Customer Reviews

Heart Quest (Celta's HeartMates, Book 5)

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I look for books that catch me from the first page and this is one of two that I have found in the last 6 weeks. The other is LOVER AWAKENED by J R Ward. HEART QUEST is the story of Black Ilex Winterberry and Trif Clover. They were minor characters in the other Celta novels. I love Celta and these stories are some of my best keepers. I noticed a reviewer wished she wrote faster and I have been guilty of wishing the same thing, however some of my favorite authors are so busy writing more books and more series, they have stopped being the enjoyable reads I expect from them. So I guess I would rather wait and get quality over quantity.

Ilex Winterberry is a Guardsman. He has been assigned to the Noble houses of Celta. Now he is looking for a murderer who specializes in Nobles with unstable Flair psi. He is 45 and he thinks he is to old for his Heartmate. He knows that Trif Clover is his Heartmate, but she is only 20. He also has a touch of precognition and has known for yrs he will die early. So he doesn't want to bond with her and have her die when he dies. Ilex is a virle handsome man and Trif is a beautiful young lady. Where there is a Heartmate there is also attraction.

Trif has been looking for her Heartmate. She has made a heartkey charm which should help her. Working in her family's furniture shop is not what she wants to do with her life. She is an amazing musician and plays her own compositions on the flute, and several other instruments. But she is not so confident that she will approach Passiflora Holm who is the premire composer on Celta. Trif also has unstable Flair psi. She hopes that when she finds her Heartmate her Flair will become stable.

The murderers are taking the hearts from their victims and consuming them to assimilate their flair. Ilex is close on their heels and as Samhain approaches he worries for the safety of Trif. Trif and Ilex are brought togather by some interfereing friends.

I love it. Any time I can journey to Celta and spend time with some old and new friends, it is a pleasure. While I enjoy stories about the Nobility, any Heartmate story is good.

Guardsman Black Ilex Winterberry wants desperately to find the killer who is murdering those individuals with unstable Flair. He is not fearful for his HeartMate, Trif Clover, until she obtains a Fam, a kitten named Greyku, making her fit the profile of the victims. Unfortunately, Trif doesn't know Ilex is her HeartMate as he has hidden this from her. Ilex has envisioned his death and knows that it is soon. He doesn't want Trif to die along with him, and thus is trying to protect her. Ilex doesn't count on the power of love, however, and soon he finds himself in a desperate race against time!

HEART QUEST is the fifth book in a series about HeartMates. This book can be read as a stand alone novel as this reviewer had not previously read the other books and was easily able to understand the ongoing threads that are in the series. Robin D. Owens has crafted a very complex world in which humans and animals interact together to enhance their psi powers.

Greyku steals the show! Her desire to explore everything and to be the center of attention will resonate with cat lovers everywhere. Robin D. Owens' depiction of her character and voice is perfect. If your kitten could talk, she would sound just like Greyku! The scenes involving Greyku's desire to be tinted are particularly clever and will leave the reader laughing out loud at the antics of Greyku.

HEART QUEST is a magical fantasy tale that subtlety draws the readers into the storyline. The concept of HeartMates will enchant romance lovers while the clever world building will appeal to fantasy lovers. Hopefully, HEART QUEST is not the last of this delightful and charming series.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Robin Owens continues her wonderful science fiction series about a race of people set on a planet where ESP and talking pets are common. The story centers around a young beautiful woman who knows she has a heartmate somewhere and goes about trying to locate her mate with the help of a bespelled key. A much older man knows he is her mate but believes he does not have much longer to live and since heartmates do not continue living when their mate dies he is determined to make sure she never knows she is his mate. He is also determined to protect her from a serial killer who is stalking people like her who have difficulty controling their "flair" (psychic energy).

The story also contains characters from previous books and lets you know what is going on it their lives. I especially get a kick out of the Fam Pets especially Fam Cats. They are cats with a healthy dose of self esteem who are psychic and can talk to their owners mentally. Although it is hard to tell if the people own the cats or the cats own the people. Her books are original and very entertaining. I recommend you start with "Heartmate" and continue with the whole series.

The latest book in the Celtan series again enforces what all Robin D. Owens fans want. We Want More! Stories that is.
This tale is about Black Ilex Winterberry and Trif Clover. Trif is in a quest for her Heartmate, but Ilex is hesitant to reveal that he is her Heartmate because he fears he will not live long; Ilex is slightly talented in prediction but not as fabulous as Vinni T'Vine the prophet.
Added to the storyline is the quest for murderers targeting Celtans with unstable Flairs. The mystery is a nice addition that keeps you guessing till the end, but the show stealer is a new type of Famanimal; Vertic, the Famfox, who is clever enough to be a real help to Ilex as he solves the mystery of the murders. Robin also introduces a new Famkitten of Zanth's line, Greyku, who just keeps wanting More.
The tale also resolves beautifully as Trif convinces Ilex that their May-December relationship(he's 45, she's 20) is the best for both of them. Trif shows Ilex that it is his smart choices in his life direction that will shape his life and not just destiny.
This book also introduces more characters and Famanimals that we fans will be eagerly waiting to see again. More is very Good as Greyku says.

Well, she's done it again. It's always a treat to visit Celta, and this is no exception.

Trif Clover, of the non-noble but prolific Clover family, discovered during her last Passage that she has a HeartMate. Young and impatient, she sets about trying to find him, using a charm key (the cover illustration--it's a gorgeous cover, btw).

Unfortunately for Trif, her HeartMate is avoiding her. He's Black Ilex Winterberry, a guardsman from a noble family but working for a living. Not only is he twice her age, and thinks she deserves someone younger, but he has a talent for prescience, and he's foreseen his own death--in the very near future. When HeartMates are bonded, and one dies, the other dies shortly after as well, and he's desperate to save Trif from that fate.

Unfortunately for Ilex, someone is going around killing young people with unstable Flair, and Trif fits the victims' profile, so he's compelled to stay close to her and keep her safe.

As with the other books in this series, the worldbuilding is superb. I'm not a very visual person, but I'm pretty sure if you plopped me down in the middle of Celta, I could find my way around. The way magic works is clear and consistent--and unusual.

Also as usual is the emotional depth. Ilex in particular has a very rough time of it. Knowing of his own death in advance is bad enough, but the more he's around Trif, the more painful and intense his feelings for her become. He's also been smacked with family difficulties that hurt him, and that I'm crossing my fingers will lead to future stories in this series.

Trif doesn't have it quite as rough, but her emotions are right there on the page--excitement, impatience, and frustration at first, and as time goes on, they become more complex as well.

I also enjoyed the mystery component of Heart Quest, particularly the details of how Flair is used in criminal investigations. My only teensy problem with it was that I'd hoped a certain person would be implicated, but that's mostly because that character made me so angry.

Again, all the intensity is balanced by humor, much of which is provided by the fams: sentient, telepathic pets. The cats' voices in particular will sound very familiar to anyone who's ever had a cat.

I'd say more, but everything's turning out fangirly-squeeing. Bottom line: great book. I loved it.

Heart Quest if full of romantic tension, murder, and mystery. Readers will particularly enjoy how Robin Owens has woven fascinating secondary characters into Ilex and Trif's story. Right to the end, you'll wonder who lives, who dies, and who has been right all along - Trif or Ilex. A truly enjoyable read, a solid winner that will have you eagerly awaiting the next book in the Celta HeartMate series. It's always a pleasure to return to the magical inhabitants of Druida City and find out who will be next to discover their HeartMate.

I read the first few books in the series years ago and have been reading her new series as of late. I know it has been quite some time since I read a book from this series, but I really think she surpassed herself on this one. I can remember the previous books being more mushy and romantic. This one was sweet but primarily I found it to be a mystery. A cult is killing people in horrific sacrificial manner and our main characters are not only trying to solve the case and trying to stay off the evil people's radar. Definitely worth your time. I loved it and had a hard time putting it down.

I somehow missed this book on it's release date, but was a must have as soon as I realized it was available. I loved Triff's story. Ms. Owen's continues to be one of my top 10 authors.

I have to admit, it took me a couple of Ms. Owens' books before I got the hang of the setting. It was so different from other works, but I kept coming back for more. In Heart Quest, the main characters Trif and Ilex were carefully crafted and so dear, story line was paced well, never a dull moment. I can't wait to read more on the Winterberry's in the next book!

Trif and Ilex's tale catches you from the first. Others have written excellent plot summaries. It was good to see characters from previous books as it is easy to become fond of them. The author has a way of catching emotions and the books are always involving.

I would like to highly recommend this book and the series to readers. When I started it, five had already been written. After finishing #2, I went back and read them from the beginning. By that time, the 6th had been published. Now, it will be hard to wait for #7.