Customer Reviews

The Falcon's Bride

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Loved 'Ravencliff's Bride', was luke-warm to 'The Waterlord', and now was blown away by 'The Falcon's Bride'!! Just finished this book, and I'm feeling bereft! I miss Ros Drumcondra (known as The Black Falcon), and Thea Barrington, promised to Nigel Cosgrove, earl-in-waiting, but destined to be the Falcon's bride (as told to her by the mysterious old gypsy who appeared out of the sudden snow storm on the night of Thea's arrival at Cashel Cosgrove)! I miss their beautiful, thrilling, tense, uplifting, sexy, sensual, exciting, satisfying, intelligent, mysterious, (did I say 'exciting & sexy'?), brave, strong, love-conquers-all-even-time, love story! There! That covers it - a little! I won't go into the plot (see other reviews), all I ask is that you pick up a copy of this book. It's not connected in the least to the other two (R/bride and Waterlord). Set in mysterious Ireland of 1694,1747 & 1811, when life was tenuous at best, and the Gypsy race faced all manner of persecution & prejudices. Thea & Ros are the quintessential soul mates born into different times & circumstances - but destined to be together. The journey that each embarks on to ultimately reach the other is exciting, dangerous, heart-warming, sensual, and sooo very satisfying at the end! Ms. Thompson takes the reader on a journey of the senses and of the soul! The plot is so very intriguing, and not the usual 'lost-in-time' of some of the other time travel offerings. It leaves the reader with a feeling of having consumed the perfect gourmet meal - without the side effects! I shall remember Ros & Thea for years to come because I'm keeping this book! And of course, let's not forget the secondary hero of the tale - the remarkable, faithful, majestic time-traveller falcon, Isor! What a great addition to the plot line - and Jeta, Ros' gypsy mother and the only human keeper of the time tunnels. Nigel & his ancestor Cian were the perfect villainous pair, blast their black-hearted souls! They got their 'just desserts'!! I also think that the jacket of this book is one of the best that I've seen in a long time - with the exception of that of the oh-so-sensual 'R/bride'! My hat off to Ms. Thompson! Her next book comes out in Spring 2007, and it's about a vampire who still has a chance to become human again.

Based on this new novel and following on the heels of her two previously successful releases of the THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE and THE WATERLORD, Dawn Thompson is proving not only has she arrived, but is a force to be reckoned with.

Setting her latest novel in 1811, we are introduced to Thea Barrington come to Ireland to wed Nigel Cosgrove, the second son of an Earl. Thea is not in love, but the large financial settlement that will shore up her family's dwindling coffers will overlook rumors of his unsavory behavior. An unusual storm on the night of her arrival brings with it an old gypsy woman whispering a garbled warning in Thea's ear. Disconcerted by the forewarning and then by the tales of ghostly spirits haunting the castle, Thea is shaken when she sees the ghost of Ros Drumcondra that night.

The next day as Nigel is reprimanding Thea's behavior and attempting to force himself upon her he is viciously attacked by a falcon who saves Thea from further harm. While Nigel is recuperating from his injuries Thea cajoles her brother James into taking her to a nearby pagan landmark where she enters a time warp and is transported back to 1695. There she is rescued, then imprisoned by the very real and very much alive Ros Drumcondra.

From the moment he sees her Drumcondra feels bewitched by the force of his attraction, but the Gypsy warlord thinks only of ransoming her back to her betrothed to get back his castle until he realized that the most important prize was Thea herself. Thea was afraid to tell Drumcondra she was from the future, but when his mother scrys the future showing Thea his death, only then does she realize that she has been brought back to the past to save him for a future with her.

*** This was an absolutely spellbinding effort by Ms. Thompson. She held me breathless with excitement as the falcon Isor led this dynamic couple back and forth through the portals of time chasing their destiny to find the one place that they could be together to live and love in safety. With each journey layers would be peeled back revealing motivations, and mysterious secrets from the past. The romance and love story was drawn beautifully then enhanced with the skillfully sensual brushstrokes of a master wordsmith. Brilliant writing, a fabulously buff hero, an enigmatic falcon, and delectable elements combining gypsy lore and fantasy time travel combine together to make this one riveting and unforgettable read! I highly recommend this book.

Marilyn Rondeau - RIO , Reviewers International Organization

Ms. Thompson takes you on a whirlwind ride - two people trying to make their lives work in uncertain times meet because it is their foretold destiny. While they have so much they must overcome individually, they allow their growing love to help them in their separate quests - making their difficult roads merge into one love, one heart, one soul. One risk the author took is that she has the hero and heroine time travel more than once and to different places. Ms. Thompson's skill and talent make this work beautifully. Ms. Thompson is now on my auto-buy list. I can't wait to read her upcoming vampire series!

Set in Ireland in 1811, Thea Barrington arrives to wed Nigel Cosgrove, a wealthy second son of an Earl. Though not a love match, the financial settlement will aid her family's dwindling coffers. However, Thea soon comes to realize rumors of her intended's unsavory behavior just may prove to be true. When an elderly gypsy woman whispers warning to her about her marriage, Thea questions whether she should truly wed her fiance.

Enter a falcon and a ghost. Are these visions of her future or merely remnants of the castle's past? Wanting to decide for herself, Thea cajoles her brother into taking her to visit a nearby gravesite - where she is transported back to 1695 and into the arms of a very much alive Ros Drumcondra - the man who'd been the ghost in her room.

Torn between wanting to remain in her own time or staying in the past with the man she comes to believe as her soulmate, what will Thea do when granted the chance to return to 1811?

Ms. Thompson has once again graced us with a truly spellbinding effort. This reader was caught in the beauty of the story from the ghost's first appearance throughout the many trials and tribulations Ros and Thea faced. As they winged their way through the portals of time with the assistance of the able Isor, this reader traveled with them as they experienced their destiny. Ms. Thompson's brilliant writing not only portrayed a beautiful love story, she did it while breathing life into Romany history. This story will stay with you long after you've closed the last page of the book. You'll wait with baited breath for her next book to be released.

Our story begins in the year 1811. After two Seasons, Theodosia "Thea" Barrington still remained unwed. Therefore, she is glad to now be engaged to Nigel Cosgrove. She and James, her architect brother, travel to Cashel Cosgrove in Ireland for the wedding ceremony. Thea soon finds herself feeling unsettled by the aloof attitudes of Nigel and his mother, Countess Ridgewood. The countess is obviously a scheming wench determined to restore her son's reputation from his recent scandal. (He has been acquitted of murdering a lightskirt.)

The only thing Thea and James find interesting in the area is Newgrange. Newgrange is mainly a ruin now, but legend speaks of magic in the passage tomb at sunrise on the solstice, which just happens to be the next day. Of course, the siblings are there to see if the legend is true. Thea exits Newgrange to find herself in the year 1695. Quickly captured, Thea becomes the captive of Chieftain Ros Drumcondra, a seventeenth-century Black Irish Gypsy warlord and the archrival of the Cosgroves.

***** There is so much more to this plot, however, I must stop for fear of revealing any spoilers. Suffice it to say that soon Thea and Rose end up in the year 1811 together. The ancient blood feud between the Cosgroves and the Drumcondras continues with Thea smack in the middle. I found this story to be an interesting blend of many genres. I noticed regency romance, suspense, time travel, historical, mystery with drama, and (my personal favorite) gothic romance!

I could not help but feel as though the section spent in the year 1695 was rushed or had too much cut so as to satisfy the publisher's strict word count. All-in-all, a terrific tale! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

In 1811 Ireland, Londoner Theodosia "Thea" Barrington lives with her wealthy but abusive fiancé Nigel Cosgrove though his increasing use of violence scares her and makes her want to reconsider marrying him although she really has no choice as her family needs his money and power. However, shehas a personal reason for remaining at least at Nigel's castle; a gypsy told her she will wed Ros "Black Falcon" Drumcondra, whose grandfather lost Cashel Cosgrove due to betrayal to Nigel's ancestor over a century before.

