyen was a horrible character I found myself wishing that there had been some way to save him from himself and redeem him.

All the many threads are woven together in the trilogy are addressed and all questions answered in this masterful conclusion of the Sisters trilogy. A fantastic ending to an outstanding series and if you are a fan of any romance that is mixed with fantasy, this is a series you definitely must read. Next up is her Children of the Sun trilogy, the stories of the firstborn children of the Fyne sister’s. If it’s anything like this trilogy, it is one not to be missed.

The Donovan Legacy by Nora Roberts

Captivated

His interest in her was purely professional . . . Or so he told himself. Nash Kirkland had sought out the alluring Morgana Dovovan to help him research his latest screenplay, though the hardheaded skeptic didn't believe for a minute she was what she professed to be. But, as Morgana revealed herself to him, Nash found himself falling under her bewitching spell. Nash had never trusted his feelings and always kept them in check. So how could he be sure the irresistible passion he felt for Morgana was real and not just some conjurer's trick?

My Thoughts
Captivated is the first book in the Donovan Legacy, which tells the tale of three cousins blessed with extraordinary talents. In total there are four books that are released separately as well as a volume titled “The Donovan Legacy” which contains the first three books. This is a review of the first three books.

Captivated is Morgana’s story. Morgana, our heroine, is a witch who owns a new age store. Our hero is Nash, a screenwriter who is researching witches and magic for his next screenplay and comes to Morgana as she is well known in Monterey for her practice of Wicca. There isn’t a lot of external plot in this story but it was still quite good. I loved how Morgana never hid who she was and her in-your-face attitude and Nash’s child-like enthusiasm and open mind. Captivated is very well written and fun to read with an ending that will leave you wanting more!

Entranced

He was certainly a fraud, and she wasn't about to let him exploit her friend's vulnerability. But fiercely protective Mary Ellen Sutherland was desperate to find a missing baby and had run out of leads. So, reluctantly, the dubious private investigator agreed to enlist Sebastian Donovan's help. Soon she had to admit -- grudgingly -- that this beguiling mystery man had some pretty remarkable gifts, including his extraordinary ability to penetrate her tough façade and awaken her heart.

My Thoughts

Entranced, the second book of the Donovan Legacy is the story of Sebastian who has the gift of sight. Our heroine, Mary Ellen, teams up with Sebastian to find a missing baby and to then go undercover to bust up a baby-kidnapping ring. Sebastian has met his match in Mary Ellen and fireworks flare when they let their feelings show. While I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed the first, it was still well worth the read. The characters are fun and there is certainly more adventure, which makes it an enjoyable read. For those of you who read Robert’s In Death series, you will notice many similarities to Eve and Roarke.

Charmed

When a new neighbour, Boone Sawyer, moves next door to her with his young motherless daughter, Anastasia proves not only to be a good neighbour but wins the hearts of both Boone and his daughter. As time goes on Boone is drawn more and more into Anastasia's spell and begins to fall in love with her. Ana, though, worries how she will ever tell him the truth about herself and her family.

My Thoughts
In this her third book in the Donovan series, author Nora Roberts, has provided her readers with one of her most endearing characters, Anastasia Donovan. Cousin to Morgana and Sebastian featured in the first two titles of this series, Anastasia is the cousin blessed with the powers of healing.

When a new neighbour, Boone Sawyer, moves next door to her with his young motherless daughter, Anastasia proves not only to be a good neighbour but wins the hearts of both Boone and his daughter. As time goes on Boone is drawn more and more into Anastasia's spell and begins to fall in love with her. Ana, though, worries how she will ever tell him the truth about herself and her family. The decision is taken out of her hands when Jessie falls off of a ladder and is critically injured. Anastasia puts her powers to work to save the girl's life and her gifts become known to Boone.

