It's said that women and men are from two different planets when it comes to communication, but how can they overcome the obstacles of prehistoric times when one of them simply doesn't have the ability to comprehend language?

Ehd's a caveman living on his own in a harsh wilderness. He's strong and intelligent, but completely alone. When he finds a beautiful young woman in his pit trap, it's obvious to him that she is meant to be his mate. He doesn't know where she came from, she's wearing some pretty odd clothing, and she makes a lot of noises with her mouth that give him a headache. Still, he's determined to fulfil his purpose in life - provide for her, protect her, and put a baby in her.

Elizabeth doesn't know where she is or exactly how she got there. She's confused and distressed by her predicament, and there's a caveman hauling her back to his cavehome. She's not at all interested in Ehd's primitive advances, and she just can't seem to get him to listen. No matter what she tries, getting her point across to this primitive but beautiful man is a constant - and often hilarious - struggle.

With only each other for company, they must rely on one another to fight the dangers of the wild and prepare for the winter months. As they struggle to coexist, theirs becomes a love story that transcends language and time.

Review:

Ed and Beh forever!

This was one of those titles whose premise was just too intriguing to resist! I stumbled across it via Goodreads (thank you to whoever rated it five stars and made it appear in my feed!). I mean, a caveman and a modern-day woman, divided by a language barrier and about a gazillion years of evolution, thrown together in a virtual melting pot just to see what happens? I don't know about you, but I needed to see how that turned out! Then, to find out it was all written in the caveman's POV? Ah, I'm in literary escapism heaven!!!!

Seriously, it was so much fun, I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. And what I really loved was because it's all written in caveman Ehd's POV, we can only deduce from his descriptions where (and when) Beh comes from. How he describes her funny clothes, the coloured smudges on her eyelids, her shiny straight hair that smells of fruit. This isn't the first romance I've read where the hero and heroine don't share a common language, and I'm definitely finding that I really enjoy stories with this trope. The fact that they have to learn other ways to communicate means I get more of what I love - the small actions, movements and gestures, facial expressions and meaningful looks that often portray much more than words ever could anyway.

In terms of plot, essentially, I've already summed that up for you - it's simply what happens when these two very different creatures are thrown together in isolation during dangerous times and with a limited ability to communicate. Added to this is the fact that Ehd has been alone for several seasons and was just about to let the hunger take him when Beh appeared out of nowhere in his pit trap, and suddenly he has a reason to live, to hunt, someone to protect - a mate. It just might not be quite was Beh is looking for at first... :)

Ehd's narration was so adorable! His confusion over his new mate's strange behaviour and annoying squawking sounds - it was too cute! And why doesn't Beh know she's supposed to be making baskets out of the reeds while he hunts? Everyone knows this! lol. 

The only difficult pill to swallow regarding this book was how we're reading Ehd's narration, written in perfect English with a decent vocabulary, and yet Ehd cannot, and will not ever, be able to speak, so it's a little confusing how we're hearing his "voice" and the thoughts he's forming if you see what I mean? But who cares? I don't! I wouldn't have wanted anything but his perspective on events, because it was so endearing, so enchanting...Gah! Even when he was being a typical caveman and a bit of a butthead, because we knew what he was thinking, it all made perfect sense. *sigh*

I'd recommend Transcendence to every fan of romance, regardless of your interest in time travel (or cavemen). It's an odd duck, but I promise you won't regret picking it up.

5 Stars ★★★★★

The moment the demon King Thorne of the Third Realm set eyes on the mortal huntress Sable, he knew she was his fated one. The fiery, dangerous female awakened hungers he had never experienced before, a dark craving and passion that has consumed him in their time apart. As the lunar cycle wanes, she enters his world again and nothing will stand in the way of him claiming his forever with her—not the relentless assault from the Fifth Realm or the dark elf male determined to seduce her out of his grasp.

Intent on achieving the coveted position of commander at Archangel, Sable leads her small team into the dark underworld and the Third Realm, to a war where her allies are the very creatures she normally hunts—vampires, werewolves, and demons. Her eagerness to lead the deadly mission has everything to do with winning her promotion, and nothing to do with the kingdom’s brash, lethally seductive demon king—a king who stirred fierce desire and wildfire heat in her with just a look and an innocent touch when they first met, and has been in her wicked dreams ever since.

As the gathering storm between rivals unleashes irresistible passion that flares white-hot and the heat of the battle brings life-shattering realisations, can Sable place her duty before her heart? Or will she surrender to her deepest desires and be claimed by a demon king?

Review:

Hell Never Looked So Good

Felicity Heaton has only been on my reading radar for all of a nano second, but nonetheless, she is quickly creeping her way to the top of the ladder, finding her place on my Favourite Paranormal Romance Writers Of All Time list. That's quite a statement to make after only two books, but so far, she hasn't put a foot wrong for me.

I think a lot of it comes down to my personal feeling about a certain type of Alpha male. This is a tricky area, which can either make or break my enjoyment of a PNR. I would say if you're a fan of Kresley Cole's heroes, who are very male, controlled by slightly Neanderthallic instincts of protectiveness and "claiming", but are ultimately good people, who love their fated ones beyond all others and all reason, then you'll enjoy Heaton's style too.

You may recall the heroine, Sable, as the BFF of Olivia from book one. Although she's her opposite in almost every way; hard where Olivia is soft, fearless, strong, and a total badass. You know, for a human, anyway. She finds herself the object of not one immortal warrior's affection in Claimed by a Demon King, but two! However, only one is serious about making her his for eternity, and that's King Thorne.

Do you remember Thorne from book one? He appeared in his slightly scary demonic form at the Archangel lab (I think that was where it was) and had a very unnerving reaction to Sable. Of course, we now know that reaction was him recognizing his fated one. I just loved how Thorne tried to give Sable as long as demonically possible to come to terms with the fact that she was his. Not only that, he did everything to make her stay at his home more enjoyable. Trying to make her "hung over" food after she indulged too much on demon spirits from Hell. Quite literally. He was the most adorable demon and a beautiful man. And a virgin to boot! *dies of hormones*

Sable was amazing too. She coped admirably with all the changes despite her reticence, and was a formidable ally for Thorne. There was also more to her supernatural ability to sense danger, which was a very interesting twist that also had the benefit of introducing us to new characters and broadening the scope of the worldbuilding even further.

Do you know who kind of annoyed me in this one? Olivia! And I loved her in her own book!. But she was doing that thing where they know they're the weak link and need protecting, but insist on going with their mate to every dangerous situation, and pouting when they say "not a chance"! Ack!

Oh well. As you can see, that wasn't nearly enough to dull my enjoyment, and it's another five star rating for book two of the Eternal Mates series. Bring on the next!

5 Stars ★★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.