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Bron Universe #1
Adrienne
[A Bron Universe Novel]
He crossed dimensions to claim her as his queen -- but her reign may destroy his world.
Adrienne Backett wants two simple little things this spring rest and relaxation. After nearly four years of slaving away for her college education, she deserves a holiday. What she gets is pulled into another dimension by a man who claims she's his rightful queen.
Malik, King of Ulan, has until his birthday to find his bride or he must forfeit his throne. When a spell reveals her location, he will do anything, even cross dimensions, to claim her as his own.
As if fending off a lusty king isn't enough of a headache, Adrienne finds herself a pawn in a rival monarch's plot to bring Malik's world to its knees. But is the real danger being stuck in the middle of a power struggle between rival kingdoms? Or the damage Malik could do to her heart?
This title contains adult language, talking animals, violence, and scenes of near rape.
Mainstream Fantasy Romance, MF
Magic, Interracial (bwam)
He crossed dimensions to claim her as his queen -- but her reign may destroy his world.
Adrienne Backett wants two simple little things this spring rest and relaxation. After nearly four years of slaving away for her college education, she deserves a holiday. What she gets is pulled into another dimension by a man who claims she's his rightful queen.
Malik, King of Ulan, has until his birthday to find his bride or he must forfeit his throne. When a spell reveals her location, he will do anything, even cross dimensions, to claim her as his own.
As if fending off a lusty king isn't enough of a headache, Adrienne finds herself a pawn in a rival monarch's plot to bring Malik's world to its knees. But is the real danger being stuck in the middle of a power struggle between rival kingdoms? Or the damage Malik could do to her heart?
This title contains adult language, talking animals, violence, and scenes of near rape.
Mainstream Fantasy Romance, MF
Magic, Interracial (bwam)
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
14 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
D. Renee Bagby
10 books130 followers'Home is where my stuff is'. That's Reneé's motto... one of many.
An Air Force brat born and raised, Reneé has traveled all of her life. She was born in the Netherlands and raised in Japan, Texas, Florida, and finally Virginia.
Her travels didn't stop once high school ended. She attended college in North Carolina at Elon University, graduating with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies, Japanese concentration. And after graduation, she returned to Texas to start her life with her husband and rejoin the ranks of Air Force living as a military spouse. From Texas, it was off to California for four years where she finished her first manuscript.
It wasn't until she, her husband, and their two cats moved to Maryland—where they currently reside—that she submitted said manuscript to Samhain Publishing, Ltd. and received a contract.
Given her upbringing and the military tendency of traveling, Reneé knows a lot about adapting to new locales and being 'the new kid'. It's no wonder the majority of her stories tend to be 'fish out of water' stories.
Unlike many authors who said they had a love of reading and writing since a very young age, Reneé used to hate reading and writing wasn't even a thought. If it wasn't on TV then it didn't interest her.
All that changed when her elementary school held a reading contest. A gold medal was waiting for all the students who read a certain number of books and Renee was determined to be one of them. She received her gold medal and a love of reading. From YA Romance to Mainstream Romance, Reneé discovered an addiction to the happily-ever-after endings the romantic genres offered.
She didn't start writing until high school. Back then, her stories were a way to pass the time in class so the teachers thought she was taking notes. It wasn't until another contest, a literary contest, surfaced that she considered writing a story with a definite beginning, middle, and end.
While she didn't finish the story in time for the competition and thus didn't get a chance to submit it for consideration, her English teacher at the time—her very first beta reader—gave her the encouragement needed to keep at it.
It took a few years and many, many rough drafts but Adrienne was eventually born. And, as cliché as it sounds, that was the beginning of the end.
Reneé loves reading (romances and manga) when she has the time but finds she loves writing even more. Her imagination entertains her far more than anything she could find on television, though it is a lovely distraction at times. And, the writing community has introduced her to good friends who are just as crazy and out-there as she is.
