Title: Heartmate
By: Robin D. Owens
Genre: Futuristic/Magical
Published in December 2001 by Jove Books
IBSN: 0-515-13289-6
Winner of the 2001 PEARL Award for Best New Author
If you called him a loner, he would not disagree. Call him rude and gauche, he would agree again. But he has something that most of the others can only wish for....Powerful Flair! He is proud of his abilities, and using what he possesses has put him where he wants to be: Rich, powerful, and restored to his Family GreatHouse. The vengeance stalk has been hard and long. It has taken much power and pride, but his Family Name has been restored, his enemies are vanquished, and today -- the stones said that today he would meet his HeartMate. Rand T'Ash, third and only remaining member of the GreatHouse Ash, has laid his trap carefully and planned this since his first passage. It was during this time of pain and flair mastery when he first glimpsed her and then constructed the HeartGift necklace. It is still powerful and only his HeartMate could feel the power. It is his gift to her, and he is certain she will want it. T'Ash has a Flair for stones.
He can create wondrous pieces of jewelry that are sought after by the ladies of the NobleHouses, and the Flair he has for the forge has made him a master weapons maker as well as a jeweler. Now, when his HeartMate takes the necklace, his life will be almost complete. Then he will be on the road to re-establishing his GreatHouse as a home and a Family to carry it on. Tonight she will come, and he and his Familiar will be waiting. It means going to the Phoenix, his exclusive jewelry shop, but his HeartMate is worth it.
Danith Mallow walks down the row of shops to the Phoenix. The jewelry there is really out of her budget, but she has acquired several nice but inexpensive pieces there. The shop is empty, and as she looks around, she doesn't see Majo, the store's manager anywhere. A moment later, her eyes meet the gaze of a most intense nature. As she gasps and steps back, her eyes see his clothing. The material and the embroidery tell the tale. T'Ash! She has never seen the GreatLord in his shop before and is suddenly unsure. Something in her wants to run for her life, yet something holds her there. Her eyes fly around the shop. She has to look at something, anything but at T'ash.
A necklace catches her eye and she starts toward it. It is beautiful: A large amber heart-shaped stone set in crudely worked gold. The stone has a flaw, and as she looks at it she sees the shapes of lovers entwined. Heat pools low, and she steps back aghast. A seduction spell! It has to be! That is illegal, and a very nasty trap. Who does he think she is, a candidate for a mistress? She needs a drink and heads for the caff table. T'Ash moves the necklace over toward her. The bells over the door jingle and a group of GreatLadies enter. T'Ash goes to wait on them and Danith sighs in relief. Another jangle and a young GreatLord walks in, spots T'Ash, and goes to him.
This is only the beginning of an adventure that is a story of magic, love, destiny, and a place where cats can talk with their humans. Flair is what these people have been persecuted for and so they left Earth. They took their animals and plants with them in search of a new place to build their own world -- a place where Flair is not outlawed or persecuted, and where they could live in peace. Here they developed a society that was ordered by thirteen GreatHouses. Here is Robin D. Owens' creation, and it is a trip guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, feel anger and relief. It is a story of odd places like Downwind, where a young Noble grew up tough, and without any family but a scruffy familiar cat named Zanthoxyl; of odd friendships made there, such as the one forged when he came across the HollyHeir. Holm T'Holly was in passage, which was deathduels for the T'Holly men. He drew Rand with him and they shared their first passage together. With that experience, a bond that was a bit more than surface friendship drew T'Holly to T'Ash with the help he needed for vengeance.
Here too, is a very skillfully crafted story that shows the growth of two people and the resilience of the spirit, and the determination of each to find love. Critics have complained about this as a "first book". I am not a professional critic...I am a reader, and I hope that Robin soon brings out another like this one. I understand we are not to be disappointed. I could rave on about this book, but that would accomplish nothing. I was impressed with this book and the life of the characters. I would hate for anyone to miss out on getting to meet that incorrigible feline, Zanth. If I didn't know better, I would say he almost steals the show! Definitely a must buy, this is truly an exciting read, and a wonderfully satisfying romance.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
What others have said about Heart Thief ..Robin's next work:
Jayne Ann Krentz: I loved HEART THIEF ! This is what futuristic romance is all about. Robin D. Owens writes the kind of futuristic romance we've all been waiting to read; certainly the kind that I've been waiting for. She provides a wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic futuristic settings and edgy suspense. If you've been waiting for someone to do futuristic romance right, you're in luck, Robin D. Owens is the author for you.
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