Books4Tomorrow: QUICK REVIEW: "Golden Blood" (Time Spirit Trilogy Book 1) by Melissa Pearl

“GOLDEN BLOOD” (TIME SPIRIT TRILOGY BOOK 1)

by Melissa Pearl

REVIEWED BY: Ellen Fritz

OVERVIEW

Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected.

Gemma's parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be "used and abused", as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew... Harrison Granger.

Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can't stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.

REVIEW

This totally awesome young adult paranormal romance captivated me from the first sentence. It had me alternately breaking out in goose bumps, sitting up in anticipation and smiling at the sensitive romantic scenes. Not being able to put it down, I read through it in one sitting.

The kids at school call Gemma Heart a freak. Those she helps think she is an angel and Harrison Granger thinks she is the most beautiful and sweetest girl he has ever met. With a secret that has to be kept at all costs, a strict training schedule, school work and sudden dangerous missions into the past, Gemma has almost no hope of ever having friends or a meaningful relationship with a boyfriend. Harrison Granger however, thinks differently and makes it his mission to convince Gemma that not only can he deal with her unusual calling, but also that he can love her.

The characters in this book - especially the main characters and their family members - truly seem to come alive in the expert hands of the author. That both main characters had perfectly normal, happy families was a pleasant change from the usual tragic circumstances in which so many key characters in other books find themselves.

Harrison is any girl's dream guy. No wonder Gemma is willing to break a two millennia old oath not to lose him. The budding romance between Gemma and Harrison is sweet and beautiful and tastefully described. Gemma's family however, is not very happy with the fact that she is dating a boy who is not one of their kind. I was extremely impressed by the mature way in which the lovers dealt with this.

“Golden Blood” is definitely not just a romance. As we follow Gemma from one dangerous mission to another, the suspense builds until Harrison gets involved. Then it becomes a nail-biting journey full of action and heart-stopping terror. It is a fantastic story which deserves more than its 5 stars and will have readers look forward to the next book in the series.