Customer Reviews

Forced Mate

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Djinni (pronounced "Jinni") is the last fertile female of the Royal Djinn, and she has been sequestered on Earth to hide her from the Emperor and his family. The Crown Prince, Tarrant-Arragon, must marry a Djinn female. Djinni is descended from a disaffected line of the Royal Family, and has been groomed to marry an unknown cousin of Tarrant-Arragon. She's also been informed of the Crown Prince's debased character and cruelty, so has taken the oath of a Saurian White Knight to attempt to kill him, or to kill herself if he attempts to take her as a forced mate.

This is a big problem for Tarrant-Arragon, who isn't really as bad as Djinni has been led to believe. He's arrogant, dominant, and doesn't think much about anyone other than himself, but he's not debased. Tarrant-Arragon has discovered Djinni's existence, and is determined to have her for his wife. He is also determined that he will "make" her love him, to avoid the tragedies caused by the broken marriages of the past several generations of Emperors. Therefore he cannot reveal his real identity to Djinni until he is certain that she loves him. Meanwhile, the Saurian Knights are trying to bring down the Royal Family and disrupt the Empire...

This book is long and complex and I loved it. It is science fiction in the best "blasters and spaceships" tradition, with a theme of political intrigue running throughout. But wait! There's more! This is a very emotionally satisfying love story between a feminist woman and a man who has never considered the wishes and desires of another person at any time. The love story is extremely fun to watch, as Tarrant-Arragon discovers that his bride-to-be is not only not docile and frightened of him, but that she is smart, brave, and not ready to be caught by any man. You will love watching their interactions, as he tries to go against his upbringing by being thoughtful, patient, and considerate in order to win his bride's heart. You do have to work a bit to follow the story, but it was well-written and wove the various storylines into a comprehensive whole by the end of the novel. This novel will grab you and hold you until you finish it, so I don't recommend it for a five-minute before-bedtime read! -- Jean, Fallen Angel Reviews (courtesy of Fallen Angel Reviews)

Here we have an amusing, complicated alien world. The crown prince abducts his bride and decides not to tell her who he is and see if she will love him for himself. She has been convinced by the order of Sauron Knights...of which she is a member...that the crown prince is a barbaric, evil brute who she is responsible to help overthrow. The book frequently refers to plot changes in terms of a chess match.
There is a great deal of humor, a somewhat convoluted plot and some action. I laughed a good deal and overall enjoyed it very much. I am looking forward to more stories set in this new and enjoyable universe

I don't read much science fiction, but this book referred to me by a friend and I'm glad I read it. The characters are great, and the story line had enough twist to hold my interest. This book will make you imagination soar, hopefully the author will write books similar to this one.

Forced Mate is a highly original story with a fun twist. Aliens live on Earth, but only a few know of their presence. Djinni is a Saurian warrior knight living in present-day England. She is intent on someday killing her family's sworn enemy, the god-Emperor, Prince Tarrant-Arragon, the Tigron dictator and slayer of her people. She also plans to marry the Prince's replacement, just as soon as Tarrant-Arragon is assassinated. Unfortunately, she hasn't actually seen either the Prince or her betrothed as adults, and so a whirlwind of mistaken identity ensues. Tarrant-Arragon, for his part, knows everyone -- or, at least, thinks he does...

His one goal is to find some way to trick Djinni into marrying him, and consummating the marriage, before she can kill him. And Djinni is intent on staying close to the man she calls Tigger (actually Tarrant-Arragon) so that she can get close enough to kill . . . well, Tarrant-Arragon!

This book was a lot of fun. The subterfuge engaged in by all parties keeps you guessing until the very last page. The secondary characters are wonderfully drawn, and one can only hope that Ms. Cherry will continue on with more books in this same series! A terrific romp of a book! Cathy Clamp

As a long time science fiction reader, I was prepared to suspend disbelief for the short time it took to establish the world in which this story takes place. And a fascinating world it is. The heroine is a 'lost' princess. She is half human and was raised on Earth. Unfortunately for her, she is also the only legitimate candidate to marry the heir to a vast space empire - her father's most hated enemy. The heir locates and kidnaps her, then attempts to get her to fall in love with him by not revealing his identity. The worldbuilding is complex, the characters realistic, and the adventure intriguing. And at the center of it all is a great love story. I highly recommend this read.

First off, let me give credit, where credit is due.
Rowena Cherry was awarded honorable mention for:
New Author of 2004, last night by P.E.A.R.L.
(which stands for Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature)
You can checkout more about this on their site:
http://paranormalromance.writerspace.com/PEARL2004/

With that said, let me give you an overview of this fantastical
Djinn story, with a twist that is deliciously wicked
and sensually satisfying-that is Forced Mate.

