Those who love sci-fi will find this a rollicking and sensual tale and today you'll be getting a glimpse of this third installment in the Cy'ren Rising series. On this New Year's Eve holiday you'll learn about Sunsinger by Robyn Bachar through my impressions of it as well as by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. You'll also learn a bit about Ms. Bachar through my interview with her. To ring in the holiday right you'll also have the chance to win a $25 bookstore GC just by filling out the form below! So let's get this party started......
First, I hope everyone has a safe, awesome New Year’s Eve. There’s a bottle of moscato with my name on it. ;-)
TSP: Knowing what you do now about the publishing business, would you have done anything different career-wise?
RB: I would’ve put my royalties in a separate bank account, though that’s more a lesson I learned from my divorce. Really I’ve enjoyed working with my publisher, and I’ve been fortunate to work with great editors and an amazing cover artist.
TSP: The majority of your books are sci-fi/paranormal in nature, what draws you to those genres?
RB: Swords. Aside from swords, I have a lifelong love of the paranormal and science fiction, so writing these stories allows me to express that. My muse has the philosophy that “if you like it, then you should put a spell in it”.
TSP: Beyond its synopsis, what do you want us to know about Sunsinger?
RB: This book was SO MUCH FUN to write. It has intrigue, space battles and drama, and it was a great feeling to give the trilogy a happy-ever-after—though I did put all the characters through hell to get there. I’m particularly proud of a scene in Sunsinger with Talena from the first book and Sabine from the second book, where they get to show off how much they’ve grown.
TSP: Which of your books would you like to see made into a movie and who would play the main couple?
RB: Oooooh. I love this question! I always dream-cast my characters as part of the plotting process. For Sunsinger, I picture Lord Degalen as a Cy’ren version of Ben Whishaw as Q in Skyfall, wandering around in an extra-small cardigan and skinny jeans, drinking coffee and poking at computers. I picture Malcolm like a Latino version of Tom Mison’s Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow. I picture Andee as a Cy’ren Gina Carano—gorgeous and able to kill you with her thighs.
TSP: Of all the heroes you've written, who's the most heroic in your opinion?
RB: Lex in the Bad Witch books is my paladin. He always does the right thing, even when I’m about to strangle him for being too damn good. Dack in the Cy’ren books is a bit like him, though he has more rogue to him.
TSP: How would you describe your ideal hero?
RB: When I’m reading (and often when I’m writing), I love a good, damaged angst-ridden hero. The kind who is terribly scarred by his past and believes he doesn’t deserve to love again. Traumatized heroes are my catnip.
TSP: How has the continuing digital revolution affected your career and how you market yourself?
RB: Social media has taught me the value of not posting while angry. There were a TON of things I wanted to post during my divorce, but I reminded myself that my readers are there to hear about my writing, not my personal drama. I try to include interesting tidbits about my life (or at least cute pictures of my puppy), and to share things that I find interesting. Overall, I made a decision that I want to spend my time and energy on positive messages. It’s more valuable to me to share something I love and enjoyed with my readers than something I didn’t.
TSP: My site's all about favorite things....so what are your favorite things/the things you can't live without?
RB: Coffee and books! Coffee is essential to life, and I’ve always loved reading. :-)
The lord.
The sole survivor of the Sunsinger massacre, Lord Degalen Fairren spends his days reading tales of the family he never knew. When a rival house threatens to enslave Cyprena, Galen is forced to pull his nose out of his books and enter into an alliance with House Morningstar, and a dangerous mission to save his world.
The assassin.
Lady Andelynn Harrow isn’t House Morningstar’s eldest or prettiest daughter, but she is the deadliest. After her father’s murder, Andee must defend her new house and mate—the shy, reluctant Galen—but every battle risks revealing her terrible secret.
The slave.
Malcolm gets his first taste of freedom when the Cy’ren recruit him to locate the cure to a deadly virus—and feels the burn of desire for Galen, the lord he can never have, and for Andee, who awakens memories of a long-lost first love.
The danger they face fuels the heat between them, but with Cyprena’s fate hanging in the balance, the race to find the cure could come with devastating costs.
The sole survivor of the Sunsinger massacre, Lord Degalen Fairren spends his days reading tales of the family he never knew. When a rival house threatens to enslave Cyprena, Galen is forced to pull his nose out of his books and enter into an alliance with House Morningstar, and a dangerous mission to save his world.
The assassin.
Lady Andelynn Harrow isn’t House Morningstar’s eldest or prettiest daughter, but she is the deadliest. After her father’s murder, Andee must defend her new house and mate—the shy, reluctant Galen—but every battle risks revealing her terrible secret.
The slave.
Malcolm gets his first taste of freedom when the Cy’ren recruit him to locate the cure to a deadly virus—and feels the burn of desire for Galen, the lord he can never have, and for Andee, who awakens memories of a long-lost first love.
The danger they face fuels the heat between them, but with Cyprena’s fate hanging in the balance, the race to find the cure could come with devastating costs.
“Greetings, Lord Degalen. I trust you are calling for instructions on how to return my property.” The vid screen remained dark—apparently Archivist de la Cruz didn’t trust anyone with his image.
“Malcolm is not property. He is a free citizen of Cyprena.”
“According to the latest reports, Cyprena is no longer a free world. Lord Bildanen has returned your planet to the Syndicate, under his rule as High Lord.”
Galen scowled, imagining wringing Bildanen’s traitorous neck. “Lord Bildanen’s rule is not recognized by my house. But I did not contact you to discuss Cy’ren politics.”
Chuckling crackled over the speakers. “No, you called to bargain for keeping Malcolm yourself. I understand that both you and Lady Andelynn are fond of young Malcolm. He is quite…entertaining, but he is not for sale. Malcolm is too valuable for me to part with.”
A growl rumbled from Galen’s chest, but he bit his temper back. Of course Andee was fond of Malcolm. Everyone was fond of him—he was shy but endearing, and tempting in ways that a Cy’ren lord should certainly not think about.
“I require Malcolm’s aid, and he requires access to the Collective in order to provide that aid. What will it take to restore his access?”
“Return him to me, and I will restore his access.”
“Unacceptable.”
“Malcolm is my property. That is non-negotiable. I could be persuaded to lease him to you, for, say, six standard months,” the archivist proposed. “That should be long enough for you to conduct your business, but after that I will collect my property.”
“Malcolm is not property. He is a free citizen of Cyprena.”
“According to the latest reports, Cyprena is no longer a free world. Lord Bildanen has returned your planet to the Syndicate, under his rule as High Lord.”
Galen scowled, imagining wringing Bildanen’s traitorous neck. “Lord Bildanen’s rule is not recognized by my house. But I did not contact you to discuss Cy’ren politics.”
Chuckling crackled over the speakers. “No, you called to bargain for keeping Malcolm yourself. I understand that both you and Lady Andelynn are fond of young Malcolm. He is quite…entertaining, but he is not for sale. Malcolm is too valuable for me to part with.”
A growl rumbled from Galen’s chest, but he bit his temper back. Of course Andee was fond of Malcolm. Everyone was fond of him—he was shy but endearing, and tempting in ways that a Cy’ren lord should certainly not think about.
“I require Malcolm’s aid, and he requires access to the Collective in order to provide that aid. What will it take to restore his access?”
“Return him to me, and I will restore his access.”
“Unacceptable.”
“Malcolm is my property. That is non-negotiable. I could be persuaded to lease him to you, for, say, six standard months,” the archivist proposed. “That should be long enough for you to conduct your business, but after that I will collect my property.”
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Picking up where the previous book in the series left off, there's danger everywhere as the Houses are under attack from one of their own who's bent on total domination. To acheive that goal he's ready to unleash a bio-weapon recently discovered in the previous book. With the other Houses bowing down under the threat it's up to the House Morningstar to fight back with the help of Lord Galen, the lone heir of House Sunsinger, who's set on marrying Andee of House Morningstar. While theirs is an unexpected coupling it sets the stage for a complete change of the ways of their people when it comes to slavery, the role of women in battle, and the right to have a male mate. Aiding in these dramatic changes is the slave and computer whiz Malcolm, who's taken sanctuary with them but is still being controlled by a possessive man who's willing to rent him to the highest bidder. Their triad may be frowned upon by others but together they're a formidible team not afraid to sacrifice themselves for their people and each other.
Andee is a strong and capable woman who doesn't hesitate to run into the middle of a fight. She's not considered the pretty sister in her family and is therefore shocked by Galen's attentions. She's attracted to him too but fears that her secret of being an empath as well as other abilities will scare him or turn her into a pawn for others to use. Andee's an outgoing female quite comfortable talking about and engaging in sex which has her taking the lead in many of their erotic encounters. That's not the case for Galen who's a shy virgin. His only experience was a kiss with a young man that led to shame amidst his family covering the incident up. He's more comfortable in a library and prefers studying people as opposed to being around them. He's pale and lacks muscles but his authoritative presence and surety in a crisis are invaluable in their secret journey to find a cure. He's drawn to Andee and her calming and understanding nature and is quick to show his possessive side towards her. Being with just her though leads to frustration for him as he lets his thoughts of betrayal to his family name and new mate caused by a brief kiss with Malcolm consume him. It's not until Andee and Malcolm take control and reassure him of the rightness in loving another person that he finally allows himself to live his life for himself. He feels safe in the presence of both of them and it leads to sweet and sensual discoveries. Malcolm is a human slave who's dealt with loss and has finally found a sense of safety within the House Morningstar. He tries to ignore his attraction to Galen at first but jumps at the chance to be with him and Andee once she suggests it. He's quite comfortable in his role of teacher to Galen when it comes to sex and Malcolm is very enthusiastic in his role. He's a bit twitchy at times, a bit sickly too, but is a maestro when connecting to a computer. His constant talk of data streams is humorous and belie his fears of being returned to his master. Along the dangerous journey into the traitor's realm his life is put in jeopardy and he discovers some unsettling truths that could lead to a whole new series of books. Malcolm was an endearing character reminiscent of a mad scientist, but sexier.
This was an exciting sci-fi thrill ride full of battles from above and below. These battles were fast-paced, exhilarating, and kept me on the edge of my seat. Characters from the previous books had large roles in this story and with so many names things became confusing at times. I was often left frustrated trying to remember who was related to who and for this reason I recommend these books be read in order. The villain was truly nefarious and his plan included lots of twist and turns that brought out even more traitors. Amidst these bloody battles was a satisfying and erotic romance between three very different people who were perfect together. There was a nice balance to allow their relationship to evolve realistically while keeping the action flowing at a rapid and pulse pounding pace. From start to finish this was an engaging story with a definitive HEA. Though I see possibilities for more I'm not sure that will happen as this series is billed as a trilogy. Wherever Ms. Bachar decides to go though, I'll definitely follow.
My rating for this is a B+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Robyn Bachar enjoys writing stories with soul mates, swords, spaceships, vampires, and gratuitous violence against the kitchen sink. Her paranormal romance Bad Witch series, historical paranormal romance series Bad Witch: The Emily Chronicles, and spicy space opera romance trilogy Cy’ren Rising are available from Samhain Publishing. Her books have finaled in PRISM Contest for Published Authors, the Passionate Plume Contest, and twice in the EPIC eBook Awards.
As a gamer, Robyn has spent many hours rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors, and slaying creatures in mmorpgs.
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BLOG: http://therobyn.blogspot.com/
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GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/
LIBRARYTHING: http://www.librarything.com/
SHELFARI: http://www.shelfari.com/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/
As a gamer, Robyn has spent many hours rolling dice, playing rock-paper-scissors, and slaying creatures in mmorpgs.
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/
BLOG: http://therobyn.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/
GOOGLE+: http://google.com/+
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/
LIBRARYTHING: http://www.librarything.com/
SHELFARI: http://www.shelfari.com/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/
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