Review: Perfect Romantic Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 24, 2011
Dashael is fae, and a thief.  A double whammy against him, as far as Mara is concerned.  Not that it matters what she thinks, since she has to kidnap and bring him back to Queen Nalia in order to rescue her brother from the fairy prison.  Thus begins an adventure across two countries, with bounty hunters, long-lost brothers, poisonous toads, and see-thru dresses aplenty.Characters: ***** 5 StarsMara is refreshingly normal.  A human with no special powers, she still manages to use her assets to their best advantage and come out ahead.  She's quick on her feet and witty, more than up to the task of handling Dashael and his ego.  But Dashael grew on me throughout the story.  More than just a pretty face, he's a man with a past and a story of his own.  You can't help but root for the two of them to overcome the obstacles to be together.  The supporting characters are equally entertaining: a sprite named Piper who always says or does the wrong thing at the wrong time and irritates Mara to no end, a rival thief named Jerrick who's not quite what he seems, a boutique owner who provides the missing pieces to the story and gives Mara some extra support right when she needs it, and several brainless thugs to keep things moving along.Plot: ***** 5 StarsWhile LOVER ENSLAVED follows the standard romance outline to some extent, there are enough plot twists to keep the reader from guessing too much in advance.  The pacing was fantastic, neither too slow nor too fast, and the overall story length was perfect.Setting: **** 4 StarsThe author did a great job developing the world of the story, but I would have liked a little bit more background on the various races and their roles in the world.  The fae are clearly on top, but they aren't all royalty, and humans are apparently at the bottom, but what exactly is the role of the sprites, except to irritate Mara?  I liked the level of description, however, as it was enough to provide a distinct vision of the world without bogging down the plot.Romance: ***** 5 StarsHOT!  Lust leads to sexual tension leads to love in this fantasy, and it's perfect.  Dashael can't resist Mara and does everything he can to seduce her, yet she manages to hold him off until neither can stand it any longer, despite the risks to their lives.Genre - Romantic Fantasy: ***** 5 StarsThis was a perfect romantic fantasy.  I couldn't have asked for anything more!