Claire Delacroix

Zoë is quickly approaching her 16th birthday and anxiously awaiting the signs that she is growing up. Not only facing the pressures of school where she doesn’t really fit in, but also knowing she is destined to be this one of a kind female dragon shifter known as the Wyvern. Puberty is supposed to trigger more than boobs for the female Pyr. It should also awaken the powers that seem content to stay MIA.

When an episode of bullying causes Zoë to partially shift in front of a human, her show more father decides it is time for her to attend boot camp. Zoë is excited to finally learn more about the ways of the dragon, and spend time with long time crush Nick. When an unexpected guest arrives and monopolizes all of Nick’s attention, Zoë finds her jealousy difficult to control. As boot camp progresses, tempers flare, and long time friends find themselves turning on one another. Will Zoë be able to fix things and figure out what powers are at play?

Flying Blind takes place in 2024. It is apparently the spin off of Deborah Cooke’s adult PNR series, which stars the parents of the shapeshifting teens we meet in her Dragon Diaries series debut. I definitely feel this gave her writing a certain vibe that you’d expect from an established author of a series aimed at adults. I really liked that, and felt it made it easier for me to connect to the key players even though I’m quite a few years older than them.

I actually really enjoyed Zoë’s “voice”. Especially her list making. As a list maker myself I found this little trait very endearing. Zoë also seems to share my attraction to the bad boy type. Once you meet the motorcycle riding bad boy in Flying Blind you will see why. The romance itself was a very small part of the plot. The book definitely focuses more on the mystery, action, and Zoë’s self-discovery.

I did find the whodunit portion of the book a little predictable, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment in the least. What grabbed my attention and kept me reading was my desire to watch Zoë master her Wyvern powers. She was so used to being the underdog, and I really wanted to see her come out on top for a change. She is a very realistic heroine, aside from the shapeshifting power that is ;) She walks the line of insecurity without becoming whiny or pathetic. This gave her such a genuine feel. In a world where main characters sometimes are just a little bit too beautiful and life is just a little too easy, Zoë is a nice change of pace.

Flying Blind is a great start to a new Young Adult series. After reading the first chapter of book #2, Winging It (available December 2011), I’m eager to see what is in store for Zoë next. show less

First off, let me say that I would classify "Fallen" by Claire Delacroix as science fiction vice paranormal romance. Why? Well, the romance is really a side bar in this plot. If you removed it, the story wouldn't change all that much with the exception of one choice at the end which doesn't impact the rest of the story. BUT, I'm not the author's publicist or publisher, so who cares about my opinion :)

In the year 2099, the Earth is a very different place. In addition to the countless deaths show more from bombings in the First Global War, loss of major metropolises and the massive drain on energy sources devastated the infrastructure of civilization. Soon after, those affected by the fallout radiation were designated 'SHADEs' (Sub Human Atomic Deviant Evaluation) and laws were passed removing their rights and making them science fodder and energy slaves to fuel life for those unaffected. Any child born with any markings, scars, or deformities are automatically designated SHADEs and removed from the parent. In addition, the Republic runs whats left of the U.S. and has ultimate authority over every aspect of peoples lives via hand implant computers, ever-present monitoring, and spies.

Luckily for humans, there really are angels. On the downside, Satan is also real...and the battle for mankind is still on. Adam is a former angel who volunteered for a mission on Earth. To accept the mission, he had to lose his wings, his 'knowing', and his powers. So now he's more human than angel, but still has a mission to accomplish in order to regain his angel status. He becomes tangled up with Lilia when she arrives to his city to investigate the death of her estranged husband. Their investigations lead them to clues regarding a malignant conspiracy and finding the truth may cost them their lives.

There are several things left unexplained in this story. I'm assuming they are 'to be explained' in later books in the series and since everything that truly affected THIS story was explained, that doesn't bother me so much. The scope of this plot is very big, and it's easy to tell that Delacroix has much more to write about this world of hers. As a science fiction read, I found it engrossing and interesting. As a paranormal romance, it would be more of a 3 star read at best.

Delacroix's world is complex and layered, with information and history doled out incrementally as it impacts the plot. There are organizations and shadowy cabals as is necessary in any good science fiction tale of good vs evil. Her addition of heavenly intervention provides a different slant and is likely what garnered the paranormal romance designation. All in all, I liked the story...as science fiction. If that's not your thing? You'll likely be disappointed. show less

An utter horny romantic soufflé of a tale. The 11th century would blush if it were remotely plausible.

When Alasdair MacAulay meets a witch while celebrating a victory over the English at Edinburgh Castle in 1314, he is taunted into meeting the Sorceress Morgaine Le Fee. Instead, he finds himself transported into 1998 to land at the feet of American tourist Morgan Lafayette. He thinks she’s a Farie and she thinks he’s drunk. Her sister Justine thinks this is a perfect chance to get her sister to date.
Unfortunately, Alisdair’s time travel has changed the course of history causing Robert show more the Bruce to lose. Through all the confusion with neither knowing who/what the other is or when they are from, Morgan and Alisdair are drawn to each other. Can this love withstand the stretch of centuries if Alisdair returns to his own time?
Reading this book I felt like I had done some time traveling myself. The present day in this book is 1998 – Morgan uses a Polaroid camera and I was wondering why she didn’t use a cell phone to call her sister when they got separated until I remembered that they didn’t have cell phones then. This story is a wonderful read. I laughed and cried at various parts of the story and you can’t help pulling for these lovers brought together and then separated again. This book is now part of a 4 book time travel boxed set and I look forward to reading the other 3 books in this collection.
A copy of this book was gifted by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review but I already had purchased the 4 book box set based on the description. show less