An elven noblewoman longs to escape her gilded cage by asking a half-elf former pirate to train her as a ranger. Easier said than done...
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 in 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 parents' death at the hands of pirates. After being 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.
Excerpt
Caliphany lowered her hood and smoothed out her robes. She smiled. I admit I’d held a vague hope we would cross each other’s paths again, but I’d also told myself a woman of her class and a man of mine had no business being seen with one another. Even though I didn’t know who she was exactly, the clothes she wore told me she didn’t mingle regularly with us working classes.
She tucked some hair behind her ear and blushed. “Captain Trudeaux.”
I bowed. “My lady.”
“Please don’t bow.” She avoided my gaze and clenched her robe. “You weren’t at the docks this morning. I thought you had gone.”
Razor had started tearing into the rabbit, so I held up my finger. “One moment, please.” I knelt to retrieve him and the carcass before it was gone.
Razor eyed Caliphany when I returned to her side. “I sent my men on to Faewood. They’ll be back by the week’s end. We had some Tilliyan coffee beans to deliver.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’ve read a lot about Tilliya Island.” Her eyes focused somewhere in the distance, and then rested on me again. “So, you’re a falconer?”
“I’m a ranger. Razor accompanies me from time to time. We sell what we hunt and gather. Sometimes I help thin out wildlife. It’s just my job.”
The words rolled off her tongue. “A ranger.”
I nodded, a bit annoyed she found my profession so curious. I killed things for a living. It was a hard, dirty job, one I was sure she could never understand. I cleared my throat. “I’m glad to see you’re in one piece, though still unescorted. Would you like me to walk you back to Leogard?”
She held up a satchel. “I’m gathering plant specimens.”
“As you wish. Well, good day then. I’ve got work to do.” I began to walk away.
“Wait,” she said.
I turned, and Caliphany approached me, opened her mouth, shut it again, and finally spoke. “I wanted to thank you for rescuing me.”
If she was any other woman, from the lower end of society, I might have thought she was flirting. “You already did, I believe, and it’s not necessary. Good day.” I tried to walk away again.
“Wait.”
Razor screeched and puffed his feathers when I turned back around. “Easy, now. Look, Caliphany, it’s really not necessary—”
“I want you to train me.”
I stepped closer. She blushed. I wrinkled my brow and asked, “Pardon?”
The words tumbled from her mouth. “You know how to handle yourself, handle weapons. I want to learn that as well. Will you train me?”
I puffed out my cheeks and exhaled.
Should have known she wasn’t interested in me, just in what I could do for her. “I’m not sure what you think I am, my lady, but I’m no trainer. I’ve got work to do. Forgive me, but I can’t waste precious hours teaching you to handle a bow.”
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a sack. From the jingle inside, I estimated a month’s wages in gold. She got my attention.
“I’ll pay you. If this isn’t enough, I’ll pay more.”
That definitely got my attention. “My men will have to take up the slack. I’ve got orders to fill. But, why would you want to do…” I pulled out a bloody, limp rabbit carcass. “…this?”
“My reasons are personal. So, are you willing to train me or not?”
I scratched my chin. “When can you start?”
A smile flashed across her lips. “My father leaves for Mirrochet citadel in two days. He’ll be gone for a month. I can train with you every day for a few hours during that time. After that…” She frowned and turned her head, then met my eyes again. “After that, I don’t know. I can meet you at the ranger outpost just east of here. My family should not know about this.”
Desperation settled in her eyes, and I had a strong urge to take her in my arms and kiss her until we both had to come up for air. But she stood waiting for my reply.
“L-Look, I don’t know if I should be skirting trouble. Being caught out here in the woods with you wouldn’t look good for either of us.”
She stepped a little closer, reached out as though she would touch me, but withdrew her hand. “Believe me; they would know it was my idea. And with my father gone, they don’t pay as much attention to my whereabouts. So, is it a deal?”
She held out her sack of coin with one hand, and the other for me to shake. I took the gold and shook her hand. Her skin was warm and soft. Damn shame it would be to mar those pretty fingers.
Professional Reviews
Romance + Fantasy = A Winner !!
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 !
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review *
9/2/13 from Momma Chaos: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2TKZAQ463HILE/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004XJ5EI2&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=
Sooo Good I Did a 'Squeeze-Chest-Shoulders-Giddy-Claps'!
Oh wow! What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't crazy about the book cover (actually the color scheme; though much improved from the previous one) but once I started reading I was hooked. There was something hypnotic about Ms. Parker's writing and this was my kind of love story. It had heart, adventure, mystery, magic, twists, and a love triangle that rocked! I seriously did the squeeze-chest-shoulders-giddy-claps with a big grin after finishing the read because I was so happy.
