Dark Victory (Masters of Time Series #4)

Dark Victory by Brenda Joyce

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Mar09

OOOOH, time traveling hunky magical tortured highlanders¿scrumptious! ¿Dark Victory¿ is Brenda Joyce¿s latest in her `Masters of Time¿ series about strong uber-Alpha males granted extraordinary capabilities by the gods in order to protect the innocent. Of course, they¿re all drop-dead gorgeous and in need of a good shrink¿or a strong female to temper their arrogance and provide a haven for their solace. Do I need to add they can go all night and have outsized hungers? I didn¿t think so ¿

Tabitha is the second of the Rose sisters; a schoolteacher by day, and a witch. She is also the most gentle and has difficulty with her intermittent powers. When she accompanies her sister to a museum exhibit, she is assailed by a dark sense of evil and the vision of a man who is hurt and suffering. She immediately knows she must help him, no matter how powerful and intimidating he looks, so she performs a spell to try and call him to her. Hours later her life is turned upside down by this dark and intensely sexual stranger who swears to protect her from the evil hunting her. He also intends to be her lover, and when danger threatens, he pulls her back into the distant past with him.

The Black Macleod is favored by the gods with superhuman powers. But his refusal to take his vows to use those powers to protect the Innocent has made his powers fickle at best. What he lives for is revenge on the ones who murdered his whole family. But for how many generations should they pay? And when he must choose between revenge and his feelings for Tabitha, which will prove stronger?

I ignored the rest of my life after picking up this book. Laundry, dinner, XMAS shopping, it all took a backseat to following this intense story of time paradox and love. The hero and heroine are both strong characters, but Tabitha¿s strength is more that of her convictions and Macleod¿s is centered on the aggressive physical. Both have magic and both learn the price of those powers in ways beyond the physical. There were a few times I felt almost dizzy as the story rotated between time and location, but a quick glance back at the chapter sub-heading always kept me in the right place and time. If it weren¿t for the intense sexuality, I would have classified this book as an urban fantasy. However, the main focus was certainly the relationship between the main characters, so paranormal romance is the right genre.

Brenda Joyce¿s rendering of the stark contrast between the now and earlier times was masterful. Tabitha¿s change in outward demeanor when in the past was an especially nice touch, as women¿s rights¿weren¿t even a consideration then. The pacing, even when jarred by time changes, was exactly as needed for this story and increased the tension of the plot. I enjoyed the author¿s other books in this series, but this one is by far my favorite. It¿s a bit grittier and the romance a bit darker than the previous books, but the Black Macleod demands nothing less. ¿Dark Victory¿ is just as its title declares¿a bit dark, but still a victory for love. Now I just have to wait for ¿Dark Lover¿, the last in the Rose trilogy of her `Masters of Time¿ series. It¿s scheduled for release in September 2009.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

will relish Brenda Joyce¿s strong dark romantic thriller

Tabitha Rose is a witch though her day job is a NYC schoolteacher; her sister Sam is a warrior Slayer HCU agent. She and Sam go to an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art but she senses evil and an injured man in pain. Though frightened of his looks at her she sees in her vision, Tabby tries to heal him. She casts a spell to bring him to her.

Brooding and bloody the Black Macleod arrives in 2008 Manhattan from 1550 Scotland filled with anger. He is attracted to the healer and knows he will bed her, but has vengeance to take care of also. Macleod blames himself for the deaths of his family as he has failed to use the superpowers the Gods bestowed on him to help the innocent. Macleod soon must choose between the cold of revenge and his beloved Tabby as evil stalks her thanks to his vendetta.

The second Rose romantic urban fantasy (see DARK EMBRACE) is a terrific Masters of Time superb thriller (see for non Rose tales, DARK SEDUCTION and DARK RIVAL) is starring a wonderful wounded displaced warrior and a courageous modern day woman with a psychic gift. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Tabby in MOMA summons the dark brooding Scottish champion to her time and place to heal him; she just did not know the real healing comes from her heart. Fans will relish Brenda Joyce¿s strong dark thriller while waiting for kick butt Sam to complete this saga.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Victorious Time Travel Romance that will stand the test of time.

Brenda Joyce¿s DARK VICTORY is aptly titled as it is the next victorious installment in her Master¿s Of Time¿ series for HQN (March 2009). In present day New York City, classy old-fashioned school teacher, Tabitha Rose has gone to tour the special ¿Wisdom of the Celts¿ exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her edgier, sexy sister, Samantha and their friend, Kit, who works with Sam. The two are agents in the Historical Crimes Unit at the Center for Demonic Activity and are currently trying to stop the Rampages going on in the city where innocent victims are burned at the stake medieval style. Tabby and Sam as Rose women each have a special gift to help them fight the war on evil. While waiting in line to view the relics, Tabby, a divorcee reflects on her bad marriage to a Wall Street investor, who cheated on her, but also senses as a good white witch that something BIG is about to happen. Tabby is immediately drawn to an unusual pendant in the shape of an open palm with a glittering pale stone in the center. The necklace was found in the 1930s in the ruins of the Scottish Melvaig Castle, whose central tower was supposedly destroyed in a fire in 1550 from a legendary battle between the Macleods and MacDougalls. While viewing the pendant Tabby feels faint from an evil presence but senses the amulet itself represents a good powerful magic. She also seems to be having flashbacks from the time of the fire and sees a 14-year-old boy, covered in blood, who is grieving. After Sam and Kit leave the exhibit, Tabby remains since she can¿t get rid of the imagines of the troubled boy and also a badly burned warrior in great anguish, who she feels drawn to help. As the amulet continues to glow the injured highlander appears to her in his plaid and then vanishes. Tabby goes home greatly shaken to the loft she shares with her sister and consults the ancient family Book of Roses but can¿t seem to find any answers. Meanwhile that night in the city, time traveling highlander, Guy, the Black Macleod is looking for the woman who has haunted him since he was a boy. He is determined to find the female, who has been summoning him. Tabby should be careful what she wishes for since it seems another Rose woman is about to meet her destiny. In the excellent time travel, DARK VICTORY, Brenda Joyce proves once again why she has remained such a beloved, bestselling romance author for over two decades giving her fans two unforgettable, passionate lovers and a unique love story that will stand the test of time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nice

Nice story

I love the whole set

What can I say but I am waiting for more please... Keep up the great work I love a book I cannot put down and when I am done I can move on to the next one knowing that I already know that character. Story line keeps you going at all times. Thank you

Great

Masters of time series is a must read.

Outstanding

I've read a lot of romance. I must say that Dark Victory took me on a journey that left me more fascinated than I ever was before. I love, love, love, historical fiction and paranormal romance. This was the first book of this kind that I have read. I truly could not put it down. Brenda Joyce is quickly becoming my new favorite author.

Dark Victory Review

I loved this book! I am a huge fan of combining history, magic and romance and this book has all of it. Also it is not overwhelmingly sexual which is a plus. It has more substance than other romance books which are just about sex.

soft yet thrilling

i have enjoyed all of her books. this one inparticular was thrilling i love the rose trilagey. she brings the characters to life and makes them seem so compleatly real

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