Review: Rogue's Passion, A Review for the Blog Tea and Book
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 26, 2013
Rogue's Passion is book two in Laurie London's exciting Iron Portal Series. In Book one, Assassin's Touch, we are introduced to a world that has been divided between the Pacifican and the Cascadian. The Pacifican are a modern, technologically savvy people who believe that they are the superior race. They have lost all touch with the "talents" given to their people. The powers in charge, through serious propaganda have convinced the people that the Cascadians are barbarians ruled by envy and will do anything to destroy the Pacificans. As most societies are wont to do, the people believe their government. As we travel further and further into this world split by a portal (wormhole, dimensional gate, whatever you want to call it) we begin to see that not all is what it seems to be.Olivia Crawford is on the run. Ever since the death of her father and the capture of her brother, Olivia knows that the government is not as good as it wants it's people to believe. She and her twin brother were sixteen years old. Way too young to be forcibly removed from their parents and yet because Vince's (her brother)talent had already manifested, he was taken. Because of some fast thinking on her mother's part, Olivia was saved.. and she has been hiding every since. No one can ever know that she is a Healer-Talent.. Her life, such as it is will be over and she too would be forced to work for the evil that exists. Even with a life in chains a possibility, Olivia can't help herself. When she finds someone that is in dire need of healing she succumbs to the need to heal. When she is discovered healing a woman, Olivia's world is rocked. First by the close call and then by a man she knows is not what he seems to be.Asher Kane is on a mission. He is determined to find the man who caused the death of their team mate. Who forced him through the iron portal carrying all of their weapons. Carrying weapons, anything metal, causes extreme sickness (sort of like the bends I am picturing) and that's just if you carry one knife or it's equivalent. To force a man to carry an entire unit's worth of weapons is guaranteed to kill him in the most horrid manner. Asher watched his friend die and now he wants revenge. During his nightly search, Asher watches a shadow running in the darkness and then the entire world goes up in flames. A bomb has been placed and blamed on the Cascadians.. During the bombing Asher is hurt and when he sees a woman healing another he is determined to force her to heal him as well. Only nothing ever turns out like it's supposed to.Asher and Olivia are kindred spirits, each on the run in one way or another. Asher is determined to do his duty for his people.. to protect them as best he can. While Olivia is one of the few who doesn't believe that everything is as they are being told. Together these two have found a way to walk a line between their worlds. Falling ever deeper into each other's spell. Only time will tell if they have a chance, except of course time is the one thing they do not have.The Pacifican army is tracking them and Asher is sure he is putting Olivia in danger. Asher has a choice on his hands, should he end his relationship with Olivia to save her? Or should he sacrifice everything to keep her? It's a hard choice and one he struggles with the entire book.Ms. London reminds us in this story that there is always good and evil. Not every Pacifican is bad and not every Cascadian is good. Each side has their problems..Another fun fact Ms. London offers us is to remind us that not everyone is the same. Asher suffers from dyslexia, a disorder unheard of in Cascadia.. honestly, he has been tormented and teased, even abused, his entire life because he is "stupid" a harsh reality and sweet subplot.. In general this is a good book. I enjoy the characters and will read the series as it comes out. The premise is unique and yet familiar enough to remind us that there is more going on around us than what we are told. I could say this book makes a very good political statement.. and yet in the end it's a story about true love and what choices we make to be with the one we love.ShauniThis review is based on the ARC of Rogue's Passion, provided by netgalley