Today’s Recycled Review is of The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose, which I first reviewed on March 4, 2009.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of reincarnation, so when I discovered this book, I had to read it. This is the first in a series of six books, all of which I have read. The entire series is listed here at Goodreads.
After being injured in a suicide bombing in Rome, photographer Josh Ryder starts having flashbacks to two previous lives: one in 19th c. New York, the other in Rome c. 390 AD. The earlier life is more compelling, both to him and the reader, as he was a pagan priest in love with a Vestal Virgin at the time when all pagans were being persecuted by the now-powerful Christians.
Problem is, he doesn’t believe in reincarnation, so he goes to the Phoenix Foundation, which only treats children troubled by past life memories. Josh is given access to the foundation’s library in exchange for photographing their work. When the tomb of a Vestal Virgin is uncovered outside Rome, the archeologists discover the perfectly preserved skeleton of a woman Josh knows was named Sabina, and a box containing six precious gems that may be the fabled Memory Stones that can reveal past lives. But someone will kill to possess the Memory Stones. As past and present collide, Josh and archeologist Gabriella Chase embark on a life and death quest to decipher the stones.
The plot is very complex but the story moves along nicely. I liked the reincarnation theme and I loved the book right up to the ending, which I found abrupt and shocking. (What can I say, I’m a romance reader. I’m used to the HEA.)
I enjoyed the quotes from famous people interspersed throughout the book, like this one from Rudyard Kipling:
They will come back, come back again,
As long as the red earth rolls.
He never wasted a leaf or a tree.
Do you think he would squander souls?
The Reincarnationist is an excellent thriller and a great opener for a series, just don’t expect a romantic happily-ever-after ending. Still, I liked it enough to read the sequel, The Memorist, which I loved. I recommend this series highly.
Ancient Mythology compared to Sexy Mythology
By Sheri Fredricks
Many thanks to Linda for hosting me on her blog today.
Greek mythology, both in art and literature, believed mythological beings once inhabited the Earth. They were god-like, creatures and people to be worshipped as deities.
With thousands of artifacts pointing to the possibility of their existence, I wonder if mythics did indeed exist at one time. At one time, there were dinosaurs. Chinese history proclaims an emperor long dead had kept dragons. So why not mythological beings?
In my modern mythic romances, I give history a little twist and go out on a limb. Rhycious, in Remedy Maker, is born as a sexy shape shifting Centaur descended from ancient Greece. Like people everywhere, his ancestors left their country to find a new life elsewhere. They settled in the Boronda Forest.
Before I started writing this novel, my knowledge of Greek mythology was limited to what I learned in school. To educate myself, I dug into the research and crammed my head with TMI facts. Never boring, the intrinsic belief held for these beings fascinated me at each site I viewed.
And let’s face it—who wouldn’t want to meet a hot Centaur or sexy Wood Nymph?
Blurb:
Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.
He’s the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.
Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.
Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn’t push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.
When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.
Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?
Here’s an excerpt. Rhycious (shapeshifting centaur) is with his Amish friend Samuel when he meets Patience (wood nymph) for the first time:
“You ever see her before?”
“No, I haven’t.” Rhy ran his hands down both bare legs and a slender exposed arm. He checked for broken bones, noting her supple skin and a clean woodsy scent.
Her blouse had an unusual design, made of homespun fibers. It had a diagonal cut neckline with tiny puff sleeves, pink and soft. Created from the same material, a short skirt flared, and was embroidered with spring-green leaves.
A tickle teased his neck again, but not from annoyance this time. He repeated the examination of her other arm. Tension curled tighter in his gut, suspicion spread like spilled wine.
Tilting her head with care, he pushed her dark brown hair from her smooth décolletage, sucked in a short breath, and froze.
“What is it? Snake bite?” Samuel raised the brass lantern higher and leaned over for a better view.
Rhy tapped his thumb against her neck. Designs a few shades darker than her natural color marred the creamy complexion. The millennia old skin formation carved its way into his painful memories. It started behind her ear, an inch wide at the hairline, and extended to the other side.
The words choked out of him. There was no use trying to hide his revulsion. “Wood Nymph.”
Sheri’s #RomanticIdea Suggestions:
Romantic Ideas don’t have to mean draining your wallet at expensive restaurants. There are plenty of affordable (and entertaining) things to do with your significant other. After all, it’s the time spent with them that matters. Here’s a few romantic ideas to try:
Go for a hike in a beautiful park.
Go to open mic night and sing your heart out.
Go swimming together.
Stargaze and name the constellations with the help of an app or book.
Try an upcycling project. (See this list of 200 suggestions.)
Always on the hunt for the uncommon things in life, award-winning author Sheri Fredricks thrives on creating romantic adventures.
A former engineering secretary, she lives on California’s beautiful central coast. “I wanted to move away from a profession of inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.” A voracious reader since her early years, Sheri found her brain crowded with stories of her own. “Ultimately,” she says, “my husband encouraged me to write them all down.”
Winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award, and a Finalist multiple times for InD’Tale eMagazine’s Reward Of Novel Excellence award (RONE), she has numerous five-star reviews everywhere eBooks are sold.
Sheri loves to spend time at home and connecting with readers. A computer hutch keeps her focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch will call her outside to play in the sun.
Today’s Recycled Review is of The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose, which I first reviewed on March 4, 2009.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of reincarnation, so when I discovered this book, I had to read it. This is the first in a series of six books, all of which I have read. The entire series is listed here at Goodreads.
