"A wonderful futuristic romance"

Tess MacKenzie is an aspiring singer. Leaving a gig one night, she is attacked by a would-be mugger. Along comes someone to rescue her, a handsome man and his trusty... robot? Suddenly, she is whisked off to an adventure unlike anything she's ever known.

Cohl Travers is an adventurer, always looking for his next job requisitioning priceless artifacts from all over outer space. His latest quest proves to be his most dangerous, and one in which he stands to lose more then just his life.

Cohl's father has been kidnapped, a pawn in one planet's civil war. He must acquire a legendary amulet from a distant planet long ago believed destroyed. He needs Tess and her incredible singing voice to unlock the hiding place for the mysterious amulet. However, Cohl has left out some key information Tess needs to know about his job and her role in it. Danger lurks around every turn, some which could cost them their lives. The more time they are together, the more their feelings for one another grow. Now Cohl must decide... tell Tess the truth and put his love and life on the line, or let her go as soon as the mission ends and suffer the emptiness in his soul sure to follow.

This book by Ms. Barry is sure to capture the imagination of its readers. She has created a world where almost anything can happen. Adventure is a key factor in this story, keeping a good pace to hold on to one's interest. The developed world is beautifully rendered, with enough detail to give a vivid image in the mind-s eye.

Tess and Cohl are well matched, her fierce independent spirit often tempering his alpha male tendencies. As their love grows, one is more drawn into their lives, cheering for them to accomplish their mission... and find a way to hold on to the love they have found. The colorful cast of secondary characters adds depth to the plot as well. From Pitz the robot's superiority complex to the charmer Rayce, and from Cohl's irrepressible mother Adehla to the mysterious Nish's unknown intentions, the reader is drawn into the spell cast with Ms. Barry's pen.

Readers will be happy to know they have not seen the last of this foreign world. Ms. Barry has already penned another story and more are sure to follow. So why not go out and track them down today? This series will not disappoint.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, March 2004. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted March 29, 2004

Author Interview

Winner of 2003 PEARL Award
- Best Science Fiction Romance

Summary

Life on Earth was just getting interesting for Tess MacKenzie. She'd postponed her singing career to support the family business and after eight long years, she finally earned her chance to shine. Her band was hot, her songs were rocking and Tess was on her way to becoming a star.

Things were definitely looking up.

That is until Cohl Travers, alien extraordinaire, swoops out of the night sky and snatches her off her planet. When he says he desperately needs her voice for a dangerous cosmic mission and the fate of two planets hangs on her song, she figures one of them is in for some serious therapy. Tess soon finds herself up to her neck in smelly bad guys, a robot with a superiority complex, an ancient Amulet that could end her singing career permanently and a man who can burn her from the inside out.

Cohl Travers thought he was free and clear of his destiny to become the next ruler of his planet. But when the warring Trakas abduct his father and hold him hostage for the Amulet, Cohl is dragged back to a fate he does not want with a woman he cannot ignore.

Together, they might defeat the Trakas -- but what is Cohl supposed to do about the feelings that Tess has unearthed in him?