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Celta's Heartmates #9
Heart Journey
View our feature on Robin Owens's Heart Journey. New in the award-winning series of futuristic romance, fantasy, and sensual adventure.
Helena, a renowned cartographer, is exploring Celta when she finds out she has a HeartMate. Yearning for a partner, she is drawn to meet him.
Actor Raz Cherry is dedicated to his career. Uninterested in long-term commitments, he ignores an oracle that foretells of his HeartMate.
Though passion ignites, their lifestyles clash. Only when mysterious thefts threaten their families can they overcome the obstacles on their journey to love.
Helena, a renowned cartographer, is exploring Celta when she finds out she has a HeartMate. Yearning for a partner, she is drawn to meet him.
Actor Raz Cherry is dedicated to his career. Uninterested in long-term commitments, he ignores an oracle that foretells of his HeartMate.
Though passion ignites, their lifestyles clash. Only when mysterious thefts threaten their families can they overcome the obstacles on their journey to love.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2010
27 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 10, 2010
Worst in the series.
Terrible cover art. Really horrendous. I know that's not the author's fault, so the book doesn't loose points for it - but I hope the publisher knows who to blame for decreased sales of this one (hint, look in the mirror).
I struggled to finish Heart Journey. The hero was an awful spoiled little brat, who ended the story as a spoiled brat. Really, how did his character develop? He still ended up getting everything his way, maybe not 100% like he had envisioned, just 90%.
The heroine wasn't so bad, but not terribly likable or interesting.
The "mystery" surrounding the missing diaries and the "villian". In a word WEAK.
Now the content of the diaries themselves, oh those were fantastic! Owens, I'm begging you, run with that idea. The book was an absolute slog and snore until the reading of the diaries.
And then, we're done with the reading of the diaries. Slog, slog, slog, Snore...
What else? Heavy handed foreshadowing. Listen, I'm not a writer, I'm not even a particularly insightful reader. When I say heavy foreshadowing it means it had Betelgeuse standing next to it yelling "Hey!" with a blinking neon sign reading "Foreshadowing Here".
Fams; yawn. Owens, you made me want to smack a kitten. Smack a kitten! Annoying character in the extreme.
Finally I'm going to bitch about what I hated the most. "Sending feelings of *insert emotion here* through the bond." Gah, retch, vomit. You know who does this? Christine Feehan. That's not a compliment. It's lazy. I understand the Heartbond & Heartmates. Hell, I've liked earlier books in this series. What is driving me crazy here is the lazy writing. Instead of characters actually dealing with relationship issues and dealing with them in a human fashion, the Heartbond is serving as a deus ex machina. And that is bad writing.
Yes, I do expect the characters to deal with their relationship in human fashion. Psychic powers do not make them inhuman. For the character to be relatable they still must think and act in human fashion.
All of this adds up to 1 star. If not for the fantastic world building of Celta from the previous books, and the far too brief flashes of wonderful that Owens is very capable of, this book would have been a DNF.
I suggest skipping this installment of Celta and it is my hope that Owens gets her mojo back for the next.
Terrible cover art. Really horrendous. I know that's not the author's fault, so the book doesn't loose points for it - but I hope the publisher knows who to blame for decreased sales of this one (hint, look in the mirror).
I struggled to finish Heart Journey. The hero was an awful spoiled little brat, who ended the story as a spoiled brat. Really, how did his character develop? He still ended up getting everything his way, maybe not 100% like he had envisioned, just 90%.
The heroine wasn't so bad, but not terribly likable or interesting.
The "mystery" surrounding the missing diaries and the "villian". In a word WEAK.
Now the content of the diaries themselves, oh those were fantastic! Owens, I'm begging you, run with that idea. The book was an absolute slog and snore until the reading of the diaries.
And then, we're done with the reading of the diaries. Slog, slog, slog, Snore...
What else? Heavy handed foreshadowing. Listen, I'm not a writer, I'm not even a particularly insightful reader. When I say heavy foreshadowing it means it had Betelgeuse standing next to it yelling "Hey!" with a blinking neon sign reading "Foreshadowing Here".
Fams; yawn. Owens, you made me want to smack a kitten. Smack a kitten! Annoying character in the extreme.
Finally I'm going to bitch about what I hated the most. "Sending feelings of *insert emotion here* through the bond." Gah, retch, vomit. You know who does this? Christine Feehan. That's not a compliment. It's lazy. I understand the Heartbond & Heartmates. Hell, I've liked earlier books in this series. What is driving me crazy here is the lazy writing. Instead of characters actually dealing with relationship issues and dealing with them in a human fashion, the Heartbond is serving as a deus ex machina. And that is bad writing.
Yes, I do expect the characters to deal with their relationship in human fashion. Psychic powers do not make them inhuman. For the character to be relatable they still must think and act in human fashion.
All of this adds up to 1 star. If not for the fantastic world building of Celta from the previous books, and the far too brief flashes of wonderful that Owens is very capable of, this book would have been a DNF.
I suggest skipping this installment of Celta and it is my hope that Owens gets her mojo back for the next.