While I adored Ana, Boone left much to be desired. Even though he doesn't really understand what is happening and isn’t sure how to react, it’s no excuse for being a narrow-minded, judgemental jerk. The woman saves his daughter and in his ‘fear’, he pushes her away. Of course, being a Silhouette romance, we are assured a happily ever after ending, but this part seriously ticked me off.

Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle

Where deadly energy ghosts lurk in the ruins of an ancient alien civilization. Where dust bunnies prove to be loyal pets. And where a ghost hunter will discover that a woman's heart is the most dangerous adversary of all . . .

Local Guild boss and powerful ghost-hunter Cooper Boone is everything botanist Elly St. Clair could ask for - the handsome, strong, and silent type. Maybe too silent. For when Guild secrets threaten her career at the college, Elly has to call off their marriage - and leave small-town life behind...But starting over in the thriving metropolis of Cadence City isn't easy, especially when one of Elly's new friends disappears in the eerie catacombs beneath the streets.

Cooper turns up just in time to help Elly investigate. And as the mystery deepens and dangerous ghost myths and legends come to light, Cooper makes it clear he intends to stick around - and this time he's holding nothing back . . .

My Thoughts
Ghost hunter takes place on Harmony, a planet colonized by humans when a curtain, or wormhole, opened up between the planets enabling people to travel back and forth between the two planets. Everything was great until that curtain suddenly closed, the settlers were left stranded and had to learn how to survive all over again. Two hundred years later, most of the citizens have developed certain psychic powers. Most of these abilities center around the ruins of settlements there were abandoned by an earlier culture on the planet. Under these cities are massive catacombs with large masses of energy, which are called ‘ghosts’. It is these ghost that ghost hunters hunt, using their physic abilities to diffuse this energy to keep archaeologists and others safe.

Elly St. Clair is a botanist from a Guild family. Her ancestors were Guild founders, her father is a powerful Guild leader and her brothers are following in his footsteps. She can "read" plants, a talent her family has hidden. Elly recently became engaged to Cooper Boone, the new Guild boss in Aurora Springs. Cooper is from a family of academics; he's psychically powerful and can hunt blue ghosts, a very rare ability. Elly believes that Cooper wants to marry her only so he can advance his career. She breaks their engagement and moves to Cadence City, opening St. Clair's Herbal Emporium, and gets on with her life. Six months later Cooper comes to see her and hopes she's ready to come back to him.

Elly enlists Cooper’s help to find a friend who has gone missing in the catacombs. They then become embroiled in a scheme to discover who hurt Elly's friend when she stumbled into a drug-making operation, while clues of a mysterious and mystique legend keep cropping up, etc.

What I really liked about this book was Rose, the dust bunny and Cooper Boone. He was enigmatic and sexy, sincere, interesting and patient with Ellie. The man was HOT and the love scenes were smokin’. Elly, on the other hand, was irritating, boring, and childish and came across as nothing more then a spoiled brat. She throws tantrums several times in the story one example being the fit in her fiancée’s office where she throws a pitcher of orange juice on the hero for saying something she doesn't like. It was completely over the top and did nothing to endear me to the heroine at all.

Overall it was an okay read that kept me entertained. While intriguing me enough to read the next instalment in the Harmony series, I have no intention of reading the previous two novels.

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband

By Melissa Mayhue

Back Cover

SCOTLAND, 1272. Connor MacKiernan, a descendant of the Fae Prince, is a warrior who lives only for honor and duty. Though he''s vowed never to marry, that''s exactly what he must do to save his sister. Enter a little Faerie magic, and the search for a bride is on.

DENVER, 2007. Caitlyn Coryell is having a really bad day -- she just discovered her fiancé with another woman! Imagine her surprise when she puts on some sexy lingerie and an antique pendant and Connor appears in her bedroom, begging for her help. He offers a simple yet outrageous adventure: travel to his time, marry him, and return home.

But nothing''s simple when Cate is trapped in the thirteenth century. The wedding''s delayed, someone''s trying to kill her, and in the middle of all this, she realizes she''s falling in love with a man who can only be her husband for thirty nights.