I'm a bit apprehensive about reading the rest of the installments because I loved the ending to this so much that I don't want anything shaken. As far as I'm concern, this book was perfect as is. I was fulfilled. Yet, I want to experience and revisit this type of adventure again so I'm definitely continuing. I've fallen in love with the world of Tallenmere!
Let me tell you why this romance novel worked for me. It was tender, exquisite, passionate, and down right heartfelt. It had the elements of Disney's Brave mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean and Robin Hood in family dynamics and adventure. I giggled, I cried, and I cheered. It really was an intoxicatingly fun read.
Thank you Ms. Parker! You are now on my list of favorite authors. :)
**2013 paperback edition provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
7/29/13 from Jinky is Reading:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UQQRMCWPSWPQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004XJ5EI2&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=
Fantasy-romance with wizards, elves, trolls, pirates and more!
A RANGER'S TALE is a fantasy-romance novel about an Elvin princess who wants more in life. The story takes place in the magical land of Tallenmere where humans, elves, wizards, trolls, and faeries coexist with one another. Caliphany Aranea is the daughter of Tallenmere's most prominent wizard and is the only niece of King Leopold. Caliphany's parents hope that since she is the last heir of the family that she'd eventually take over her dad's job as a teacher in the mage guild. Caliphany doesn't want to be stuck doing the same thing day in and day out; instead she longs to travel to different lands, for all she seen is within the city's wall. Finally fed up with people dictating her fate Caliphany set sails with ranger-pirate Galadin, who saved her from a near kidnapping attempt.
The story is told from three different point-of-views; the first half is told from Cali and Galadin's perspective and in the last half the author adds another person. I didn't really like Cali right away; she came off as annoying and naive in the beginning. For someone who is 100 years old (elves age slow) she acted like an adolescent. Thankfully as the story went on, readers got to see Cali slowly grow and mature (since the book spans about 8-10 years give or take). Let's just say that Cali in the beginning and Cali in the end are almost two different people, but I think it makes sense when one has a family of their own. Cali isn't the type of woman that stands back and let's other people fight her battle; she tough and can definitely hold her own. Then we have our main hero Galadin, he was a pirate turned ranger (warrior/ hunter who sell goods to different lands/merchants) who is half Elvin and half human. He happened to be on his many sailing trips when he meets Cali. He rescues her from a kidnapping attempt and later hired to teach her everything he knew about being a ranger. I really liked Galadin, he had a tough life growing up and a bit of a shady past but eventually got out of that life. Galadin is everything readers look for in a male lead; he's sexy, kind/humble, strong and a warrior.
I really enjoyed A RANGER'S TALE. I love the perfect balance of fantasy and romance, both genres never out-doing the one another. The book was pretty steamy, almost leaning toward erotica if I really think about it but it never once took anything away from the story or its characters. While I liked most of the book, there were two things I didn't like. Towards the last half of the book something happened to Galadin and while not Cali's fault...I didn't like how fast she kind of moved on. She never once stopped loving Galadin but some of the stuff she chose to do was questionable in my opinion and in a way she was stringing ---blank--- on...it all rubbed me the wrong way. Regardless of these two little problems I had with the book, A RANGER'S TALE overall had a good story and world-building that kept me engaged the entire time. If you like fantasy or a steamy romantic story then this is the book for you.
The book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
6/2/13 from Van@Short n Sweet Reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2DN3ODPU1NH8Y/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1612351204&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=
When Sirius, the arch-mage, loses his only son in battle, his remaining child, Caliphany, is expected to take on the responsibilities and duties of her dead brother and succeed her father as head of the Mage Academy. But Caliphany has other ideas.
A Ranger’s Tale follows her adventures as she fights to escape her controlling father and see something of the world.
This is a fast-paced action story with a strong love interest set against the Tolkienesque background of Mysti’s fantasy world of Tallenmere.
Mysti employs the unusual device of speaking in the first person from the point of view of three of the major characters – Caliphany herself and her two lovers, Galadin and Jayden – giving the narrative an immediacy which helps maintain the tension throughout.
The issues in this novel – the breaking of parental bonds, dealing with betrayal and guilt, and ultimately the choice between two good men – are timeless, and the resolution is very satisfying.
This is the first in a series of novels set in Tallenmere. The second, Serenya’s Song, is due to be published in October and continues with one of the major characters from A Ranger’s Tale. Mysti’s fans will be waiting with bated breath.
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