Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Mists of Time


Title: The Mists of Time
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 3)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel


Diana Dearborn is a romance novel writer who is currently struggling with her latest novel. Although she's published, she's never experienced great fame from her books, perhaps because she's writing about something she doesn't know about.

Diana was found as a child in Chicago with no memory of anything but her name, and speaking only a language that no one could identify or decipher. She is adopted by a loving set of parents, and unfortunately has recently lost them both. She doesn't think she's very pretty and that she may have a stalker.

Diana is given the book from Lucy in the end of the previous book. She decides to check out the time machine and takes a trip back to Camelot. Much like Lucy, she encounters a man who is hurt and brings him back to her time to get him stitched up. She lets him stay at her home for a few nights and introduces him to modern times.

Gawain is Diana's suspected stalker, only he isn't. Gawain was sent back in time by Merlin to protect Diana. She has accidentally brought back a villain who is going to try and take over the 21st century. Gawain has to keep her safe and help her to defeat the villain.

This story was "believable." I enjoyed the fact that the man that Diana brought back didn't just happen to be her true love. She brought back the villain and everything starts to go wrong. Even after they send him back to his own time they find they have messed with the past and it shows in the future.

Where the other two books in the series don't really encounter any change in the future due to meddling in the past, this one does. That to me made it seem more "real."

Diana getting her memory back and learning about her past was at times very touching and made me cry. Gawain is such a devoted knight to her and it's incredibly romantic, even if he does beat himself up about things constantly. This may have been my favorite in the series.

Monday, December 27, 2010

A Twist In Time


Title: A Twist in Time
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel


Lucy was given DaVinci's by Frankie at the end of Time for Eternity. To Frankie, it just "felt right." No explanation was given to Lucy as to what the book was for. Lucy seems to have an obsession with the book and carries it with her all the time. Oddly enough she discovers that her friend, Brad, is working on a machine and the book goes with it.

Brad manages to fix the time machine and then he and Casey, his boss, decide that they must make sure it is fixed and send someone back in time to bring something back with them. Lucy is chosen and she is sent to the past and in the few seconds that she is there is defended by a man against another man. The man who defended her got mortally wounded and she accidentally takes him back with her to her time. She arrives months later to find that Brad and Casey think she has stolen the time machine. They have interrogated everyone in her life as well as rented out her apartment and other time sensitive things.

When Lucy returns she gets the Viking, Galen, to the hospital and gets his wound stitched up. The two go to Lucy's friend who convinces them that Brad and Casey would only hurt them and helps them to get new identities and run away.

Lucy and Galen run away to a boat in a bay and live on the boat. The two learn to communicate with each other, initially in Latin and eventually in English. They are drawn to each other and magical type things seem to happen when they come together.

Eventually Brad and Casey find them and Lucy and Galen have to fight for their lives and go stand up to them so they can stop living in fear and hiding.

I adored Galen's character. His confusion of the modern times was interesting and his protection and attitude towards Lucy was touching. My favorite parts of the book encompass the two of them learning to be together on the boat.

I enjoyed the fact that the vampire element of the story was taken away leaving us with a time travel novel instead.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Time for Eternity


Title: Time for Eternity
Author: Susan Squires
Series: Da Vinci Time Travel Series (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel



Frankie is a vampire in the 21st century, she was made a vampire in the 18th century. Her maker was a vampire she thought herself in love with, but she didn't know what he was. She was made a vampire and then abandoned by him. This has caused her to always move on in life, never letting anyone get close. This has also made her hard and bitter. Frankie is working as a bartender when one night another vampire comes in and upon seeing/hearing Frankie's bitterness, let's Frankie know that she has a time machine which could let Frankie go back and fix her life. Although she doesn't 100% believe, Frankie decides to check it out and finds out it's real. She transports back to the time when she became a vampire.

To make things interesting, as soon as Frankie is anywhere near her 18th century self for the first time, she is sucked into the same body as her old self. This means that 18th century Francois, who has no idea about vampires and what she is there for has run of the body. She only hears a voice, which is Frankie. Francois thinks she's going a little crazy when she keeps hearing a voice telling her to kill Henri.

The Henri the second time around is nothing like the Henri that Frankie remembered. Henri dotes on Francois and the two fall in love with each other enough to risk their lives for one another. Their story is taking place while France is in an uproar and people are being mobbed and beheaded left and right. Francois learns of a kind Henri who does his best to make things right secretly.

It doesn't take too long for Frankie to realize that she is going to change the past, but not in the way she thought.

I have never read a book by Susan Squires, nor heard of her. I've been racking up a ridiculous amount of Border's Bucks lately and ran out of things to buy with them so I picked up this entire series.

I thought the story was perfectly matched between romance and the turmoil of France and Francois/Henri's involvement. I find that too often one is more focused on then the other and it can be either good or bad, but this was a fantastic blend.

The characters grew to have their own personalities and I thought I could smell cinnamon when Henri entered where I was reading. The passion between the two at times was red hot. I am all to excited to see where the series moves to next.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Play of Passion


Title: Play of Passion
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changling (Book 9)
Genre: Paranormal



Indigo is a strong independent woman and a lieutenant of the SnowDancer pack. She is the most dominant female of the pack, and just 2 steps down from the alpha. Being such a strong dominant, she has some issues with mating and dominance. She always thought that she would fall for a guy who was more dominant or about the same level as she. Her partner in many pack dealings, Drew, seems to get under her skin. She allows him the general pack skin privileges, but eventually he starts to take things further. Indigo seems to enjoy it, but is conflicted on the stance of dominance.

Andrew, Drew is the pack's tracker. He embodies a carefree attitude and seems to be on good terms with the entire pack. He's a bit of a playboy when it comes to the ladies, but it seems that he remains on good terms with them all, even after the fact. Drew doesn't really fall anywhere in the dominance line up. He is a dominant male, yet because he is a tracker he doesn't fit in the line-up with the lieutenants. This is what confuses Indigo so much. She doesn't have much of a chance against Drew, who pours on the charm. He has had feelings for her his entire life, and now is finally acting on them.

The two's relationship is all over the place while they learn what works for them. In the midst of it all, the Psy-Changeling war continues with the Psy becoming more involved and almost pulling the wool over the Changelings' eyes in their own territory.

I just realized that somehow I missed Book 8, Bonds of Justice. It doesn't seem to matter to this book, although I have intentions of reading Bonds of Justice next.

As usual these books are steamy. The characters seem to three dimensional and I can connect with them on many levels. I enjoyed the fact that the war seem to take a real backseat to this story and that's how I like it.

Unlike some past books, I did feel like Indigo's issues regarding dominance and Drew really did come up. He stepped over her and got her reprimanded by alpha Hawke and had to then try and convince her that he wouldn't do it again. Her problems didn't just magically disappear, but it appeared more that they worked on them.

Hawke's story is finally being shared. I cannot wait to see things between him and Sienna come to head. Interesting that it is being released as a hardcover. I guess he's alpha, what else would I expect?