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The Sword (Sons of Destiny #1)

by Jean Johnson (Goodreads Author)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 1,424 ratings · 114 reviews

The first novel of the Sons of Destiny...a romantic tale of magic, superstition, and a love that transcends dimensions.

Eight brothers, born in four sets of twins, two years apart to the day-they fulfill the Curse of Eight Prophecy. To avoid tempting their destiny, the brothers are exiled to Nightfall Island, a land where women are strictly forbidden. But, when the younges...more

Mass Market Paperback, 313 pages

Published February 6th 2007 by Berkley Trade (first published 2007)

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Nov 12, 2012 Kimberly Chapman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: feministrecs

This book was recommended to me as part of my quest to find solid, well-written, feminist romance. However, since it's probably unfair to place the expectations of a not-really-existent genre on an author, I'll try to base most of my review on reading it without that last criterion.

Overall, I'd say it was okay, 3.5 stars. The world-building aspect is excellent, and the characters interesting enough to make me consider reading the sequels. There are some clever ways of working in various story el...more This book was recommended to me as part of my quest to find solid, well-written, feminist romance. However, since it's probably unfair to place the expectations of a not-really-existent genre on an author, I'll try to base most of my review on reading it without that last criterion.

Overall, I'd say it was okay, 3.5 stars. The world-building aspect is excellent, and the characters interesting enough to make me consider reading the sequels. There are some clever ways of working in various story elements and while a few came off as contrived, I'll give the author points for making them plot-relevant later.

There were parts of the writing that didn't work well for me, most notably a few instances where poor editing should have caught repetitions. More than once, a sentence starts and ends with the same phrase along the lines of "As the storm settled, [some stuff happened], as the storm settled." Worse were the endless descriptive repetitions. Those are fair enough early on when the reader needs to sort out which brother is which, but when Kelly joins most of the brothers for breakfast and is introduced to them, that should have been the end of redefining and describing them every time they enter a scene. It got to the point that I dreaded Rydan's appearances because he'd once again be mentioned as the night-loving or daylight-shunning brother. We didn't need to read about Kelly's aquamarine eyes and strawberry hair constantly either: I'd have preferred those kept to when they were meaningful, such as the material for her dress. By overusing the word aquamarine, the impact of the silk for that dress was diminished.

And while I can respect the choice to go with fairly modern colloquialisms in the dialogue, such as "gonna", I personally prefer a more formal dialogue style in this sort of setting. But it was at least consistent, so I'll give credit to the author for that.

It's a nice story insofar as it wraps up on its own but still leaves some threads dangling to entice you into the sequels. I'd have liked more hint about who has been sending the monsters, but fair enough to put it off to a sequel.

As for the feminist angle, I could see early on that the author was trying to present a strong heroine who demands respect, and I appreciated that. The first few pages having the hero throw her over his shoulder and spank her rankled, but when he realized that he was being a bully, I gleaned that the author was going somewhere in examining the gender roles so I was willing to put up with it.

Then a whole Snow White trope came in: Kelly apparently loves cleaning and the men are all inept on their own. That made me sigh and roll my eyes. Fair enough that she's into sewing and SCA stuff: that part was very cool. But really, a woman taking over "womanly" duties to get the castle clean? Ugh.

But again, the author adeptly wove that in as a useful plot device, so I grudgingly accepted it.

What really bothered me, though, and what makes me give 3 stars instead of 4 (since I can't do 3.5), is the bit near the end where Kelly goes on a rant which starts out very cool amidst promise of sequels exploring gender roles in interesting ways, only to diminish it all by claiming that women are smarter than men and better able to handle diplomacy. No. That's not okay with me. My feminism isn't at the expense of men, and combined with the stereotype of a bunch of bachelors living in filth, unable to mend their own garments or clean their yard despite having magic spells that do these things for them, the whole thing made me wince. I can accept the baddies as hit-on-the-head-obvious misogynists and even the good guys needing to lose some of their own preconceived notions of gender, but I have a big problem with pseudo-elevating of women by diminishing men.

