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Fitzwarren Inheritance #1-3
The Fitzwarren Inheritance Trilogy
The Psychic's Tale by Chris Quinton
Mark Renfrew is a closeted psychic and openly gay. When his grandmother discovers a family link to a 17th century feud and a still-potent curse, she insists he investigates and do his best to end it. When he travels to the village of Steeple Westford, he meets and falls for Jack Faulkner, an archaeologist. He also meets the Fitzwarrens, who are facing yet another tragedy. Then Mark learns that the man who cursed them had twisted the knife by leaving three cryptic conditions that would lift the curse, and he knows he has to try to break the curse his ancestor had set.
The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott
Corporal Daniel Francis has returned to his childhood home in England to heal; the only one of his unit that survived a roadside bomb. His reasons for skipping medication are based on a stubborn refusal to become an addict, and he is overwhelmed with survivor's guilt. Doctor Sean Lester has joined his father's surgery and when he is held at knife point by a patient high on drugs it is Daniel that leaps to his rescue-much to his horror. When Sean nearly runs Daniel down in the dark he finds a man who needs help, and resolves to be the person to show Daniel that it is possible to live through guilt and find happiness. Set against the backdrop of the Fitzwarren family curse, The Soldiers Tale is a story of one man's fight to find his place in a new world outside of the Army.
The Lord's Tale by Sue Brown
Surrounded by the tragedy of his family's history, the last thing Phil expects is to be picked up by a gorgeous guy twenty feet up a climbing wall. What scares him even more is the way Lee fits into his life, the final piece to break the Fitzwarren curse.
Mark Renfrew is a closeted psychic and openly gay. When his grandmother discovers a family link to a 17th century feud and a still-potent curse, she insists he investigates and do his best to end it. When he travels to the village of Steeple Westford, he meets and falls for Jack Faulkner, an archaeologist. He also meets the Fitzwarrens, who are facing yet another tragedy. Then Mark learns that the man who cursed them had twisted the knife by leaving three cryptic conditions that would lift the curse, and he knows he has to try to break the curse his ancestor had set.
The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott
Corporal Daniel Francis has returned to his childhood home in England to heal; the only one of his unit that survived a roadside bomb. His reasons for skipping medication are based on a stubborn refusal to become an addict, and he is overwhelmed with survivor's guilt. Doctor Sean Lester has joined his father's surgery and when he is held at knife point by a patient high on drugs it is Daniel that leaps to his rescue-much to his horror. When Sean nearly runs Daniel down in the dark he finds a man who needs help, and resolves to be the person to show Daniel that it is possible to live through guilt and find happiness. Set against the backdrop of the Fitzwarren family curse, The Soldiers Tale is a story of one man's fight to find his place in a new world outside of the Army.
The Lord's Tale by Sue Brown
Surrounded by the tragedy of his family's history, the last thing Phil expects is to be picked up by a gorgeous guy twenty feet up a climbing wall. What scares him even more is the way Lee fits into his life, the final piece to break the Fitzwarren curse.
542 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2011
7 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Chris Quinton
46 books99 followersChris started creating stories not long after she mastered joined-up writing, somewhat to the bemusement of her parents and her English teachers. But she received plenty of encouragement. Her dad gave her an already old Everest typewriter when she was about ten, and it was probably the best gift she'd ever received – until the inventions of the home-computer and the worldwide web.
Chris's reading and writing interests range from historical, mystery, and paranormal, to science-fiction and fantasy, mostly in the male/male genre. She also writes male/female novels in the name of Chris Power. She refuses to be pigeon-holed and intends to uphold the long and honourable tradition of the Eccentric Brit to the best of her ability. In her spare time [hah!] she reads, embroiders, quilts and knits. In the past she has been a part-time and unpaid amateur archaeologist, and a 15th century re-enactor.
She currently lives in a small and ancient city in the south-west of the United Kingdom, sharing her usually chaotic home with an extended family, two large dogs, fancy mice, sundry goldfish and a young frilled dragon (Australian lizard) aka Trogdorina.
Chris's reading and writing interests range from historical, mystery, and paranormal, to science-fiction and fantasy, mostly in the male/male genre. She also writes male/female novels in the name of Chris Power. She refuses to be pigeon-holed and intends to uphold the long and honourable tradition of the Eccentric Brit to the best of her ability. In her spare time [hah!] she reads, embroiders, quilts and knits. In the past she has been a part-time and unpaid amateur archaeologist, and a 15th century re-enactor.
