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Jocale
Cora Horton was born to serve Eden. She’s one of hundreds of women created for just that purpose. And after four years of grueling training as one of the elite Jocale soldiers, she intends to serve Eden well when she joins the military of the parent community of Meridian. But a new assignment near the end of her training changes everything for Cora. She shifts from a warrior gifted with empathic abilities to the promised wife of a Meridian general overnight, robbing her of all she has worked for.
Silas Abernathy is the Commissioner of the Alliance Community of Spero, and the leader of the hunting party that rescues Cora after she makes a daring escape from Meridian. He is strong, commanding and committed to his responsibilities, which include raising his siblings after the deaths of his parents. But Silas can’t deny his attraction to Cora for long. She’s tough, independent and determined, all qualities that jointly frustrate and arouse him.
Jocale is a romance in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting that blends sword fighting, steamy lovemaking, the search for identity and the discovery of what’s really important. Cora plots to take the skills embedded in her as a soldier and turn them against those who made her. Both she and Silas learn that their clashes to prove themselves stronger than the other have all been in vain, because in the end, they’re strongest together.
Silas Abernathy is the Commissioner of the Alliance Community of Spero, and the leader of the hunting party that rescues Cora after she makes a daring escape from Meridian. He is strong, commanding and committed to his responsibilities, which include raising his siblings after the deaths of his parents. But Silas can’t deny his attraction to Cora for long. She’s tough, independent and determined, all qualities that jointly frustrate and arouse him.
Jocale is a romance in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting that blends sword fighting, steamy lovemaking, the search for identity and the discovery of what’s really important. Cora plots to take the skills embedded in her as a soldier and turn them against those who made her. Both she and Silas learn that their clashes to prove themselves stronger than the other have all been in vain, because in the end, they’re strongest together.
- GenresRomance
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2013
170 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Rothert
91 books2,273 followersBrenda Rothert is the author of more than thirty Contemporary Romance novels. You can learn more about her books at her website, www.brendarothert.com, which features teasers, excerpts and trailers for her books. Follow her here:
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2013
EXCELLENT DEBUT
Cora Horton was bred to serve Eden. As are thousands of girls, at fourteen the girls are assigned to one of three groups, those who will breed, some who will receive training in how to become wives or mistress's for the men of Meridian. Cora is chosen to become a soldier. After almost completing her four years of training in the elite Jocale unit, a squad of soldiers gifted with empathic abilities. Cora is removed and told to report to Sardonyx house, unhappy at this turn of events, but with no choice but to follow orders. Cora now finds herself on a crash course in becoming a wife. One of Meridian's generals has spotted Cora, and wants to marry her.
Upon arrival in Meridian Cora meets General McCord, they marry immediately. He hands her over to his manservant, to escort her to his home. But when they arrive a strange woman attacks the general's man, and helps Cora escape. Another girl called Sidley is to leave with Cora. After an arduous journey they eventually leave Meridian's borders. But are attacked by a group of men. Cora fights back but knows she cannot win against so many. But they are suddenly rescued by another group, injured Cora and Sidley are cared for by these other men. Their leader Silas Abernathy is the commissioner for Spero, which is part of the alliance. The alliance is made up of various communities. Who live side by side, working and trading with one another. A completely different life to the one Cora has known. As Cora Adjusts to her new life, she and Silas are attracted to one another. But Silas cannot make room for any attachment in his life he has too many responsibilities.
When the author asked me to review her book, I was delighted to find that this was such a well written and compelling story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Cora adjusted to her new life, one which was so different to the strict regime she had lived under for all of her eighteen years. The characters are very well developed, especially Cora who for me was the star attraction in this book. There's also plenty of action and drama, and the relationship between Cora and Silas was very well weaved into the story. Recommended.