I'll probably read the sequels at some point, but I feel the need to try some other books first.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2009 Christel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Paranormal readers

The Eldest Son shall bear this weight:
If ever true love he shall feel
Disaster shall come at her heel
And Katan will fail to aid
When Sword in sheath is claimed by Maid

This is the opening of the Song of the Son's of Destiny. 8 sons born, 4 sets of twins, all with magical powers, have been exiled to the island of Nightfall. Saber and Wolf are the eldest, Dominor and Evanor are next, the third set is Trevan and Rydan, and the final set of twins are Koranen and Morganen. Morganen is the powerfullest o...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Redd added it

I waded and made it to pg 263 chapter seven effin teen, when I had the urge to throw the bloody book against the wall. *heavy sigh* I lasted the beginning where Kelly and Saber barked and bitched at each other. Waded through the makings up and her making a place for herself, *now* the Effin disaster strikes. I wished it had struck me and the damned book. There was a bloody reason why I never read the Harry effin Potter series. Have I mentioned that i have a certain amount of patience? I'm puttin...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2011 Hbeebti rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: used

I got such a kick out of this book. This is not a serious book at all. In fact I laughed through a large portion of it. I am so glad that I finally read it. I kept putting it off , what a dummy. I really need to get the next one. This kinda reminded me of L.O.U,By G.S. ... Remember I said kinda. They are mange. But they live in a castle alone. No women. Each have abilities and are unique. Each crack me up too. Oh and they aren't from here, they are in another demention (universe or whatever)......more

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Sep 20, 2012 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, romance

Eight brothers born in four sets of twins are said to fulfill a prophesy. Each prophesy has to do with each man falling in love with a woman. This story is about the eldest, Saber and his destiny. Kelley is ripped from our world before she is burned to death when her house is set on fire by a bunch of bigoted idiots in her hometown. She's into the SCA and other Medieval reenactments. She makes her living selling craft and other homemade goods. She's brought to the Island of Nighfall where the br...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Steph rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bitchy-annoying-women, kill-them-all, die-die-die-die-die-die-die-die, info-dumps-to-da-extreme

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm not sure if what I mention in this review would be spoilers to some people, so I'll just hide the entire thing to be safe.

Now, on to the review:

Firstly, I did not like Kelly. Her ranting on feminism really bugged me; not because I don't support feminist ideals, but because she preaches them like a radical pastor preaches Jesus.

The beginning was promising, in my opinion. Kelly was brash, but that was understandable considering her situation. Initially, I liked how she didn't roll over an...more I'm not sure if what I mention in this review would be spoilers to some people, so I'll just hide the entire thing to be safe.

Now, on to the review:

Firstly, I did not like Kelly. Her ranting on feminism really bugged me; not because I don't support feminist ideals, but because she preaches them like a radical pastor preaches Jesus.

The beginning was promising, in my opinion. Kelly was brash, but that was understandable considering her situation. Initially, I liked how she didn't roll over and play the distressed damsel. But as the book progressed (sometimes, verrrry slowly), her demeanor didn't change what-so-ever. She was still a bitch to Saber and many of his brothers, and her constant, talk of 'I'm a modern woman and can't live in such filth' and 'I'd love some women to speak to around here' (Which wouldn't have been so bad, if not for the way the author wrote this, making Kelly sound like the most arrogant cow I've ever encountered in a book thus far), made me feel that the sexism against females in this book (which, really, is not nearly as bad as some others I've read) was pretty much eclipsed by the discriminatory way in which Kelly treated men.

