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In an attempt to clear himself of the charges for which he was exiled, Aric kan Ingan returns to Arcanis and immediate arrest. After he’s saved from execution by his cousin and former betrothed Pallas, he’s faced with a heartbreaking choice. Marrying Pallas means giving up his beloved Susan, but it also means regaining what he lost—the Throne of Arcanis—as well getting revenge against TAS and best friend Eby, now TAS right-hand man. Aric must choose to give up his happiness to protect his Margravine and the Throne, or return to Susan and leave his cousin to TAS vengeance.
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First published June 1, 2012
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About the author
Toni V. Sweeney
92 books45 followersToni V. Sweeney a.k.a. T.S. Snow and Savannah Scarborough
Toni V. Sweeney specializes in SF/fantasy stories, though she has written in other genres as well.
Her western novels NEBRASKA: Walk the Shadow Trail placed 1st in Historical Romance at the 2015 Paranormal Guild's Reviewers Choice awards and 2nd in Other Novels at the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; NEBRASKA: Vengeance from Eden was a Top 10 finisher in the 2014 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. She also placed in the Top 10 Authors for 2015 from that same poll.
In 2014, TUESDAY'S CHILD (by Icy Snow Blackstone) won 1st in Contemporary Romance at the Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice awards.
THE EARTHMAN'S BRIDE (writing as Icy Snow Blackstone), re-released by Class Act Books in May, 2012, placed first in Alternate Romance/SF Division in the Maryland Romance Writer's Contest "Reveal Your Inner Vixen in 2008. JERICHO ROAD (also authored as Icy Snow Blackstone), placed 7th in the National Writers Association's Novel Contest in 1997.
Under her own name, Toni writes SciFi/fantasy and space opera and the occasional horror and romance novel. Writing as Icy Snow Blackstone, she authors romance novels. She is currently promotion manager for Class Act Books. She has reviewed books for 2 Lips reviews and at present is on the review staff of the New York Journal of Books and the Paranormal Romance Guild. She was recently named a professional reader by netgalley.com.
Her trailers are featured on Youtube.com.
Toni V. Sweeney specializes in SF/fantasy stories, though she has written in other genres as well.
Her western novels NEBRASKA: Walk the Shadow Trail placed 1st in Historical Romance at the 2015 Paranormal Guild's Reviewers Choice awards and 2nd in Other Novels at the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; NEBRASKA: Vengeance from Eden was a Top 10 finisher in the 2014 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. She also placed in the Top 10 Authors for 2015 from that same poll.
In 2014, TUESDAY'S CHILD (by Icy Snow Blackstone) won 1st in Contemporary Romance at the Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice awards.
THE EARTHMAN'S BRIDE (writing as Icy Snow Blackstone), re-released by Class Act Books in May, 2012, placed first in Alternate Romance/SF Division in the Maryland Romance Writer's Contest "Reveal Your Inner Vixen in 2008. JERICHO ROAD (also authored as Icy Snow Blackstone), placed 7th in the National Writers Association's Novel Contest in 1997.
Under her own name, Toni writes SciFi/fantasy and space opera and the occasional horror and romance novel. Writing as Icy Snow Blackstone, she authors romance novels. She is currently promotion manager for Class Act Books. She has reviewed books for 2 Lips reviews and at present is on the review staff of the New York Journal of Books and the Paranormal Romance Guild. She was recently named a professional reader by netgalley.com.
Her trailers are featured on Youtube.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2012
5*****Stars
Return is the third in Toni Sweeney’s Kan Ingran series. We have read Sinner and Exile. We began with Sinner, the opening story, as we follow young Aric, living on the planet Arcanis. He is heir to the throne ruled by his Uncle Deroes the Margrave (or King). Deroes has taken a bride many years younger, to the dismay of the ruling Elders. Elizabeth Sheffield, an earthling, is not a pure blooded kan Ingran.
Aric is tall, handsome, arrogant, and a society snob. He hates and belittles Elizabeth from the moment he meets her, and all that passion turns to love. Their homeland has underlying issues, as the Elders look to keep the bloodline pure. They even attempt to kill her, and try to prevent her from having a baby. Pallas, a daughter, is born, and Aric and Elizabeth keep up a sexual and loving relationship for many years. Aric is cast out by his uncle not because he learns of the affair, but he is accused of treason unjustly and Deroes banishes him. Aric takes the pledge of celibacy and is an exile.