My Thoughts

I found my copy of Melissa Mayhue’s Thirty Nights at the library. I picked it up for two reasons; the cover was pretty and the title catchy. Normally not a fan of time-travel romance, I was delighted to discover that this book exceeded all my expectations. It was an excellent read, one that I did not want to put down.

The story begins in Faerie Glen where a powerful faerie, angered at the mistreatment of his daughters, curses all the male relations stating that they shall always care and respect his daughters and their offspring and that they will all bear the name Rose. With that, the Legend of the Faerie Glen has begun.

Connor McKiernan is need of a wife in order to save his sister from an unwanted marriage with a horrible man. Thanks to Faerie magic, and a little help from his aunt, he travels through time to find the perfect candidate. Caitlyn Coryell is a smart business woman who isn’t so lucky in love – having just discovered her fiancée in bed with his secretary. While drinking up a storm in her bedroom and wishing for excitement & love, she puts on an antique pendant. Suddenly, a handsome highlander appears and asks her to return to the 13th century with him, as his bride. Lucky for him, she agrees.

Only expecting to be in the 13th century for a few days, Cate is surprised when Artair, Connor’s uncle, complicates matters. He is not about to let Connor get away with this so easily and insists that the marriage should be managed in the old style complete with a reading of the banns and visiting the people. This means that Cate will need to remain in 13th century Scotland for a full month.

What happens next is a fun and adventurous story, a story filled with misunderstandings, political intrigue & family quarrels. The romance between Kate and Connor is a sweet one. It is a simple romance, not a lot of action which I’m sure left many readers wanting more. We also see the romance from Connor’s point of view which is a nice touch – it’s always nice to have the male perspective! Their romance is tender & funny and there are many witty supporting characters that add much flavour to the story.

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband is a fantastic book and very well done for a first time author. I am looking forward to reading her next book which came out in October. We’ll also be seeing Mairi, Connor’s sister again in the near future as according to Melissa Mayhue’s website, Mairi also has a story to tell!

Spellstruck

Back Cover

Jenna Wren's customers leave her salon feeling physically and emotionally reborn, almost as if by magic - which is truer than they know. Like generations of Wren women before her, Jenna is a "hedge" witch. She channels the mysterious gifts of nature into empowering treatments in her salon. But even a flourishing business and two wonderful children can't keep her from feeling lonely and increasingly frustrate with her ex-husband, Jack.

Then one night, over a bottle of chardonnay, Jenna and her sister draft a recipe for the "perfect man". It's meant to be a joke... until eight-year old Cassie uses it to test her own spellcasting powers. Cassie has only the best of intentions: a happy reunion for her parents, and a boyfriend for her aunt. But sometimes magic made in moonlight can go seriously awry - and Jenna may have to summon all of her powers of enchantment before she can truly follow her heart.

My Thoughts

Seven year-old Cassie Wren will do anything to get her parents back together and find true love for her Aunt Hallie. When she hears them writing a spell for the “perfect” man, she seizes the opportunity and uses the spell – with some of her own ideas tossed in – to make it happen. Unfortunately, the dog eats the cookie that she has chosen to represent her Aunt Hallie therefore creating a love triangle between Jenna, Jack and a handsome stranger named Declan. What they do not know is that Declan is not who he seems…

Jaclyn Reding has created a heartwarming tale of true love, the innocence of children and beautiful witchcraft. She has created a novel filled with rich characters - from Cassie’s grandmother, Eudora to her Zio Sal. Between her characters and her details to the town and landscape, Jaclyn Reding brings the town of Ipswich-by-the-Sea to life.

The book is the third in a series but can easily stand alone. When I first read the book, I had no idea about the previous two and it didn’t affect my understanding and enjoyment at all. It is also a very fast read – I read it in two evenings and I work full-time and care for a 13 month old when home.

I highly recommend this book.