Kristal Lee

Heath of Xy has abandoned family, friends, and his fellow guardsmen  in the ancient city to serve his Queen in the Plains. There he learns the mysterious ways of the Plains people and loses his heart to one of their fiercest warriors.

Strong, independent Atira of the Bear desires to be bonded to no man. She rejects Heath’s offer of marriage, despite her undeniable feelings for him. To her, a bonding is little more than a lifetime of servitude ~ and she’ll have none of that. Besides, she’s of the Plains and Heath’s a city-dweller. They’re too different for a lasting commitment to be successful.

With the pregnant Xyian Queen nearing her term, Heath, Atira and a handful of Plains warriors escort her and her Warlord back to Xy to give birth. Their journey is awkward and tense because Heath has decided to no longer have a physical relationship with Atira unless she agrees to marry him.

But a threat to harm the bonded royal couple and their unborn child simmers behind the Xyian castle walls, forcing Heath and Atira to work closer than ever to quell the rebellion.  Proximity breaks Heath’s resolve.  Though he’s helpless to protect his heart, he’ll not stop risking it for Atira.

Atira’s exposure to the city-dwellers way of life gives her a new understanding of Heath and his proposal. She begins to realize that what he’s asking from her is a sharing of their lives, not a shackling.

When Heath thwarts the enemy’s maneuvers to declare the forthcoming royal heir illegitimate, a more sinister plan is set into motion.  It will take all Heath’s and Atira’s strength and battle wits to save the Queen, her beloved and their unborn child.  As the battle for a kingdom and its legacy erupts, Heath and Atira face the reality that they might have to sacrifice their love to win the war.    

Warcry continues the fantasy romance saga of the Chronicles of the Warlands by USA Today bestseller author Elizabeth Vaughan. I’m delighted to mention that Warcry reads beautifully as a stand-alone story.  Ms. Vaughan does a fabulous job of providing just enough backstory to explain the setting and circumstance without bogging down the read.

The descriptive detail is a perfect blend of landscapes bearing a certain familiarity but imbued with a rich essence that uniquely defines a place not of our world. The interactions between the Plains people and the city-dwellers showcase how different cultures perceive the world around them and yet at their core they experience the same needs and wants for love and family.

There are several scenes where the point of view character is someone other than Heath or Atira. This usually occurs in villainous scenes; however, there are short glimpses through the eyes of other secondary characters that give the reader a broader scope of the action. Although I’m not generally a fan of these types of switches, this technique works very well for this story. I didn’t find them intrusive or extraneous. Often, I found these scenes to provide key insights.  Seeing—through the villain’s eyes—how the deaths of his two sons embittered him, provides a depth to the story that can’t be achieved through another character’s perspective.

Heath and Atira’s introspections reveal their struggle to understand the cultural differences between. Only when they learn to see the world through the other’s eyes do they begin to truly accept one another and understand that self-sacrifice is the path to enduring love.

I found Warcry wonderfully entertaining. I especially loved the author’s voice. Her words blend seamlessly on the page, sweeping me up into the action and intrigue so that I couldn’t stop reading until the end. 

GOLD COIN RATING:  4.5

Heat Level : Campfire

Goddess of Legend (Goddess Summoning #7) ~ P.C. Cast

Gold Coin Rating: 3.4

Heat Level:  2 (Candlelight)

Devastated by war, award-winning photojournalist, Isabel Cantelli returns to her native Oklahoma hoping to soothe her battle-scarred soul. Little does she know that the whispers of an ancient magick has been sent forth through all the ages to find one, just as her.

Careening off a bridge and plunging into Grand Lake, Isabel didn’t see flashes of her life as she lived it. All she saw was the coulda, woulda, shouldas as she drowned. Lucky for her, the Water Goddess Coventina, offered a magickal amulet and a second chance at life and love…in Camelot.

One condition--Isabel must lure Lancelot away from Guinevere before they destroy Arthur and his kingdom.

Sure, no problem. Lance is supposed to be the most handsome knight of the realm. Isabel is confident in her skills as a woman who gets what she wants. This assignment would be a no brainer.  Until she realizes Lance doesn’t hold a candle to Arthur and the only feelings of lust or love she can muster are all directed at the King.

Isabel is quirky and out-spoken and hilariously out-of-place as she barrels forward with her mission to save Camelot and its people. Some of the comedic interplay is over the top and some things a bit cliché. Yet, the essence of the story is entertaining, with a few laugh out loud moments.

Isabel with all of her shenanigans manages to help heal the rift between Arthur and Mordred, and teaches Arthur how to love again. Soon, Camelot is threatened by an invading army. Because of all that Isabel has witnessed in war, she finds a way to defend Camelot so that none of its people are harmed. Her plan truly is a work of genius and quite funny in its conception.

During the victory celebration, a straggler from the defeated army makes his way into the castle and attempts to assassinate Arthur. Mordred jumps in front of his father and takes an arrow to the chest.

Isabel must make a choice between saving Mordred and staying in Camelot. She loves the King and knows it would destroy him to lose his son, so she uses the amulet to save Mordred.Isabel is flung back to her own time where she is being rescued by none other than Arthur reincarnated.

Personally, I didn’t find the ending rewarding even though it’s technically a happily ever after. The reason I was disappointed was that in Camelot, Arthur told Isabel that he couldn’t live without her. She had become his heart and soul. So, what happened to the King when Isabel warped through time again? And what happened to Camelot?

The conclusion was brief, awkward in dialogue and provided no insight into what happened after Isabel left. I would’ve liked to have seen her make a trip to the library and do a little research on the outcome. She is, after all, a journalist.