Review: A Dragon and His Knight by M. Raiya

Rating: 3 stars

Dragon Justin and his Knight, Wells, have been together for over 1,000 years, never apart for a moment. A decision to reenter the human world once more sees them settled in a college town in New Hampshire. Wells enrolls them both as students in the local university to pass the time and gather knowledge, a seemingly innocent pastime that becomes fraught with danger. What will happen when their bond of a millennia is destroyed?

A Dragon and His Knight is a short story in the same universe as Notice and A Sky Full of Wings. The author doesn’t say specifically where it fits in but I would put it at the end after A Sky Full of Wings otherwise very little in this story will make sense to the reader. I am very fond of the dragon lore and dragons/knight relationships that Raiya has created for this series. A Dragon and His Knight adds some additional facts of dragon lore and part of the backstory of the ancient black dragon and knight that appear at the end of A Sky Full of Wings that was missing from that book. But in some circumstances it also muddies the very history that has been laid down before, including adding a somewhat abusive relationship between a secondary dragon/knight couple that was just confusing.

What the author does so well is to portray the loving master/servant relationship that does exist between Justin and Wells, one that has endured over 1,000 years. These two characters make the story. When they appeared out of nowhere in A Sky Full of Wings, I wanted to know more about these remarkable characters who had such a large impact on that story. I still feel that way. This story was so short that it truly was only a sip that whetted my appetite instead of a drink that satisfied my thirst. I still want more of Justin and Wells backstory as well as those other dragons and knights from their era. A Dragon and His Knight is truly just a glimpse into a very small section of an ongoing story. I hope that the author has a much longer book planned that will help fill in the many gaps left by A Dragon and His Knight. Until we get more exposition, I think I would skip this addition, and if you love dragons, read Notice and A Sky Full of Wings instead.

Books in the Notice series or universe are:

Notice, Notice #1

Nice: The Dragon and the Mistletoe, Notice #2

A Sky Full of Wings, Notice #3

Origin (in the Shifting Steam Anthology)

A Dragon and His Knight, 29 pages published previously in the Mine Anthology

Review: Frostwick (Wick 1.5) by Megan Derr

Rating: 4.25 stars

Starwick is a Frostwick and a shadow of King of Lyus. It was while he was on a mission for the king when he and the Crown Prince were attacked by a sorcerer thief intent on killing the Prince and stealing the royal seal he wore. When the thief threw a killing curse at the prince, Starwick stepped forward and took the curse upon himself. Now Starwick is dying, his death postponed by a magical wards that hold off his death as long as he remains in the closest of proximities to the charmwick who cast it. But the charmwick whose wards support Starwick? That would be Tyrwick, a master swordwick as well as charmwick and the bastard son of the King. And Starwick has been in love with the black coated Tyrwick for years, a feeling that has never been returned.

Now the two must travel together to Draius, home of the Wick School and the most concentrated group of Wicks known throughout the Kingdoms. Here they must find a spell to counteract the killing curse, aid in helping to apprehend the thief, and recover the powerful ring before the thief strikes again. But the curse is getting stronger, and Tyrwick’s cold, disregard is sending Starwick into the depths of despair. When all looks to be lost, can hope and a hidden love come forward to save Frostwick?

Frostwick is a short story, 64 pages, that manages to bring back all the couples from one of my favorite books, Wick, by Megan Derr. Wicks are sorcerers or magicians and each has one or more specialties or fields they control. There are swordwicks (masters of fighting and protection), lyrewicks (masters of song magic), firewicks, waterwicks, well, you get the idea. Once their power manifests itself, usually at a young age, then wick is added to the last part of their name. Star became Starwick when he found he could not only control water but water in its cold forms of ice, snow, etc. Starwick is first mentioned in various stories in Wick as he was the romantic love of two brothers, neither affair ending well.

Typical of Megan Derr, Starwick is not an easy man to like, he doesn’t even like himself very much. He despises the job he does for the king, along the line of being a royal assassin. Starwick has many layers to him and the same abusive background that the other wicks who attended the Royal College for Wicks suffered. He is paired with an equally enigmatic character of Tyrwick, who treats Starwick with a rough distain. Readers of Derr’s previous novels will realize quickly that all is not what it seems between the two men and the joy is in Derr’s storyline, watching the interplay between the men, especially once they reach Draius where all the other wicks await them. They are all here. Creawick (my favorite), Tolkiwick, Roswick, Tolliwick,Fenwick, and all the others. How I love them all.