I love alpha type males and Prince Tarrant-Arragon,
does not disappoint. He is, get a load of this, around
seven feet tall, weighing in at three hundred pounds.
This Djinn personifies animal magnetism. He should be called,
The Djinn of Sin...
From the first glimpse of Djinni-vera, Tarrant-Arragon
knows she is his future mate. He must have her, whatever the
cost, by force if necessary. What Tarrant-Arragon wants,
he gets--Period!
Djinni-vera has been taught to fear mating with any Djinn,
because of the dreaded, rut-rage. So the chase is on!

This Djinn-ivied story is a page turner, just be careful that
your fingers do not catch on fire *G*

If you decide to read FORCED MATE, get ready to have your nose glued to the pages for a little while, as I couldn't put this story down!

Prince Tarrant-Aragon is the god-Emperor of Tigron, equating to the entire galaxy. (Yes, this means he rules us too, we just don't know it!) No one tells him no. So, when he discovers the only woman who could even possibly be his Queen, hidden away on the little planet of Earth, he goes to get her. The only problem is that his perfect mate has been raised to pray for his demise and even worse trained to be able to kill him should she have the opportunity or kill herself if she fails. The solution - make Djinni fall in love with him, before she finds out who he really is!

Djinni is automatically weary of the man who shows up at her doorstep and claims to be a member of the Saurian Knights. However, when he is able to perform the secret handshake, she ignores her instincts, and gets into his limo to perform the final test, the toast to Tarrant-Arragons death. If only the man hadn't made her heartbeat accelerate or have sex on the brain when she tried to eavesdrop, she might have been able to prevent herself from getting kidnapped! Now, she only has to escape before her future husband, JJ, finds out she was ruined by an An'Koori!

Rowena Beaumont Cherry has written a fascinating romance that blends some of our current "Earth" history with customs from all over the galaxy. I especially enjoyed the misunderstanding that Tarrant let Djinni maintain regarding sex. Then there is Madam Tarra, a fortuneteller who lives on the Pleasure Moon of Eurydyce, a very important secondary character that I really thought intriguing!

While I truly felt sorry for Djinni as she kept trying to escape and find ways to thwart her unknown kidnapper, (who she named Tigger) I thought she was quite resourceful, too. I also really enjoyed the fact that she wasn't going through shock of getting kidnapped by aliens, because she was one herself. It was a neat twist on the alien abduction theme.

"Tigger" on the other hand... he had me cracking up. Add the typical male arrogance to the "God-Emperor" title... he was SO doomed because he (justifiably) wasn't being honest with Djinni about who he was. I loved reading about how Tarrant had to learn everything the hard way. Just because he had so much power and was used to everyone jumping when he said jump he was out of his league with Djinni. She thought he was a nobody, and therefore beneath her; it was so funny! I think it was a very humbling (and needed) experience for him.

Then we add the mix of the unknown enemy - the Saurian Knights and Djinni's fiance JJ that Tarrant is chomping at the bit to figure out who is. FORCED MATE has a little bit of everything: lots of action, deception and forgiveness, plenty of sexual tension and different alien cultures to contemplate. This was such a fun book to read that I highly recommend!

Prince Tarrant-Aragon, the god-Emperor of Tigron, discovers the only woman who could be his Mate has been hidden on the planet Earth. He is all-powerful and ruthless and has come to acquire her. That his Earthling limo driver dares to make sly observations along the way was unheard of -- but intriguing. Not being a foolish human, Greg, a cynical mercenary known as Grievous, tactfully keeps his mouth shut about things like the little miss naming the boss `Tigger'.

Djinni's father is the Saurian Dragon, leader of the Saurian Knights and she has trained extensively. Feeling secure while hiding on Earth, she has been betrothed to 'JJ' since childhood and is an integral part of a plan to enthrone him as the new god-Emperor of Tigron. Although she is suspicious when first approached, the stranger appeared to be a Saurian Knight; so she followed trustingly. Too late Djinni finds she has been abducted. Despite several escape attempts, she is now on Tigger's ship and in danger of breaking her Saurian vows.

Djinni does not realize that the poem she read was actually a wedding ceremony and that Tigger is the prince she has been taught to dread. He was forced to abduct her and wed her, but Tarrant-Aragon does not want a battle-ground for a marriage as his father and grandfather before him. As Prince of Tigron he is considered all-powerful, but how to make his half-Earthling wife accept him? Her lack of respect and different perception of him and their universe is something he finds perplexing and frustrating. He hopes to win her heart, but who can he go to for such an unheard of advice? Among his choices is the Earthling limo driver, who has been bold enough to voice unasked for opinions but declares women are difficult.

There is a good balance between action and romance with subtle and outright humor adding to the main plot instead of distracting. The political intrigue brings unexpected plot twists that will keep you guessing who is on what side. The characters stay true and the changes as their relationship grows are believable.