I read this book a while ago, and my dislike of Kelly's character is the only thing that has really stuck with me. Saber was at first a somewhat alpha male (again, not as bad as some of the ones I've read about in the past), but was gradually beaten down by Kelly's pig-headedness. It soon became apparent that Kelly wore the pants in that relationship. I assume the author was trying to make it appear that Saber was beginning to respect Kelly as an equal, so I'll cut her some slack for trying. But I believe a good relationship doesn't just mean that the female's thoughts and wants are considered, but the male's, also. That is what makes them EQUALS, which is basically why feminism came about in the first place; not so women could turn around and do to men what they'd previously done to women, thus making them hypocrites.

On a side note, wtf was with her taking charge and literally deciding that she will be the queen of the island? That arrogant, bossy, self-absorbed... GAHH, I really don't like her!

Anyway.

The book was slow in coming to the main conflict. At times, I didn't mind much because the dawdling wasn't painful. I have a feeling the author was in love with the world she'd created and wanted to incorporate as much of it as possible. Which is fine, because some of the world's aspects were fascinating (like those demonic spider things, and the water snakes, etc). However, it got to the point where I was annoyed at the lengthy descriptions and dialogue.

An example of this that stands out in my mind was the scene where the Anti-female invaders (which were obviously added just so Kelly could once again rant about how abominably the men throughout history have treated women) were trying to convince Kelly and the brothers that magic was not needed for one to be powerful (or something like that) and that machinery used by the invaders required them to stimulate their minds as well as their bodies. He asks Kelly (apparently in a smug, you-can't-be-smart-because-you-are-a-woman tone, and I did rather hate the asshole for it, so the author did manage to do that right) how she would lift a heavy stone bench without the aid of magic. Kelly then goes on a long tirade of the different inventions she could create that would lift the bench, and though I was impressed at first at her cleverness, after the third or fourth one I'm thinking, 'Okay. You're smart. We fucking get it already.'

I gave this book 3 stars because there were moments that I genuinely enjoyed. The spider invasion and Kelly's arrival to the magical world were two scenes I thought were very creative and fun to read. However, the overload of descriptions and the obnoxiousness that is Kelly among several other little things that I won't bother going into now, really distracted me from the positive aspects of this book.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 12, 2009 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

In an alternate world where magic exists, eight brothers have been exiled due to a Curse. The four sets of twins have been cast out of their homeland and reside on Nightfall Isle. The youngest brother and the strongest mage, Morganen, defies all by rescuing Kelly Doyle from her burning bed... and sets into motion the guidelines of the Curse as dictated by the Seer Draganna. Saber is the oldest of the brothers and therefore reluctant to have any friendly contact with Kelly as he fears the unknown...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Reacherfan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This easy to read alternate magic world is a Regency Romance in disguise. Eight brothers, 4 sets of fraternal twins, fulfill a prophesy and, in fear, the people of Katan banish them to Nightfall Island. For 3 years now they've undergone magical attacks by someone who fears them greatly, and fears their finding their destined mates even more. The eldest brother, Saber, makes swords enchanted - that means he not a metalsmith and doesn't work the weapon, he just enchants the blade. Each brother hav...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 20, 2008 Denni rated it 1 of 5 stars

Did I read the same book? Not, because I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The plotline was actually interesting, but the writing style is sophomoric and immature. Didn't find the characters engaging, they were silly. Mostly I wanted to slap the heroine. Of the eight brothers, only one sounded remotely interesting (not the hero here). The plague of magic spiders was gross.

There are much better paranormal books available.

6 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the first book to an 8 book series. We meet and learn all about this universe Ms. Johnson has created. If I may say so, wow! What a universe, I personally loved diving into Katani culture and learning about all the brothers.

However because this is the first book, you may feel confused because there are so many brothers. 8 - get it? However if you reread you'll get them down in no times.

