Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Review: Lord's Fall

LORD'S FALL
Novels of the Elder Races #5
Thea Harrison
Adult Paranormal Romance
304 pages
Berkley
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

*Books 1-4 in the Elder Races series can all be read as stand alone paranormal romances, but it should be noted that this 5th book is a direct sequel to book 1, Dragon Bound. Readers can read Dragon Bound and skip directly to Lord's Fall without missing out on too much, but I highly recommend trying the entire series.

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…  

Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom. 

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…

MY THOUGHTS
Lord’s Fall returns us to the life and love of the couple that kicked off the Novels of the Elder Races in such spectacular fashion, delighting us with extra time spent alongside Dragos and Pia as they settle into true partnership after their quick and combustible mating in Dragon Bound. Though some of the tension that accompanies the courtship dance between two characters who are taking the first tentative steps toward a relationship is missing given our hero and heroine are an established couple, there’s something equally intriguing about reading as emotional intimacy is deepened, and the complexities of making a relationship actually work are brought to the forefront.

The first half of this story is a bit slower in nature as Dragos and Pia must physically separate to deal with two of the many varied problems the Wyr demesne faces, but though we spend the entirety of those first 150 pages wishing for them to be reunited in more than just the dreams Dragos casts for them, we can see how necessary the separation is to help build the foundation for their partnership. The force of Dragos’s immense alpha personality as well as the Power he radiates are things that could easily consume Pia whole, and if she doesn't stand and fight for her place by his side rather than in his shadow, he could simply (though not intentionally or maliciously) overwhelm her and drastically skew their relationship in his favor.

Once the two are reunited the story picks up in speed, and we’re not only granted the time with our leading couple we’ve been craving since the beginning, but we’re also treated to all the secondary characters who go where Dragos goes, charming us with their antics, fascinating us with their distinct personalities, and making us fall a little more in love with them as we desperately await their books. Graydon, Quentin, and Aryal all hold particular interest, as does new character Alex (a Pegasus!), with Ms. Harrison allowing us to see just a few of the facets these gems of characters possess, successfully baiting us until we can’t bear the thought of having to wait until we get to know them as well as we’ve gotten to know Dragos and Pia.

Overall, while this is not the strongest addition to this outstanding series, it’s still highly enjoyable, and it’s my sincere hope that we might continue to get snippets from Dragos and Pia even as his sentinels step into the spotlight moving forward.

Rating: 4/5

32 comments:

  1. Considering I was only meh over book1, then maybe not. Sad sad fact

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    1. Probably not the book for you then! I love this series:)

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  2. One day I WILL try out an adult PNR just to see if I'll like it. Sorry you didn't like this one as much as the others, but it still sounds fairly entertaining to me! It sounds like the relationship between Dragos and Pia has an interesting dynamic to it.

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    1. I hope you do Aylee, there are some great stories out there:) Even though I didn't love it as much as book 1, it was still fabulous and I adore these characters.

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  3. This is the first time I ever heard of this series. I love their names though. Dragos! Heehee. I just wish the term mates wasn't used. It reminds me of werewolves too much. (Or are they werewolves?)

    Great review as always, Jenny :D

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    1. Not werewolves - Dragos is a dragon (go figure):) That's one of the things I really like about this series - there are more unusual paranormal creatures like dragons and gryphons and thunderbirds.

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  4. Graydon is mine!

    What? We weren't claiming our favorites? I am always claiming Graydon.

    Gah! I am 2 behind in this series!

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    1. WOMAN! Don't you try to steal Graydon from me! How can you lay claim when you're not even caught up with this series. By rules I have made up just now, you forfeit you claim to Graydon to me ;-)

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  5. I've heard so, SO many wonderful things about Thea Harrison and this series and yet, I can't seem to find the time for it. Every series has weaker points, but I'm glad this was still enjoyable. Great review!

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    1. I adore this series! She writes really charismatic characters, and I just fall in love with every single couple she writes:)

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  6. *flails* LORD'S FALL! Jenny! My copy is coming today! (I pre-ordered it back in May. If that doesn't say, "I love this series" I don't know what else will.) I'm really intrigued to see how this all works out (for me, personally), given that we've already had lots of time with them. SO EXCITED! (And you know, beautiful review, as always.)

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    1. It was fun to see Dragos and Pia together again without the "I've just met you" tension. There aren't too many romance books out there with established couples (that I've read anyway), so it was nice to see their interactions now that they've been together for a little while.

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  7. O_O I haven't even heard of this series. Then again, I'm not such a fan of Adult Paranormal Romance, in my opinion, it could easily be without that paranormal factor, but can't always please everyone and there're plenty of peeps who love APR. I just prefer YA fantasy to adult fantasy. Heh. But I'm still so glad you liked it :) The cover is pretty dark and medieval though.

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    1. I'm a huge romance fan, YA and adult, and this is one of my favorite series. If you ever want to try adult paranormal romance again, I highly recommend this series:)

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  8. Oh wow this book is so out there! It sounds like it has such a intricate plot, but yet enjoyable characters. I don't think this series would be for me, but I'm glad it's still going strong for you! Btw I saw Meant to Be is up next!!! I'm so excited about that book I have to wait another week before my copy is shipped but I can't wait to read your review! :)

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    1. I love that the paranormal element is a bit more unusual - we get really fun entities that aren't written about quite as often:)

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  9. A Pegasus!!!!!! I love those creatures! Really want to meet Alex! This sounds like a fantastic story with a well-chemistried romance and satisfying plot. Definitely want to try this series. thanks for introducing it to me!

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    1. I KNOW! I about died when Alex made an appearance, and I'm guessing he's going to be a major player moving forward. SO EXCITED.

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  10. I was just asking people for there adult PRN recommendations because I struck out with several lately but this series was on all of them. I'm still a bit confused how book 5 is a sequel to book 1 but other than that I think this is a series that I would love to try. :)

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    1. This series is one of those where each book features a different couple, but it it's all the same world and many of the characters make appearances in multiple books. With this book, she's looping back around to the original couple from Dragon Bound because their story wasn't quite finished (though there was a nice ending to book one, but since Dragos is leader of the Wyr, there's always more happening with him).

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  11. Ah, I don't read out of YA (how many times have I said that, right?), but I will try them out one day. I'm sorry you didn't like this one as MUCH as the others in the series, but 4/5 is good enough for me ;)

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    1. The rating for this one is based on a comparison within the series itself, so even though I don't think it's as strong as some of the other books she's written, it's still a fantastic romance in general:)

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  12. This one is coming to my home TODAY!! I can't wait to meet the pegasus (woot!) and I love-love-love Dragos and Pia! You're right--Dragos and his massive...personality could easily overwhelm Pia but she kicks ass in her own way and doesn't let him dominate her. Great relationship.

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    1. YEAH! Gotta make time for Dragos Mary! I really like how Pia stands her ground with Dragos without ever appearing bitchy. Love these two:)

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  13. I love a high fantasy romance book! YES! Tell me, are they Irish or Scottish. I have this thing for guys with these types of accents!

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    1. No Irish or Scottish, Dragos actually lives and rules in NYC even though he and his sentinels have been around for centuries:) It's more of a modern paranormal romance!

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  14. I just skimmed this because I haven't read the series yet. It sounds really interesting though. Interesting that the first four books can be read as standalones.

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  15. Oh this is a series I've been wanting to read for some time now. #5??? GAH! Still sounds like a fun book even if it isn't the strongest. Need! Hm... who could I steal for the harem... *thinks hard* ;)

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  16. This sounds intriguing! I'm sure I have heard of the author before, but I can't remember ever having picked up any of her books. As you speak so highly of this series, I will need to check it out. :) Wonderful review, Jenny!

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  17. I know you are a big fan of this series so I am glad it continues to excel even though this is a little slower and not as strong. I bought the first book in this series when it came out and sadly have not gotten to it yet, I hate that!

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  18. Wow, how have I not heard of this before? It sounds like something I'd love! I definitely am going to be checking out this series, Jenny! :) I'm so glad that it's excellence has continued into the fifth book and this world seems too good to miss. Fantastic review, dear!

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  19. I think I picked up the first in this series back when you and Mary were raving about the last one. Unfortunately I haven't read it yet. But its good to know that this one directly correlates with the first.

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