REASON TO BELIEVE

Jessica Inclán

Zebra Books

October 2006

0-8217-8082-4

Trade Paperback

Contemporary Paranormal Romance

A man has been sitting out in the cold all day and as evening comes, compassionate Fabia Fair feels compelled to take in this apparently homeless man.  Her ability to read minds allows her assurance that the man means no harm even as it shows her that his mind is not as it should be.  This mystery man is clearly traumatized and cannot seem to speak, understand, or perform most basic functions without some assistance.  Fabia provides that aid with some help from her beloved twin brother Niall. 

Having been brought in from the cold, Rufus Valasay’s confused thoughts take days before they make any sense again.  He regains his memory and general abilities with the help and patience of his beautiful rescuer.  The events that led to his temporary incapacitation were anything but cheering.  With the return of these recollections comes a driving need to right a wrong and the remembrance of whom and what he is.  He was fortunate indeed that the angel of mercy who cared for him during his difficulties is as he is…Croyant. 

Les Croyants des Trois are a minority people who can and do use magic.  The rest of the world’s population is made up of the majority Moyenne or ordinary human beings.  Some Croyant wish to integrate the two societies to benefit each other.  The others believe that the only way that their society can thrive is by subjugating and controlling the Moyenne.  It was part of this fight that had resulted in injuring Rufus.  Now he and the one he has come to love are forced to return to the fray. 

This is the second installment of the Magical Temptation trilogy but is the account of events before that of the first book When You Believe.  As such readers can certainly begin with REASON TO BELIEVE without feeling at a loss in any way. 

Rufus is the older brother to our hero Sariel from the first installment.  His confusion and complete helplessness during his time under Fabia’s care is written with great nuance.  The portrayal of his various broken thoughts easily underscores his distress and complete debilitation.  As he recovers, we find out what a good-hearted and capable man he is from his interactions with the people around him and his protective streak for all whom he loves.   

The situation with our heroine is a complicated one that is intriguingly described.  Fabia and Niall are twins and telepaths.  The examination of their relationship was as interesting as was that between Fabia and Rufus, though for entirely different reasons.  Some bits of knowledge that each have of the other may be disconcerting.  Descriptions of telepathy and the link that is forged with it over time made the entire concept fascinating to read about. 

Fabia’s attraction to Rufus comes about in a very natural way and the teasing familiarity of his character is slowly brought out solidifying their bond.  It is precisely because of the emotional connection that they have with each other that makes a bit of discord between them towards the end of the book seem odd. 

Ms Inclán writes with intelligence and flair that captivates.  The good versus evil theme is one for which many of us have a weakness.  Furthermore, she gives her readers credit for being able to ascertain the meaning of unfamiliar terms or phrases by their use in paragraphs or sentences.  What one cannot guess at can simply be looked up somewhere. It is refreshing to have a book not mimic foreign phrases with the English translations throughout a story. 

Anyone who is drawn to wonderful storytelling, a world with magic and adventure, as well as a great romance cannot go wrong in picking up REASON TO BELIEVE.

--Lil, Love Romances and More, December 2006, http://www.loveromancesandmore.com/reviews/Dec06/reasontobelieve_lil.htm
 

Reason to Believe
by Jessica Inclán
(Berkley, $13.00, PG-13)
ISBN 0-8217-80824

Reason to Believe is the second in Jessica Inclán’s planned trilogy about Les Croyants du Trois, a group of powerful telepaths and healers. Rufus Valasay wakes up in an Edinburgh doorway with no memory of who he is or how he got there, just with a feeling that something has gone terribly wrong and he has grievously hurt someone close to him. A young woman sees him, and thinking there is more to Rufus than an ordinary drunk, offers him temporary shelter.

Fabia Fair works at a local clinic. She is also a croyant, and her ability is that she can hear the thoughts of the Moyenne, or ordinary people. However, Fabia can’t hear the thoughts of this man, making her suspect that he is also a croyant. Is he a member of the renegade group headed by Quain Dalziel, who believe that all Moyenne should be subjugated? If so, why does she have such a feeling of familiarity with him?

Rufus can’t contain his attraction to the beautiful, blonde Fabia. In her physical proximity, his memory starts to return, and the more intimate they become, the more of it floods back – and the more they can share their thoughts effortlessly. For Fabia, who has only experienced this intense linking with her twin brother, Niall, it’s unsettling. For Rufus, his memory is a double-edged sword; in Fabia, he feels a soul mate and an inexplicable sense of having known her for a long time, but the danger facing him is very real.

Powerful forces are working to destroy Rufus and other croyant. His older brother, Sariel, is the person Rufus was trying to help when he was hit with a powerful enchantment. Just as Rufus and Fabia are on the brink of real intimacy, Niall disappears. Rufus is reunited with his mother and his younger brother, Felix, and soon Niall’s abduction is confirmed. Rufus, Fabia, and their allies work to find Niall, but they are up against magic that may be too powerful to overcome.

This was a riveting story. I missed the first book in the trilogy, When You Believe, but I’ll have to get a copy. Even though I missed out on the first installment, the world of the Croyant and the Moyenne is easy to follow, and the sorcery and magic are inventive in places. Rufus and Fabia, for instance, end up under a spell that separates them in place, but not time, and the way this is resolved explains much of the instant attraction between them so that it becomes much more than a tired romance plot device.

Reading the TRR review of When You Believe, it sounds like the author is messing around with her chronology. Sariel, when found, is alone and coming out of an enforced involvement with the evil Kalliope, and the heroine of When you Believe isn’t even mentioned. I can’t quite make this fit. Maybe it’s explained better in the first book, or perhaps Reason to Believe was written first and intended to be the starter book.

At any rate, the fine romance between Rufus and Fabia builds from an unusual introduction to a tentative friendship into a white-hot love, and it’s a great journey. If you’re looking for an excellent paranormal romance, Reason to Believe is a perfect match. In a word, it’s rather magical.

--Cathy Sova, http://www.theromancereader.com/inclan-reason.html
 

"Reason to Believe," by Jessica Inclán (Zebra, $13, 288 pages)

Fabia Fair can't ignore the homeless man, probably a drunk, sitting on a stoop in her Edinburgh neighborhood. He hasn't moved since she saw him this morning, and when she attempts to probe him telepathically, he's completely closed down.

Now that's unusual in Inclán's world, where the magical and the ordinary exist side-by-side but hidden from each other, not unlike the wizards and the Muggles in Harry Potter's realm. Fabia is of the magical folk, Les Croyants. Moyenne are nonmagical. The man on the street ... she can't tell. But something is very, very wrong with him.

It takes a few days, but gradually, Fabia pieces together a disturbing picture of magic gone astray, used to terrify and destroy this strong man. He turns out to be as Croyant as she is. And the people who did this terrible thing to him intend to finish what they started. Worse, they have deeper, darker plans that bode ill for all, Croyant and Moyenne alike.

"Reason to Believe" successfully blends romance with intrigue and fantasy. While Inclán's vision is clearly similar to J.K. Rowling's, it's distinctly adult. She also conceives telepathy, teleportation and spells more in terms of particle and quantum physics than magic. Like Rowling, she's adept at world construction, and she immediately establishes a strong sense of family and community.

"Reason to Believe" is the second in a series of three, but you don't need to have read the first, "When You Believe," to understand what's going on. If you missed it, though, you'll want to track it down. The combination of skillful writing and clever imagination is irresistible.

--Lynn Coddington, The Contra Costa Times.
 

REASON TO BELIEVE, Jessica Inclán
ISBN# 0-8217-8082-4, October 2006
Zebra Books, 850 Third Ave, New York, NY 10022
Paperback $13.00/$19.00
281 Page, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5 Cups

Fabia Fair is one of the Croyant, or people with magic. She has been searching for a criminal, one of the Croyant who wants to destroy the Moyenne, or normal folk. She has chosen to search by working in a clinic for the homeless, listening to their thoughts and looking for clues as to where the criminal has gone. One day on her way to work she sees a man sitting on the stoop of a nearby house with his head in his hands. Unlike how she can with most people, she is unable to read his thoughts. There is something about him that tugs at her. Unable to stand his pain, she takes him into her apartment in an attempt to help. She is unsure if he is Croyant or Moyenne, but knows she cannot leave him outside to freeze.