And then there is the matter of the plot, which is a nifty one. A charmwick thief throws a killing curse on the Prince which fails, but still manages to steal the ring. He too has managed to get to Draius where he needs to steal a book Tokiwick has to help him use the power of the ring. Megan Derr builds up our anxiety over Starwick and Tyrwick’s quest as Starwick’s pain is becoming increasingly debilitating and he loses all hope. Powerful stuff. The reader just aches as Starwick gives up and prepares to die, his pain made worse by having to be so close to the man he loves unrequitedly.

Here is the problem. Frostwick is just too short to wrap up this intense, complicated story. The end comes before you are prepared for it, and in a manner that leaves far too many questions unanswered, including who the thief was and why he wanted the Crown Prince dead. The ending was so abrupt that I couldn’t quite believe it when I reached the last page. The shortness of length also hurts when it comes to explaining who all these characters are, their backstories and interlocking relationships. If you come to this book without first reading Wick, you will be utterly lost. And if you come to this book after reading Wick, you will end up a little frustrated at having so little time spent with characters you love.

But did I love this book with all the quibbles I had with it? Yes, I did because even a short time spent with any and all of the wicks is time well spent. And there is always the promise of more books in the Wick universe. So yes, pick this book up but not before you start with the first one, Wick. Or pick them both up and settle to indulge yourself in a remarkable universe full of vivid locations, wild and wonderful creations and wicks of all sorts.

Herre are the stories in the order they should be read:

Wick (Wick #1) – read my review here.

Frostwick (Wick #1.5)

Lovely cover designed by Megan Derr.

Review of Chaos (Lost Gods #5) by Megan Derr

Rating: 5 stars

“Nine gods ruled the world, until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.” All of the five kingdoms but Schatten have seen their gods return to the world. Schatten, a world of darkness and ice, has been isolated from the rest of the world by Lord Teufel, the Shadow of the Lost Licht. By his power and enforced by the deadly Sentinels, Schatten has been ruled by Order, its people regimented, living under iron laws for over nine hundred years.

But now things are changing, the gods are returning and chaos has entered the lands of Order just as prophesied. A man named Sasha roams the forbidden lands of Schatten, his memory gone, fragmented, with just snips of knowledge to go on. He knows his name and remembers a fight with a beast with violet eyes. He has a whip and knows how to use it. On his finger is a ring of immense power and on his chest is burned a black violet spider web telling him he is cursed. Sasha can remember just enough to realize he has a mission, but what? Sasha has the feeling that time is running out, but the more he tries to remember, the greater agony in his head. A young man from the nearest village takes him in, tends to his wounds and feeds him. When the village is beset by Sentinels, Sasha destroys them, something unheard of and the wary villagers cast him and the young man, David, out. Together they travel to the capitol, Sonnenstrahl, where all paths lead. Sasha can only hope for both their sakes and that of Schatten, that he remembers who he is and what he has to accomplish before they arrive or all will be lost.

What an amazing ending to an incredible series! I have to admit that when a series has been as great as this one I am always a bit apprehensive when approaching the final volume. Will the final book tie the saga together? Will it meet or exceed the standards set by the previous books? Will all the characters I have come to love, and the rich drama that has carried me from book to book come together in the glorious ending I have been hoping for? I am so happy to report that with Chaos (Lost Gods #5), Megan Derr answers all those questions and more with a resounding yes!

Lost Gods is the saga of five kingdoms whose gods were lost or killed nine hundred years ago. Their worlds were plunged into darkness, their people suffered, and only a handful of prophesies gave hope to the kingdoms of Kundou (Treasure), Pozhar (Burning Bright), Piedre (Stone Rose), Verde (Poison), and Schatten (Chaos). One by one, we watched the unimaginable happen and through forgiveness, pain, and rebirth, each nation regained their gods. Now the only kingdom left is Schatten, the place and the god that started it all, the Lost Licht. In each book, there has lurked a malevolency in the form of a sorcerer or dark magic from the lands of Schatten, as Teufel, the Shadow of the Lost Licht, has tried to prevent the gods from returning. But we have never understood the reasoning or the power behind these attempts, the nature of their god and the land of Schatten remained hidden behind the giant walls and secrecy. But as the saga progressed, it was understood that the final battle was to be taken back to the beginning, high in the frozen mountains of Schatten.

Derr has given us the epic battle between Light and Dark, Chaos and Order, and all the threads she has been weaving throughout all the books come together in a rich tapestry full of life, pain, death, forgiveness, love, and rebirth. These are the themes we have visited over and over in every book and so they must all be present here at the end for a mythic conclusion. We have been waiting for the Child of Chaos and were told in Stone Rose that he had been born and must be hidden, protected until it was time for the prophesy to be fulfilled. I had an idea that the Child of Chaos must be someone we had already been introduced to but when he is finally revealed (no spoilers here), I was floored. It never occured to me that he would be the Child, but after the fact, this character was the only perfect one and Derr’s splendid planning and brilliant plot was just reinforced with that reveal. Derr has been meticulous with her plots, as each story moved the saga forward but not always in a manner that was immediately obvious. It might take the next book to bring to fruition an idea or plot line she started with Treasure. The amount of notes and timelines she had to have established to make this convoluted, complicated mythology come together boggles the mind. Megan Derr never once dropped a plot thread or misplaced a character’s purpose in her story. Really, its just so beautifully carried out.

And oh the characters we have met! Each and every one a gripping, vividly portrayed person, whether it be a young pickpocket, a sensual White Beast of Verde, the haunted and haunting avatar of the Basilisk or the passionate, sword swinging captains of Kundou. We have had young men sacrificed on alters of fire (I have never forgiven certain events in Burning Bright) and marble, old betrayals forgiven, and gods reborn amid the ashes of hate and love. I have cried and laughed my way through each book while admitting I do have some favorites among her characters. We revisit some of my favorites here and are introduced to new beautifully fleshed out characters who appear in Chaos. High Seer Friedrich is just an example. He is the High Seer of Schatten, one of immense power who helps enforce the laws of Teufel. But from the start, we realize, along with him, that something is terribly wrong with him. He hears a voice in his head, more than hears, he sees this person Dracht who talks to him, visits him in his dreams and makes love to him. Dracht seems so real but he whispers things of such sacrilege that Friedrich thinks he is losing his mind. There is an under Seer who is scheming to take Friedrich’s place and a High Sorcerer who reports that Sentinels are being killed all over the Kingdom, an unheard of event. Then we meet David, a true innocent. An orphan who loses the one person who took him in yet turns around and offers shelter to someone who might have caused that person’s death. David is such a shining presence you fear for him immediately because you have seen what has happened to ones like him in the past. David’s youthful goodness is balanced out by his younger friend, Killian, whose immaturity and bratty nature threatens David’s precarious position within the village.

And finally we have Sasha, the warrior with the lost memory and a mission to accomplish. Sasha is older, powerful and at ease with his weapons. He looks in a mirror but doesn’t recognize his face. When he thinks of love, he feels pain and loss yet everything about David calls to him. Sasha can’t remember his identity but realizes that the happiness he has found with David is something he has never achieved before, and the irony does not escape him. One person after another strides across the landscape of this saga, each bursting with life, their emotions so real, so authentic that we cannot help but become involved in their stories. Their hopes and promises become ours, we absorb their pain and when their hearts break with loss so does ours. That is wonderful storytelling, that is terrific writing. The boxes of tissues I have gone through over the course of this outstanding saga would fill a shelf.

But if I have shed many tears, I have also laughed, chuckled, and shouted with joy and ended my journey with the Lost Gods absolutely satisifed, amazed at the depth of Derr’s world building, and assured that the books of the Lost Gods will be ones I reread over and over again. What a saga! What heros and what amazing gods we have met along the way. Do yourself a favor. Pick this saga up, settle into your favorite place to read, and prepare to lose yourself in worlds so amazing you will never want to leave. I feel that way every time I think of these books. I think you will feel that way too. This is one of my best series for 2012.

Cover: I love these covers by London Burden. Each cover is a map of the kingdom whose story is being told. The colors all have significance as well. Just outstanding. These are among my favorites of the year.

Here is the Lost Gods series, in the order they were written and should be read, in order to understand the complicated plots and characters within.

Treasure (Lost Gods#1) – Kingdom of Kundou

Burning Bright (Lost Gods#2) – Kingdom of P0zhar and my favorite book of the series

Stone Rose (Lost Gods#3) – Kingdom of Piedre

Poison (Lost Gods#4) – Kingdom of Verde

Chaos (Lost Gods#5) – Kingdom of Schatten

Review of Wolf’s Own: Ghost by Carole Cummings

Rating: 4.75 stars

Fen Jacen-rei is a Ghost, an Untouchable, his power revealed at birth and his fate sealed by the Universe and the gods Raven and Wolf. One half of twin brothers born to a Full Blooded Jin mother, his father sold him to a mage who accompanied the birth-wife the night he and his brother Joori were born. Most twins, you see, were killed at birth or spirited away to an unspeakable end, But that night the Stranger intervened, promising to keep them hidden, saving them for a price. The price? That upon the boy’s coming into his powers, the Stranger would return and take him away.

Fen Jacen-rei was normal until he matured and then the Voices came to him, all the voices of the Ancestors, the spirits of the dead mages swirling through his brain, threatening to overwhelm him, to break his sanity as they have done for all the other poor Untouchables who now wander mad, babbling and cursed across their occupied land. In the house of Asai the Mage,Fen Jacen-rei fights those same voices, trying to maintain his sanity through cutting as he trains as an assassin for the one who bought him. A Mage who hides him until he is ready to be used as a weapon.

But the Gods have other plans for the Ghost and the Ghost assassin is recruited by his competitors. This time by Kamen Malick and his small band of outlaws and assassins who were told to grab the Ghost and bring him into the fold, no matter the means, by another Magician with ties to the Wolf God. It seems that Fen Jacen-rei is a Catalyst, one who changes the balance of power. But for whose side? For Asai and the Raven? Or Malick and the Wolf? As mysteries and layers of magical subterfuge swirls around him, Fen Jacen-rei only knows that he must protect the ones he loves and seek vengeance upon the person who betrayed them all. He will need help in his quest but who to trust when all seem cloaked in smoke and all the paths are mazes.

Hooked. I am totally hooked by the story and the world building of Carole Cummings. I have to admit I was a little uncertain when I opened the book to find a glossary list of terms, gods, and history. When I have to get through pages of info dump before I can get to the first chapter, well let’s just say that it never works out well. It’s my opinion that the author should be able to weave that information into the story without forcing the reader to be attached to a reference guide at all times. Knowing that, it won’t surprise you that I blithely disregard said pages and jump right into the story and see what comes. And what normally comes my way is an overpopulated, dense narrative so consumed by its own world building that plot and characterization are quickly forgotten. Not here. That did not happen here to my delight and astonishment. I could pick up the history and world building bit by bit and compile a picture of the world Fen Jacen-rei inhabits without referring back to an encyclopedia, just as I should.

Wolf’s Own is a series of which Ghost is book 1. Carole Cummings does her job and then some as an author in delivering to the reader a new universe in which to play in. We have two races and their pantheon of Gods and godlings. One race held the magic albeit a little too carelessly, the other benefited until a war broke out, the balance was broken and the Gods fell silent. One race, the Jin have had their lands taken away, their families destroyed, the children killed and their magic drained by the Adan for unspeakable purposes. Not all the Adan are aware of what is happening within their society, how would they feel if they knew what horrors were being perpetuated upon the fallen? Layer by layer, Cummings builds a world rich in religious traditions and Gods, of political plots and empires, of magic and its consequences. And we get all this while never forgetting that there are people caught in the middle, whose lives have been torn asunder, loved ones killed or kidnapped, or driven mad by forces out of their control. Powerful themes abound through this book like the winds of a storm, full of thunder, and lightning and drenching rain that covers everything in its path.

Carole Cummings is as careful with her characterizations as she is with the world building. These beings breath, cry and break before our eyes. They accept that life is cruel and try to find ways to adapt and survive on a daily basis. Cummings brings us beings at every level of society, from prostitutes to Mages and makes them all so very real. I like that she also keeps us guessing as the each beings real nature, as every character seems to be wearing a mask of sorts. No one is really who they seem to be. Fen Jacen-rei is such a compelling character that I took him to heart immediately. A child caught up in the war of Gods, he cries out for our sympathy and love from the first time we meet him, the night he was born and listen as his craven father sells him off. The pain of watching him taught his craft and being manipulated by a Mage who uses Fen’s need to be loved is heartbreaking. We are invested in this young man from the outset and are pulled along by the force of our own feelings for him and his story. All the other characters are equally well drawn, from Malick to the sister twin assassins he rescued from blood slavery to the Mage and Asai himself.

My only quibble is that the book stops just before they all set out on a mission. Kill me, just kill me now as I hate cliffhangers. This story is so outstanding that I don’t even mind what is usually a problem for me. But in other ways, my frustration excluded, the end point made perfect sense. Joori, the brother, has power too and the Gods are circling about Jen’s family with a vengeance. That is the perfect place to start the second book in the series, Wolf’s Own #2: Weregild. I cannot wait to start that one. But in the meantime, I am thrilled to find a new addiction. I have a new series that has all the elements to make it one of the best of the year and a new author. Its a great day. So, run out and pick this one up. If you love info dumps, read the glossary. Yes, I know. The author went to a lot of trouble to compile it. But she didn’t need to. So if you are like me, skip it and get right into a tale to remember and characters that won’t let you go. I promise you won’t be sorry.

Gorgeous cover art by the inestimable Anne Cain.

Review of Magic’s Muse (Hidden Places #2) by Anne Barwell

Rating: 4.5 points

Tomas Kemp and Cathal Emerys have finally returned to Tomas’ home after escaping from Naearu, Cathal’s world in an alternative universe. And while the men hope they are finally safe from Cathal’s cousin, Lady Deryn and the laws governing his world, neither man really believes it. The cost of their escape is high. Christian, another of Cathal’s cousins, has lost almost everything he loved and is confined to the shape of a cat for as long as the magic of his punishment holds. Cathal is also confined within the boundaries of the inn where they now reside, chained by magic to the oak tree that is the portal between the worlds.

Cathal’s nightmares are increasing now that he and Tomas have consummated their relationship and Tomas seems to be acquiring some magic of his own in the interim. Naearu’s enforcers, The Falcons, are still capable of coming after them, and nightly Lady Deryn whispers threats in Cathal’s mind, promising to kill Tomas if Cathal doesn’t return to their world and marry her. Cathal and Tomas are struggling with their relationship, Cathal is still keeping secrets from Tomas and Tomas is still trying to overcome his self centered impulses and isolated ways to find a way to have an equal relationship with Cathal. Only when the portal is closed, can both men feel safe to plan for their future.

Magic’s Muse is the second in the Hidden Places series but the first that I have read by Anne Barwell. The first book, Cat’s Quill, centers around Tomas’s meeting Cathal and their time in Naearu. It sets out Anne Barwell’s world and myth building that is so important to the events that occur here and introduces us to characters in the continuing storyline of the Hidden Places. That said, I am not sure I wish to go back and read what must be a very bittersweet story. If I do, it will be because Anne Barwell has such a beautiful way with the English language. Her sentences flow with a magic all of their own, transporting us easily to places we have never been to meet people not of this world. Her narrative is rich in its descriptions and the tumultuous emotions of all the characters involved. From the lyrical passages of the countryside with its fields and magical oak tree to the dust motes in the attic of the inn that has been the focal point of time travel, it makes us feel that we are there, listening to the floor boards creak and the branches sigh with the wind.

Her characters are as rich and complex as the story she is telling. Tomas Kemp is a author of popular books and initially a tough character to invest your affections in. He comes across as extremely self centered, oblivious sometimes to the feelings of those closest to him. Tomas’ attention is all about his writing, he is consumed with his stories, one of which will bring him into contact with Lord Cathal Emerys of Naearu. We can recognize Tomas as one whose social skills are sadly lacking and whose focus is always somewhere else, even when someone is talking to him. Indeed while Tomas can come off as quite dour, Cathal shimmers with magic and vulnerability. Cathal easily endears himself to the reader, for Tomas it takes a little longer. Cathal misses his family even as he recognizes that Tomas’ world is the only place they will be safe and have a future. Cathal is filled with guilt over his role in Christian’s punishment and struggling to find a balance in his relationship with Tomas. So much is going on in Cathal’s head and heart that sometimes he is feel estranged from the every day moments in the inn. Barwell imbues all of her characters with so much heart, soul, and intelligence that everyone breathes and bleeds across the pages.

And bleed these characters do. Whether is it actual blood, or their emotions bleeding out of them, there is so much sadness and loss within these story that your heart hurts from reading it. Christian is an especially tragic figure. Condemned to being a cat, he was torn away form his wife and newborn son. His beloved wife continued to wait for him to return up to her last breath as what is months in one world is years in Tomas’. And now his son is dying in a nursing home and his grandson needs him badly. Christian’s wife’s sketches and paintings pop up throughout the story bringing with them the bittersweet memories of their all too short time together. He too awaits the closing of the portal, the only thing that will restore his human form. No character is left untouched by regret or sorrow. Looming over all the events occurring is the threat that the Falcons can reappear to pull one or all of them back to Naearu for judgment and jail. Over and over we are told their reappearance is eminent and the foreboding builds incrementally. And that brings me to my only quibble with this tale.

We are left with quite a few dangling ends of the saga, so many that I assume that another book will follow this one. A child is still missing, two characters have just paired up and all agree that Lady Deryn will never give up on her goal of marriage to Cathal and her need to destroy Tomas. With all that hanging over our couple and their friends at the end, I would classify this as a happy for now, not the happy ever after others see it as. Perhaps I am wrong, but I think not. That would let Cathal and Tomas off too easily, something I would not expect of Barwell and her saga building. With descriptive passages and a richly enthralling narrative Barwell conjures up a tale of two worlds and a rising rebellion that will effect both. This story can only be part of a much larger plan. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Cover by Anne Cain is one of my absolute favorites. As rich in detail and evocative in feeling as the book itself, it is one of my best of the year.

Hidden Places series in the order they should be read:

Cat’s Quill (Hidden Places#1) 350 pages

Magic’s Muse (Hidden Places #2) 294 pages

Review of Life as a Fairy Thrall by Katey Hawthorne

Rating: 4.25 stars

Tammas and Aeron have just gotten over one shock to their relationship when two more happen right in a row. Emry is successful in his work on their bond and Kamala appears on their doorstep with a problem and her nephew, Firez, in tow. Firez is an old schoolmate of Tammas’ and his sister has been kidnapped by a fae. He has come to ask for their help in rescuing her, knowing it will take all the magic and the assistance of one of the fae to get her back. Firez is not totally welcome in their home. He is a part of those who hurt and bullied Tammas in school. Aeron demands payment for their help and Firez must enter into a Fairy compact if he wants their help.

Kidnapping humans to keep as thralls is illegal. Only those humans who go willingly may become thrall but kidnapping the unwary is occuring in the Fairy Court. But Tammas and Aeron know that if they can get her back, the chances of the fairies coming after her again are nil. So with the help of Aeron’s sister, Awela, Kamala, Tammas, Aeron, Awela, and Firez head out to the portal into the Fairy Realm. The plan is for Kamala to watch the portal until they are safely back while Aeron and Awela travel to the Court with Tammas and Firez disguised as their human thralls.

Once at Court, their plans become even more complicated, as the Lady holding the girl wants more humans to take her place. With danger all around them and the eyes of the Fae upon them, Tammas and Firez must act the part of human thralls right down to the collars they wear. The girl is there but unaware of who they are. All must tread delicately or the ones to pay the price will be Tammas and Firez with the cost of their freedom.

Life as a Fairy Thrall is the second story in the Fairy Compact trilogy by Katey Hawthorne. The first story, The Dangers of a Fairy Compact relates the first meeting of Tam and Aeron, although they have been connected by a fairy compact all Tam’s life. Without giving too much away of the plot of that story, it goes without saying that Fairy compacts always come with a price to be paid, ones that will resonate through the years and even alternate worlds. The trilogy is the story of Tammas and Aeron’s entwined lives and the relationship that comes out of a compact neither made of their own volition. These are not your Disneyfied fairies but the fae of old Gaelic myths and lore. Capable of great cruelty as as great good, their moods interchangeable and indeterminable. They cannot be held to human standards something humans often forget. Katey Hawthorne gives us the Fae made real, from their diaphanous wings and unworldly beauty to the power and magic that swirls around them like an aromatic.

It is through the author’s vivid descriptions and wonderful characterizations that Tammas’ world comes across as realistic as the neighborhood I live in. I can see the small cottage with its gardens and trees surrounding it, but more importantly I can feel it as the story is as tactile as moss on a stone. The magic here engages all the senses, it is smelled, and stroked. It is the burbling of a stream and the mist of the woods and that gives these stories a wonderful depth and realism, both needed when the reader needs to believe in the world and characters before her. This tactile nature of these stories carries just as vividly into the sex scenes. Who knew that winged sex could be so hot? Indeed it is so be prepared when entering Hawthorne’s fairy world or her human world either. At the end of the story we are left with Tam and Aeron’s relationship facing yet another hurdle, with another major decision to be made. It will be a hard one, full of angst as well as love. I can’t wait to see how the trilogy finishes up.

