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Celene
Dupres receives an urgent message from her archeologist father, asking
her to
assist him on a dig in the Carpathian Mountains.
Armand has discovered a fantastic find: an alien ship believed to have
vanished
three years before. He believes that the ship could hold clues to
curing a
plague that is sweeping throughout the world.
No sooner
does Celene arrive, however, and the campsite is attacked by members of
ORION,
a secret, anti-alien government organization. Only Celene survives. She
manages
to snatch one item from the dig--a crystal shard that holds the key to
the
alien language.
Celene
tracks the rest of the artifacts to London.
Once there, she meets Kin Raidon, an enigmatic stranger who claims to
be a
private collector. Celene is instantly attracted to him.
He's intrigued by the shard, and offers to
help Celene decode it. Driven by a need to bring her father's killers
to
justice, she agrees.
But Kin is
far more than he appears to be. Is his offer to help her genuine, or
does he
have a darker agenda?
Ms.
Schartz's strong point is in her storyline. The novel moves at a fast
clip that
keeps the reader turning pages. She weaves the story together expertly,
pulling
everything together in a cohesive whole. The mystery is an exciting and
involving one. Sadly, I
felt that the romance elements were somewhat lackluster. Kin is indeed
an
intriguing hero (and kudos to Ms. Schartz for recognizing that people
of other
nationalities can be attractive!), yet his secrets are revealed too
quickly.
The attraction between Celene and Kin loses a lot of its sizzle once
the reader
is aware of Kin's true motives.
Celene
herself is a bit of a contradiction. We are lead to believe that she is
a
world-wise traveler, capable of taking care of herself. Yet, some of
the
decisions she makes seem incautious, at best (for example: Celene
agrees to
follow Kin into a deserted part of town, ten minutes after she met him.
Only
belatedly does she realize that she has placed herself in a potentially
dangerous situation).
The
attraction between the two protagonists is somewhat baffling. There is
the
initial zing of attraction, yet
Celene and Kin never really move beyond that first step. There seemed
to be a
missing piece between the initial attraction and the final resolution.
Due to
that, the ending was vaguely unsatisfying.
Relics is a light,
fun romp with an Indiana Jones flair.
The plot is engaging. I recommend this novel if you're looking for
something to
curl up with on a rainy day.
Reviewed by Erika Sevea
for the Road
to Romance
October 21, 2004
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