The Golden Bell by Autumn DawnMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really did enjoy this book. Although it is the fourth set in the un-aptly named "Dark Lands", I found myself instantly hooked, and although I did feel rather like there was a little more that I was missing, I was certainly never lost nor confused in the plot.
The characterisation was good. The two main characters - Rain and Fallon, were both well developed. Particularly Rain, with her occasional feral streaks and quick temper. Also, one has got to love a genius engineer. She did seem to fall a bit too easily into Fallon's bed, but that can be forgiven. He was rather sexy, and although you could sense that he wanted to be controlling, he also allowed her freedom and did not pressure her. All good points in a man.
The sex scenes were quite steamy, and well written, and not too prevalent in the plot. Sexual tension was also kept to a relative minimum, allowing more room for the plot to be established.
Now, about the plot... It started strong - Rain being rescued from a Charmer, exiled to the Dark Lands and trying to establish a place for herself amongst the Haunts, as well as uncovering her father's murderer.
That's where it fell down. It almost feels like the author ran out of steam. Like she had a certain word length she wanted to finish it in and didn't wish to exceed this. There was no build - the murderer was unveiled and defeated, without being an apparent threat to Rain or her new way of life. What's more, despite the fact that the evidence was shaky and that Rain took matters into her own hands, there were no serious repurcussions of what she did. No climax, no threat, no tension. Very frustrating - and left me feeling cheated.
On the other hand, I liked the writing style, enjoyed the characters and found the setting intriguing, so I would be interested in reading more by this author - at some point.
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