The quest to finding the last piece of the Dragon Chalice continues. This time it's Rand's job. We started the journey with the firs piece already in the hands of our main villain Silas de Mortaine and even more than that he also had Ariana's brother as his prisoner trying to figure out where the other pieces are through Kenrick's life work of finding information about the Dragon Chalice and where the 4 pieces could be. So in the first and second books each of our couples - Ariana with Braedon and later Kenrick with Haven each found one part, leaving the very last one for Rand.
Unlike our main villain each of the couples weren't consumed but the job of retrieving all the parts for fame and glory, which was also why it was easier for them to give the task away to the "next in line" once they found a happier state of living with the love of their lives by their side. With Rand it's different since he already LOST his family before he starts his quest. For him it's all about revenge. Yet this IS a romance story so Rand not only gets his revenge and ambition regarding the Dragon Chalice he also finds someone who gets him and loves him for who and how he is. Can anyone ask for more?
Randwulf of Greycliff is on his way to Scotland to find the last piece of the Dragon Chalice when he finds himself stranded on an island sans his most valuable possession - the fusion of the two cups his friends found. Waking up on the shore with a beautiful nymph watching over him he hopes for the shortest delay possible before he finds what he lost and returns to sea on his way to Scotland. Yet most of the book he actually stays with the beautiful nymph - rather a solitude young woman who lives with her mother all alone surrounded by beautiful scenery of trees, waterfall and naturally sea side.
Serena is mostly content with her life even though she dreams of what the world beyond the grove she lives in contains. Yet living with her mother Calandra is all she knows and considering her unique ability of absorbing a person's emotions and experiences through touch maybe she is better off in this solitary place surrounded with everything she holds dear. When a strange man is washed from the sea she isn't sure what to do about him and when her mother is reluctant to help and he himself acts even worse - controlling and high handed - she isn't sure if she wants him to just leave or to learn a bit more about him and somehow make this intriguing man her friend.
I gotta say I found Rand INFURIATING in the way he behaved towards Serena and her mother. Yeah, I get it, it's different times, and men were used to "getting what they wanted", but it still felt like Rand took these two for granted, expecting them to literally SERVE him while he stayed - unwanted - at their house. He took one of their two beds, he expected them to feed him and when they showed him kindness (like Serena offering him her father's cloths since his were totally wrecked by the sea) his first thoughts were how old and unfashionable they were. REALLY?
Serena is the most gentle and sweet person to ever live which is the only explanation - except never actually MEETING a man before - for the way she tried to appease him and befriend him. Also with every unwanted snippet she gets from him by touch she is horrified by what he went through and is honestly intrigued by his past. She knows what he wants is vengeance with little regard to if he actually lives to tell the tale, but she wished he could see for himself - a present, a future - and not just blood and death for his enemies. Being with her Rand actually changes. We also come to know more about who he was and what he went through in his marriage. He was starved for the kind of affection and care Serena offered him from the purity and kindness of her heart. I'm quite conflicted with my thoughts about their romance story as I wasn't a fan of Rand and wished a better match for Serena though he DID make her happy after a while and I think no one can ask for a more compassionate and loving partner like Serena.
Yet there comes a time for Rand to take a step forward in his mission to either find the Dragon Chalice (the one he lost or the one still hidden) or take down Silas. His decision is taken from him when Silas himself decided to take the initiative and from there the action starts as well as the many truths about this special place Serena and her mother are living in, the origin of the Dragon Chalice, the last remaining piece and naturally who and what is Silas de Mortaine. But you know what? This isn't all because we also learn what is the role of Draec le Nantres. I was highly intrigued by him this whole time. He was Braedon's close friend only to betray him to Silas. Yet he never actually wanted to harm the guy and he was never truly loyal to Silas as well. He had his own agenda and it never felt like the "Fame and Glory" others were trying to find in the Dragon Chalice legends. It was actually quite brilliant.
I really enjoyed the way things played out in the end which is why I'm giving this book 4 stars. It was more of a 3 - 3.5 throughout as it took me a VERY long time to connect with Rand especially since the first half of the book (if not more) was JUST about the two of them, the arc of the Dragon Chalice almost forgotten. I think only two thirds into the story we come back to his actual quest and from there the pace takes off with all the action and the mysteries being revealed.