I love stories of the Fae and have since I was a child. Tinker-belle never interested me but the Fair Folk of Irish lore fascinated me as much as they had the ability to terrify me. Katey Hawthorne is giving us a wonderful trilogy in this same tradition. Start with the first one. It can be downloaded for free from either Katey Hawthorne’s website, visit http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/p/fairy-compacts.html. Or visit All Romance Publishers and download it free from there. I think you will love the stories as much as I do plus the illustrations by Ruxandra Lache are not to be missed.

The Dangers of a Fairy Compact (Fairy Compact #1)

Life as a Fairy Thrall (Fairy Compact #2)

It’s Football Season and I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, the Week Ahead in Reviews and A Cocktail

It’s Labor Day weekend here in the States, a time to hunker down and celebrate the end of summer. For some families this means a last dash to the beach or the start of school. It is also the start of football season. It’s the start of tailgating parties, stadium crowds and team colors. Mine used to be red and yellow, the colors of the Washington Redskins, my family’s team. It all started with my Dad. He loves the Redskins. We have been fans through thick and thin as they say. I can even remember Dad taking me to a Redskin home game when they were coached by Vince Lombardi. That was 1969. My dad and his friend Tom Cox had a group of season tickets and when one of “the gang” couldn’t go, Dad brought me. What a thrill. Redskin fans are beyond fanatical, they are legendary. And every game, RFK shook from the ground to the rafters with their fervor. I will never forget it as long as I live. Screaming until I was hoarse, the people towering around me as all stood to watch a play on the field and then the ride home, Dad’s either thrilled because we won or furious with a loss. Later on, the ride home included Dad listening to Sonny and Sam (that’s Sonny Jurgenson and Sam Huff) dissect the day’s game. We had Redskin blankets, hats, and scarves. We went through the George Allen and Jack Pardee years before we arrived at the Golden Age. That would be owner Jack Kent Cooke, affectionately known as The Squire, Bobby Beathard the GM, and Joe Gibbs, the Winningest Coach of them all. From 1981 to 1992, we basked in the glory that was the Redskins and quite frankly made up for all the years it took to get there.

But 10 years ago, the Squire died and Dan Snyder bought the team. I hung in there as long as I could but the soul went out of them that day. Dan Snyder single handedly has ruined the Redskins for me (and many others). How can you back a team when the owner sues it’s fans? When die hard season ticket holders could no longer afford their season tickets because of the economy (some losing everything), the Redskins sued their fans to recover the costs of the passes, even a grandmother living on retirement! No other team did that. Made the headlines, they recanted, a bit. Still did it though. Then a small free newspaper takes Dan Snyder to task over his actions. He sues the newspaper! I guess free speech is not to be tolerated in Snyder territory. On and on it goes, one man’s arrogance and bad karma wiping out half a century of fans adoration and goodwill.

And now I give up. I won’t root for them any longer. Some will say the very name “Redskins” is cursed. Perhaps they are right. It’s long past the time to retire a name offensive to so many. Maybe I will look around for another team to root for. The Ravens don’t do it for me. I like the Packers and the Saints. So who knows? In the meantime, I have the Capitals and Ted Leonsis to cheer for. And The Washington Nationals have risen above their “Natinals” days to become an inspiration and a team worthy of cheering for and not just because they are winning, but winning in the right way! Go, Nats! Without football, perhaps I will have more time to knit, certainly to read. And reflect on the past.

This coming week’s reviews are:

Monday: Solid As A Stone by Amylea Lyn

Tuesday: Gambling Men, The Novel by Amy Lane

Wednesday: Jewel Bonds series by Megan Derr

Thursday: One Day At A Time by Dawn Douglas

Friday: Summer Sizzle by Berengaria Brown

Saturday: Vocabulary Gone Bad Looks at Sexy(Not) Dirty Talk or Spank Me Harder, Bunny Poo!

Our last summer cocktail to finish out the summer this Labor Day weekend for those of you in the States is the Sidecar!

The Sidecar.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 lemon wedge
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) Cognac
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Cointreau or other Triple Sec orange liqueur
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 cup ice

Directions:

Spread superfine sugar on small plate. Rub lemon wedge halfway around rim of chilled martini or coupe glass. Dip moistened side of glass in sugar to lightly coat outside rim of glass. Set aside.
In cocktail shaker, combine Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Add ice and shake vigorously until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into prepared martini or coupe glass and serve.

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