An Air Force brat born and raised, Reneé has traveled all of her life. She was born in the Netherlands and raised in Japan, Texas, Florida, and finally Virginia.
Her travels didn't stop once high school ended. She attended college in North Carolina at Elon University, graduating with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies, Japanese concentration. And after graduation, she returned to Texas to start her life with her husband and rejoin the ranks of Air Force living as a military spouse. From Texas, it was off to California for four years where she finished her first manuscript.
It wasn't until she, her husband, and their two cats moved to Maryland—where they currently reside—that she submitted said manuscript to Samhain Publishing, Ltd. and received a contract.
Given her upbringing and the military tendency of traveling, Reneé knows a lot about adapting to new locales and being 'the new kid'. It's no wonder the majority of her stories tend to be 'fish out of water' stories.
Unlike many authors who said they had a love of reading and writing since a very young age, Reneé used to hate reading and writing wasn't even a thought. If it wasn't on TV then it didn't interest her.
All that changed when her elementary school held a reading contest. A gold medal was waiting for all the students who read a certain number of books and Renee was determined to be one of them. She received her gold medal and a love of reading. From YA Romance to Mainstream Romance, Reneé discovered an addiction to the happily-ever-after endings the romantic genres offered.
She didn't start writing until high school. Back then, her stories were a way to pass the time in class so the teachers thought she was taking notes. It wasn't until another contest, a literary contest, surfaced that she considered writing a story with a definite beginning, middle, and end.
While she didn't finish the story in time for the competition and thus didn't get a chance to submit it for consideration, her English teacher at the time—her very first beta reader—gave her the encouragement needed to keep at it.
It took a few years and many, many rough drafts but Adrienne was eventually born. And, as cliché as it sounds, that was the beginning of the end.
Reneé loves reading (romances and manga) when she has the time but finds she loves writing even more. Her imagination entertains her far more than anything she could find on television, though it is a lovely distraction at times. And, the writing community has introduced her to good friends who are just as crazy and out-there as she is.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 2, 2011
Description: After being saved from an attack by a mysterious stranger, Adrienne wakes up on an alternate Earth called Bron. She soon discovers that she is the soul mate of a young Asian king named Malik and that she’s basically been bridenapped. Cue the conflict.
The Good: Lots and lots of story, interesting world-building, and a well set-up mystery.
The Bad: Unfortunately though this story has lots of potential, it’s populated by two rather unpleasant people. Adrienne is generally cranky, lacks curiosity, and at times, incredibly rude to her servants. Malik himself is entitled, spoiled, and physically abusive to his servants and subjects. It’s hard to cheer for a happy ending for the fantasy equivalent of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, and it’s a credit to Bagby’s storytelling skills that I was even able to finish this book.
The Naughty: A couple of sex scenes. Steamy.
Editing issues: Imprecise language and dialogue, and minor grammar errors (8 by my count).
Publisher: Samhain
Length: Novel
Final Grade: C-
Happy Reading,
Theodora from IRBookReviews.com
The Good: Lots and lots of story, interesting world-building, and a well set-up mystery.
The Bad: Unfortunately though this story has lots of potential, it’s populated by two rather unpleasant people. Adrienne is generally cranky, lacks curiosity, and at times, incredibly rude to her servants. Malik himself is entitled, spoiled, and physically abusive to his servants and subjects. It’s hard to cheer for a happy ending for the fantasy equivalent of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, and it’s a credit to Bagby’s storytelling skills that I was even able to finish this book.
The Naughty: A couple of sex scenes. Steamy.
Editing issues: Imprecise language and dialogue, and minor grammar errors (8 by my count).
Publisher: Samhain
Length: Novel
Final Grade: C-
Happy Reading,
Theodora from IRBookReviews.com
September 2, 2012
Perfectly nice, but lacked heart. Plus, the heroine gets kidnapped twice, almost raped twice, and never bothers to learn some self defense moves, get a can of mace, or even buy a magical rape whistle? Seriously? TSTL.
