Ruth Nestvold

Review of eBook

When the "Hesperides" reaches the planet Bonificium, Sharan finds herself running for her life. Rescued by Nowrie, she soon finds herself aiding the Endarans in their fight against the Adyanii. Arnoldson and Smith, determined to set themselves up as rulers of this world, set about eliminating some of the crew, including Sharan’s friend, Becca.

Now involved in the war between the Endarans and the Adyanii, Sharan wonders if she can find a way to defeat Arnoldson. Will she ever go home again?

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This prequel to the authors’ “Second Contact” provides the backstory that reveals how the mutiny and war on Bonificium began one hundred years prior to the story that unfolds in “Second Contact.” [Both books are part of the Lost Colonies series.]

There’s plenty of action and, although readers don’t see what happens aboard the Hesperides, the revelation of the actions taken by Arnoldson explains much about the events taking place on Bonificium. The interactions between Sharan, Nowrie, and the other Endaran women keep the intriguing [and sometimes surprising] story moving along.

Although the story ties up the plot points as far as Sharan and Arnoldson are concerned, readers are likely to seek out the next book to discover what has grown from Sharan’s actions.

Recommended.… (altro)

Kalandra is a mage and the wife of the Archon of the island of Rodos. She is devastated when she learns that her husband has died while trying to run away with another ruler’s wife. In her anger and heartbreak, she keeps her knowledge of her husband’s death from her people and plots her revenge. Her choices bring her back into the arms of her childhood sweetheart but also risk the future of her island and its people.
In the Shadow of Helios: A Novel of the Seven Wonders takes place in a world where Rome never ruled, and Christianity remained one of many faiths. On Rodos the Colossus stands, overlooking one of the islands in the Mediterranean which have joined together to form a trading and defensive alliance. This alternate world also has an interesting system of magic or psychic powers. The world building is interesting. The novel has romance, suspense, palace intrigue and battles. Kalandra is a mage of prophecy who basically gave up the craft after her marriage to the Archon of Rodos. That choice didn’t make a lot of sense to me as a character decision, but it made some sense in terms of the plot because it would be hard for a husband to cheat on a wife who was a practising mage of prophecy. The explanation for her lapsed practice didn’t make a great deal of sense. That choice, as well as her initial reaction to her husband’s betrayal and death, made me unsure if I was going to enjoy this novel. However, Kalandra grew and became a stronger and better character as the story progressed. I enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to visiting the other Wonders of this version of the ancient world.… (altro)

This was pretty good! I enjoyed the story much more than I thought I would in the first couple of chapters.

The book starts out with a slightly confusing interaction between Kalandra, the wife of the ruler (or “Archon”) of the city of Rodos, and a messenger telling her that her husband is presumed dead. I’m not sure exactly how she deduced that he was attempting to run away with a rival city’s ruler’s wife, but perhaps there was more to the conversation that was presented in the story? I had to reread that part a few times before just accepting that somehow she got that message and we didn’t. It didn’t make for a good start to the book.

We then move into a few nights of basically just sex scenes. I don’t mind explicit scenes in romance novels, but I guess I wasn’t expecting that from this book? It was a bit of a surprise. I wondered if that was just the kind of book I was in for and pressed on.

After the explicit stuff was out of the way, the story became much more interesting. We are immersed into the politics and culture of Rodos and become pretty invested in seeing this drama play out between Rodos and the neighboring city/kingdom. I loved the magical elements woven into the area’s culture and the way Kalandra battled internally with the morality of what she has done and will do to affect her city. This was no Game of Thrones with selfish deception and sneaky alliances.

I could’ve done with a more engaging and less confusing first few chapters, but all in all it was simply a good book.… (altro)