Lorie O'Clare Reviews

Page Two

Added August 3, 2005

Nuworld Book 2: Tara the Great

Author: Lorie O'Clare
Publisher: Cerridwen Press
Available At: www.cerridwenpress.com
Publishing Date: July 2005
Genre: Science Fiction: Futuristic
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT
Price: $6.49
ISBN: 1-4199-0261-X
Author Email/Website: www.lorieoclare.com/
Reviewer: Robin Taylor
Rating: 8.8 Gargoyles

Evil has arrived. Tara's family, the Blood Circle Clan, is returning to Gothman territory to settle until the new winter. Readers will remember Tara, in line as Leader of the Runner Clan, and her claim, Darius, Lord of Gothman, from Nuworld: The Saga Begins, also by Lorie O'Clare. While Tara and Darius are greeting her family, her sister, Tasha, displays an incredible amount of hostility. What happened and why is Tasha so hostile towards Tara?

When Tara finds out why Tasha has so much anger towards her, we are reminded of Darius' shortcomings. Darius may have the capacity to make readers really angry with him at times, but there is no denying how incredibly sexy he is. There are moments Tara forgets how angry she is with him, as she continues to crave him. How long can Tara ignore the powerful sexual feelings that Darius arouses in her?

Gothman ways and customs are quite different than Runners. Sometimes those differences are too much for Tara. Darius is Lord of Gothman, and Tara will one day be Leader of the Runners. As Tara's father is still alive, this places Tara in a position where Darius still has power and control over her. Tara balks almost constantly against Darius' authority. In time, however, Tara wonders if it would be so bad to work with him, to be bonded in rulership with him.

A clan war breaks out in Tara the Great, involving yet others where the future of the Gothman and Runners is at stake. This drama runs at an incredibly fast pace. There is no way to stay uninvolved with this wonderful book. The scenarios are amazing, and as each one evolves, your heart beats faster and faster. All the while, the passion between Darius and Tara is explosive.

When I first began to read Tara the Great, it was Darius I wanted to see humbled. But there were lessons Tara needed to learn also. The exploration of the characters Tara and Darius goes very deep. It also goes to show how powerful Ms. O'Clare is in her writing.

Will Tara and Darius be able to successfully rule together? Will the wars among the nearby nations destroy what Darius and Tara have worked so hard to achieve? Will the faults of Darius bring the downfall of this union? What about Tara? What will she learn during this difficult time? Even with their imperfections, can Tara and Darius have a true life-bond?

Tara the Great was truly a marvelous book. While reading it, I dealt with many feelings--sadness, grief, anger and joy, to name a few. This is the second book in the Nuworld series. Ms. O'Clare has done an amazing thing with this. The world, its peoples, customs and experiences are all very intriguing. I strongly encourages readers of this review to pick up the first book, Nuworld: The Saga Begins. You will indeed witness the work of a spectacular author.

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Added August 3, 2005

Nuworld Book 1: The Saga Begins

Author: Lorie O'Clare
Publisher: Cerridwen Press
Available At: www.cerridwenpress.com
Publishing Date: May 2005
Genre: Science Fiction: Futuristic
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT
Price: $7.99
ISBN: 1-4199-0223-7
Author Email/Website: www.lorieoclare.com/
Reviewer: Robin Taylor
Rating: 8.7 Gargoyles

Tara, of the Blood Circle Clan, warrior and heir of all the Runner Clans, is incredibly strong, powerful, independent and bold. She has a beauty surpassing all others. Tara has left her clan for the time being, as she as is at the Age of Searching and ventures into Gothman territory. A man, who notices she has a very specialized laser, has spied Tara. Could that place her in danger? Why does he not say anything? He must know she is not Gothman. Tara knows if Darius ever finds out she is a Runner, her life will be in danger, as Runners and Gothman are warring nations.

Lord Darius, ruler of the Gothmans, spots Tara and is immediately intrigued. Will he lay claim to Tara, as is the Gothman custom? Tara ends up living and working in Gothman at Darius' home. They were immediately attracted to each other when their eyes first met. What will Darius do when he finds that Tara is a Runner? Tara's father is the ruler of the Runners, and so her future is already set. Can they join their love, their people and their futures, even though they are from opposite worlds? An intriguing fact about Nuworld is that most of the time, neither Darius nor Tara fully understand why their nations are warring.

Gothman women, while apparently very happy, live in ignorant suppression, something Tara could never do, thus striking up yet another major difference between her and Darius. Tara, if she stays among the Gothman, and be Darius' woman, plans to change that fact.

As Gothman prepares for a battle against the Sea People, Tara realizes that she cannot sit idly by. Now is her opportunity to rally the two races together, the Runners and the Gothman. Tara and Darius do a marvelous job uniting their races in this war. Tara loves Darius more than anything, yet wonders if love to Darius means the same. She learns that she was right to wonder, and then leaves Darius.

Tara takes on so much in Nuworld, that your respect for her will grow more and more. She makes the perfect heroine. Darius is a strong leader, who has the unfailing respect of his people. But he is imperfect, and at times he made errors that were very costly. However, he received an opportunity to redeem himself, his nation, and his family. I was touched by Darius and the changes he made with his commitment to Tara.

Nuworld was layered so well, that I was kept wondering as I read this book. It contained suspense, love, passion and action. The definition of character for Tara and Darius was well worth reading. Nuworld is full of secondary characters who are very strong, and this helps to make this book even more wonderful. Tara's parents help us to understand why Runners and Gothman were warring nations. Darius' mother is a wonderful character, too. This book will always remain a keeper to me. Ms. O'Clare has demonstrated a remarkable talent by creating this world, the people and the situations. This kept my interest strong.

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