In Exile, Ms. Sweeney now has many players in place from the first book, and cranks up the storyline. In Exile we watch Aric grow and we fall in love with him. At first he is so numb from having to give up his homeland, he drifts for years from place to place. After many years of wandering, he signs up for a 5 year hitch on a Terran Mining Colony as a protector and driver for Dr. Susan Moran. For 5 years we watch Aric , as Ms. Sweeney peels at Aric’s layers and we see the moth become the butterfly. Dr. Morgan and he fall in love, and he realizes to go forward he must go back and fix on Arcanis what is broken. Miles Sheffield, who is his best friend, and ironically Elizabth’s brother, insists he come with Aric to face most possibly death as soon as they land. This book was outstanding and I did not think this series could get any better.
We begin Return on a spacecraft, as Miles and Aric travel back to Arcanis. It has been 15 years, and Aric has no way of knowing about the current status of things in his homeland. He can only tell Miles that the moment he arrives he will be arrested and detained, or possibly killed on sight. Miles' job is to find his sister Elizabeth, the Margravine, and his uncle Deroes, and speak on his behalf.
What Aric foresaw was true. Guards were waiting and took him to Tower to await his fate. The Elders were all ready for a hasty judgement and death sentence. Miles went to the castle and was shocked at the news he found, as so many things had changed in 15 years and all that Aric believed did not exist any longer. Elizabeth and his uncle were no longer alive, and his niece, young Pallas was in charge, with the Elders as Guardians. She was a puppet, and they were the puppet masters. But Pallas remembered her Uncle, whom she loved dearly as a child, almost to the point of obsession.
Ms. Sweeney has written scenes in this story that were outstanding. Aric in the Tower at the mercy of the Elders and the Guards was spellbinding. I cried at his treatment, his strength and the thought that he was doing this for his love for Susan, so he could be a whole man again. I wrote here today that I did not think anything could be better than Exile? Well color me red faced... Return was amazing!!!
Aric is a man we disliked a bit at the beginning of this journey, pretentious, spoiled and arrogant. But it was always for his beloved Archanis. This is a man who would give up for himself every thing he loves, for the sake of his country. He did, in Exile, giving up his lover, his life and his country, not to harm the way of life for the people in Archanis with treachery in their government.
He finally drew solace with the good Doctor on Terra, and found he needed to clear his name and become whole before he could go forward. Now back on Archanis, the path is not what he and the reader expected, and my heart hurts for him.
We have another book coming in the series, and now Ms. Sweeney has me sitting with baited breath to see this story's conclusion, and with a little fear that something else could go terribly wrong. If you haven’t looked into this series you do yourself an injustice.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Sr Member and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
Return is the third in Toni Sweeney’s Kan Ingran series. We have read Sinner and Exile. We began with Sinner, the opening story, as we follow young Aric, living on the planet Arcanis. He is heir to the throne ruled by his Uncle Deroes the Margrave (or King). Deroes has taken a bride many years younger, to the dismay of the ruling Elders. Elizabeth Sheffield, an earthling, is not a pure blooded kan Ingran.
Aric is tall, handsome, arrogant, and a society snob. He hates and belittles Elizabeth from the moment he meets her, and all that passion turns to love. Their homeland has underlying issues, as the Elders look to keep the bloodline pure. They even attempt to kill her, and try to prevent her from having a baby. Pallas, a daughter, is born, and Aric and Elizabeth keep up a sexual and loving relationship for many years. Aric is cast out by his uncle not because he learns of the affair, but he is accused of treason unjustly and Deroes banishes him. Aric takes the pledge of celibacy and is an exile.
In Exile, Ms. Sweeney now has many players in place from the first book, and cranks up the storyline. In Exile we watch Aric grow and we fall in love with him. At first he is so numb from having to give up his homeland, he drifts for years from place to place. After many years of wandering, he signs up for a 5 year hitch on a Terran Mining Colony as a protector and driver for Dr. Susan Moran. For 5 years we watch Aric , as Ms. Sweeney peels at Aric’s layers and we see the moth become the butterfly. Dr. Morgan and he fall in love, and he realizes to go forward he must go back and fix on Arcanis what is broken. Miles Sheffield, who is his best friend, and ironically Elizabth’s brother, insists he come with Aric to face most possibly death as soon as they land. This book was outstanding and I did not think this series could get any better.
We begin Return on a spacecraft, as Miles and Aric travel back to Arcanis. It has been 15 years, and Aric has no way of knowing about the current status of things in his homeland. He can only tell Miles that the moment he arrives he will be arrested and detained, or possibly killed on sight. Miles' job is to find his sister Elizabeth, the Margravine, and his uncle Deroes, and speak on his behalf.
