Heart Mate

Celta's Heartmates #1

by Robin D. Owens

All his life, Rand T’Ash has looked forward to meeting his HeartMate, with whom he could begin a family. Once a street tough, now a respected nobleman and artisan, he has crafted the perfect HeartGift, which, in the custom of the psychically gifted population of the planet Celta, is the way a man finds—and attracts—his wife…Danith Mallow is irresistibly drawn to the magnificent necklace on display in T’Ash’s shop, but she is wary of its creator, despite an overpowering attraction. In a world where everyone is defined by their psychic ability, Danith has little, placing her at the opposite end of the social spectrum from T’Ash. But T’Ash refuses to accept her rejection and sees it as a challenge instead. They are HeartMates, but can T’Ash persuade his beloved to accept her destiny by his side?

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Magic, Fantasy Romance

391 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure why I read this rather unpolished love story. Maybe because it's so very unpolished and set God knows in which galaxy.

- Stupid premise, though people tend to be rather stupid in general. Especially in the matters of heart. Sorry, fellow humans, but you tent to get deluded and even a bit deranged.

+ The dynamics added extra dimension.

+ The overly courteous (and frankly dated! and a tad Wiccan...) language added charm:
Q:
"You will leave when I request it?""Of course. I am an honorable GreatLord." (c)
Q:
"Merry meet."
"And merry part."
"And merry meet again. Blessed be." (c)

+ Angst - they had plenty of it to go around. Anyway, it's a good thingy that I do love angst in my stories of romance placed in weird societies.

+ Divination - they used a sort of Tarot cards:
Q:
She drew two.
The Lord of Blasers.
The Lovers. (c)

+ They even had FAM (as in familiar) cats (ones admittedly cleverer than their humans) and a bunch of psychic powers and weird-ass jewellery (specially made, blah-blah!):
Q:
"Pansy, who would prefer to be called Princess, I presume." (c)
Q:
Your turmoil woke Me. Zanth lashed his tail, then sauntered around the shop. …
Zanth jumped up to the counter and settled his large self squarely in front of T'Ash. You disturbed. Not tend Me. Stroke Me. NOW! …
Life is good. We have dry, clean, soft sleep place. Plenty food. We hunt when We please. (c)

The world-building - WOW! - extremely cozy and engaging. And even all the 'tightening of loins' and the seemingly excessive brooding couldn't spoil it for me properly. After all, every hero needs to get some brooding done, to set the mood, at least.
Brooding mix:
Q:
#1 The man was too dark. Too solid. Too brooding. ....
#2 T'Ash grazed one of the GreatLady's hands with fingertips, then reverted to brooding. ...
#3 The night wore on and T'Ash worked and brooded....
#4 T'Ash brooded at the Testing tools on his desk. …
#5 T'Ash had an introverted personality, tending toward brooding darkness. …
… he brooded on the future…
#6 He gave her a dark, brooding gaze. …
#7 He could not grab. He would have to coax. He brooded. …
#8 He brooded too much. She'd help him with that, too. …
#9 The offer pulled him from his brooding …
#10 He stared at her, memorizing her appearance, knowing his black brooding made her withdraw from him. …
#11 She hadn't summoned enough courage to tell the brooding man that she loved him. …
#12 Without him in her life, she would never be faced with the dark brooding that battered the emotions. … (c) This guy literally made sure to brood at every possible and impossible junction. One could tell that he definitely was very serious about 3 things, one of which his work and another one - his recurrent brooding.

Loinmix:
Q:
His heartbeat quickened, as did his loins. …
He opened the lid, and liquid desire surged through her, settling in her loins. ... … he felt … his loins tighten…
(c)
Q:
After leaving the shop, T'Ash went home, changed into a loincloth, and worked at his forge on his estate. ... he stripped off his loin-cloth ... (c) Of course, loincloths were an important dress choice in here.


Just what I needed for a leisurely re-read. Something about it was truly mesmerising...

Q:
Today you will meet your HeartMate.
Excitement surged, and an overwhelming tide of triumph. (c)
Q:
She would always be loved.
She would never be alone again.
She would always love him.
He would never suffer a solitary life without her. (c)
Q:
T'Ash gave her flowers.
T'Ash gave her jewels.
T'Ash gave her a wonderful future.
T'Ash gave her passion.
But he gave nothing of himsel. (c)
Q:
That was the crux, of course. She had struggled to make her life as full as it was, yet her efforts were far short of what she had hoped. (c)
Q:
Time to finally bury stupid, futile imaginings and face life as it was. (c)
Q:
As he heated the steel, he looked at the flames enveloping the first welds of the laminated nickel-steel blade. He'd had to learn to overcome his fear of fire. (c)
Q:
He walked from the ResidenceDen to the master bathroom, summoning the D'Rose courtship book on the way. He glanced at it as he adjusted the waterfall temperature in his shower room. As he suspected, the book had both holo and sound capabilities.
"Read to me at highest volume," he instructed as he stepped into the cleansing downpour. A new strategy to be forged. Time to do it right. (c)

[CS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

I don't read much pure romance, but if reading the blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books tells me everything, this is the purest example of romance you can get:

+ Alpha male
+ Delicate female
+ Big Misunderstandings
+ People Unable to Just Talk to Each Other
+ A Plot that Goes Nowhere
+ Unsexy Sexy times in the last 25%
+ Instalove (or something damn near like it)

Let this tide you over while I write up my full thoughts.

Full Review:

Rand T'Ash is the final member of GrandHouse Ash; he was the sole survivor of a fire, forced to survive the slums called "Downwind". A powerful Flair (think "magic") user, he is now on a quest for his HeartMate. The unfortunate thing? His HeartMate is Danith Mallow, a common woman who already has a gallant (think "boyfriend"). She doesn't want a fancy life; she just wants a family, to belong, to be loved and not abandoned or abused anymore. Can the two ever get past their barriers and become HeartMates?

I really feel the need to start out this review with a few caveats:

+ I don't read much romance.
+ I have little patience for idiotic characters.
+ I have little patience for pushy characters.
+ I read books for enjoyment. I don't open up a book to hate it. I don't open up a book to insult either the author or the people who like the book.

