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Hearts and Wishes
Shiloh Walker
Ellora's Cave
February 2008
ISBN#: 9781419915611
Fantasy
Please visit Shiloh Walker's website
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Synopsis:
She is the
daughter of one of the most famous men in existence. Pampered, protected…and
stifled. Holly will give up everything just for a chance at freedom.
Rhys knows he should keep his hands off his pupil. He agreed to teach Holly
how to use her magick, not see what kind of magick they can make together.
But she has the saddest eyes, the sweetest smile and a body that makes him
burn.
Holly's loneliness and Rhys' need lead to an explosive night. But when an
unknown threat appears on the horizon, Rhys is sent to deal with it, leaving
Holly behind. A broken promise pushes her over the edge, and desperate to
escape her stifling life, she flees. But that unknown threat has been
watching — has been waiting. And if Rhys doesn't find her soon, Holly's need
for freedom is going to end up killing her
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Hearts and Wishes by
Shiloh Walker is an unusual twist on what could have been a typical tale of
a young woman struggling to come of age in a difficult world. Only Ms.
Walker world has a society of elves living in an environome at the North
Pole, and Santa Claus set up as an appointed ruler with a council, not the
traditional rotund jolly character of lore. In this story, the current
Claus's only daughter, Holly, feels suffocated, living under the rules and
regulations imposed upon her, so much so that she feels a need to break
free, regardless of the security dangers involved. Enter her father's
second-in-command Rhys, who is also her trainer and unknown to him her
secret crush. When Holly finally does decide to disappear, it is Rhys who is
sent to find her.
This is an exciting story;
the premise might be a little fanciful at first however, the action,
settings and interactions between the characters eliminate any hint of the
superficial by the story's end. The character development is exceptional:
the slow build-up of the relationship between Holly and Rhys makes their
eventual fire and intensity more believable. It is easy to see how the two
could disregard, and then suddenly ignite such a passion when given the
chance.
While it is obviously not a prerequisite to
reading Hearts and Wishes, Ms. Walker does introduce Nikolai (Claus),
Chelly, Rhys and
Bryan in Make Me Believe which occurs in the twenty-five
years before Holly is born. These characters segued seamlessly into
Hearts and Wishes without any additional introduction, therefore reading
the first book is not really necessary to understanding this story. To
anyone looking for engaging characters, and an entertaining story I strongly
recommend reading Hearts and Wishes as soon as possible.
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