Virtual Desire by Ann Lawrence is the sequel to the wonderfully original Virtual Heaven.

Maggie has now settled down with her virtual warrior and the creator of the Tolemac Wars game.  Her friend Gwen however is just about to start her own adventure into the virtual world where the only thing she knows is real is the love she will share with Kered’s warrior friend Vad.

Unlike Maggie however, Gwen finds that she is not unexpectedly swept into the virtual game, instead on the day of the Tolemac Ball she finds Vad who has followed after Kered and made his way into the normal world.

Determined to find Kered and bring him back to Tolemac with a valuable dagger, Vad knows that this is the only way he can salvage his honour before the Council as they have demanded its return before he can be returned to his previous status.  At the moment it is obvious to all who meet him that he is a disgraced warrior.

Finding Kered is easy, but although he gives Vad the dagger he refuses to leave Ocean City and urges Vad to make his home there too.

But Vad is on a quest and with Gwen at his side he returns through the virtual game booth and sets off to find the Council and regain his honour.

But along the way they come across the beautiful Ardra who enlists Vad on another quest to rescue the daughters of members of the Council who are being held hostage by her own father.

And so the three of them set out on a dangerous and sometimes amusing journey through the virtual world of Tolemac.

Gwen can barely believe that she is in the virtual world and the longer she remains there the more she can see that she does not fit in with the people she meets.  Comparing herself to Ardra she believes that it will not be long before Vad realises that she can never fit in within his world and passes her by for someone more capable, such as Ardra.  It certainly does not help her confidence to find that without an arm ring she is a slave in this harsh world.

From one quest to another Vad and Gwen travel together and their love for each other grows.  But Gwen is without status and Vad is without a sword and branded a dishonoured warrior.  What kind of future can they have together?

The complex world and politics of Tolemac are further explored in this spellbinding novel that is further enhanced by the fact that Gwen’s rival for Vad’s love is not an evil woman, nor a woman with serious faults.  Instead she is a woman of courage and bravery who is as deserving of Vad as she is.  An original and refreshing take on a love triangle situation.

I was also pleased to see Vad make more of an effort than Kered at opposing the slavery of Tolemac.

This is a superb addition to the paranormal romance genre and if it continues I for one will be waiting with baited breath for the next instalment.  Sensational!
 

RATING : 
(if you need an explanation of the hearts ratings see my homepage)

Also by Ann Lawrence: Virtual Heaven, Virtual Warrior, Lord of the Mist and Lord of the Keep.

Links to  online stores

Visit Ann Lawrence's website.