Devon’s review of The Bond That Heals Us (Eternal Bonds, Book 2) by Christine D’Abo
Futuristic Romance published by Ellora’s Cave 7 May 08
Original Review posted 19 Jun 08
Every once in awhile, when I’m feeling a bit sick of the same old, same old, I like to sink my teeth into a SciFi/futuristic romance. Futuristic romances present a similar challenge to paranormal: that of creating a coherent, consistent alternate universe in addition to a believable love story. Authors have to avoid the dreaded info dump, while weaving the details of their world so that it’s not all meaningless jargon and faux technological mumbo-jumbo. On the other hand, you don’t want to give too little detail, because then the reader has too many questions and can’t get involved in the story.
Well, this reader anyway. A quick look at Christine D’Abo’s website shows that she released a book in 2007 called The Bond That Ties Us. I’m guessing that you really, really need to read that book to get the most out of this one. Otherwise, you’re a bit lost. For example, the heroine, Sara, a doctor on the Eurus colony made up of humans and the Briel. What are the Briel? Space aliens, I guess. We know they are tall and can communicate telepathically with their mates, but that’s all. For that matter, what’s the purpose of the colony? Why/how does it exist? There’s a large mine on the colony, which figures strongly into part of the story. But we don’t know why the mine is there or what they’re mining. Knowing these sorts of details makes the story hang together better.
Davin Jagt, a Raqulian pilot, crash lands on Eurus and needs assistance to get his ship going. In the meantime, he and Sara find they’ve got some explosive chemistry. Davin and Sara are likable (though I like Davin better), and I think their numerous sex scenes moved the relationship along. Davin is hiding a secret regarding some abilities he has. I would have liked it to be revealed a bit more quickly, because my interest started flagging. Since this is an EC, Davin’s powers are somehow tied up with sexual arousal, which led to one truly eye-rolling scene where Davin’s trying to save a man’s life while saying, “Tell me what you’re doing” to Sara, who is getting herself off. A time and a place, folks.
While one doesn’t want to be bogged down in exposition when looking for some light reading, some detail is necessary to make us care about the world, the people, and the plot. Otherwise, space is just a backdrop for sex. If you enjoy futuristics and are interested in The Bond That Heals Us, I’d suggest you read The Bond that Ties Us first. I would imagine it would shed greater light onto some of the places, species, and events mentioned here.
Grade: C
Summary:
Sara has been so busy saving the lives of others, her own life has passed her by. But when a mysterious alien captain crash lands his ship on the Eurus colony, Sara feels an unexplained attraction to him and decides to throw herself into an unexpected love affair.The last thing Davin wants is to walk into a relationship with anyone, let alone a feisty human doctor. But when he is forced to stay on the colony, Davin can’t help but be drawn to Sara’s strength and spirit. As long as he can hide the true nature of his healing abilities from her, everything will be fine.
They tumble headlong into a fiery sexual relationship, drawing closer until events threaten to push them apart permanently. When a group of miners on the planet begins to exhibit unusual behavior, Davin must put his fears aside and work with Sara to save their lives. If he can’t open up to her, all may be lost.
Other books in this series:
