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"Ms. Owens really outdid herself with HEART THIEF!"

Druida City, Celta, 400 years after Colonization:

Ruis Elder has had a hard life. Banished from his family home because his nullness (the dampening of other Flair powers by his presence) would destroy even the most powerful spells that sustain the house over months of his presence, Ruis has only known pain and rejection. When guards sent by his Uncle Bucus arrest Ruis, he is barely spared a sentence of death, much to his uncle's displeasure. When the prophetess D'Vine announces that any actions the council takes against Ruis will come back to haunt them, Bucus brushes her warning off. One gets the feeling immediately that his uncle's hatred goes far beyond the fact that Ruis is a null.

Ailim D'SilverFir is saddled with a family that never stops complaining, an estate that is in financial and literal ruin, and a Flair that makes it near impossible to shut out the feelings of others. She's bombarded day and night with negativity, enough to drive anyone over the edge. When she goes to the Council to beg for a loan, the last thing she expects is to meet Ruis, a man who shuts off the maddening flow of emotions with his null field and teaches her about the fine art of standing up for herself and projecting an air of confidence and unaffectedness. She should walk away when she learns he's a criminal, but she can't. Not until she sees justice for Ruis.

If Ruis were a more cautious man, it would have ended there, but Ruis is not your typical man. He has a fine sense of honor and ethics that he sticks to, even when they hurt him. He also has a calling. Ruis is the one person on Celta who understands not only the ancient writings from Earth but the Earth machines that have been left to rot. Ruis isn't about to accept banishment when everything he loves is in Druida City, including the young head of a Great House that he can't get out of his mind.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, rolling in laughter and reaching for the Kleenex all in one package. The characters are wonderful. Ruis' mixed emotions are very poignant, and Ailim's blossoming sense of self is beautifully written. As always, the Fams are great. Anyone who has cats or puppies can't help but spend a lot of time chuckling at how RIGHT she is about them.

The storylines weave together to make a tapestry of imagery and life. The mystery of Ruis' past takes the prize for me, though the intrigue binding them together is almost equally important. There are so many sidelines going on at one time, it can't help but be judged truly engaging.

Ms. Owens really outdid herself with HEART THIEF. If you liked HEART MATE,you haven't seen anything of what this author can do yet. Anxiously awaiting all the rest of this series.

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted December 8, 2003

Ruis Elder never asked for his unusual trait - the ability to neutalize other's psychic talents. Because of it, he has always been hated in his own homeland, destined to roam the harsh planet alone. But trouble finds him in front of the ruling Council - and face-to-face with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. There's only one problem: Ailim is on the opposite side of the bench...

Ailim has never before felt such passion coursing through her as she feels in Ruis's presence. And she never thought she would - at least not with a man so far beneath her station, a man who does not even have psychic powers. But even on the planet Celta, love is blind to such details. Separately, Ailim and Ruis must forgo their old lives. But together the can take on the world...

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