August 20, 2010
By far my least favorite of the series so far. The hero was pretty feminine. All my hero's don't have to be alpha male warriors but this guy was much too metrosexual for my tastes. Her character was much more interesting. I like tough women. She was a traveller and quite competent on her own and didn't really need him at all except for the heartmate thing. So he was basically a wimpy jerk and didn't redeem himself until the very end and then just barely. They should have communicated more honestly with each other and tried to resolve their differences before they got hurt but he basically had his head in the sand and his fingers in his ears singing nah nah nah I can't hear you the whole time. Although cudos to the author for giving the characters actual conflict to overcome. I just would have liked to see them work on it together. I am with him here, she is steam rollering him a bit.
This series is also falling prey to the exponentially growing powers thing that happens in many series. Every book is full of more magic and more powers. She justifies this by saying that flair (magic) ability is growing in the people of Celta. Really? That much? They've been there 400 years and suddenly the power is growing so fast just in the last 6 or so years since the series started? Not really buying it. Seems too much 'deus ex machina' for me. These people have got a power/spell for every little thing, and more each book. He can levitate. Just a throw away power. Never been mentioned, that I can remember, in the series before. Why can't everyone levitate? Maybe in the next book they will. There are no magic rules. That just irks me.
So other that than I HATE the Fam (animal familiar) thing. Some people hate cutesy kids in a story, well I despise talking animals. I particularly despise conceited cats who are meant to be funny. Not. Funny. At. All. Not Cute. Not interesting. I'm not sure I can read more of this series for that reason. If talking cats are your thing maybe you'll love it.
I'm giving it 3 stars for actual competent writing, a strong female lead and lingering fondness for the series.
This series is also falling prey to the exponentially growing powers thing that happens in many series. Every book is full of more magic and more powers. She justifies this by saying that flair (magic) ability is growing in the people of Celta. Really? That much? They've been there 400 years and suddenly the power is growing so fast just in the last 6 or so years since the series started? Not really buying it. Seems too much 'deus ex machina' for me. These people have got a power/spell for every little thing, and more each book. He can levitate. Just a throw away power. Never been mentioned, that I can remember, in the series before. Why can't everyone levitate? Maybe in the next book they will. There are no magic rules. That just irks me.
So other that than I HATE the Fam (animal familiar) thing. Some people hate cutesy kids in a story, well I despise talking animals. I particularly despise conceited cats who are meant to be funny. Not. Funny. At. All. Not Cute. Not interesting. I'm not sure I can read more of this series for that reason. If talking cats are your thing maybe you'll love it.
I'm giving it 3 stars for actual competent writing, a strong female lead and lingering fondness for the series.
July 24, 2010
Heart Journey by Robin D. Owens
Paranormal Romance- Aug. 3, 2010
4 ½ stars
Fantasy and engaging romance combine in the 9th installment of the heartwarming Heart Books of Celta series. This was an engrossing read and I felt the strong heroine and the sly Fam (animal familiars that talk telepathically to them) really stole the show!
I love the world the author has created on Celta! Where the citizens have special powers according to their family. (It is a world I would love to live in!) And if they are lucky they will find a Heart Mate. The one person destined to complete them. In this story we have to seemingly opposite characters who find love.
Helena D’Elecampane loves living on the road. Being in the populated city drains her and when she must return to deliver her renowned and well-coveted maps she decides she will search for her Heart Mate there, too. Soon Helena discovers her Heart Mate is the handsome and younger actor Raz Perry. Helena quickly sees that Raz is more concerned with appearances and revels in the city life. She realizes that although he is her Heart Mate their opposite views on life may not lead to a happily ever after. So she decides to become a patron of the theatre and meet him. To discover if they could match. Soon both are caught a whirl wind attraction. Helena tries to find a way to compromise but she feels the confines of the city suffocating her. Can their blooming love survive? In addition, Helena must deal with the responsibility of taking care of her House. Since a tragic fire killed all but one young relative. Trying to balance her responsibilities and her yearnings makes for a heavy burden.
This book seemed to center more on the heroine. What I liked best about this story is how self sufficient Helena is and how comfortable with herself she is. Although she loves Raz and wants to be with him she also recognizes that his acting is important to him. And while she is willing to compromises she is still sure of her own individuality. Even though I really wanted her to be happy with Raz I knew she could survive if they couldn’t make it work. (Sometimes the story where the woman has to have the man to complete her gets a little tiring even if it is a romance.)
This was a gentle book that slow unfurls making you love the characters. Robin Owen’s books remind of Mercedes Lackey novels except they have a lot more romance and therefore a more developed and meaningful relationship between the 2 main characters.
This was a highly enjoyable romance. And a very moving read. These characters felt very real and I wondered if love would be enough to keep them together. How could the 2 solve their difference when both had such different needs?
I take great pleasure in revisiting Robin Owen's series. I always enjoy learning the new Fam that each of the characters have. (They are playful and fun and I would love to have one of my own!) Charming and magical, this is a series that is sure to enchant readers!
Reviewed by Steph from Bookaholics Romance Book Club
Paranormal Romance- Aug. 3, 2010
4 ½ stars
Fantasy and engaging romance combine in the 9th installment of the heartwarming Heart Books of Celta series. This was an engrossing read and I felt the strong heroine and the sly Fam (animal familiars that talk telepathically to them) really stole the show!
