4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Symbolic Meanings, March 16, 2008
This review is from: The Lotus Blossom Chronicles (Paperback)
The Lotus Blossom Chronicles by Jax Cassidy and Simone Harlow contains two stories. Siren's Seduction has a slight paranormal quality to it while Concubine is a futuristic thriller. Both stories focus on characters that have seen better days in their lives. Like the saying goes, once you are down and out, the only thing remaining is to go is up and to your second chance at happiness.
Siren's Seduction by Jax Cassidy
Niko Chow made a promise to a dying woman that he was determined to fulfill. The promise he made led him to sexy jazz club singer Donovan "Dove" Matthews. When Niko lays his eyes on Dove, he cannot resist the sultry seductress as she sings from her heart and soul. He has been trying for a few weeks to build up the courage to approach Dove knowing the information he must deliver to her. But try as he might, Niko does his best to ignore the desires he feels for the Dove. Once the two officially meet, through a mutual friend, Saban, their connection to one another seems a match made in heaven. One part of Niko's and Dove's individual psyches tells them they are not right for each but their souls crave each other for affection.
Niko ends up "kidnapping" Dove and they embark on a short-lived adventure. The two become acquainted in more ways then one. Will their newfound courtship end in tragedy or will they make it through the drama?
Concubine by Simone Harlow
In New Kenya 2185 A.D., Nyssa Farris, former slave and concubine, is with her lover, King Hasni, when his daughter, Princess Tarana, attacks them. Tarana wants to rule over New Kenya and she does not want to wait her turn to become supreme ruler of the lands either. As Tarana attacks the king and Nyssa, they learn she has already killed her brother, Zuri, and is there to finish off her father for her chance as the new leader. Nyssa is sure she and her infant daughter, Makeda, will be killed along with the king, so she begs for her daughter's life above all else. Tarana grants Nyssa's plea but now Makeda belongs to Tarana as her daughter. Once she kills her father, Tarana leaves Nyssa wounded physically, with a cut on her cheek and emotional, having lost her entire family for the rest of her life.
Six years later in 2191 A.D., Nyssa is now a government certified bounty hunter. Queen Tarana requests her services in re-capturing a runaway concubine. Nyssa cannot turn this assignment down, when the queen promises to return Nyssa's child. Will the queen hold true to her word or will she use Nyssa to her own advantage?
The Lotus Blossom Chronicles is a book of second chances and rebirth. Both stories featured follow this theme to perfection with the characters going through trials and tribulations and in the end being rebirth mind, body, and spirit. The chemistry and adventure experienced between the characters will leave readers hungry for more. Both stories are great reads! I found myself wanting more to read from both stories towards the end! I recommend The Lotus Blossom Chronicles to all romance lovers.
Reviewed by Chantay
APOOO BookClub
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Lotus Blossom Chronicles by Jax Cassidy and Simone Harlow, June 28, 2008
This review is from: The Lotus Blossom Chronicles (Paperback)
"The Lotus Blossom Chronicles" contains two stories about enduring through hardship and finding love.
"Siren's Seduction" by Jax Cassidy is a contemporary story with a very lush, dreamy quality. The author's writing is rich, lyrical, and dripping with sensuality. It's a softer erotica than most of that found in the market today and brings together an interesting mix of Asian and African-American characters. Niko and Dove are both lonely souls, having suffered deep losses ealier in their lives. Niko lost his wife and future child, and Dove her sister. Niko searched out Dove to pass on some horrible news, but he is distracted by her beauty and stunned to find himself so attracted to her. These two manage are drawn and build a relationship, but an angry figure from Dove's past and Niko's secret will put their love to the test.
"Concubine" by Simone Harlow is a futuristic story set in Africa. Harlow's writing is grittier and more openly erotic, and her characters definitely heat up the reading experience! Nyssa lost her husband, the king, to the king's demented first daughter who spared her life and turned her into a bounty hunter. Nyssa lives to gain an opportunity to catch a glimpse of her daughter who now lives with the queen as her heir. When the queen offers Nyssa a chance to regain her daughter with a terrible bargain, Nyssa still jumps at the chance. The queen's concubine has escaped and Nyssa must hunt him down and return him to the queen. While Nyssa will do anything to save her daughter, can she live with herself if she condemns a man to the life she once had? And when she meets Asad, the choices become more difficult when he draws from her lusts and feelings like she's never felt before.
This is a book with two very different stories, both based on the rebirth symbolism of the lotus flower. I enjoyed both stories and will be interested to see what's next from these authors.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Worth The Read!, October 24, 2008
This review is from: The Lotus Blossom Chronicles (Paperback)
The 'Lotus Blossom Chronicles' is a highly sensual, provocative read. It contains two stories that are incredibly different, but both manage to suck you in, immersing you deep into their worlds.
In Jax Cassidy's 'The Siren's Seduction', we are introduced to Dove, a tortured jazz singer in a tumultuous relationship. Enter Niko Chow, spurred on by a deathbed promise to Dove's sister, he lets go of his own demons and allows himself to find true love.
In Simone Harlow's 'Concubine' enter a futuristic world where a slave must fight to tear her child from the clutches of an evil African Queen.
Kudos to both authors on a job well done!
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