Cora Horton was bred to serve Eden. As are thousands of girls, at fourteen the girls are assigned to one of three groups, those who will breed, some who will receive training in how to become wives or mistress's for the men of Meridian. Cora is chosen to become a soldier. After almost completing her four years of training in the elite Jocale unit, a squad of soldiers gifted with empathic abilities. Cora is removed and told to report to Sardonyx house, unhappy at this turn of events, but with no choice but to follow orders. Cora now finds herself on a crash course in becoming a wife. One of Meridian's generals has spotted Cora, and wants to marry her.
Upon arrival in Meridian Cora meets General McCord, they marry immediately. He hands her over to his manservant, to escort her to his home. But when they arrive a strange woman attacks the general's man, and helps Cora escape. Another girl called Sidley is to leave with Cora. After an arduous journey they eventually leave Meridian's borders. But are attacked by a group of men. Cora fights back but knows she cannot win against so many. But they are suddenly rescued by another group, injured Cora and Sidley are cared for by these other men. Their leader Silas Abernathy is the commissioner for Spero, which is part of the alliance. The alliance is made up of various communities. Who live side by side, working and trading with one another. A completely different life to the one Cora has known. As Cora Adjusts to her new life, she and Silas are attracted to one another. But Silas cannot make room for any attachment in his life he has too many responsibilities.
When the author asked me to review her book, I was delighted to find that this was such a well written and compelling story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Cora adjusted to her new life, one which was so different to the strict regime she had lived under for all of her eighteen years. The characters are very well developed, especially Cora who for me was the star attraction in this book. There's also plenty of action and drama, and the relationship between Cora and Silas was very well weaved into the story. Recommended.
September 7, 2015
If you missed out the first time, it's been rereleased. Check it out!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BVCZYJS/r...
This started off slow, but the pace picked up and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I liked both the main characters. Cora was a strong female heroine, even though she was unsure of herself at times. It made her more relatable. She and Silas had good chemistry and I felt a connection with the characters. I feel there is more to the story though, so I hope the author is planning a sequel.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BVCZYJS/r...
This started off slow, but the pace picked up and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I liked both the main characters. Cora was a strong female heroine, even though she was unsure of herself at times. It made her more relatable. She and Silas had good chemistry and I felt a connection with the characters. I feel there is more to the story though, so I hope the author is planning a sequel.
October 28, 2013
A really interesting read. Its a real mix up of modern/ futuristic/ western/romance...I don't know how you could categorize it! I loved the interplay between characters, the atmosphere and surroundings, everything. A really cool read, such a unique and different set on a romance. Loved it! x
March 28, 2013
I'm not going to review this since it's my book, but I read the thing more than 20 times so I wanted it on my "read" list. Would love for readers to give it a try!
January 29, 2014
I gave this book a 2 star rating and that was a bit of a stretch for me. As I have said before in other book reviews I've done, I'm a pretty simple reader. I just want to be entertained. This book however made me dissect the story a little more than I thought I would. It began interestingly enough by meeting the heroine and we learn the world has changed after some horrific event, what we do not know yet. We do learn that our hero is a soldier in training, evidently a skilled one, and she is ready to take on her new role and protect her home against any threat. We also learn that only females are in the training facility where she currently resides and has been that way since she can remember. The boys were separated long ago leaving the reader to wonder what happened. This is where I found my first issue....it’s never explained where the boys went. Ever. Perhaps it will all be explained in the next books but for now, we are in the dark. Of all the girls in the facility, ranging in age from 5-18 are divided from a young age into three groups; girls who will have kids and do homemaker type work; solders; and girls who will basically be sex objects. Wives, girlfriends or otherwise. At the very end of training, Cora, our hero, has learned that she will not continue on to be a soldier, she will be a "Goldie" or the sex object of who turns out to be some fat, balding General. Despite her anger, she takes this change in stride believing it’s for the good of the nation..hint she's been mildly brainwashed. However after a very short marriage ceremony only minutes after meeting General Fatso, she is rescued and given the opportunity to escape with another women whose father is a high ranking gov't official and she doesn’t not want to be forced into a life she believes awaits here. Here is my second issue, why the rescue? Why is Sid, Senators (?) daughter wanting to escape? We get no details about any of it. Let alone the femme fatale who rescues Cora.