This book was this month's buddy read. It's a stretch beyond the usual science fiction and fantasy reads I typically do, but I like romantic stories. "The Mad Scientist's Daughter" is one of my favorite reads, and you could easily sell that as a romance story (because, duh, it is). But there are a lot of tropes and cliches in the genre (well, in MANY genres) that just on principle I ABSOLUTELY HATE. I hate d-bag alpha male Tarzan types who shove their women aside to protect them and take ownership of their love interest. I hate the heroine who has magical powers she doesn't know, learns them within two days (when everyone else takes a lot more time to come into their powers), is the most beautiful woman in existence, and has some "feminine" power like healing or being a mother. I hate love stories which force the couple too hard and then suddenly, overnight as if someone flipped a switch, the two are madly in love and can't stop clawing clothes off each other.

"Heart Mate", TO ME, was that kind of book. Rand and Danith are that annoying Romantic Couple. He pushes his way into Danith's life, ruining it in the process, never asking or letting her make choices - and Danith has no choice but to let it happen, since he won't take no for an answer. She gets mad (point to her), but Rand never listens, instead forcing himself in her life against her will (consent? What's that?!). Any other characters are flat, 2-D people put in solely so that Rand and Danith can whinge about their problems.

The entire plot is just a series of weird, disjointed events meant to inject drama and try to convince the reader A) these two belong together, B) delay the eventual sex scenes, and C) get this book to its requisite 300+ pages. When you finally reach The Sex Scene, suddenly, the couple goes from barely tolerating each other to full-fledged lovers, aching to be held by the other constantly, swelling manhoods and damp panties galore. Two days after that, the hero convinces himself that she doesn't love him for realsies, so he leaves. A week later - almost more time than Rand and Danith have even known of each other - and two pages later, everything is hunky dory. Leaving the reader wondering what the entire point of that delay was.

Well, that's not entirely fair. Because, you see, I can't really HATE this book because there were aspects I liked - smart aspects that I am more upset weren't explored to their full extent.

For instance, I 100% support Danith not wanting Rand butting into her life. SHE should have the right to choose who to include in her life. We as women are constantly forced to smile, to conform to society's body image, to be okay with terrible people so as not to hurt feelings. Danith routinely did NOT want Rand and told him so - and if he loved her so much, he should have respected her space. (And I ain't buying any of that "Downwind" bullsh!t - he had no problems honoring other people's space in this book.)

I also 100% loved Danith's real crisis about her Flair and her new status as Noble. While I think her rise from Miz to GrandLady (a whopping 2 level jump in class) was rather silly and "Mary Sue", I loved her real, true concern that if she just immediately accepted Rand and became his HeartMate, she would never know who Danith was. THAT WAS EPIC and should have been at the forefront of this book, the real reason Danith kept holding Rand at bay.

While we're at it, both Rand and Danith's hangups about the relationship are very valid. Rand was the sole survivor of a fire and had a rough life - I totally understand why saying "I love you" and "I care about you" are hard on him. I also get why maybe being friendly and approachable for him. Likewise, I totally understand Danith being hesitant about Rand because of his brusqueness and the fact he has no family. And her fear about becoming a Noble with a great Flair? I get it - change is tough on a person, and leaving the life and potentially the friends you had behind is tough.

And lastly, there was Zanth the cat. Zanth is probably what made me stick with this far longer than I should have because he was a freakin' riot. His speaking in choppy English wasn't silly at all, and I could totally imagine my cats behaving similarly to how he does.

But even with those highlights, I can't overlook the serious problems. The lack of boundaries. How Rand shoved Danith behind him every time there was a hint of danger. Danith's ease of learning Flair (she goes through two Passages in the course of the last half of this book, jumps 2 class levels, and is the only person in society to be an Animal Healer - Mary Sue much?). The inability of characters to TALK to each other. The fact so many good things appear (Danith's fear of losing family of becoming a noble, her tendency to run or hide when things get tough, Rand's difficulty with being honest about his emotions) and aren't given the space to really become a great story. Even simple things like the silly way people spoke "Downwind", the unclear borders of this "Downwind" area (apparently really close to Noble properties?! WTF?), the silly lingo for pants (trous) and tins of tea (t'tin). And then, of course, how freakin' long it takes to get to my smut - and how incredibly cliched and silly it was (and unsexy!) when it appeared.

That said, I feel bad writing all this because this book (and series!) is apparently well-loved. The relatively few people who have written 1- or 2-star don't mention most of the things I found irritating, so I think it must just be me and my unfamiliarity with the romance genre. If so, that's OK - we're all different right? Just like Rand and Danith, we can break down our barriers and become HeartMates - I mean, friends - after all :)

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set on the distant planet of Celta, the human colony has grown in to a new world over the last 400 years. All the people there have small magical ability and alot have a Flair, a personal magical speciality, automatically putting them into the Noble class. They also have the potential to have HeartMates, their fated soulmate. GreatLord T'Ash has finally found his HeartMate and he trying to use all his wiles to try and get her to bond with him, but still trying to hide his past of that as a homeless urchin living in the slums. Danith Mallow is just a normal Miz, middleclass and Flaireless, who doesn't think she is good enough for the GreatNoble T'Ash, with his powerful Flaire and grand name and house.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't. At first I thought it sounded like quite a sweet and romantic story about two people facing what they see as their faults ad their tragic pasts and becoming a strong united front. But, that wasn't what it was like at all. By the last page I was relieved that I had finished it, and am glad that I didn't buy it. I found the world a bit strange and nothing seemed to flow quite right. I found the secondary characters to be a bit flat and two dimensional. And mostly I just couldn't stand either Danith or T'Ash.

Both these main characters just got on my nerves. Danithas she seemed to reject T'Ash for no apparent reason, didn't try to sort any of her problems out, just run away. And T'Ash, because surely not all men are that stupid, he knows how important family is to Danith, so what does he do? He tries to take her away from the self made family that she has!

As well as the characters, the plot and flow of the story was jerky and problems seemed to come and go with no conclusion, events would start happening, then something else would be happen leaving the previous thread unresolved or unsatisfactorily concluded.

