When two strangers meet by chance, their shared ecstasy challenges cultural differences and changes the course of their future.

Two societies have lived apart on a remote planet for generations. At the top of the Dwelling live the Aerotaun, people who have built wings to help them fly. The bottom is occupied by the Marimar, hearty swimmers who live and feed by the sea. Because of the mystery surrounding their ancestors’ landing, suspicions and distrust thrive between the cultures.

Until a taboo encounter occurs on an isolated beach.

Ariana, an Aerotaun, cannot resist the seductive allure of the forbidden Andreus. Their few days alone ignite sexual exploration and uninhibited ecstasy. But when Ariana finally learns the shocking secret about their purpose on the planet, she must decide if her heart belongs with her people or the sexy Marimar.

Warning: This title contains the following: explicit sex and graphic language.

Title: TABOO
Author: Leslie Dicken
Series: I have no information on whether this book is part of a series so I’m classifying it as a standalone
Genre: Futuristic Romance, Erotic Romance (Light) Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2011, May 17
Format: eBook
Source: Received an e-ARC for review from author

First line:
He was forbidden.

Memorable Scene:
-scene at the lagoon where Andreus finally takes Ariana > the build up to it made it an impressively climactic scene


TABOO is my first encounter with Leslie Dicken’s work, despite having two of her historical romances on my digital bookshelves. After reading TABOO I know I want to read those soon though because this first taste of her writing has left me wanting to read more.

Before receiving a review copy of TABOO I talked to Leslie Dicken on Twitter about this book because having read the blurb I was convinced it wasn’t going to be a book that would completely fit my reading preferences. I thought it was an erotic fantasy romance and though I don’t shy away from erotic romances, I have learned, reading romance over the years, that fantasy romance is not quite my cup of tea. However, when Leslie Dicken mentioned that TABOO was more light fantasy and science fiction romance-ish, I started to get more and more intrigued by the book as the title had already captured my attention.

Though TABOO classifies as a sci-fi/fantasy erotic romance I couldn't escape the historic vibe Leslie Dicken’s writing gave off. The writing style was agreeable and fluent and I was soon immersed in the story of Ariana and Andreus but I did find the writing to have a historic feel to it, especially in the wording and sentences.

Though the start was slow and it took me a chapter or two to get into the story, it remained fascinating and intriguing and soon I was curious as to how the story would unfold. Once I got past the first two chapters I had little trouble envisioning the world Leslie Dicken created in this story and found the mix between world building, eroticism and plot to be nicely balanced. I also really liked how Leslie Dicken set up the world within this book, with the two different people and the star-crossed lovers trope.

Although I do think the story was too short for extensive characterization, I really liked the characters and their backgrounds. In that vein, I must also say the plot, the eroticism and the world building made a bigger impression on me than the characterization.

The love scenes were explicit and sexy and the sexual tension was built up excellently towards the scene where they finally fully give in to the chemistry between them. At first I wasn't sure I liked that Ariana is betrothed to one man and lusting after/attracted to another and the one thing I didn't really like was the way this was also not addressed in the end when Ariana never really tells her intended she wants out of their betrothal but does get her HEA with Andreus.

The story focuses mainly on Ariana and Andreus as there are hardly any secondary characters. If I counted them correctly there were two on page secondary characters who appeared extremely briefly and there was one mention of a secondary character but that was it. Understandably because as I’ve mentioned the plot, eroticism and world building didn’t leave much room for characterization and it’s not more than logical that too many secondary characters would take away even more space for Ariana and Andreus to be thrive as main characters.

TABOO is a character-driven and sensual fantasy-ish science fiction romance that, after a somewhat slow start, managed to capture and keep my attention with its excellent writing and fascinating plot and world building. I loved the original and refreshing setting and backdrop for the romance and I really enjoyed the sexy, sensual love scenes. This first taste of Leslie Dicken’s work certainly won’t be my last.

Favorite Quotes:
“Tell me,” he whispered in a voice thick and gruff. “Did your lover kiss you like this?”

She slipped the tip of her tongue out to taste him. His flavor was raw and wild, like the sea he tried to tame.

“Make me well,” he whispered against her mouth. “So I may ravage you again.”

A small tug of male pride curled his lips. He’d have her screaming before it was all over.

Peace among the clans has been nonexistent for the past centuries.- But now that clan Lairds have decided to summon the God-touched people from their magical Isle to perform the rituals of Beltane to bless the peace talks between the clans, peace is within reach. Melanie is honored to be chosen as one of six maidens to represent the Goddess at this important event.