She currently lives in a small and ancient city in the south-west of the United Kingdom, sharing her usually chaotic home with an extended family, two large dogs, fancy mice, sundry goldfish and a young frilled dragon (Australian lizard) aka Trogdorina.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 19, 2016
4.75 STARS
This trilogy/anthology-collaboration is fantastic, I'm blown away that each of the three books was actually written by a different author because they flowed seamlessly into each other. The main storyline is excellent and so are the MC's from each respective book. It just missed 5 stars because of one small flaw to me, it needed to be longer and was left open without a proper ending. I've only done a quick scout about the net to find 2 more novella's based on the MC's from the 1st book but this needed better closure. I'll check around more because each seperate novella's written by three different author's, Books 1-3, which have now been packaged to sell as the The Fitzwarren Inheritance It's an easy read but great. the three novella's and author's involved are:
Book #1
Book #2
Book #3
Book 1-3 Bundle
This trilogy/anthology-collaboration is fantastic, I'm blown away that each of the three books was actually written by a different author because they flowed seamlessly into each other. The main storyline is excellent and so are the MC's from each respective book. It just missed 5 stars because of one small flaw to me, it needed to be longer and was left open without a proper ending. I've only done a quick scout about the net to find 2 more novella's based on the MC's from the 1st book but this needed better closure. I'll check around more because each seperate novella's written by three different author's, Books 1-3, which have now been packaged to sell as the The Fitzwarren Inheritance It's an easy read but great. the three novella's and author's involved are:
Book #1
Book #2
Book #3
Book 1-3 Bundle
November 10, 2015
Loved reading them all together.
December 7, 2015
ARC provided by the publisher through Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words in exchange for an impartial review.
This book is actually three books in one, all with a common theme: the curse on the Fitzwarren family, a curse made by a distraught Jonathan Curtess as he was about to be burned at the stake by Sir Belvedere Fitzwarren in the 1600’s. "I curse you and your children's children, that you shall all live out your allotted years, and that those years shall be filled with grief and loss and betrayal, even as you have betrayed and bereaved me."
The first book, The Psychic’s Tale is by Chris Quinton. When his grandmother’s new interest in genealogy reveals that Mark Renfrew, a psychic, is a descendent of Jonathan Curtess, she urges him to investigate the Fitzwarren family curse personally, hoping he’ll be able to bring it to an end. It seems that this curse isn’t just folklore; the Fitzwarren family has lost more than their share of family members to death over the centuries, and the family coffers have virtually run dry.
Mark not only meets one of the surviving family members, he also meets an archaeologist, Jack Faulkner, who is doing preliminary research in the area for a potential dig. Intrigued by the man, their plans are aborted when the rest of the Fitzwarren clan discovers he’s in town, and they virtually run him out of town. Intrigued, his research shows that there’s a possible cure for the curse that starts as “When the one who reads the earth joins with he who sees beyond.” It’s apparent it could be a psychic and an archaeologist, so he contacts Jack, and the two head back to talk to the Fitzwarrens to attempt to convince them to let Mark try to help them.
This begins a tale in which Mark and Jack do make some inroads toward not only a lasting relationship with each other, but also toward lifting the curse, though there are further steps and more people to be involved, but at least the Fitzwarrens are now tolerant of Mark, and he and Jack can only wait and hope that the others needed to break the curse eventually show up.
The second story is The Soldier’s Tale by RJ Scott. This story focuses on Corporal Daniel Francis, a young man injured in the line of duty when a roadside bomb his demolitions team was working to defuse exploded, killing most of the team. He not only suffers from nightmares, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt, he lives in extreme pain from a knee which was so badly injured, it was almost irreparable. He hates taking his pain meds and goes to great lengths to avoid that sickening fuzzy-headed, loss-of-control feeling they give him. He prefers to walk off the pain, an action that gets him into trouble one night when he’s walking along a road and is nearly run over by Dr. Sean Lester who was speeding along in his Audi while trying to work off his anger with his father.
