Shadow in Starlight

Rating:
Summary: Star-crossed Lovers with a happy ending
Review: For Starters...WOW! Shadow in Starlight follows the standard romance theme: man meets woman, they fall in love, something happens to tear them apart and then they get back together. However, what makes this novel so special are the characters themselves. Set in the Middle Ages of a mythological world where dragons still fly and wizards do roam, Moreya Fa travels as an unwilling royal bride to a neighboring country as a weapon to annihilate the family of her future husband. You see, when ever she is outside, she calls the dragons within the vicinity, who kill everyone around her and carry her off to their caves. Our hero, Preece the Warmonger thinks himself immune to the beautiful woman he is escorting through treacherous borders to her fiancé. An outcast, that hires out his sword to save money to go to Atarxia, an island where he wouldn't have to live with constant scorn, he doesn't understand how Moreya could see the person he is behind the dark cowl he hides behind. However, when they are attacked, and the dragons come, somehow after rescuing Moreya, she pleads with him to take her to his Island sanctuary. Unable to deny the beauty her request for assistance, Preece takes her as both his wife and life mate, but before they are able to flee the continent, they are betrayed. When each of them tries to save the other, the new lovers are torn apart when Moreya is prevented from escaping with the dragons.

SHADOW IN STARLIGHT is a very fast paced magical journey with many twists. Both our characters are well developed. Although there are few descriptive details, somehow the world itself is alive and creates a visual masterpiece that stands out with exceptional clarity. With unique ideas, the romance is heartbreaking and achingly sweet. This is a real page-turner that will keep you enthralled till the happy end! I am greatly looking forward to future books by Ms Biondine!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Romantic Fantasy!
Review: Preece is used to being alone. Everyone fears the tall warrior who always wear a black cape and cowl to cover his face. It is rumored that he can kill anyone, anywhere and he is called Preece the Warmonger or sometimes The Royal Blade. Yet Preece is tired of being a mercenary, tired of death. He takes jobs just to earn enough money to buy his own ship and sail off to an island paradise that his guardian, an old wizard, has long told tales of. He is eager to make his dream a reality, when the king forces him to agree to escort Moreya, orphaned daughter of one of the king's most revered ambassadors, to her new fiance, prince of a neighboring kingdom.

Moreya is half Yune, a beautiful and sensual race well known for their prowess in the bedroom, and is amazingly lovely. With her lavender hair and gorgeous figure, Preece knows that it will not be easy to escort her through the sparsely habited no-man's land between the two kingdoms. Preece is stunned by Moreya's kindness to him and knows that he needs to stay as far away from her as possible or she will ruin all of his plans, but he cannot, no matter how hard he tries. When Moreya bursts into his room one evening, she is stunned to discover that Preece is not horribly disfigured, as is widely believed, but is the most beautiful man she has ever seen. Trying to ignore her physical attraction to Preece, Moreya demands to know if her future groom does indeed prefer men to women. When Preece reluctantly admits that the prince does, Moreya offers him a fortune to help her escape, but no price is worth the king's wrath.

Moreya despairs of escaping her upcoming nuptials and cannot understand why Preece hides himself from others. Preece cannot understand why the king is forcing Moreya to marry the prince, when it is such a waste of her Yune beauty and sensuality. Preece quickly understands the king's reasoning when Moreya saves the caravan by displaying her power over dragons and their attraction to her. He knows that the prince will soon die if he is ever with Moreya outside and then the king can simply take over the neighboring kingdom. Moreya soon learns that Preece hides his face because he is the last of the Waniand's, an ancient race that used to rule the land in peace and harmony. They are descendants of the bear god and have great power and skill, but are mocked because they only go into sexual heat a few times a year, and then they mate like animals, almost insatiable.

Preece knows that he cannot let Moreya be married to the prince and end up killing the whole royal procession, as she would certainly be killed afterward and be blamed for the ensuing war. Moreya is still attracted to Preece and does not care that he is a Waniand. Desperate to escape, Preece proposes that they marry and set sail for his tropical island. They bond and mate for life and Moreya proves to be Preece's match in the bedroom and outside of it. For the first time, Preece knows what it is like to be happy. But they are soon betrayed by one of Preece's own men and just barely manage to escape with their lives, cruelly separated as they are forced into hiding. Preece makes it to his tropical paradise, where the islanders do everything they can to try and heal him from the terrible torture that Preece underwent in the dungeons. He dreams of Moreya and is desperate to find her and reclaim her love. But the islanders hide a great secret - Preece is not the last Waniand and the wizard who raised Preece raised him to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will change the world. Preece is furious and hurt, not knowing who he can trust. He comes to believe that Moreya's love was a cruel trick, just another spell cast by the wizard whom he thought loved him. He demands that the wizard remove all memory of his mate, Moreya, and that he never have to look about the face of the wizard, the only parent he has ever known, again. When no one can dissuade him, the wizard, heartbroken, casts his terrible spell upon Preece. Moreya is safe in a convent far away and is sure that Preece will come for her, but times passes and no one comes. When she hears of a group of Waniands in her homeland, she is determined to journey there and find her long-lost love. Yet, what will she do when Preece denies ever having met her?

This book was a wonderful romantic fantasy with an absorbing plot and fabulous characters. Moreya was a strong heroine, but still feminine and beautiful. Preece was a wonderful hero, unwittingly groomed to be the savior of his people and understandably bitter at feeling he had no choices in life. Their attraction was very strong and the scenes between the two of them are hot. The supporting characters were a little hazy, but the two main characters were larger than life and seemed to overshadow everyone else in the book so it is barely noticeable. The story is evenly paced and makes for a nice, fast read with plenty of little surprises for the reader. I thought that the history of the land was well developed and enjoyed this book immensely. It is only available as a download, but is worth the price and the format.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Romantic Fantasy!
Review: Preece is used to being alone. Everyone fears the tall warrior who always wear a black cape and cowl to cover his face. It is rumored that he can kill anyone, anywhere and he is called Preece the Warmonger or sometimes The Royal Blade. Yet Preece is tired of being a mercenary, tired of death. He takes jobs just to earn enough money to buy his own ship and sail off to an island paradise that his guardian, an old wizard, has long told tales of. He is eager to make his dream a reality, when the king forces him to agree to escort Moreya, orphaned daughter of one of the king's most revered ambassadors, to her new fiance, prince of a neighboring kingdom.

Moreya is half Yune, a beautiful and sensual race well known for their prowess in the bedroom, and is amazingly lovely. With her lavender hair and gorgeous figure, Preece knows that it will not be easy to escort her through the sparsely habited no-man's land between the two kingdoms. Preece is stunned by Moreya's kindness to him and knows that he needs to stay as far away from her as possible or she will ruin all of his plans, but he cannot, no matter how hard he tries. When Moreya bursts into his room one evening, she is stunned to discover that Preece is not horribly disfigured, as is widely believed, but is the most beautiful man she has ever seen. Trying to ignore her physical attraction to Preece, Moreya demands to know if her future groom does indeed prefer men to women. When Preece reluctantly admits that the prince does, Moreya offers him a fortune to help her escape, but no price is worth the king's wrath.

Moreya despairs of escaping her upcoming nuptials and cannot understand why Preece hides himself from others. Preece cannot understand why the king is forcing Moreya to marry the prince, when it is such a waste of her Yune beauty and sensuality. Preece quickly understands the king's reasoning when Moreya saves the caravan by displaying her power over dragons and their attraction to her. He knows that the prince will soon die if he is ever with Moreya outside and then the king can simply take over the neighboring kingdom. Moreya soon learns that Preece hides his face because he is the last of the Waniand's, an ancient race that used to rule the land in peace and harmony. They are descendants of the bear god and have great power and skill, but are mocked because they only go into sexual heat a few times a year, and then they mate like animals, almost insatiable.

Preece knows that he cannot let Moreya be married to the prince and end up killing the whole royal procession, as she would certainly be killed afterward and be blamed for the ensuing war. Moreya is still attracted to Preece and does not care that he is a Waniand. Desperate to escape, Preece proposes that they marry and set sail for his tropical island. They bond and mate for life and Moreya proves to be Preece's match in the bedroom and outside of it. For the first time, Preece knows what it is like to be happy. But they are soon betrayed by one of Preece's own men and just barely manage to escape with their lives, cruelly separated as they are forced into hiding. Preece makes it to his tropical paradise, where the islanders do everything they can to try and heal him from the terrible torture that Preece underwent in the dungeons. He dreams of Moreya and is desperate to find her and reclaim her love. But the islanders hide a great secret - Preece is not the last Waniand and the wizard who raised Preece raised him to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will change the world. Preece is furious and hurt, not knowing who he can trust. He comes to believe that Moreya's love was a cruel trick, just another spell cast by the wizard whom he thought loved him. He demands that the wizard remove all memory of his mate, Moreya, and that he never have to look about the face of the wizard, the only parent he has ever known, again. When no one can dissuade him, the wizard, heartbroken, casts his terrible spell upon Preece. Moreya is safe in a convent far away and is sure that Preece will come for her, but times passes and no one comes. When she hears of a group of Waniands in her homeland, she is determined to journey there and find her long-lost love. Yet, what will she do when Preece denies ever having met her?

This book was a wonderful romantic fantasy with an absorbing plot and fabulous characters. Moreya was a strong heroine, but still feminine and beautiful. Preece was a wonderful hero, unwittingly groomed to be the savior of his people and understandably bitter at feeling he had no choices in life. Their attraction was very strong and the scenes between the two of them are hot. The supporting characters were a little hazy, but the two main characters were larger than life and seemed to overshadow everyone else in the book so it is barely noticeable. The story is evenly paced and makes for a nice, fast read with plenty of little surprises for the reader. I thought that the history of the land was well developed and enjoyed this book immensely. It is only available as a download, but is worth the price and the format.

Rating:
Summary: A compellingly good read that I couldn't put down.
Review: This is a terrific story woven in a fantastic mix of medieval romance, fantasy, and even comedy. Ms. Biondine creates vivid landscapes, and characters that feel real and alive. As a design professional, I was truly impressed that Ms. Biondine's details & descriptions are fluid and easy yet wonderfully imaginative. I couldn't help feeling conected with the characters and settings. I'm hoping this is part of a series of books on these characters.

Rating:
Summary: A compellingly good read that I couldn't put down.
Review: This is a terrific story woven in a fantastic mix of medieval romance, fantasy, and even comedy. Ms. Biondine creates vivid landscapes, and characters that feel real and alive. As a design professional, I was truly impressed that Ms. Biondine's details & descriptions are fluid and easy yet wonderfully imaginative. I couldn't help feeling conected with the characters and settings. I'm hoping this is part of a series of books on these characters.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: To simply say that I enjoyed Shadow in Starlight would be a gross injustice to the characters brought so vividly to life by Ms. Biondine?s pen. Shannah Biondine has created a compelling adventure infused with ancient lore and magic; enhanced by an intriguing plot, and rich, believable characterization. One can?t help but be caught up in the magical world that is Shadow of Starlight. I look forward to more from Ms. Biondine.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: To simply say that I enjoyed Shadow in Starlight would be a gross injustice to the characters brought so vividly to life by Ms. BiondineÕs pen. Shannah Biondine has created a compelling adventure infused with ancient lore and magic; enhanced by an intriguing plot, and rich, believable characterization. One canÕt help but be caught up in the magical world that is Shadow of Starlight. I look forward to more from Ms. Biondine.