Book Review: PASSION'S SACRED DANCE by Juli D. Revezzo

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.
 

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

Review:

PASSION'S SACRED DANCE is a paranormal romance in a contemporary setting with ancient Celtic mythology interwoven throughout the story.  Juli D. Revezzo writes with clean, direct pose that flows well.  The heroine, Stacy Macken, is struggling to find a way to save her art gallery but the city government isn't listening so she's looking for an outside investor. Aaron Fielding is a mysterious magic man, a champion, a harshad warrior and all around good guy.

There's a lot going on, a lot to love, including a hot man with a sword.  The adventure kicks off immediately with the heroine being attacked by a silver-eyed, vamp-toothed monster intent on murder 'n mayhem. Luckily, it's the hero to the rescue, brandishing his mystical blade. The action scene was exciting and smoothly executed. Unfortunately, the heroine adopts a bad attitude toward being rescued instead of expressing gratitude. When a man saves you from a monster, the proper response is "Thanks!" not "Thanks but I didn't need your help."  (Sorry, top pet peeve of mine.)

I'm not very familiar with Celtic mythology but I felt it was well explained and integrated. I loved the uniqueness of the magic, which was quite different from anything else in the genre. And the "Swiss Army Knife" weapon really rocked. The Harbingers are freaky scary and served as a great source of external conflict and dramatic suspense.  The climatic buildup continues with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

There's a warm buzz of attraction between Stacy and Aaron from the moment they meet.  The pair share great chemistry, including some fun, flirty dialogue. Initially, there's a bit of back and forth, but Stacy gradually deals with her skepticism and comes around to a new understanding of the world. Love scenes fall somewhere between sensual to sizzling, but aren't as explicit as most erotic romance.

PASSION'S SACRED DANCE is a recommended read for lovers of paranormal romance stories with plenty of fast paced action and romantic love with a happily ever after ending.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


If you’d like to read more, Passion’s Sacred Dance is available on Kindle from Amazon, and coming soon to other venues. I hope you’ll check it out and enjoy the magic!

About Juli D. Revezzo:

Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. Passion’s Sacred Dance is her first romance novel.

You can find out more about Juli D. Revezzo:
Website

Blog 

Like her on Facebook

Follow her on Author’s Den 

Google+

On Goodreads

Shelfari

On twitter: @julidrevezzo

Fantasy vs. Reality of the Druids || Juli D. Revezzo || PASSION'S SACRED DANCE

Fantasy vs. Reality of the Druids and a paranormal romance

by

Juli D. Revezzo

When researching my debut paranormal romance novel, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE, I focused on the Celts for my societal basis and in particular, their druids.

There’s an awful lot written about the druids for all that we don’t know much about them. Some of it, one could argue, is a bunch of romantic whooey.  Many people that write about them tend to take Caesar as a leading authority on them. After all, he lived with them, he walked among them.

Yeah, well, you know what they say about history: the victors usually write it. In Caesar’s case, here was a man that had one thing on his mind: Subjugation. He wanted to conquer everything north of Rome (and some would argue south of it too). Any good propaganda writer will tell you that the best way to do that is to demonize your enemy. In that day and age that meant turning your enemy into a drooling barbarian. Yes, that picture of the wicker man and human sacrifice kinda takes on a different meaning for me in light of that.

Whether or not the Celts really did these horrid things is going to be hard to prove. No matter how many scholars comb through the evidence, we’ll probably always argue it.

That aside, the Celts were no mere barbarian raiders (though they are famous for their cattle raids). These were the artisans who created beautiful shields and brooches in bronze, the men and women walked across Europe to finally settle in the British Isles. These are the peoples of the heroic age. Descriptions of the courageous qualities of their gods and heroes—Arthur, Owain, Lugus, the Morrigan, Scathatch, among many others—remain in the tales that even the scribes of the Common Era couldn’t muffle. And while a few of their stories might feature headless figures, the bulk of their tales talk about heroics the likes of which Perseus might be hard pressed to meet.

