Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Eternal Traces by Shonda Brock

Title: Eternal Traces

Author: Shonda Brock

Website: http://www.shondabrock.com/

ISBN 13: 978-0-9904242-0-8(ebk)

ASIN: B00KH8VGT4

Published: May 20, 2014

Publisher: Shonda Brock

Pages: 248

Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Multicultural, Multicultural Paranormal Romance, Fiction

Rating: 4/5

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Eternal Traces is a Multicultural Paranormal Romance novel surrounding the life of Veteran and Cardiologist Meryt Brownstone. Brownstone is an African American woman who struggles to lay claim to her personal and mental life despite her professional success. While Meryt dreams of a change of scenery, she prefers to avoid getting too close to people and prefers to fly under the radar. She has not been involved in any serious romantic relationship in some time and frequents daydreams of an ancient world. Hardworking and driven, Brownstone is also an undercover agent for the government and divides her time between work, chatting with her friend Cindy, secret missions, and experimenting with synthetic blood.

Speaking of blood, Meryt’s life changes dramatically when she meets Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Rene Daniels, two brothers who start working at the hospital and are very interested in her study on synthetic hemoglobin. Meryt’s sexual trance is immediately sparked with even the slightest glimpse of Rene. She is drawn to him on many levels, and she is unable to keep her eyes off of him. Meryt is guarded with her heart and refuses to let love develop naturally, despite Cindy’s insinuations that she has feelings for the new doctor.

But Dr. Rene’s attraction goes above and beyond her expectations, and the tingling sensation of need makes her crazy. In addition to being hypnotic, Rene avoids her like the plague after first meeting her despite having stunning blue eyes. Meryt’s curiosity about him is further piqued by this as she starts to wonder why. Meryt is a former soldier with military training who occasionally carries out covert operations, but Rene has a secret of his own to be concerned about that, despite his ravenous need, keeps him apart from Meryt.

As the story begins to unfold, I enjoyed the Egyptian and African connection and the parallels between the past and present as expressed by the author. As the story picks up, we see that ancient Egypt is a key figure in Meryt’s visions and an important mission to the Sudan becomes a major turning point in the novel as the lines between dream and reality become blurred. Historically, Egypt is blood brothers to the Nubian and they both descend from Ham whose name means hot, burnt, and black. This means the Egyptians would have looked just like the African American today. In addition, the Kushites (Ethiopians or Nubians), whose name means burnt face, lived south of Egypt in what is called the Sudan today.

Meryt’s mission to the Sudan, therefore, was a nice complement. I also enjoyed the symbolism of which there were many. One example is Meryt’s temper when she’s upset and her career as a cardiologist, paralleled against the details of Rene’s life. It created an interesting bridge of commonality between the two. How so? You’d have to read the book to find out!

As my first ever Multicultural Paranormal Romance novel, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take a plunge on this one. However, I must say it’s one of those books where, even if you disagree with the concepts, it is hard to put down. You will want to get to the end and see how it all plays out. It also has a unique storyline, so I am glad I took the chance.

While some parts left me anxiously anticipating action, when similarities arose between Meryt’s life and that of Queen Nitocris, I was happy to see that my thirst for answers were quenched as the plot thickened. Between Dr. Daniel’s charm, Meryt’s stubborn ways, and their colliding worlds, Meryt’s carefully composed life will never be the same again. Shonda makes sure to have readers holding onto their seats and holding their breaths for one adventurous ride of Eternal Traces.

Ratings:

Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5

Entertainment Factor: 4/5

Characterization: 4/5

Authenticity / Believable: 4/5

Thought Provoking: 4/5

Recommendation: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Also check out Part 2 “Eternal Burns”. To learn more about Meryt and Shonda, visit them online: Website: http://www.shondabrock.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/shondabrock