A Ranger's Tale by @MystiParker #Review #Fantasy #Romance

Hi guys!  Back in June, I showed you the third book in the Tallenmere series - Hearts in Exile by Mysti Parker.  Today, I'm here to give you my review of the very first book in the series as I work my way thru them!  I hope you enjoy it !

A Ranger's Tale(Tallenmere series, Book 1)
by: Mysti Parker

Publication:  Jan. 2011
ISBN : 1612351204
Length : 240 pages
Genre:  Fantasy, Romance


Book Description: 

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage.  A half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his guilty past.  Easier said than done...

High elf Caliphany Aranea leads an enviable life as King Leopold's niece and daughter of Sirius, Leogard's most famous wizard.  Yet, being forced to follow n her father's footsteps and being betrothed to a man she doesn't even like makes her want a taste of life outside the city walls.

As a young boy, half-elf Galadin Trudeaux witnessed his parent's death at the hands of pirates.  After beign raised by those same murderers and forced to do their bidding, he escaped and now lives an honest life as a sea merchant and ranger.

When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap Caliphany while she dreams of faraway lands, Galadin comes to her rescue.  Impressed by his skills, she asks him to train her as a ranger.  Though he is hesitant at first to train a woman of her class, Caliphany's hefty sack of gold finally persuades him.  Unfortunately, her father is not amused, and the two must escape before Caliphany faces a forced marriage and Galadin faces a noose.

From that moment on she and Galadin embark on an adventure of a lifetime.  Only if they can survive the trials ahead, will they find a love that stands the test of time.
Buy it :  Kindle  |   Paperback  | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts : 

Among the many things I loved about A Ranger's Tale, front and foremost was that Mysti didn't waste a ton of time creating her world for us.  I have read a few fantasy books lately that spent 1/4 of the book describing the world while I groaned in frustration.  Thankfully, Mysti went right into creating wonderful characters for us to love and hate.  She did a wonderful job of creating a world around the characters and filled it with seamless knowledge that it was like stepping thru the mirror into Tallenmere.  I didn't have to struggle with names (again, pet peeve of mine in some fantasy books) or what terms meant.  Instead I could focus on the story.  A story that had it's ups and downs.  There was a point mid-way thru the book that I was sooo tempted to sneak a peek at the end to make sure things would end without me screaming at everyone in the book.. Ha! 

A Ranger's Tale is a story of love and loss, of war and forgiveness, of fighting to have the freedom to be what you choose and then accepting the consequences of your choices.  With many characters to love, a few to loathe and even one that you grow to love over time-  I'm thankfully that this is only the first in the series.  The story itself switches between three main characters.  At times, I've found this type of storytelling to be distracting and hard to understand when constantly switching POVs.  Mysti did a great job making the transitions smoothly and I didn't feel any distraction from the story at all! 

If you like fantasy with a great romance thrown in, you'll love this one !

A Ranger's Tale  is currently on sale for only $2.99 on Amazon!  Well worth it!  And also, be sure to check out the rest of the series : Book  2 ( Serenya's Song )  &  Book 3 (Hearts in Exile ) .

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti's other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University's six week free course, F2K. 

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

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