Have you ever seen a book cover and thought? Oooo this book is sex on wheels? Well probably not quite sex on wheels because I mean it’s a book so clearly it’s not “on wheels”. But I mean if you aren’t taking me by letter of that statement I think you get my meaning when you see the most beautiful cover of Cecilia Robert’s cover for Homecoming. This is one of the books I got from NetGalley and I saw the cover of this title and I hit the request button before I even read the synopsis for the story. It was love at first sight and thankfully the book didn’t disappoint.
The Cloaked Devices world, home to the Rhine Panther Clan of Panthers that Levain and Sera belong to is rich and vibrant–spun by the skillful hand of a Cecilia Robert who is a great storyteller. Combining the suspense and mystery of steampunk, supernatural human powers and what I like to call an intellectuals shifter story, she has entwined the things we all like most in fantasy and paranormal and turned out a compelling short story introducing a new series with great promise.
Levain Grayson has always been entranced by Sera Czedar and after five years of
searching for his missing mate he has finally tracked her down–there is no chance she is going to slip away like she did on the night of their mating ceremony. Sera has made a new life for herself in the Varselles, A City of Outcasts, away from all she knew back home, and away from all she loved. During her exile she has worked to collect the Cloaked Devices texts, scientific writings that she knows are important to her father. In the back of her mind she has always known that she couldn’t run forever and that she has been living on borrowed time in the rough city becoming a woman and learning how to protect herself and her family. Knowing all this didn’t prepare her for seeing her mate for the first time in years or the feelings his reappearance has enflamed in her.
Although this is a short story Cecilia Robert injects a great amount of backstory for not only the main characters, but the supporting as well. I have to say that I am half in love with Uriel and I think I might want to know if there is any chance at all he has a reader girlfriend, because he is all sorts of my kind of book boyfriend.
Within this abbreviated tale Cecilia Robert also does a bang up job of building a very solid world showing a great deal of how the Anndesia function within their society and with others outside of their own kind. I really appreciated the talent that she had for revealing information through Sera’s relationships outside of that with the main characters that give you greater understanding of Sera as she has been known in Verselles.
If I have any complaint at all it would be with the handling of the family soup that I won’t spoil you for but comes upon you with a one, two punch and then no apology at all just when everyone gets under one roof. I understand Cecilia Robert’s process for this and that this is really all legwork for the first full book in the Cloaked Devices series which will be Levain and Sera’s story in full. I just felt like I was carrying a pretty good amount already with all the facts she was already handing me and all the things I was picking up along the way and then the reveal during the family reunion of Sera, Levain and Tegue left me sitting there wondering where I was supposed to put all that. I definitely have no issue with it in the big picture though and as far as real sins go this is such a non-infraction it wouldn’t stain paper much less darken her writer’s soul. So while it might have tripped me up, I like soup. So I will be there for seconds. It was the soup being so spicy, you know? Now I know what the cook puts in her dishes, I’ll be ready next time.
I am really excited for the first book in the Cloaked Devices series. Cecilia Robert has a couple books coming out in the next few months: Her second book in her Truly, Madly series, Holding on Forever will be out in December. A Need So Insatiable will be out in February 2014.
I have done an interview with Cecilia Robert which was great fun and she was wonderful to talk to! Please check out this Morning Tea with the Author – Cecilia Robert and find out more about Homecoming, her work on Reaper’s Novice, how she crafts her stories and what a great person she is to chat with!
You can look around the web for Cecilia Robert and find her on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, her Amazon Author Page, Twitter, and Pinterest.
