Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Pen & Page Publishing
Description
Coraline Patten enjoys nothing more than facing new challenges, but when she's asked to evaluate Moonriver's ruling faction, she worries she's bitten off more than she can chew. Allasandro Stephans has reigned since she'd been a child, unwavering in his dedication to Moonriver. His heir, Calden, has supported him every step of the way. Together, the shapeshifting widower and his son appear to be the perfect men for the job of preserving and protecting their home. When Moonriver's heir asks her to free his father from the burden of leadership, Coraline is determined to do what is best for her people, even if it costs her the love of her life.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Nice. If I hadn't known it was an RJ Blain book, I'd probably have guessed. A lot of her usual beats are here - the crazy rich family adopting someone...with a twist here, because her family is nearly as crazy and has more members, though they're not as rich or important as the head(s) of the
Show More
Hunter faction. The semi-Cinderella, with the inferior (class, rank, position) person actually having skills the superior needs and wants, as well as being people who mesh perfectly when you get past all that. Shifters, and people with insufficient fear of shifters...or wild animals that aren't shifters. It has her feel throughout (unsurprisingly), and is as expected well-written, with rich characters and excellent description. The setting is fascinating - settlements on other planets, through a mix of magic and science; the shifter thing is genetic and contagious, though it's avoidable with care; and the scientists keep being baffled by bits of it because it's as much magic as scientific. There is one major disaster, though it's seen from a distance - the characters are dealing with refugees (humans, and animals of many species) rather than with the disaster itself. It's a romance, of course - a very very quiet one (at the end, there's a mention of them celebrating in private, and behaving themselves in public around the children. That's as explicit as it gets, here). Which I am delighted about - their relationship is about who they are as people, not their respective looks/attractiveness. There are multiple problems to be solved, all of which get dealt with more or less - the refugees, the overwork by the leaders of the Hunter faction, relationships that got twisted up and are now somewhat untwisted. It's a very happy book, and it ends with both happiness and contentment. There are some very funny bits, too. I really hope she can write more in this universe, I'd love to see more of it and some of the ripples from events in this book echoing out elsewhere. Show Less
Original publication date
2022-12-03
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Blain |