Now Sabar is a true man's man. Mister Hey I'm in Charge. Too bad his lovley woman Kelly is the same...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 14, 2011 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, erotic

Not enough meat and foundation in the story, predictable.
Bottom Line: Try before you buy
This seemed like an awfully predictable book to me. None of the characters grabbed my attention, nor did I connect with them, nor did they interest me in any way. I wish they had.
It was a bit, corny for my tastes. Boy meets girl and falls in love is probably the oldest story ever written, now show me how you can make that story different and show me how you've changed it into an awesome story, that has me lau...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Pamela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

This book was written by someone who I'd previously only read her fanfiction.. She encouraged me to give the book a try. Honestly I"m not into romance novels.. and lets face it, the cover screams romance novel. On the contrary, it's a sort of a fantasy with the romance tacked on. The first book in a series of 8, I honestly didn't get into it the story (despite it being a quick read).

The premise of the book is the story of four fraternal twins exiled on an island living out a curse. Each one wil...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Crazy4more rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Eldest Son shall bear this weight;
If ever true love he should feel
Disaster shall come at her heel
And Katan will fail to aid
When Sword in sheath is claimed by Maid"

Eldest son, Saber, has been avoiding women due to the verses of his song. Kelly from earth is pulled into his realm as she was being burned to death by arsonists. There is no avoiding destiny and fate even when eight brothers were exiled by their kingdom to avoid disaterous songs predicted by a powerful Seer.

This book was fun...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 14, 2009 Nisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy-romance

A great start to the series. This story is about Saber and Kelly. Saber, well, he's really not my type, but I love these books because there are so many other brothers to chose from. Kelly, slightly insane and demented, especially nearing the end with the pages of feminist dialogue. Definitely had to skip through that. Otherwise, I like the pacing and story premise. I am actually looking forward to read Dominor's story more that Wolfer's but I'm the type to read stuff in order, just for a cohesi...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Melissa Levine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a pretty good story. I just don't really understand why Kelly's neighbors had tried to kill her, assuming she was a witch. Nothing strange was really mentioned in the story that would have made me think she was witchy. She was interested in another era in time, made their type of clothes and got together with other people interested in the same thing and whatnot...okay, and? How would that make anyone think she was a witch?

Did it seem strange how long it took before you were told her h...more

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Dec 18, 2008 Annette rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, first-in-a-series, johnson-jean

If this was my first "paranormal" romance, I would probably give it a higher rating. However, as I've just finished JR Ward's (Black Dagger Brotherhood) series and am toward the end of Sherrilyn Kenyon's (Dark-Hunter) this just pales in comparison. This story could have been told without the magic component.

This author is guilty of one of my prime annoyances. She takes pains to illustrate a characters personality and then 30 pages later that same character does something so *out* of character,...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Missy Ann rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Bad book! Heroine? Ick. Every single character was a moron and/or asshole.

Try this exercise, when the female character does something, imagine if it was a man doing the same thing. If it had been written that way it would *never* have been published. She is deeply unlikable, and for some bizarre reason I finished the entire book (secretly hoping she'd be killed?) and actually have the second in the series started (it's a book that stays in my car and I read when I don't even have a cereal box ha...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Flavietta rated it 3 of 5 stars

The plot and the ideas could be good, but the protagonists aren’t been so pleasant for me.
At any rate the other brothers are all lovely, in particular Morg, the Mage, I love him.
In the story there is few adventure, until almost the end, when it’s came the Disaster; the episode more lively is when Kelly's forced the brothers to do the housework.
Also the romantic story is boring, little feeling and enthusiasm.
I don’t know if I would like to follow this series, also if I’m very curious to read the...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't overly enjoy this book. There were a few errors that should have been caught in editing (of the "A few hours later, the storm stopped, and when the rain eased up a few hours later" [paraphrased] variety) but mostly I just found the heroine very unlikable. She didn't come off as smart and sassy, just petulant and bratty. There also seemed to be an awful lot of focus on everyone's hair colours as descriptors and epithets. I received all the books as a gift so I intend on reading all of th...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Monique rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: jean-johnson