Rufus Valasay has had his memories stripped away and it has left him aching, terrified, and confused. He is aware only of a deep fear and sorrow, as well as the knowledge that he has left someone behind. He has no memory of who he is or where he has come from. When Fabia coaxes him into her apartment, he is only barely aware of her and his surroundings.

After a couple of days under Fabia's care, Rufus is finally able to speak, but is still unable to remember who he really is. It is only when Fabia takes him to the clinic she works at and she watches how he "reads" the pictures of missing people that she realizes he is indeed Croyant. At that point, she contacts healers who are able to restore Rufus' memories. It is then that he remembers the younger brother he left behind in the hands of an evil female sorciere. Fabia discovers that she can no longer contact her twin brother telepathically. Since this has never happened before, she becomes frantic, particularly when it becomes apparent that the sorciere that took Rufus' brother has her twin, Niall. It becomes a race against time to stop this sorciere and her friends whose sole agenda is to destroy all Moyenne so that the Croyant can rule.

This book is a romantically suspenseful read! The author's world building is incredible and realistic. The characters are genuine and their emotions well described. I particularly enjoyed reading about the developing love between Rufus and Fabia, and their misunderstandings while they tried to figure things out. The secondary characters are woven seamlessly throughout the story so that I was never left wondering who someone was or what their purpose was. The suspense elements in this story kept me on the edge of my seat for much of one night. I found myself unable to put this book down. This is paranormal romance at its best, and I highly recommend Reason to Believe!

--Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
 

In our time, there are two kinds living upon the Earth. The humans—Moyenne—live unknowingly amid the powerful and ancient Les Croyant des Trois.  It is within this written realm that wondrous things play out and lives will be threatened. Open the book to experience the magical grandeur of Reason To Believe…

Fabia Fair is one of the Croyant. Her special ability to listen to the mental thinking of the Moyenne makes her the perfect candidate to help find and stop the evil, Quain Dalzeil and his followers.

One day she spots a man huddled on some steps all by him self. This meeting will forever change both their lives. Forcing feeling and twisting their lives in ways neither of them could ever imagine.

REASON TO BELIEVE is the last release by Jessica Inclán. Ms. Inclán’s voice speaks in fresh tones and fully realized characters that will magically transport you into their world of magic, spells and the wizardry of Reason To Believe. The sparks of spell casting, transporting and the creation of love will have you enchanting and delighted from the very start. The emotions that start off this novel will pull at your heartstrings and an instant bond will form with the two main characters. This is an exceptional paranormal novel and one this reviewer highly recommends.

Fabia is a wonderful and trusting soul. When she spies a hurt and dirty—Moyenne—man crouched upon the steps one day, at first, she thinks he is a drunk. But, once she really looks at him, she notices he has been hurt and has no memory or ability to speak. Something about this poor pitiful man calls to her soul and she will take him home and care for him.

From that fateful moment Fabia takes the strange man home, does this story unfold to reveal magical wonders and danger for both of them. What will happen? Who is the brutalized stranger she found? Is he friend or foe?

The voice of Ms. Inclán is undeniable rich and creative. She has stirred up a different and remarkable fresh approach in the paranormal romance field with this novel. Ms. Inclán is on her way to be the ultimate paranormal princess!

--Janalee, Love Romances and More, October 2006
http://www.loveromancesandmore.com/reviews/Oct06/reasontobelieve_janalee.htm
 

This urban fantasy romance is a beautiful charmer that describes a secret group of magicians who have their own laws and customs while living within a wider mundane world. Rufus and Fabia are believable lovers who know what they want, but are unsure how to make it happen. Readers will enjoy this strong bold couple who challenge more powerful enemies in their quest to be together. Jessica Inclán has written a wonderful adult fairy tale.
--Harriet Klausner
 

REASON TO BELIEVE - Jessica Inclán
Magical Temptation, Book 2
Zebra (Trade Paperback)
ISBN: 0-8217-8082-4
October 2006
Paranormal Romance

Edinburgh, Scotland and Truckee, California - Present Day

Fabia Fair is one of the Les Croyants des Trois, an ancient magical race that stands between the Moyenne (ordinary humans) and those of the Les Croyants des Trois who have dark plans for humanity and all who want to live free. Fabia’s place in the battle is to help defeat the evil Quain and his partners in crime, Kallisto and Macara, by listening for traces of information that homeless Moyenne pick up unknowingly. When Fabia finds a handsome, though dirty and beat-up man on her neighbor’s steps, she can’t resist bringing him into her home. Although for Moyenne women, this would be quite dangerous, Fabia can travel through space with just a thought if it’s necessary. The man’s mind is a blank, and he doesn’t even remember the basics in life like speech or how to attend to necessary needs. Fabia is determined to find out what happened to this poor man and who did it. No person should be treated as he obviously was, Moyenne or Croyant. As he starts to remember basic things such as how to take a shower and, eventually, how to speak and read, a clue turns up in his habit of trying to read the history behind a picture, a talent that Croyant possess. Who is this man with the kindness that peeks out from his eyes? And when they find his family, for surely someone must be missing the wonderful man emerging from his shell, will Fabia be able to let him go?

Rufus Valasay has just fought a terrible battle to free his younger brother, Sariel, from the despicable Kallisto. Ending up in Edinburgh, he has amnesia and only one memory, failing someone dear to him and the vile woman responsible. When a kind woman leads him to warmth and safety and cares for him as if he were precious to her, he is given the time he needs to recover his mind and memory. Surely there is somewhere he needs to be, someone he needs to protect from harm, but who and where? And when he regains his memory, will Fabia stay as part of his life?

In REASON TO BELIEVE we get to learn more about Fabia and Rufus, characters who initially appeared in WHEN YOU BELIEVE, the first book in the Magical Temptation series. Fabia was haunted in her youth by her talent of hearing far more than even most Croyant normally can. The world and all its sounds are open to her all of the time. Training has helped her to overcome the drowning sensation that she felt in the past and allows Fabia to pick out only what she wants to hear. Her twin brother, Niall, has been her constant companion in spirit, if not in the physical sense. Sometimes she wonders what will happen if either of them meets someone he or she could love. When she meets Rufus, she finds out that separation could become necessary, and maybe that wouldn’t be all bad. Rufus is the oldest of the Valasay brothers and, ever since their father was murdered, he’s wanted to protect his family and defeat Quain. Happiness and love for himself is not a priority in his life, but meeting the caring and beautiful Fabia gives him another reason to live and fight.

Fabia and Rufus are both well-drawn characters who obviously belong together and complete each other in a lovely way. Once again the world of the Croyant is well fleshed out and intriguing. The talented Jessica Inclán has penned another winner. The secondary characters add much to the tale. A few of them are: Rufus’s younger brothers, Felix and Sariel; the head of the Croyant Council, Adalbert; Fabia’s former hero, Macara and his evil cronies, Kallisto and Quain.

Paranormal lovers will enjoy REASON TO BELIEVE, so be sure to pick it up on your next trip to the bookstore. If you haven’t read the first book in the Magical Temptation series, WHEN YOU BELIEVE, I highly recommend that you get it and read it first. Though some of the events in this book appear to transpire before those in the first book, there are explanations in it that will help with enjoyment of this one. The next book in the Magical Temptation series, BELIEVE IN ME, arrives in 2007. Don’t miss one of this fall’s best new reads.

Lori Ann
Romance Reviews Today
http://www.romrevtoday.com
 

When Fabia encounters a lost figure wandering through her home town, she is baffled because she cannot read his mind and realizes he must be, as she is, Croyden, gifted in magic. Unfortunately, someone has erased his memory thoroughly. Feeling as if she must, she takes him home and works on healing him.

In a short time, he recalls who he is and how he came to be in such a plight, rescuing his brother from a powerful witch who is taking others of their kind and wiping out their memories. Fabia and this man, Rufus, find themselves in a war to save the world from evil. Even as darkness closes in, they realize that they have a connection and a love, but the circumstances of their relationship make its reality doubtful. Will faith win?

While the story is beautifully written, I would advise starting with book one in this series. The sense of coming into the middle of the story one gets starting on book two rather dims the enjoyment. However, Ms. Inclán's world building skills are evident, so this is a series worth considering in totality.

Eternal Night, Reviewed by amanda. http://www.eternalnight.co.uk/books/i/inclanjessica/reasontobelieve.html
 

Read Reviews of Jessica's First Romance Novel, "When You Believe"