Charmed Destinies: Counting Crows

Book Description
Three new stories of timeless love and tantalizing fantasy . . . "Counting Crows"
by Mercedes Lackey In Lady Gwynhefar's dark, lonely court, her only ally was noble Sir Elloran, a warrior willing to fight for her honor. But would her powerful spell capture his heart -- or tumble the kingdom into chaos? "Drusilla's Dream"
by USA TODAY bestselling author Rachel Lee Every night Drusilla Morgan dreamed of courageous and handsome Miles Kennedy. Their quest: to battle evil and find true love. Yet when the sun rose, would Drusilla's fantasy man become a reality. "Moonglow"
by Nebula Award-winning author Catherine Asaro In a world where kings married for magic, Iris Larkspur was required to wed the prince -- despite the spell that kept him deaf, mute and blind. Healing her bridegroom would take a power greater than any she'd ever known -- one only two bonded hearts could provide!

About the Author
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey is the prolific and popular author of over fifty novels, many of which are part of her acclaimed Heralds of Valdemar series. Her hardcover novels have reached the extended New York Times bestseller lists and the USA TODAY lists. Mercedes Lackey was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Purdue University. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots. Rachel Lee
Appropriately enough, Rachel Lee’s life reads like a novel. Name a part of America and the odds are she has resided there -- from the frozen North (Michigan) to the deep South (Florida), from the low-lying hills of the old West (Texas) to the heights of the Rockies (Colorado), and all three coasts of the contiguous United States. She can also recite a string of occupations to go with her travels: selling houses on top of mountains, acting as a security specialist to the U.S. Department of Defense, programming computers, working as an optician and more. However, it seems she was merely gathering experiences for her true calling: writing. "I’ve been writing since I was eight -- it all started with a grade-three school play -- but it’s only since 1990 that I’ve been able to do it full-time. It’s a dream come true, every single minute of it." Little did Rachel realize that a Sleepless in Seattle-style romance of her own was to result from selling her first book, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, to Silhouette Books in 1990. Determined to learn more about her new career, Rachel joined an online writers’ group. Imagine the budding romance writer’s surprise when she fell in love with another member of the group. "I discovered that it is still possible to nurture a romance with the written word. We met face-to-face after seven months of steady correspondence, and a week later we moved in together." Rachel is the winner of four Romantic Times magazine Reviewers’ Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award. Catherine Asaro
Catherine Asaro was born in Oakland, California and grew up just north of Berkeley. A Nebula award winner (The Quantum Rose, 2001), has a doctorate in physics from Harvard University. She has published a number of papers on theoretical physics and established Molecudyne Research, which she currently runs. A former ballerina, she has performed with ballets and in musicals on both coasts, and founded the Mainly Jazz Dance program at Harvard. Her husband is John Kendall Cannizzo, an astrophysicist at NASA. They have one daughter and live in Columbia, Maryland. Catherine's fiction is a successful blend of hard science fiction, romance, and exciting space adventure. She has published nine novels, seven of which belong to her Saga of the Skolian Empire. Catherine was also recently elected vice president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA).


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This teaser launches the new Luna line of books that debuted in January 2004 and consists of romantic fantasy novels. There are three novellas in this omnibus. Counting Crows by Mercedes Lackey is the story of Lady Gwynhefar (not the one who married King Arthur; this reviewer was confused by the name for several chapters), who is given in a "glove marriage" (in the absence of the groom, he is represented by a glove) to the rough, loutish Lord Bretagne to secure the safety of her father's kingdom. Although she at first believes that she can tame Bretagne, she soon accepts the futility and finds that she loves one of his lieutenants instead. Although the novella form is rather short, the story drags on a little too long-there is much description of the spells Gwyn performs in order to spend her life with her true love. Drusilla's Dream by Rachel Lee is, perhaps, the most charming of the three stories. A young painter by day/computer operator by night fantasizes about saving an imaginary kingdom, only to discover that her fantasy is shared by the night shift's sysop. Catherine Ansaro's Moonglow is the sweet but rather predictable story of a prince who suffers traumatic deafness, muteness, and blindness after the murder of his parents, and is cured by the love of his soul mate. This book is a light diversion, to be indulged in when one's mind is exhausted from hard work or studying. There are some relatively detailed, although not offensive, sex scenes that keep this one out of the league of younger teens who might enjoy the romance. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommendedfor Young Adults). 2003, Silhouette/Harlequin, 377p., pb. Ages 15 to Adult.


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