She is meant to be a vessel for the power of the Goddess while forgetting the failures of humanity during the festival. She knows should be concentrating on her part as a Maiden of the Hunt, yet she cannot banish the handsome Scot from her mind. Running in the Hunt is as sacred as the Goddess herself, and should her desires be known, there could be dire consequences for her and the clansman. However, she can't find the will to deny his pull.

The mists of the Black Mountains enhance the excitement of their forbidden love while providing an escape from the Islanders encampment.- Can they give in to their desires at the expense of their destinies? Especially once The Sorcerer discovers their dalliance.

Title: Remembering Ashby
Author: Heather Long
Series: Don't know if it's really a series but there is a sequel to REMEMBERING ASHBY, called FORGET TO REMEMBER
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Sapphire Blue Publishing
Year of release: 2009 (April)
Format: eBook
Source: Received for review by author
First line: “Ye’re late boy.” Thomas clapped a hand on Adam’s shoulder gruffly and grinned.

QnD-review:
Hero: Adam
Heroine: Melanie Windwalker
Writing: Heather Long has an agreeable writing style that is able to take you away into a world that seems real and lifelike. The descriptions were just enough to get you acquainted with the scenery and the characters and never interfered with the pace or focus of the rest of the plot.
Likes/Dislikes: In the begining I had to get into the story because of the use of the Highlander brogue but when I did, I enjoyed the budding feelings between the rugged Highlander and the delicate maiden of the Godess.
Verdict: The story of Melanie and Adam against the backdrop of Beltane Night and Ashby Crossing is a lovely mix of paranormal, fantasy and highlander romance. Their romance, combined with the plot kept me intrigued to read on so I could discover more. Remembering Ashby is a wonderful story that will definitely keep you entertained for a few enjoyable hours!
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Jacket Copy:
Long ago, in the magical holocaust known as the Mage Wars, the immortal Fey and their allies fought to defeat the grasping evil of the Elden Mages and their dark-gifted supporters. During those wars, in a fit of grief-induced madness caused by the death of his mate, Fey shapeshifter Rain Tairen Soul nearly destroyed the world in a blaze of tairen fire.


Now, a thousand years later, the fierce Fey king must fight to save his race from the brink of extinction and once again stop the evil rising in the homeland of his enemies, the Eld. The key to his success lies in the mortal city of Celieria, where the Mage Wars began, and with a young woman whose soul sings to him in ways no woman’s ever has, whose presence reawakens the primal fury of the tairen within his soul, and whose vast, untapped power can either save or destroy him and his people.

This is not going to be a review in my usual format. I am taking the I’ll start and wing it method again because there is so much in my head I want to write about this book, it’s bursting out and not in a methodically and structured manner. Reviews of some books aren’t meant to be crammed into structure and formats and LORD OF THE FADING LANDS is definitely one of those books.


Where and how to begin? Let’s start at the beginning and by saying that this was one of the most impressive reading experiences I’ve had this year, positively as well as negatively. I chose this book as part of my reading challenge because preceding the release of LORD OF THE FADING LANDS back in 2007 an amazing C.L. Wilson buzz began and even I, a non-Fantasy reader, felt the compelling need to buy the book. 


Then, after the raving reviews all around, I did with C.L. Wilson what I do with most authors I buy one book from, I bought every new book upon release and shelved it neatly with the others, thus adding three unread books to the immense TBR-pile. These new books in the series came out, were read and reviewed by fellow ROOB-reviewers and members of the ROOB forum and I heard nothing but praise and read nothing but raving reviews. When compiling the reading challenge list of course C.L. Wilson could not be missing on it, so I gave it the August slot. Then August came and since in July I cut it real close with the challenge book and review I decided to start early with LORD OF THE FADING LANDS, giving me time to read and review at ease and without end of the month-deadline pressure. Little did I know how visionary that would turn out to be.


I started reading LORD OF THE FADING LANDS August 15th and finished it today (August 31st). And I read the last 200 pages in the last 3 days, so I spent almost 2 weeks reading the first half of the book. I just couldn’t get into the story and for the life of me couldn’t pinpoint why. Because I loved the sweet but fiery Celierian woodcarver’s daughter Ellysetta Baristani and I melted for the awe-inspiring Rainier vel’En Daris, the powerful Tairen Soul and Fey King of the Fading Lands. I was endeared and moved by Ellie’s parents and sisters, impressed by Ellie’s quintet, especially by Bel and Kieran and I was repelled by the Eld High Mage and his apprentice Kolis Manza. These are all good things to feel when I’m reading but still something was preventing me from enjoying the book the way I wanted to. 


After finishing the book I now know exactly what it was. There were two things and they are connected. It was the pace and the descriptive lyrical, at times flowery, writing style of C.L. Wilson. Add to that the unknown fantasy terms and names and I really felt lost at the beginning, wondering what I had done by wanting to read this book, knowing I am not a fan of fantasy. I kept flipping to the glossary in the back to know what the terms I was reading meant and believe me that is not good when you already are having problems with the pace. Every time I stopped reading I’d be reluctant to pick the book up again because I knew I would have to wade through the descriptions again to get to the good stuff (dialogues and action).


This definitely wasn’t an easy read for me. When a story grips you it doesn’t matter if it’s easy to read or not but as I was having trouble getting in the story and trying to grasp the world, it made it even harder because of what I stated above. Sometimes I would get sucked into the extensive and distracting descriptions of almost everything (people, scenery, events, actions etc.), making the pace so slow it took me more than a week to get through the first 100 pages! But I hung in there and I am so very glad that I did, because somewhere after page 150 I finally got what I wanted from the book! The intriguing world building, the wonderful dialogues and the beautiful emotions were there the first half of the book too but it wasn’t until the second half, when a lot of things started to fall into place that I could stop being distracted by the descriptions that were still there and fully enjoy the sweet, beautiful and lyrical story of Ellie and Rain.


If there is one thing I learned from reading this book, it is that Fantasy is not and probably will never be a genre I favor and the little quantity of Fantasy books (be it romance or non-romance) on my shelves proves this. Nonetheless, C.L. Wilson will remain on my shelves because with the second half of LORD OF THE FADING LANDS she has convinced me that Tairen Soul series is most certainly worth the effort. I will definitely be reading the next books in this series because I am dying to know what will happen to Ellie, Rain, the Fey, the Eld and how certain intriguing things will unravel.

Quotes:

She was so young, so incredibly new to the world and to him, and yet regardless of the cost to his soul, Rain would destroy anyone and anything that dared to stand between them. And if any dared to harm her, he would shred them without mercy and dance as he drank their blood.

“Rain has given you his magic, kem’falla, the essence of himself. An eternal fivefold weave of it, embraced forever in a fragile Celierian-made vessel. Strength wedded to vulnerability, magic to mortal craft, him to you. It sings so many different songs. It is a very fine gift, indeed." Bel turned his shining gaze upon Ellysetta. "And you, kem’falla, are the greatest gift of all. You breathe life back into the dying ember of our king's soul.”

Respect for his pride kept her silent. Battered and bruised, but still fighting for dominance, his was not the selfish, petty pride that made bullies of lesser men, but rather the quiet, determined dignity that turned men into heroes and made heroes crawl back to their feet from the bitter dust of defeat and stand tall once more. She dare not take that from him.

This book was released on June 2nd and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES

Jacket Copy:
An Infamous Beauty. A Daring Warrior. . .
For five years, Sapphire has been the King of Sari’s most treasured concubine. Independent at last, she refuses to put herself in anyone’s control again. But now another’s meddling has led her into the path of proud, arrogant Wulfric, Crown Prince of the rival kingdom of D’Ashier…a man who is dangerous to her in every way.

And A Seduction That Could Destroy Them Both
The daughter of Wulfric’s fiercest opponent, Sapphire is a prized warrior in her own right and highly skilled in the sensual arts—in short, Wulfric’s perfect match. A lasting union is unthinkable, but the bargain they strike—to spend one night together, and then part—proves impossible in the face of a desire powerful enough to bring two countries to the brink of war, and two hearts to the point of surrender…




An ambush-attack on Wulfric when he accompanies a patrol to the borderlands between D'Ashier and Sari and a devious plan of a jealous Queen bring Wulfric and Sapphire together. Wulfric is offered to Sapphire as a servant when the Queen forces her husband to relieve Sapphire from her duties as his concubine. When they find out their respective identities, things get complicated. Wulf returns to his homeland but finds out he can't live without Sapphire and takes her with him against her will. The time they spend together in D'Ashier brings them closer together and their initial passion grows into love. But there are many obstacles in the form of mercenaries out for blood, the war between their kingdoms and a jealous monarch and jilted lover.

Katie "Sapphire" Erikson has been the preferred concubine of the King of Sari for five years and he fell in love with her from the first moment he saw her. Sapphire doesn't reciprocate these feelings and feels awkward towards the Queen who truly loves her husband but must endure his feelings for Sapphire. Sapphire yearns for her freedom and recognition as an individual. Her time as the King's concubine feels like confinement because she is not able to speak her mind or follow her desires and wishes. She is confident, outspoken and smart. She is not only skilled in the amorous ways. When it comes to combat and battle strategies she also has knowledge and skill. She is tough and strong but deep inside she is vulnerable. Her feelings for Wulf take her by surprise and make her feel uncomfortable at first.

Wulfric "Wulf" Andersson is the Crown Prince of D'Ashier. He is ruthless, intelligent, cautious and meticulous. There is truly nothing anti-hero about him. He is the epitome of an honorable warrior hero who is alpha to the core. The moment he sees Sapphire he is under her spell and his feelings confuse him. Before Sapphire women were meant to enjoy temporarily and he didn't commit to one woman alone. Sapphire evokes deep feelings in him. Feelings he has trouble dealing with because of the situation between their kingdoms. One thing I definitely liked about him was how he refused to address Katie as Sapphire after he found out her true name and kept calling her by it. He refused to acknowledge the name another man had given her and this scored big points with me. Wulf's declaration of his love for Katie to his father literally made me cry, it was so beautiful.

The physical chemistry between Wulf and Sapphire is fierce. Their mutual desire sets this book on fire. Their passion leaps of the pages and in the midst of all the extremely hot love scenes, Dare delivers a plot that is unpredictable and fitting the characters and the romance.

Though Sapphire and Wulf and their courtship take center stage in this book, there is enough room for some intriguing and complementing secondary characters such as Gunther and Brenna, King and Queen of Sari. The despair in Brenna of loving someone who loves someone else is palpable in the scenes where Brenna, Sapphire and Gunther appear, especially in the beginning of the book. Other important secondary characters are Sapphire's parents: Grave and Sasha Erikson. The warm relationship between Sapphire and her parents is a delight to read. Contrary to many novels portraying difficult, strained parent-child relationships this one oozes love and warmth. Wulf's relatives, his father Anders and his brother Duncan, are a bit less warm and loving, both of them possessing this cruel, mean streak but in the end the bond between them turns out to be just as strong as Katie's with her parents.

Sometimes it's really great to go into a book unknown, unprepared and totally without expectations. This was one of those times and what I received was a book able to put erotic fantasy romance on my reading map. Combined with the Sci-Fi touch and feel I got a taste of a genre that I don't read regularly. Although I'm not really a Sci-Fi kind of girl (at least not with my reading) I really liked it. It's a nice mix of fantasy, futuristic and historical elements and the book totally caught me off guard. To be honest I am not an avid reader of fantasy, not even fantasy romance but I must admit I have to readjust that statement after reading IN THE FLESH. Maybe that is because it had all the elements I appreciate in other subgenres of romance. The writing was masterful, it was fast-paced, it had suspense, it had humor and it had a love story that was excellently told. And on top of all that it had elements I really wasn't expecting.

Livia Dare’s approach of concubines is one that is rare in the romance world. They are prized, revered and respected. The way she combined this outlook with some scenes that made me think of the romances I read when I just discovered this genre made it a refreshing and original book. There were scenes where Wulf would portray a true conquering warrior with Sapphire as his captive. These scenes brought back memories of the romance novels from back when I was a young girl and read those books with a pounding heart and all flustered. Since then I've become an experienced enough romance reader to recognize and appreciate a great romance novel when I read one and this was definitely that. Furthermore IN THE FLESH was very erotic. Because I went into the book knowing only that it was a fantasy romance I wasn't prepared for the rather explicit love scenes. They were a nice and unexpected treat and an addition to the intriguing and fast-paced plot. A lot happens in the book, keeping me entertained from the first to the last page. I was surprised in a good way with every chapter. I loved the characters, I loved the plot and I melted at the "kidnapping scene" where Wulf takes Sapphire to D'Ashier.

Livia Dare had a surprise for me at every turn. There were moments I thought I knew where she was going with the story but then she'd throw in something totally unpredictable. IN THE FLESH is a perfect mix of great characterization, action and old school romance. It is lush, emotionally gripping and definitely red hot. She has created an elaborate world that has a lot of potential for future books of this trilogy. I am glad I had the pleasure to review this book as an ARC for ROOB because with IN THE FLESH she has given me a very promising and intriguing first installment of a trilogy that is in a genre I would never have discovered on my own: erotic fantasy romance. I'm extremely curious as to where she is taking this trilogy. The end left me with a touching HEA but also with many unanswered questions about how things will proceed.



Quotes:
He sensed she was a kindred spirit, a primitive creature like himself in a world that had long ago evolved and been tamed.

Only when her hands fell to her sides and her legs hung limp over his shoulders did he desist and rest his cheek against her thigh with a breathless chuckle of masculine triumph. As her senses drifted back into awareness, Sapphire resigned herself to the truth. She was in deep trouble.