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Matrix of Destiny #2
Rejar
There is only one thing a woman can think of when looking at a man like him. Sex. But Lilac never guesses that bringing a stray cat into her home will soon have her stroking the most wanted man in 1811 London.
390 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
Dara Joy
29books303followersBlazing new trails in experimental fiction is a top priority for Dara Joy. Her novels break all the rules and have captured a huge audience. Her unique works have gone on to receive numerous awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
January 20, 2012
Edit: By the way, did you guys notice that the dude on the cover HAS NO ARMPIT HAIR?? Apparently, kitty shifters on Aviara don't grow fur there. *lifts eyebrows skeptically*
This was a weird one for me. You definitely have to be in the mood for the crazies. Like...CRAZY loco, esé. I mean, shifter hero from Aviara (another parallel universe) time travels/portals into Regency England and lands as a cat at the feet of the virginal heroine? Oh, and shifter hero has crazy sexytimes powers and can make you come with a kiss? Oh yeah, and Lord Byron is a character, and the hero's brother also time travels/portals from their home planet (he's pretty hot, too). YUP. Leave your logic hat at the door, folks.
So, yeah, I knew that I was gonna get some crazies going into this book. Cool, I was down with that.
In fact, this book would typically have merited a higher rating because, for a large part of it, I was thoroughly enjoying (1) the crazies, (2) the incessant tongue-in-cheek-but-doesn't-he-wish-it-were-between-the-heroine's-thighs-instead innuendo from the hero, (3) the hilarious references to the hero's enthralling sensuality by other characters and the general narrative, and (4) the hero's why-am-I-not-screwing-anything-in-skirts-but-rather-just-going-home-to-watch-over-the-heroine-in-her-sleep confusion.
HOWEVER
It's a bodice ripper.
Like, literally.
Like, he rips her bodice and pounces on her around 300 pages into it. Literally rips it. I shit you not.
Then he uses the sexual mojo powers in his arsenal to fuck her until she faints. I shit you not.
I was like...O__o.
HOWEVER
That didn't even faze me as much as the EARLIER ripper-y (er...raper-y?) scene. Suffice to say that, if sex-as-punishment isn't your thing, then there's a scene in this one that might make you squirm (in a bad way...like I did). That scene really resonated with me in a negative way, and I had a hard time getting back on board with the story and the hero after that.
Okay, so I knew I was getting crazies. What I didn't know was I was getting some rape-y crazies, too. Meh.
What's weird is the hero, Rejar, was otherwise SO caring and tender with the heroine, Lilac, that these bodice raper-y scenes came as a huge shock to my system. I really liked him...other than this stuff.
Lilac was okay...sometimes annoying, sometimes overly naive, but then I reminded myself that she was a Regency virgin who had never seen a bare chest before, let alone the sexay beast that was Rejar. I was floating on this "she's okay" wave until the end where she did this ridiculous thing that had me ready to bust out the sirens for the TSTL Police to haul her ass away. I was like W. T. F.
It all worked out in the end (obviously - this is a romance, after all, and there's clearly a HEA), but I was like...hrmmmm...when it happened.
What it boils down to...
If you're okay with raper-y stuff (which to be honest is actually only maybe 1.5 scenes in a whole plethora of sexytimes - I just am squeamish about stuff like that) and are in the mood for total crazies that included some laugh out loud lines and moments, then you might want to give this one a try.
Some bon bon quotes to whet your appetite...
Rejar contemplates the vagaries of this new world:
...Pox! Who had ever heard of pox? What would be the next horror he would have to endure here?
It would probably be something like beautiful, young women forbidden to have sex altogether.
He stopped a moment, snickering at his own imagination gone wild.
No, that was too far fetched even for this ridiculous world!
Rejar is a horndog (or, perhaps more appropriately, a tomcat?):
Exhibit A:
His feline sights shifted to the young woman who had been in the conveyance with him. The one who said she would take him in.
He smiled slowly to himself. Mayhap she would.
Exhibit B:
...At least he had won the battle with that odd little man who called himself a tailor. He would not wear that ridiculously stiff collar on his shirt known as a cravat! Familiars could not abide tight restrictions about the neck.
Unless it was a woman's arms. Or legs. That was different.
Rejar is a STUD:
..."Why, when I finish--"
"Don't you mean when HE finishes, my dear?" Lady Henry interrupted, from the lofty viewpoint of years of experience with the opposite sex.
"Goodness, no! [Rejar] takes FOREVER to finish."
Twelve pairs of eyes bulged at the very thought.
"Sometimes," Lilac blithely went on, "I finish four or five times before he does."
Virginia Hallston's scissors crashed to the floor.
P.S. This is the second book in the sci fi/fantasy series "Matrix of Destiny." That said, the book reads more like a paranormal historical since it is mostly set in Regency England. I read the first book, but it's not necessary because this one could be read as a standalone.There are only a few scene cutaways to Rejar's home planet and what his brothers (including the hero and heroine from book one) are up to there.
P.P.S. Also, you have to be okay with some abuses of the English language. For example, there are times when the narrative used the wrong homophone, such as "excepting" instead of "accepting" or the constant use of "loosing" instead of "losing" as in "I'm loosing my mind." Yup. You are forewarned.
This was a weird one for me. You definitely have to be in the mood for the crazies. Like...CRAZY loco, esé. I mean, shifter hero from Aviara (another parallel universe) time travels/portals into Regency England and lands as a cat at the feet of the virginal heroine? Oh, and shifter hero has crazy sexytimes powers and can make you come with a kiss? Oh yeah, and Lord Byron is a character, and the hero's brother also time travels/portals from their home planet (he's pretty hot, too). YUP. Leave your logic hat at the door, folks.
So, yeah, I knew that I was gonna get some crazies going into this book. Cool, I was down with that.
In fact, this book would typically have merited a higher rating because, for a large part of it, I was thoroughly enjoying (1) the crazies, (2) the incessant tongue-in-cheek-but-doesn't-he-wish-it-were-between-the-heroine's-thighs-instead innuendo from the hero, (3) the hilarious references to the hero's enthralling sensuality by other characters and the general narrative, and (4) the hero's why-am-I-not-screwing-anything-in-skirts-but-rather-just-going-home-to-watch-over-the-heroine-in-her-sleep confusion.
HOWEVER
It's a bodice ripper.
Like, literally.
Like, he rips her bodice and pounces on her around 300 pages into it. Literally rips it. I shit you not.
Then he uses the sexual mojo powers in his arsenal to fuck her until she faints. I shit you not.
I was like...O__o.
HOWEVER
That didn't even faze me as much as the EARLIER ripper-y (er...raper-y?) scene. Suffice to say that, if sex-as-punishment isn't your thing, then there's a scene in this one that might make you squirm (in a bad way...like I did). That scene really resonated with me in a negative way, and I had a hard time getting back on board with the story and the hero after that.
Okay, so I knew I was getting crazies. What I didn't know was I was getting some rape-y crazies, too. Meh.
What's weird is the hero, Rejar, was otherwise SO caring and tender with the heroine, Lilac, that these bodice raper-y scenes came as a huge shock to my system. I really liked him...other than this stuff.
Lilac was okay...sometimes annoying, sometimes overly naive, but then I reminded myself that she was a Regency virgin who had never seen a bare chest before, let alone the sexay beast that was Rejar. I was floating on this "she's okay" wave until the end where she did this ridiculous thing that had me ready to bust out the sirens for the TSTL Police to haul her ass away. I was like W. T. F.
It all worked out in the end (obviously - this is a romance, after all, and there's clearly a HEA), but I was like...hrmmmm...when it happened.
What it boils down to...
If you're okay with raper-y stuff (which to be honest is actually only maybe 1.5 scenes in a whole plethora of sexytimes - I just am squeamish about stuff like that) and are in the mood for total crazies that included some laugh out loud lines and moments, then you might want to give this one a try.
Some bon bon quotes to whet your appetite...
Rejar contemplates the vagaries of this new world:
...Pox! Who had ever heard of pox? What would be the next horror he would have to endure here?
It would probably be something like beautiful, young women forbidden to have sex altogether.
He stopped a moment, snickering at his own imagination gone wild.
No, that was too far fetched even for this ridiculous world!
Rejar is a horndog (or, perhaps more appropriately, a tomcat?):
Exhibit A:
His feline sights shifted to the young woman who had been in the conveyance with him. The one who said she would take him in.
He smiled slowly to himself. Mayhap she would.
Exhibit B:
...At least he had won the battle with that odd little man who called himself a tailor. He would not wear that ridiculously stiff collar on his shirt known as a cravat! Familiars could not abide tight restrictions about the neck.
Unless it was a woman's arms. Or legs. That was different.
Rejar is a STUD:
..."Why, when I finish--"
"Don't you mean when HE finishes, my dear?" Lady Henry interrupted, from the lofty viewpoint of years of experience with the opposite sex.
"Goodness, no! [Rejar] takes FOREVER to finish."
Twelve pairs of eyes bulged at the very thought.
"Sometimes," Lilac blithely went on, "I finish four or five times before he does."
Virginia Hallston's scissors crashed to the floor.
P.S. This is the second book in the sci fi/fantasy series "Matrix of Destiny." That said, the book reads more like a paranormal historical since it is mostly set in Regency England. I read the first book, but it's not necessary because this one could be read as a standalone.There are only a few scene cutaways to Rejar's home planet and what his brothers (including the hero and heroine from book one) are up to there.
P.P.S. Also, you have to be okay with some abuses of the English language. For example, there are times when the narrative used the wrong homophone, such as "excepting" instead of "accepting" or the constant use of "loosing" instead of "losing" as in "I'm loosing my mind." Yup. You are forewarned.
October 20, 2014
Now's your chance to read this classic. It's .99 cents at until 10/21/14. Just ignore the new fugly cover and all will be good.
Caveat: I wrote this review sometime in 1997. I wonder if I'd still feel the same today?
In Dara Joy's 1996 release Knight of A Trillion Stars we were introduced to the lovable and very arrogant Rejar. KOATS ended with quite the cliffhanger and after waiting for what seemed like an eternity we finally learn the sexy Familiar's fate in Rejar.
Rejar, after tumbling through space for several months, finds himself tossed into a strange place called Regency England where he lands nearly in the lap of a most luscious female specimen. He decides this smelly world that offends all of his senses might not be quite so bad after all!
Lilac Devere was minding her own business when a handsome cat enters her carriage and settles in like he owns it. Despite her Aunt's warnings she takes this arrogant creature home and gets much more than she bargained for.
Rejar is a familiar from the futuristic planet Aviara. He's a descendent of a race of people who can change into the form of a cat whenever they wish. Along with their shape changing abilities familiars also have heightened senses, telepathic powers and extraordinary sensual appetites. However, once they meet their life mate and become bonded familiar's have an unshakable sense of devotion and never stray (remember this is a fantasy, folks :).
Rejar observes life on this strange planet and quickly learns that the only way to survive the brutal scrutiny of the ton is to create a persona they will fawn over. Using his powers of suggestion, he convinces Lord Byron that he is a Russian Prince and quickly becomes the most sought after man in Regency England. He's a man all of the women want but he is only attracted to the one whom he curls up with each night. The one who believes he is nothing more than a cat. But, arrogant fellow tha the his, he knows once she meets him in the flesh she'll fall head over heels in love with him.
Needless to say he's in for quite a shock when Lilac gets rip roaring mad and slaps his handsome face when he innocently states his intentions to "have" her. This only makes Rejar all the more determined to make her his. After all no woman has ever refused him! Just what kind of planet has he landed on?
When he realizes that Lilac is fated to be his life mate and he comes to the realization that he isn't winning her over with his stunning sex appeal he tries every trick he can think of to win her love.
Dara Joy has created a magnificent hero with Rejar. Anyone who has ever been owned by a feline will certainly understand and laugh out loud at his arrogant demeanor. His compassionate nature won my heart and while I didn't always agree with his tactics I realized he just couldn't help his sexy self.
The only problem I had with this story was the heroine. While Rejar was a well rounded character I found Lilac to be rather self-centered and uncompromising. The girl also had no curiosity. I think a hero as wonderful as Rejar deserved better. But, hey, maybe I'm just being catty. In Lilac's defense, I did enjoy her openness which made for some great laugh out loud scenes.
I really enjoyed REJAR for its bawdy and tender humor, scorching sensuality and unique storyline and highly recommend it to those searching for something a little different from the norm. Although this is a sequel it is not necessary to read the prequel, Knight of a Trillion Stars, first (although it is a spectacular book!). I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series when we will hopefully learn more about Rejar's brother Traed and the planet Aviara
Caveat: I wrote this review sometime in 1997. I wonder if I'd still feel the same today?
In Dara Joy's 1996 release Knight of A Trillion Stars we were introduced to the lovable and very arrogant Rejar. KOATS ended with quite the cliffhanger and after waiting for what seemed like an eternity we finally learn the sexy Familiar's fate in Rejar.
Rejar, after tumbling through space for several months, finds himself tossed into a strange place called Regency England where he lands nearly in the lap of a most luscious female specimen. He decides this smelly world that offends all of his senses might not be quite so bad after all!
Lilac Devere was minding her own business when a handsome cat enters her carriage and settles in like he owns it. Despite her Aunt's warnings she takes this arrogant creature home and gets much more than she bargained for.
Rejar is a familiar from the futuristic planet Aviara. He's a descendent of a race of people who can change into the form of a cat whenever they wish. Along with their shape changing abilities familiars also have heightened senses, telepathic powers and extraordinary sensual appetites. However, once they meet their life mate and become bonded familiar's have an unshakable sense of devotion and never stray (remember this is a fantasy, folks :).
Rejar observes life on this strange planet and quickly learns that the only way to survive the brutal scrutiny of the ton is to create a persona they will fawn over. Using his powers of suggestion, he convinces Lord Byron that he is a Russian Prince and quickly becomes the most sought after man in Regency England. He's a man all of the women want but he is only attracted to the one whom he curls up with each night. The one who believes he is nothing more than a cat. But, arrogant fellow tha the his, he knows once she meets him in the flesh she'll fall head over heels in love with him.
Needless to say he's in for quite a shock when Lilac gets rip roaring mad and slaps his handsome face when he innocently states his intentions to "have" her. This only makes Rejar all the more determined to make her his. After all no woman has ever refused him! Just what kind of planet has he landed on?
When he realizes that Lilac is fated to be his life mate and he comes to the realization that he isn't winning her over with his stunning sex appeal he tries every trick he can think of to win her love.
Dara Joy has created a magnificent hero with Rejar. Anyone who has ever been owned by a feline will certainly understand and laugh out loud at his arrogant demeanor. His compassionate nature won my heart and while I didn't always agree with his tactics I realized he just couldn't help his sexy self.
The only problem I had with this story was the heroine. While Rejar was a well rounded character I found Lilac to be rather self-centered and uncompromising. The girl also had no curiosity. I think a hero as wonderful as Rejar deserved better. But, hey, maybe I'm just being catty. In Lilac's defense, I did enjoy her openness which made for some great laugh out loud scenes.
I really enjoyed REJAR for its bawdy and tender humor, scorching sensuality and unique storyline and highly recommend it to those searching for something a little different from the norm. Although this is a sequel it is not necessary to read the prequel, Knight of a Trillion Stars, first (although it is a spectacular book!). I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series when we will hopefully learn more about Rejar's brother Traed and the planet Aviara
July 27, 2010
Okay, Lilac drove me crazy at times, especially for the first half of the book. The regency setting didn't quite seem to come alive for me, we spent most of the time in Lilac's home. She annoyed me because she was so mean to Rejar for no apparent reason. Rejar was very patient with her but even he started to lose hope that she would find her brain and treat him decently instead of using him only for sex.
Now the good parts - mainly Rejar who is sexy as all get out. He knows what he is doing and is a playful sensual Familiar male. When he decides to go all out in the bedroom, Lilac can barely walk afterward :) Plus he is always very sweet and protective of her. She is very young but she doesn't show much sense during the book. I felt a little bad for her later in the book but their problems would have been fixed if they had talked at all to each other instead of only having a physical relationship.
The story itself was interesting enough even if the setting and characters weren't fleshed out that well. Rejar was by far the most fleshed out character and you can tell Ms. Joy planned on writing Traed's story (until she went crazy) because he is such a big part of the story.
So the good - Rejar! The bad - annoying childish heroine. So I am going to give it 4 stars.
Now the good parts - mainly Rejar who is sexy as all get out. He knows what he is doing and is a playful sensual Familiar male. When he decides to go all out in the bedroom, Lilac can barely walk afterward :) Plus he is always very sweet and protective of her. She is very young but she doesn't show much sense during the book. I felt a little bad for her later in the book but their problems would have been fixed if they had talked at all to each other instead of only having a physical relationship.
The story itself was interesting enough even if the setting and characters weren't fleshed out that well. Rejar was by far the most fleshed out character and you can tell Ms. Joy planned on writing Traed's story (until she went crazy) because he is such a big part of the story.
So the good - Rejar! The bad - annoying childish heroine. So I am going to give it 4 stars.
March 26, 2008
I liked this book even if Lilac (the heroine) irritated me to no end at times. I want a Rejar for myself. He's a Familiar; they have two forms - cat and human. Rejar ends up (via a very heroic act) falling into Victorian England in his cat form. He notices a very sexy human, jumps into her coach and decides to go home with her. Rejar is blatantly and openly a sexual being. When he realizes he is in a time of (outwardly) moral chastity, he's crushed! Lilac doesn't want to get married and give a man control of herself and her money. What's a familiar to do? Read this story and find out...but if you read it in public, you may want to have some excuses ready for a red face from both arousal and laughter!!
April 12, 2009
A funny, light time-travel (or would this be scifi since hero also comes from another world?) romance. Heroine is annoying at times, but the banter is funny and sex scenes mostly hot.
February 23, 2013
Rajar is the cat man of any woman's dreams. He is sexually proficient, handsome, and loves with all his heart. There is just that one little off-ness about him; his need to us the litter box every now and then. When this other-world beast-man falls into Regency England he stays a cat till he finds something that he can only concur as a man. His find ? A stubborn, prim, virgin, woman. Poor Rajar, the adjustments are hard and his love not returned. Magic and some interfering old wizard help shift things in the right direction.
This was a light, fun tour through the lives of one of the oddest matches of all time. I found some of the comments from Jackie, the helpful irishman to be the funniest.
This was a light, fun tour through the lives of one of the oddest matches of all time. I found some of the comments from Jackie, the helpful irishman to be the funniest.
March 15, 2016
I love sci-fi romance. This one even had a touch of PNR along with a good dose of an all time favorite of mine, historical romance. So, it had it all. Rejar is a shifter alien who is transported to Recency England. Oh, did I forget to mention it also has time travel? Talk about the whole package. I had so much fun reading this book. My only complaint is that I want more.
May 7, 2018
I really liked Rejar's story. It was funny, sexy and dynamic. Lilac (what a name... I couldn't get used to it.) was a stubborn young woman who literally made Rejar sweat to win her over. It wasn't an easy task. I was tired along with Rejar. XDD Traed, Lorgin, Deana and Yaniff are present to the story too. I want Traed to have his story but it probably won't happen any time soon.
June 10, 2010
This was my very first romance book that I read, LOL!
September 10, 2020
Lilac and Rejar. Steamy! This is not a normal historical romance. I loved Rejar especially when he was in cat form. I enjoyed the humor and how he worked for Lilac's love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 13, 2021“‘Yeah baby!� said nobody, because this was not good.�
--The Austin Powers novelization
You’re laughing. Lord Byron is bros with a time-traveling heterochromatic sexy alien werecat, and you’re laughing.
Firstly, I am not a romance reader. I’ve read romances, but I am not a regular of the genre. I say this because maybe it’s why I’m the only one who wonders how deeply specific weird premises like this turn people on, as I’ve been told about by various con-goers who return with tales of shit not unlike this (but often gayer). Don’t get me wrong, I’m throwing stones in glass houses with my love of pulpy, bizarre horror, and the fact that I have a healthy amount of weird kinks myself. But when you read something like this, you gotta find it absurd, right? Or is there such a threshold of overexposure to the strangeness of individual niche tastes in the genre that there are folks who not only take it seriously, but get all hot and bothered for it? I do at least have an admiration for something that so utterly lacks self-consciousness and instead embraces its very, very specific taste with something almost like pride.
Secondly, this book was given to me by a friend who *is* a romance reader and thought its weirdness was funny enough for me to try. She knows me too well and should be executed before the knowledge spreads. I absolutely read this batshit pile of Regency-flavored horny from cover to cover as a personal challenge to my own waning sanity. Though frankly it’s “Regency-flavored� in the way that LaCroix is “fruit-flavored.�
I also didn’t know until now that it’s technically a sequel, and our titular Rejar the alien werecat had been introduced in another novel, which is also probably why a bunch of stuff about the world of time-travelling were-whatevers (“Familiars�) wound up dumped in my lap with little context. Male Familiars are more than just were-beings, warriors, and time-travelers, though: they’re sexy sex gods of sex who can feel women’s “energy� or some shit and “enhance� their sensuality through some sexy “enhancer.� From the moment Rejar in cat-mode pops unceremoniously into the world of early 1800s London and meets the heroine Lilac (of course her fucking name is Lilac) who adopts him as a pet, he’s zeroed in on her “pulse flow of female energy.�
Look, this is a smut book about a part-animal entity. I know just enough about this loose genre of fetish to have a working knowledge of its horny tropes. Just fucking say it. Just say he’s catching a whiff of her vag, because we all expect some reference to being “in heat� to appear soon anyways. Just like you should say the “enhancer� is probably a big dick that bends just right for maximum g-spot stimulation. Let’s not beat around the bush, pun intended. Queer men at least have the decency to admit frankly that they want to eat a used jock strap. Subtlety is not for books about horny werecats.
But Rejar isn’t a queer man. He loves women. The narrative tells us how much he loves women...lots. In an early scene, a Lord Creighton calls on Lilac’s home and within moments the chad Rejar is roasting his short hair as unmasculine. Real space-cat male beings have long manes. This virgin dandy sniffs disdainfully at unfashionable decor. Joy, in true 90s straight lady style, wants us to see what a limp wrist he is and cringe at his resultant unsexiness and inferiority. Rejar, already territorial over Lilac because he’s a throbbing man-cat-man-man with good hair, promptly trolls Creighton as a cat, and the fop goes fleeing into the streets from a smug domestic pet that meanwhile becomes offended when Lilac, currently unaware that he’s more than feline, pretty much calls him a chonky boi twice.
Little did I know that the attempts at comedy were also foreshadowing of what kind of romance plot archetype this novel would specifically take. Rejar is a sinuous, seething sex beast who worships women with a fixation like he should probably go to therapy for it. Rejar is also just the king of everything. Every manly, sexy thing you can think of, he’s done it and better. He’s a moving wall of muscle with telepathy, Jedi mind tricks, a deep purring baritone that exact sensual cadence you just thought of right now upon reading this sentence, and if you ask him whether he’s had sex in a gondola, he’ll not only have done it twice but also list off the other types of floating vessels he’s fucked on as well. Which is all of them. Probably ones not even invented yet, because time travel. If Rejar’s dick were any more bomb, women would have to take cover in a lead-lined fridge to survive it. His cock would be confiscated as a biological weapon. And I cannot imagine sleeping with a man so perfect because he must be goddamn insufferable. Dara Joy hasn’t created a heartthrob, she’s created a nightmare. No amount of “enhancer�-facilitated multiple orgasms can be worth dealing with him outside of his existence as a sentient vibrator. I appreciate an angle of this fetish being that he turns into a cat now.
Apparently I’m not the only one who shares this opinion to some degree, because Lilac is also unimpressed by his human-form seduction that he inflicts on her in the middle of the night and then finally in waking hours. She does throw him off his game by exclaiming about how big his junk is ad-nauseum the first time he shows himself off to her, which unsettles him a bit to be falgrantly and non-sexually gawked at. It almost made me like Lilac for a fraction of a second, which was a fraction too long. She’s not a good character, and even peeking at a few of the reviews here, I agree with most who admit she’s irritating when she’s not being a beige piece of paper. Lilac is pretty much designated the obsession of Rejar with little preamble aside from some throwaway comment that he senses they are particularly made for each other, and in due Twilight form, this seems verified by the fact that she’s the only one who seems immune to his sheer aura. Rejar initially blames this on too many shitty, non-enhanced dudes she’s boned in the past, making her disenfranchised to men as whole, but it’s never explained outside of artificial belligerent tension for the sake of some kind of arc. Oddly, people seem to dislike Lilac most for being mean to Rejar. Well Rejar fucking deserves it. He smirks around like she’s a silly earthling child who doesn’t know he already owns her, and said smirk is pretty much his response to 90% of the things she does while also ignoring all of her very clear insistences that she doesn’t fucking like him. He’s a beefcake with a perpetual shit-eating grin.
But I get it. People seem to like that, at least in fiction. In real life, Rejar would be the kind of guy who tries to send you a dick pic on Linkedin while prefacing it with flirtatious Ren Faire-speak. He’s the guy who calls you “kitten� and acts like you’re his sub from the first sentence of a PM you received because he creeped on your Instagram out of the blue. But clearly Joy’s fetish is a smug, stalkerish hot manly man who plays dom while she gets to sass him yet also be totally bought into him and his huge, throbbing “personality.� Though if I hear the word “sapskull� or “scapegrace� one more time, I’m going to drop an entire antique armoire on Lilac’s head.
Meanwhile there’s Lorgin and Deana. I’m distressed at how close phonetically Lorgin’s name is to my own. He’s the alien heartthrob and she’s the normie earthling beau from the first novel, it seems, though now wed and heavily pregnant. I have no idea if Lorgin is even all that different from Rejar, as they all try to haughtily command their love interests who seem to be the only women defiant of them, though Deana seems marginally more interesting than Lilac for at least being a nerd from the modern era. (History and scifi nerd from the 90s and the leading lady of the first novel? Probably an author self-insert.) Time travel gobbledigook happens as Lorgin goes to rescue Rejar, who is clearly doing just fucking fine being obsessed with Lilac and swapping actually not all that impressive sex stories with Byron, which I feel like is a form of shitting on the poor man’s grave. Don Juan is based off of Rejar now--don’t check Wikipedia, it’s completely true--and our Familiar has also hired a literal green-garbed Irish stereotype to Lucky Charm him around town in a coach; your brother is having the time of his goddamn life, Lorgin. But really Rejar’s bro is here so that Joy can have a comedic scene between him and Deana that isn’t actually funny. Then they leave and we barely see them again except for more jokes about impending alien fatherhood.
For most of the novel, though, the plot...ish...thing continues in Rejar stalking Lilac and just grinning like a jackass at her vehement rebuffs while also seducing her bit by bit in what she takes to be her “dreams.� Of course, Rejar finds himself completely taken by Lilac, her presence so “calming� he falls asleep on her during a carriage ride date she didn’t even want to go on. Other characters, such as Lilac’s aunt who is, according to the book, “a good judge of character,� ship her with this dude who doesn’t know the meaning of no and already has a reputation as a rake. He also has no personality outside of “male� and smug and “cat,� so I don’t know how this aunt picked up on anything to speak of. The icing on the cake is when halfway through the novel, Rejar reveals to Lilac and her aunt that they’ve been intimate together, and therefore he’s obliged to marry her because she’s “compromised.�. Lilac, learning that this guy has not only creeped on her enough to name an intimate birthmark, but has now finagled her into a marriage against her will, understandably faints. For a cat-man in love and enchanted with what a hold this girl has on him he sure, uh, seems more interested in getting what he wants than anything to do with her feelings. I also like how Rejar, just chapters ago baffled by mechanical objects as foreign technology and later established as unable to read English, knows plenty about the social mores of Regency England enough to trick Lilac into a forced marriage. Did Byron tell him that one?
Lilac nearly tries to escape, but this bit of intrigue is over before it begins and Rejar even tricks her with telepathy into saying “I do� at the altar. Then they have actual sex for the first time after chapters of hatred and (not a) dream-foreplay. Lilac is a virgin, is mostly saying no the entire time because she didn’t even want this fucking relationship, and Rejar still picks her up and pops her cherry against a mirror with his established-as-club-sized cock because something something Familiar “mating ritual.� It’s...disturbing, frankly. He also later forces her into sex for disobeying his order not to go out without his escort, and then again as a result of some conversation he took offense to that I honestly don’t remember well. But of course, despite her lack of consent in any of it, Lilac is soon in raptures every time. She still hates him, but he apparently does this thing where he jams his nose into the crook of her neck and intermittently licks her in his sleep that she finds...endearing.
I’m canceling straight people forever.
Rejar does, much much later, figure out that he mated/married a woman who doesn’t love him and has some sad and tragic manly feelings about that. I guess the insistent expressions of loathing during their courtship, her botched attempt to flee their wedding day, the fact that he had to trick her into marriage at all, and her continual disdain and defiance throughout their marital life (when he isn’t fucking her brains out whether she wanted it or not) he just took as the usual feminine coyness or whatever men with all the emotional intelligence of Mr Collins think women are doing when they clearly dislike them. Of course, by the time he realizes this, Lilac herself has climaxed her way into a fondness for him and doesn’t want her magic Hitachi hubby to fuck off as much anymore. There’s more that unfolds beyond this, and it’s goofy as hell. Just know at some point there’s an alien wizard involved.
The other Familiar brother, Traed, also shows up to hang out in England but not really for any reason other than to remind us that this is a series and he is a character in it who probably has his own book and his own beau at some point. Traed is kind of the Scary Spice of the siblings, and his life in this novel isn’t consumed with trying to fuck someone who doesn’t like him, so I automatically enjoy him and his scenes tooling around with Lilac’s spinster aunt much better. There’s some fight with a dude named Rotewick that happens later in the book, and mostly involves Traed, but by that point it’s another dose of plotishness that doesn’t matter very much and arrives too late anyway. There’s also the inevitable subplot with a woman who wants to seduce Rejar pretending to be Lilac’s friend, but she gets called out and fucked into oblivion by Traed instead.
The writing itself is Not Good. It’s at least edited somewhat, as opposed to certain fanfics, but of about the same caliber of writing as one. No one talks like a real person. Overwrought and overused words happen a lot, and the descriptions of smut content become cringy at times as a result--which is the most damnable problem with this book because its one real job here is to turn us on. This is especially evident in that Joy seems to run out of ways to describe how hot Rejar is, and so falls back on a kind of constant reminding us of how MAN and MALE he is. For example:
“Her bare chest. There, he observed her silently for several minutes, his knowing look very frank and very male.�
Friends, my brain cannot for the life of me register what is meant by ”male� in this context. Is there a specifically male way to look at breasts and what is it? Does this come with the manual that I didn’t get because I’m not AMAB? Is frank gawking at boobs in itself what is meant by male? What does his face even look like in this moment, outside of the vagueness of “knowing�--is it flatly scientific or practically slavering? Does he look like he’s appraising the finish on a car? Or does he just have a raging hard-on and that’s what this means? It’s not the only instance of this weird use of gender where an actual description should exist.
Also: note the “several minutes.� Not “a couple,� but “several.� So I guess Rejar was just giving her the Kubrick stare like Jack Torrence slowly going insane in the Overlook for at least four or five whole minutes while Lilac laid there, tits out, and said nothing. This sentence haunts me in ways indescribable.
And it’s only a sentence in 350 pages worth of them. I read another sentence of Rejar, I pause to stare at the copy of Titus Groan sitting closed beside me, and I sigh. But I must go on. I can't go on. I'll go on.
--The Austin Powers novelization
You’re laughing. Lord Byron is bros with a time-traveling heterochromatic sexy alien werecat, and you’re laughing.
Firstly, I am not a romance reader. I’ve read romances, but I am not a regular of the genre. I say this because maybe it’s why I’m the only one who wonders how deeply specific weird premises like this turn people on, as I’ve been told about by various con-goers who return with tales of shit not unlike this (but often gayer). Don’t get me wrong, I’m throwing stones in glass houses with my love of pulpy, bizarre horror, and the fact that I have a healthy amount of weird kinks myself. But when you read something like this, you gotta find it absurd, right? Or is there such a threshold of overexposure to the strangeness of individual niche tastes in the genre that there are folks who not only take it seriously, but get all hot and bothered for it? I do at least have an admiration for something that so utterly lacks self-consciousness and instead embraces its very, very specific taste with something almost like pride.
Secondly, this book was given to me by a friend who *is* a romance reader and thought its weirdness was funny enough for me to try. She knows me too well and should be executed before the knowledge spreads. I absolutely read this batshit pile of Regency-flavored horny from cover to cover as a personal challenge to my own waning sanity. Though frankly it’s “Regency-flavored� in the way that LaCroix is “fruit-flavored.�
I also didn’t know until now that it’s technically a sequel, and our titular Rejar the alien werecat had been introduced in another novel, which is also probably why a bunch of stuff about the world of time-travelling were-whatevers (“Familiars�) wound up dumped in my lap with little context. Male Familiars are more than just were-beings, warriors, and time-travelers, though: they’re sexy sex gods of sex who can feel women’s “energy� or some shit and “enhance� their sensuality through some sexy “enhancer.� From the moment Rejar in cat-mode pops unceremoniously into the world of early 1800s London and meets the heroine Lilac (of course her fucking name is Lilac) who adopts him as a pet, he’s zeroed in on her “pulse flow of female energy.�
Look, this is a smut book about a part-animal entity. I know just enough about this loose genre of fetish to have a working knowledge of its horny tropes. Just fucking say it. Just say he’s catching a whiff of her vag, because we all expect some reference to being “in heat� to appear soon anyways. Just like you should say the “enhancer� is probably a big dick that bends just right for maximum g-spot stimulation. Let’s not beat around the bush, pun intended. Queer men at least have the decency to admit frankly that they want to eat a used jock strap. Subtlety is not for books about horny werecats.
But Rejar isn’t a queer man. He loves women. The narrative tells us how much he loves women...lots. In an early scene, a Lord Creighton calls on Lilac’s home and within moments the chad Rejar is roasting his short hair as unmasculine. Real space-cat male beings have long manes. This virgin dandy sniffs disdainfully at unfashionable decor. Joy, in true 90s straight lady style, wants us to see what a limp wrist he is and cringe at his resultant unsexiness and inferiority. Rejar, already territorial over Lilac because he’s a throbbing man-cat-man-man with good hair, promptly trolls Creighton as a cat, and the fop goes fleeing into the streets from a smug domestic pet that meanwhile becomes offended when Lilac, currently unaware that he’s more than feline, pretty much calls him a chonky boi twice.
Little did I know that the attempts at comedy were also foreshadowing of what kind of romance plot archetype this novel would specifically take. Rejar is a sinuous, seething sex beast who worships women with a fixation like he should probably go to therapy for it. Rejar is also just the king of everything. Every manly, sexy thing you can think of, he’s done it and better. He’s a moving wall of muscle with telepathy, Jedi mind tricks, a deep purring baritone that exact sensual cadence you just thought of right now upon reading this sentence, and if you ask him whether he’s had sex in a gondola, he’ll not only have done it twice but also list off the other types of floating vessels he’s fucked on as well. Which is all of them. Probably ones not even invented yet, because time travel. If Rejar’s dick were any more bomb, women would have to take cover in a lead-lined fridge to survive it. His cock would be confiscated as a biological weapon. And I cannot imagine sleeping with a man so perfect because he must be goddamn insufferable. Dara Joy hasn’t created a heartthrob, she’s created a nightmare. No amount of “enhancer�-facilitated multiple orgasms can be worth dealing with him outside of his existence as a sentient vibrator. I appreciate an angle of this fetish being that he turns into a cat now.
Apparently I’m not the only one who shares this opinion to some degree, because Lilac is also unimpressed by his human-form seduction that he inflicts on her in the middle of the night and then finally in waking hours. She does throw him off his game by exclaiming about how big his junk is ad-nauseum the first time he shows himself off to her, which unsettles him a bit to be falgrantly and non-sexually gawked at. It almost made me like Lilac for a fraction of a second, which was a fraction too long. She’s not a good character, and even peeking at a few of the reviews here, I agree with most who admit she’s irritating when she’s not being a beige piece of paper. Lilac is pretty much designated the obsession of Rejar with little preamble aside from some throwaway comment that he senses they are particularly made for each other, and in due Twilight form, this seems verified by the fact that she’s the only one who seems immune to his sheer aura. Rejar initially blames this on too many shitty, non-enhanced dudes she’s boned in the past, making her disenfranchised to men as whole, but it’s never explained outside of artificial belligerent tension for the sake of some kind of arc. Oddly, people seem to dislike Lilac most for being mean to Rejar. Well Rejar fucking deserves it. He smirks around like she’s a silly earthling child who doesn’t know he already owns her, and said smirk is pretty much his response to 90% of the things she does while also ignoring all of her very clear insistences that she doesn’t fucking like him. He’s a beefcake with a perpetual shit-eating grin.
But I get it. People seem to like that, at least in fiction. In real life, Rejar would be the kind of guy who tries to send you a dick pic on Linkedin while prefacing it with flirtatious Ren Faire-speak. He’s the guy who calls you “kitten� and acts like you’re his sub from the first sentence of a PM you received because he creeped on your Instagram out of the blue. But clearly Joy’s fetish is a smug, stalkerish hot manly man who plays dom while she gets to sass him yet also be totally bought into him and his huge, throbbing “personality.� Though if I hear the word “sapskull� or “scapegrace� one more time, I’m going to drop an entire antique armoire on Lilac’s head.
Meanwhile there’s Lorgin and Deana. I’m distressed at how close phonetically Lorgin’s name is to my own. He’s the alien heartthrob and she’s the normie earthling beau from the first novel, it seems, though now wed and heavily pregnant. I have no idea if Lorgin is even all that different from Rejar, as they all try to haughtily command their love interests who seem to be the only women defiant of them, though Deana seems marginally more interesting than Lilac for at least being a nerd from the modern era. (History and scifi nerd from the 90s and the leading lady of the first novel? Probably an author self-insert.) Time travel gobbledigook happens as Lorgin goes to rescue Rejar, who is clearly doing just fucking fine being obsessed with Lilac and swapping actually not all that impressive sex stories with Byron, which I feel like is a form of shitting on the poor man’s grave. Don Juan is based off of Rejar now--don’t check Wikipedia, it’s completely true--and our Familiar has also hired a literal green-garbed Irish stereotype to Lucky Charm him around town in a coach; your brother is having the time of his goddamn life, Lorgin. But really Rejar’s bro is here so that Joy can have a comedic scene between him and Deana that isn’t actually funny. Then they leave and we barely see them again except for more jokes about impending alien fatherhood.
For most of the novel, though, the plot...ish...thing continues in Rejar stalking Lilac and just grinning like a jackass at her vehement rebuffs while also seducing her bit by bit in what she takes to be her “dreams.� Of course, Rejar finds himself completely taken by Lilac, her presence so “calming� he falls asleep on her during a carriage ride date she didn’t even want to go on. Other characters, such as Lilac’s aunt who is, according to the book, “a good judge of character,� ship her with this dude who doesn’t know the meaning of no and already has a reputation as a rake. He also has no personality outside of “male� and smug and “cat,� so I don’t know how this aunt picked up on anything to speak of. The icing on the cake is when halfway through the novel, Rejar reveals to Lilac and her aunt that they’ve been intimate together, and therefore he’s obliged to marry her because she’s “compromised.�. Lilac, learning that this guy has not only creeped on her enough to name an intimate birthmark, but has now finagled her into a marriage against her will, understandably faints. For a cat-man in love and enchanted with what a hold this girl has on him he sure, uh, seems more interested in getting what he wants than anything to do with her feelings. I also like how Rejar, just chapters ago baffled by mechanical objects as foreign technology and later established as unable to read English, knows plenty about the social mores of Regency England enough to trick Lilac into a forced marriage. Did Byron tell him that one?
Lilac nearly tries to escape, but this bit of intrigue is over before it begins and Rejar even tricks her with telepathy into saying “I do� at the altar. Then they have actual sex for the first time after chapters of hatred and (not a) dream-foreplay. Lilac is a virgin, is mostly saying no the entire time because she didn’t even want this fucking relationship, and Rejar still picks her up and pops her cherry against a mirror with his established-as-club-sized cock because something something Familiar “mating ritual.� It’s...disturbing, frankly. He also later forces her into sex for disobeying his order not to go out without his escort, and then again as a result of some conversation he took offense to that I honestly don’t remember well. But of course, despite her lack of consent in any of it, Lilac is soon in raptures every time. She still hates him, but he apparently does this thing where he jams his nose into the crook of her neck and intermittently licks her in his sleep that she finds...endearing.
I’m canceling straight people forever.
Rejar does, much much later, figure out that he mated/married a woman who doesn’t love him and has some sad and tragic manly feelings about that. I guess the insistent expressions of loathing during their courtship, her botched attempt to flee their wedding day, the fact that he had to trick her into marriage at all, and her continual disdain and defiance throughout their marital life (when he isn’t fucking her brains out whether she wanted it or not) he just took as the usual feminine coyness or whatever men with all the emotional intelligence of Mr Collins think women are doing when they clearly dislike them. Of course, by the time he realizes this, Lilac herself has climaxed her way into a fondness for him and doesn’t want her magic Hitachi hubby to fuck off as much anymore. There’s more that unfolds beyond this, and it’s goofy as hell. Just know at some point there’s an alien wizard involved.
The other Familiar brother, Traed, also shows up to hang out in England but not really for any reason other than to remind us that this is a series and he is a character in it who probably has his own book and his own beau at some point. Traed is kind of the Scary Spice of the siblings, and his life in this novel isn’t consumed with trying to fuck someone who doesn’t like him, so I automatically enjoy him and his scenes tooling around with Lilac’s spinster aunt much better. There’s some fight with a dude named Rotewick that happens later in the book, and mostly involves Traed, but by that point it’s another dose of plotishness that doesn’t matter very much and arrives too late anyway. There’s also the inevitable subplot with a woman who wants to seduce Rejar pretending to be Lilac’s friend, but she gets called out and fucked into oblivion by Traed instead.
The writing itself is Not Good. It’s at least edited somewhat, as opposed to certain fanfics, but of about the same caliber of writing as one. No one talks like a real person. Overwrought and overused words happen a lot, and the descriptions of smut content become cringy at times as a result--which is the most damnable problem with this book because its one real job here is to turn us on. This is especially evident in that Joy seems to run out of ways to describe how hot Rejar is, and so falls back on a kind of constant reminding us of how MAN and MALE he is. For example:
“Her bare chest. There, he observed her silently for several minutes, his knowing look very frank and very male.�
Friends, my brain cannot for the life of me register what is meant by ”male� in this context. Is there a specifically male way to look at breasts and what is it? Does this come with the manual that I didn’t get because I’m not AMAB? Is frank gawking at boobs in itself what is meant by male? What does his face even look like in this moment, outside of the vagueness of “knowing�--is it flatly scientific or practically slavering? Does he look like he’s appraising the finish on a car? Or does he just have a raging hard-on and that’s what this means? It’s not the only instance of this weird use of gender where an actual description should exist.
Also: note the “several minutes.� Not “a couple,� but “several.� So I guess Rejar was just giving her the Kubrick stare like Jack Torrence slowly going insane in the Overlook for at least four or five whole minutes while Lilac laid there, tits out, and said nothing. This sentence haunts me in ways indescribable.
And it’s only a sentence in 350 pages worth of them. I read another sentence of Rejar, I pause to stare at the copy of Titus Groan sitting closed beside me, and I sigh. But I must go on. I can't go on. I'll go on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2011
2.5 Stars
After really enjoying I decided to go straight on to this book about Lorgin's younger brother Rejar. It started pretty much where the other book left off and after stepping into the vortex-thing Rejar lands in a carriage in cat form in regency England. He also finds himself in the carriage with Lilac who he is straight away intrigued by, and so he starts hunting his sensual prey as only a Familiar can!
I wanted to like this book sooooooo much, and I did kind of, but the one thing I cannot stand in a book is an annoying heroine. And Lilac really irritated me. I don't know why, I understood why she was so resistant to Rejar and to be fair there was less whining as much as alot of her being angry. But it got on my nerves ALOT.
Also I don't really feel the chemistry between them, and when they finally declared their love I wasn't convinced. I think the problem was that there wasn't enough about them as a couple, there was plenty about them having amazing sex, but apart from that I didn'treally see a connection.
But this book did have some fun bits and although I had many eye rolling moments I did enjoy it.
After really enjoying I decided to go straight on to this book about Lorgin's younger brother Rejar. It started pretty much where the other book left off and after stepping into the vortex-thing Rejar lands in a carriage in cat form in regency England. He also finds himself in the carriage with Lilac who he is straight away intrigued by, and so he starts hunting his sensual prey as only a Familiar can!
I wanted to like this book sooooooo much, and I did kind of, but the one thing I cannot stand in a book is an annoying heroine. And Lilac really irritated me. I don't know why, I understood why she was so resistant to Rejar and to be fair there was less whining as much as alot of her being angry. But it got on my nerves ALOT.
Also I don't really feel the chemistry between them, and when they finally declared their love I wasn't convinced. I think the problem was that there wasn't enough about them as a couple, there was plenty about them having amazing sex, but apart from that I didn'treally see a connection.
But this book did have some fun bits and although I had many eye rolling moments I did enjoy it.
January 24, 2011
I was interrupted a LOT during my read of this book. On the positive side, this had nice short sections within each chapter which allowed me to easily put the book aside. Unfortunately I couldn't decide until I gave it a burst of reading in the last quarter of the book as to whether I had really enjoyed it. I found it amusing throughout... I DID enjoy the last quarter, so I'm giving it 4 stars.
July 6, 2015
Paused at 35%
Just putting it on hold. I am listening to the audio which is fine, but the book just seems slow at certain parts.
It is a sci-fi time travel mixed with a paranormal since the hero is a shifter. He turns into a cat.
Set in England in 1811.
Just putting it on hold. I am listening to the audio which is fine, but the book just seems slow at certain parts.
It is a sci-fi time travel mixed with a paranormal since the hero is a shifter. He turns into a cat.
Set in England in 1811.
February 6, 2015
REJAR.
What more needs to be said of him? He is.. remarkable. Mesmerizing. Unforgettable. Possessive.
A
. Thinks he can get his way. And then he does get his way, the brat. So lovable, he is. Charming, funny, witty, he makes me smile. One of a Kind. I just love him a lot. *swoon, sighs, in love*
Lilac, never been so charmed by a heroine before. She makes me smile too. And she's argumentative. Doesn't like him. Want to hurt him. And yet she gets addicted to him. I love how innocent and delightful she is. How spry she is. Cuz by gosh, she is! I love how she's always fleeing from him tehehe. She's an enchanting, charming and funny and witty heroine. Rejar definitely paired her completely, fabulously, well. I felt a little bad for her, because no matter how much she tried to escape him she got caught in the end, and it was such a no-brainer she'd get caught, poor gel *tears* *snickers*
I loved how the cat chased the mouse, courted her, chased her...
ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS. J'adore y me encanta, oui!
I want to continue to have this book for a long time:)
January 9, 2009
Overall this wasn't a terrible novel. The plot, in an of itself, was rather good; an feline shapeshifting 'alien' comes to Regency England to eventually fall in love with an English miss. I applaude any author willing to cross boundries, and with this unique plot, Joy most certianly manages to capture the genre of Paranormal Historical.
However, while I did find the plot to be unique, I found the execution a bit lacking. Both the main characters, Lilac and Rejar, did not come across enough in their individuality. The story seemed to drag on in some cases, but speed exceedingly fast in others. I, too, found the paranormal 'alien' aspects of the novel to be rather lamely explained; very confusing.
While I did enjoy the interaction between Lilac and Rejar, which is books shining enjoyable aspect, I hated the final section/paragraph of the novel. It was not only a cliffhanger (an aspect that any novel outside of a series should never have), but it was very vague in reference to the main character's, Rejar, future. Even still, this was an unimpressive novel, but a novel that did have its moments.
However, while I did find the plot to be unique, I found the execution a bit lacking. Both the main characters, Lilac and Rejar, did not come across enough in their individuality. The story seemed to drag on in some cases, but speed exceedingly fast in others. I, too, found the paranormal 'alien' aspects of the novel to be rather lamely explained; very confusing.
While I did enjoy the interaction between Lilac and Rejar, which is books shining enjoyable aspect, I hated the final section/paragraph of the novel. It was not only a cliffhanger (an aspect that any novel outside of a series should never have), but it was very vague in reference to the main character's, Rejar, future. Even still, this was an unimpressive novel, but a novel that did have its moments.
June 25, 2008
Dara Joy's books are my guilty pleasures. They're so absurd but so addictive. And in this case, Dara Joy did not disappoint.
Regency England meets Sci-Fi, in this hilarious (and at times, melodramatic) romance. As her books are not meant to be taken seriously, it was enjoyable to read a romance about a very seductive and endearing hero (who happens to be a Familiar - a shape-shifter) and a likable heroine. Although, I seem to have lost my taste for romances with heroes of exceptional experiences because of his inclinations to be a man-whore, (but I digress) and virginal, inexperienced heroines, I did not quite mind this one.
The story was engaging and you could see a real progression of their relationship and love - it was not all physical! This book is perfect for a jaunt to fantasy land!
Regency England meets Sci-Fi, in this hilarious (and at times, melodramatic) romance. As her books are not meant to be taken seriously, it was enjoyable to read a romance about a very seductive and endearing hero (who happens to be a Familiar - a shape-shifter) and a likable heroine. Although, I seem to have lost my taste for romances with heroes of exceptional experiences because of his inclinations to be a man-whore, (but I digress) and virginal, inexperienced heroines, I did not quite mind this one.
The story was engaging and you could see a real progression of their relationship and love - it was not all physical! This book is perfect for a jaunt to fantasy land!
April 5, 2010
When Rejar finds himself in Regency England in cat form, he makes the most of both forms in Lilac's bedroom and in the salons as one of Lord Byron's friends Prince Nickolai from Russia. Lilac lives with her elderly aunt and adopts the homeless cat, while Rejar tries to seduce her as Prince Nickolai at the partys of the ton, at the same time curling up beside her as his familiar cat self at night.
It was ok, I loved Rejar the charming rogue in the first book but he was totally reformed in this book, so much that at times he was unrecognisable. Lilac was constantly annoying, I couldn't like her at all. I could not believe that of all the hundreds of women Rejar was with, that Lilac was the one he would fall for? The plot was ok and my favourite Traed was in a lot of the second half of the book.
It was ok, I loved Rejar the charming rogue in the first book but he was totally reformed in this book, so much that at times he was unrecognisable. Lilac was constantly annoying, I couldn't like her at all. I could not believe that of all the hundreds of women Rejar was with, that Lilac was the one he would fall for? The plot was ok and my favourite Traed was in a lot of the second half of the book.
July 8, 2011
Re-read this time by audiobook- I also own the paperback
I love Rejar but boy oh boy did I hate Lilac. When I first read this book I didn't dislike her as much as I did now. She was so cruel to Rejar even after she found out that he was a familiar. When he kept asking her to call him by his name she just kept refusing because she's "stubborn like a mule". How about judgmental and mean and . . . I could go on and on. This woman drove me bananas. I felt like Rejar would have been better off without her.
Originally read October 2009 - first reviewHer covers are a little embarassing but the books are really funny and suspenseful. I just covered the book while reading it so people wouldn't judge me. :)
I love Rejar but boy oh boy did I hate Lilac. When I first read this book I didn't dislike her as much as I did now. She was so cruel to Rejar even after she found out that he was a familiar. When he kept asking her to call him by his name she just kept refusing because she's "stubborn like a mule". How about judgmental and mean and . . . I could go on and on. This woman drove me bananas. I felt like Rejar would have been better off without her.
Originally read October 2009 - first reviewHer covers are a little embarassing but the books are really funny and suspenseful. I just covered the book while reading it so people wouldn't judge me. :)
July 11, 2010
Ok book. I just wasn't really in the mood for a historical. I was really disappointed that nothing took place on Rejar's world. I kept hoping he would just snatch her away. The rigidity of Ree Gen Cee Ing Land was a turn off for me. I felt she overcame the rigidity of her entire life's upbringing rather quickly. I also preferred it when I thought of Rejar as more than just a housecat. What is so facinating about a housecat? This is the second cat shifting book in which the "cat" that I imagined turned out to be a disappointing domestic house cat. Sorry but I fail to see any romantic notions in that.
June 19, 2017
Last week, I re-read all 3 of the Matrix books published by Dorchester. I haven't been able to read them for some time (I was one of those who got caught in the author's mismanagement of her self-publishing scheme years ago) but I used to love these three books. I was glad to revisit them and be reminded of how much I enjoyed the stories. They're just...fun. They have sensuality, a sense of humor and fun, and were unique in their world building (even despite some of the derivative elements). It's a major shame we'll never know the stories of other characters like Dariq or Traed, or see the resolution of Rejar's story. I know many, many readers who've long enjoyed these stories.
December 9, 2015
I did not like it too much at first. I think I've been spoiled by more contemporary authors of this genre who are just all-around better writers. The books I'm used to don't have the two mains meeting right away, and there's usually a strong plot unrelated to the romance. Here it was just Lilac hates him, Rejar wants her, Lilac hates him, Rejar wants her, etc. It really picked up after the wedding, though. I especially liked the Traed character and am hoping that as the ending seemed to imply, there are more books in this series.
August 17, 2011
A great continuation of the Matris of Destiny series.
Rejar comes in to his own as he tries to thrust the Shimalee in to the tunnels. He finds himself in Regency era Britian, and faces the trials and tribulations of the times. Finding Lilac, he begins a very different aspect of life. Learning much about her as first her CAT, and then her dream man, Rejar poses as Nickolai, a Russian prince and sets ot to win Lilac over. It proves a most frustrating task, but well worth it in the end.
Rejar comes in to his own as he tries to thrust the Shimalee in to the tunnels. He finds himself in Regency era Britian, and faces the trials and tribulations of the times. Finding Lilac, he begins a very different aspect of life. Learning much about her as first her CAT, and then her dream man, Rejar poses as Nickolai, a Russian prince and sets ot to win Lilac over. It proves a most frustrating task, but well worth it in the end.
March 9, 2010
This is one of my all time favorite books.
It's syfy meets time trvel/space travel romance at it's best.
Rajar is a sexy man from another world who travels thur a worm hole to earth & meets his soul mate.
One of his many talents is he can tranform into a cat!
All I can say is: "meow, purr purfect!"
It's syfy meets time trvel/space travel romance at it's best.
Rajar is a sexy man from another world who travels thur a worm hole to earth & meets his soul mate.
One of his many talents is he can tranform into a cat!
All I can say is: "meow, purr purfect!"
July 21, 2017
The second book in the Matrix of Detiny series by Dara Joy. Sci-fi meets Regency England. Haha! Rejar is an alien being who can shapeshift into a cat. A fun and silly read yet strangely entertaining. The whole concept in ridiculous but it worked for me and my strange sense of humor.
May 5, 2013
Rejar. What else can you say? I wasn't crazy about his female but he was.
November 11, 2024
Реджар та'ал Кру/Княз Николай Азов и лейди Лайлак Дивър
"Реджар" в Читанка
Реджар е син на Авиариански воин и жена от расата Фамилиери. Наследил уменията на майка си, Реджар умее да се превръща в котка. Умен, чаровен и много порочен, Реджар се носи през живота наслаждавайки се на всичко, на което може, и най-вече на жените. Когато решава да помогне на брат си Лорджин и да отнесе една огърлица в магическите тунели, той не е подозирал, че ще заседне в небитието за няколко дълги месеца преди да бъде изхвърлен на странна далечна планета в непознато за него време. Преобразявайки се във формата на котка той се оказва в карета с две жени. Все пак фамилиерът винаги пада на краката си и най-нормалното нещо за него е да се окаже в обятията на жена, която е решена да го вземе у дома... нищо, че тази жена го мисли за обикновена котка.
Лондон 1811та година. Лейди Лайлак Дивър пътува със своята леля и единствената й роднина лейди Агата Уимпълс, отивайки на бала на сезона, когато в катетата им се появява странна, доста голяма котка. Лайлак решава да вземе котето у дома и дори няма на идея, че се превръща в участник в свещеният лов на един Фамилиер, който е намерил жената, която да бъде единствената за него.
Реджар знае, че може да отнеме много време на Яниф да открие къде се е озовал след като е попаднал в пространствения тунел, затова решава да се впише в света в който е попаднал, а именно в Лондон, Регентска Англия. Приемайки самоличността на руския княз, наричайки се Николай Азов, той ще използва всичките си умения, за да завладее младата дама, която го привлича неимоверно. Но Лайлак не желае да има нищо общо с него. Явление, което никога не се е случвало преди. Жените обожават Реджар. Лавирайки между непознатите привички на Регентска Англия, Реджар ще трябва да убеди Лайлак, че той е идеалният мъж за нея.
Обожавам Рефжар, той е толкова чаровен и уникален герой. Лайлак не чак толкова, тя беше патка и се държеше гадно с него. Книгата е наистина хубава, но това, което не ми допадна е
И защо няма книга за Трейд, той е наистина много интеррсен герой
"Реджар" в Читанка
Реджар е син на Авиариански воин и жена от расата Фамилиери. Наследил уменията на майка си, Реджар умее да се превръща в котка. Умен, чаровен и много порочен, Реджар се носи през живота наслаждавайки се на всичко, на което може, и най-вече на жените. Когато решава да помогне на брат си Лорджин и да отнесе една огърлица в магическите тунели, той не е подозирал, че ще заседне в небитието за няколко дълги месеца преди да бъде изхвърлен на странна далечна планета в непознато за него време. Преобразявайки се във формата на котка той се оказва в карета с две жени. Все пак фамилиерът винаги пада на краката си и най-нормалното нещо за него е да се окаже в обятията на жена, която е решена да го вземе у дома... нищо, че тази жена го мисли за обикновена котка.
Лондон 1811та година. Лейди Лайлак Дивър пътува със своята леля и единствената й роднина лейди Агата Уимпълс, отивайки на бала на сезона, когато в катетата им се появява странна, доста голяма котка. Лайлак решава да вземе котето у дома и дори няма на идея, че се превръща в участник в свещеният лов на един Фамилиер, който е намерил жената, която да бъде единствената за него.
Реджар знае, че може да отнеме много време на Яниф да открие къде се е озовал след като е попаднал в пространствения тунел, затова решава да се впише в света в който е попаднал, а именно в Лондон, Регентска Англия. Приемайки самоличността на руския княз, наричайки се Николай Азов, той ще използва всичките си умения, за да завладее младата дама, която го привлича неимоверно. Но Лайлак не желае да има нищо общо с него. Явление, което никога не се е случвало преди. Жените обожават Реджар. Лавирайки между непознатите привички на Регентска Англия, Реджар ще трябва да убеди Лайлак, че той е идеалният мъж за нея.
Обожавам Рефжар, той е толкова чаровен и уникален герой. Лайлак не чак толкова, тя беше патка и се държеше гадно с него. Книгата е наистина хубава, но това, което не ми допадна е
И защо няма книга за Трейд, той е наистина много интеррсен герой
May 13, 2023
This book is just like its cover: perfectly bonkers. You see, Rejar is an alien. One day he falls to Earth through some kind of interdimensional portal (the science is a little fuzzy) and finds himself in a carriage with Lilac. Lilac doesn’t freak out that there’s a naked man in her carriage � because Rejar is in his alternate form: a black cat. Rejar falls immediately and irrevocably in love with Lilac, and proceeds to do a lot of romance shit to be with her:
😽He gets her to adopt him as her little kitten, and then he takes advantage of that fact to sleep (in human form) in her bed every night
😼He gets rid of her unwanted suitor by doing malicious cat sabotage whenever the guy comes to call
😾He takes on an alternate identity as a Russian prince and proceeds to become the talk of the ton
😻He somehow wins a whole bunch of money in the gaming hells as the prince, which he then uses to woo Lilac
🙀And, as the book jacket explicitly states, he is the incarnation of carnal desire in his humanoid form, so there is a lot of making out
Basically, this book is both a sendup of the romance genre and a totally bonkers actual romance. For us, it would have worked better if it were just a little shorter (there are also intergalactic politics, including alien rights of primogeniture, so there was A LOT in the book). That said, it has primed us for reading more Dara Joy in the future!
😽He gets her to adopt him as her little kitten, and then he takes advantage of that fact to sleep (in human form) in her bed every night
😼He gets rid of her unwanted suitor by doing malicious cat sabotage whenever the guy comes to call
😾He takes on an alternate identity as a Russian prince and proceeds to become the talk of the ton
😻He somehow wins a whole bunch of money in the gaming hells as the prince, which he then uses to woo Lilac
🙀And, as the book jacket explicitly states, he is the incarnation of carnal desire in his humanoid form, so there is a lot of making out
Basically, this book is both a sendup of the romance genre and a totally bonkers actual romance. For us, it would have worked better if it were just a little shorter (there are also intergalactic politics, including alien rights of primogeniture, so there was A LOT in the book). That said, it has primed us for reading more Dara Joy in the future!
April 25, 2022
well, this was... something.
things i liked:
- the premise! it seemed interesting and unique, if a bit odd. camp, maybe?
- the ML (sometimes). i was honestly okay with him being a weird alien with magical sex powers. i thought his character was entertaining—he was very playful and fun and a little bit stupid, which is right up my alley—so i was willing to overlook the oddness.
the things i didn't like:
- the FL. she was completely spineless. i guess it makes sense since this book was set in regency England, but it still annoyed me how she gave into the ML every single time.
- the ML (the rest of the time). he was controlling to the point that it was annoying, even more so because the FL didn't stand up for herself. also: the angry, violent sex he had with the FL because she "disobeyed" him or whatever threw me off. it was a punishment, and i hate the weaponization of sex, especially because the FL was NOT into it. it felt demeaning.
- the side characters. the FL's aunt sold her out to the ML (booooo) and apparently no one was concerned to hear the FL screaming for help when the ML was going at her? i get that it's supposed to be funny haha because the ML is a tireless sex alien, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
- the ending... so odd. i don't really know what happened, but i mostly stopped caring after the unwanted punishment sex, so whatever.
things i liked:
- the premise! it seemed interesting and unique, if a bit odd. camp, maybe?
- the ML (sometimes). i was honestly okay with him being a weird alien with magical sex powers. i thought his character was entertaining—he was very playful and fun and a little bit stupid, which is right up my alley—so i was willing to overlook the oddness.
the things i didn't like:
- the FL. she was completely spineless. i guess it makes sense since this book was set in regency England, but it still annoyed me how she gave into the ML every single time.
- the ML (the rest of the time). he was controlling to the point that it was annoying, even more so because the FL didn't stand up for herself. also: the angry, violent sex he had with the FL because she "disobeyed" him or whatever threw me off. it was a punishment, and i hate the weaponization of sex, especially because the FL was NOT into it. it felt demeaning.
- the side characters. the FL's aunt sold her out to the ML (booooo) and apparently no one was concerned to hear the FL screaming for help when the ML was going at her? i get that it's supposed to be funny haha because the ML is a tireless sex alien, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
- the ending... so odd. i don't really know what happened, but i mostly stopped caring after the unwanted punishment sex, so whatever.
December 24, 2023
This book was a treat!
A human woman of Regency England era and an Alien male combo are a match set up for success I tell you! The best part that sold this book to me is that he's a species of shape shifter alien called Familiars (playing with supernatural notions here) that are especially known for having seduction and erotic superpowers 😏
So homeboy was a HUNK that was HUNG and an olympian in bed 🥵 sign me tf up!!!
LOL
I skipped book one just because I was told the MMC is a shape shifter sheltered in his animal form by the FMC and I've been hunting for this trope so that's also a reason you might find similar books in my shelves, anyway by skipping book one I did miss on quite a lot of backstory and understanding of the world building but it proved to be okay in the end cause the story did make sense once some alien planet pov's entered the scene.
To be 💯 with you all: this book wasn't groundbreaking or world changing, it dragged at the 70% mark and yet it deserves my high ranking cause it was for the most part SO entertaining and funny, I had a blast!
A human woman of Regency England era and an Alien male combo are a match set up for success I tell you! The best part that sold this book to me is that he's a species of shape shifter alien called Familiars (playing with supernatural notions here) that are especially known for having seduction and erotic superpowers 😏
So homeboy was a HUNK that was HUNG and an olympian in bed 🥵 sign me tf up!!!
LOL
I skipped book one just because I was told the MMC is a shape shifter sheltered in his animal form by the FMC and I've been hunting for this trope so that's also a reason you might find similar books in my shelves, anyway by skipping book one I did miss on quite a lot of backstory and understanding of the world building but it proved to be okay in the end cause the story did make sense once some alien planet pov's entered the scene.
To be 💯 with you all: this book wasn't groundbreaking or world changing, it dragged at the 70% mark and yet it deserves my high ranking cause it was for the most part SO entertaining and funny, I had a blast!
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