Having briefly met before, this accident gives the men the opportunity to talk and for Sean to see beyond the façade Daniel puts up—enough to reach out and help him in more than a professional way. Sean helps Daniel change the meds he’s on so that he can manage his pain but not feel so helpless and drugged up. They also find themselves drawn into the Fitzwarren family curse when it’s discovered that the old knife Sean carries—a knife handed down through his family for centuries—is the knife that someone threw at Jonathan Curtess as he was being burned at the stake so he wouldn’t suffer the agony of the flames. When Sean and Daniel meet up with Mark and Jack from The Psychic’s Tale, Mark determines that this couple fulfills the second half of the prophecy: “when the warrior and the healer stand to seal a sacred bond.” Could it be that Sean and Daniel standing up for their best friend Will at his wedding to Diana Fitzwarren fulfills that requirement?
This was also a wonderful story in and of itself, but the way it entwined with the first book was seamless and added to the enjoyment of the romance and intrigue surrounding the curse. At this point, I could hardly bear to put the book down.
The last book, The Lord’s Tale, is by Sue Brown. Phil Fitzwarren, the family accountant and single gay man in the cursed family, is the most skeptical of the remaining Fitzwarrens. Both Diana and their older brother, Charles, have come to accept that what Mark has done so far to lift the curse seems to be working, but it’s far from finished and Phil is starting to resent the hope the others are carrying. He’s not going to fall for a psychic’s story like they all are. The one way he can safely work off his anger and his need for danger and adventure is by rock climbing. And of course, due to the damned curse, he can’t do it on a real mountain, so he goes to his favorite rock climbing facility where he meets a young man who supposedly has been watching him for weeks while Phil has been focused inwardly on his family’s circumstances.
Lee Curtis is far younger than Phil, only twenty-two to Phil’s twenty-eight, but he’s alpha all the way through and more or less manhandles Phil into a relationship, whether he wants one or not. And he does. He just always thought he’d be the top, but Lee is the one to inform Phil that they are together and always will be. During dinner at Lee’s family home one evening, it’s revealed that Lee’s first name is Jonathan. Phil, realizing that Lee is a descendent of Jonathan Curtess, starts to freak out until Mark and Jack, who happen to be there, see the connection to the curse and the possibility of having found the last key to breaking it. The final phrase, “when the one who seeks in danger is sworn to the landless lord” fits the couple perfectly.
I really enjoyed this segment as the author instilled a bit of humor into the relationship between these men, and it was easy to see how happy they made each other. The final chapters of putting all the pieces together and finding the final clues which lead to not only resolving the curse, but also restoring the family fortune were exciting and fast-paced.
It’s evident that these authors worked closely together to match personalities as they brought characters from one story into the next, and they worked together to create an intriguing action/adventure that didn’t slow or lag at any point. I devoured this story, and I highly recommend it to all who enjoy a multi-character MM romance with humor, intrigue, danger, and lots of loving.
This book is actually three books in one, all with a common theme: the curse on the Fitzwarren family, a curse made by a distraught Jonathan Curtess as he was about to be burned at the stake by Sir Belvedere Fitzwarren in the 1600’s. "I curse you and your children's children, that you shall all live out your allotted years, and that those years shall be filled with grief and loss and betrayal, even as you have betrayed and bereaved me."
The first book, The Psychic’s Tale is by Chris Quinton. When his grandmother’s new interest in genealogy reveals that Mark Renfrew, a psychic, is a descendent of Jonathan Curtess, she urges him to investigate the Fitzwarren family curse personally, hoping he’ll be able to bring it to an end. It seems that this curse isn’t just folklore; the Fitzwarren family has lost more than their share of family members to death over the centuries, and the family coffers have virtually run dry.
Mark not only meets one of the surviving family members, he also meets an archaeologist, Jack Faulkner, who is doing preliminary research in the area for a potential dig. Intrigued by the man, their plans are aborted when the rest of the Fitzwarren clan discovers he’s in town, and they virtually run him out of town. Intrigued, his research shows that there’s a possible cure for the curse that starts as “When the one who reads the earth joins with he who sees beyond.” It’s apparent it could be a psychic and an archaeologist, so he contacts Jack, and the two head back to talk to the Fitzwarrens to attempt to convince them to let Mark try to help them.
This begins a tale in which Mark and Jack do make some inroads toward not only a lasting relationship with each other, but also toward lifting the curse, though there are further steps and more people to be involved, but at least the Fitzwarrens are now tolerant of Mark, and he and Jack can only wait and hope that the others needed to break the curse eventually show up.
