Read my review below.
Rated 5 STARS
I’ve read all three of the Tallenmere books and I loved this
one the most. I only wish I had read it
first since I think it would have enhanced my enjoyment of the second and
third.
Caliphany is the niece of the king, daughter of a powerful
wizard and promised in marriage to a man she doesn’t really like. She wants more out of life than easy court
life and raising children. She yearns
for adventure and excitement and experiences outside Leograd.
When her controlling father leaves on a trip she convinces
Galadin, with a bag of gold, to train her in archery and combat. Then she feels that she could strike out on
her own. As the lessons progress, the
two become more and more attracted to one another but deny their feelings.
Upon her father’s return,, Caliphany is thrown into a locked
room and told by her father that he knows what she has been up to and he
insists she will do what he wants. Well,
Caliphany tricks her guards, stows away on Galadin’s ship and they share
adventures and fall deeply in love.
Another man, Jayden has strong feelings for Caliphany also
and wishes to rekindle a romance they had many years before. Circumstances lead Caliphany back into his
arms and she joins the Rangers with him.
All is not what it seems and the many twists and turns keep
the reader guessing. Caliphany has a lot
of guts and she forges ahead on her adventures without thinking things
through. I liked that about her. Sometimes we all make rash decisions and
someone has to help us out.
I understood her confusion over the two men in her
life. I don’t want to give away anything
so trust me to say, she has a lot of decision making to do. She doesn’t understand her cold father either
and has a contentious relationship with him.
There are a lot of exciting parts in this book but the
author gives you time to catch your breath too.
Her prose makes for easy reading and the whole Tallenmere world is
described beautifully.
I urge you to give A Ranger’s Tale a try. If you enjoy a good
romance and a fantasy world you will love this book.
About
Mysti Parker:
Hearts in Exile, Tallenmere #3
Try the excerpt below to get a taste of the story:
Excerpt:
Caliphany lowered her hood and smoothed out
her robes. She smiled. I admit I’d held a vague hope we would cross each
other’s paths again, but I’d also told myself a woman of her class and a man of
mine had no business being seen with one another.
Even though I didn’t know who she was
exactly, the clothes she wore told me she didn’t mingle regularly with us
working classes.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and
blushed. “Captain Trudeaux.”
I bowed. “My lady.”
“Please don’t bow.” She avoided my gaze and
clenched her robe. “You weren’t at the docks this morning. I thought you had
gone.”
Razor had started tearing into the rabbit,
so I held up my finger. “One moment, please.” I knelt to retrieve him and the
carcass before it was gone.
Razor eyed Caliphany when I returned to her
side. “I sent my men on to Faewood. They’ll be back by the week’s end. We had
some Tilliyan coffee beans to deliver.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve read a lot
about Tilliya Island.” Her eyes focused somewhere in the distance, and then
rested on me again. “So, you’re a falconer?”
“I’m a ranger. Razor accompanies me from
time to time. We sell what we hunt and gather. Sometimes I help thin out
wildlife. It’s just my job.”
The words rolled off her tongue. “A
ranger.”
I nodded, a bit annoyed she found my
profession so curious. I killed things for a living. It was a hard, dirty job,
one I was sure she could never understand. I cleared my throat. “I’m glad to
see you’re in one piece, though still unescorted. Would you like me to walk you
back to Leogard?”
She held up a satchel. “I’m gathering plant
specimens.”
“As you wish. Well, good day then. I’ve got
work to do.” I began to walk away.
“Wait,” she said.
I turned, and Caliphany approached me, opened
her mouth, shut it again, and finally spoke. “I wanted to thank you for
rescuing me.”
If she was any other woman, from the lower
end of society, I might have thought she was flirting. “You already did, I
believe, and it’s not necessary. Good day.” I tried to walk away again.
“Wait.”
Razor screeched and puffed his feathers
when I turned back around. “Easy, now. Look, Caliphany, it’s really not
necessary—”
“I want you to train me.”
I stepped closer. She blushed. I wrinkled
my brow and asked, “Pardon?”
The words tumbled from her mouth. “You know
how to handle yourself, handle weapons. I want to learn that as well. Will you
train me?”
I puffed out my cheeks and exhaled.
Should have known she wasn’t interested in
me, just in what I could do for her. “I’m not sure what you think I am, my
lady, but I’m no trainer. I’ve got work to do. Forgive me, but I can’t waste
precious hours teaching you to handle a bow.”
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a
sack. From the jingle inside, I estimated a month’s wages in gold. She got my
attention.
“I’ll pay you. If this isn’t enough, I’ll
pay more.”
That definitely got my attention. “My men
will have to take up the slack. I’ve got orders to fill. But, why would you
want to do…” I pulled out a bloody, limp rabbit carcass. “…this?”
“My reasons are personal. So, are you
willing to train me or not?”
I scratched my chin. “When can you
start?”
A smile flashed across her lips. “My father
leaves for Mirrochet citadel in two days. He’ll be gone for a month. I can
train with you every day for a few hours during that time. After that…” She
frowned and turned her head, then met my eyes again. “After that, I don’t know.
I can meet you at the ranger outpost just east of here. My family should not
know about this.”
Desperation settled in her eyes, and I had
a strong urge to take her in my arms and kiss her until we both had to come up
for air. But she stood waiting for my reply.
“L-Look, I don’t know if I should be
skirting trouble. Being caught out here in the woods with you wouldn’t look
good for either of us.”
She stepped a little closer, reached out as
though she would touch me, but withdrew her hand. “Believe me; they would know
it was my idea. And with my father gone, they don’t pay as much attention to my
whereabouts. So, is it a deal?”
She held out her sack of coin with one
hand, and the other for me to shake. I took the gold and shook her hand. Her
skin was warm and soft. Damn shame it would be to mar those pretty fingers.
About
Mysti Parker:
Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time
wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale was
published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy
romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April 2012. The highly
anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great
reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened
to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series, but is probably closer to a
spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.
Mysti's other writings have appeared in the
anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her
flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also
served as a class mentor in Writers Village University's six week free course,
F2K.
Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an
online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted
#3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY
with her husband and three children.
Tallenmere
Series:
Hearts in Exile, Tallenmere #3
Try the excerpt below to get a taste of the story:
I read them all in the right order and I thought they just got better and better. Maybe Tallenmere grows on you so much that whichever one you read last seems like the best! Mysti's on my page today if you want to meander over: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenny-Twist-Author/291166404240446
ReplyDeleteLove
Jenny
xxx
Thanks so much Jenny! That blog post was so fun to write. I'm heading there soon. Busy morning!
DeleteYou know I wish I had read them in order Jenny but I still enjoyed them all. I love the way Mysti tied all the characters together.
DeleteThanks so much for the wonderful review, Sue! I'm so glad you've enjoyed them all. This one will always be special to me since it was my first :)
ReplyDeleteMysti, it was my pleasure.
ReplyDelete