Dark Rival
Grade : C-

I am a huge Brenda Joyce fan. So I was more than happy to review her latest novel, Dark Rival, the second installment in her Masters of Time series. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to her previous one.

Master Black Royce is sent from his world in the year 1430 to New York - on September 4, 2007 - to save healer Allie Monroe from the dark forces that are trying to take over her power to heal the sick and dying. Black Royce is the only thing standing between her and the demons. When they meet Royce immediately realizes Allie is his destiny, a realization he initially rejects. Royce already lost his heart when his wife was brutally raped and murdered by a demon and he has vowed never to give his heart to another woman. Allie feels drawn to Royce, and realizes that he is the golden warrior her friend predicted she would meet and fall in love with. They have incredible sex, which further serves to convince Allie that Royce is the one. She is devastated when she learns that he will die on September 7, 2007, and follows him back to the 15th century, determined to find a way to change his future.

Allie is able to travel through time with the help of another Master, Aidan. But so can the demons, so so while Allie can travel to the past, she cannot escape her future. She is still in danger, and Royce must still protect her. Most of the novel takes place in the 15th century, with Royce trying to protect Allie, all the while trying his best to resist her charms. Allie is in love and asserts her feelings boldly. The most enjoyable part of the book for me was reading about this strong, sexually independent woman with no qualms about being the pursuer, and this intense man who adroitly tries to outrun her and preserve what is left of his heart.

Unfortunately, I had numerous problems with this book. The time travel storyline has been done so many times that it presents a challenge to an author to add something new, to make it different, and engrossing. Ms. Joyce in no way reinvents the wheel. Also, there was simply so much going on in the book that I often found myself confused and disconnected from the characters and the story. It might have been helpful if I'd read Dark Seduction, which precedes this one in the series, but since we're only on the second book, I couldn't help but feel that I ought not to have been so very lost, so very early on.

My other issue with the book has to do with certain historical inconsistencies. There are several places where the book revises real history - but not to serve any purpose that I could detect. In one scene they mention that witches are imprisoned, stoned, or outlawed. Well, I am quite sure that at that time, people who were found guilty of being witches were not imprisoned or outlawed; they were executed, and in England the method was generally hanging followed by burning.

Finally, I am getting a little tired of unrealistically overly endowed men and women who cannot accommodate them, and the blurred line between pleasure and pain. The sex scenes felt in no way romantic, mostly because of the language used. These sex scenes were indeed energetic, but the language was too far over the top.

This installment in Joyce’s time travel series left me deeply unsatisfied. Ms. Joyce has a few interesting concepts, but she mostly borrows from what we have all read and seen before. I will always remain a Brenda Joyce fan, but Dark Rival will not be on my list of her favorites.

Reviewed by Keisha Hudson
Grade : C-

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date : October 18, 2007

Publication Date: 2007

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