The second story is The Soldier’s Tale by RJ Scott. This story focuses on Corporal Daniel Francis, a young man injured in the line of duty when a roadside bomb his demolitions team was working to defuse exploded, killing most of the team. He not only suffers from nightmares, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt, he lives in extreme pain from a knee which was so badly injured, it was almost irreparable. He hates taking his pain meds and goes to great lengths to avoid that sickening fuzzy-headed, loss-of-control feeling they give him. He prefers to walk off the pain, an action that gets him into trouble one night when he’s walking along a road and is nearly run over by Dr. Sean Lester who was speeding along in his Audi while trying to work off his anger with his father.
Having briefly met before, this accident gives the men the opportunity to talk and for Sean to see beyond the façade Daniel puts up—enough to reach out and help him in more than a professional way. Sean helps Daniel change the meds he’s on so that he can manage his pain but not feel so helpless and drugged up. They also find themselves drawn into the Fitzwarren family curse when it’s discovered that the old knife Sean carries—a knife handed down through his family for centuries—is the knife that someone threw at Jonathan Curtess as he was being burned at the stake so he wouldn’t suffer the agony of the flames. When Sean and Daniel meet up with Mark and Jack from The Psychic’s Tale, Mark determines that this couple fulfills the second half of the prophecy: “when the warrior and the healer stand to seal a sacred bond.” Could it be that Sean and Daniel standing up for their best friend Will at his wedding to Diana Fitzwarren fulfills that requirement?
This was also a wonderful story in and of itself, but the way it entwined with the first book was seamless and added to the enjoyment of the romance and intrigue surrounding the curse. At this point, I could hardly bear to put the book down.
The last book, The Lord’s Tale, is by Sue Brown. Phil Fitzwarren, the family accountant and single gay man in the cursed family, is the most skeptical of the remaining Fitzwarrens. Both Diana and their older brother, Charles, have come to accept that what Mark has done so far to lift the curse seems to be working, but it’s far from finished and Phil is starting to resent the hope the others are carrying. He’s not going to fall for a psychic’s story like they all are. The one way he can safely work off his anger and his need for danger and adventure is by rock climbing. And of course, due to the damned curse, he can’t do it on a real mountain, so he goes to his favorite rock climbing facility where he meets a young man who supposedly has been watching him for weeks while Phil has been focused inwardly on his family’s circumstances.
Lee Curtis is far younger than Phil, only twenty-two to Phil’s twenty-eight, but he’s alpha all the way through and more or less manhandles Phil into a relationship, whether he wants one or not. And he does. He just always thought he’d be the top, but Lee is the one to inform Phil that they are together and always will be. During dinner at Lee’s family home one evening, it’s revealed that Lee’s first name is Jonathan. Phil, realizing that Lee is a descendent of Jonathan Curtess, starts to freak out until Mark and Jack, who happen to be there, see the connection to the curse and the possibility of having found the last key to breaking it. The final phrase, “when the one who seeks in danger is sworn to the landless lord” fits the couple perfectly.
I really enjoyed this segment as the author instilled a bit of humor into the relationship between these men, and it was easy to see how happy they made each other. The final chapters of putting all the pieces together and finding the final clues which lead to not only resolving the curse, but also restoring the family fortune were exciting and fast-paced.
It’s evident that these authors worked closely together to match personalities as they brought characters from one story into the next, and they worked together to create an intriguing action/adventure that didn’t slow or lag at any point. I devoured this story, and I highly recommend it to all who enjoy a multi-character MM romance with humor, intrigue, danger, and lots of loving.
February 19, 2013
This is a series of three novellas, each by different authors. I definitely recommend you buy the complete edition, rather than buying each one separately. The first one is the best of the bunch, and once you've read that, if you even remotely enjoyed the curse/ghost-story aspect, you'll want to read the other two to finish the story. Taken as a whole, I'd give it about 3.5, rounded up to 4 because I really like the premise.
Since I'm a lazy soul, I'm just going to copy and paste my reviews of the other three books here, so it'll be a bit long. Sorry.