September 25, 2010
4.5 stars. Enjoyable escape. Refreshing change. Creative sci-fi and fantasy. Good story-telling.
STORY BRIEF:
Malik lives in another dimension, a parallel earth known as Bron. Malik is king of Ulan, one of 14 kingdoms on Bron. Kakra is a rival kingdom. Malik must marry his one-true blood mate before his 25th birthday or he forfeits his throne, and the king of Kakra will take over Ulan. Using magic Malik finds his mate, Adrienne, a college student human on Earth. Malik travels to the Earth dimension just in time to save Adrienne from a rape in progress. He kills the two attackers and takes her to Bron. Much of the story is Adrienne reacting to this strange new world. She is a reluctant queen-to-be. She doesn’t like the clothes. She doesn’t want to socialize or meet anyone. She wants Malik to stay away from her and not talk to her. She discovers many people have magic abilities on Bron. She finds herself able to do magic as well. The longer she is there, the stronger her powers become. One of her powers is communicating with animals. She has an interesting relationship with Fehr, Malik’s pet panther-like creature. Because of the feud with other kingdoms, Adrienne’s life is in danger and Malik has full-time guards assigned to her.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There is more magic and fantasy than romantic relationship development, but the relationship story is good. This feels like an offbeat story about Cinderella’s life starting AFTER Prince Charming takes her to the castle. But in this case, we have a reluctant Cinderella who is annoyed with what she finds. However, she comes to like things and fits in in interesting ways. Some readers may not be happy with the imperfect hero Malik. As another reviewer “Winnie G” states he has a short temper and is sort of cruel to his people. The words “refreshing change” in my title come from the reviewer “D. Quinn.” It fits well. Thank you to both.
DATA:
Story length: 308 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 11. Setting: 2006-2007 Earth and parallel earth dimension Bron. Copyright: 2008. Genre: fantasy sci-fi romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I’ve read one other book by D. Renee Bagby. My 4 star review of “Serenity” copyright 2009 was posted 7-26-09.
STORY BRIEF:
Malik lives in another dimension, a parallel earth known as Bron. Malik is king of Ulan, one of 14 kingdoms on Bron. Kakra is a rival kingdom. Malik must marry his one-true blood mate before his 25th birthday or he forfeits his throne, and the king of Kakra will take over Ulan. Using magic Malik finds his mate, Adrienne, a college student human on Earth. Malik travels to the Earth dimension just in time to save Adrienne from a rape in progress. He kills the two attackers and takes her to Bron. Much of the story is Adrienne reacting to this strange new world. She is a reluctant queen-to-be. She doesn’t like the clothes. She doesn’t want to socialize or meet anyone. She wants Malik to stay away from her and not talk to her. She discovers many people have magic abilities on Bron. She finds herself able to do magic as well. The longer she is there, the stronger her powers become. One of her powers is communicating with animals. She has an interesting relationship with Fehr, Malik’s pet panther-like creature. Because of the feud with other kingdoms, Adrienne’s life is in danger and Malik has full-time guards assigned to her.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There is more magic and fantasy than romantic relationship development, but the relationship story is good. This feels like an offbeat story about Cinderella’s life starting AFTER Prince Charming takes her to the castle. But in this case, we have a reluctant Cinderella who is annoyed with what she finds. However, she comes to like things and fits in in interesting ways. Some readers may not be happy with the imperfect hero Malik. As another reviewer “Winnie G” states he has a short temper and is sort of cruel to his people. The words “refreshing change” in my title come from the reviewer “D. Quinn.” It fits well. Thank you to both.
DATA:
Story length: 308 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 11. Setting: 2006-2007 Earth and parallel earth dimension Bron. Copyright: 2008. Genre: fantasy sci-fi romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I’ve read one other book by D. Renee Bagby. My 4 star review of “Serenity” copyright 2009 was posted 7-26-09.
