17 November 2008

Epiphany of Imperfection review of A Restless Knight

http://jen-turner.blogspot.com/2008/11/pimp-book-friday-restless-knight-by.html

Pimp-A-Book Friday!
A Restless Knight by Deborah MacGillivray

Posted by Jen Turner Okay...so I don't have anything for Thursdays yet, and I got busy running errands and other crazy stuff yesterday and didn't make it here. I apologize. :)

But today...today is Pimp-A-Book Friday! What is PABF? It's when I review a book I've recently read and tell you all about it. Now, you should know upfront that I'm extremely hard to impress. Being a writer and all, I tend to pick on things I never would've before I started writing. Sometimes this newly acquired set of traits ruins a book for me, sometimes I wish I could go back to when I wasn't a writer and was oblivious to grammar, plots and pacing...but I digress.

So here we go, the first ever PABF!


A Restless Knight by Deborah MacGillivray

First, you need to know this is THE FIRST Historical Romance I've read since I was 12 and stole one from my mom. :)

But this book was awesome!

It's the story of Julian Challon, an English Knight, and Tamlyn MacShane, the youngest daughter of a Scottish nobel. Mind you, Julian (a.k.a the Black Dragon) is rumored to be the meanest, most dangerous man around...and Tamlyn isn't about to be told by anyone what she should or shouldn't be doing in her father's absence.

I will admit, it took me a little bit to get into this book. But let me say right now: it wasn't because of the writing. Deborah MacGillivray most certainly has a way with words...and she paints the scenes so darn vivid you can see them in your mind. My hesitation was solely because this genre is new for me. The idea of a badass English Knight and fiery Scottish Lass isn't exactly new, but this book tells the tale in such a fresh yet aged way...it made me want to set one of my own stories back in Scotland circa 1296 A.D.

And that means it left me feeling inspired, which is exactly the way I want to feel when I finish a book...

As a reader, I want to be sad that there isn't another page to turn, but completely content and happy that the hero and heroine are with each other, exactly where they should be. I want my brain to be lost in the world I just spent the last few hours in, wishing I was standing on a grassy knoll in a country I've never been to, but now want to spend two weeks in (no matter what it costs me). And last but not least, as a writer/reader, I want to be so captivated, so utterly in love with the sights, smells and feelings I just experienced...that I want to go write my heart out and try to find a way to make my own readers feel the way I do right now.

I can't give this book any more praise than that.

Oh, wait. I can...BECAUSE I HAVE THE SECOND BOOK, TOO! :D

Mu-whahahhaah. Yes, A Restless Knight, happens to be the first book in a series, The Dragons of Challon. Book two, In Her Bed, is just as damn good - and I know because I read that one, too. Right after I finished the first one. And I haven't been inclined to read books of a series back to back for quite some time, especially when it means staying up until the wee hours. (FYI - the last time this happend to me, it was because of this author named Sherrilyn Kenyon...when a little book called Night Play first came out.)

Now, I should tell you there are no dragons in the Challon series...but there is a slight paranormal element running in the books. After all, how can you write about Scotland and ancient Celts without there being some mention of the Fey? I'm convinced ya just can't!

Here's all the skinny on A Restless Knight, a book I would recommend to anyone...even if they think there's nothing appealing about Historical Romance, because boy was I wrong! Which means you could be, too. :P

Title/Author: A Restless Knight by Deborah MacGillivray
Publisher: Zebra Historical Romance, Kensington Publishing
ISBN: 0821780360
Publisher website: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/
Author website: http://www.deborahmacgillivray.co.uk/

Added note: I bought both A Restless Knight and In Her Bed from the Kensington website for less than $11.00, and that included shipping. Also, I ordered the books on a Friday night and had them in my hands on Wednesday morning.

And that, my friends, is the end of the very first Pimp-A-Book Friday! I hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great weekend!

5 comments:

kerribookwriter said...

Hi Deborah,

I just discovered you via the Romance Junkies Halloween Contest. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I'd win your prize, but I'm assuming that I didn't! LOL

Nevertheless, I'm thrilled to have discovered you. I just ordered a copy of Riding the Thunder and I'm in love with that music that you have on the trailer. It just spoke to me in some way.

Just wanted to say "hello" from across the pond!

Deborah Macgillivray said...

I don't know who won. They haven' informed me yet.

Mike's music is so great.

I will be doing a contest on my website site for Christmas. Check back for details.

Hope you enjoy Riding the Thunder.

thanks! RJs rock, don't they!

kerribookwriter said...

Thanks for the information about the X'mas contest.

That's weird that RJ hasn't informed you yet. They have a notice up on their contest page that says something like "Winners picked and contact information sent to authors." That's why I figured I didn't luck out on this one! :-p

Let us know if you're doing a live chat sometime and I'll stop by for a visit.

Chow!

Destiny Blaine said...

WOW! Deborah,

What an amazing compliment, "As a reader, I want to be sad that there isn't another page to turn...."

It doesn't get any better than that!

Big hugs,
Destiny ;))

Deborah Macgillivray said...

Hi Kerri, I checked with Cat at RJ and sorry, you didn't win. Kimmie Lane was the winner.

However, I will be in three or four different contests this coming month, so check back for details, so that you can get a shot. I also will be doing RJ's Winter Wonderland contest starting soon,too.