I've actually read almost all of the books in this series because I thought that they would be really good, but, I didn't love them...The background stories were good and the whole concept of each story telling the situation of a different brother per book...But, I don't know something just didn't make me say like oh yes! I love this series! It's cool and others who like a little magic and some steamy sex scenes may enjoy it, this is only my personal opinion...There's definately enough testosero...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Ashley F rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, fairytale-fantasy, adventure-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a story about eight super-hot brothers who are born in sets of twins. Okay well there is some sort of prophecy which in my opinion, is blown completely out of proportion. The funny think about the absurd "end of the world" prophecy is it takes a woman to go "Hmm, since it is kind of vague maybe it is not so end of the world like." Seriously give that chick a medal! The boys are absolute idiots when it comes to the stupid prophecy.

‘The Eldest Son shall bear this weight:
If ever true love h...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Caitlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, funny

Many years ago a prophecy was proclaimed about eight magical sons. When the youngest Corvis son developed his powers the Council of Mages exiled the eight brothers and forbid any women on to Nightfall Isle. The eldest son, Saber’s verse said that if he ever felt true love ‘disaster shall come at her heel.’ Kelly, a young American woman finds herself in the castle of Nightfall Isle after Morganen the youngest brother magics her out of her burning house. Saber wants Kelly gone as quickly as possib...more Many years ago a prophecy was proclaimed about eight magical sons. When the youngest Corvis son developed his powers the Council of Mages exiled the eight brothers and forbid any women on to Nightfall Isle. The eldest son, Saber’s verse said that if he ever felt true love ‘disaster shall come at her heel.’ Kelly, a young American woman finds herself in the castle of Nightfall Isle after Morganen the youngest brother magics her out of her burning house. Saber wants Kelly gone as quickly as possible.
This paranormal/regency romance novel is the first in the ‘Sons of Destiny’ series by Jean Johnson. The story is surprisingly humorous at times, especially the concept of one bossy woman against eight bachelors. Kelly is not a woman who is going to sit quietly in the corner and soon has the brothers in hand cleaning the entire castle. Personally I’m unsure if I would like Kelly, she’s a bit bossy and demanding but her methods are effective and she gains the respect of the brothers.
(view spoiler)
I did like the way in which Johnson enabled Kelly and Saber to get to know one another. We know that they are destined for one another but they had to get to that point somehow without taking years.
I liked the world building, it didn’t try to build the world in one go but slowly and as required. It’s clear from the outset that it’s a series and that’s okay to have unresolved elements (view spoiler). It will also mean the world created has time to be fully explained.
The brothers are interesting and all very different; eight brothers, four sets of twins aren’t meant to be different from one another but these are not ordinary men. It will be interesting to read each of their stories and see just what their verse of the song meant.
(less)

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Apr 21, 2009 Kaleigha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well, well, well. Hm, where to start. I am about half way through, and not loosing any sleep to finish it, but not wanting to ditch it, either. Kind of a filler while I wait for the next Singh, Ione, and Ward.

First off, like most of the previous reviews, I was wishing for a painful death for the "heroine". Instead of dropping to her bony knees in gratitude for being saved from a horrid death, healed, clothed, fed and protected...she becomes the houseguest from hell. Whiny, demanding, superior ac...more

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Oct 07, 2011 The Window Seat rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Check out my reviews at http://thewindowseat13.blogspot.com/

Since there are eight brothers, there are eight books. The first book in the series is The Sword. The title comes from the nickname of the Eldest of the eight brothers. Each of the eight brothers have been given a nickname based on their skills and their role in the Prophecy of Eight. The thing about the prophecy is that it states that each brother will find his woman and fulfill his lines of the prophecy. Saber, the eldest, is one of...more Check out my reviews at http://thewindowseat13.blogspot.com/

Since there are eight brothers, there are eight books. The first book in the series is The Sword. The title comes from the nickname of the Eldest of the eight brothers. Each of the eight brothers have been given a nickname based on their skills and their role in the Prophecy of Eight. The thing about the prophecy is that it states that each brother will find his woman and fulfill his lines of the prophecy. Saber, the eldest, is one of the few for whom the prophecy is a true curse. For when he falls in love, it is said that his country, Katan, will come to serious harm. So Saber is determined at all costs to put off any fulfillment of the prophecy.