I really didn't like this book and I am not going to be continuing this series, I have seen be given such good reviews but I just couldn't see it, the romance wasn't believable, the characters irritating and irrational and the story, well I have yet to find one!

[SheLove2Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I debated starting this book because it's part of a series and I just didn't want to get invested in a new series....although to be fair, it's almost impossible these days to read a book that ISN'T part of some series in some way. Luckily, I won't have to worry about that. Let me tell you why this didn't work for me: the world building sucked.

First of all, there is no prologue. You would think if you're going to introduce this new world with new characters, there would be some sort of setting up of the story. Nope. You're left to muddle your way through the story interpreting ranks and names and locations all on your own. For example:

-the residents of Celta are descendants of earth. there is no mention of how they got to Celta, why they chose the name Celta over any other name, and why they came in the first place. were the persecuted? were they fleeing war? famine?

-you're left to figure out on your own the difference between Miz, Lord and Lady, Great Lord, Gentle Lady, Grand Lord and Grand Lady. huh? and some of the characters are from "first families". does that mean there was more than one colonization, or is that the designation for the first families who arrived. (wouldn't that pretty much make them ALL first families then?)

-men all have a T in front of their name, such as T'Ash. a woman will have a D, such as D'Mallow. Why? Why not T?

- everyone on the planet has some form of magick or unusual power. EVERYONE. why? how? again, no explanation.

The hero seemed like a genuinely good guy. His family was slaughtered when he was a young child, and he ran away and raised himself in the slums of "Downwind". (Downwind of what?) But again, the world the author has built leaves much to guessing. How did a 6 year old survive on his own? And what is Downwind? One thing I didn't like about him though was that his overwhelming lust for the heroine caused him to speak in monosyllables when he was around her and aroused, and this was explained that he was "reverting to his Downwind upbringing". Huh?

The heroine I never liked. She was an orphan and afraid to trust anyone. She didn't think she deserved true happiness and was prepared to settle with a man just because he had a family (not the hero). Here's this titled, rich, incredibly good looking man who is strong enough to protect you, wants you and almost begs you to make a life with you and you spend 85% of the book pushing him away. Why? Because she wants a "simple, uncomplicated life". Whatever. If unhappiness and poverty are your thing, you'll love this gal.

The story and the world and the characters all had potential but it never went anywhere and I spent more time frustrated than enjoying the book. I'm glad I didn't invest in more than one book in the series.

1 star / F

[Mary X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I liked it but it didn't feel like the first book of a series to me. I needed more of an introduction to the world. It felt like a 2nd or 3d book. Like I should already know what a lot of things meant. Not that it was hard to figure out or follow. The cats were funny. I would read more of the series but I don't feel an overwhelming need to rush out and find the rest.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Robin Owens’ Pinterest board for Heart Mates.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) With one exception, I liked Noah Michael Levine’s narration. He is a good storyteller, his pacing for the fight scenes are great, and he delivers the humor nicely. However, I didn't like the way he did the hero’s voice. I lay some of that at the feet of the author, not necessarily the narrator. The hero, Rand T’Ash, speaks in an abrupt, gruff, staccato delivery. Kind of like Tarzan saying, “You Jane, me Tarzan.”

T’Ash’ cat familiar, Zanith “Zam” Foxhill, who communicates telepathically, has a similar delivery; but not as deep, and more cartoonish. While I found the cat funny, I didn’t like it in the hero. Though, to play devil’s advocate, it makes sense, since he grew up on the streets, even if he is a Nobel. If I didn’t need the book for a team challenge, I probably wouldn’t have continued. I did get used to it, but it wasn’t until about 3/4ths of the way through! NML does great with the story, the secondary characters, and pretty good with the women’s voices.

I give kudos to the author for an imaginative, futurist world, enchanted with Celtic magic, jewelry, and weapons. Intriguing. She doesn’t spend a lot of time on the world-building or community; indeed, I could have used a bit more. I relied on my knowledge of the Celtic culture to fill-in the gaps.

I did enjoy T’Ash; he’s a complex blend of too-macho testosterone overload verses a tender, lonely, and giving male. He is so looking forward to finding his heart-mate, but hasn’t a clue how to go about courting her when she backs away. (One does not have to accept the Heart Bond.) In fact, his awkward efforts are quite humorous. I really enjoyed how T’Ash helps Danith Mallow, the heroine, find her flair (psychic talent), and I’ll save what it is for your discovery.

While I liked her, Danith’s not my favorite heroine, being a bit wishy-washy. But again, this is due to the continuing series of misunderstandings between the main characters the author implements.

I still haven’t made up my mind if I’ll continue with the series. Right now, I’ve OD’d on Sci-Fi Romances. Though... the next in the series looks good!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

HeartMate is the first book in Robin D Owens' Celta's Heartmates series. Set on the planet Celta sometime in the future most humans have at least a small amount of psychic ability known as Flair. Flair can take many forms, from telepathy to telekinesis right round to healing, but the more powerful your ability the higher your place in society.

Rand T'Ash is part of the top tier of society and he uses his Flair to create beautiful and intricate jewellery popular with wealthy clients. He may be rich and respected now but after his family was all killed in a fire he grew up in the slums and had to fight hard to survive. All he wants is to find his HeartMate and build a life with her, he's created the perfect HeartGift, a necklace that will only appeal to the woman he is meant to spend his life with.

All Danith Mallow has ever wanted is a family, she has very little Flair but she's happy with her small social circle and dating her best friend's brother. It may not be love but she already adores his family and is desperate to officially be one of them. When she spots T'Ash's HeartGift in his shop she's immediately drawn towards it but because she has very little knowledge of that kind of thing she thinks he's created some kind of magic bauble to lure women into his bed. She doesn't trust the new feelings she has and the last thing she needs is some overbearing man in her life telling her they belong together.

My friend absolutely loves this series so when I was staying with her recently she encouraged me to give it a try. It's the first book I've read by Robin D Owens and while it wasn't perfect I liked it enough that I want to try the next in the series. I think she's created a really interesting world, I like the different kind of Flair abilities, I enjoyed learning about the society and I absolutely LOVED the talking cat Zanth. He was my favourite character by far and I could totally see my own cat's attitude in everything he said and did.

While I did like both T'Ash and Danith and did eventually get invested in their relationship there were times when he was too overbearing and pushy for my liking and I felt like certain things came far too easily for Danith. I think I would have enjoyed it more if they'd talked things through more and if T'Ash had just been willing to back off a little when Danith needed space. I was happy with the way things ended though and I'm definitely curious about some of the side characters we've met so I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

[Rhapsody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent paranormal romance, and not formulaic the way almost all the others I've read lately have been. It was a mixture of paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi. A regency-like society, where those with powerful Flair (magic) are the nobles, lives on a planet named Celtan. T'Ash was nobleborn, then grew up Downwind (in the slums) after his family was murdered. He eventually managed to regain his noble place in society and get his vengeance and now owns a jewel shop, where he uses his particular Flair to work with gemstones. During a divination, he learns that he'll be meeting his HeartMate (relatively standard mate concept) the next day. He discovers she's a middle-class (almost no magic) young woman who has often frequented his shop and purchased some of his cheaper items. Danith rejects him again and again because she doesn't believe a GreatLord like him would be interested in a common, Flairless woman like herself. T'Ash has no idea how to court a woman and makes some fairly amusing mistakes along the way.

This was a very good book, in particular the world/society that the author came up with. The romance was also pretty decent. T'Ash could be aggressive and overbearing and Danith could be stubborn, but they never crossed over into the land of the disrespectful or stupid. My only complaint is that I wasn't all that convinced when Danith finally fell for him. Not to say he wasn't lovable. More like, anyone could have fallen for T'Ash, and anyone could've fallen for Danith, but beyond that, I didn't necessarily see why the two of them were so "meant to be."

This reminded me of Anne Bishop and maybe Dara Joy a bit (but way better than anything I've read by Joy). Any paranormal/fantasy romance fans should check this one out.

[pauliree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to categorise this book, being that although it is clearly SF, set on another planet and the characters having psy powers, it portrays itself as more a magical setting, with wonderful psy gifts almost fantastical in appearance. Whatever the category, I loved it. This is the second time I have read this, the first much earlier on in my paranormal romance phase, and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I liked the original setting, not a vampire in sight, and the hero is suitably angst ridden, with a terrible background he has to overcome to win his Heartmate. The concept of the Heartmate is similar to soul mate but here the author has formalised it to something that is kind of special.

The psy powers are known as Flair, and a person goes through 3 different passages which release their Flair powers. If they have a Heartmate it is made known to them during their Passage. The male protagonist in this story T'Ash, has known for 17 years that he has had a Heartmate, and he now can finally find her, but he is a gruff, plainly spoken man, with scars from his days of fighting in his youth and he has trouble expressing his emotions. His Heartmate is a sensitive woman, a healer newly come into her psy powers and wanting a warm family. The miscommunication is rife and seeing how T'Ash will win his love is wonderful.

I love this world, with the links to old Earth and the new cultures linked with Psy powers. Wonderful series

2/4/2015 - Update: I am starting this series all over again in preparation for the new book coming out in November and I was reading other reviews to see if others loved this series as much as me. All of the low starred reviews seemed to have similar problems and that was with the setting, which for me was some of the best stuff about this series. As a long time SF reader, I am used to being thrown in the deep end when it comes to learning about a new culture or world. I don't believe in too much info dumping, the info should come with the story, and a lot of the reviews were complaining that they couldn't keep the world straight. This wasn't an issue for me and I hope these readers persevered because this series is definitely worth the effort.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read this book, it is the first in the series. I love this world that Robin Owens has created. It is different, but not so out there that you don't understand what is going on. If you enjoy the Jayne Castle books I would aslo recommend this series.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading...
Heart Mate is a strong start to the Celtan Heart Mates series.

The hero is a man of the highest class who grew up in the slums after his family and home were destroyed by enemies when he was six. The man be became has destroyed those enemies and rebuilt his home - now he wants a wife, a heartmate who will love him exclusively and help him establish the family and home he so desperately wants. Once he identifies Danith as his heartmate, he expects her to fall into his arms. Unfortunately for him, it doesn't happen...

The heroine wants a warm, uncomplicated husband who will give her the family she has always wanted. Someone cheerfully peacefully middle class like herself. Not some big and brooding noble with no social skills...

One of the charms of this series are the fams - intelligent, psychically gifted animals who can choose to bond with humans. Zanth is the hero's fam - a rough, tough feline brawler who came to the hero when he was a child in the slums. When he decides he wants the heroine also, she doesn't have a chance...

One of the strengths of Robin Owens' writing is her believable world-building. She has crafted a fascinating, self-consistent world that she draws the reader into - background information always appears when needed and is never presented out of context. The characters have depth and you see their world, and their stories through their eyes.

Do not read the series out of order...

Celta Heart Mates series
1. Heart Mate (2001)
2. Heart Thief (2003)
3. Heart Duel (2004)
4. Heart Choice (2005)
5. Heart Quest (2006)
6. Heart Dance (2007)
7. Heart Fate (2008)
8. Heart Change (2009)

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so disappointed with Heart Mate that when I finished reading it I simply rated and tried to forget. Now that I’m trying to expand my reviews on books that impacted me, I remembered it. Yes, it’s certainly easier for me to remember crushed hopes than simply good readings. Although I’d never read anything by Robin D. Owens before, I had built great anticipation around her work.

I liked Rand T’Ash, commiserated with his difficulties early in life and cheered for him to fulfill his desire to have a family and to reestablish his name. However, the world building was somewhat lacking. It reminded me of Jayne Castle’s Amaryllis (St. Helens #1) and others of her books that share the same scenario. However, it suffered in comparison. Furthermore, I didn’t connect with the heroine Danith, she seemed not quite real or believable. And as a couple they failed to show me that they were close to being ‘heartmates’. The writing was good, but in the end I was left wanting.

