Customer Reviews

Untouchable (Emperor's Bride, Book 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

In Jones' Fyne Witches trilogy a pair of twin sons are born to Emperor Sebestyen of Columbyana. Now adults, Emperor Jahn and his moments-younger twin, Prince Alixandyr begin an adventure to find a bride for the Emperor. There is to be a contest, six women of worth from varying lands are to be brought to the palace to be offered the chance to be Empress. Messengers are sent to the far places at the height of the Spring Festival to return with the ladies in time for the Summer Festival where Jahn will choose his bride.

Princess Edlyn of Tryfyn's father is noted to not want his daughter traveling with just anyone so Alix is sent to retrieve her. While at the King of Tryfyn's court the new Queen demands that Alix bring a gift back to the Emperor along with the princess. Painted blue and scantily clad, Sanura is a woman of the Agnese. Gifted with the ability to see into the hearts of those around her she must never be touched by anyone save the man who owns her. One small touch and the blue which covers her skin will mark anyone who dares touch her for death. When Alix hesitates to take the pleasure slave the Queen makes it known she will kill Sanura instead so he takes her with them on their journey.

Through her gift Sanura can see that Alix is a good man, but there is a darkness within him she doesn't understand. His attraction to Sanura goes denied for much of their long journey until his dark side breaks free. When one of their traveling party is murdered and Alix and Sanura are blamed it is his dark side that saves them. But will the darkness ever go away? Can Alix desire and love Sanura without risking his very soul? Can Sanura save Alix from himself?

Fans of Jones' writing will love this first in a new trilogy. It has all the great elements she's come to be known for- epic storytelling, sensuality, strong character development and while she focuses on Sanura and Alix, she still takes time to tell more of the overall story of the trilogy. Tying into her Fyne Witches trilogy and the Children of the Sun trilogy you can enjoy the continued world building. But if you haven't read them, this story can stand alone well enough that you can easily go back and enjoy them later if you like.

My only complaint with this book was how abruptly it ended but due to this being about the Emperor finding a bride too many details of what the future holds for Alix and Sanura would have required giving away the rest of the story. We will just have to wait for 22 Nights (the second book in this trilogy) to find out. I personally can't wait!

Prince Alix is the younger twin by mere minutes and as such is not the Emperor. His twin, Jahn, currently holds that immense title and Alix does not covet his position at all - well, most of the time he doesn't. Only when Alix's darker side makes an appearance does he covet his brother's position but Alix is usually able to keep the darkness at bay. No matter what, Alix is supportive of Jahn and because of this he has been given the task of traveling to another kingdom and escorting a bridal candidate back to the palace.

Having arrived at his destination, Alix does not envy his brother at all. The princess he is to escort to Jahn is a complete shrew and Alix knows that the trip home will seem endless. The night before their departure, Alix is struck speechless at the woman who is given to his brother as a gift. Not only is she beautiful and regal but she is painted the color blue.

Sanura is an Agnese woman and she knows it is her duty to serve the man to whom she has been given. As a safeguard, she daily applies powder to keep her skin blue and has two bodyguards with the order to execute anyone that touches her other than the man that owns her. Sanura has never despised her duty but she finds that with the more time she spends in Alix's company the more she desires him. However, she is Untouchable.

Untouchable by Linda Winstead Jones is a sweeping saga of dark desires, hidden agendas, and yearning emotions. Alix struggled with desiring Sanura. He knew his duty and his duty did not include taking a woman meant for his twin. Sanura fought her feelings just as much because she knows all about duty; it has been ingrained in her since she was born. Add in acts of murder and blatant lies and Untouchable becomes a magnificent read. I look forward to the next installment, Unforgettable.

Talia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Colymbyana Emperor Jahn sends his twin brother Alix to escort two of the six potential brides he is considering making his empress to the palace. One of the chosen is sex slave Sanura. She has several extraordinary skills as she can see into the heart of a person, bring pleasure to die for to her master and has a blue dye that covers her skin that if conveyed to someone means horrific death to the receiver.

Alix is attracted to Sanura, which does not surprise her as every male is. However, she is shocked that she reciprocates as she feels for her escort who suffers from a multiple personality syndrome. Alix is a kind soul, but his alter-ego is brutal. When he is accused of murder, he accepts the charge because he knows if his other self can get out of control and kill; so he is uncertain whether he did the deed or not. Sanura thinks otherwise and plans to prove the duality man she loves would never kill in cold blood even his harsher side.