I love the world the author has created on Celta! Where the citizens have special powers according to their family. (It is a world I would love to live in!) And if they are lucky they will find a Heart Mate. The one person destined to complete them. In this story we have to seemingly opposite characters who find love.
Helena D’Elecampane loves living on the road. Being in the populated city drains her and when she must return to deliver her renowned and well-coveted maps she decides she will search for her Heart Mate there, too. Soon Helena discovers her Heart Mate is the handsome and younger actor Raz Perry. Helena quickly sees that Raz is more concerned with appearances and revels in the city life. She realizes that although he is her Heart Mate their opposite views on life may not lead to a happily ever after. So she decides to become a patron of the theatre and meet him. To discover if they could match. Soon both are caught a whirl wind attraction. Helena tries to find a way to compromise but she feels the confines of the city suffocating her. Can their blooming love survive? In addition, Helena must deal with the responsibility of taking care of her House. Since a tragic fire killed all but one young relative. Trying to balance her responsibilities and her yearnings makes for a heavy burden.
This book seemed to center more on the heroine. What I liked best about this story is how self sufficient Helena is and how comfortable with herself she is. Although she loves Raz and wants to be with him she also recognizes that his acting is important to him. And while she is willing to compromises she is still sure of her own individuality. Even though I really wanted her to be happy with Raz I knew she could survive if they couldn’t make it work. (Sometimes the story where the woman has to have the man to complete her gets a little tiring even if it is a romance.)
This was a gentle book that slow unfurls making you love the characters. Robin Owen’s books remind of Mercedes Lackey novels except they have a lot more romance and therefore a more developed and meaningful relationship between the 2 main characters.
This was a highly enjoyable romance. And a very moving read. These characters felt very real and I wondered if love would be enough to keep them together. How could the 2 solve their difference when both had such different needs?
I take great pleasure in revisiting Robin Owen's series. I always enjoy learning the new Fam that each of the characters have. (They are playful and fun and I would love to have one of my own!) Charming and magical, this is a series that is sure to enchant readers!
Reviewed by Steph from Bookaholics Romance Book Club
January 6, 2013
I started it yesterday, needing a change of pace from my current “real” read, which is Valentine Pontifex by Robert Silverberg. I’m really enjoying it, but I wasn’t feeling ready to read the next bit of political shenanigans so I took a break to read something totally different.
I really enjoyed the book; I liked the hero and loved the heroine. She was strong and well-developed and totally straight-talking. So there were no big misunderstandings because she set off to have them talked through immediately. It did blow up in her face once, as she pushed him before he was ready, but all it all it made for a very refreshing book. I found it exactly that and it was what I needed.
And extra points to Robin for tossing in as a note in passing “the male HeartBonded couple”. Yay, there are same sex HeartBonds as well. That makes me incredibly happy.
I’ve just read the prologue of the January Book Group read for The Readers (I’m running behind as the podcast whet up today) which is Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (no, I can’t pronounce it) and translated by Bernard Scudder. I don’t know if I’ll like it yet or not, but I’m going to give it a try.
Right now, I really just want to rush into the next Celta book, but I was so taken by the characters of this one that I don’t want to start something with different characters in it and maybe not like them because I’m comparing them to Del and Raz, rather than giving them the chance to be themselves. But I do hope to be on to the next Celta book by next month, as I’m a few years behind and I’d love to catch up. Interesting things are happening beyond the love stories and I really like that kind of thing.
I really enjoyed the book; I liked the hero and loved the heroine. She was strong and well-developed and totally straight-talking. So there were no big misunderstandings because she set off to have them talked through immediately. It did blow up in her face once, as she pushed him before he was ready, but all it all it made for a very refreshing book. I found it exactly that and it was what I needed.
And extra points to Robin for tossing in as a note in passing “the male HeartBonded couple”. Yay, there are same sex HeartBonds as well. That makes me incredibly happy.
I’ve just read the prologue of the January Book Group read for The Readers (I’m running behind as the podcast whet up today) which is Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (no, I can’t pronounce it) and translated by Bernard Scudder. I don’t know if I’ll like it yet or not, but I’m going to give it a try.
Right now, I really just want to rush into the next Celta book, but I was so taken by the characters of this one that I don’t want to start something with different characters in it and maybe not like them because I’m comparing them to Del and Raz, rather than giving them the chance to be themselves. But I do hope to be on to the next Celta book by next month, as I’m a few years behind and I’d love to catch up. Interesting things are happening beyond the love stories and I really like that kind of thing.
December 20, 2011
I spent the entirety of this book visualizing Topper Harley sitting in front of a dressing table, wearing a transparent, frilly white robe, and flipping his goldilocks (or is that Shirley Temple) curls with a silver backed hair brush. Now, the H didn't actually DO that but sheesh. My daughter, when I told her the H's name, started doing the :cough:care bears:cough: every time she saw me reading it. It makes it HARD to look past the silliness to the actual book when the author does things like this (his name is Raz Cherry, if you wondered).
