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Hearts and Swords: Four Original Stories of Celta (A Celta Novel) Paperback – Illustrated, December 6, 2011
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Award-winning author Robin D. Owens returns to the futuristic world of Celta with four original romantic fantasies as four different couples find their HeartMates and their destinies on Celta.
- Print length464 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerkley
- Publication dateDecember 6, 2011
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-109780425243411
- ISBN-13978-0425243411
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Product details
- ASIN : 0425243419
- Publisher : Berkley; Illustrated edition (December 6, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 464 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780425243411
- ISBN-13 : 978-0425243411
- Item Weight : 15.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,392,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #694 in Science Fiction Short Stories
- #9,219 in Action & Adventure Romance (Books)
- #10,424 in Science Fiction Romance (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
http://www.robindowens.com RITA Winner (Oscars of Romance) 2002 for HeartMate. Heart Thief out 06/03/03, Heart Duel out 04/04, Heart Choice 7/05, Heart Quest 8/06. Creativity exercises, affirmations on my website. I am a serious writer of 10 years, past President and contest chair of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. My most pressing interest in the craft of writing is CREATIVITY. My book, HeartMate, was the first futuristic-fantasy romantic adventure published by Jove in it's Magical Love line. It won the RITA for Best Paranormal Romance and finalled in Best First Book.
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I pre-ordered Robin D. Owens collection of Celtan novellas, Hearts and Swords, because I love this series. When the book auto-shipped itself into my iPad at midnight on Tuesday, I dropped what I was reading and dived right in. I'm glad I did. (And this is what I love about ebooks!)
The first story in the collection is Heart and Sword. It doesn't actually take place on Celta. It's about the discovery of Celta, and takes place on Nuada's Sword, one of the colony ships. Which is both off-course and way overdue, in a manner of speaking. The three-ship expedition planned on being in space for about seventy-five years. A century-and-a-half tops. Instead, when the Captain's Exec wakes Kelse Bountry from cryo-sleep, it's been 250 years, and Kelse has a mutiny on his hands. And all three ships are running out of critical supplies. Like food. And fuel.
Kelse has been woken to make the life-or-death decisions, because that is his psi-power, his Flair. Everyone on board all three ships has Flair. They ran from Earth because they were being persecuted for their psi. The mutineers believe that a nearby wormhole will return them to a civilized Earth that has hopefully gotten over its prejudices. The loyalists don't want to take that risk, they remember the psi purges all too well. The last planetary probes tell Kelse that the system just ahead has a planet that should support human life, but the approach path will use up the last of every ship's fuel.
What does the good Captain choose?
Escape Rating A: This is a fantastic foundation story for the series. It reminded me, quite favorably, of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover Landfall, and a even little bit of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsdawn, the establishing stories for those beloved series. Robin Owens couldn't ask for much better company.
There are three other stories in this collection. All concern characters who have appeared in earlier books, and whose stories just needed telling.
Noble Heart is particularly compelling for long-time readers of the series. Members of the Clover family have appeared in many of the stories. Mitchella Clover married into the nobility by marrying Straif Blackthorne in Heart Choice. On Celta, everyone has expected the Clovers to test into the nobility for some time. Their Flair has been increasing with each generation. And unlike the inbred nobility, the commoner Clovers have a LOT of generations. Mitchella's cousin Walker Clover has been young Nuin T'Ash's tutor and bodyguard. Walker is not an ambitious man. But Walker's family has been keeping a secret from him. Walker's mother is not Fen Clover, but Latif Heliotrope, a noblewoman his father had an affair with just before he married Fen.
Nuin's first Flair Passage triggers Walker's Passages. All three of them at once. After five days of fever dreams, Walker new Flair power instantly catapults the entire Clover family to GrandLord status. Not first-tier nobility, but second-tier, and vaulting them over the third-tier in one huge leap. The rise in status produces jealousy among the nobles, which is expected. It also produces a near-civil war inside the family, and the older generation that has always run the very-profitable Clover family business thinks that it can continue to run things with Walker as a figurehead.