I wouldn’t take my not liking it or not recommending it to heart. Liking a book, assuming it’s well enough developed/written, is intuitive and basically an issue of taste. The first of Owens’ Celta’s Hearmates was not for me, so I am not reading forward this series.

[Dana Marton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first taste of this new series and I'll be definitely coming back for more. T'Ash is a powerful lord on the distant planet of Celta. When divination tells him that he'll meet his heartmate that day, he has a fair idea who the woman might be, and is looking forward to bringing her home that night. Oh, how wrong he is! The most delightful courtship ensues, full of surprises and a comedy of errors at times. He is so not prepared for his lady resisting. A high level of danger adds to the tension of the book. Sensuality level: hot. Discovering this series was a thrill. Wish I could write this well.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of my favorite romance series and this first book is wonderful. I love this book because it straddles the genres of science fiction romance, fantasy romance, and regency.

The magic system in this world is compelling. The world building excellent and anthropological. The character development superb. The heroine and the heroine always grow. And then there are the talking cats. I LOVE THE TALKING CATS! They are great comic relief.

I have read this book at least 10 times. Every time a new book in the series comes out, I read it and then the entire series again. These a fated mate books but the love is always earned.

The hero is this book is great. He wants a family and love. I adore that in a hero. He is fairly clueless about how to court and get what he wants. He is an big strong alpha artist warrior and lord. He is also tortured and grew up in the streets.

Dainth is of a different class and was treated as if she had little value most of her life as an orphan and someone with little apparent magical talent. She goes through a major adjustment in status during the novel.

The love story is sweet, sexy, compelling, and reread able

I love it each time I read it. Dang. I want to go read it again.

[Rinelle Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching story of T'Ash and Danith, heartmates, who are destined to be together. But even destiny needs people to grow and accept it, and both T'Ash and Danith have some growing to do. I loved this story, and the growing romance between the characters, but my favourite character was Zanth, T'Ash's cat familiar. He made me laugh out loud several times

All this is set in a background of another world, where everything is both different and the same. Robin Owens manages to make this world come alive without tedious descriptions and background story. A great story, and one I will definitely read again.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I was intrigued by the description in the blurb and was looking for new fantasy romance to try. This one is actually a blend of sci-fi and fantasy and I was enthralled with the world building, the colorful characters, the all-encompassing story and series arc, but at the same time I think there was a bit of first book in a series syndrome that kept it from being as sharp as it could be.

The world building is complex in that the people of the planet Celta are descendants of humans from earth. They seem to all have innate magic of some level. The power of the magic was what determined the class structure and the type of magic determined the houses of nobility. Some nobles seemed to even have more than one magical skill. The best way to describe it all is think Historical Romance set in Regency or Victorian London- rigid class structure, segregated sections of town, social season and coming out for the nobles as well as marriages brokered for convenience or for connection. The one glaring rarity is the Heart Mate (soulmate) connection. This is the version of marrying for love no matter what the other circumstances of the pair. And that is what is at the bottom of this story.

The story begins when a nobleman, T'Ash, finds his heartmate. T'Ash is an unusual noble in that he was born into a noble family, watched his family destroyed by magical fire from a betraying noble house that set them up as rivals, he escapes to survive in the worst part of the city, returns when he is old enough and powerful enough to exact a strong revenge on those who killed his family and is finally restore as Great Lord of his House of Ash. With the help of the Holly Noble House, he re-establishes himself as the sole member of his house, but he never quite fits in and he is suspicious and closed off from other nobles who are condescending and nervous around him. He is uncouth from his years living in the gutter and hides his sensitivity of feel less than by a foreboding manner. Unfortunately, his heartmate is as opposite of him as possible and she wants nothing to do with him even accusing him of seducing her with magic when he was just trying to court her with his heart gift.

Dannith Mallow is middle class and she prizes her independence and control over her life. She has little magic, grew up in an orphanage after her parents were killed and found the strict, cold existence something she never wants again. She only wishes to make her own rules and go quietly through life surrounded by a family. She has even picked that family out and the man who won't jostle her plans at all. She loves his folks, his sister and he is nice- staid, but nice. Into her serene world crashes Great Lord T'Ash and his rough street cat familiar, Zam Foxhill. T'Ash scares her and bewilders her with his smoldering, powerful personality. This man is not made for a calm, even home, relationship or partnership. He won't just accept the trickle she is willing to put forth; he'll push her to open herself entirely and that type of totally trust terrifies her not to mention the strong waves of attraction she doesn't want to feel toward him. He pushes her to accept his forceful courtship insisting they are heartmates and won't take 'no' for an answer. And then he really sends her life in a whirl when he proves that she is actually more gifted with magic than she knew. Between T'Ash, her new status as a noble lady and all the changes she is confused, but most definitely not indifferent to the man with the rough manners and forceful personality. As she gets to know the man behind the title, she realizes that she is not the only one who struggles to open up and share the vulnerable tender feelings inside.

This was a book that I nearly put aside several times. I was only mildly engaged for a lot of it which was part of the problem, but the other part was that the heroine drove me crazy. As brutish and pushy as the hero is, I still liked him. He earned my respect for all that he had accomplished and the fact that he was open to having a heartmate. He was honorable and loyal to his friends. He put their needs first and from the moment he met Dannith, he put her first. Now did he go about things patiently and gently? No not at all. He was a real thorn and I would have been okay with her rejections if she were honestly indifferent instead of just in serious denial. T'Ash didn't meet her profile for perfect hubby with the white picket fence and two point five kids and dog. She waffled between treating him like scum on the bottom of her shoe and freaking out that he was way high above her in status. It was hard to see her rip into him out of ignorance and her own fears, to watch her hit him where he was vulnerable time and again. She was awful to him and yet he kept trying. Honestly, this is the weakness of fated mates stories for me. I don't mind the device, but yet unless I like both the players; I end up feeling pity that someone is stuck. Dannith finally got her act together somewhere near the last ten percent of the book, but she never really won me over after all the dilly-dallying and lack of spine from earlier.

Now, beyond my issues with the heroine, the rest of the book had great potential. It took a while to get going and could get ponderous in explanation, but yet I'm not really sure how the author could have left it out because it was important much of the time. The world was so complex that the author did a pretty good job of not just dumping info, but the reader/listener does need to pay attention to keep from being confused.