What Aric foresaw was true. Guards were waiting and took him to Tower to await his fate. The Elders were all ready for a hasty judgement and death sentence. Miles went to the castle and was shocked at the news he found, as so many things had changed in 15 years and all that Aric believed did not exist any longer. Elizabeth and his uncle were no longer alive, and his niece, young Pallas was in charge, with the Elders as Guardians. She was a puppet, and they were the puppet masters. But Pallas remembered her Uncle, whom she loved dearly as a child, almost to the point of obsession.
Ms. Sweeney has written scenes in this story that were outstanding. Aric in the Tower at the mercy of the Elders and the Guards was spellbinding. I cried at his treatment, his strength and the thought that he was doing this for his love for Susan, so he could be a whole man again. I wrote here today that I did not think anything could be better than Exile? Well color me red faced... Return was amazing!!!
Aric is a man we disliked a bit at the beginning of this journey, pretentious, spoiled and arrogant. But it was always for his beloved Archanis. This is a man who would give up for himself every thing he loves, for the sake of his country. He did, in Exile, giving up his lover, his life and his country, not to harm the way of life for the people in Archanis with treachery in their government.
He finally drew solace with the good Doctor on Terra, and found he needed to clear his name and become whole before he could go forward. Now back on Archanis, the path is not what he and the reader expected, and my heart hurts for him.
We have another book coming in the series, and now Ms. Sweeney has me sitting with baited breath to see this story's conclusion, and with a little fear that something else could go terribly wrong. If you haven’t looked into this series you do yourself an injustice.
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Sr Member and Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
June 24, 2012
Return, book three of The kan Ingan Archives, begins with Aric and Miles on their way to Arcanis, where Aric is sure to face arrest for treason, but he is determined to clear his name so he can marry the woman he loves, Susan. Miles cannot understand Aric’s need to clear himself, but being the loyal friend he is, he will stand beside Aric no matter what.
Upon landing in Arcanis, Aric is indeed arrested by none other than his long time friend Eby. While Aric is being taken away, he tells Miles to get in touch with his uncle, the Margaravine and plead his case.
Unbeknownst to both Aric and Miles, both his uncle and his wife – Miles sister – are dead, and their daughter, Pallas, is now the ruler of Arcanis. The only way for Aric to gain his freedom and have revenge over TAS for his exile, is to marry his cousin Pallas and forget his beloved Susan.
Can Aric put behind the love of his life in order to serve his homeland and lead his people? Aric and Pallas must make life changing decisions, and decide if loyalty to Arcanis and its people is more important than their own personal happiness. Miles will also be pushed to either stand by his friend and niece in their decision or move on with his life.
Ms. Sweeney continues to weave her spell on the reader with the third installment of what can’t be called anything else but an epic journey. She started the journey with background in the first book, gave us a look into Aric’s mind and heart in the second book, and takes our heart into her hands and is none to gentle with it in this offering. Her writing is so masterful that the reader can’t help but get involved in the characters; it takes no imagination to picture the settings, since she paints them so vividly. One feels like they are there.
I’m not ashamed to say, I started crying from almost the first ten minutes into the book, and there were moments that I had to put the book down, I was so overwhelmed.
I read a lot of books with a lot of varied and different characters, and Aric is quickly becoming one my favorites. He went from someone that I really didn’t care that much for in the first book, to someone I’ve not only fallen in love with, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for as well. The man would do anything for his home land; give up his life, his love, his personal freedom, whatever it takes. I’m pretty sure he is going to break my heart beyond repair before this series is over, but it’s too late for me to protect it now, he has a very firm hold on it.
Pallas was a child when last we saw her; she has grown into a beautiful, smart and confident young woman. She has allowed the council to make her decisions for her, but she knows in Aric she has an ally that will make her and their homeland what they should be. It doesn’t hurt that she has loved Aric her entire life, so helping him is not even anything she has to think twice about. She is the total opposite from her mother, yes she can manipulate people and circumstances to get what she wants, but she doesn’t do it for her own purposes. She knows Aric is not in love with her but she also knows that together they are unstoppable so she is willing sacrifice her own heart.
Miles flitted in and out of the story, he stood by Aric when needed, but also started to discover the pleasures that life can hold for him. His loyalty is unquestionable and you can’t help but like the man. He gave the reader a break from some of the more intense feelings that Aric and Pallas were stirring up and I thank him for that.
