Review: Marvelous fantasy set in a parallel elven world
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2012
I have to say that Ninth Crossing: Discovery grabbed my attention on page one of the prologue, with Reagan Sullivan and Ian Maitland waking up in a medieval dungeon in Bulgaria. How they got there, and what their fate would be, was the storyline of Ninth Crossing, a very creative and well written fantasy romance by Kate Gordon.In the here-and-now world, Reagan and Ian were Secret Service agents charged with protecting the Vice President of the United States. They were also deeply attracted to each other. On a European trip with the Vice President, Reagan was kidnapped by a charming Irishman, who introduced her to the hidden world of elves and elven magic. The secrets that were revealed to her would change her life - and those close to her - forever. Unfortunately, those secrets could also cost her her life.I read quite a bit of fantasy and paranormal romance these days. With so many authors churning out books in these genres, it's not easy to write an original, compelling story that stands out in a crowded field, but Kate Gordon has written a marvelous story of a fantasy world existing alongside our own world, paranormal romance, good versus evil, lots of action, and some memorable characters.My only (slightly) negative comment is about the ending. Just before the end of the book, there were some surprise revelations that would clearly set the direction for the second book in the series. Then the book ended abruptly, with no resolution of the story. My own preference is for each book in a series to be complete enough that it could be read as a standalone, or at least that each book provide some degree of closure. This wasn't a killer issue for me, but because of it, I would give Ninth Crossing only 4 stars.I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.