22 January 2015

Throwback: Eclipse of Her Heart

Thrilled to be spending her summer interning at the world’s largest erotic library, Serendipity Jones feels it cannot get any better than sun, sand, and the beautiful castle the library is housed in. Within days of her arrival, strange things begin to occur that only she knows of. Erotic sounds come from within the library when nobody else is around, the books won't open, and a strange man seems to be plaguing her steps.

At first annoyed by the imposing taciturn man, she finds herself attracted and quickly falls in love with Joshuan even though he is meant for another. On a quest to find the woman foretold in a prophecy from his world, he is at first annoyed at Seri who keeps getting in his way before coming to enjoy her company and falling in love with her. But their short love affair must come to an end. For the woman foretold will be found as the sun goes silent and the solar eclipse comes quickly.

The Markham Library series is about a private library belonging to the Markham family. Within this library the heroine or hero of each novella/novel finds her or himself thrust into the storyline of one of the novels it contains.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667229-eclipse-of-her-heart
My first exposure to Thianna D.’s writing was via the Corbin’s Bend series and have since read several of her books in the Domestic Discipline genre and loved them all. As such, I was excited to delve into a purely erotic book to find out how well I enjoyed her non-DD writings. I gotta say that I freaking LOVED Eclipse of Her Heart. Somehow she managed to crawl inside my brain, pull out my fantasy, and turn it into a book that sucked me in. Admittedly, I’m sure I’m not the only book nerd that would love to find herself living out her favorite book, complete with the possessive yet loving alpha male. But Thianna D. takes it one step farther and reaches out to the little girl within who grew up on fairy tales, waiting for her prince to come and sweep her off her feet.

Alpha male lover + becoming queen + hot sex + living happily ever after = Eclipse of Her Heart

Is it any wonder that I loved this book? This is one of those books that it doesn’t matter that you know that Serendipity (great name by the way) is going to get her happily ever after, because it is the journey she takes from the first page to the last that makes this a truly enjoyable read. I should note that Eclipse of Her Heart can be read as a standalone as the characters from book one are mentioned in passing and play no part in this installment. I haven’t yet read the first book in the Markham Library series, Through the Library Door, but I will be rectifying that soon as I look forward to reading Landria’s story. As much as I enjoy the Corbin’s Bend series, I do hope that the Markham Library muse decides to take up residence in Thianna D.’s writing room soon because I would really like to learn more about Geoffery and see him find his happy ending.
“You!” she gasped, her hand quickly raising to her heart, which beat madly in surprise.
He raised an eyebrow. “It would seem.”
Huffing in exasperation at his strange answers to anything she said, she lowered her hand. “So, yeah, I thought I would take some pictures to send home.”
“Pictures?”
“Yeah,” she said, waving her camera. “I told my parents about the maze and they were interested, but it was hard to explain. The pictures will be more real to them since they cannot come here.”
Frowning, he looked around. “Are you searching as well?”
“Errr, for what?”
Chuckling, which seemed to loosen the hard edges of his face, he shrugged. “Just searching. I assume I will know what I am looking for when I see it.”
Nodding, even though she had no idea what he was talking about, she sat down on a nearby bench and chewed on her bottom lip. “So, do you spend all your days in the maze?”
Shrugging again, he nodded. “Some. I am on a quest and until I can find what I am looking for, I may not return home.”
“Oh. That must be lonely.” Deciding that since he wasn’t frowning at her and the fact he seemed willing to talk, she pulled out some of the food Marka had packed. “Are you hungry? Marka always packs too much food for me when I come out.”
“That would be kind. Thank you.”
She handed him two sandwiches, a bottle of water and a package of cookies while taking one sandwich for herself. They ate in silence for over half an hour. As they finished up, she realized if she didn’t say anything, he might leave again. “So, do you expect to find what you seek here in the maze?”
He nodded.
“Was it lost by someone?”
His lips twitched, but he shook his head. “No. It was not lost. The only thing that was lost was the heir.”
“The heir?” she asked confused.
“Our king died a century ago without one,” he explained quietly. “In the last hundred years, his nephews and cousins have fought for rule. I am in search of an heir.”
Our king. Just like that, a little light went on her head. He must be one of the inhabitants of the island that descended from the monarchy. That would explain his naturally tanned skin and the fact he spoke with such a strange accent. “That cannot be easy,” she said, to keep him talking. “Is it like searching for a needle in a haystack?”
A loud bark of a laugh rang out next to her making her jump. His eyes danced and he actually smiled at her, flashing her a set of what looked like perfect white teeth. “Interesting expression, but yes, it would be just as fruitless an ambition, would it not?”
“And yet you keep going.”
His smile dimmed and she wished she hadn’t said anything. “Yes, I must. Without a true leader, my land has fallen into chaos. We have become a tribe of ruffians who do not remember the lessons of our kings. I search to regain that knowledge. To put back that which was stolen from us.”
Frowning, she looked around. “Can I help?” She had no idea what she could do, but if it would keep him talking and around, she would be willing to do it.
He raised an eyebrow. “Why would you help me?”
A soft blush covered her cheeks as the response to keep you around came to her and she squelched it. “I have the time and I’m pretty good with a computer. If you tell me what you are looking for, maybe I can research it. Wandering the maze looking for clues seems like a fruitless task.”
He flashed a grin. “Yes, I have never bought into the prophecy, but desperate times have made me do something I would never do. I am after one prophesied by the ancients who will bring our world back to order.”
“Who is she?” she asked, then winced at her slip. She had heard that sound bite, but he did not know that.
Thankfully he did not pick up on it. “I do not know. I have four signs I have to look for in the Frienmar. The first is that the chosen will find her when the sun goes silent. The second is that Kava will anoint her. The third is her name. The fourth that she will speak the sacred word.”
Swishing her mouth around as she thought about it, she tried to figure out how to help. “How does finding this woman help you find an heir?”
He turned and looked straight into her eyes. “My grandfather was King Ro’s youngest brother. If I find the one the prophecy foretold, then I will make her my bride, and she will produce the next king.”
“Oh.” So he was looking for a bride. “You want to marry her?” The sound bite made a lot more sense now.
He barked a laugh. “It is my duty, young Serendipity. My land is falling apart. To put it to rights, I must do this. Marrying an unknown woman and making her my queen is not too high of a price.” The bitterness in his voice made her think he was not too happy about the prospect.
She wanted to help him, though the thought of helping him find a bride rankled her for some odd reason. “Okay, so what were the signs again?”
Thianna D is a fan of all things romance and when paranormal or fantasy aspects are added so much the better. Her stories involving libraries, The Markham Library Series, stem from her personal fetish with books. She has been known to say that walking into a library is the biggest turn on imaginable for her.
She writes romance with a side of spice, some like Eclipse of Her Heart and others within the DD, Spanking, or BDSM genres. For more information on her books, visit her website at: http://www.thiannad.com. To keep up with what she is doing, check out her blog at: http://blog.thiannad.com.

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