I don’t like science fiction, I don’t like fantasy, this series has sprinklings of both and I love it, I don’t know how Ms. Sweeney managed to pull that off but I’m glad she did. Readers should be cautioned there are a couple of scenes that are intense and this is not a book for the faint of heart but boy, the rewards far outweigh the uncomfortable moments. There is also the dreaded cliffhanger in the end but we do get some closure so I’m willing to live with it. Please hurry with the next offering Ms. Sweeney, I’m on pins and needles.
Reviewed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team
Upon landing in Arcanis, Aric is indeed arrested by none other than his long time friend Eby. While Aric is being taken away, he tells Miles to get in touch with his uncle, the Margaravine and plead his case.
Unbeknownst to both Aric and Miles, both his uncle and his wife – Miles sister – are dead, and their daughter, Pallas, is now the ruler of Arcanis. The only way for Aric to gain his freedom and have revenge over TAS for his exile, is to marry his cousin Pallas and forget his beloved Susan.
Can Aric put behind the love of his life in order to serve his homeland and lead his people? Aric and Pallas must make life changing decisions, and decide if loyalty to Arcanis and its people is more important than their own personal happiness. Miles will also be pushed to either stand by his friend and niece in their decision or move on with his life.
Ms. Sweeney continues to weave her spell on the reader with the third installment of what can’t be called anything else but an epic journey. She started the journey with background in the first book, gave us a look into Aric’s mind and heart in the second book, and takes our heart into her hands and is none to gentle with it in this offering. Her writing is so masterful that the reader can’t help but get involved in the characters; it takes no imagination to picture the settings, since she paints them so vividly. One feels like they are there.
I’m not ashamed to say, I started crying from almost the first ten minutes into the book, and there were moments that I had to put the book down, I was so overwhelmed.
I read a lot of books with a lot of varied and different characters, and Aric is quickly becoming one my favorites. He went from someone that I really didn’t care that much for in the first book, to someone I’ve not only fallen in love with, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for as well. The man would do anything for his home land; give up his life, his love, his personal freedom, whatever it takes. I’m pretty sure he is going to break my heart beyond repair before this series is over, but it’s too late for me to protect it now, he has a very firm hold on it.
Pallas was a child when last we saw her; she has grown into a beautiful, smart and confident young woman. She has allowed the council to make her decisions for her, but she knows in Aric she has an ally that will make her and their homeland what they should be. It doesn’t hurt that she has loved Aric her entire life, so helping him is not even anything she has to think twice about. She is the total opposite from her mother, yes she can manipulate people and circumstances to get what she wants, but she doesn’t do it for her own purposes. She knows Aric is not in love with her but she also knows that together they are unstoppable so she is willing sacrifice her own heart.
Miles flitted in and out of the story, he stood by Aric when needed, but also started to discover the pleasures that life can hold for him. His loyalty is unquestionable and you can’t help but like the man. He gave the reader a break from some of the more intense feelings that Aric and Pallas were stirring up and I thank him for that.
I don’t like science fiction, I don’t like fantasy, this series has sprinklings of both and I love it, I don’t know how Ms. Sweeney managed to pull that off but I’m glad she did. Readers should be cautioned there are a couple of scenes that are intense and this is not a book for the faint of heart but boy, the rewards far outweigh the uncomfortable moments. There is also the dreaded cliffhanger in the end but we do get some closure so I’m willing to live with it. Please hurry with the next offering Ms. Sweeney, I’m on pins and needles.
Reviewed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team
November 27, 2012
Aric has returned home after sixteen years as a exile. After five years of being with the woman he loves Susan he risks death to get his sentence repealed. The only way he will marry Susan is if he is once again a citizen and can ensure that his wife and their children would be safe from prosecution.
With Miles by his side he is immediately captured and put into the Tower to await his death, only if Miles can get Deroes to see him is there any chance for his survival. Unfortunately, Aric has no idea that his uncle and Elizabeth are both dead and now it is Pallas who is the Margravine. Pallas is determined to save Aric but a new Margrave cannot overturn a previous sentence, she has to come up with something before he dies.
Pallas finds a loophole and gets Aric free but not until he has suffered greatly at the hands of the guards. Near death once again he survives to have everything he lost reinstated. What he did not count on was Pallas' confession that she loves him and wants him to be her husband. Will he accept? Is he willing to leave Susan behind to do what is right for his people?
All his old enemies are still alive and whatever he decides his life will be in danger. His loyalty is something he cannot turn away from no matter the cost to him. He has changed from the spoiled, pompous person he once was.
With each book I read I find it hard to believe that I love them more and more, if you are a fan of Ms. Sweeney you might have read this book already if not don't hesitate to do so. If you have not read any of her books start with Sinner and keep going you won't be sorry.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews