Book Review: Black Silk, by Jan Gordon

Black Silk, by Jan Gordon

Victoria is a loner, a book store owner, and an avid fan of paranormal romance. She pines for excitement and love ever since her tragic romance when a Freshman in college. Excitement finds her in the form of her witnessing an armed burglary and being saved by a mysterious, dark-haired stranger, Cole. Cole seeks Victoria out, and they start to form a relationship while the robber stalks Victoria in order to keep her quiet about identifying him to the police. Things about Cole don't quite add up, and there are odd things about him that Victoria can't quite identify.

This story started out flat and ended flat. The plot is flat and predictable. The characters are flat. The dialogue is flat. There was just nothing exciting about this story. There were no twists, no mystery, no suspense. The story doesn't pull you in at a visceral level, and even the erotic scenes are just 'almost there'.

For me, this story flat-lined from the first chapter and was never resucsitated.

Book Review: The Mating, by Nicky Charles

Elise, a werewolf and daughter of the Alpha of her pack, is mated suddenly to a total stranger, Kane. The marriage is one of strategic alliance, as Kane is the newly appointed Alpha of a neighboring pack. When Elise arrives at her new pack, most are ready to accept her as their Alpha's mate, except for Marla. Besides the awkwardness of Marla trying to insinuate herself in the middle of Elise and Kane's budding marriage, other nuisances keep getting in the way of the two establishing and reconciling their new relationship, mostly in the form of mishaps plaguing the pack's land. These mysterious mishaps are attibuted to Kane's brother, Ryne, who had left the pack when he lost the challenge for the Alpha role to Kane.
The story has most elements of a romance: two strangers thrown together into a relationship, forced to make the most of the situation, both beginning to have feelings for the other yet unable to communicate as much, and a climatic resolution that brings them together.

What's missing from this story action. It's rather domestic, most of the story revolving around Elise trying to establish herself as the Alpha's mate in her new pack. Because this is a paranormal romance, I was expecting a little more danger, darkness, mystery, and grit. The erotic scenes were very well written, but the set-up for the mysterious happenings around the pack's land and who is involved is a little predictable. There was only one twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

Even the werewolf aspect of the story, which I had expected to be fraught with danger and mystery, was tame, and the story read more like a description of pack life. The last quarter of the book had more of what I was expecting, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages.

If you are looking for the elements of a romance novel, this one is almost there, though the relationship needs to have a little more edge to it. If you're looking for a dark, paranormal romance, this one lacks in that regard.

Sample Sunday: Fire in the Blood

Well, my pretties, I'm a little late today, because I went to see an early showing of Harry Potter this morning, but I'm here now, and bringing you back to the world of Eyidora.

We left off after Haley had been freed from the dryads, and she and Tuggin are hiking down a mountain in the rain...Haley tripped and fell over the edge. Will Tuggin leave her to her fate, or save her? Read on and find out!

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Tuggin!” I screamed.

I slid down, scraping my chest, arms, and face. By sheer freaking luck my arm looped around a dwarf tree. I gripped the slippery bark. Rocks pelted my head.

“Ow, freaking shit. Ow!”

When I looked up Tuggin’s hooded face peered down then disappeared.

He’d better not leave me or I’d kill him, whether in this life or the next, I’d hunt him down and kill him. The tree bent and I slid further down its trunk. The bark tore at my skin and my arms ached. I groaned, squeezing my numb fingers tighter. It wasn’t hard; I pretended the tree was Tuggin’s neck. 

A rope swung in front me. Fear glued my hands to the tree…I had no idea how far I’d fall if I missed it, and I stared at the rope as if it were a million miles out of reach.

“Seize the rope!”

A gust of wind blew in my face, its cold breath slapping life back into me. I supported my weight against the cliff with my feet. I shoved myself higher and let go of the tree with one hand and snatched the rope, winding it around my wrist. I counted to three, and then grabbed the rope with both hands. My cheek scraped against the rock when I dropped a few feet.

I prayed the rope wouldn’t slip from my hands. Or Tuggin’s. 

I lurched upward. I tried to help by walking up the cliff, but my feet slipped, and my knees rammed into the mountainside, followed by a sudden drop. I held still, my hands and wrists burning and my shoulders throbbing. After an eternity, Tuggin grabbed me by the arms, hugged me to his chest, and leaned back. His muscles were rock-hard, and his warm breath brushed my cold lips.

“Oh,” I whispered.

Tuggin’s body tensed, and his arms tightened. Something flashed across his face, a sudden brightening of the eyes that just as quickly faded. Everything spun, and I wondered if maybe we’d slipped off the path into a free fall.

“Haley.”  His voice was low, smooth.

His skin felt fevered against mine. I wanted to lean down and suck the heat from his mouth.

“Are we falling?” I sank deeper into a dreamy pit of warmth.

He moved his hands to my shoulders and nudged me. I blinked rain out of my eyes. Tuggin’s gaze shifted to the drop, then back to my face. He nudged me again.

“Oh!” I rolled off him and crawled to the side of the path. I wanted to hide. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to click my heels three times and go the freak home.

Tuggin checked out the rope burns in his hands then coiled the rope and put it in his pack. “You are inept.”

I studied my broken fingernails, the Ruby Red polish that I’d painted on especially for my birthday chipped and gouged. I guessed he hadn’t felt what I’d just felt. What I shouldn’t have felt because he was a kidnapper.

I said, “Excuse me, but in case you’ve forgotten, I didn’t choose to be here. You forced me.”

Tuggin opened his mouth, but whether to agree with me or insult me again, I didn’t know because he shut it without saying anything.

“You got something to say, just say it.”

“You had strength to hold on.” He shrugged. “This surprises me.”

“Why?”

“You are Earth-kin.” His mouth twisted over the word Earth-kin.

I poked my tongue in my cheek. “You know, guys usually act like tools when they’re insecure, or afraid.”

He rose. “What would I fear?”

“I don’t know, but I’d say by the way you’re acting that you’re scared of me.”

“That is absurd.” Tuggin shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders.

I cringed when he glared at me, the fire in his eyes melting my courage.

“I care not what you think, and I certainly do not fear you. You are weak.”

My mouth dropped open. “Then what do you want from me?”

“You?” he sneered. “I want nothing from you. You burden me.”

“Oh, nice. Then why don’t you just let me go? Why’d you just save my life?”

“I am responsible for you.” He said it in the same tone of voice he might have used had he told me we were eating worms for dinner.

I shot back, “The only thing you’re responsible for is kidnapping me!”

Tuggin re-crossed his arms. “You should not be here.”

“You’re the one who told me I’m from Eyidora.”

“You do not act so. Your interlude on Earth has erased your instincts.” Tuggin thumped his chest with a fist. “I have a mission of great importance. I do not have time to care-take a…jahme!” Stopping, he ran his hand through his dripping hair, slicking it back against his head. Then the stone curtain drew over his face again. “We would continue.”

He pointed to the path, and I started hiking. The rain drizzled to a stop and the clouds started to clear out, and the moon helped light the path. It was still a full moon, same as the day I’d tripped through the gateway, but that was like, ages ago, though it looked like it was higher in the sky than before.

My gaze drifted down to a red light burning the horizon. “Is something on fire?”

“Net,” Tuggin said after glancing at the sky. “It is the second truhaan phase.”

“What’s that?”

“Truhaan are the harvest planets.”

“That’s not a moon?”

“Net.” He pointed to a much smaller spot in the sky.

The white planet was so huge that I’d assumed it was the moon. Whatever. I pressed my frozen lips together, clenching my teeth to keep them from chattering. As we hiked farther down, the path widened and I could have walked next to Tuggin, if I’d wanted.

The path led us behind a waterfall to a mega-big door lit by torches. Tuggin threw his weight against it and it swung open. We stepped into a room the size of a school gym, lit by hundreds of candles. I thought the stink of burning wax would melt my nose hair.

Bright rugs covered the stone floor. Stone pillars reached up to the ceiling, and a stone staircase climbed one end of the room. I made tracks for the giant fireplace just as a woman walked toward us. She wore a deep blue dress with a gold belt, its folds dancing behind her. Long, dark hair caressed her waist.

 “Tuggin,” she said. “You were to arrive sooner.”

“We lost the sleipnir.”

She checked me out, never blinking during her once-over. I shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at Tuggin who acted as though I’d ceased to exist.

“Greetings. Welcome to Given Hall. I am Enja,” she said after a long pause.

“I’m Haley…Allaire.”

Enja tilted her head. “You have traveled a great distance to be here, yes?”

I nodded.

“And why is it you have come to be here now, during the rise of the storm?”

I licked my lips. Well, duh, I didn’t control the weather. “Not a clue.”

Enja took Tuggin’s arm and led him through the hall. “You have arrived just in time. The Mavens will be here tomorrow, yes?”

Following, I felt small and dirty. I looked back at the tracks I left on the floor and tried to pat my soggy hair in place. A girl followed with a rag, wiping up the mud.

“You will join us for raha, yes?”

“Of course,” Tuggin agreed, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

“You wish to change from your travels. You will be shown to your rooms.” She nodded again, turned, and swept away as two girls skipped down the stairs.

“What’s a raha?” I asked.

Without answering, Tuggin followed the giggling girls up the stairs.

I glared at him. Couldn’t he explain where we were? Who Enja was? And what this raha thing was about? He was the one kidnapping me; he could at least try to be nice.

None of them seemed to care that I held back. They were labeling me as an outcast, just like the hall gods and goddesses had done on Earth, always making me feel like I didn’t belong. Perhaps I didn’t belong anywhere. Certainly not here.

Sample Sunday: Fire in the Blood

Welcome back to the world of Eyidora! We left Haley who has found a magic herb, and had a crazy-ass dream about one of the nature gods. Oh, and she had a chance to escape Tuggin, but was too tired and sick to make a run for it.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SIX

I woke to whispering silence.

Dead leaves murmured hidden secrets. Trees hissed in the chill air, whirling ghostly vapors across my face. I thought about the old man and how I’d gotten scared and made the dumb-ass decision not to escape when I had the chance, and anxiety danced along my spine. The lone, haunting wail of a mourning dove caught my funky mood.

My stomach churned and my head felt woozy. I hoped I wasn’t coming down with a cold, or maybe there was a weird plant or tree that I was allergic to.

I sat up and checked the woods, just to make sure that crazy man wasn’t watching me. Tuggin was nowhere to be seen. Perfect. I’d just grab my stuff and jet. I moved to get up, and was jerked to a halt by the rope. I stared at it. Damn, did I only dream that I’d gotten free? It had seemed so real.

My mouth was still hanging open when Tuggin appeared from the trees and untied me. I rubbed my wrist and gaped between the rope and the woods then gasped when he traced my cheek with his finger.

“What has occurred here?” he asked.

I touched the welt on my cheek. “Must have rolled against the tree in my sleep.”

It had been a dream, but my face was scratched from that branch, as if it had happened, but that was numb nuts crazy. Tuggin squinted, so I widened my eyes to look innocent.

Tuggin stiffened then leaned close to stare into my eyes. My heart fluttered like a butterfly trying to escape a net, and my legs came close to buckling. I hate the kidnapper, I told myself. I do, I do.

“What have you done?”

I had no clue what he meant, but knowing Tuggin, I’d probably done something to piss him off. Like breathe. “Um, nothing?”

“Your eyes are dilated.” He searched me in that way that made me feel as though I was naked, and warmth trickled down my legs. “What have you ingested?”

I glared at him. “I don’t do drugs.”

“Then why?”

I shrugged.

“And they are ringed with brown specs.”

“Are you color blind? They’re gray.”

“They have changed.”

I laugh-snorted. “Yeah, right.”

His gaze traveled my body, and then he turned away with a shrug. “You are odd.”

Jerk, jerk, jerk! He was the loose cannon with the knife and dorky clothes, and he called me a freak? I had to get away from him before he got all huffy and slit my throat for no good reason other than me telling him he was color blind.

Still squinting, he handed me one of those leathery things he called food. I bent the piece of meat and watched it spring straight when I let go. Oh joy. Dog collars for everyone.

What were the chances that Tuggin had some chocolate stashed in his backpack? Maybe Eyidora didn’t have chocolate. Hadn’t I been punished enough? My sigh turned into a coughing fit.

“What is wrong?”

“It’s hard to breathe this clammy air.” I rubbed my grainy eyes.

Tuggin’s gaze swept over the trees. “The air is pure.”

“Yeah, purely suffocating.”

“We should not tarry long.”

The wary concern in his voice got my heart all fluttery, and it dipped in my chest. Trying to get some kind of control over myself, I blurted, “Have you ever heard of global warming?”

“Global…warming?”

“Yeah, like the weather getting warmer and warmer over the whole world.” Sort of like the skin getting warmer and warmer over my whole face while I watched his lips.

“An apt description,” he said.

I could almost smell the niceness in the air. Feeling encouraged, I said, “On Earth people are worried about global warming…”

Tuggin snorted.

“What?”

“Earth-kin are ignorant.”

“Not all Earth-kin.”

Tuggin snorted again.

“What?”

“Earth-kin care not for their globe.”

“I do.”

“And what have you done to care for your globe?”

I didn’t want to admit that other than recycling cans and plastic, I hadn’t paid too much attention, so I ignored the question. “Anyway, on Eyidora you got someone who wants to turn Eyidora into a desert, sort of like the whole global warming thing. Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

Tuggin slowly rose. “How have you come by this knowledge?”

One hand clenched, the other settled on his knife handle. I’d thought his emotions were limited to boredom and contempt. Not anymore. I dropped my dog collar and stepped back.

“Speak!” Tuggin demanded.

“I don’t know.”

“Who are you, Haley Allaire of Sabina?” Tuggin whispered, stepping closer.

His gaze was relentless. His lips were no longer moving, but his words drilled into my brain, softly, seductively, warming the inside of my head until all I wanted to do was to answer his question: Who are you?

Reeling from the dizziness, I stumbled back, my heel catching a tree root.

“Gah!” I fell and bit my lip, then scooted back against the tree. Good news: the spinning in my head had stopped. Bad news: Tuggin looked pissed.

“Jahme.” The word slid out of his mouth on a breath of air. “I forbid you to speak of this again.”

My mouth shut with a clap. “You’re not the boss of me.”

“I have no time for Earth-kin ignorance.” He started packing.

Pushing myself to my feet, I flung my canteen into my pack while anger grew ulcer-like in my chest. He’d officially launched me back into my I-hate-the-kidnapper mode.

For once, Tuggin took off ahead of me. I hesitated then glanced behind me, but I felt so lightheaded I knew I couldn’t outrun him. Coughing, I shouldered my pack and followed. The mist saturated my lungs. It was hard enough breathing the stuff, God only knew what it was doing to my hair.

Tuggin seemed to be walking faster than usual while I panted after him. I wanted to yell at him to slow down, but it seemed I couldn’t talk, walk, and breathe at the same time.

I dropped to my knees and bent over with my hands resting on my thighs. The herb pinched my skin, so I pulled it out of my bra. The air stunk like rotting leaves, and something moved in the branches. It was an effort to lift my head to check it out.

“Look, girls,” crooned a soft voice. “A stranger.”

“Shall we take her?” asked another.

“I don’t know, she doesn’t seem very strong to me.”

While I knelt in the dirt, dark faces appeared in the trees. Brown hair floated as if being tugged by a breeze. Then a bunch of tall ladies circled me, dressed in chestnut colored robes.

Was I dreaming again? What were they? Witches? Fairies? The closer they came, the heavier the air felt. That rotten smell filled my head. I tried to get back to my feet, run away, but I couldn’t move. I needed Tuggin.

“She’s tall.”

“Not tall enough.”

“And she’s thin.”

“Too thin, and too weak. Our trees need strength.”

“What shall we do with her then? Surely we cannot let her go.”

“No, not now that she has seen us. It would never do.”

I tried to swing my head to follow the voices, but my neck had frozen like petrified wood.

“She’s like a willow. Can she be a willow?”

“Yes, yes. A nice, tall, slender willow.”

No way was I morphing into a tree. I struggled against the invisible roots holding me to the ground, but I couldn’t even twitch my finger. I wanted to yell at them, but my voice wouldn’t work either.

“Look how she kneels before us.”

“I believe she is quite frozen with fear.”

Their laughter grated like rattling branches. The creatures were mean, like the mean hall goddesses from my high school. Flashes of anger seared my chest. The herb pressed into my palm and my fingers tingled. I took a deep breath and pushed as hard as I could. “Not weak.”

My heartbeat thrummed like a base drum in my ears. I swung my gaze across the tree creatures’ faces, all staring at me with open mouths. Then they all started shouting.

“She understands us?”

“And she speaks!”

“How can this be?”

One creature said, “Child, what is your name?”

The thick air was suffocating. I didn’t have the energy to fight it, or to talk; I wanted to sleep. They could do whatever the hell they wanted, I didn’t care anymore.

“Speak, child!”

Startled by both the shout and the herb jabbing hot jolts of pain through my fingers, I croaked, “Haley Ro…Allaire.”

“Allaire…Allaire,” the tall one murmured. “A strong name, indeed.”

“She does not look well-built to me,” interrupted one of the others.

I knelt like some kind of tree-worshipper. My necklace dangled away from my chest, slipped out of my shirt, and swung free.

“What have you there?”

A thin arm reached for my necklace. No! I couldn’t let them steal it, but I couldn’t move to stop them. I panted shuddering breaths and glared. There was a scratchy noise when they backed away.

“She has a stone!”

“Where have you come by that, child?” the tall one barked. “Speak!”

“Mom.” I fought the over-powering urge to sleep, even with the herb stinging my fingers. I wondered why I was fighting. It was easier to give in.

“She is a thief.”

“Am not,” I whispered. 

My thoughts became heavy, wooden. I wished they’d leave me alone so I could sleep.

The tall creature spoke. “Your voice is strong among the trees, Haley Allaire.”

Big whoop. My lids slid closed, and I surrendered to a shadowy sea of leaves. A distant voice said, “The Sisters have reached a consensus. The Sisters release you.”

********************

I knelt in the dirt, gripping the herb so tightly the woody stem dug into my palm. Tuggin sat against a tree, his head in his hands. I stayed still for a minute, watching my necklace swinging back and forth. When I was sure I could get my legs to function without doing a major face-plant, I hobbled to my feet.

Tuggin jumped up. “Haley.”

Relief inflated his voice. Not a caring kind of relief because he liked me, but the kind of relief a babysitter would feel because the kid he’s watching didn’t drop dead.

“What happened? The air was heavy, and I couldn’t breathe. Did I pass out?”

“Net. You watched the trees.”

“Did you see those bitchy women?”

His gaze swept the treetops, coming to rest on my face. “Dryads, guardians of the forests, are female spirits. I am male and have no place in their domain.” He cocked his head. “Once they claim you, there is no return, yet here you stand before me. Why?”

I flexed my fingers, opening my palm.

“Tell me,” Tuggin said, staring at the herb, “of what significance is this twig?”

“I told you. I don’t know.”

“Explain what has occurred,” he ordered. “Now.”

“I can’t.”

“Did they speak?”

He leveled that hard-eyed glare at me again. My thoughts scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind. “Well…maybe. I don’t know.”

Tuggin sneered. “Are all Earth-kin so ignorant?”

I tried to stop the pout, but wasn’t quick enough. Why did a look from Tuggin turn me into some kind of boobless bimbo? He didn’t know about the herb’s power, and I didn’t trust him not to steal it.

“Maybe they wanted to punish me by making me put up with you,” I said.

“It would appear the dryads have left me to my burden.” Tuggin shouldered his pack, ordering, “Follow me.”

********************

It was almost dark by the time we broke out of the forest and tramped across a field of tall grass. Thunder echoed close by, and the ground shook. On the horizon gray clouds clung to the darkening sky. I groaned when it started raining. My wet clothes stuck to my skin, my shoes belched with every step, and my backpack felt like a satellite dish on my back.

Tuggin halted, and I stopped next to him. Blinking against the rain, I could just see the toes of my shoes near the edge of a drop off. I took a quick step back; even though I couldn’t see how high we were, I could feel it. A river tumbling to my right raced over the edge and crashed into the darkness below.

Tuggin pointed to a narrow path snaking downward. A few scrubby dwarf trees rooted along the edge, leaning as though tempted to take the suicidal plunge.

“No way,” I said.

“You will walk down this path, or I will tie you and carry you.”

I squeezed my lips together. Tuggin’s cheek did the twitchy thing as he strode toward me.

“Fine,” I said.

Squaring my shoulders, I started down, pressing my hand against the rock wall for support. God, it was raining hard; I couldn’t see a freaking thing. I hit something, a rock maybe. My feet shot out from under me and I landed on my knees. Swearing at Tuggin, I grabbed my knees and rolled to my side.

“Gah!”

             The ground disappeared beneath me.

Words from a witless lackey: Bloodsucking Ghostly Summer Giveaway!

Words from a witless lackey: Bloodsucking Ghostly Summer Giveaway!: "I’m having a Celebratory Giveaway! I’ve had a lot of good news lately, and a lot of good reviews and the latest was enough to just put me o..."

Book Review: Summer's Crossing, by Julie Kagawa

Summer's Crossing
An Iron Fey Novella
by Julie Kagawa

Robin Goodfellow, a prankster from the Summer Court, teams up with Prince Ash of the Winter Court to pull off yet another prank. Sort of. Robin and Ash have some bad blood between them, over a girl, and Ash has to pull off a caper which involves him entering the Summer Court. He can't get into the Summer Court without Robin's help and, you know, Robin's still kind of pissed over the whole 'you stole my girl' thing. The question is: Will Robin betray Ash to the Summer Queen out of revenge?

I don't tend to read novellas for the simple reason that when I'm immersed in a story, especially a fantasy, I kind of want to spend a lot of time there, and novellas tend to rip me out of my fantasy a little too soon. Despite that, I liked this one, and it gave me a taste of Julie's writing (great) and the world of the fey that she created (awesome). The relationship between Robin and Ash is tense, yet there's a part of you that likes both these characters and makes you want them to put all that bad blood behind them and work together. Fey are fickle and not all that nice (especially to mortals), yet this story shows a side to the fey that is more uplifting and just makes you like these characters all the more. This is the first book I've read of Julie's, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely plan to go to book one of the Iron Fey series and read them all.

Book Review: The Exorsistah: X Restored

The Exorsistah: X Restored
by Claudia Mair Burney

Emme, or X, is battle weary and a little out of sorts with her fiance, Francis, when they travel to New Orleans to see Emme's mother, whom Emme hasn't seen in 3 years. When they arrive in New Orleans, a ghost pops into Emme's view at the most unopportune times; she meets her mom's new man; and she's 'haunted' by a tasty guy, Jean-Paul, who anchors himself between Emme and Francis. It's enough to make Emme's head spin, and the battle isn't only between good and evil...the battle is also within Emme herself as she sorts out who she is and what she wants.

The writing is smooth and fluid, the dialogue is excellent, and the story fairly gripping once you hit the halfway point. I'm not a huge fan of reading scripture in my fiction, but that's a personal preference on my part and in no way detracts from the story. X Restored is the sequel to The Exorsistah, and I could pick up most of the backstory through seamless references throughout even though I haven't read the first title.

This story is more character driven than plot driven. It's about Emme healing and finding herself. Though she is an exorsist, there is only one exorsism, and that one not very exciting. The plot itself is rather loose: it's pretty apparent early on who the bad guy is, the hauntings are not very scary, and the reader is left questioning what happened to the ghost at the end, which is never explained. Overall, not much really happens in this story and the Grip-O-Meter is relatively flat, so if you are looking for an exciting read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, this isn't the book you for you. If you are looking for a nice read with uplifting and motivational spiritual references, this is a must-read.