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Crossover #1
Where the Red Moon Rises
The last thing Tara Allen remembers is a wall of water slamming into her research vessel, then icy darkness. She awakens on an unfamiliar shore in a world far away—in time and place—from her Long Beach, California home. But Tara is not alone in this strange new world, a primitive place where ancient cultures thrive and long extinct animals roam the land. And the golden-eyed man who rescues her has secrets of his own.
Aleyx Petrov lives in exile from his own people. He can help the beautiful stranger heal, teach her to survive in his world, but he doesn’t dare grow too close to her. Any link to him might taint her in the eyes of his people.
But Tara’s arrival hasn’t gone unnoticed. Others have crossed into Ixtlán before her. Others who are on the brink of war, willing to do whatever it takes to gain the knowledge that Tara doesn’t know she possesses. How can Aleyx protect Tara from this rival faction, when his own people reject him? Can the fragile new love Tara has found replace all that she’s lost, or is it doomed to come to a tragic end in this unearthly world where the red moon rises?
Aleyx Petrov lives in exile from his own people. He can help the beautiful stranger heal, teach her to survive in his world, but he doesn’t dare grow too close to her. Any link to him might taint her in the eyes of his people.
But Tara’s arrival hasn’t gone unnoticed. Others have crossed into Ixtlán before her. Others who are on the brink of war, willing to do whatever it takes to gain the knowledge that Tara doesn’t know she possesses. How can Aleyx protect Tara from this rival faction, when his own people reject him? Can the fragile new love Tara has found replace all that she’s lost, or is it doomed to come to a tragic end in this unearthly world where the red moon rises?
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
314 pages, ebook
First published November 20, 2020
16 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 4, 2020
Love this Lost World book! Such a unique world she has created here with a world that has no metal and I can NOT wait to see where it goes! If you love fantasy, sci fi, and sweetish romance you will definitely want to read this book.
March 23, 2020
Great read! Colleen Baxter is just beginning to publish books, but it’s obvious she was born a writer. I loved the intriguing evidence in her writing of her scientific background. Where the Red Moon Rises is engaging and pulls you right in to another world. You’ll miss the characters after reading the last page.
January 10, 2021
I thought I would kick back for an hour to read a bit from a book recommended to me by a friend. This gripped me and I didn’t set it back down until it was done. Kara’s story of getting stranded on an alien planet is a little bit science fiction, a little bit fantasy, a dash of romance, and an atmosphere that took me back to the days when I tackled every single volume of Jean M. Auel’s Earth Children series.
What I enjoyed:
1. The story. It grew deeper and stronger as one problem grew into another. There were layers of social, political, and environmental conflict that was woven together and well-paced. I was rooting for Kara and Aleyx from the start and I their strangers, to friends, to lovers’ story was satisfying.
2. The Characters
Kara I really appreciated how Kara went through a true morning period for what she lost and her situation. She reacted to her circumstances with intelligence and poise. I liked how she had grit to adapt and resolve to fight back when the opportunity presented itself.
Aleyx Clever, hardworking, and kind, I pretty much liked everything about Aleyx. My heart broke learning his backstory and seeing the months of distance he enforced to try and ensure Kara had a chance at a normal life in civilization.
3. The fantasy realm. It’s a truly different place with just enough for it to be relatable, but plenty of new to make it highly interesting. I thought the author did a phenomenal job layering in all the new as the story progressed, not too much at any one time, and inserting it in areas where the details didn’t stall the narrative. I loved the carnivorous rabbits, the insects that have vertebrae, and trying to imagine an enormous horse like creature with claws.
All the intimate scenes are YA, fade to black. I don’t feel any of the violent scenes were overdone or unnecessary to the narrative and these didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I will add the caution for those sensitive to violence against children/women that while the scene involving the child is not a graphic depiction, it does depict the aftermath of child rape. There are also two scenes where the heroine is violently assaulted/attempted rape.
Author Colleen Baxter is a new to me indie author and I was impressed to learn this is one of her first novels. I will definitely be adding more of her works to my to read list.
What I enjoyed:
1. The story. It grew deeper and stronger as one problem grew into another. There were layers of social, political, and environmental conflict that was woven together and well-paced. I was rooting for Kara and Aleyx from the start and I their strangers, to friends, to lovers’ story was satisfying.
2. The Characters
Kara I really appreciated how Kara went through a true morning period for what she lost and her situation. She reacted to her circumstances with intelligence and poise. I liked how she had grit to adapt and resolve to fight back when the opportunity presented itself.
Aleyx Clever, hardworking, and kind, I pretty much liked everything about Aleyx. My heart broke learning his backstory and seeing the months of distance he enforced to try and ensure Kara had a chance at a normal life in civilization.
3. The fantasy realm. It’s a truly different place with just enough for it to be relatable, but plenty of new to make it highly interesting. I thought the author did a phenomenal job layering in all the new as the story progressed, not too much at any one time, and inserting it in areas where the details didn’t stall the narrative. I loved the carnivorous rabbits, the insects that have vertebrae, and trying to imagine an enormous horse like creature with claws.
All the intimate scenes are YA, fade to black. I don’t feel any of the violent scenes were overdone or unnecessary to the narrative and these didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I will add the caution for those sensitive to violence against children/women that while the scene involving the child is not a graphic depiction, it does depict the aftermath of child rape. There are also two scenes where the heroine is violently assaulted/attempted rape.
Author Colleen Baxter is a new to me indie author and I was impressed to learn this is one of her first novels. I will definitely be adding more of her works to my to read list.
November 18, 2020
From the moment Tara awakens on the beach of a strange world, I was sucked in to this story. It's inventive and blurs the lines of sci-fi, romance, and fantasy, but manages to do so skillfully. I loved how the characters struggled to communicate, and yet how there was never any problem of connection. Highly enjoyable read.
April 7, 2020
I don't typically read books in this genre, but I enjoyed this a lot. I fell in love with Aleyx and Tara. The story is very well written with plenty of plot twists to make it hard to put down. Highly recommend.
January 13, 2021
Not great
This book is a mess. I feel like it really wanted to be epic but it just fell flat. Both the H/h were super annoying. If you’re going to have your characters struggle so much through the entire book (the H cries constantly) because they are being oppressed – you better have an amazing kick ass victorious end to the story. They basically just ignored all the crap that happened to them and moved on. There was no sense of justice. No point in reading this book. The romance was also super lame and for those that are interested there are no love scenes. Hard pass.
This book is a mess. I feel like it really wanted to be epic but it just fell flat. Both the H/h were super annoying. If you’re going to have your characters struggle so much through the entire book (the H cries constantly) because they are being oppressed – you better have an amazing kick ass victorious end to the story. They basically just ignored all the crap that happened to them and moved on. There was no sense of justice. No point in reading this book. The romance was also super lame and for those that are interested there are no love scenes. Hard pass.
November 21, 2020
If you enjoy sci/fi and fantasy you will love this book. It is intriguing, suspenseful, and even educational. The present is mysteriously woven into the past in a beautifully written story that will capture your attention from the very beginning and keep you turning the pages!
Merged review:
This prequel is such a wonderful gateway into the lost world this author will take you through. Colleen Baxter is a gifted writer and this series is a delight.
Debbie
Merged review:
This prequel is such a wonderful gateway into the lost world this author will take you through. Colleen Baxter is a gifted writer and this series is a delight.
Debbie
January 1, 2021
From the first chapter, I was pulled into Colleen's world. The detail her writing provides allows my imagination to wander through the landscape in the book, learning about and drawing closer to the characters as the chapters progress. I really enjoyed this, my first of Colleen's books - but certainly not the last!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews