As a Practitioner of Sex Magick, Rhea needs a partner to perform to capacity. Although she had been effective with husband Paul before his addiction to elixir and women drew him into obsession and theft, she has not been able to Practice for these fifteen years since her exile. Now she is called upon to return to her homeland, to battle the evil terror known as The Nameless which was responsible for the deaths of most of her family, among ten thousand killed, the night before her exile. Now she must partner, in the terrifying Borderlands, with Jaac, the man who has lusted after but also feared her, for twenty-two years. Rhea is no longer a near-child of eighteen, but a woman grown strong through adversity. If Jaac feared her power so back then, can he face up to her now and offer the love she so truly deserves?

Lauren Dane crafts an exciting and tantalizing tale which will captivate the attention of readers and maintain it throughout. An excellent job of weaving the background of the Queen of Swords Tarot card into the premise of the story makes the tale that much more intriguing. Certainly no reader can fault both hero and heroine, who are strong-willed, powerful, independent, and gorgeous! Their push-me-pull-you tension is a sight to see and read, and the reader will be enraptured to discover the outcome of their relationship, as well as the solution to the alternate dimension’s danger in The Nameless. Sword and Crown is a tale well worth its reading.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Annie
June 20, 2007