So we have an older woman who knows she has a heart mate and goes out to find him. Since she's a cartographer who roams the planet, this means hunting him down and bagging him. Of course, she does recognize that he isn't a varmint so must be wooed. He of course, is an actor (with that name? Of course. On earth, we'd expect him to be a female stripper), and has no intention of leaving the city or acknowledging his heart mate. The inevitable confrontation 3 chapters from the end where they go their separate ways, then the idiot who initiated the separation realizes that while you can split from a casual relationship with no side effects, a mate is a lot different and being without the person for v. long upsets your zen. Yawn. And of course, the reunion almost always involves some third party who is after one of them for their skills/inheritance/grillz (ok, I'm being silly), causing a big showdown where the person charges in to save the day.
So we have an older woman who knows she has a heart mate and goes out to find him. Since she's a cartographer who roams the planet, this means hunting him down and bagging him. Of course, she does recognize that he isn't a varmint so must be wooed. He of course, is an actor (with that name? Of course. On earth, we'd expect him to be a female stripper), and has no intention of leaving the city or acknowledging his heart mate. The inevitable confrontation 3 chapters from the end where they go their separate ways, then the idiot who initiated the separation realizes that while you can split from a casual relationship with no side effects, a mate is a lot different and being without the person for v. long upsets your zen. Yawn. And of course, the reunion almost always involves some third party who is after one of them for their skills/inheritance/grillz (ok, I'm being silly), causing a big showdown where the person charges in to save the day.
October 17, 2010
This was an ok read. I really like the Celta series by Owen but this one was just kind of blah. Her last one was also. I like the animals in this one the fox and kitten. I just didn't like Raz Cherry the leading man in this book. He was to selfish. It was all about him. What he wanted, he didn't really care that he hurt her over and over. Even saying this I will still read the next book because I love the world she has built up for her novels. I never see editing mistakes or continuity issues with a Robin D. Owens book and I appreciate that with all the truly horrible editing in books out this year. I think this shows appreciation for her fans. This is so not a good cover for this book. Go back to the old design.
October 25, 2016
I pretty much like everything Robin Owens writes. This is one of her "heart" series books, set on the planet of Celta. The heroine is a mapmaker who can't stand living in cities, but she's also the last of her line. She wants to settle down, start a family, then go back on the road again. The hero is an actor dedicated to his craft, who is just getting his career untracked. He needs people who will come to his plays, but since Celta is a colony planet, without many large cities, it's not a place where you can really take a play "on the road." He's not really ready to settle down yet. Owens handles it in her usual lovely fashion. It's a good read. I liked it.
August 26, 2013
Del and Raz, as all of the main Hero and Heroine combos of the Celta books are both strong characters with their own past baggage. We get to see some of our old favorites, follow along as a mystery is set out and solved, and differences emerge and overcome in this far off love story. The Heart Mate series is truly a wonderful one, and one I relish returning to.
March 7, 2018
This story deals with the romance between a women who is established in her career that is not at all compatible with her heartmates'. Her famfox's story seems a little incomplete. Perhaps, there will be more in a later novel.
December 25, 2012
I wanted to like this but halfway through I realised that in this world all the people of colour never made it on to the space ships....How'd I miss that through 10 books?
December 22, 2014
For a world that will win you over, make you want to more, make Earth seem like the slums, you MUST READ this series.
Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Scyfy, Magic
Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Scyfy, Magic
January 6, 2020
This was probably my least favourite of the Celta series so far, primarily because I felt like the characters had revered roles, and also because they were both very selfish people. Del (our heroine) just went ahead and did things the way she thought would make them work out best-without bothering to even talk to the Hero Raz, while Raz acted like a teenager. I got frustrated with the characters in the first half of the book and had to take a break from them before finishing the book. The second half of the book reads a lot faster than the first, and although the characters are still annoying, the story evolving within the book is absorbing.
That being said, it’s not a terrible book, just not as good as the other ones in the series, though worth reading for the set-up for the next part of the series.
That being said, it’s not a terrible book, just not as good as the other ones in the series, though worth reading for the set-up for the next part of the series.
December 2, 2020
I enjoyed this story. I liked that the heroine was older. but the. she ended up acting like a child, didn't like that so much. what I really didn't care for was the way things were handled with the child. It seemed to me like the child was stolen by the Blackthorn's, not the other way around. It was a d#*k move to say you are helping a friend then decide you don't want to return her. The whole crew now have a black mark against them in my opinion because regardless of the intention, the way it was handled was wrong.
I'm finding each of these books has some aspect that I just can't agree with with for some reason and it's tainting the series for me.
But I'm a glutton for punishment, so I keep going.
I'm finding each of these books has some aspect that I just can't agree with with for some reason and it's tainting the series for me.
But I'm a glutton for punishment, so I keep going.
May 12, 2023
Honestly, at first I didn't really like the story. It felt a little draggy and there was a lot of just random stuff. However, I kept reading, and since I have enjoyed the previous stories, I hoped that it would get better. It didn't just get better, it got good. I rather enjoyed the strong female of this story and how she's the one trying to "lock" the heartmate bond in. All the other novels have the females as clueless about their heartmates and the guys are usually the older one, so, they know who's their heartmates. This was a complete flip, which completely worked for me. Reminded me of the first two novels. So, all in all, I can say, I really enjoyed it.
October 4, 2022
2022 bk 303. Perhaps my 2nd favorite. This is the tale of an 'older' woman in her 30's with a heartmate in his 20's. He is a city boy - an actor climbing in his career. She is an established cartographer - highly recognized and rewarded for the maps she has created of Celta - and definitely one for the wilderness. When deaths in her family draw her back to Druida and new responsibilities, she decides it is time to seek her heartmate, take more responsibility for the family home and her orphaned niece. Some decisions seem easier than others - but they are all hard to make. I enjoyed this story of new characters to the series and the different story they told that is not of the FirstFamilies.
April 14, 2024
Again, I have just finished rereading this book. I’m onto Hart search next if you haven’t read it and you like something it’s a little bit otherworldly with a little bit of a twist of paranormal. This is worth a book picking a series up and reading it like I said this is the second time I’m reading the series and I’m reading them in like two days three days tops, so if you’re interested in something like this, pick it up and read it
October 16, 2020
Celta's Heartmates #9
Another great addition to this highly addictive series. I still love the world building and am annoyed by the continuous gender switching mistakes that the narrator makes. Enjoy!
Read:
October 14-15, 2020 – Audible Plus
Another great addition to this highly addictive series. I still love the world building and am annoyed by the continuous gender switching mistakes that the narrator makes. Enjoy!
Read:
October 14-15, 2020 – Audible Plus
January 31, 2018
I loved it! Review to follow shortly.
January 18, 2019
Should be read concurrently with Script of the Heart, as events overlap between the two stories.
June 2, 2019
Wow I really loved this episode SO much. It was amazing. At first I was reluctant to start it, until I read in someone's review that the Ship was in it. So worth the read
November 21, 2020
Lol I cried yet again lol emotional rollercoaster books man lol
February 25, 2021
Amazing!! I will never tire of these characters and world. Each book is different than the last.
Read
September 7, 20218/4/2010 Reread 12/29/18 ; 4/25/2021
February 20, 2013
Helena D’Elecampane is a cartographer, exploring the most remote places on Celta and making three dimensional maps of it. She feels constricted in a city, could never live there. Del likes being alone on the trail with her FamFox Shunuk. She is on her way home to Druida to claim her HeartMate when she gets the news her whole family has died in a fire, except the youngest baby. Her erstwhile lover and his wife Straif T’Blackthorn have taken her in and want to adopt her. But little Helendula is her Heir, the only family she has left, and she can’t just do that. She has to make reservations, decisions, settle her affairs. She inherited great wealth from her family, so money is not a problem. She also makes a lot of gilt on the maps she provides to the Council. But can she take a baby with her on the trail?
Del has given little thought to her HeartMate. They are HeartMates, they should be compatible.
But her HeartMate is Raz Cherry, a famous young actor. 8 years younger than Del. He loves living in the city, loves the applause, loves acting, interacting with other actors and people. So even now they have met, and are attracted to each other, like and admire each other, how will they ever be able to live together as HeartMates? Del gets sick in the city, she misses the fresh air, the unobstructed horizon, she longs for the new discoveries on a wilderness trail. And Raz he is a pure through and through city boy.
Lately, Raz and his family have a lot of bad things happening. Raz’s apartment is burgled and trashed, even the theater and not only his own dressing room. His parents own a big “shipyard” for gliders and airships, and the oldest part of it burns down. Which is a huge loss, as all their maps were stored there, including the latest they just bought from Del. Their second home in Gael City is ransacked and vandalized as well, and Raz will have to go there to sort things out. His parents can’t leave at the moment, and his sister has loved it there too much, she can’t face the destruction. So he leaves the play to his understudy, and asks Del to come with him. And that after he turned her down that morning when she suggested it …
Del is a proud woman, and she won’t force Raz into loving her, or acknowledging the bond between them. But she will not grovel, or go after him. If he withdraws from her, she will wait a while, and leave. The decisions she has to make are very difficult, but she is willing to make a lot of compromises just to be with her HeartMate, and have a Family of her own. But Raz is not ready, he wants his career, and is not interested in a HeartMate of a Family right now.
But when she leaves him, he knows what loneliness is, and deeply regrets his answer when she offered the HeartMateBond to him. Can he repair it in time, and can he find her again?
Another great story in this lovely series. Again entirely different from the rest, although ofcourse it is set in the same world and city, and with the same secondary characters. But not with the greatest Lords and Ladies of Delta as the main characters. Del is a GrandLady, but a lower one, and Raz is an actor. His sister is CherryHeir, not him.
I loved Del. She is very direct and down to earth, doesn’t play games, and is very honest. She expects the same from Raz which is not always easy for an actor. The FamFox really stole part of the show though. He is a great character, and Foxes are so much easier to live with than the extremely arrogant and selfish FamCats. The kitten Raz gets is really the worst in that regard.
