No Neutral Ground, Book I of the Such as These Trilogy
Kally Jo SurbeckFantasy romance
Available from New Concepts Publishing
ISBN: 1-58608-984-6
November 2006
| Men and women ruled equally on a High Council for Arrcadea keeping their world in harmony--then the men took over. That’s part of the base for this wonderful story that reads like a medieval romance. Belle is the Command Master of the forces of Edderis.. She and the female forces, the Adh Sidha, are charged with a Sacred Trust to ensure no one group of people gains control of their world. Xander is a warrior with a heart who has fought for the self-proclaimed king, Rulon VII, finally earning the right to become Baron of his mother’s family land bordering that of Belle and her family. An evil group, the Toom Kirk, is comprised partly of Belle’s biological father who abused her mother in horrendous ways, Xander’s father who debased everyone in the family and others just as vile who want turn Arrcadea into their own personal playground.
The end result is a wonderfully written tale. The story of Xander and Belle’s family is fleshed out throughout so that we aren’t overwhelmed with the nastiness of their respective sires. The love story is believable and makes us proud of the couple as they build a real relationship. Belle’s mother Lady Abigail and Xander’s sister Callista, victims of horrors perpetrated by their respective husband and father are well developed as they deal with their past in their own way. This novel is built like a puzzle so that we find little pieces that flesh it out when we aren’t even feeling any empty spots. When Ms. Surbeck gives them to us it just adds to our knowledge of the characters and the depth of the plot. This story is an excellent blend of romance and fantasy that I hated to see end. Luckily it looks like it’s only the first of a Trilogy and I’ll be able to read more about these great warriors and their friends as they build their relationships and their world.
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Reviewer: Dee Dailey |