This heroic, artistic and noble side of this ancient people is what inspired me to set them into the story of PASSION’S SACRED DANCE. I just gave their druids (and warriors) a little more magic than the real life druids had. ;)

Would you like their story for yourself? Okay.

Blurb:

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

Excerpt:

Stacy spied a few tattooed men and women gathered around a small table, discussing a class while slurping cups of coffee. One woman sitting with them had silvery gray eyes that shined like beacons. Hard to miss.

Stacy stared at her a moment longer, trying to figure out the nature of the color—real or fake?  Putting the woman’s eye color down to a set of extremely cool contacts, she smiled and gave the woman a jaunty salute then reached out for the empty glasses lining the next abandoned table.

When the hairs on the back of Stacy’s neck prickled, a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed the woman still watched her. Uncomfortable, Stacy strode to the far side of the café to escape the woman’s scrutiny. Something told her to look back.

The woman with the startling eyes stood right behind her, glaring. Her eyes glowed like quicksilver.

Creepy!

Miss Silver Eyes smelled of patchouli, musk, and some other strange scent Stacy couldn’t identify.

The woman leaned close to Stacy’s ear, and her voice sounded raspy when she spoke, “We will have this ground. This harshad time, Stacy Macken, the ground is ours, and they will never dance again.”

Harshad? How did she know about the harshad wars? Had the time truly come, then, already?

Stacy stared as impossibly long incisors slid down from the woman’s gums like snake fangs. Miss Silver Eyes clamped a hand around her upper arm. Shock pulsed through Stacy’s body, rooting her to the spot, despite her mind’s order to flee. The woman’s steely gaze, the ruby and shark’s tooth earring glittering in her right earlobe, and the dark threat mesmerized Stacy.

“No, you won’t have this ground.” A cool male voice brought the silver-eyed woman up short and the fog lifted from Stacy’s mind.

Aaron Fielding stood before her dressed in casual jeans and a gray, cable knit sweater. He seemed right at home here among the students, and yet somehow he also stood apart.

The air shifted. Stacy could have sworn his leather coat, for just an instant, took on the shape of a golden eagle’s wings.

A high-pitched whine scraped from the silver-eyed woman’s throat. She cocked her head as she took Aaron in, a bemused smile on her face as if she were privy to some private joke.

He retrieved an item from his coat. At first, Stacy thought the object might be a baton, then it changed shape and substance, wood to steel. The innocuous baton became a sword.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside her and Miss Silver Eyes tossed her aside. Stacy landed hard against a table and gasped at the pain. She rolled over, sitting upright, and pulled her knees to her chest.

Miss Silver Eyes threw a punch at Aaron. He sidestepped her fist and flicked the baton-sword-thing at her head.

“Now, wait!” Stacy jumped to her feet and caught the baton before it bashed the woman’s face in.

Aaron grasped her upraised hand, removed it from the baton, and thrust her behind him. “For your own good, don’t interfere.”

Miss Silver Eyes screamed. Steel glinted from her fists as she rushed headlong at Aaron.

He raised the weapon while muttering something in a foreign language.

Stacy squeezed her eyes shut, too frightened to move. Surely, the woman would knock them both to the floor. The impact she anticipated never came. Instead, an explosion of light split the air. Cringing and blinking in the brightness, she saw that the woman, hands outstretched, had gone utterly still.

Stacy frowned as she studied the woman, wondering what happened.

Aaron repositioned the weapon he carried and shoved it into a hidden pocket in his coat. “Stay back.”

He clasped a hand around Stacy’s wrist and pushed her a little further behind him. Or tried. She dug her heels in and didn’t move. Aaron frowned hard.

“For your own good, stay out of the way,” he said.

“Why should I?” Her heart beat a wicked tempo and panic skittered through her.

“If the spell breaks before I’m done you’ll regret it, trust me.”

If you’d like to read more, Passion’s Sacred Dance is available on Kindle from Amazon, and coming soon to other venues. I hope you’ll check it out and enjoy the magic! Thanks, Melissa for having me here today!

 Juli, Thanks so much for agreeing to be my guest! It's been great having you!

About Juli D. Revezzo:

Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. Passion’s Sacred Dance is her first romance novel.

You can find out more about Juli D. Revezzo:
Website

Blog 

Like her on Facebook

Follow her on Author’s Den 

Google+

On Goodreads

Shelfari

On twitter: @julidrevezzo

Works cited: 
The Celts by Nora Chadwick

The Philosopher and the Druids: A Journey Among the Ancient Celts by Philip Freeman

Be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of PASSION'S SACRED DANCE.

Book Review: The Artist's Inheritance (Antique Magic, Book One) by Juli Revezzo

The Artist’s Inheritance.

The balance between good and evil can be an art... or a curse.

Trevor and Caitlin were once happy newlyweds, profiting from Trevor's art. Until Trevor inherits his brother's house, and with it, his part of a family curse. Now, Caitlin will stop at nothing to save her beloved husband from insanity and suicide, even if it means she must embrace her destiny and become a witch.

It’s available at:

Amazon ebook 
Amazon print

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

And in paperback from Createspace


Review: 

If I had to define this novel in one word: SPOOKY. The dream sequences within the story are particularly effective at setting the mood. I'm a horror film/book aficionado, so the story did not leave me overly disturbed. However, I noticed my jumpiness levels increased as the story progressed. In my mind, that's the mark of a successful storyteller.

The Artist's Inheritance is a contemporary supernatural suspense novel with a strong romantic subplot. The story is set in Gulf Breeze, Florida, near a Civil War fort. Juli D. Revezzo weaves an intricate tale embodying many elements of the supernatural, including ghosts, witches and demons. Yet, I'm unable to fit the story neatly into any one particular subgenre. Much of the story's strength resides within the uniqueness of the plot elements and the way the story unfolds.

The story starts off a bit slow, but it really gets rolling by the third chapter. The first chapter really serves as an introduction to the three primary characters in the novel—Caitlin, Trevor, and The Chair. Caitlin and Trevor are a young married couple who's love is about to be tested by supernatural forces. Trevor is the artist of the novel's title, and The Chair is his monstrous creation.

Caitlin is Trevor's loving wife and the central protagonist. She's smart and loyal to her husband, but initially clueless regarding the spiritual disease afflicting her husband with bad dreams and obsessive behavior. Then, his nightmares affect her and she begins to pick up on other clues that things are very wrong with both him and his acquaintances.

Of the pair, Caitlin is the more sympathetic. I understood Trevor was not entirely responsible for his own actions but his behavior made him far less likeable than his courageous wife. He'd suffered the traumatic loss of siblings, including his twin, and the reader receives glimpses of the man he was before the downhill slide began. However, there were points when I just plain did not like him. As the story progresses, you really have to applaud Caitlin's loyalty to her husband and her determined efforts to save him.

Once it gets going, the story's pacing is swift, the makings of a real page-turner. Secondary characters are well developed and interesting. I enjoyed Caitlin's interactions with the coven of witches who assist her and also appreciated the creepy evility of the primary villain. Love scenes are closed doors and I would have liked to have seen the more sensual side of the couple's relationship.

The Artist's Inheritance is a recommended read for any reader seeking a creepy and compelling story of the supernatural.

Author BIO:

Juli D. Revezzo is a Florida girl, with a love of fantasy, science fiction, and Arthurian legend, so much so she gained a B.A. in English and American Literature. She loves writing stories with fantastical elements whether it be a full-on fantasy, or a story set in this world–slightly askew. She has been published in short form in Eternal Haunted Summer,  Dark Things II: Cat Crimes (a charity anthology for cat related charities), Luna Station Quarterly, The Scribing Ibis: An Anthology of Pagan Fiction in Honor of Thoth, and Twisted Dreams Magazine. She recently released her debut paranormal romance novel, Passion's Sacred Dance.

Where can to find Juli D. Revezzo on the web?

Website

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Google+