Rating: 
Summary: Camelot with a new twist of virtual unreality
Review: I bought this book because the cover was like a Kathleen Nance cover and she recommended it. What luck!. This book is a winner. I have just finished reading the 6 Merlin legacy books by Quinn Taylor Evans and this book really struck a chord. How clever to connect fantasy - time travel - and todays Virtual reality games together. I think you are the first author to do it. As readers can read in the other reviews, this is a story of Maggie(heroine) being transferred thru a vertual reality game into the world projected by the game and falls in love with Kered (the hero). Maggie is strong and courageous and saves Kered's life plus helps him find "excalibur" and the "holy grail", however the story line refuses to let Kered have her as a wife because of that country's beliefs and Kered has another agenda also, to save his country and establish peace. I refused to read the end of the book until I reached it as I knew it would ruin the book for me, and I was right. I knew the heroine and the hero would get together but could'nt figure out how and that HOW is very clever. Does th story end with everyone staying in the virtual reality game country or does it end with everyone back in modern times, and if so, what about Kered? It was also clever to see how TODAY was entwined in the plot of the game. Ann Lawrence, you are very clever and imaginative and write very well. I read at least 3 books a week and really enjoy good writing. Please, please continue this story. Figure out a story for Tolemac II wars and I would also like to see Vad's own story. There is still so much more to continue on with. Thanks again for this book, I read til 3 this am to finish it and now will re-read it. Keep those books coming, Sincerely, Barbara
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: I expected fluff and found a series with tons of original, well developed world building depth. Though a romance series, the Virtual books could stand as straigh SciFi Fantasy. I actually read them backward in order, so book one I found to be a 'set up' book that paves the way the even more detailed and enjoyable 2nd and 3rd book in the series. Maggie, a silversmith, is urged by her friend who runs a game shop to try out a hot new virtual reality game. Because of a mix of a storm, cosmic alignment, and the celtic pattern of her pendent, all the things necessary to send Maggie to the world the game is based on are in place. All Maggie wants to do is get home again, but from the moment she appears she finds her fate is tied to the quest and well being of fantastic warrior who believes she's a runaway pleasure slave. On the surface it's a fluffy premise, but the book is fraught with gritty situations a real sense of peril and a rather disturbing and grim realism of the horror of being a slave and a female in a world where the life of either is held in casual contempt by those in power. Great characterization. Great world building. I enjoyed it as a scifi fantasy fan as much, if not more, than as a romance fan.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: I expected fluff and found a series with tons of original, well developed world building depth. Though a romance series, the Virtual books could stand as straigh SciFi Fantasy. I actually read them backward in order, so book one I found to be a 'set up' book that paves the way the even more detailed and enjoyable 2nd and 3rd book in the series. Maggie, a silversmith, is urged by her friend who runs a game shop to try out a hot new virtual reality game. Because of a mix of a storm, cosmic alignment, and the celtic pattern of her pendent, all the things necessary to send Maggie to the world the game is based on are in place. All Maggie wants to do is get home again, but from the moment she appears she finds her fate is tied to the quest and well being of fantastic warrior who believes she's a runaway pleasure slave. On the surface it's a fluffy premise, but the book is fraught with gritty situations a real sense of peril and a rather disturbing and grim realism of the horror of being a slave and a female in a world where the life of either is held in casual contempt by those in power. Great characterization. Great world building. I enjoyed it as a scifi fantasy fan as much, if not more, than as a romance fan.
Rating:
Summary: Virtually Heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I'm one of those people who reads the end of a novel first. Satisfied with the ending I begin, but this novel was too clever for that. Was I surprised. Maggie O'Brien was everything I wanted in a hero, strong, faithful, brave. Kered, the hero was a delightful enigma, a medieval warrior who wished only for peace, a member of the elite, yet he trusts his life and his heart to a slave. I love the twist the story takes when Maggie is sent back prematurely, could fall in love with Derek myself and the word play was a revelation. I haven't been surprised by a book in a long time and I was delighted. Vad was the perfect side-kick and I look forward to his story. Awesome first book for Ann Lawrence!
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: If this weren't a romance book, I might only have given it 4 stars, or 4 and a half, because I'm a picky, finicky reviewer. But for the romance genre, I must admit, this was actually incredibly good! It had a wonderful, intriguing plot, a compelling storyline and characters that were utterly believable. I have to confess, I couldn't put it down--it was a real page turner.
The heroine was amazing, the hero was cute and adorable in a very manly, smouldering way, and even the minor characters were three dimensional. Moreover, the author's attention to detail was meticulous, giving the reader a true sense of--as the title suggests--virtual reality.
If you like a book with simmering sexual tension and adrenaline-pumping adventure, then this is for you.
My only real qualm was that I thought the cover art on the back of the book was a bit tacky, but maybe that's just me.
Rating:
Summary: TOLEMAC BETTER THAN CAMELOT!
Review: If you like a brave, strong, gutsy heroine and a hero you can't get enough of, then Virtual Heaven is what you need. The premise is fun and exciting, the land itself breathtakingly beautiful but harsh in its own way. The story is well-written and keeps you turning those pages. A good, solid read and one I highly recommend. Ann Lawrence, let's see a sequel...
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected, very enjoyable
Review: Judging from the title I don't know what I expected this book to be about, but it was nothing like I expected. This book was very good, but knowing the ending I do have a couple of comments. Why the creator of the book when he first saw Maggie chose to make the "Shadow Woman" in the game a slave was not to my liking. It kind of had a demeaning quality to it. The second comment I have is that this book had no real ending. You turn the page expecting to hear what happended when they tried to return from this "Virtual World" and then nothing.....I was very disappointed in that. Now those things being said, this book was also a very good book. The characters kept my attention mostly because Maggie would not submit and act like a slave and the antics she got into where very funny. This book was highly enjoyable and I would recommend it to people.
Rating:
Summary: I love the hidden meanings in the names!
Review: This book is super! I loved everything about it. I think this book is so original because it is something that not many people could think up since it has a little bit of reality and some make believe too. I like the name Tolemac, because when you look at it closely you realize it is really Camelot. This book was great!
Rating:
Summary: I would like credit for this review
Review: This was a private review I had writen last year. I would like it to be credited to my public review area -- thanks. L.N. Tramposch l_tramposch@yahoo.com Virtually Heaven! June 8, 1999 Reviewer: A customer from Pittsburgh, PA I'm one of those people who reads the end of a novel first. Satisfied with the ending I begin, but this novel was too clever for that. Was I surprised. Maggie O'Brien was everything I wanted in a hero, strong, faithful, brave. Kered, the hero was a delightful enigma, a medieval warrior who wished only for peace, a member of the elite, yet he trusts his life and his heart to a slave. I love the twist the story takes when Maggie is sent back prematurely, could fall in love with Derek myself and the word play was a revelation. I haven't been surprised by a book in a long time and I was delighted. Vad was the perfect side-kick and I look forward to his story. Awesome first book for Ann Lawrence!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Judge this Book by its Cover
Review: VIRTUAL HEAVEN was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting something as cheesy as its cover art (the model is icky), but the book ended up being both engrossing and highly entertaining. To summarize, Maggie is accidentally swept into the alternate realm of a reality video game, where she becomes the slave to a warrior named Kered who is on a quest to save his people from all-out war. Sounds crazy, yes? It's actually quite good, and the plot and characters are utterly engaging. The story itself is well-written, and the author does a great job immersing you in the video game's world. Plus, the ending is also satisfying and plausible. If I had to complain, it's only to say that the actual love scenes are pretty abstract in detail ... and that's not a big complaint. Anyway, I'm pleased to note that VIRTUAL HEAVEN is the first in a trilogy. I can't wait to read the next one!
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