Book 1:
The Psychic's Tale is the first in the trilogy, and definitely the strongest. The romance takes a bit of a backseat to the mystery/ghost story but Mark and Jack make the best couple of the three, I think. They work together much better as a couple than those in the other books, and though they get together fast, their lust/love is well-written enough that they feel believable. The whole trilogy moves very quickly, I think all three books cover less than 4 weeks all together, so there is a lot of insta-lust followed by near insta-love. I minded it the least in this one, since Mark and Jack actually make sense together. The writing is great, the ghost-story gripping and intriguing, and the trilogy definitely starts off with a bang.
Book 2:
The second story in the trilogy is definitely weaker than the first, but still quite enjoyable. Daniel and Sean are fairly likable, though I'm not sure I entirely buy their relationship. Things just move too quickly, and I'm not sure I buy that Daniel would be ok with Sean's doctoring side. With each book, the past seems to influence the present even more, and the supernatural events/aspects also increase with each tale. Certainly not strong enough for a stand-alone book, but as a novella in part of a trilogy, it's fairly enjoyable.
Book 3:
Definitely the weakest of the three, which kind of sucks since it's the climax and finale. Worth reading to find out how it all ends, but Phil and Lee make the weakest couple and, honestly, are the characters I liked least. We see a lot of Mark and Jack, Daniel and Sean in this, and I think I like Daniel even more in this one than in his own story. That may just be because I have a thing for the strong silent types, though. If anything, it seems like the secondary characters steal the show. The three couples are somewhat funny when they all get together, but they overpower the story of Phil and Lee.
I think my main problem with this story is that I don't buy Lee and Phil as a couple. There is not as much give and take in their relationship, and I find it hard to believe that such similar, and therefore clashing, personalities would make a good couple. They declare love within days of meeting each other, and since their personalities really didn't match, it's even more obvious that they're just together because of the curse. It feels a lot like the "fated mates" thing you find in a lot of shifter romance, which just irritates the heck out of me.
If you've read the first two, you definitely have to read this one for the sense of closure, but don't expect a great story, particularly believable romance or well-rounded characters.
Since I'm a lazy soul, I'm just going to copy and paste my reviews of the other three books here, so it'll be a bit long. Sorry.
Book 1:
The Psychic's Tale is the first in the trilogy, and definitely the strongest. The romance takes a bit of a backseat to the mystery/ghost story but Mark and Jack make the best couple of the three, I think. They work together much better as a couple than those in the other books, and though they get together fast, their lust/love is well-written enough that they feel believable. The whole trilogy moves very quickly, I think all three books cover less than 4 weeks all together, so there is a lot of insta-lust followed by near insta-love. I minded it the least in this one, since Mark and Jack actually make sense together. The writing is great, the ghost-story gripping and intriguing, and the trilogy definitely starts off with a bang.
Book 2:
The second story in the trilogy is definitely weaker than the first, but still quite enjoyable. Daniel and Sean are fairly likable, though I'm not sure I entirely buy their relationship. Things just move too quickly, and I'm not sure I buy that Daniel would be ok with Sean's doctoring side. With each book, the past seems to influence the present even more, and the supernatural events/aspects also increase with each tale. Certainly not strong enough for a stand-alone book, but as a novella in part of a trilogy, it's fairly enjoyable.
Book 3:
Definitely the weakest of the three, which kind of sucks since it's the climax and finale. Worth reading to find out how it all ends, but Phil and Lee make the weakest couple and, honestly, are the characters I liked least. We see a lot of Mark and Jack, Daniel and Sean in this, and I think I like Daniel even more in this one than in his own story. That may just be because I have a thing for the strong silent types, though. If anything, it seems like the secondary characters steal the show. The three couples are somewhat funny when they all get together, but they overpower the story of Phil and Lee.
I think my main problem with this story is that I don't buy Lee and Phil as a couple. There is not as much give and take in their relationship, and I find it hard to believe that such similar, and therefore clashing, personalities would make a good couple. They declare love within days of meeting each other, and since their personalities really didn't match, it's even more obvious that they're just together because of the curse. It feels a lot like the "fated mates" thing you find in a lot of shifter romance, which just irritates the heck out of me.
If you've read the first two, you definitely have to read this one for the sense of closure, but don't expect a great story, particularly believable romance or well-rounded characters.
August 5, 2023
Book 1: 3.75 stars
Book 2: 3.50 stars
Book 3: 2.00 stars
Overall a great series, I would love to read more stories in this 'verse.
New characters would also be great.
Reread, 2021. Still not a fan of book 3 (mostly just not a fan of Lee, just … no) but boy I wish there would be more from RJ & Chris. Still wouldn’t mind new characters as long as we stay in the ‘verse.
Book 2: 3.50 stars
Book 3: 2.00 stars
Overall a great series, I would love to read more stories in this 'verse.
New characters would also be great.
Reread, 2021. Still not a fan of book 3 (mostly just not a fan of Lee, just … no) but boy I wish there would be more from RJ & Chris. Still wouldn’t mind new characters as long as we stay in the ‘verse.
April 1, 2017
Review written for Love Bytes Reviews.
The Psychic’s Tale
Mark didn’t ask to be psychic but he’s done what was necessary to keep himself going, even in the face of disbelief and loss. He’s fairly resigned to his lot in life and is mostly happy with it until his grandmother discovers a connection between his family and a curse placed on another: The Fitzwarrens. Now he’s facing hostility and the overwhelming need to break a 400 year old curse before it kills anyone else while trying to figure out if a fledgling connection with a stranger can lead to something more.
I really enjoyed this story; I thought it was a great start to the series and the way that Mark uses his psychic abilities was unique. I was quickly drawn into the story and found myself invested in what happened to the characters in a short amount of time. Jack’s ability to put aside his skepticism and at least give Mark a chance was nice to see and I thought he worked well with Mark overall. Things do move at a faster pace since this is a novella but I found I didn’t mind that at all. The only think I didn’t care for was how quickly the first part of the curse was tackled but I understand it with the length of the story.
The Soldier’s Tale
Daniel prides himself on being a strong man but after living through a horrifying experience in Afghanistan, he’s on shaky ground both mentally and physically. All he wants is to be left alone to get along as best he can but a chance encounter, and later a near miss, with an irritating doctor changes that. Sean doesn’t understand why he can’t get Daniel off of his mind but when he’s given the chance to figure it out, he doesn’t hesitate to take it. Amidst the challenge of breaking a curse on a friend and helping out another in the hospital, Sean definitely has his work cut out for him.
While I enjoyed this next book in the trilogy, I find I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first. Daniel’s connection to the breaking of the curse was unexpected but fit well and it was nice seeing Sean as a main character instead of just a secondary one. I don’t know what it was, however, but I just didn’t feel the connection between these two that I did with Mark and Jack. I could’ve believed that they were good friends or that something more might have developed over time but it just didn’t feel genuine to me with how quickly the relationship progressed. I’m not sure why. Still, it was a good continuation of the overall story even with how fast it moved.
The Lord’s Tale
Phil has lived his entire life under the shadow of the family curse and he’s just so very tired. Everyday seems like a struggle between trying to keep the estate afloat and keeping himself going but its hard. On top of that, seeing everyone around him fall in love and pair off just hammers home how lonely he is. Lee has spent months watching Phil come into the center to rock climb but when he freezes up on the wall, Lee finally takes the opportunity to talk to him while hoping he can find a way for more. The curse has almost been broken but unforeseen connections have Phil wondering if his family will ever be free and if he even belongs with Lee.
This was a great end to the book; up until this point the curse breaking had been going fairly smoothly but just when everyone thinks things are finally over, one more condition is brought to light, sending Phil and his family scrambling to try and fulfill it. I thought Phil was a likeable character and it was understandable that he saw the world in a glass is half empty kind of light. Lee’s character, however, was the opposite and I thought the two balanced each other out nicely. I found him calling Phil baby despite Phil’s protests to be amusing and the connection between Lee and Phil’s families brought a nice symmetry to the end of the story arc.
I enjoyed the book overall; it was a nice easy read without too much drama and just the right amount of paranormal to keep my attention.
The Psychic’s Tale
Mark didn’t ask to be psychic but he’s done what was necessary to keep himself going, even in the face of disbelief and loss. He’s fairly resigned to his lot in life and is mostly happy with it until his grandmother discovers a connection between his family and a curse placed on another: The Fitzwarrens. Now he’s facing hostility and the overwhelming need to break a 400 year old curse before it kills anyone else while trying to figure out if a fledgling connection with a stranger can lead to something more.
