"Stories where finding that special someone is worth the struggle"
THE ONLY ONE is an anthology of stories by three of the
most talented authors in the Dorchester ranks. Each story
is set in a world that the author created for a longer
book, thus giving us a "taste" of that world. All three
stories utilize the premise that for every individual
there is one other person that completes them, a soulmate,
an inspiration, and a lover that makes life worth living.
This book is fan-fricking-tastic -- it's a good book that
should appeal to the fans of these authors as it
represents some of the best of their works, but in
addition it should win new readers, eager for more. Christine Feehan's story, Dark Descent, has a bodyguard
heroine, Joie, who likes caves... Frankly, I can't think
of a better match for a Carpathian male like Traian, who
hunts renegade vampires. The story takes its title from
the fact that our heroine is drawn into "descending" into
a cave after she meets the hero during an out-of-body
experience and can't stop herself from trying to find him
later. I loved the ideas in this book, the fact that these
two were communicating long before they met in the
flesh... a kind of Carpathian Internet... and that once
again, it is the heroine's choice to push matters forward.
There is a beautiful mix of humor and intense action in
this story and quite a bit of whimsy. While short, as a
novella must be, Dark Descent still manages to pack the
same punch as the rest of Feehan's books. The Star Queen is Susan Grant's story, which takes place
in the far distant past of the Vash, the interplanetary
people introduced in The Star King, The Star Prince, and
the upcoming The Star Princess. Here we have a nitty-
gritty tale of the survivors of an intergalactic war
living in the ruins of their planet, still fighting back.
Hope is fading for our heroes until one woman inspires one
man to look beyond what-is to what-could-be -- if he takes
responsibility for making it happen. All Taj wanted was a
safer world. Romjha decided to give it to her, plus the
rest of the universe and the result is what led to the
interplanetary system of government in The Star King. Sacrilege builds on the story that Susan Squires started
in her vampire book Sacrament. Again we have
the "companion" infected vampires and the heroine is, of
all things, one of the villains of the first book, Magda.
After a couple hundred years in Mirso Monastery under the
watchful eye of Brother Pietr, the lady vampire with a
serious addition to the last drop of her victim's blood
has been rehabilitated and is sent out into the modern
twenty-first century to face airplanes, strangely skimpy
undergarments, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer conventions.
Unfortunately her mentor, Pietr, discovers too late that
he's fallen in love with Magda... and to make sure he
recovers from his "infection" the head of the monastery
sends an assassin to destroy Magda. This prompts Pietr to
reconsider his position... what good is eternal life if
you must live without that which makes life worth living?
Sacrilege expands beautifully on the Sacrament legend
showing how the "answers" offered by Mirso Monastery are a
bleak existence compared to what love and self-control can
bring. The story also includes Sarah and Julien from the
previous book, and it is wonderful to see them again,
enjoying life in this century. In all three stories, the hero must fight for what he
wants... to destroy the villains that would harm his lady,
and to convince her that she's the only one for him.
While short, each story does a creditable job of doing
just that. A very nice job was done by all three authors
in this book.
Reviewed by Janet Miller
Posted May 21, 2003
|
|
For Each,
There Could Be Only One They came from the darkest places: secluded monasteries,
the Carpathian mountains, galaxies under siege. They were
men with the blackest pasts—warriors, vampire monks,
leaders of armies—but whose passions burned like dying
stars. They had one purpose: to find those women who
fulfilled them, completed them, and made them rage with a
fire both holy and profane. They sought soul mates whose
touch consumed them with desire, yet whose kisses
refreshed like the coolest rain. And each man knew that
for him there was only one true love—and in finding her he
would find salvation. Dark Descent
Christine Feehan
A novella of the Dark: Book 11 Dark Descent tells the story of Joie Sanders, a bodyguard and Traian Trigovise, an ancient hunter, meeting after a battle in a deep cave filled with mystery and wonder. Set in the Carpathian Mountains, Joie, with her brother and sister go caving and come across the ancient warrior beset upon by several vampires. They have no choice but to throw their lot in with the hunter and do their best to escape with their lives from the underground labyrinth filled with ancient traps left behind by a powerful race. Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampire, Shapeshifter
|