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Rating:
★★★★ |
E-Book
Edition |
354
pages
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Read on:
26-28 October 2019
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ABOUT THIS SERIES
Dragon Chalice is a Historical / Paranormal Romance series by Lara Adrian. Originally written as Tina St. John.
Lara Adrian begun writing Historical Romance under the name Tina St. John. Her first books - "Lord of Vengeance" and the "Warrior" series were SUPERB reads. This series started her Paranormal writing, though this, like the previous ones, take place in Medieval times this series also has a "fantastical" element.
I gotta say I wasn't a fan of this series, the books were okay for me, nothing more. I liked the way the series was resolved, especially since I didn't see the way it was going or how it would conclude right to the very end.
For me, the problem was neither the romance nor the action part where "strong" enough. Though there is a big story about the Dragon Chalice - a powerful artifact promising immortality and unimaginable power - neither the chase after it's four pieces nor trying to stop / kill our main villain Silas de Mortaine before he himself gets his hands on it - takes more than a third of each book and is mostly condensed to the end of the book.
The other part of the story is the romance and though in truth that's why I'm here I found the characters a bit unrelatable. I'm not sure if it's the Medieval times or if it's just the characters themselves. The women felt somewhere between too innocent to silly in their actions and the men too detached and down right MEAN at times. They were too selfish and domineering though truth being told I'm not sure if it's just me being too modern in my concept of how a man "suppose" to act. Anyhow it really affected the way I perceived the books and the main reason they weren't a favorite.
I gotta say it's truly a shame as I absolutely LOVED the Historical Romance novels without the Paranormal aspect Lara wrote before these. But I'll admit thinking things through I DID feel both MCs in these were less to my liking that your "typical" modern heroes. I'm not sure why in those it worked for me and here it didn't. I don't even think I mentioned it in my reviews as I accepted the characters as "authentic" to "those times".
Books:
1. Heart of the Hunter [Ariana of Clairmont & Braedon le Chasseur "The Hunter"] (Published 1 June 2004) ★★★½
2. Heart of the Flame [Kenrick of Clairmont & Haven] (Published 1 March 2005) ★★★
3. Heart of the Dove [Randwulf of Greycliff & Serena] (Published 29 November 2005) ★★★★
Lara Adrian begun writing Historical Romance under the name Tina St. John. Her first books - "Lord of Vengeance" and the "Warrior" series were SUPERB reads. This series started her Paranormal writing, though this, like the previous ones, take place in Medieval times this series also has a "fantastical" element.
I gotta say I wasn't a fan of this series, the books were okay for me, nothing more. I liked the way the series was resolved, especially since I didn't see the way it was going or how it would conclude right to the very end.
For me, the problem was neither the romance nor the action part where "strong" enough. Though there is a big story about the Dragon Chalice - a powerful artifact promising immortality and unimaginable power - neither the chase after it's four pieces nor trying to stop / kill our main villain Silas de Mortaine before he himself gets his hands on it - takes more than a third of each book and is mostly condensed to the end of the book.
The other part of the story is the romance and though in truth that's why I'm here I found the characters a bit unrelatable. I'm not sure if it's the Medieval times or if it's just the characters themselves. The women felt somewhere between too innocent to silly in their actions and the men too detached and down right MEAN at times. They were too selfish and domineering though truth being told I'm not sure if it's just me being too modern in my concept of how a man "suppose" to act. Anyhow it really affected the way I perceived the books and the main reason they weren't a favorite.
I gotta say it's truly a shame as I absolutely LOVED the Historical Romance novels without the Paranormal aspect Lara wrote before these. But I'll admit thinking things through I DID feel both MCs in these were less to my liking that your "typical" modern heroes. I'm not sure why in those it worked for me and here it didn't. I don't even think I mentioned it in my reviews as I accepted the characters as "authentic" to "those times".
Books:
1. Heart of the Hunter [Ariana of Clairmont & Braedon le Chasseur "The Hunter"] (Published 1 June 2004) ★★★½
2. Heart of the Flame [Kenrick of Clairmont & Haven] (Published 1 March 2005) ★★★
3. Heart of the Dove [Randwulf of Greycliff & Serena] (Published 29 November 2005) ★★★★
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