Walker didn't want to be the Head of the Family, but now that he is GrandLord Walker, he damn well will be Head of the Family. He was taught to do his duty, and that is now his duty. Whatever it takes.
Escape Rating A: Walker is a very interesting character. He doesn't want this, but he's going to do it. He does complain a little, but he should. His entire identity changes in about 15 minutes. There's also a love story here, but it's a part of the changes in Walker's life and status, and his establishment of himself. Very, very well done.
This was a great collection of stories, but I think you need to be a fan of the Celta books in order to really get full enjoyment out of it. The other two stories, Heart Story and especially Heart and Soul, directly relate to events in previous books.If you are a fan, you are in for a real treat! If you've never read the Celta books, and you like futurist romance, start with Heart Mate. You'll be glad you did.
The third story is Heart and Soul. It is a touching story about people who come off as so realistic and so caring. Tinne Holly, Genista Furze, and Cardus Parryl are the central figures. Two of these three are not what they appear to be. Genista, a First Family member, moves into a small cottage where she passes herself off as a Commoner who works in a watch shop. Her name is changed to Nista Grose. Cardus appears to be an injured now retired pensioner who lives next door. However, Cardus actually has been hired by Tinne Holly to look out and protect Tinne's ex-wife. Neither Cardus nor Nista has a Heart Mate. The next door neighbors do become close over time despite their difference in station. Why she is Tinne's former wife is a story in itself. The story has its twists and turns. Both individuals face challenges. Their relationship is influenced by the revelation that there is a third person who is not who he appears to be. The traumatic experience that Genista has and the roles both Cardus and Genista play in saving her from likely death influence the story's final outcome.
Noble Heart is the final story in the collection. Each of these stories have very unique and powerful characters. This is certainly the case in this one. The story begins with Walker Clover, a Commoner (he thinks) collapses in the street. Walker thinks he is very, very ill. He gets the shock of his life and must deal with the shattering knowledge that he is a Noble and must take over as head of his family. Why? He was not sick. He underwent THREE passages at one time. Typically, a Celta citizen undergoes multiple passages over a number of years. That fact that Walker has great Flair and now must learn how to control it, has implications for the entire Clover family because not only he is lifted from Commoner to Nobility, so is his family. There is a problem -- Having come into these passages at 27, he has much to learn about being a Noble and much to learn about the courtesies and duties he now has. After testing, done by T'Ash, Walker learns of his new, high status and learns that he has the communication and diplomatic skills that might lead him to leader of the country's Council. To help him, at her mother's forceful recommendation, the beautiful and knowledgeable Sedwy Grove becomes his Liaison to the First Families. It is no surprise that a certain prominent family member tries to usurp Walker's newly won power. It is no surprise that both Sedwy and Walker must deal with difficult challenges. A painful and most disruptive confrontation occurs that requires both Walker and Selwy to individually take a stance, to decide what is most important in their lives. Selwy is confronted and dismissed by a highly placed Clover family member. Given her self-doubt, should she back down and go away, as she has done on occasion in the past when confronted? Will Walker become aware of the family member's attempted manipulation of others and determination to drive Selwy away? The conclusion of this story is most amazing and uplifting. I was totally unprepared for the final outcome!
The stories are all set in different parts of the time line, in chronological order. So it makes sense that the first one is before the original colonists arrived on Celta. But the beginning of this story was the weakest part of the book, and I remember thinking that it might turn off readers new to the series. However, it didn't take long for me to get caught up in the characters and their actions.
I enjoyed the next two novellas even more, and the fourth was my hands-down favorite. (I had REALLY wanted to know the fate of that particular heroine and was so pleased with this story).
A must-have for existing fans, and I think it is a pretty good introduction to Owens for new readers, too.