Shannon C.’s review of The Flame (Sons of Destiny, Book 7) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade/Sensation 2 Dec 08

As I’ve said in my last few reviews of the books in this series, I’ve been a slavish follower of Ms. Johnson ever since I discovered her books. They have a combination of fantasy and romance that’s maybe a bit lighter on the romance than some romance readers prefer, but which is interesting to me nonetheless. This seventh book is no exception, as it brings the seventh of the Nightfall brothers his destined mate and moves the plots begun earlier in the series toward their conclusion in the eighth and final book.

Koranen, the seventh of the brothers stranded on the island of Nightfall, is that rarest of all creatures, the virgin hero. His affinity with fire has a tendency to flair up out of control and he’s left a few burns on tender female flesh to prove it. So he’s got a huge case of sexual frustration going for him. But he’ll finally get a chance to exercise some of that frustration after an agreement brokered by his brother Morganen sends several Aquamancers to Nightfall. Now Kor has to figure out which of them he can touch without burning.

Danau, one of the chosen Aquamancers, is the kind of heroine I love to distraction when she’s written well, which, like all of Johnson’s heroines, she is. Her problem is pretty much the opposite of Kor’s, in that when her passions run high, she gets cold. Let’s just say, her last lover had frostbite in an unpleasant place. Oops. Danau’s culture views this as a failing on her part as a woman, and so she’s determined to figure out the secrets of Nightfall’s famed desalinator, which processes salt water and makes it fresh. She’ll let her fellow Aquamancers play courting games with Kor, because obviously he wouldn’t want someone like her. Sure, she’s attracted to him, but all she can have are frustrating nightly dreams. That combination of prickly exterior concealing a woman who really just needs a hug–or a lot more, come to that–is something I find irresistible. I find that quality in Eve Dallas, and I find it in Danau, and I want more heroines like them.

Unlike Gwen, I really liked the romance. It did take a while, but I thought the reasons were good ones. I mean, Danau is obsessed with her work, and doesn’t send off friendly vibes, while her fellow Aquamancers are all over Kor like white on rice. It’s no wonder he doesn’t see the very, very obvious until he gets smacked upside the head with it. I think that’s a fairly realistic reaction, and provided a conflict that didn’t feel forced or artificial. I also loved that Danau and Kor have to figure out the whole sex thing. It never feels awkward or uncomfortable to me as a reader, but it did feel very true to the characters.

I can’t speak more about the fantasy plot without going into spoilers, but I expect great things from the next book in the series where that plot is concerned. It was also nice to see all the secondary characters, and I devoured this book quickly. It’s not a good book to start if you haven’t been reading the series, but if you’re following it, you definitely want to read it.

Grade: B+

Read other reviews and information about this series by following its tag.

Summary:
Seventh in the hot series from the national bestselling author that Jayne Anne Krentz hails as “fabulously fresh.” Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day–they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. Now that it’s his turn to look for a bride, Koranen, the seventh-born brother, cursed with a flame that courses beneath his flesh, must find a woman able to endure the literal heat of his passion. Then Danau the Aquamancer arrives, and as everyone knows, fire and water create steam.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

I’ve been covered over with large quantities of visiting extended family, baking, cleaning, cooking (can you say Christmas Tamales?  I knew you could), and general holiday madness – not to mention trying to find time to meet Sybil to shift some books from her car to my car.  As a result I haven’t had time to write full blown reviews of a few books.  So here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been reading.  I promise I’ll try to get to full reviews of all three books shortly… 

Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell
Historical paranormal romantic suspense released by Zebra 1 Dec 08

Another of those “reformed rake” stories that I love so well.  Also a good murder mystery.  An historical with more paranormal elements than usually present in her books.  Good Hannah Howell, even with all the “dinnae” and “och” to wade thru.  Nice romance and a very excellent heroine.

Grade: B+

The Flame (The Sons of Destiny, Book 7) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade/Sensation 2 Dec 08

Good story but so-so romance.  It took too long to start the actual relationship.  This was much more a “fantasy” than a “romance”.  Here’s hoping the 8th and final book in the series, The Mage, gives us more meat on the romantic bones.