But the youngest of the brothers, Morganen, is prophesied to be the matchmaker of the group and so he sets out to find a perfect match for his brother. He just has to look in his magic mirror at all the women in all the worlds to see if he can find someone to match his brother's strength of will. He finds a woman from a strange land called Earth, Kelly, and he rescues her from a fire and brings her to their home.

Predictably, Saber wants his brother to send the woman back right away. But Morganen knows his duty and he knows that he can't find his woman until he first matches up all his brothers. He arranges things so that Saber and Kelly are forced to spend time together and allow their attraction to each other to build. Which it does. In fact, I think the best part of this book is the scene where the two lead characters have been bitten by a poisonous snake and are forced to endure a painless, but annoying, remedy which forces them to be alone together for a day or so. As that scene develops, you can see that the attraction develop and grow as they talk and learn things about each other. That is when the two go from being merely attracted to each other's looks to being attracted to the person inside.

As far as the fantasy world building goes, I liked this world. It is made clear early on what magic can and can't do in this world and the uses of magic are varied and fun. The author does a great job outlining the personalities of the eight brothers and making them unique while still making them all equally appealing. Each brother has a knack for something - music, shape shifting, controlling weather, or managing fire, and each skill is clearly present in the development of the story and the prophecy without seeming contrived.

My biggest complaint about this book is the way that the lead, Kelly, interacts with the brothers. Although she is not annoying when interacting with her hero, if I was one of the brothers, I would've thrown her off the island! I would like to say that this is a harmless annoyance, but as the series continues, the interactions of Kelly and the brothers increases, rather than decreases, and it is the downfall of the series. I am a big fan of series. I like when characters that we come to know and love resurface and rejoin the action. Kelly of Nightfall is not one of those characters. Without her and her personality dominating far too often in the series, this would've been a much better series overall.

Putting aside the character of Kelly, this is a fun series. This first book is one of the better books in the series and is well worth the read. One of two things will happen. Either you will hate Kelly enough to not read any more of the books, but still walk away from this one reasonably content with how you spent your time, or you will love the brothers enough to suffer through Kelly's nonsense occasionally so that you can you can find out how these intriguing men find their mates. I know that is what happened to me! (less)

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Jun 19, 2011 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

***MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS***

I enjoyed the first book of this series very much. And I **cannot wait to get my hands on Rydan's story, called The Storm (book 6)** but I'm forcing myself to read them in order. I have a feeling book 6 may be my favorite in the series, but we'll see.

The Sword is a fantasy romance. The world building is realistic and well-grounded while still maintaining the genre label.

I've skimmed through a few of the low rating reviews that felt the heroine was unlikable. You...more

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Sep 11, 2010 MaggieReadsRom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Jean Johnson knows how to treat us to delicious males, a feisty and strong heroine and a magical fantasyworld blended into an original, unique and well-written plot, sprinkled with sensual tension and erotic love scenes.

This was a perfect combination of magic, fantasy, 21st century girlpower, a bit of history, intriguing, exiled mage-brothers of which hero Saber is the first to fullfill his dreaded and prophesied destiny, and of course love, a beautiful, profound love.

The story kept me intrigued...more Jean Johnson knows how to treat us to delicious males, a feisty and strong heroine and a magical fantasyworld blended into an original, unique and well-written plot, sprinkled with sensual tension and erotic love scenes.

This was a perfect combination of magic, fantasy, 21st century girlpower, a bit of history, intriguing, exiled mage-brothers of which hero Saber is the first to fullfill his dreaded and prophesied destiny, and of course love, a beautiful, profound love.

