REVIEW: A Change of Seasons by Anya Bast
23. Jun, 2006 | by Jane |
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Dear Ms. Bast:
Add me to your list of fangirls. Not the kind that pretends to be more than one person but the kind that haunts your blogs and marks down release dates for your books. The kind that gushes on the internet and in person at the bookstore about how hot, sexy and emotionally fulfilling your book is. That kind of fangirl. Let me say that you can send me an ARC anytime.
A Change of Seasons is a fantasy romance set in some medieval time period (horses, castles, keeps, etc. – think Lord of the Rings without the dwarves but with the hot guys like Legolas and Aragorn, if they were taller, better built, with wings, and looked alike. So maybe think TWO Sean Beans, with wings). Excuse me for a moment whilst I fan myself.
Moira, in A Change of Seasons, is endowed with magick as a result of being a direct descendant of the first born ones of New Ecasia. Moira is empathetic and as her magick grows stronger, she is forced to move to the forest away from the villagers. She begins to have powerful visions of two men: Lord Cyric and Lord Dain d’Ange. Lord Cyric’s visage is cold and cruel but Lord Dain’s is even more frightening. He is known as winged devourer of women (and not in a good way, IYKWM, and I think you all do).
As the visions grow stronger, Moira becomes physically ill and fears for her life. She is determined to seek both men out believing that in doing so, the visions will cease. She travels first to Lord Dain’s estate despite knowing the history of Lord Dain. He is a warrior who helped win a war between New Ecasia and another country. It is rumored that when he returned from the war that he was crazed and magicked. Dain and others believe that his magick, aroused from deep passions, can kill. He believes he killed his wife with his magick and that it threatens the life of those around him.
It’s to your writing credit that I could shrug off the first meet scene where Dain envisions in great detail all of Moira’s physical charms and Moira suddenly knows in her gut that Dain is not dangerous to her. Dain and Moira become physically involved but Dain continually fights the attraction and uses his brother, Killian, as a buffer – both mentally and physically – between Moira and himself. The threesomes featured in this book are not only believable (and hot) but also emotionally satisfying.
There are some world building niggles and a few melodramatic hokey moments, particularly toward the end, that dragged the story down so I can’t give you an A, but it was a very good love story which also featured some smoking hot sex scenes between Moira and Dain and Moira, Dain and Killian. B+ for you. You are the kind of ebook writer that makes me feel sorry for those who don’t read ebooks. Boy are they missing out.
Best regards,
Jane
PS – The cover? It’s pretty good only it looks like its for a contemporary novel. I didn’t remember a scene that featured the garment the heroine is wearing which looks suspiciously like some very modern day panties and bra. Also, the man’s face to the left? weird.
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Jane, I’m writing this one down and will look for it on my n ext trip to the bookstore, which may be today.
I’ve read some of Anya’s other Seasons books, but I need to get around to reading the rest. I know I have them all in print somewhere around here.
Oh, I really enjoyed Ordinary Charms. You might try that one.
Wow, Jane! Thank you so much! :)
Hey look a book we agree on, who knew. *g*
And I agree Ordinary Charms is good as well, I have her newest to be read. So do post if you get to that one.
I love Anya Bast. She is one of my favorite e-book writers. I highly recommend Water Crystal and her Embrace series. I will definitely be picking this one up.
You can’t go wrong with Anya’s writing. :)