In chess the term 'Forced Mate' is where the two kings race to make a pawn their queen. So the title is fitting and through-out the story there are several chess references. You will not find Djinni a mere pawn, though she is naïve and Tigger takes advantage of that to force changes in her life. Will his desire to have her love brings about changes that will be felt throughout their worlds and stop a revolution? This futuristic romance is one that you won't want to miss!

REVIEWERS NOTE: I read the e-book and now the paperback (Unique! Available from different publishers). It felt like seeing a movie in theatre and then edited for TV. Some scenes were edited for Mass Market and were excellently rewritten, rephrased, etc. Some violence and sexual reference was toned down - I EMPHATICALLY state that the Mass Market paperback showed NO noticeable lack because of the different editing and was still an enjoyable, complete story.

I was reading for enjoyment; not to compare the differences. It was things left out that I noticed having read the NBI edition first.

SO, if you want ALL the relationships and motivational details explained, get the e-book or trade paperback edition. If you are not a compulsive futuristic/sci-fi fan, but enjoy a good paranormal romance, then the Mass Market edition is for you.

(...)

I love this book. It's the only book I've read and reread and enjoyed just as much both times. In fact the more familiar I am with it the more I enjoy it! I smile when I think of the story and characters. Very clever, funny and sexy. The main characters, Tarrant-Arragon and Djinni are wonderful, well developed and the changes in them are very real and believable. I really cared about them and their growing relationship. It's a book rich in imagination and the author obviously loves her characters and the world she's created. The background of political intrigue and dynastic rivalry really adds to the tension and is interesting in it's own right. There's nothing quite like handsome alpha males fighting for supremacy and a mate is there? ;-)

I'd recommend it to anyone who likes sexy (very sexy), romantic, intriguing, laugh out loud science fiction. I'm new to reading this genre and I'm so glad I've discovered Rowena Cherry!

Courtesy of Love Romances

This was an average debut book, with a unique futuristic story line. Ms. Cherry shows talent for weaving believable fantasy worlds.

Planet Tigron is home to an amazing race of beings, the Great Djinn, known for their magickal powers and their sexual prowess. The Imperial bloodline is in danger of being wiped out. Their only hope lies in Prince Tarrant-Arragon, the Tiger Prince and the "terror of the dodecahedrons," marrying and impregnating the last remaining virgin of pure Djinn blood to cement his family's line for another generation. There is only one small problem though... she despises him, sight unseen.

Djinni-Vera has lived her life on Earth, safe on a planet away from her enemy, Tarrant-Arragon. There on Earth she waits... until the day comes she is "of age" to marry her betrothed, J-J, the biggest rival of the Tiger Prince, who also happens to be in disguise as Tarrant-Arragon's best friend. Djinni is one of the Saurian White Knights, sworn to destroy the Imperial Prince at any cost and restore balance to the empire.

Tarrant-Arragon goes to Earth in disguise, where he captures Djinni and begins his plan to seduce her and impregnate her before she discovers he is really her most hated enemy, and an enemy who is known for his own unique brand of "justice." He cannot reveal his true self to her, and as he falls in love, he hopes her growing feelings for him are enough to overcome the great deceits he has staged against her. Can he win the affection of his lady love? What will she do when she discovers her beloved "Tigger" is really the Tiger Prince in disguise?

This should have been a very good story that would captivate readers from beginning to end, but it fell flat, at least for this reviewer. The story is well developed, almost too well developed. There are too many sub-plots going on at once to really keep from losing the reader. This reviewer had to keep going back and re-reading parts to try and make sense of what was happening in some scenes. However, it was interesting to see how the game of seduction is compared to a game of chess, which is an underlying theme to the entire story.

Tarrant-Arragon and Djinni are intriguing characters, or Djinni was at least. Tarrant Arragon was too obsessed with sex throughout the whole book. Granted, the key plot focuses on the fact he must get Djinni pregnant, but he spends too much time talking about how he is going to seduce her and how skilled he is at love-making, to actually do much of anything... in or out of the bedroom. Several other characters were incredibly well done, this reviewer's favorite character being Grievous the Earthling, who becomes Tarrant-Arragon's loyal "second." Unfortunately so many characters were introduced in to the story with such similar names that it got way too confusing. There is a family tree in the front of the book to explain the relationships between all the players, but there are just too many people to keep track of, even though they all play key roles in different plot lines. This reviewer kept forgetting who was who and how they were related to others in the story. J-J was an interesting villain throughout, and it would be interesting to see how he comes across in future books... and it is evident there is more planned in the series.

Ms. Cherry certainly wins points for originality in her story. Her worlds are beautifully rendered, vividly drawn so that readers will see and feel the scenery and events unfolding throughout the entire book. The majority of futuristic romance fans will likely enjoy this story and be eager for more to come from the pen of this "Dorchester's New Voice in Romance" finalist.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, November 2004. All rights reserved.