The story kept me intrigued and fascinated from the first page to the last. There were so many things I loved about it: the storylines, the intensity between Kelly and Saber, the worldbuilding and last but not least: those brothers, twins but each unique and special in their own way.
I really wouldn’t mind being swept away to this Isle of Nightfall and having eight magical brothers at my beg and call.
I adored the witty, sarcastic bantering between all the brothers and the battle of wits between Kelly and Saber.

The characters in the book, both main and secondary were all very likable and easy to relate to. I really appreciated it that Johnson had Kelly doubting her feelings for Saber not immediately falling head over heels but gradually acknowledging her feellings for him truly were feelings of love. Johnson does this in a writing style that’s really believable and admirable.
The bond and love for each other between the brothers is one of the things that I found most attracting and it matched perfectly with the way Kelly is almost immediately embraced by all the brothers despite her fiery character and the way she starts ordering them around.

My favourite scene in the book was the wedding.
The ceremony was lovely, the vows were touching, the exchange of gifts was endearing and the weddingnight was steaming.

This book was so much more than an average fantasy romance.
The story- and worldbuilding was perfectly done, taking the reader slowly but surely to an ending that only promises more to come.
With all the information on the curse, the prophecy and the brothers, given little by little, perfectly dosed, you know it’s all far from done. This book is just the beginning, the tip of the iceberg.
From the very start you know there is much more than meets the eye. This just makes the anticpation for the books to come greater because you know none of them will be able to escape his destiny. Though in my opinion destiny and prophecy receive a little magical helping hand.

In short, an intriguing, fascinating and compelling book and defenitely a series to treasure for it’s ability to swep you of your feet.(less)

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Feb 25, 2010 Rossy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Michelle M. Pillow fans/romance&regency fans

Recommended to Rossy by: Regina

Shelves: challenge-pifm-2010, series-pnr, challenge-pnr-series-2010, challenge-144-books-2010

What a great start for a series this was. I really enjoyed the characters and the story as it was told. While the book is paranormal with some fantasy and science fiction thrown in. It's predominantly a romance novel with some medieval undercurrents.

I'm not a fan of historical, regency or medieval stories so thankfully this one didn't venture too heavily into it to keep me interested. I am completly in love with these very alpha males and i really enjoyed the heroine in this book. I personally...more

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Apr 21, 2010 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 stars
I think the first 150 pages were great! It got a bit boring, then picked up again. There were parts in here that had me laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face! For instance, when Kelly is giving the brothers her rules? I about died laughing! It was a silly, fun read, very girl power...you have all these big tough males, and this little female (she calls herself their alpha female) pushes them around! It's great!
Quick summary: Kelly is from Earth, Saber and his 7 brothers li...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Marissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Eldest Son shall bear this weight;
If ever true love he should feel
Disaster shall come at her heel
And Katan will fail to aid
When Sword in sheath is claimed by Maid"

Their fate was sealed the minute the last set of twins of the Corvis family were born, from now on the eight mage-brothers who were born in four sets of twins, all on the same day two years apart each time, would be known as the Sons of Destiny. They fulfil the Curse of the Eight Prophecies, written by the seer Draganna over a tho...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Shannon (Savhage Temptrest) rated it 3 of 5 stars

"The Sword" by Jean Johnson was a delighful read with a good storyline and interesting characters. This is the first installment of the Sons of Destiny series in which eight brothers, exiled from their native land and banished to a secluded and isolated island, must face their predestined fates, or succumb to the consequences of denying them.

Saber is the first-born of seven brothers, and is therefore responsible for them all. So when his younger brother saves a woman from another dimension, and...more

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About Jean Johnson

Berkley/Jove Authors Bio

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author, science fiction author

Jean Johnson currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, has played in the SCA for 25 years, sings a lot, and argues with her cat about territorial rights to her office chair. She loves hearing from her readers, and has a distinct sense of humor. Rig...more

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The Sword (Sons of Destiny #1)

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