With nods towards Rogue of the X-Men and Two-Face of Batman, UNTOUCHABLE is a fabulous romantic investigative fantasy starring two interesting protagonists. The title character is heroic and lonely until now; Alix is the more fascinating individual as he suffers from a duality that is 180 degrees apart. Their love seems forbidden especially since she is a potential bride of his brother the ruler; making her even further UNTOUCHABLE. Linda Winstead Jones provides the sub-genre with a winning combo of mystery and romance inside a fantasy realm.

Harriet Klausner

I got about halfway before I decided to call it quits. The storyline, though seemingly strong, didn't seem that important to the happenings and the characters, especially the heroine, weren't very clear. In fact, I had a hard time believing any woman of sense could be so docile in slavery.

UNTOUCHABLE
LINDA WINSTEAD JONES
Paranormal Romance

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Prince Alixandyr is next in line for the emperor of Columbyana. His twin brother is the eldest, by a mere few minutes, and there seems to be a little bit of jealousy brewing. Alix, who was previously known as Trystan, is given the task of bringing a bride candidate to his brother. What he does not yet realize that this simple task could cost him his life.

Sanura is a woman of the Agnese. This means she was bred to bring pleasure to the man who owns her. Him and only him. To insure this, she is painted with a bright blue paint that transfers from her skin to any who dare touch her. Should a man be found with her beautiful blue on any part of his body it is an immediate death sentence. This poses a problem for Alix who has fallen in love with her and wants nothing more than to take her body. Another complication is that technically his brother Jahn is her owner.

This story starts six years after the end of the war with Ciro and his Own. The twins are now in the palace. Jahn is the emperor and Alix is the prince. Jahn is being pressured to take a bride and to produce an heir so he decides to have a competition for the position of his empress. Several sentinels and guards are sent in different locations to bring back specific women. Jahn asks Alix to bring back a princess from Tryfyn. He ends up bringing not only the princess but an unwanted gift for his brother. A woman named Sanura who sees what is inside a person's soul. While the group of travelers is making their way to Arthes the princess of Tryfyn is murdered. Sanura and Alix are blamed for the murder and the two escapes a horde of people who want them dead for the crime. As Sanura and Alix travel to safety, Alix is battling his dark side, Trystan. Eventually Trystan takes over Alix and decides he is going to kill Jahn and become emperor himself. Sanura is the only person who can save not only Jahn but save Alix from himself.

Absorbing! I got this book the day we left for vacation; by that evening I had completed it. Untouchable grabbed my attention and made every outside interruption... untouchable. This was the long awaited beginning to the final chapter of Columbyana. I have been obsessed with this series since the Sun witch. I am very excited that this series will also be a trilogy. My only confusion is to who the third book is going to be about. I rated this a 4.5 enchantments out of 5. For me the only thing that would have made it a perfect five would have been if more characters from the other six books would have been involved. I did enjoy how we heard about Sian and Ariana and that they were helping children, I just wish that they had made an appearance. Maybe the other two books will bring back some of my favorite characters. I am anxiously awaiting book two in the emperor's bride trilogy.

Linda Winstead Jones has written many different books. Some of the names she has written under are Linda Winstead Jones, Linda Jones, Linda Winstead, Linda Fallon, and Linda Devlin. [...]

Jennifer
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
July 2008

I loved this book. When I saw who the author was, I knew this would be a tantalizing, interesting story with complex characters who aren't just black and white, good and evil. The attraction and love scenes between Sanura and Alix/ Trystan was sexy and hot. Winstead's writing of Sanura was sensual and vulnerable, while still being a strong character. Trystan was evil,sexy and dangerous, but you still want him to find some happiness. Loved, loved, loved this book and can't wait for Jahn's story.

This is my 1st time read for author Linda Windstead Jones. I must agree with all the reviews written thus far. The book was wonderful. It is an easy and fast reading book. The kind of book where you can't stop turning the pages. Very sensual and hot romance between Sanura and Alix. The secondary story between Laris & Verity was just as enjoyable. This book is a for sure keeper and nice addition to my library. I can't wait for her next book in this new trilogy, Emperor's Bride.

I have read several of Linda's novels before and really enjoyed them. Untouchable has been my favorite so far. It is a great story of the love between a woman who is really nothing more than a sex slave and a Prince who has both a good side as well as a very, very dark side that he has trouble controlling. Very entertaining!

Hats off to Ms. Jones for coming up with a unique concept for a romance novel. Alix / Trystan is not your normal hero. He has some serious internal struggles to deal with but that makes him all the more endearing. The passion between Sanura and Alix is HOT! I also LOVED the secondary story of Laris and Verity.