Thea enters ancient ruins that are a portal leading her to 1695, the year that the laird allegedly disappeared, but before she can get her bearings, Drumcondra's men abduct her. He thinks she is the intended of his enemy, Cosgrove. He holds her for ransom, but quickly her and her captor fall in love. Thea plans to save her beloved's life before returning to her time.

Though the time travel story line takes a bit to understand especially who Drumcondra really is, readers will enjoy this fine historical due to the heroine who is out of place as a Regency lady in seventeenth century environs. The story line is action packed as Thea is a pawn between the two rivals, but chooses love and goes out of her way to insure her beloved survives the upcoming betrayal. Readers will enjoy Dawn Thompson's fine time traveling romance.

Harriet Klausner

Thea Barrington has left her home in Cornwall and traveled to Ireland in order to marry Nigel Cosgrove, the second son of an Earl. A dark cloud hangs over this man but Thea is honor bound to marry him. But while she's there she is unsettled by Nigel's behavior and begins to wish things were different. On the night of her arrival a old gypsy whispers to her telling her of her fate. Thea doesn't know if she should ignore the woman or pay heed to what she says. The decision is made after Nigel tries to hurt her when from out of nowhere a Falcon comes and saves her. While Nigel is abed with his injury, Thea talks her brother James into taking her to mystical building and while she is there she finds herself transported back to 1695 and into the arms of Ros Drumcondra, a gypsy warlord who takes her breath away.

Ros Drumcondra is going to make Cian Cosgrove pay for what he's taken from him. He thinks he has the upper hand when Thea is dropped into his hands. He's not counting on her stealing his heart...he's also surprised when he finds out she's from the future and if he's to survive he must listen to her. But, is his place by Thea's side in the future or must he remain in his time? Can these two find a happy ending when their enemies have different plans for them?

Ms. Thompson has done it again! This is an evocative, sensually romantic read which aptly demonstrates why we read romance. Once again, Ms. Thompson has raised the bar on the standards of romance. With time-travel elements, a little gothic feel, mystical gypsy's and wonderfully dynamic characters, "The Falcon's Bride" will steal the readers heart. Ms. Thompson is an author I'll purchase simply because her name is on the cover.

This book was just okay. It was boring in certain parts and the author used the same words over and over again. I didn't understand at what point the heroine fell in love with the hero and why. It seemed as if on one page she hated him, with very good cause, and the very next page she was madly in love with him. I even checked the book to see if pages were ripped out because it happened so fast. The only explanation being that they were soul mates and that made everything okay. As another reviewer has said, it did seemed like chapters were cut short in this book and it made the story rushed without making sense. Some of the side characters didn't seem to really have a point in the story, they just filled up the pages and left you wondering why they were even mentioned in the first place.

This story had me breathless up to the last exciting and surprising end. The love scenes were beautifully detailed, sexy, and ultra-emotional, not one of the five senses left unexplored. Ros and Thea were two well-written and memorable lovers who fought history and evil and time to be together. Dawn Thompson - keep 'em coming!!

After finishing this story, I felt unfulfilled. For one thing, I never felt a connection with any of the characters. Usually, I can "see" the characters and understand them. They were never described physically or otherwise enough to get a picture of them. They didn't have any depth to them. All we know about Ros is that he is a conceited Gypsy warrior who acts like Tarzan (pounding his chest and talking about himself in third person#, and that he is constantly aroused... did they have Viagra back then? Thea is a helpless female who runs around half-naked #in the snow) throughout the book. For another thing, I felt like things were repeated unecessarily to the point of boredom. I like the occasional time travel, but it was a bit overdone in this story. They pass back and forth constantly through time, for pointless reasons. I kept wishing the story would end and wondering why I kept reading it (kind of like a watching a movie to the very end, even though you think it's worthless). Evidently, from other reviews, some people "got it" and even enjoyed it; I'm just not one of those people.