March 12, 2024
Adrienne is saved from an attack and brought to another world where she is to marry her soulmate the king, but all is not safe in this new world.
I enjoyed this more as it went on. In the beginning I was very annoyed with Adrienne, all she did was whine and have attitude. Either make the best of the situation or work on leaving but the whining and attitude just no. As she settled in she got better. I overall liked Malik but with both MCs I wish we would’ve gone more in depth.
Overall I enjoyed it. 3.75 stars.
I enjoyed this more as it went on. In the beginning I was very annoyed with Adrienne, all she did was whine and have attitude. Either make the best of the situation or work on leaving but the whining and attitude just no. As she settled in she got better. I overall liked Malik but with both MCs I wish we would’ve gone more in depth.
Overall I enjoyed it. 3.75 stars.
September 17, 2013
This was just an alright read for me. It starts out strong. With plenty of intrigue, mystery, & hotness. But once you reach the middle,the story drags with the development of the plot & characters.
Things don't pick up again until you're 85% in the novel. Once you reach 95% mark the explanations become way too complicated in it's simplicity of the answers. If this makes sense? Basically, very simple conclusion but unnecessarily complicated in the explaining of it.
It has a nice futuristic feel,(while remaining in the present times) & a mild sci-fi undertone to it. With a sprinkle of multi-cultural & fantasy in the mix.
Malik:
LOVE him! But there was still something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. He's fierce. He's loyal. And you understand & believe that he is someone you DO NOT cross. Yet still he wasn't raw enough for me. This is actually bugging me cos I really, really like the dude.
Adrienne: I like her. Although her "being perfect at everything & not realizing it" or having to "work" for it, was played to death in this novel. And it really got on my nerves. I see why this book was called her given name, but she just wasn't that interesting to me. I feel that maybe this book should have been named Malik or better yet, Bron, the country/world they reside in.
I guess this one falls short with me cos I wanted more intensity felt & shown with Malik & Adrienne as a couple & individually. There was a promise of this early on, but it just wasn't quite captured as the story moved along. And the way certain things were so readily accepted didn't ring true for me either.
Still, it's an interesting story with an interesting twist. So I would recommend this read.
Things don't pick up again until you're 85% in the novel. Once you reach 95% mark the explanations become way too complicated in it's simplicity of the answers. If this makes sense? Basically, very simple conclusion but unnecessarily complicated in the explaining of it.
It has a nice futuristic feel,(while remaining in the present times) & a mild sci-fi undertone to it. With a sprinkle of multi-cultural & fantasy in the mix.
Malik:
LOVE him! But there was still something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. He's fierce. He's loyal. And you understand & believe that he is someone you DO NOT cross. Yet still he wasn't raw enough for me. This is actually bugging me cos I really, really like the dude.
Adrienne: I like her. Although her "being perfect at everything & not realizing it" or having to "work" for it, was played to death in this novel. And it really got on my nerves. I see why this book was called her given name, but she just wasn't that interesting to me. I feel that maybe this book should have been named Malik or better yet, Bron, the country/world they reside in.
I guess this one falls short with me cos I wanted more intensity felt & shown with Malik & Adrienne as a couple & individually. There was a promise of this early on, but it just wasn't quite captured as the story moved along. And the way certain things were so readily accepted didn't ring true for me either.
Still, it's an interesting story with an interesting twist. So I would recommend this read.
January 3, 2012
3.5 stars. The book had a slowish start. The end bumped the rating up a half star for me. I liked the characters and the storyline. The heroine drove me nuts a time or two, which is normal for me. Like when she squealed and ran to the other side of the bed on her wedding night upon seeing her new husband nude. Major eye rolling. C'mon, is she 12? The beginning had too much garden walking, man avoidance. Nothing happened and the book was easily set aside. The last half picked up and made for entertaining reading.
December 6, 2012
www.bookdevour.blogspot.com
Adrienne (Bron universe) by D. Renee Bagby
Adrienne is an average college student with a great destiny. Malik is the king of a country on Neon, a mirrored universe of earth.
The good:
I pictured Malik as Jason Momoa
The bad:
A few grammatical errors
I'm jus sayin:
This is a good read worth the price of the book.
Adrienne (Bron universe) by D. Renee Bagby
Adrienne is an average college student with a great destiny. Malik is the king of a country on Neon, a mirrored universe of earth.
The good:
I pictured Malik as Jason Momoa
The bad:
A few grammatical errors
I'm jus sayin:
This is a good read worth the price of the book.
August 11, 2008
I have read serenity by this author and i must admit she is very talented. I cant wait to read the next book and i hope someone out there will buy this e-book and read it SERENITY Awesome book
March 25, 2009
Excellent time dimensional read.
June 18, 2021
This book is one of the most racially ignorant and insensitive books I've ever read.
In first few pages, D. Renee Bagby writes a racially depreciating joke about Adrienne's brown skin being blending within the night. And then Bagby proceeds to describe about Malik, "slant eye" is being used to describe Malik's feature (slant eye term is pejorative toward Asians). A page later, this author continues to be an ignorant fool and mentions how Asian woman looks like the lady at Sushi restaurant.
It's absolutely insulting in so many levels. I would rather D. Renee Bagby just comes out and writes that she has yellow fever and internalizes colorism and be done with it. Ironic thing is D. Renee Bagby has been to Japan and is a big fan of manga/anime.
In first few pages, D. Renee Bagby writes a racially depreciating joke about Adrienne's brown skin being blending within the night. And then Bagby proceeds to describe about Malik, "slant eye" is being used to describe Malik's feature (slant eye term is pejorative toward Asians). A page later, this author continues to be an ignorant fool and mentions how Asian woman looks like the lady at Sushi restaurant.
It's absolutely insulting in so many levels. I would rather D. Renee Bagby just comes out and writes that she has yellow fever and internalizes colorism and be done with it. Ironic thing is D. Renee Bagby has been to Japan and is a big fan of manga/anime.
January 13, 2019
Different, but enjoyable. Loved the world building and the creative way magic worked. Liked the relationship between the 2 characters just wish it had been a bit more developed.
December 28, 2021
DNF at like.. Chapter 6? or 7.
I really really wanted to love this book. It's so rare of a pairing. I think if I had encountered it when I was younger (like.. fresh-faced 18yr old ) I would've adored it for being so Different and probably would've enjoyed the story so much more.
But as it stands (in 2021), I just couldn't really get into it. Adrienne has been through some traumatizing stuff, but she (acknowledged in the same paragraph) takes it out on people who had no say in her situation. They literally cannot help.
And I really wanted to like her! I did! But there's just *something* about her personality that is just...unlikable? I'm not sure how else to say it. I wish there was more about this universe because it seems interesting.
Unfortunately neither her nor Malik could keep me interested. I wanted to feel the connection, the lust or whatever between them but I just...didn't.
It's really kind of a downer. Ah well.
I really really wanted to love this book. It's so rare of a pairing. I think if I had encountered it when I was younger (like.. fresh-faced 18yr old ) I would've adored it for being so Different and probably would've enjoyed the story so much more.
But as it stands (in 2021), I just couldn't really get into it. Adrienne has been through some traumatizing stuff, but she (acknowledged in the same paragraph) takes it out on people who had no say in her situation. They literally cannot help.
And I really wanted to like her! I did! But there's just *something* about her personality that is just...unlikable? I'm not sure how else to say it. I wish there was more about this universe because it seems interesting.
Unfortunately neither her nor Malik could keep me interested. I wanted to feel the connection, the lust or whatever between them but I just...didn't.
It's really kind of a downer. Ah well.
