Heartmate by Robin D. Owens

All his life, Rand T'Ash has looked forward to meeting his HeartMate, with whom he could begin a family. Once a street tough, now a respected nobleman and artisan, he has crafted the perfect HeartGift, which, in the custom of the psychically gifted population of the planet Celta, is the way a man find-and attracts-his wife...

Danith Mallow is irresisitibly drawn to the magnificent necklace on disply in T'Ash's shop, but she is way of its creator, despite an overpowering attraction. In a world where everyone is defined by their psychich abilit, Danith has alittle, placing her at the opposite end of the social spectrum from T'Ash. But T'Ash refuses to accept her rejection and sees it as a challenge instead. They are HeartMates, but can T'Ash persuade his beloved to accept her destiny by his side?


HeartMate was the first book in the Heart series by Robin D. Owens. It is...interesting. I can appreciate what she was trying to accomplish and I actually did enjoy the book. Here's a bulleted good/bad list for your enjoyment. :)


Good:


The idea behind the HeartMate. I'm not a huge fan of the predestined mate, but I thought the way the concept was handled was pretty cool. It was different than what you usually get.

The world-building. It's different and funky and cool.

T'Ash. He's your typical strong, brooding Alpha hero. He knows who his HM is and he can't wait for her to accept him so that he can be happy.

Danith. She has some cool aspects to her personality that I enjoyed. She's tough and doesn't let T'Ash run roughshod over her.

Zanth. Great character. A cat, but a telepathic one. He was probably my favorite character in the whole thing.

Holm. Of the humans, he has me the most intrigued. I'm assuming he'll get his own story as the series continues. He comes across as a bit of a rogue, which is always intriguing. :)

Bad:

Danith. She's annoying, especially at the beginning. Oh, I'm below him. Oh, I hate him. Oh, I love him. Very wishy-washy and obstinate.

T'Ash. He expected more from Danith than she could give, especially at the beginning.

The word-usage. Instead of calling it coffee or tea, she had to go and use ridiculous words to make it sound more fantastical.

The rules and stuff. I got a basic idea as to how Celta came to be, but I think she should've included more history. Some of it got pretty confusing.



I actually did enjoy this book. I think I'll try book 2 and see how that goes. It is definitely a paranormal romance, but also reads almost more like a high-fanasy with a major romantic overtone as well.

So, I would recommend it for anyone who likes an overbearing Alpha and the woman who runs away, over and over and over again. :)


My Rating: C+