"Rollicking, adventure-filled romance!"
Quoi Sarman is a member of the Clans. His particular Gift
is Stone Shaping. His best friend Rasa is a Tracker. Right
now, Quoi is at Rasa's trial. Turns out Rasa has Tracked
eight Elders and Elder Printin is determined to give Rasa
the most severe sentence he can. Quoi can't believe this is
happening. All the people of the village are going along
with Elder Printin, regardless of the fact they all know
Rasa. Sure, Rasa might be a bit of a prankster, but he
wouldn't track those eight Elders without a good reason.
And Printin is not even trying to find out what that reason
could be. When Rasa is sentenced to Lumax—a prison no one
ever leaves alive—Quoi determines to rescue his best
friend. To that end, Quoi waits until night descends and
makes his way to the jail, only to find out Rasa has
already been moved. Incensed, Quoi goes to Elder Printin's
home and threatens the man until he finds out where Rasa
has been taken. Now on the run himself, Quoi grabs his pack
and races to save Rasa. Eventually, Quoi ends up in a good-
sized town. Since he's hungry, he decides to raid a garden.
So over the wall he goes. Once he fills his pack with some
veggies, he stands and pays homage to the moon, when he is
approached by a beautiful woman with white hair. After
chatting for a few minutes, she runs back into the house.
Stunned, Quoi is captured and taken to the local sheriff.
He manages to escape and takes off running. For some
reason, he finds himself going in a specific direction and
ends up in the bedroom of the beautiful woman. Jeroen Alhalla a member of the Peers. She is also the
heiress of the Alhalla fortune. Unlike most of the other
young women of her class, Jeroen actually works and has
managed to make her father's glassworks very successful.
This is not the only thing which sets Jeroen apart from
others of her class, she has pointed ears, snow white hair
and is very tall. Not to mention, she has visions whenever
she touches something which has been Shaped. Jeroen never
lets on about these differences though. She can't. If
anyone finds out she has these Gifts, she will be exiled
from her family and forced to live among the Clans. The
Peers have very rigid rules about the Gifted. Jeroen has
finally decided to give in to her parents' constant urging
that she find a husband. So at the very next gala, Jeroen
has determined to find an agreeable man to marry. While at
the event, Jeroen decides to go in the gardens for a breath
of air, when she comes across a god of a man. Disturbed by
his effect on her, she runs inside, knowing she will never
see him again. When this same man enters her bedroom one
evening, Jeroen decides to keep him her prisoner. After
all, when opportunity throws a gorgeous man in her path,
who is she to turn him away? Quoi manages to escape Jeroen
just before chaos erupts. There are soldiers everywhere
grabbing the Gifted and taking them away. Jeroen can not
sit idly by while this is happening and changes into jeans
and a shirt and goes to help. Only she ends up being taken
as one of the Gifted herself. Still trying to get to Rasa to rescue him, Quoi comes
across Jeroen and manages to rescue her. Now the two of
them are on the run. The more time these two spend
together, the more they begin to realize the depth of their
feelings for each other. Will Quoi ever be able to rescue Rasa? Where are the Gifted
being taken? Who is behind this madness? Will Quoi and
Jeroen remain free, or will they be taken as well? Is there
a possible future for Quoi and Jeroen? SHAPE OF HER HEART is an amazing story. Alicia Maddox
brings this adventure to vivid life. I love the way the
Peers were based on Regency times with its rigid structure,
with the Clans being totally segregated. We have Quoi, a
man brought up in a carefree manner and determined to help
his friend. Then we have Jeroen, a woman very different
from others of her class, but one who knows her duty to her
family and determines to fulfill it. The villain in the
story is a man truly easy to hate, taking advantage of his
wealth and status to get whatever he wants—regardless of
how many lives he ruins to get it. The world building in
this story is excellent and I felt as if I was there with
Quoi and Jeroen as they ran for their lives. This is a
fantastic read and I hope Alicia Maddox plans another visit
to this world. I highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted July 30, 2009
|
|
In 2058, a sorceress cast a spell that went horribly awry and the magnetic poles reversed in one devastating flip, destroying civilization. The new alignment influenced human genes, and over thousands of years the survivors of the human race began to evolve into elves, dwarves, and other strange beings, exhibiting psychic and magical Gifts. The world would never be the same. Jeroen Alhalla, heir to her family’s fortune, is expected to be normal or suffer exile. And she is—except for the small matter of relentless visions, berserker tendencies and pointed ears. She carefully keeps her odder qualities hidden, until her well-ordered world is shattered when a handsome Gifted fugitive, Quoi Sarman, comes to her for refuge. Even worse, an army sweeps through town and kidnaps all the Gifted, threatening to not only expose her, but destroy the lives of thousands of people. Can Jeroen find the strength to risk everything she holds dear to save them and claim Quoi for her own? Genre: Paranormal Romance, Futuristic, Fantasy, Magic
|