August 4, 2012
So far I like it, however the heroine, Adrienne, is annoying me!!! Update: throughout the entire book Adrienne annoyed me. She, never mind I can't even explain how annoying she was. The great thing about this story is that it was truly different. Alternate universe, magic, evil plot, kings and queens...yum. This is the only thing that saved this story (that and a hot Asian hero-you don't get many of those in IR). If you can get past her wavering between strong independent female, overbearing Queen and whiny spoiled brat then you will like the story and I would recommend this to readers. TTF-Sandy
February 13, 2014
This book was great because the character Adrienne, was traumatized, then transported to a whole new reality and the author didn't make her abnormally easy. Even when you totally wanted Adrienne to 'get with the program,' she was realistic in a,'heck no, you don't get to freak me out, turn my world upside down, & I'm okay with it because your all powerful & hot,' kind of way.
I'm not going to lie, this usually annoys me because I want the book to progress. Yet in this, I understood her fear. The hero was arrogant, but spot on. I got him. I'm like this in real life. I'm great, whats taking you so long to get that? Okay maybe I need to slow down because your not use to all my awesomeness.
I'm not going to lie, this usually annoys me because I want the book to progress. Yet in this, I understood her fear. The hero was arrogant, but spot on. I got him. I'm like this in real life. I'm great, whats taking you so long to get that? Okay maybe I need to slow down because your not use to all my awesomeness.
Read
June 12, 2021I give this book 3 stars. I really struggled to get through the first half of this book. Not because of how it was written but because I really didn't like the heroine Adrienne. Her attitude nearly ruined the book for me. But the story was interesting enough to drive me to finish the book. Well written with nice character and world building. Some awesome action and magic also. An over all great story ruined by an unlikable and unrelateble main character.
September 18, 2015
This is a bad bad book. DO NOT start reading it before your bedtime. Lucky I am on vacation but I stayed up all night -- oh yes I did! to finish it. Bad, bad book.
It really was an engaging story, similar to another of hers I have read -- but this is a good thing. Would love to see another like it. Very much recommend it, just block out a good chunk of time!
It really was an engaging story, similar to another of hers I have read -- but this is a good thing. Would love to see another like it. Very much recommend it, just block out a good chunk of time!
October 27, 2010
This has to be one of my favourite books thus far.
The main characters balance each other out and I love that Malik is as far from being a goody two shoes as you can get. And Adrienne is not a whipmering nagging nelly.
The main characters balance each other out and I love that Malik is as far from being a goody two shoes as you can get. And Adrienne is not a whipmering nagging nelly.
January 30, 2011
I've only read Bagby twice but I have to tell you she's great. In each of her books she gives you something to smile about. I just wished she'd write faster. If you're into fantasy romance this is a book for you.
November 1, 2017
This book could have been a four ... if Adrienne was not less irritating in the earlier chapters of the book... but it was understandable i guess. I was really thank for that the King. He did force himself on her he respected her. It could have being a great....
Want to read
March 21, 2009Hero is Asian. Yipee!
August 9, 2010
This is the first book I read by Renee and it made me a fan. She's an expert at world building and always draws me into her universe.
February 12, 2013
love this book
March 4, 2013
The heroine is difficult to like due to her immaturity
September 1, 2013
wow what a great story i really enjoyed reading this right from the start you can't help but love the characters
April 29, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked that even though they were in a different dimension where everything came more easily they still fought and argued like a normal couple :)
April 6, 2015
I have read this book five time! I Love It.
April 23, 2015
It got a little sloppy at the end "ghost Adrienne" really?
BUT, I would definitely keep reading the series if there were more books... Which there weren't...? Or at least not that I could find?
BUT, I would definitely keep reading the series if there were more books... Which there weren't...? Or at least not that I could find?
July 10, 2017
I enjoyed this almost entirely too much! Action, adventure, magic and romance are all the elements of great stories. Adrienne and Malik's story was impossible to stop reading.
March 23, 2011
*pending*
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews