The Eternal Trust

Rating:
Summary: An intriguing reincarnation saga
Review: Courtesy of Love Romances

Dorel Everly has just lost her grandfather and her job... and found a mystery. She receives an unusual package that had been kept by her grandfather for many years, in trust for Dorel. It is a one of a kind samurai sword, ancient and beautiful, that just happens to carry the weight of a curse on all who possess it. She toys with the idea of selling it, convinced such a unique piece of work would be worth more than enough money to finance her; at least until she gets back on her feet. Just as she is about to transfer it in a sale, something indefinable halts her, making Dorel change her mind and keep it. Now... the next cycle in THE ETERNAL TRUST is to begin.

Michael Gabrielli is a former military agent, with special psychic abilities honed in war, where he learned how to control and use them. He is also a collector of Eastern Asia artifacts and fine craftsmanship. When he finds out about Dorel's sword, he wants it. No... he NEEDS it, for he feels it rightfully belongs to him. When Dorel is nearly killed by a madman, also obsessed with the sword, Michael steps in, protecting her and making himself a fixture in her life.

When Dorel and Michael meet, sparks fly from the beginning, and their entwined destinies come full circle. They are the latest reincarnations in a long line of people involved with the sword. Dorel is The Guardian, and Michael, The Defender, and neither can be apart from the sword nor each other without dire consequences.

The sword has a special use; it gives immense power to the possessor, causing many to desire it. It also causes significant personality changes in Michael and Dorel, not for the better, as the ghosts of their past lives come to the forefront and take over their free will. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, their love for each other grows, and brings great danger as well, causing them to doubt everyone they know, not knowing whom to trust. If they do not break their bond to the sword's power, THE ETERNAL TRUST will claim their lives, as it did all their past incarnations.

This was an intriguing story, though slow going in the very beginning. It is a fascinating look at the possibility of past lives and how they affect the present. The lives of Dorel and Michael are often influenced by everything that has come before. The flash backs to their past lives adds an extra dimension to the story, and helps them to understand their current lives.

Ms. Haynes has written well her story, and keeps the reader going, in spite of some rather confusing segments and an ending that is a little bit hard to believe. However, there are so many surprising twists and turns, one can't wait to find out what they mean to the tale... and Dorel's and Michael's lives.

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced story with a great heroine
Review: For generations a samurai sword was handed down from woman to woman. She would serve as a guardian for the sword, and pass it on to the next guardian before her own death. The sword also calls the guardians' mortal soul mate, as well as attracting an untold evil and unscrupulous men only seeking its power.

For Dorel Everly the ancient sword her Grandfather leaves her in his will couldn't have come at a better time. She has just been laid off from her job, and is homeless (because the owners of the house she has been staying in are returning early). Not expecting too much money from the sale of the sword, she goes to a local gun show.

Mike Gabrielli had always felt his life was lacking "something". He knows historical facts that although accurate, very few people know. He also has a fascination with weapons, especially ancient Japanese swords. So when he goes to the gun show and encounters Dorel, it seems as if his life is finally starting.

Soon the couple is on the run from both the police and an enemy far worse. Because Mike holds the sword, the power it contains consumes him. Through visions of her most recent past life, Dorel knows that unless the eternal trust of the sword is somehow broken, she and Mike will die and the cycle will start all over.

Melinda Rucker Haynes has written an intense book. I was very impressed with her writing style. To me, it seemed to flow from one heart-racing occurrence to the next.

I really like the idea of having a connection to finding your soul mate in every life. However, the tension between Mike and Dorel is constantly there; and because of the situation they are in, I really wonder if it was the type of attraction that comes more from your life being in constant danger. If not for the eternal trust, (which I also thought has a unique purpose behind it) if they had met under normal circumstances, would they have clicked as a couple?

Dorel is an independent, intelligent woman. Some of this was her soul learning from its mistakes; which I thought refreshing. While she does have some "demons" that she has to overcome, I really like how Dorel was finally able to break the trust and thus free them from the control the sword appears to have.

The Japanese heritage of the sword is a very important part of the story. I didn't find it overwhelming or get confused between the past and present history of the sword. All of this, including tid-bits from the guardians previous lives helped add to my understanding of the trust. Because of the multiple layers in THE ETERNAL TRUST, I think the story gained a depth that made the story more complex (and interesting) than your average contemporary paranormal romance.

THE ETERNAL TRUST was a fast paced, well-written novel. If you like suspense woven in with your story, I would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: cogent paranormal romance
Review: In Seattle, Boeing engineer Dorel Everly is laid off just two days after her beloved grandfather's funeral. Still in shock from the double blows, a monk visits Dorel at her home to give her an enclosed case that her grandfather entrusted to him. Dorel opens the case to see it contains a samurai sword.

Desperate for money, Dorel leans towards selling the sword even if it is her grandfather's legacy. However, pilot Mike Gabrielli traces the sword to Dorel. He wants the sword, but also desires Dorel in his life. She reciprocates his feelings, but others are now aware of where the sword is. These malevolent beings will murder to possess this particular sword that contains special powers. Only if they trust in the love that has a long history well before the incarnation of Mike and Dorel and learn about THE ETERNAL TRUST that bound the sword to them might Mike and Dorel stand a chance to survive.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a cogent paranormal romance that centers on the battle between good and evil. Though the story line takes some adjustment to the flashbacks and journal entries, readers will find that even using that typically passive technique, the plot is action-packed yet the characters not lost in the focus. Mike is a wonderful hunk who will risk his life for his beloved while the heroine struggles to find her place in the latest war. Melinda Rucker Haynes provides a wonderful journey into a strange world that seems so real due to the author's ability to create quite a tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: cogent paranormal romance
Review: In Seattle, Boeing engineer Dorel Everly is laid off just two days after her beloved grandfather's funeral. Still in shock from the double blows, a monk visits Dorel at her home to give her an enclosed case that her grandfather entrusted to him. Dorel opens the case to see it contains a samurai sword.

Desperate for money, Dorel leans towards selling the sword even if it is her grandfather's legacy. However, pilot Mike Gabrielli traces the sword to Dorel. He wants the sword, but also desires Dorel in his life. She reciprocates his feelings, but others are now aware of where the sword is. These malevolent beings will murder to possess this particular sword that contains special powers. Only if they trust in the love that has a long history well before the incarnation of Mike and Dorel and learn about THE ETERNAL TRUST that bound the sword to them might Mike and Dorel stand a chance to survive.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a cogent paranormal romance that centers on the battle between good and evil. Though the story line takes some adjustment to the flashbacks and journal entries, readers will find that even using that typically passive technique, the plot is action-packed yet the characters not lost in the focus. Mike is a wonderful hunk who will risk his life for his beloved while the heroine struggles to find her place in the latest war. Melinda Rucker Haynes provides a wonderful journey into a strange world that seems so real due to the author's ability to create quite a tale.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: An unusual tale with imagination and Japanese Culture
Review: Martin Everly died of cancer and left his granddaughter, Dorel Everly, a Japanese samurai sword. Dorel is a laid off aeronautical engineer of Boeing and in need of money, so she decides to sell the sword at the gun show.

Michael Gabrielli is a collector of ancient weapons and was a psychic spy of the military. He has been tracking down the sword for a while and when he meets Dorel, he wants both the sword and Dorel.

For eight incarnations, the sword has been passed on to couples that are destined to be the Guardian and the Defender of the sword. Dorel and Michael are the ninth incarnation - Dorel, the Guardian and Michael, the Defender. Dorel knows that both she and Michael will die if they cannot break the cycle of the trust. Dorel must persuade Michael to give up the power of the sword and destroy it to save their lives.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a paranormal romance full of action, suspense and danger. The story is centered on the battle of good and evil. The power of the sword reflects the ugliness and greed of human beings. Ms Haynes has written an unusual tale with her imagination and knowledge of the Japanese culture.

Rating:
Summary: An unusual tale with imagination and Japanese Culture
Review: Martin Everly died of cancer and left his granddaughter, Dorel Everly, a Japanese samurai sword. Dorel is a laid off aeronautical engineer of Boeing and in need of money, so she decides to sell the sword at the gun show.

Michael Gabrielli is a collector of ancient weapons and was a psychic spy of the military. He has been tracking down the sword for a while and when he meets Dorel, he wants both the sword and Dorel.

For eight incarnations, the sword has been passed on to couples that are destined to be the Guardian and the Defender of the sword. Dorel and Michael are the ninth incarnation - Dorel, the Guardian and Michael, the Defender. Dorel knows that both she and Michael will die if they cannot break the cycle of the trust. Dorel must persuade Michael to give up the power of the sword and destroy it to save their lives.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a paranormal romance full of action, suspense and danger. The story is centered on the battle of good and evil. The power of the sword reflects the ugliness and greed of human beings. Ms Haynes has written an unusual tale with her imagination and knowledge of the Japanese culture.

Rating:
Summary: Eternal Trust
Review: This is romance's ultimate battle of good versus evil. Another great book by Ms. Haynes.