Birthright

Beacon #1

by Valerie Parv

A threat beyond anything humanity has ever faced is racing toward our solar system. Will those who can stop it learn to work together before it’s too late?

Adam Desai is a self-made man. From humble and mysterious origins he has built a career as the director of a prestigious space center. He is also a man who knows right from wrong, and something about the impending launch of the shuttle Arrafin seems very wrong.

Deputy Governor Shana Akers is used to handling high-stakes situations. But can she believe Adam’s suspicions? The launch is worth millions to the local area, and she knows she’s not always the most level-headed when it comes to Adam.

On the day of the launch, Adam is confronted by a pair of mysterious visitors, and suddenly everything he has ever believed about himself must change. Faced with a danger that threatens the entire planet, Adam and Shana must find the strength to trust not only each other, but the visitors, whose unusual abilities defy explanation.

Only united do they stand a chance of averting disaster, and their choices will set them on a path to reclaiming humanity’s birthright.

This thrilling story of aliens living among us is perfect for fans of A.G. Riddle, Rysa Walker and Linnea Sinclair.

Genres: Science Fiction

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2012

About the author

Valerie Christine Parv was a popular Australian writer of over 70 romance novels, with more than 34 million sales. She published her novels in Mills & Boon's since 1982.

Reviews

[Desere · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a romantic suspense like no other I have read before. The character of Adam, who by the way was found floating in the sea as a baby( I kid you not),was rather remarkable considering that he has not had a too easy life and has no idea where he actually came from,but he has made himself into the kind of man anyone looks up to as did I as reader.

But then the author brought into play Shana and some top VIP's with fascinating news and the game plan changed and the book got really interesting.

Think top secret space shuttle missions, truth of unknown origins being revealed, trust being build and a race to save humanity.

Yes the book had it all. The author did brilliant characterization for all main characters and secondary ones. The author weaved a story from another world that took me as reader to the other side so to speak.

I loved how passionate and emotionally personal the author made the book, to the point that I was thinking "Is the author in the room with me?" as I can swear I can her her typing away at the this one!

The plot was at first a bit hard to get use to but I got use to it once I could pick up that the author has a few tricks up her sleeves and there is a whole lot more behind this than at first glance.

Even if your not into space,romance or suspense for that matter this is the book that will take you to a new high.

I was however expecting a bit of a different outcome but even with the one I received I was blown away,as I said the author has some interesting tricks up her sleeve and that is what will leave you with a memorable read.

Very well written and one for the keepers shelf.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

So there I was, about the embark on the assignment of reading a science fiction novel for perhaps the first time in my adult life and I'm thinking "Valerie Parv?" Oh, yes! Successful Australian author of romances for Silhouette and Harlequin, not to mention a particularly fine writIng craft book! A combination of sci fi and romance, as I live and breathe. I wondered about the future implications for readers. Is Harlequin about to embark on an as yet classified but admittedly thrilling mission? Are they boldly going to go where no romance publishing company has gone before and give us a new category in romance, sci fi, at two titles a month? Or maybe four? What will it be? Passion among the planets? Get amorous among the asteroids? Sex in a spaceship?

Perish the thought, earthlings, it was nothing like that. I thought I was going to get a romance novel with a backdrop of Star Trek. What I got was a serious piece of contemporary literature. Contemporary as in written today but futuristic in the sense that it's science fiction. Serious but readable. Scientific but accessible, even if you are almost innocent of all things scientific as I am. A story of one man's search for his true self. And does he find himself? Yes he does. And when he finds his true self, he finds his mission. Adam Desai (I initially thought he'd be of Indian origin, the real Desais are from Gujarat, not Carramer) is not your regular alpha hero, ready to sweep you off your feet and give you great orgasms! But he's an enigmatic individual who will intrigue you and have you rooting for him. Yes, Adam's love story takes place in the course of the story too, but it's as enigmatic and beautiful as he is. There's Shana, a talented administrator, the acting governor of Carramer, an indigenous woman in a formerly colonial nation, proud of her origins, beautiful and Adam's soul mate. There's his working colleague and ex-lover, who walked away from their relationship with great sadness when she realized that Adam was never going to buy into the dream of a semi-detached home with a white picket fence and 2.2 children. Yet she still loves him and is ready to support him professionally. I loved the fact that he loved her, even if he wasn't 'in love' with her. I also loved the fact that bitterness was absent on the ex lover's side.

There's a host of intriguing and unforgettable characters in this sci fi thriller. Burton Hackett, the villain is an evil yet strangely fascinating character. There are the half aliens, Garrett and Elaine, who always knew they were different but who have been supporting each other all through, having all the human characteristics but with highly deveoped psychic abilities. What this duo need is to convince Adam to come to terms with the fact that he is not of unknown parentage but of alien origin and to combine forces with them on a mission to save their adopted planet from certain disaster. I was holding my breath until practically the final scene.

I am in awe of Valerie Parv's talent as an author, of her versatility and creativity. An author who has what it takes to satisfy a reader of category romance and at the same time who can come up with a novel as hard hitting as 'Birthright' is a formidable talent indeed. The author voice was so strong, it was neither male nor female. It was a human voice, a compassionate voice. It did not scream 'contemporary romance author'. It spoke with quiet reason of the dilemma which affects every human being sooner or later - who are we, where have we come from, where are we going.

Set in the fictional south Pacific nation of Carramer, a country created by the author as the setting for many of her novels, I found everything about this novel fascinating.

This is a novel which can please readers of a very different calibre than the ones who read category romance. Not that category romance readers aren't a discerning group. But they are readers of a particular sex and age group. 'Birthright' is a novel which can please a wider spectrum of readers than those for which Valerie Parv.has usually written. As it is an impacting science fiction thriller, I expect male readers would certainly enjoy reading this.

Anyway, after this, I'm converted to science fiction.

[TashNz · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you explain that a book "has it all"?

In this case I think Birthright has it all! Romance, action, suspense, sci-fi, mind-reading, drama, good vs bad, cars almost going off cliffs, happiness, sadness (the sadness you feel when you know the last page is coming and you don't want it to) back to happiness (knowing this is the first of three book series). My sensors were in overload, I loved it! I couldn't put Birthright down, I was almost cursing it was Christmas because I have so much to do when all I wanted to do was find a corner and keep reading. As I was reading Birthright it felt like I was there as a third party watching everything unfold. For me I think this is an incredible feat for a author.

I loved all of the characters, even the bad ones. They were all richly written. I was drawn to them all from the very beginning and it was not too long before I realised that all these people are special in an unusual way. Adam was likable from the start and as I was swiftly drawn into the vortex of the story I wanted to learn his story... his and everyone else's. I really liked how Adam was such an intelligent character. Shana is Adams match. From her first introduction in the story I knew she was someone special and to keep an eye out for her.

It's so hard to write my feelings on this story without giving anything away. I can not wait for the next two stories.

I recommend you give Birthright a try if you love this type of genre OR if you want to try something different from the mainstream, you will be richly rewarded. I feel I was :)

[Eleni Konstantine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

fascinating tale of intrigue with an astronaut with a grudge, hidden aliens, a man with no past, and a country joining the space race.

I enjoyed the concept of the Beacons and their explanation, and I loved the made up country that has a connection to the unknown and that has a colonial past.

All the characters were fascinating and I look forward to seeing how the series unfolds.

Disclaimer: While I know the author, this doesn't affect the star rating.

[Casia Pickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the blurb you would think this book was a Romance with Science Fiction elements. In truth, it's a Science Fiction with a small dash of Romance. Sex is mentioned, but only mentioned. It is Adam Desai's discovery of who he is that is the focus of the book.

What I like about this book is that Parv wrote in various character point of views, which brought in the idea that this wasn't your typical science fiction or romance. You get to see the motivations of the villains (yes, two main villains!) and when you would feel some pity for one, Parv quickly shows personality issues about him that makes you despise him.

The writing is easy to get into and I really would have been done in one day if it wasn't for being sick. The characters are well developed, both the main two and the other more minor characters (who I wouldn't say are minor). In the midst of the tension there are laughs. You will want to yell at the villain and wish there was a way that he was stopped after many scenes.

I was literally cheering on the characters and yelling at the main baddie. I'm serious, I was into it. I was so into it, I read 80% of it yesterday. Like I said before, if I wasn't sick, this book would have been a one day read. That's how much I enjoyed it. I wonder if more will be written with these set of characters and world. There is so much more that could happen, that I would love to see more.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely enjoyed this book, and the author did an excellent job of the characterization and the interactions between the characters. I loved the way that the story and the history was slowly revealed, so the reader didn’t know everything at once and there were a number of surprises and areas where it really wasn’t evident what was happening.

I thought the final chapters of the book were particularly well done, particularly as for a while it didn’t seem like there would be any way out of the situation that Adam and his friends found themselves in.

I really liked the book at the story it had to tell and I thought it ended well. I would love to read more about the characters and the worlds involved, particularly to find out more about the history that led the characters to this point. This is certainly one author that I will be keeping an eye on.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting too much from this book (especially when I found out the author normally wrote Harlequin style romances!!!!) but I really enjoyed it. Good mix of Science Fiction, with a dash of romance that doesn't monopolise the storyline. Look forward to reading the next one.

[Jemi Fraser]

I enjoyed this story! The plot line was really unique and creative - add in intriguing characters and you've got a great story :)

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me up way too late - loved the characters and how the story unfolded. Can't wait for a sequel to see what happens to them next.