Grade: C+

Murder Game (GhostWalkers, Book 7) by Christine Feehan
Contemporary paranormal romantic suspense released by Jove 30 Dec 08

Oh my goodness.  Terrific Ghostwalker novel.  Really hot romance, good heroine, hot alpha hero, hot sensuality (had to look at the cover to make sure I wasn’t reading Lora Leigh), excellent romantic suspense elements, excellent action.  All around good book.  I don’t think you’d even have to read the previous GW books to like it; it stands well on its own. Pacing was excellent and never a dull moment.  Loved it.

Grade: A

Shannon C.’s review of The Storm (Sons of Destiny, Book 6) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley 1 Sep 08

I’ll be sad to see the last of the Sons of Destiny. I feel like I’ve spent the last year getting to know all of them, and there are only two more books to go. I really do hope Ms. Johnson has other stuff in store for us, because I for one will definitely be on board when she brings it out. That being said, this sixth entry in the series isn’t my favorite, largely for personal, highly subjective reasons. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like it, because I did, quite a bit. Read on for my thoughts. 

Rydan is the sixth-born brother in the Sons of Destiny, eight brothers who were exiled to the island of Nightfall in accordance with a prophecy, and who have, with the help of the mates that they end up meeting, begun to form an insipid kingdom. Rydan shuns the day, preferring the nighttime. He has many secrets, and he prefers his solitude, finding his family’s imposition largely annoying. Of course, all of that is about to be disrupted with the arrival of Rora, a woman with secrets of her own, and power that could potentially start a war brewing.

I know that fangirls have been awaiting Rydan’s book for a long time. This is probably where the breakdown between me and most fangirls occurs, because the brooding loner type doesn’t appeal to me at all. I didn’t really understand why Rydan couldn’t explain what his deal was, which I figured out about four books ago, to the rest of his family, who are all genuinely nice people and would have undoubtedly done something to help him. The fact that this wasn’t addressed in a way that worked for me kept Rydan well into petulant adolescent territory most of the time. Rydan, you see, is an empath, a fact that is not spoilery at all since it is revealed fairly early on. He even describes his empathy as feeling as if he’s got an inner beast, which was one of those tropes that was jarring in its completely unnecessary application.

As for Rora, I liked her. She’s not one of Johnson’s best heroines — Serena is still my favorite — but she’s definitely a far cry from the bland and uninteresting heroines I’ve encountered from other authors. I love that she was pretty methodical about finding a way to be with Rydan and to help him. She is fairly powerful in her own right, but she does know her strengths and weaknesses, and was quite useful. The tension between Rora and Rydan was also well-played, and I felt their chemistry, although the one complete sex scene they got at the end went on a tad too long.

The secondary characters are also done well. It’s always nice to revisit the past happy couples in this series, and I was relieved to note that Kelly, the heroine in the first book, didn’t steal the show in every scene she was in. Further, I liked seeing that Morganen, the youngest brother and the matchmaker in the series, is capable of making missteps. It will make his own book much more interesting to read.

I think this is one of the most unique fantasy romance series out there. I love Ms. Johnson’s voice. I love the grand scope of her series, and as I said above, I will be sad when the end of the series comes. I eagerly await the next book, The Flame, which features a virgin hero — always a favorite of mine — and after that, Morganen’s story!

Grade: B

Read other reviews of books in this series by clicking on the Sons of Destiny series tag.

Summary:
Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day-they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. The sixthborn son must find a way to trust his Destined bride…

First, his most heavily guarded refuge is breached. And now, the worst of all crimes against Rydan of Nightfall: Rora, a pesky, privacy-invading foreigner, likes him and won’t leave him alone! Rydan knows he’s as appealing as a rosebush stripped of its blooms, so why does she persist? Any normal maiden should be seeking less thorny company than his.

But Rora isn’t normal. She alone sees the secret of what torments Rydan. And only she can persuade him to put it right before it destroys him. But Rora has her own secret as well-one of such vast power that other mages have killed in order to possess it. It once drove Rora and her sisters into exile, and, in the wrong hands, its power could annihilate their world. In the right hands, it could change her and Rydan’s fate forever.

read an excerpt

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of The Master (The Sons of Destiny, Book 3) by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade 4 Sep 07

It should be no surprise that I like a little fantasy with my romance.  I know it doesn’t come as a surprise that a book titled “The Master” was something I liked.  What is surprising me is how compelling I’m finding this series.  It’s very fun fantasy romance with lots of interesting characters and a unique world where paranormal is normal and normal is not. 

