I recently won an autographed copy of Beyond the Shadows at Jess Granger’s Butterfly Blog. I was very excited because this is second in a series and picks up characters I fell in love with in Beyond the Rain. You can read these as stand alones, but the first book is wowser too, so read them both. Now. Seriously.

  

What I loved about the heroine of BtS:

Yara is focused and determined. The weight of her world is on her shoulders. But when she is captured and given to slavers, she isn’t so focused on her goals that she can’t push aside her own concerns to offer compassion to a young boy whose spirit is nearly broken.

What I loved about the hero of BtS:

Cyn seems like a rogue but he is a tender-hearted rebel with a cause, a changeable chameleon, resourceful and wise, and oh so sexy. He is just as determined to save their world as Yara, but he believes the only way to do that is to thwart Yara’s plans. 

Other cool stuff:

A richly developed world (universe really) and characters with more layers than an onion. Cyn and Yara both have cool but very different sidekicks/pets that add a touch of humor. And did you ever play with the Millennium Falcon model and love lifting up the hatch to the secret compartment? Or get a kick out of River sitting in the stolen cargo hideaway on the Serenity? Then you will love Cyn’s ship! 

And if you’re not completely convinced yet, Jess did some fun character interviews on her blog here and here.

Genre: Futuristic romance

Primary format: Trade Print

Publication date: 2010

So, this book got me thinking about side kicks and pets. Do you like books that make use of them? If so, what are some of your favorites?