Del is very giving towards Raz, and not only in monetary things. She is open, and patient, and will wait till he makes up his mind. And Raz is willingly blind. He doesn’t want to acknowledge their bond. He has always wanted to be a great actor, even when it got him on bad footing with his parents. And now he is almost there, he needs to stay in Druida, and focus on his career. He is good at what he does, and cannot imagine living on the trail, being a travelling storyteller or something like that. He did not study 10 years for that!
Of course, Del knows that, and she is very busy making plans for their future. But Raz won’t give her a chance, and she just goes.
The mystery plot is minor, and not very difficult to figure out. I did love the ending though, so very much. I did wonder if the HeartMateBond could be ignored after refusing it. And now I know.
10 stars.
Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
Del has given little thought to her HeartMate. They are HeartMates, they should be compatible.
But her HeartMate is Raz Cherry, a famous young actor. 8 years younger than Del. He loves living in the city, loves the applause, loves acting, interacting with other actors and people. So even now they have met, and are attracted to each other, like and admire each other, how will they ever be able to live together as HeartMates? Del gets sick in the city, she misses the fresh air, the unobstructed horizon, she longs for the new discoveries on a wilderness trail. And Raz he is a pure through and through city boy.
Lately, Raz and his family have a lot of bad things happening. Raz’s apartment is burgled and trashed, even the theater and not only his own dressing room. His parents own a big “shipyard” for gliders and airships, and the oldest part of it burns down. Which is a huge loss, as all their maps were stored there, including the latest they just bought from Del. Their second home in Gael City is ransacked and vandalized as well, and Raz will have to go there to sort things out. His parents can’t leave at the moment, and his sister has loved it there too much, she can’t face the destruction. So he leaves the play to his understudy, and asks Del to come with him. And that after he turned her down that morning when she suggested it …
Del is a proud woman, and she won’t force Raz into loving her, or acknowledging the bond between them. But she will not grovel, or go after him. If he withdraws from her, she will wait a while, and leave. The decisions she has to make are very difficult, but she is willing to make a lot of compromises just to be with her HeartMate, and have a Family of her own. But Raz is not ready, he wants his career, and is not interested in a HeartMate of a Family right now.
But when she leaves him, he knows what loneliness is, and deeply regrets his answer when she offered the HeartMateBond to him. Can he repair it in time, and can he find her again?
Another great story in this lovely series. Again entirely different from the rest, although ofcourse it is set in the same world and city, and with the same secondary characters. But not with the greatest Lords and Ladies of Delta as the main characters. Del is a GrandLady, but a lower one, and Raz is an actor. His sister is CherryHeir, not him.
I loved Del. She is very direct and down to earth, doesn’t play games, and is very honest. She expects the same from Raz which is not always easy for an actor. The FamFox really stole part of the show though. He is a great character, and Foxes are so much easier to live with than the extremely arrogant and selfish FamCats. The kitten Raz gets is really the worst in that regard.
Del is very giving towards Raz, and not only in monetary things. She is open, and patient, and will wait till he makes up his mind. And Raz is willingly blind. He doesn’t want to acknowledge their bond. He has always wanted to be a great actor, even when it got him on bad footing with his parents. And now he is almost there, he needs to stay in Druida, and focus on his career. He is good at what he does, and cannot imagine living on the trail, being a travelling storyteller or something like that. He did not study 10 years for that!
Of course, Del knows that, and she is very busy making plans for their future. But Raz won’t give her a chance, and she just goes.
The mystery plot is minor, and not very difficult to figure out. I did love the ending though, so very much. I did wonder if the HeartMateBond could be ignored after refusing it. And now I know.
10 stars.
© 2013 Reviews by Aurian
Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
January 10, 2018
I found this book in the series tedious. There were many missed opportunities to expand upon the world she has created, especially the end. : (
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August 25, 2016Robin d Owens has said she may only write one more of her Celta books and then cease writing then altogether--supposedly because of a change in publishers. When I heard that I felt like weeping for days. Yes, for days I felt abject sorrow like I'd lost a family member.
Well I just did lose a family member--my father died in August after a brief interlude of congestive heart failure, medical mistake, and coma. I am not terribly distraught about it because despite the fact that he was my father he had a really excellent, long life, full of joy, success, love and pleasure and to weep at the fact is to deny what an enviable existence and peaceful passing he had.
After reading this book, I'm no longer sad that the author has decided to put her fictional world on hiatus because if this book is any indication of where she's at as a writer then she's TIRED, and she does need a break to start enjoying writing again. Certainly there was absolutely no joy reading this terrible slog. Her poorly drawn characters seemed to go through motions--getting into "gliders" (cars) and getting out of them over and over and over, pawing each other, grappling and struggling with their conflicting needs in a way that felt like the writer was phoning in, and consequentially there was nothing joyful or pleasurable or satisfying for this reader.
Raz wants to be a great actor, Del wants to be an explorer out of the city. Despite the fact these humans live 180+ years, despite the fact there was plenty of money, and family support and social support, neither of them were capable of thinking beyond their basic body needs in the immediate future. In fact their conflict was something else that was phoned in.