So far I’ve only read The Master and The Storm.  I have The Cat and, I think, The Sword in my TBR pile and I’ll be happy to read them one of these days.  All of the books so far read fine on their own – I wasn’t too at sea when I first read The Storm (the first I’ve read).

The Master begins with our hero being held captive and eventually sold in a slave market to our heroine.  She wants to use him for some tantric magic to correct a long ago cast spell that went awry.  Through practicing for the “tantric” part of the spell, our hero and heroine fall in lust and then love.  It’s a nice romance and both characters grow thru it and become more mature people as a result.

I enjoyed this book, though I wasn’t in raptures over it.  Johnson has crafted an interesting world filled with interesting twists and fascinating details.  However, this book lacks some of the tension and drama I see evident in The Storm and I think it lacks “content” as a result.  It is a lighter version of the story/world.

As with The Storm, this book has a large cast of interesting secondary characters.  Included are the other brothers, their mates (so far), and various other peoples.  All secondary roles are there to promote the main relationship, so there’s no distractions from the key reason we’re here – the romance between the hero and heroine.

I did NOT like how stupid the heroine remained about the key misunderstanding in the book.  One of my pet peeves is the “Big Misunderstanding” plot device authors use.  I find it very frustrating when characters don’t just talk (one of my personal pet peeves, for that matter).

I recommend this book for fans of the series and Johnson’s writing.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day-they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to the Isle of Nightfall, where women are forbidden. But when the abducted third-born brother is taken by a powerful and beautiful mage, he wonders if she is his own Prophesied Disaster, his foretold wife-to-be

Kidnapped from the Isle of Nightfall, taken captive by slavers, Dominor is sold to a lovely mage, who promises freedom. But Lady Serina has plans for him; she needs another powerful mage to re-enact a mating ritual, to help reverse a Tantric spell cast centuries ago. Agreeing to help her, Dominor doesn’t suspect the secret she holds back from him: there is more to this magical mating than the Arithmancer has revealed.

Once the ritual is complete, he will be returned to Nightfall. But when that secret finally shatters, baring the truth behind the misunderstandings now separating them, Dominor is determined to retake possession of the woman who is his Destiny.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Gwen’s review of The Storm (The Sons of Destiny, Book 6) by Jean Johnson
Paranormal fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade 2 Sep 08

What an interesting little world Johnson has created here! This was the first Sons of Destiny book I’ve read. I know. Lash me with a wet noodle, but it was! I have several of the others and I promise to dig them out of my TBR boxes and read them. I hesitated because I didn’t want to be sucked into another large series, with no hope of finding my way out again. I feared for naught, however. The Storm read fine on its own, sans series, so presumably the others will as well. No emotional baggage no horribly tense cliff hangers to overcome in previous/following books. YAY!

The summary below does an admirable job of capturing the major plot points, so I’ll keep this brief and will skip to what I liked and didn’t like about the book. (I’ve always thought of this series as the “series with the headless abdomen covers” – is that bad?)

Johnson’s writing style is very prose-heavy, and dialog-light. There are very few authors I like that can write well in this fashion. Isabel Allende and Lilith Saintcrow are a couple that do it well; there are many who do not. Johnson does a good job with it. We still get the feeling of the plot moving forward, and of a lot of action happening, even without character dialog to push it along. If you like a lot of dialog, don’t let what I’ve said scare you away. I didn’t really notice the lack of it until I was midway thru and realized what was happening.

Johnson has crafted a very complex world for the Sons of Destiny series. It’s very fantasy-heavy, with mages and magic, politics and war, intrigue and love, destiny and prophecy. There’s a very satisfying mix of broad plot strokes, world details, and personal plot-lines. Again, I haven’t read any of the previous SoD books, yet still had little trouble picking up the threads in The Storm. It all meshes nicely into a very readable, romantic fantasy without a lot of info dumping.

I could have wanted a little more steam between the main characters. However, notwithstanding an early groping scene, it was nice to see the H/H’s friendship develop properly before they started boinking each other. As a result, I ended up really liking the hero, Rydan, and heroine, Rora. The secondary characters are also nicely developed and properly used; there was no feeling that a character was extraneous to this book for purposes of future book use. The villain was a little underdeveloped – such so that by the time he made a showing, I didn’t care about his demise or success.

I like this book and recommend it to any fans of fantasy romance or of Johnson’s writing in general. I was able to lose myself in her world for a short while, and that was nice to do while recovering from a head cold.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day-they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. Though no longer trapped in exile, their growing family faces new problems. The sixthborn son must find a way to trust his Destined bride…

First, his most heavily guarded refuge is breached. And now, the worst of all crimes against Rydan of Nightfall: Rora, a pesky, privacy-invading foreigner, likes him and won’t leave him alone! Rydan knows he’s as appealing as a rosebush stripped of its blooms, so why does she persist? Any normal maiden should be seeking less thorny company than his.

But Rora isn’t normal. She alone sees the secret of what torments Rydan. And only she can persuade him to put it right before it destroys him. But Rora has her own secret as well-one of such vast power that other mages have killed in order to possess it. It once drove Rora and her sisters into exile, and, in the wrong hands, its power could annihilate their world. In the right hands, it could change her and Rydan’s fate forever.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Shannon C.’s review of The Cat: Sons of Destiny, Book 5 by Jean Johnson
Fantasy/paranormal romance released by Berkley 3 Jun 08

As I’ve stated numerous times, I love the Sons of Destiny books. The family dynamic is a lot of fun, the world building just keeps getting better and better, and there’s always a new twist on the romances presented that keep them from becoming too trite.

The premise of these books is that eight brothers are sent to Nightfall Island because of a prophecy foretelling some kind of disaster. Trevan is the fifth of the eight brothers, the reputed ladies man. Living without a woman for the past three and a half years has left him horny and frustrated, and illusions just don’t really cut it for him. He’s all too eager for his verse in the prophecy that exiled the brothers to come true, because then he can get laid.

Enter Amara and Arora. They have their own issues, namely that Arora is pretty much every mage’s wet dream, since she has access to a lot of power. Amara, on the other hand, is a natural shapeshifter, whose job it is to protect her twin. She isn’t always happy about this, and all their fleeing has resulted in her becoming cranky, resentful and paranoid. Naturally, they end up on Nightfall, and naturally, Trevan immediately notices and begins courting the prickly Amara.

While Amara is probably my least favorite heroine to date in this series, just because she’s such a shrew, I really liked her and I couldn’t fault her for being paranoid and resentful. I also thought it made her human to hold on to her resentments as long as she did without apologizing, because it’s something that I think we all do, and honestly, her paranoia and prickliness felt justified. I also liked that she made Trevan work to win her, which is a really nice thing considering that he’s pretty much set on fulfilling his part of the prophecy. Oh, and she calls Kelly on some of her bitchiness. It was *really* nice to see Kelly have some human moments as a result, because my major complaint about her lately is that she’s been sooo perfect and knowledgeable about everything.

As for Trevan, I liked him. He’s one of my favorites out of the brothers, and I liked the progress of his romance, as I said. I definitely felt the chemistry between himself and Amara, and I didn’t realize that makeout scenes could be so hot. I think where I had quibbles was that the actual consumation scene went on just a smidge too long for me, and that was right near the end. But I definitely felt the chemistry and the romance, and I believed in their HEA.

The rest of the characters were fun to visit, although I can’t help but think that the AAR reviewer got it right when she said that sometimes the writing feels sitcom-ish. I definitely got that vibe in places, but it’s something that’s always been present, so I didn’t mind. I also liked the touches of humor, and I have to say that the random gay sailor who makes a minor appearance for about five minutes near the end of the book totally stole the show for me. I wanted to know more about him, and I think if an author can get me wondering about bit characters like that, she’s doing something right.

I still could have wished for a bit less in terms of the building the kingdom from the ground up aspect of the books, because some of those digressions drew the story out unnecessarily. But the world building does keep improving from book to book, and I feel that by the end, I really will understand the whole of the world Ms. Johnson has created.

If you’re just starting out with the sons of Destiny books, I think you could pick this one up without being too lost, but I also highly recommend starting the series in order with The Sword. Though this isn’t my favorite entry in the series, I’m still looking forward to seeing what the next three books bring.

Grade: B

Summary:

New in the national bestselling Sons of Destiny series, hailed by Jayne Ann Krentz as “wildly entertaining.”