The exciting moments were great. The fight scenes were mostly back alley stuff with street toughs, but I found them pretty thrilling. T'Ash is this huge warrior and I loved the moments in the scenes where he went all lethal protector on those who would attack him, Dannith or his friends. He was also so tender and sweet when he cared for Dannith in the aftermath. Be still my heart! I loved this guy and maybe that is why Dannith's rejections were such a strong irritant. Eventually, they got up to some sexy times. It was near the end that I was resolved to and even liked their pairing. They definitely are each other's ying and yang by the time all was said and done.

Now, even though I had trouble sticking with this story a few times, the narrator, Noah Michael Levine, was actually part of what kept me going over my rough spots. He was a decided strength. He made the World of Celta come alive for me, he made all the details so fascinating and really engaged me with T'Ash and the other characters. His pacing was really good whether it was a quiet scene with T'Ash and his cat, Zam, T'Ash and Dannith having a terse dialogue, a fight scene or a scene of passion. I would definitely listen to other books he narrates.

All in all, this one landed on the side of moderately enjoyable, but also left me with a desire to keep going with the series. I think a different heroine and maybe now that I'm passed all the first book explanations will really make the difference. I loved the blend of sci-fi and fantasy and would recommend it to others.

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three stars for this scifi romance. Character driven with little world building, but plenty of plot and fast paced action throughout, and sets up for the next book rather well. For a first book in a series, this wasn't bad at all, but could use more fleshing out here and there. I liked Rand T'Ash and Danith, as well as the rest of the cast scattered throughout the book. The talking cat was quite nice too. Lots of action, adventure. I thoroughly liked this, and look forward to the rest of the series!

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this book for a second time to find out whether the Heartmate series would be more compelling. It was not. While writing is well done and the world building is complex, the people of the planet Celta (descendants of humans from earth) just did not resonate with me.

[Matilda (booksinwildplaces) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.
Type: 📱 e-book.
Genre: fantasy romance.
Challenge: Beat the Backlist 2024 Challenge 📚, share the love prompt (5/52) ❤️‍🔥.



Overall impression: a slightly confusing but otherwise enjoyable fated mates fantasy romance. The world-building could have been a bit more in-depth and the character development more rapid to make the romance believable (in the end the H still had all his faults and the h had to settle). My favourite part was the banter between Zanth (cat familiar) and the H. Going to try the next book - hoping I like the couple more in that one.

Best bits:
✅ Rich noble artisan / poor middle-class worker
✅ Ascent to nobility
✅ Opposites attract
✅ Slow-burn romance
✅ Fated mates + bonding
✅ Ok world-building (interesting powers + process of developing them)
✅ Funny banter with Zanth (cat familiar)
✅ Interesting supporting characters
✅ Happy ever after (HEA)
✅ Part of a series



Worst bits:
❌ Universe was difficult to understand at times
❌ Agonisingly slow character development for both h + H (H barely changed in the end)

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rand T'Ash lost everything as a young boy, his home, his family, and had to learn to fend for himself most of his life until recently now that he is a nobleman and highly sought after artisan, he is now looking for his heartmate, and when he finds out who she is, he sets out to seduce her, only she doesn't seem to want to be seduced and keeps rejecting Him. Rand at first where Danith is coming from, because he once came from the kind of life that she is living currently, and he only desires to hold onto her, protect her and love her....he just has to convince her that sharing a life with him would bring her pure happiness, because the love they would share would be timeless.Heart Mate is the first installment in this series, and it was a very likable read, the beginning was a bit slower to get into, but once I did I had a fantastic time with these two characters. Rand is so Alpha Male type, very possessive and stubborn to the extreme, and more resilient than most, although he does have a soft side. Danith, is somewhat spitfire but does have a more gentle nature about her. Danith's situation is unique, because she thinks of herself as beneath Rand, however she is anything but, and the heat in this book was very sizzling at times, I just love this world that Robin D. Owens has created, its so fun to get into the scene and just enjoy the ride. It wasn't the type of book that would keep you from setting it down, but it was more relax before the fire type of read, and a very enjoyable and exciting at times novel, that was so fun and sexy, and I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series.

[Di · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh GoodReads, how you have failed me. How could your recommendation algorithm point me to this? Yes, I like romance. Yes, I like fantasy, and science fiction. But this story? The social structure, based on magic power, was the most interesting aspect... and the least prominent. This book reminded me of those cheesy novels where the "mate bond" is inexplicable and immediate, a final authority granting one woman the heart of a super hot, wealthy / powerful / famous / all-of-the-above man without rhyme or reason. Add to that the sci-fi and fantasy elements that seemed to fly around willy nilly, and you're left with a lot to take on faith. Sigh.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin Owens has been added to my "Buy in Book" set. Which means that I think she's great and I want everything she's written. In my hand not just on my e-reader.

Heart Mate is the first in her Celta Series and also the first book I'd read by her and it blew me away. I've always loves fantasy and she takes it to a whole new level. Yes, this takes place on a different planet. Yes there is magic of the psychic variety. Yes, animals can talk - especially the cats.

If you are a fan of talking animals, forever love, adventure, or scandal, then this is the series for you!
READ It!

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

20019 bk 284. One of my favorite of the science fiction romances written at the start of the 21st century. Celta is a planet populated by those fleeing from earth - because of fear and prejudice towards those who have 'special' talents. Most of society is based on celtic traditions and the 400 years of colonization of the planet has increased "flair' including a recognition of the special bond of those people who are heartmates - bonded to be the best matched pairs to meet life's challenges and to breed the next generations. This book is about loneliness, but also the fear of knowing if a partner is right for you. I like introductions to new worlds, thought out differences in customs and atitudes, and also seeing what comes with the colonists from earth. A satisfying read for those who like romance with a twist.

[Sarah Maddaford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely fits the classic definition of a romance novel. The focus of the story is on the romance between Danith and T’Ash who struggle with their feelings for one another until the last chapter. The goal of the romance is eventually marriage and children because Danith wants a large family and T’Ash needs to continue his family line. The narration is split between the two leads in order to show all of their feelings and emotions.

This book fits into the subgenre of alternate reality romances. It is set on another world in a future when magic/psychic powers have driven people away from Earth to colonize a place where they can be accepted. The science fiction elements are clearly secondary to the romantic elements to the point that many of the former simply exist to further the latter.

Heart Mate is a racy romance. From the first time they meet, the sexual tension between the characters is extremely intense. There is description of arousal and attraction before love is mentioned. About half way through the novel is an instance of mental sex between them. This is followed by several in-person encounters after Danith decides to try a relationship. The HeartBond necessary to completely tie them together is consummated during sex as well.

I probably would have put this book down very near to the beginning because the whole romance seemed very contrived. The male main character is trying to win his HeartMate despite having the social skills of a monkey. The female main character just wants a big family with a simple, easy man. The intense sexual tension between the two is highly awkward on his part and completely in denial for much of the book on her part. By the time they consummated their relationship, I was ready for some descriptive detail, but the author shied away from it by concentrating on their mental link to one another. If you’re going to write erotica, you should go ahead and write it well.

I was highly annoyed by several things in this book. T’Ash does not go by Rand, his first name, even in his thoughts. Maybe this was intended to show that he hadn’t reconciled his present self with his past, but it was awkward. Also, the book has severe problems with using correct English. Ostensibly to fit the science fiction feel of the book, several names of common items have become squished together words or purely descriptive names of things. For example, an animal that the colonists domesticated for riding is called a striderbeast. In addition to the weird words, there is a dialect called Downwind speech that is very similar to Ebonics except with even less sentence structure. It’s supposed to show that these people are low class and uneducated, but it’s just hard to read.

It wasn’t a horrible book, but I find that I am more interested in romance as a strong secondary element rather than the focus. I would be hesitant to recommend this book to a patron that did not ask for a racy romance because the sex in the second half is rather frequent even if it isn’t quite as explicit as the earlier tension hints that it should be.

A science fiction reader who enjoys a strong romantic element to stories might enjoy this book, but there might not be enough science fiction elements to satisfy them. This book might also appeal to a fantasy reader because the Flairs read more like magic than science fiction at times, but again the focus is on the romance with much less detail devoted to the Flairs. All in all, I’m not certain that non-romance readers wouldn’t put this book down in frustration because it fits a very specific romance pattern and doesn’t really try to conform to science fiction even though it fits the science fiction subgenre of the romance genre.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEART MATE (Celta’s Heartmates #1) by Robin D. Owens

HEART MATE is the first storyline in Robin D Owens’ Celta’s Heart Mates series. A fantasy romance novel, Heart Mate is the story of two people, each with a past filled with sorrow and pain, and a loneliness that threatens to engulf their being.

Background: Celta is a planet colonized by the people of Earth over 400 years ago. The people of Celta have magical powers known as Flairs and psychic ability is the norm. The political structure includes the 13 Greathouses and the colony First Families. A society and culture based on magical spells, Divination (foretelling) dice and cards, life Passages, animal familiars and a belief that each man and woman will find their Heart Mate-their one true love.

Rand T’Ash is 37 years old, a Greatlord, Nobleman and member of the Noble Council, Stonemaster, gem caller and the sole surviving member of the Ash Grand Family. As a Noble he is respected, but he is also feared for the ‘berserker savagery’ and the murder of the people who destroyed his family and his home when he was only 6 years old. Rand T’Ash knows he will find his Heart Mate this night, but will she accept the HeartGift he crafted during his last Passage almost 20 years earlier. But growing up in the Downwind ghettos of Druida have pummeled his self-esteem and with that the knowledge that he was never properly raised in the art or procedures of courting.

Danith Mallow is a bookkeeper, with little Flair who regularly shops at T’Ash Phoenix-a high end, upscale jewelry store where the pieces magically call to her. But this evening one piece in particular grabs her attention. Believing the necklace has been charmed, Danith runs from the shop to find that intentions of the shop owner are beyond her beliefs. When a mysterious stranger is found in her home bearing the necklace, she is once again drawn to its’ powers. But the necklace had been stolen and someone from T’Ash’s past has made his presence once again known.

Throughout the story Rand T’Ash will struggle in his attempts to convince Danith that they are Heart Mates. She is a non-believer in the lure of a Heart Mate and continues to refuse T’Ash’s gifts of jewels and flowers. At times the number of gifts becomes humorous especially when Princess aka Pansy, Danith’s cat struts through the house bedecked in all of the jewels including earrings and chains. Rand’s Fam Zanth is an overgrown house cat who is both companion and conscience for a man troubled by his past and continues to play match maker whenever he can. And it is Zanth’s presence that soothes Rand whenever his inner beast wants lose.

There are several storylines that coalesce and merge. Danith’s discovery of her Flair and affinity to animals: Rand’s friendship with the Holly Family and his honor to pay back a debt: the gang-style slayings and attacks against Rand, the Holly Family and his Fam: Danith’s friendship and falling-out with the Clover family: and of course, Rand’s sad albeit humorous attempts to woo and court Danith. Zanth’s demands for an emerald collar will remind everyone of a spoiled child.

HEART MATE is a fantasy of fairy tales and the HEA. To be honest, I do not know WHAT the people of Celta are, but for the sake of the storyline, they are Celtans with magical powers and the ability to teleport and speak telepathically. As I read I thought Fae or Elves, but they are what they are –characters from the imagination of Robin D Owens. A heart-warming storyline, that at times I had to reign in a few tears especially when Rand T’Ash admitted he was lost, a strong and powerful man lost in the knowledge that he had been rejected by the one person who could save his soul. These storylines get me every time.

see all of my reviews at :thereadingcafe.com

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

All his life, Rand T’Ash has looked forward to meeting his HeartMate, with whom he could begin a family. Once a street tough, now a respected nobleman and artisan, he has crafted the perfect HeartGift, which, in the custom of the psychically gifted population of the planet Celta, is the way a man finds—and attracts—his wife…
Danith Mallow is irresistibly drawn to the magnificent necklace on display in T’Ash’s shop, but she is wary of its creator, despite an overpowering attraction. In a world where everyone is defined by their psychic ability, Danith has little, placing her at the opposite end of the social spectrum from T’Ash. But T’Ash refuses to accept her rejection and sees it as a challenge instead. They are HeartMates, but can T’Ash persuade his beloved to accept her destiny by his side?