Sid and Cora make their way out of the city and eventually cross the border into the other territory described in the book called the Alliance. After being attacked by a group of men then rescued by another, Cora and Sid are taken to one of the Alliance communities. It’s here when we finally get a better picture of the world they live in. Here was my third issue, to this point, there has been no world building what-so-ever. This was strange for me because normally world building isn’t something that I clue into however now it was evident. Why was the world divided? What happened? What was the extent of the change? Anyway, after the ladies escape and rescue they are taken to a community of "survivors". The description of the people living there hardly makes it sound like they are struggling to get by. What came to my mind was little house on the prairie. Here was my next problem. The city Sid and Cora escaped from was described and modern and technologically advanced. The city they were in now left me with images of women churning their own butter. What?!? From one aspect this could be interesting. After whatever event led to this separation, one group chose to embrace technology while one chose to shun it. Cool, Amish folk. It was still hard to deal with such a stark difference in living style though. Myself personally, tend fields for 13 hrs a day or have my food replicated my energy….no brainer, space food it is. But I digress. At this point we get a little bit of history about the world. Apparently there was a huge war that knocked out much of the population. What was left divided into Meridian, where Cora and Sid came from with technology and bizarre ways to classify its citizen...namely the women and the Alliance which is organized into multiple communities each choosing to embrace technology or not. Meriden and the Alliance have a treaty that basically boils down to this; leave us alone, we leave you alone. Only now there is a variable, Cora and Sid. If they return they will be killed. If there are found, they will be killed and war could break out because of the Alliance has assisted them and is now harboring them. There are more issues I had with this book but they are easily summarized by saying the phrase "loose ends". There were several areas where something was referenced but never explained. It just left me frustrated and the story wasn’t strong enough to compel me to continue the series. The last area I took issue with is the love story. Please understand that I like a minor romance plot, however I emphasize the more MINOR, as in small; tiny; wee; and not the main story line. It seemed at times this was the story line and it got old. Overall the book had a lot of promise but suffered from poor planning and poor execution. For me the best way to end this is let the reader beware.
Sid and Cora make their way out of the city and eventually cross the border into the other territory described in the book called the Alliance. After being attacked by a group of men then rescued by another, Cora and Sid are taken to one of the Alliance communities. It’s here when we finally get a better picture of the world they live in. Here was my third issue, to this point, there has been no world building what-so-ever. This was strange for me because normally world building isn’t something that I clue into however now it was evident. Why was the world divided? What happened? What was the extent of the change? Anyway, after the ladies escape and rescue they are taken to a community of "survivors". The description of the people living there hardly makes it sound like they are struggling to get by. What came to my mind was little house on the prairie. Here was my next problem. The city Sid and Cora escaped from was described and modern and technologically advanced. The city they were in now left me with images of women churning their own butter. What?!? From one aspect this could be interesting. After whatever event led to this separation, one group chose to embrace technology while one chose to shun it. Cool, Amish folk. It was still hard to deal with such a stark difference in living style though. Myself personally, tend fields for 13 hrs a day or have my food replicated my energy….no brainer, space food it is. But I digress. At this point we get a little bit of history about the world. Apparently there was a huge war that knocked out much of the population. What was left divided into Meridian, where Cora and Sid came from with technology and bizarre ways to classify its citizen...namely the women and the Alliance which is organized into multiple communities each choosing to embrace technology or not. Meriden and the Alliance have a treaty that basically boils down to this; leave us alone, we leave you alone. Only now there is a variable, Cora and Sid. If they return they will be killed. If there are found, they will be killed and war could break out because of the Alliance has assisted them and is now harboring them. There are more issues I had with this book but they are easily summarized by saying the phrase "loose ends". There were several areas where something was referenced but never explained. It just left me frustrated and the story wasn’t strong enough to compel me to continue the series. The last area I took issue with is the love story. Please understand that I like a minor romance plot, however I emphasize the more MINOR, as in small; tiny; wee; and not the main story line. It seemed at times this was the story line and it got old. Overall the book had a lot of promise but suffered from poor planning and poor execution. For me the best way to end this is let the reader beware.
