Virginnia DeParté | I am, Indeed

Title: Love’s Red Heart
Author: Virginnia DeParté
Format: eBook
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Pages: 119
ISBN: 978-1618855190
Source: Author
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Series: Love’s Bright # 2
Best Read in Order: yes
Stars: 4
Purchase Now: Amazon § Barnes & Noble § Publisher

About the Book:

In the near future genetically altered individuals live among the wider population, not always trusted, wanted or even accepted. Jill Corban, a nurse from a g-altered family is looking for ways to control her chameleon genes. A vacation to visit her family teaches her these skills and a meeting with Dr. Michael Scott offers her a chance at the kind of love she’s given up hope of ever finding.

Their romance takes a dusty trip through the heartland of Australia, blending tales of the Dream Time with adventure. Is their attraction to each other strong enough to survive the challenges of prejudice, a time stopping rescue, and challenges to Michael’s research programme?

Can their desire survive these events and grow into love?

Discover the beauty of the Red Desert and how the power of love can change a life, for Love’s Red Heart beats within us all.

About the Book:

Can their desire survive these events and grow into love?

Discover the beauty of the Red Desert and how the power of love can change a life, for Love’s Red Heart beats within us all.

See my Review of Love’s Bright Star: Love’s Bright # 1 at Booked and Loaded

Book Review:

For me, the best part of the first in this series was the unique concept of genetic modifications that Virginnia deParté gave her characters, and the way those traits were revealed through behaviors. Mixing those elements with a heady romance and the constant danger of revelation in a society that is not friendly toward those who are different and it was a page turner. Hoping for the same in the second book, I was pleasantly surprised to see many of those elements incorporated into this story with more genetically altered characters tossed into this strange world.

Another moment for a chuckle, Jill is part chameleon, probably the first time I have ever seen a lizard (not a dragon) used to define and craft a character. It is little moments like this, with unexpected twists that capture the enjoyment the author experienced in the story creation that translates into delight for the reader. While the setting has changed to the Red Desert in Australia, we are still at an unnamed future time, about 6 years after the conclusion of the first book.

The relationship between Jill and Michael felt real, as did their characterizations. While Jill is still concerned with hiding her genetic modification and learning to control its effects, the story still contained the same close-minded prejudices and outmoded thought patterns of the first, with discrimination and fear of the ‘different’ being omnipresent threats in the world at large.

While I would have liked there to be a bit more to the suspense, the story moved along quite smoothly, and the characters had concerns that were both particular to their situations and universal. There are moments where you will just laugh at the situation or the conversation, and other times when you speed through the pages of this novella to see what happens next. A great, quick reading series that is uniquely presented, beautifully written and fun to read.

I received an eBook from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the Author:

Virginnia is a writer of poetry and fiction. She lives on the coast of the Bay of Plenty, an
aptly named region of New Zealand. Now retired she has the time to tell of the lives of
the characters who populate her imagination and hopes their stories bring pleasure to her
readers.

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Title: A Talent for Loving
Author: Virginnia de Parté
Format: eBook
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Pages: 95
ISBN: 978-1618856203
Source: Author
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Series: Love’s Bright # 3
Best Read in Order: yes
Stars:
Purchase Now: Amazon § Barnes & Noble § Publisher

About the Book:

Talents come in many guises.

William and Belinda, two genetically altered individuals meet years after leaving the government nursery for experimental infants. Their late development allowed them to escape a life devoted to the government’s defence departments. If their skills are discovered they will be in danger of conscription by the government.

William, whose talent is to move through space between locations in the blink of an eye, has devoted his life to protecting other ex-nursery adults. Belinda occasionally uses her talent, lifting objects of great weight with her thoughts. Their meeting leads to love and a raft of problems both struggle to overcome.

Can they trust each other enough to allow love to bloom? Can they risk the renewed attention of the Defense Department?

A Talent for Loving explores an alternative reality and discovers the one talent neither Belinda nor William can control – love.

See my Review of Love’s Bright Star: Love’s Bright # 1 at Booked and Loaded

Book Review:

This book takes us back to the beginning of the genetic experimentation and actually takes place prior to the first two stories. We are shown the genesis of the governmental planned experimentation with genetic modifications, and the children who show these enhanced abilities are conscripted and forced to perform for the defense department. A truly horrific idea, reminiscent of Nazi “medical” experimentation during World War II, the presentation of the beginning of the experimentation helped in clearing questions from all three stories in the series.

de Parté introduces us to two of the experimented upon in William and Belinda. Both did not show signs of their enhanced abilities until later in life, so they avoided the conscription. When they meet again, both are wary: William has dedicated his life to knowing and protecting other victims of the government’s experiments. His ability to dematerialize and reappear in another location is a cleverly defined talent, which he uses to great effect. Belinda is more telekinetic lifting objects with her thoughts, although she has gone to great lengths to not use her skill, and is very unwilling to trust in William.

Between the tensions the two have between them, and the risk of being discovered as different, their story has a great push-pull, their attraction to one another is palpable but the stress and danger of being discovered is a huge stopping point in moving forward. When they do start to explore themselves as a couple, the dynamic feels real and logical, and you want to cheer them on. There are less moments of laugh out loud in this story than the other two, but de Parté does manage to create a sense of wonder for the reader in the unusual skills and the characters that have these talents. Even more clearly defined is the sense of separateness that the characters must maintain from the ‘normals’ in society, and the concerns they have with being found by the government again provides the reader with a tension that lasts throughout the story as you wonder if they will be found.

This is a wonderful series that provides several moments for thought and imagination, especially if you ever wondered about having special talents or powers: the possibilities are endless, and the author does a nice job of presenting some unique abilities and mixes of genes to fuel those thoughts.

I received an eBook from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the Author:

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