Book Title: The Beastly Covenant
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 238
Author: July Lotus Silvermist
Date Published: 10 February 2012
Synopsis:The Priestess
Orphaned at a young age, Kira was taken to the Temple of Water & Light in the Kingdom of Pisces and placed under the tender care of the Head Priestess. After being falsely accused of her mentor’s death, Kira was exiled torn from all she knows, she carries a forbidden secret which only the Head Priestess should know. She holds the keys that would save her village from the war threatening her home from the East. Quietly, Kira ventures to Dragon’s Cave to offer herself as a sacrifice to a dangerous warrior – a beast – in order to save her beloved home.
The Beast
Tobias, Dragon King of a dying race, finds himself thrust into a foreign world and its troubles. Those of his kind before him who came to Valeria were never heard from again. He wants nothing more than to return to the comfortable peace of his world and his own people. As he is about to make the journey home, his warrior’s spirit stops him. The maiden, Kira, that summoned him lies unconscious and in harm’s way. If he does not help her, she will die.
Review:
The Beastly Covenant by J. L. SilvermistMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is an intriguing paranormal romance. I enjoyed it, but with reservations.
Kira is an interesting character. I liked her a lot as she has an inner strength about her. However, I felt that the author didn't allow her the potential to grow too much. She is a young woman (18 years old), who has been raised by the High Priestess as the next guardian of the Temple of Water and Light. In order to save her people, she offers herself up as a sacrifice when her mentor dies and she is accused of killing her.
Tobias is a character I felt sorry for - he's no beast, but a noble dragon in a man's body. He's one of the few Dragon Kings living in a world that is slowly dying due to war and a curse. When Kira's sacrifice pulls him away from his home and his people, he has no choice. He finds himself bonded to her and only he can keep her alive.
I purchased this book due to a recommendation from Amazon due to my preference for paranormal romances. I must admit that it has taken me nearly 4 years to read this due to my rather large reading list. However, once I started it, I didn't put it down until I had finished it.
As I said above, I did enjoy it. However, I was also slightly disappointed at the storyline. The story is told mostly through the eyes of Kira, though other characters' have their say too. The characters were extremely lifelike and the action and danger Kira faced felt real. However, what disappointed me was that the story (which could have been a fantastic fantasy/romance) was brought down by the erotic component of the story. Yes, it's classed a paranormal romance, but there was very little romance and a lot of erotica. It felt like there were two stories meshed into one. I loved the intrigue of Kira's banishment from the village, but felt the storyline became an excuse for explicit sex once Tobias entered it. The story also had several typo's, but as I write this review, I noticed that this book had been given a new cover and re-released in February 2015. Whether the typo's were found and corrected, I cannot say. I also cannot say if there were any other changes to the storyline.
I am a huge sucker for dragon shifter romances, but sadly, this story just didn't reach me in the same way others have in the past. This saddened me. This story had the potential to be fantastic, if only some of the roughness of the scenes had been given a little polishing by an edit. Nevertheless, the fast pace of the tale had me turning the pages. I reached the end of the story, but it left me feeling a little dissatisfied even though it ended on a fairly happy note. I hate feeling this way about a book, as it ruins the overall enjoyment of the story in my eyes. Other readers may have a different experience. I will leave it up to you to decide.
July Lotus Silvermist has written an interesting story. I think this is her debut novel. I loved her fast paced writing style. However, the flow felt a little choppy between scenes. But, this could be sorted out by an edit (which I hope has been done in the re-release). It will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.
Due to the explicit nature of some scenes, I do not recommend this book to readers under 17 (even though this is meant to be a YA paranormal romance). I do, however, recommend this book if you love erotic, paranormal romances with sexy dragon shifters. - Lynn Worton
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J. L. Silvermist lives in Pennsylvania with her close family and her two outrageous cats: Jasper and Pelo with the addition of two crazy dogs: Blanc and Chaney. When she isn't writing stories or attending to needs of her furry companions, you'll find her reading as often as she can, and learning new things.
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