May 20, 2013
There's something here. That indefinable nugget of something that separates the good from the forgettable. Unfortunately much of the story was bogged down by shaky world building, too much telling, and generalizations, but before we get into that I'll start with the good.
The premise. Totally adored it! It had all the elements of a story I love. Girl trained to kick-ass and take names, escape from a society bent on oppressing its people, and the promise of an epic battle.
The dialogue, characterization, and overall writing style had a lot of strong, bright moments. So much so, that it's hard to separate it as good or bad, because it was intertwined. It's weird. I didn't exactly love the book, but I couldn't put it down or hate it. There were definitely moments where I got sick of it, and I'd put it down, but it kept nagging at me, and I'd always go back to it. That rarely happens with books I'm on the fence about so that right there tells me this author has something good.
I guess what made it not so great was some of the world building. It just didn't make sense to me. I got that there was an alliance, but was it an alliance of states or countries? And how is it that Spero is such an equal partner in the alliance when they're so willingly far behind in terms of development?
I felt like some of the relationships and emotions in the book were a case or telling rather than showing. And things seemed to come really easy to Cora. The identity of her parents, finding a place to live and making a living after escaping Meridian, even her wanting to go back and free the women in Eden is made easy for her.
The one final thing I didn't quite like was Cora being The Exception. Like all women wanted was to get married, have babies, keep house, etc. but not Cora, nooo she's different. I'm not trying to belittle her, but that I'm-so-different-and-beautiful trope is getting old and made the book seem a bit superficial.
Overall I think with more plot and character development the second book could be amazing. The first one, however, was just ok. ARC received in exchange for honest review.
Check out more of my reviews at pagetrotter.blogspot.com!
The premise. Totally adored it! It had all the elements of a story I love. Girl trained to kick-ass and take names, escape from a society bent on oppressing its people, and the promise of an epic battle.
The dialogue, characterization, and overall writing style had a lot of strong, bright moments. So much so, that it's hard to separate it as good or bad, because it was intertwined. It's weird. I didn't exactly love the book, but I couldn't put it down or hate it. There were definitely moments where I got sick of it, and I'd put it down, but it kept nagging at me, and I'd always go back to it. That rarely happens with books I'm on the fence about so that right there tells me this author has something good.
I guess what made it not so great was some of the world building. It just didn't make sense to me. I got that there was an alliance, but was it an alliance of states or countries? And how is it that Spero is such an equal partner in the alliance when they're so willingly far behind in terms of development?
I felt like some of the relationships and emotions in the book were a case or telling rather than showing. And things seemed to come really easy to Cora. The identity of her parents, finding a place to live and making a living after escaping Meridian, even her wanting to go back and free the women in Eden is made easy for her.
The one final thing I didn't quite like was Cora being The Exception. Like all women wanted was to get married, have babies, keep house, etc. but not Cora, nooo she's different. I'm not trying to belittle her, but that I'm-so-different-and-beautiful trope is getting old and made the book seem a bit superficial.
Overall I think with more plot and character development the second book could be amazing. The first one, however, was just ok. ARC received in exchange for honest review.
Check out more of my reviews at pagetrotter.blogspot.com!
March 21, 2013
I loved this book! What more can you ask for....adventure...romance....dystopian future. This book was a definite page turner and is a steal on Amazon. I have a huge appreciation for the world this author created. Extremely fascinating. I look forward to reading more work by this author.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews