Solarion Heat by Kathleen Scott

TITLE: Solarion Heat
AUTHOR: Kathleen Scott
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 15k)
GENRE: Futuristic erotic romance
COST: $2.50

Psychic Visionary Kara Zaire has been assigned to accompany Runner Jonah Cash to scope out the planet Solarion to see if it’s hospitable for relocation. With the ability to hear the energy of lifeforms as music, she is confused when it seems like the planet is entirely dead, but more than that, she is startled by her strong response to the skeptic Cash. Figuring out the mystery of the planet is simple. Figuring out the mystery of their relationship is not.

The more I read by this author, the more I think that maybe romance isn’t her genre. This is the second of her works that I’ve read, and I have a lot of the same problems with this one as I did with the first story, Dragon Tamer. But on the other hand, the things I liked about Dragon Tamer are exactly what I liked about this one. It’s just a shame it’s not the romance.

Where this story excels – just as in her previous offering – is the author’s attention to building a believable, creative world to immerse her characters into. Clearly, she has an affinity for otherworlds, something many of the authors who choose to write there don’t. In this one, the political atmosphere of the society as well as the physical descriptions of Solarion provide a rich tapestry upon which she places her characters. It’s interesting to read then, because I find myself believing in it enough to suspend more of my disbelief.

Where this story doesn’t excel for me is in her romance. At the story’s start, Cash and Kara (and ohmigod, I just flashed on them being called Cash and Carry and am now giggling hysterically) harbor intense animosity toward each other. He resents her presence on his crew; she resents being treated like a fake. In romanceland, however, this means that they are secretly harboring deep, intense romantic feelings for each other, and lo and behold, after an interesting start with them sniping at each other, their relationship devolves into lust and caring that I never really bought. It feels forced, and I really wish the author had chosen to make this a straight futuristic suspense book instead of the romance. Or at the very least, turned this from a short story into a full-length novel in order to make the romance believable. At this length, it’s not. She’s created characters that start out more interesting and multi-faceted than the romantic leads they turn into. Frankly, I think she – and the characters – deserve better than that.

I'm not giving up on this author, however. She is one of the few authors I've discovered this year that has the ability to immerse me into fantastical worlds I utterly believe in. I'm convinced that one of these days, she's either going to figure out how to make the romance aspects work better, or write a non-romance title that takes advantage of her strengths. One of those two will happen. I'm sure of it.

Readability	8/10 – Strong, competent prose
Hero	6/10 – Likable toward the end, but I didn’t get the flipflopping in the beginning.
Heroine	6/10 – More flipflopping when the storyline needed it.
Entertainment value	6/10 – Enjoyable, if not hugely memorable
World building	8/10 – This author always excels in creating new, interesting worlds.
TOTAL:	34/50

Dragon Tamer by Kathleen Scott

TITLE: Dragon Tamer
AUTHOR: Kathleen Scott
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 30k)
GENRE: Fantasy romance
COST: $3.50

IFM agent Serrah Gayle has been called out to the island of Cambry to investigate a blight that is massacring the female dragon population. With the guidance of hatchery director Darion Archer, she calls upon a talent she’d long since buried, an ability to speak telepathically with dragons, in order to ferret out the truth. And she just might discover true love at the same time.

I love strong, visual openings. They hook me into a story faster and more securely than pretty prose. I find it easier to forgive a lot, too, when I get hooked that soon. Dragon Tamer is one of those stories. It opens with Darion, our hero, at the “deathbed” of one of the dragons on his island. It’s visual, and it’s poignant, and that single scene tells me more about Darion than any other scene that follows. It’s very brief, as are most of the chapters in this book, but that’s necessary. Any more would turn it maudlin. As it stands, I’m pulled into liking this man almost from the very first word.

I’m also sucked into liking Serrah. Her initial meeting with Darion is ripe with promise, lots of snarkiness and an edge that suggests a lot of fun banter yet to come. She’s confrontational, and he refuses to take it, and I was really looking forward to seeing how it played out. Color me disappointed then, when the true nature of Serrah’s abilities was revealed. All of a sudden, the mistrust and edginess that characterized their first few hours together was gone. Serrah became more earth goddess in tone than the kickass agent she originally came across as. It could be that the initial meeting was just a front, but I for one was sorry to find that out. I much preferred her original personality than the one we got for the rest of the story.

Darion, on the other hand, was all over the fact that she could talk to the dragons. His initial dislike for Serrah dissolved completely as soon as the truth was divulged, which made me really question the integrity of the romance. I never believed that Darion was falling for Serrah. I felt that he was falling for the ideal she represented to him, especially considering some of his earlier issues with her. It felt too much a case of pedestal worship for me to truly believe in the happy ending.

However, this is an interesting world the author has created. There’s definitely a lot of potential to further explore it, and if she did, I’d seriously consider reading more. I’m curious about what the deal is with Darion’s brother, Tavil, and the dragons themselves were rather lovely. All in all, this was a solid effort, and even if the romance didn't necessarily satisfy me, it just might satisfy someone else.

Readability	8/10 – An engaging beginning and just enough detail to make it sparkle
Hero	6/10 – A lot of potential but a bit too naïve for me to fully enjoy or believe
Heroine	6/10 – The spunkiness in the beginning doesn’t pan out for the rest of the story
Entertainment value	7/10 – I saw the ending coming, and I had issues believing the romance, but smooth prose and some sincere moments made it worthwhile
World building	8/10 – Some really nice details makes the world pop.
TOTAL:	35/50