Heather's Notes
I have wanted to read this book for awhile. It was not what I expected. I felt like Danith was not a sympathetic character. I wanted to smack her more than anything. She took denial well past the believable stage. I also felt T'Ash stubbornness went on too long, they were both a bit ridiculous. The story was also long, and I feel like several thing could have been left out. It just was not what I expected.

[Jen Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always looking for new series to love. I stumbled across the blurb to book 13 in this series and I was intrigued. I picked it up and was completely overwhelmed by the glossary and cast of characters, so I decided to go back to the beginning to see if I’d get a better understanding of the series on the ground floor. Turns out, yes, I did. I understood everything. But that didn’t mean I’m ever going to make it to book 13.

This book was not for me. I can’t say with 100% certainty that I won’t try book 2, but if the romance in that installment is anything like this one, I am going to have to pass. I think part of the problem is that there really isn’t any romance here at all. It’s a fated mate story, which doesn’t really bother me. But I was totally unable to connect with the hero or the heroine and I didn’t believe in the love between them. And the progression of their relationship felt almost entirely driven by external factors.

The hero is a D’Ash, who is a member of the Nobility with a powerful psychic link to stones and gems. In his world, men create something called a Heart Gift with their talent to draw their mate to them. In D’Ash’s case, it is a necklace. Only his True Mate will be drawn to it, so when Danith is visibly moved by the piece, he knows she is The One. The thing is, he can’t tell her. She has to accept it –and him– on her own. So what better way to reel her in than to bully her, right?

Danith is a simple woman, with a simple life. All she really wants is a family. But D’Ash isn’t very interested in what she wants. He only knows he wants her. So he pushes and pushes his way into her life. He turns her entire world upside down and is unwilling to share any true part of himself. D’Ash had the potential for some fairly good angst with his backstory. But very little of it was explored. It was a missed opportunity. Instead, we go round and round with this dance of D’Ash forcing himself in Danith’s space, trying to make her accept him. Then she runs. Then something pushes them together. Rinse and repeat. I didn’t really care for either one of them.

D’Ash wouldn’t talk to Danith. He did, however, talk to his cat. A lot. Psychically. It was weird. So was some of the language. (The original cover of this book is much more representative of the content.) I don’t know how I feel about the worldbuilding. It was interesting. It’s based on a magical caste system on another planet. Maybe I could try going back for another installment. But the romance would have to be dramatically different. This one made me feel nothing, except mildly annoyed. I barely even felt a sexual tension, much less any kind of emotion between these characters. It was like they ended up together, just because the universe said they should. I need more than that.

Rating: C-/D+

[Yodamom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this one. I was tempted to drop it in the beginning. There were just too many details. I was over whelmed with information and strange names. There was a lot in inner dialog, about class, clothes, textures, powers.....after a 100 pages I had little idea what was going on. I let the obnoxious details go and just keep reading. The characters held my interest, they were unique in their creation, aliens from another world living on earth. i think that it, I was really blanking out, mind numb reading for at least a 1/3 of the book. This is one long read too.
Why did I stay with it ?
The main couple, they fought well, and stubbornly. He was a pigheaded controlling Alpha He-Man Noble, orphan and Ex-street rat turned Noble. She was an orphan, looking for family, filled with fear, wanted only safety, only to have everything turned 180 by the noble beast. Their battles, stupid little mating games and snippy moments kept me going.I was also wondering when they would finally do it. Yes, I am that way.
They also had cats, I love books with cute little side kicks. These cats weren't really cute. They were weird, jewel encrusted talking fur balls and lacked the snark I look for in my beasties. I'm not sure if I liked them or not, they ended on a null.
Sounds like I hated it I didn't. I had fun. It is a B list book for me.

[Sep · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of the Heart Mate series. In addition to the paranormal love story Ms. Owens introduces to the planet of Celta, populated by Earthlings who settled there 400 years earlier. The noble class have the most powerful magic (called flair) but everyone has some, locking doors, driving vehicles etc. Rand T'Ash, head of the Ash family falls in love with an orphan who is a commoner Danneth Mallow. Mallow was tested at the orphanage as having no flair, however sick animals heal by just being petted by her. Lucky, people are adopted by sentient animals called "fams" who usually communicate telepathically.

Aside from the magic, which is delightful, (Who wouldn't enjoy a housekeeping spell?) this book addresses an important issue. Does Danneth want to leave her "commoner" life and go live and socialize with the upper class? Can T'Ash flex enough to adjust his vision of marriage to address Danneth's needs?

Later books in this series are a little more smoothly written, but "Heart Mate" has the trademark Owens' fam animal humor. T'Ash's cat Zanth who, at the beginning of a battle, negotiates with a chowder of feral toms to join in the fight in exchange for half of a butchered hog. This establishes the Heartmate tradition that cats may love their fan people but still negotiate for everything.

[Aarann]

This is another one I don't feel it's fair to rate because I just didn't get far enough into it before I put it down. I'm going through a funk and if I don't know if my reasons for putting it down were the book's fault or mine, I am not going to risk messing up the book's rating by giving a low review.

I will say that the Weird Capitalization of Words that were never e'explained, not to mention the Weird apostrophes put in front of words were Very D'Distracting and a'annoying. It would be one thing if the author had some sort of brief introduction to this world in a short prologue, or even a glossary of terms, but in the short 50 or so pages I read, there was very little of this and as a result, I spent more time trying to figure out what the hell a "Passage" was than actually enjoying the story. By the time I put it down, I was starting to get the gist, but by then my book malaise had taken over.

I will say, I did enjoy the crap out of the hero's cat (yes, the cat can communicate through some sort of magical whatever-ness). I'm pretty sure the author has that level of greed and narcissism inherent in most felines spot-on.

I could see me picking this up again eventually, but I'm not in a huge hurry right now.