Review: Heart Secret by Robin D. Owens

Heart Secret by Robin D. Owens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finished this book around 8pm last night and I'm still wrestling with how to write this review. I was all, Well, this is the part that I keep thinking about, but it's kind of a spoiler so I can't mention that,' and 'Well, the hero said this, but, no, that's a spoiler too.' I will tell you that a new Fam species get introduced and (this will date me), I immediately thought of the Care Bear Cousins.

I also keep going back and forth on whether this could be a stand-alone. On the one hand, it's pretty self-contained. This is the first book that doesn't really involve the FirstFamilies. Artemisia is technically a noble, but she's been disgraced. Therefore, you really only need passing familiarity with Celta's culture and social structure to understand the book. On the other, Owens has woven the book into Celta's history and it refers to events from Heart Mate, Heart Quest, Heart Dance, Heart Fate, Heart Journey, the "Noble Heart" novella from Hearts and Swords, and, most importantly, Heart Search. Which, now that I look at the list, is about half of the books in the series.

This is one of the things I love about the Celta series, how everything's connected to each other. There's continuity and a event that takes place in book five can cause ripples that will affect book eleven. I love being able to see couples from previous books, of seeing their children grow up. Owens jumped into the future with Heart Search and continues advancing the series in Heart Secret. The denizens of Celta are so conscious of how precarious their hold onto this planet is and they are fixated on the idea of leaving a piece of themselves behind for future generations.

That need for remembrance factors heavily in Heart Secret. Garrett is very conflicted between his desire to avoid human ties and his need to have something of himself left behind. He was the sole survivor of a virulent epidemic, forced to watch his community die around him. That's a devastating thing for a man with a protective nature to experience.

The other main theme is the idea of letting go of the past. The scandal that affected her family has harmed Artemisia professionally. She is continually fighting against public opinion in order to achieve her goals. Being HeartMate to a man like Garrett isn't easy, given how tied he is to the past, and she is forced to perpetually straddle looking back & moving forward.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. There were some weak points and a few things that I felt were lost in the shuffle. For me, this was a bridge book, gently easing us from the time jump in Heart Search into the future. The second generation has hit adulthood and they're going to start making their mark on Celta.

Robin D. Owens just blew my mind.

I was logged in here because I was going to write something. It might have been about my internship with the literary agent. It could have been about the RITAs. But I had an email in my beta-reading account. So I checked it. And it was Robin D. Owens.

I've actually spoken to Owens in real life, at last year's RWA literacy signing, but my part in the conversation largely consisted of grabbing Heart Journey(which I already owned) from her piles and shoving it in her direction, mumbling 'Sign please. I love your books.' I am hoping to somewhat redeem myself this year. However, I'm irrationally excited about the possibility of an avian Fam, a native species no less, and going by how I already babbled about this to her editor, it doesn't bode well. I foresee myself grabbing Heart Search from her piles (which I already own), shoving it in her direction, and, in a crackly voice, saying 'I can't wait for Heart Secret and a bird Fam, that's so cool, native species too, that's awesome, can't wait to read it. I love your books.'

So when Robin D. Owens sent me an email, let me tell you, my brain just exploded. Especially since it went to my beta-reading account and I didn't realize at first how she got it and my instinctive reaction at seeing her email address was 'I AM NOT BETA-READING FOR ROBIN D OWENS, IT WILL RUIN THE MAGIC AND I'D RATHER CONTINUE TO PESTER BERKLEY FOR ARCS OR SUFFER THE AGONY OF WAITING THAN LOSE THE MAGIC.' Then when I realized she read the review I wrote for Enchanted Again, I freaked again, because I knew I'd been disappointed in the book and WHAT DID I WRITE?!?

Luckily, while I was clear in my disappointment, my die-hard fangirlness tempered my usual bluntness. The review turned out to be more 'The first book was great, I don't know what happened with this one, but it's Robin D. Owens so we'll just not talk about it, m'kay?' than what I probably would have done if it'd been almost any author, i.e. 'Why are her books by Publisher A so much better than her books by Publisher B?' Which, I guess, I just did it, but it's Robin D. Owens, so let's not think about it too hard, m'kay?

Anyway, the email was short and Owens was nice and said she was sorry I didn't like it and directed me to excerpts for the next book. I'm not gonna be reading those excerpts for three reasons.

1. Sometimes I'll read an excerpt, like if it's for book 2 at the end of book 1, but then I'll start reading book 2 when it comes out and I get confused because it'll be familiar. I read at least, at least, 300 books a year. I don't always remember what I've read so if something seems familiar, I have to double-check my GoodReads account to make sure I didn't read it as an ARC or something. Therefore, as a general rule, I don't seek out excerpts.


2. When I do read excerpts from a book, it generally shapes my opinion of the book. So if I wrinkle my nose at the excerpt, I'm likely to pass on the book. Since I've already been disappointed, I don't want to take the chance that something in the excerpt will send up red flags. As long as I don't look, I can continue to live in hope. 


3. A book by Robin D. Owens is on my auto-read list. Smart Bitches, Dear Author, Romantic Times, GoodReads, whoever, could all say Book X by Owens is made from remnants from the Staten Island landfill and sprinkled with bat guano and my reaction will be 'Really? That's kinda extreme. I better read it to find out if it's true.' I might not buy it, but I'd definitely read it. Hell, I'm still up to date on Lora Leigh and Laurell K Hamilton, and I think we can agree some of their books were heavily flavored with bat guano.

Re-reading this post. Was there a point to this? What's a good ending? I don't know. I'm slowly coming down from the high of ROBIN D. OWENS EMAILED ME. *sigh* I'm totally gonna make an ass of myself in July...

Review: Enchanted Again by Robin D. Owens

It is well known by those who follow me on my personal twitter that I have a deep love for Robin D. Owens's books. If I had to rank my top three favorite authors, it'd probably be Nalini Singh, Robin D. Owens and then Shelly Laurenston. So trust me when I say that I am incapable of giving this book anything below four stars. Because, honestly, it probably deserves three. Maybe even lower.

It hurts me to write that.

I liked the first book, Enchanted No More, I did! This is the feedback I sent to our buyer at the time:

 I  almost don't want it to be published so that it stays mine forever. I am trying to come up with words to adequately describe it, but I'm failing miserably. It's much better than the Llandra series and reminds me of that feeling I get when I watch the Harry Potter movies or the Dresden Files or Being Human. Like, the magic's really real. I _believe_. So great.

I can even tell you exactly where I was when I started reading Enchanted No More. I was in the horrifically dusty annex, on a lunch break from compiling an inventory of ancient periodicals, huddled over my iPad, eating a Subway's tuna on whole wheat.

Maybe my expectations were too high? I don't know.

In any case, something went horribly awry in Enchanted Again. All I can tell you is that it happened somewhere in the middle of the book and probably involved the hero. I wish I could point to some specific thing and be all 'Oh, if only Owens had fixed that,' but I can't. It was more like a gradual realization that the book was going off the rails. If this had been any other author than Owens, I likely wouldn't have finished it.

If you haven't read Enchanted No More, don't bother with this one because while it's only loosely connected to the first book, the assumption is made you already understand the rules behind this world. I liked the brownies, but the hero came off as kinda child-ish and sometimes I just wanted to grab the heroine by the shoulders & shake her.

I will read the third book when it comes out because it's Robin D. Owens, but I will probably be a little scared. And that makes me sad.

Waiting on in 2011

I'm in an unique position with regards to book publication dates since I receive & read so many ARCs. Still, there are some books that I won't get due to the fame of the author or because it's not a romance.

The biggest book that I'm looking forward to is Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh. I twigged onto Hawke & Sienna back in book 3 and I'm dying to see how Nalini writes them. I was a little hesitant about tthhe relationship due to the age difference, but my faith in Nalini is such that I know all my doubts will be swept aside. At RomCon, Nalini talked about how Kiss of Snow brings the first overall series arc to a conclusion. I can't wait to find out more about the Ghost and how Silence is going to fall. I also think Sascha gives birth in Kiss of Snow and I'm dying to meet the first member of the new generation.

On the YA front, there are a lot of great sequels on the horizon. Trial by Fire, the next book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The long overdue book in L.J. Smith's Nightworld series. Kiersten White's sequel to Paranormalcy will be released in the fall. I've also been reading Colleen Houck's books. Since Ms. Houck self-published before getting picked up by Splinter, I was able to get my hands on the second book in the series. I'm interested to see where the third book is going to go.

There are also the authors for whom I'm waiting their yearly book. Ilona Andrews, for example. I can't wait to see what happens next for Curran & Kate or on the 'Edge.' Robin D. Owens' Celta book will be released during the summer and, according to her website, there may be an anthology too!  Patricia Briggs' latest book is a must-read and I'm always curious to read a new Laurell K. Hamilton, despite the erratic nature of the books' quality. J.R. Ward releases Lover Unleashed at the end of March and Charlaine Harris has Dead Reckoning in May. I'm also anxious for the next Breed book in Lora Leigh's series.

We know I've already read it, but I'm looking forward to Thea Harrison's May release of Dragon Bound. My copy is falling to pieces and I need something pretty for my shelf! If the buzz is getting you excited, Dear Author is giving away copies of the ARC to commenters.

Laydowns for 12/21/10

Dark Harvest - Karen Harper (QP reprint)

Seducing a Vampire - Michele Hauf

Trouble - Linda Howard (MM reprint)

Ignited by Passion - Brenda Jackson (MM reprint)

Hawk's Way Rebels - Joan Johnston (MM reprint)

Prelude to a Scandal - Delilah Marvelle (I wasn't thrilled by this one. Not by a long shot. The premise involves the hero suffering from sexual addiction. As those of us based in reality know, addiction isn't ever really cured. However, the hero is miraculously healed by the power of the heroine's love and no longer has the slightest craving. Bull. Shit. The second book in the series is so, so, so much better.)

Caine's Reckoning - Sarah McCarty (MM release)

Enchanted No More - Robin D. Owens (As previously mentioned, I really enjoy Robin D. Owens' books and this one was no exception. However, it only got 2 stars at Romantic Times. I think the key here is to read this book like it's not a standalone. There will be backstory you are probably missing and there will be some loose ends for the next book to tie up.)

Laydowns for 12/07/10

No Place to Run - Maya Banks

Goddess of Legend - P.C. Cast (in To Be Read journal)

Outrageously Yours - Allison Chase (in To Be Read journal)

Mine Until Morning - Jasmine Hayes

Dreams of Desire - Cheryl Holt

Explosive - Beth Kery

Star of the Morning - Lynn Kurland (MM release)

Nauti Nights - Lori Leigh (MM release. So very hot & steamy. Leigh writes passion extraordinarily well.)

Sex on the Slopes - Susan Lyons

Heart Fate - Robin D. Owens (MM release. Robin D. Owens is one of my favorite authors and this is a pretty good title. Both the hero & heroine suffer from emotional wounds and they heal together. Rec'd if you haven't read it already.)

Border Lord & Lady - Beatrice Small (MM reprint)

Day of the Dragon - Rebecca York (in To Be Read Journal)