Amara is wary of mages––they chased her out of her homeland. Yet there is something about the mage Trevan of Nightfall that Amara can’t resist. But can he be trusted with her most fiercely guarded secret? Courting such a pretty yet prickly outlander won’t be easy, but Trevan is determined to try. She may be fierce, proud, and from a different culture, but after all, he is the Cat, and none but the most fascinating and challenging of women could satisfy him…

Read an excerpt.

You can read my thoughts on other books in this series by clicking on the Sons of Destiny Series tag.

Other books in this series:

ShannonC’s review of The Song by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance published 5 Feb 2008 by Berkeley

Just lately I have been embracing my inner Jean Johnson fangirl. I still couldn’t tell you why I love these books, aside from the fact that the author’s voice is so refreshing. She is not writing the exact same story with the exact same plot and the exact same characters in book after book, and her characters, while sometimes beyond irritating, are distinct and distinguishable and fun.

I didn’t like Johnson’s latest book as much as I’ve liked some of her others, and it’s very much a transition book, but the elements that work work really well.

The Song tells the story of Evanor, the fourth of the brothers of Nightfall Island. For the sake of full disclosure, I will confess that I adore Evanor and he is my favorite of the brothers, because I lurve me a beta hero and Evanor is just way too sweet and cute. Plus he’s a musician, and while some girls may go ga-ga over Navy S.E.A.L.’s or vampires, I will take a man who can sing any damn day.

Ahem. Right. Where was I? Oh yes, the plot. Evanor lost his voice saving one of his sisters-in-law from a villain in a previous book, and this has left him depressed and frustrated. The brothers can’t seem to get a competent Healer out to the island until Mariel, the best friend of Serina from the third book, agrees to try the complicated regeneration of Evanor’s vocal chords. Meanwhile, the Mage’s council of Katan, where the brothers came from originally, are starting to get suspicious of all the odd activity going on around Nightfall, which poses a potential problem for the brothers.

This book resolves a lot of the dangling story arcs that have been left hanging in the other books while setting up new ones. This is primarily what happens, and while the external plotting was a lot of fun, I thought that the romance suffered.

We know, pretty much from the beginning, that Evanor and Mariel are going to fall in love. They made moony eyes at each other at the end of the third book, so it’s pretty much inevitable. Both of them are very even-tempered sorts, and the main barriers to their romance are external. Mariel’s a widow who, thankfully, loved her first husband, but he’s been dead a while and she knows from the start that she’s destined to find love twice. Her son Mikor wants a stepfather, and so a lot of the major obstacle to the romance involved winning the kid over. Mariel does have a few fleeting thoughts that the Healer/patient relationship is probably one that doesn’t involve random booty calls, but she never really sticks to her guns on that one. And Evanor decides right from the first that he’s in love, Mariel’s his destiny, and he just has to bring her around to his way of thinking. Being a beta sort, this involves a lot of subtle gentle seduction that was fun to read about, and when they finally got to the first sex scene… All I can say is that it’s one of the most tender and yet passionate scenes I’ve read in a while.

One of the other things I liked was the treatment of Mariel’s son. He wasn’t just a cute kid designed to make the reader go “aww.” He’s moody, curious, always into things, and has a tendency to embarrass his mother. I liked that Johnson accounted for him quite a bit. He didn’t just disappear when he wasn’t needed, and he was, in fact, pretty instrumental in the plot.

As usual, it’s nice to see the other Nightfall brothers and their fated mates. As usual, Kelly irritated me because there is nothing this woman doesn’t know about. (I had a huge eyerolling moment when she started commiserating with Mariel on the concept of “childus interruptus” because, dude, she was set up to be virtually lonely and friendless when she shows up in the first book, so when has she had the time to witness firsthand the kind of pains in the ass little kids can be when parents need grown-up time? Plus, Kelly is a modern woman in her mid-twenties, as am I. And I know that neither I nor my friends would articulate a phrase like “childus interruptus.” We just wouldn’t.) Also as usual, the boys continue to be a loving and supportive family except when it involves Rydan, and I still stand by my theory that Rydan is, indeed, an empath. And while I am mentioning minor niggling details that caused my WTF-meter to ping, why is Mariel described as middle-aged at 29? I have three years to go before I reach that magic number, and I will not be calling myself middle-aged until I’m at least 40, thankyouverymuch!

I think I’d have liked the plot a lot better if it hadn’t taken so much time away from the romance. Nightfall’s breaking away from Katan was interesting and will provide a lot of questions that need resolving in the next book. I particularly liked that Katan’s department of defense was called the Department of Conflict Resolution, because it seems like such an appropriately mealy-mouthed bureaucratic name for it. But there were some elements, like the invention of a Nightfall-style cell phone, that I thought were maybe not as relevant as they could have been.

I enjoyed this story, despite my quibbles, so much so that I read it in one sitting. And I am definitely looking forward to Trevan’s book. Given that Trevan is supposed to be the acknowledged lover, there better be some pr0n is all I’m saying.

Grade: B

Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day—they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to Nightfall Island , where women are forbidden. This presents a challenge for the brother whose magic has been destroyed…

Evanor, fourth-born of the Sons of Destiny, lost his voice—and with it, his powers—in the violent battle that freed his family from their greatest enemy. Thankfully, with the safe return of his twin, Evanor now knows precisely who can bring his songs back to life.
She is the enchanting widow Mariel, a Healer brought to Nightfall to help the brothers in their hour of need. For Mariel and her young son, that means leaving their beloved homeland for the unfamiliar island of Nightfall and its still-forbidden shores…and with it, risking the passion she stirs in her intriguing patient’s heart.

But a new danger looms when the Council of Katan learn there might be women on the Isle…

Read an excerpt here

Previous reviews for this series:

• Book 1: The Sword
• Book 2: The Wolf
• Book 3: The Master

Shannon C.’s review of The Master: Sons of Destiny, Book 3 by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance released by Berkeley Sensation 4 Sep 07

I absolutely love the Sons of Destiny series. I’ve tried to analyze exactly why this is so that I can write a more coherent review than one that simply says, “OMG read this boook! Now!” So far I haven’t figured out exactly what it is I love so much about the series except that it works.

You can read my reviews for the first two books in the series here and here.

The third book brings us back to Dominor, the third of the eight exiled Sons of Destiny, who’s been kidnapped by Mandarites. The Mandarites believe in the inherent superiority of men, and are trying to convert Dominor, who is, after all, a male mage, to their way of thinking. But they don’t get too far before the ship on which they’re sailing is captured by a Natallian warship. The Natallians, we find out, are engaged in a civil war against the Mandarites, because Natallian magic is passed on through the female line, thus causing issues. Anyway, Dominor is captured with the rest of the Mandarites and sold into slavery where he is purchased by Serina, guardian of the magical font of Coral-Tae. Serina needs Dom’s help to enact a ritual that will bring balance to the power between the genders and thus end the war.

I absolutely adored Serina, mostly because she was a pleasant surprise from what I was actually expecting. Given what we know of Dominor from previous books, I assumed that his and Serina’s courtship would involve a lot of shouting, foot-stomping, and then hot angry sex. But while Serina is the equal to the competitive Dominor, and has a strong will, she isn’t feisty, thank the gods. I in fact loved that she was an intelligent, if scatterbrained woman who really did need someone to take care of her. I liked her a lot, and I admire Johnson for writing a very different woman from the loud, opinionated Kelly and the gentle Alys in Serina.

I warmed up to Dominor as well. It turns out that behind his arrogance there is a man who really wants to be important to somebody. When he realizes that someone is Serina, he does everything he can to ensure that she needs him as much as he needs her.

The romance between them works well, for the most part. Given that Dominor and Serina aren’t on Nightfall, there is blessed relief from the rest of the family clammoring for attention. The only problem I really had was a big misunderstanding that would have been resolved pretty easily had Serina not had a really stupid moment. But given that Dominor says as much to her when it’s resolved, I can’t really bring myself to subtract any points from the book.

The plot moves along at a good pace, and I pretty much read the book in one sitting, which is a rare treat when it happens. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to resolve itself in the end, which is something I haven’t always been able to say about the books I’ve read lately, so it’s a nice treat when that actually happens.

Unfortunately, this book isn’t perfect. I wish the world-building was a little tighter. Sometimes it really does seem to me that the people in this world are pretty much modern Americans in funky clothes, especially when they start espousing liberal values and beliefs, which in itself isn’t a bad thing but seems kind of inconsistent at times with the rest of what is presented. There’s a lot of potential for some really cool stuff–I’m especially intrigued by the mention of the Moonlands–but the world-building in other places is particularly sketchy, with things just kind of happening with no real explanation of why they do. And some of the characterization feels a bit forced. A boisterous, loving family like the Nightfall brothers, who are all perfectly content to matchmake their own siblings in a way that I’m pretty sure most *real* men wouldn’t, ought to notice that Rydan, the most mysterious and aloof of the brothers, gets disturbed by strong emotions. And these men and their mates aren’t generally stupid, so I really want to grab someone and shake them and shout, “He’s a freaking empath you idiots!”

The sequel-baiting here was pretty obvious. We know pretty much from the start who Evanor, my favorite of the brothers and the hero of the fourth book, will have as his mate. I was a bit skeptical of that particular pairing, but I have to admit the first scene between Evanor and his heroine was very cute in a way that I thoroughly enjoy.

As I said, I love this series, and I don’t know many people in romancelandia who are reading it. It is definitely a series I highly recommend.

Grade: A-

     Summary:

     Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day-they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to the Isle of Nightfall, where women are forbidden. But when the abducted third-born brother is taken by a powerful and beautiful mage, he wonders if she is his own Prophesied Disaster, his foretold wife-to-be.

     Kidnapped from the Isle of Nightfall, taken captive by slavers, Dominor is sold to a lovely mage, who promises freedom. But Lady Serina has plans for him; she needs another powerful mage to re-enact a mating ritual, to help reverse a Tantric spell cast centuries ago. Agreeing to help her, Dominor doesn’t suspect the secret she holds back from him: there is more to this magical mating than the Arithmancer has revealed.

     Once the ritual is complete, he will be returned to Nightfall. But when that secret finally shatters, baring the truth behind the misunderstandings now separating them, Dominor is determined to retake possession of the woman who is his Destiny.

     Read an excerpt.

Are you as addicted to Jean Johnson‘s Sons of Destiny series as I am? We’re halfway through this series of 8 books about 8 Warrior/Mage brothers (4 sets of twins) in an alternate universe similar to our medieval times except magic is the norm. A prophecy about the disaster(s) that will happen as each brother falls in love prompts their people to exile them to an isolated island.

My favorite so far is The Master, book 3 (Dominor and Serina), but I’ve enjoyed every one of them and can’t wait for the mysterious Rydan’s story.

Huge congrats go out to Jean for this announcement she made on her Yahoo Group, MoITWF (Mob of Irate Torch Wielding Fans). Not only are The Sons of Destiny being printed in German, but they’re launching an entirely new imprint:

Yes, proof positive I’m being translated and printed in Germany!

My first book “The Sword”, has been retitled “Sons of the Isle” in German (because they have this cultural thing about how military terms and romance novels just don’t mix very well), and is being launched as part of an entirely new book imprint, “Penhaligon”.

…I’ve had to sit on this news for a couple of weeks now, because Maria Duerig, one of the senior editors at Randomhouse.de, wanted me to wait until the Penhaligon book line was officially announced through her publishing house before letting the word get out through other means. This week, she gave me the go-ahead, and so I’m going ahead by sharing this beautiful cover with all of you, yay!

I must say, -this- is very close to how I originally pictured the cover of The Sword to look–I am very pleased with how it came out! Sure, it doesn’t have any sexeh-chest-bits, but isn’t that a gorgeous cove? Straight off the rockier stretches on the west side of Nightfall Isle, I swear…

Anyway, for those of you who speak German, the website for the imprint is http://www.penhaligon.de and the website for my book in particular is: http://www.randomhouse.de/book_new/edition.jsp?edi=280654…and they’ve labeled it “Romantasy”…which I think is a particularly good way of describing the genre for the SoD series!

Don’t you just love that label, ROMANTASY? It’s perfect for these surprisingly sexy Sword-and-Sorcerer-lite books. My favorite part about these books? The characters actually use the bathroom! In fact, in book 1, The Sword, Saber and Kelly bond over a mutual bout of raging diarrhea. No, seriously!

Watch for the re-release of the previous Sons of Destiny books in mass market paperback:



And in trade:
Followed by The Storm (2 Sep 08), The Flame (2 Dec 08), and The Mage (3 Mar 09)