Dream Island

Lady Johanna of Hawkforte is concerned. Her brother took a trip to the Fortress Kingdom of Akora (a (fictional) island nation shrouded in mystery and legend, that has had very little contact with the world outside its borders for centuries. The rumor is that anyone who ends up there is killed, but Johanna's brother Royce thought he might be let in because he has proof that a Hawkforte ancestor married into the Akoran Royal family. Anyway, Royce has been gone a long time, and Johanna is worried. When Alex Darcourt, Akoran Prince, but also British noble shows up in London, Johanna basically stalks him in hopes of information about Royce.
Alex is too preoccupied to deal with this persistent woman. He's got factions at home who want him to show more purchase arms in Britain, but not engage in or commit to any other business or personal relationships. Also, some Akorans want to open up to the world, and others (rather militantly) want to keep everything the way it is. Danger lurks from both sides of that dispute.

The kingdom of Akora is a fascinating nation with well-developed history and mythology. Litton draws from Greek, Roman, Byzantine and even modern times in the creation of her fictional land. Alex and Johanna were great characters. Johanna was strong without being too bitchy or putting herself in danger because she thinks she can handle it. Alex was strong as well, without being too high-handed and controlling. I enjoyed the story of their coming together and found the characters to have realistic motivations and personalities.
I will be reading further in this series. show less

3.5 stars

Even though this is my Random Number Generator month pick, I want to give a shout out to Becca for recommending and being responsible for putting it on my tbr. Thanks!

They stood in the silence that descended, looking at one another. Alex saw a woman of courage and honor who stirred his blood even as she won his admiration. Were he to have no concern beyond his own wishes, he would not hesitate to claim the right to both possess and protect her. For her part, Joanna saw a man who seemed to have stepped directly from a legend into her dreams. Were the world a different place, it would have been so easy to forget all else and yield to the soul-deep hunger he ignited within her.

I was a big fan of the heroine Joanna but the setting show more won my attention for best "character". This is set in Regency times but the author creates a fictional island and people called Akora (maybe Atlantis survivors?) and delivers big time on the descriptions. I was lost into the world the author created with such lush and detailed descriptions of the islands and their culture.

The clash of cultures between Joanna and Alex provided for some fun back and forth but what made it really fantastic was how they both respected each other, even when Alex was stating that Joanna needed to be subservient, he was admiring her strength providing a look into his true character.

There is a slight other worldly feel, the island atmosphere but also the "gifts" that Joanna and Alex's sister possess. I thought the traitor storyline could have been flushed out more and the beginning had a bit of a slow start but I think I'm too used to newer releases jumping right in instead of setting the atmosphere, which this one did.

If you're looking for something set in the 1800s but widely different, a magical feel, and two leads who challenge each, you'll want to hunt for this one. I'll definitely be continuing on in the series to see Joanna's brother and perhaps Alex's sister join in on the HEA. show less

Good romance. I liked the characters. I loved Alex's sister Kassnadra. I liked the way it went. I was afraid they would go one way, but it didn't.