I really enjoyed this story; I thought it was a great start to the series and the way that Mark uses his psychic abilities was unique. I was quickly drawn into the story and found myself invested in what happened to the characters in a short amount of time. Jack’s ability to put aside his skepticism and at least give Mark a chance was nice to see and I thought he worked well with Mark overall. Things do move at a faster pace since this is a novella but I found I didn’t mind that at all. The only think I didn’t care for was how quickly the first part of the curse was tackled but I understand it with the length of the story.
The Soldier’s Tale
Daniel prides himself on being a strong man but after living through a horrifying experience in Afghanistan, he’s on shaky ground both mentally and physically. All he wants is to be left alone to get along as best he can but a chance encounter, and later a near miss, with an irritating doctor changes that. Sean doesn’t understand why he can’t get Daniel off of his mind but when he’s given the chance to figure it out, he doesn’t hesitate to take it. Amidst the challenge of breaking a curse on a friend and helping out another in the hospital, Sean definitely has his work cut out for him.
While I enjoyed this next book in the trilogy, I find I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first. Daniel’s connection to the breaking of the curse was unexpected but fit well and it was nice seeing Sean as a main character instead of just a secondary one. I don’t know what it was, however, but I just didn’t feel the connection between these two that I did with Mark and Jack. I could’ve believed that they were good friends or that something more might have developed over time but it just didn’t feel genuine to me with how quickly the relationship progressed. I’m not sure why. Still, it was a good continuation of the overall story even with how fast it moved.
The Lord’s Tale
Phil has lived his entire life under the shadow of the family curse and he’s just so very tired. Everyday seems like a struggle between trying to keep the estate afloat and keeping himself going but its hard. On top of that, seeing everyone around him fall in love and pair off just hammers home how lonely he is. Lee has spent months watching Phil come into the center to rock climb but when he freezes up on the wall, Lee finally takes the opportunity to talk to him while hoping he can find a way for more. The curse has almost been broken but unforeseen connections have Phil wondering if his family will ever be free and if he even belongs with Lee.
This was a great end to the book; up until this point the curse breaking had been going fairly smoothly but just when everyone thinks things are finally over, one more condition is brought to light, sending Phil and his family scrambling to try and fulfill it. I thought Phil was a likeable character and it was understandable that he saw the world in a glass is half empty kind of light. Lee’s character, however, was the opposite and I thought the two balanced each other out nicely. I found him calling Phil baby despite Phil’s protests to be amusing and the connection between Lee and Phil’s families brought a nice symmetry to the end of the story arc.
I enjoyed the book overall; it was a nice easy read without too much drama and just the right amount of paranormal to keep my attention.
revisit-later
August 26, 2017Reviews listed on individual titles.
Finished The Psychic's Tale 8/15/17
Finished The Psychic's Tale 8/15/17
July 22, 2017
I'm so glad that I was able to get these three books as a boxed set. If I had only gotten them one at a time I would have been running back for the next installment. The series begins with The Psychic's Tale, which introduces us to Mark, the psychic, and the curse his ancestor cast on the Fitzwarren family. Mark has been tasked to find a way to lift the curse. In The Soldier's Tale we are introduced to Daniel, the soldier, who is in possession of the dagger that was used to kill Jonathan Curtess before he could be burned to death chained to a stone. In The Lord's Tale we are introduced to Phil Fitzwarren, the lord, the youngest brother of the current Barron who fears that the curse can never be broken. In each tale these men and their partners start to unravel the mystery around the curse and the unlikely coincidences that bring the six men together to save themselves and the lift curse which has affected them through the centuries. An excellent read that keeps you turning the pages and looking forward to the next installment.
August 7, 2016
A Very Good Read
An excellent trilogy with independent stories which come together non book three. Although written by three separate authors, they merge together in one longer tale of love, rejection and final redemption mixed on with history - my dream stories!
An excellent trilogy with independent stories which come together non book three. Although written by three separate authors, they merge together in one longer tale of love, rejection and final redemption mixed on with history - my dream stories!
October 23, 2012
1st book in The Fitzwarren Inheritance has a curse placed on the Fitzwarren family 400 years earlier. I cared about the characters to wonder why it was placed and if it could be lifted.
November 5, 2013
The last one is a role-reversal story, which is kinda hot for my kinky taste.
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