This author does something that draws me back to her books over and over--she writes at least one scene in which there is exponential character growth, usually in a Joycian stream of consciousness somewhere near the end of the book. Typically it happens during "passage", a satisfying authorial conceit that almost never fails to make me weep with happiness and admiration. This type of scene did occur in this book, but it was short and unsatisfying for some reason and I'd been so annoyed by the rest of the book that it didn't manage to draw me in the way they usually do.
This is not the final book in the series. It's number 9, and there was another one that was equally painful: Heart Fortune, #12--a book so dull and poorly put together I thought I would never finish it. How could that fantastic brain conceive of such dribble? There seemed no other explanation that that she hated her own creations.
It's possible this wonderful woman with her cunning, stunning, creative brain is forced to write at an uncomfortably fast pace, which may explain her occasional wall banger. But because when she's good she's unbelievably good I'm all for her taking a nice long break and coming back to Celta when she's ready to love it again.
Well I just did lose a family member--my father died in August after a brief interlude of congestive heart failure, medical mistake, and coma. I am not terribly distraught about it because despite the fact that he was my father he had a really excellent, long life, full of joy, success, love and pleasure and to weep at the fact is to deny what an enviable existence and peaceful passing he had.
After reading this book, I'm no longer sad that the author has decided to put her fictional world on hiatus because if this book is any indication of where she's at as a writer then she's TIRED, and she does need a break to start enjoying writing again. Certainly there was absolutely no joy reading this terrible slog. Her poorly drawn characters seemed to go through motions--getting into "gliders" (cars) and getting out of them over and over and over, pawing each other, grappling and struggling with their conflicting needs in a way that felt like the writer was phoning in, and consequentially there was nothing joyful or pleasurable or satisfying for this reader.
Raz wants to be a great actor, Del wants to be an explorer out of the city. Despite the fact these humans live 180+ years, despite the fact there was plenty of money, and family support and social support, neither of them were capable of thinking beyond their basic body needs in the immediate future. In fact their conflict was something else that was phoned in.
This author does something that draws me back to her books over and over--she writes at least one scene in which there is exponential character growth, usually in a Joycian stream of consciousness somewhere near the end of the book. Typically it happens during "passage", a satisfying authorial conceit that almost never fails to make me weep with happiness and admiration. This type of scene did occur in this book, but it was short and unsatisfying for some reason and I'd been so annoyed by the rest of the book that it didn't manage to draw me in the way they usually do.
This is not the final book in the series. It's number 9, and there was another one that was equally painful: Heart Fortune, #12--a book so dull and poorly put together I thought I would never finish it. How could that fantastic brain conceive of such dribble? There seemed no other explanation that that she hated her own creations.
It's possible this wonderful woman with her cunning, stunning, creative brain is forced to write at an uncomfortably fast pace, which may explain her occasional wall banger. But because when she's good she's unbelievably good I'm all for her taking a nice long break and coming back to Celta when she's ready to love it again.
March 12, 2015
Was looking forward to this one, as the gendered set-up is opposite many of the previous books in the Celta series. Our heroine, Helena (Del) D'Elecampane, is the head of her house, and her profession (cartographer) leads her all around the world. Our hero, Raz Cherry, is the son of a GrandLord, but not his heir; instead, he's an actor. Del is 36, while Raz is 28. And it's Del who knows that they are Heartmates, while Raz is left in the dark, needing to be wooed.
Del, an introvert, hates city life and expects to just arrive in Druida, claim her Heartmate, and integrate him into her wandering life. Raz, an extrovert, not only loves city life, but is committed to his career. He has no interest in taking on a Heartmate at this point in his life, and refuses to see the bond Del is offering, despite his attraction to her. Del, it seems, has her work cut out for her.
As an introvert, Del appeared to my introverted self. But other than her introversion, she doesn't seem to have much character. At one point Raz notes that she's the most undemanding woman with whom he's ever been involved. She shows little of the resourcefulness one would expect from a woman who spent most of her adult life traveling alone in unfamiliar lands. There's also an underlying anxiety in the text about her appearing to be, or actually becoming, a dried-up old spinster, "fossilized and a caricature of a frontier woman" (319), an anxiety that the plot assuages by having Del give up her wandering ways and by . Yes, Raz has to compromise a bit, too, but he still gets to practice his profession; we're left not quite sure what Del will do with her time. It's been interesting to me to watch Owens' attempts over this series to become a bit more progressive, gender-wise, but to see how many of her underlying ideological assumptions often get in the way.
On the last page, Owens makes a glancing reference to a male Heartmated couple; am wondering if she'll ever write a homosexual heartmate story...
Del, an introvert, hates city life and expects to just arrive in Druida, claim her Heartmate, and integrate him into her wandering life. Raz, an extrovert, not only loves city life, but is committed to his career. He has no interest in taking on a Heartmate at this point in his life, and refuses to see the bond Del is offering, despite his attraction to her. Del, it seems, has her work cut out for her.
As an introvert, Del appeared to my introverted self. But other than her introversion, she doesn't seem to have much character. At one point Raz notes that she's the most undemanding woman with whom he's ever been involved. She shows little of the resourcefulness one would expect from a woman who spent most of her adult life traveling alone in unfamiliar lands. There's also an underlying anxiety in the text about her appearing to be, or actually becoming, a dried-up old spinster, "fossilized and a caricature of a frontier woman" (319), an anxiety that the plot assuages by having Del give up her wandering ways and by . Yes, Raz has to compromise a bit, too, but he still gets to practice his profession; we're left not quite sure what Del will do with her time. It's been interesting to me to watch Owens' attempts over this series to become a bit more progressive, gender-wise, but to see how many of her underlying ideological assumptions often get in the way.
On the last page, Owens makes a glancing reference to a male Heartmated couple; am wondering if she'll ever write a homosexual heartmate story...
February 21, 2017
2.5 stars. My least favourite in the series so far. It dragged on and on. The heroine basically spent the whole book pursuing (stealthily) her heart mate hero who doesn't want to be her heart mate. I can understand the hero's concerns and his reasoning, but I wasn't a big fan of his character. I didn't find them to be a great couple. Probably should have skipped this book in the series.
August 11, 2010
First off, the cover had nothing to do with the book whatsoever ^^.
Secondly I really like that Robin Owens concentrates on two heroines in her most recent two Celta books, who are established in their life and secure in their work - if not emotionally secure as that is what the story is about.
The Celta stories always revolve around not just finding love but also making it into a partnership and a family (again the last two books emphasized family even more than the previous ones). I think this is the first time we have an older heroine and a younger hero (age gap of 8 years) and it works beautifully. I love the fact she didn't have to make the heroine into a sheltered virgin or into a female version of a rake either.
The new twist this time is that both main characters are very happy with their daily life and work, fulfilled even, but that their professional fulfilment is in areas that don't really intersect, in fact are truly opposed to each other (so far the heroes and heroines have always been able to integrate themselves into a family fairly easy, once they had admitted they were heartmates). Robin Owens shows that they can appreciate each other and share interests outside of work, but the central conflict this time really hinges on two very different life plans and the compromises that have to be made if these two people want to build a family.
And I think she brings it off beautifully.
Secondly I really like that Robin Owens concentrates on two heroines in her most recent two Celta books, who are established in their life and secure in their work - if not emotionally secure as that is what the story is about.
The Celta stories always revolve around not just finding love but also making it into a partnership and a family (again the last two books emphasized family even more than the previous ones). I think this is the first time we have an older heroine and a younger hero (age gap of 8 years) and it works beautifully. I love the fact she didn't have to make the heroine into a sheltered virgin or into a female version of a rake either.
The new twist this time is that both main characters are very happy with their daily life and work, fulfilled even, but that their professional fulfilment is in areas that don't really intersect, in fact are truly opposed to each other (so far the heroes and heroines have always been able to integrate themselves into a family fairly easy, once they had admitted they were heartmates). Robin Owens shows that they can appreciate each other and share interests outside of work, but the central conflict this time really hinges on two very different life plans and the compromises that have to be made if these two people want to build a family.
And I think she brings it off beautifully.
July 27, 2014
I actually give this book more like 4.5 stars - it wasn't quite a 5 star book.
This series is one of my all-time favorites! It takes place on Celta, a world settled hundred of years ago by a generational ship from Earth. The settlers had various psychic powers that bred true and now a certain amount of psychic power (or Flair as it's called in this series) is inherent in almost the entire Celtan population. There's a rich cultural background to the series which makes these books a joy to read and the romance isn't to shabby either.
This particular book is about Raz Cherry, an actor we met in a previous book. Raz discovers he has a Heartmate, but he's not quite ready to settle down - he's just starting to break into big roles in the theater and enjoys his currently philandering ways too much to stick with one woman.
Del is a cartographer and lives a life full of wanderlust, roaming the Celtan wilderness, but she's come back to the city to claim her Heartmate and sweep him off to the wilderness with her.
I usually give these books 5 stars, but this was my least favorite so far. I loved how much this couple had to overcome to be together, but in the end it just wrapped up too easily. Still, the world of Celta is a rich and fabulously written place. I love the Fams and I thought the Flair of the characters, especially their creative Flair, was well developed. I very much look forward to book #10. I can't get enough of Celta!
This series is one of my all-time favorites! It takes place on Celta, a world settled hundred of years ago by a generational ship from Earth. The settlers had various psychic powers that bred true and now a certain amount of psychic power (or Flair as it's called in this series) is inherent in almost the entire Celtan population. There's a rich cultural background to the series which makes these books a joy to read and the romance isn't to shabby either.
This particular book is about Raz Cherry, an actor we met in a previous book. Raz discovers he has a Heartmate, but he's not quite ready to settle down - he's just starting to break into big roles in the theater and enjoys his currently philandering ways too much to stick with one woman.
Del is a cartographer and lives a life full of wanderlust, roaming the Celtan wilderness, but she's come back to the city to claim her Heartmate and sweep him off to the wilderness with her.
I usually give these books 5 stars, but this was my least favorite so far. I loved how much this couple had to overcome to be together, but in the end it just wrapped up too easily. Still, the world of Celta is a rich and fabulously written place. I love the Fams and I thought the Flair of the characters, especially their creative Flair, was well developed. I very much look forward to book #10. I can't get enough of Celta!
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