Quest for the Sun Orb — Laura Jo Phillips

Tiari Zora, whose name means light of dawn, has lived a dark, lonely, and isolated life. Until the mysterious and powerful Lady Techu comes to her tiny hut in the forest and tells her that she is the fabled Maiden of the Sun, and invites her to join the Orb Quest. From that moment, Tiari's closed, dark world is exchanged for a life of light, and also one of magic, adventure, passion, and danger. As the only person who can retrieve the Orb of the Sun, one of the three orbs required to save the entire planet from being overwhelmed by an invasion of deadly demons from the dark and nightmarish underworld they inhabit, Tiari must reach inside herself for both courage, and trust.

Each day brings new experiences to Tiari that she could never have imagined from her dark hut, both beautiful and terrible. Not even the vicious demons that continually attack the caravan, that must be repelled with bow, sword, spear, and staff -- as well as with Tiari's developing paranormal abilities and skill as a warrior--are enough to make her regret her choice. And, for the first time in her life, she earns the love and friendship of others: the stern but inspirational leadership of Prince Zakiel, the kindly guidance of the Lady Techu, the warm, sisterly love of Princess Kapia, even the chilly regard of Nikura the Sphin, the sarcastic, intelligent cat-like creature that only Lady Techu can communicate with and who is clearly more than he seems. And then there are the decidedly un-sisterly feelings she has for powerful, chiseled, undeniably gorgeous Sir Tomas, Close Cousin of the Prince, feelings that he reciprocates in abundance, opening another world even brighter and more exciting than the physical world she found beyond the door of her tiny prison--the world of love and steamy sensuality.

As the Quest faces ever increasing dangers: scheming Djinn from the demon world, the plots of Marene, once King Rhobar's beautiful and seductive ward, now transformed by dark magic into a demonic entity, and demon attackers that now show signs of operating under some sort of guiding intelligence, Tiari and Tomas must struggle to overcome the barriers to their love stemming from Tiari's total inexperience with human relationships and sexuality, much less romantic ones.

While the budding love between Tomas and Tiari unfolds, young Princess Kapia -- riding the wave of her own blossoming womanhood--continues to struggle with her own fear and worry for her life long love, Sir Bredon. Will he find a way to throw off Marene's dark spell that insinuates her horrifying presence in his mind and body? Will the mysteries of Darkly Fen provide the solutions Marene promises? Or will the evil that dwells within the shadowy and forbidding fog that surrounds it mark the end of Sir Bredon, forever?

Although not written in the mold of the reverse harem novels that brought her to prominence, Quest for the Sun Orb is a rich treat for the fans of Laura Jo Phillips, containing all of the goodies that they expect: interesting and well-developed characters, an involving and complex story full of twists, turns, intrigue, and excitement, an epic adventure painted with broad brush strokes on the huge, bright canvas of a fascinating alien planet filled with magic and mystery, a love story that takes the reader on a deeply involving emotional journey, and the rich, evocative description of the passion with which that love is finally and beautifully consummated.

Quest for the Sun Orb is a full length 119,000 word novel, and is the second volume of the Orbs of Rathira Trilogy.