A new spin on Beauty and the Beast involving, fairies, magic, and a contest.
I’m a huge fan of fairytales and fairy tale retellings, so I was very eager to read Beauty and Deceit, Anderson’s take on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast.
Carol Beth Anderson’s Beauty and Deceit
First off, I really enjoyed how she got away from the Stockholm Syndrome/Prisoner aspect of the original tale. It was always tough for me to swallow the whole, “I’m a prisoner of this creepy monster because my dad took a rose. But, hey he’s nice to me and we live in this swell castle. I love him!”
C’mon, raise your standards, girl.
Instead, our heroine, Aeryn is selected to “compete” for the Beast, in the style of the show the Bachelor. Except, the nine other contestants are Fae and have unearthly beauty and magical powers, while Aeryn is an attractive, but normal (or so she thinks, spoiler alert) human.
While Aeryn is not a prisoner of Tor, the Beast, she’s a prisoner of her motives to enter the contest, and her Savior Syndrome. She has an overwhelming urge to take care of everyone else’s problems, to the detriment of herself. In this case, the fairy who brought her into the contest will take care of her poor and starving family as long as she is in the contest. As she gets to know the other contestants, and their motives for joining the contest, she tries to solve their problems as well. But like all protagonists with a flaw, the more she tries to help, the more she messes things up. And oh nelly, does she mess things up.
I liked how the other characters had varying reasons, good and bad, for joining the contest (and wanting to win). The alliances between the contestants constantly shifted and merged along the way. I’ve never seen the show, The Bachelor, but I’ve read enough to imagine it must be the same way. Some join to find love, others for fame, probably some just for the fun of it.
Tor, is difficult to like, let alone love. Okay, I take that back, he’s an absolute jerk. He’s arrogant, conceited and obnoxious. It’s hard to have empathy for his plight. You really have more concern for the rest of the people effected by his curse. Throughout the story, I wanted to scream at Aeryn, “Dammit! Walk away, your family will be fine. You don’t have to put up with his crap. Let someone else win.” But, Aeryn is determined to win, to save her family, the other contestants and the people trapped by Tor’s curse. What she risks losing is herself and those she truly loves.
The author does a great job with the protagonist in that she’s not a perfect Mary Sue. She does have anxieties and flaws that cause her to constantly trip up along the way. Now, I did wish (spoiler alert #2) that Aeryn hadn’t suddenly developed magic along the way. I would have liked her to get out of some of her problems using other skills (but that’s just me—this isn’t Burger King, I can’t have it my way).
If you’re looking for a fun and fast-paced retelling of Beauty and the Beast I feel you will enjoy CB Anderson’s Beauty and Deceit. There’s magic, love and romance, quite a bit of spite (instead of hair pulling, one girl casts a spell making another girl’s hair fall out. these girls take catty to a whole new level). Now for those who disapprove of such things, two of the female fae fall in love with each other during the contest. I thought it was a riot. I mean, wouldn’t that be a shocker on the real TV show? Final ceremony, “Sorry bud, I’m just not that into you. Me and Sara hit it off during the show and we’re going to open a winery together.”
But if you don’t like that sort of thing, well, this may not be the book for you. It was such a small part of the plot, it is hardly worth mentioning. That being said, I thought their romance subplot might make a great short story, since the details didn’t make it into the book (just a suggestion if you read this far, Beth).
My one beef with the story is that I thought the ending was a little too easily resolved. I want to avoid spoilers here, so, all I will say is I would like to have seen the emotion of her final choice drawn out more.
But all in all, a fun twist on a classic tale. And it now places second for my fastest read book, at just over 5 hours (Dawn Hosmer’s Bits and Pieces is still #1 at approx. 3 hours).
Thanks for reading! Please check out some of my other reviews and blogs, or even my own books, The Dark Land series.
Ancient evil stalks the Alaska back country. Some places were never meant for humans to trespass.
Nope, it’s not Game of Thrones, nor is it Hamlet. It’s The Ghosts of Grief Hollow, the sequel to his macabre tale The Tear Collector (recently renamed The Tears of Grief Hollow). It’s amazing when you get to the end of a book, and think, what the hell did I just read, but in a good way. I really enjoyed Shawn’s first offering, and if you read my review, it was a tough act to follow. Once again, Stephen King’s It blended with Monster Squad, Shawn manages to up the ante on the horror and thrills, taking us back to the tiny Appalachian town of Harper’s Pass. Its haunted and troubled past comes back to bite its descendants in a big way.
The Markland X grew are trying to settle back into some sense of normalcy after grappling with the evil spirt of Samantha Mellinger, whom they (thought—spoiler alert) vanquished in Grief Hollow. Of course, if it seems too good to be true, it is. In this sequel, their loyalty and trust to one another will be stretched to the breaking point. And, like in the first novel, the kids realize that they are on their own. They know that either no one will believe them, or in the case of their one adult ally, Detective Holt, he’s become too wrapped up in his police work and in the unravelling of his marriage to pay attention to what’s really going on—until it is too late.
Shawn builds up some compelling new characters in the sequel. Lady Zuuva is an intriguing local legend that plays into the darkness of Grief Hollow. I didn’t think Shawn could top the centipede scene from the first book, but dang, I’m not sure which was creepier, the scene with the roots, or…well, I’ll put it this way, if you have phobias about giant bugs, this book is probably not for you.
Speaking of trigger warnings. All of them. Yep. With this book Shawn pretty much nails every trigger you could think of and does it beautifully. Kind of like Game of Thrones. This book is not for the faint of heart, and don’t get too terribly attached to any character. Shawn will kill your favorite character ruthlessly. And I love it.
Thanks for reading! You can also check out my unique brand of Alaska Backcountry horror, The Dark Land series
Some places were never meant for humans to trespass.
Or, what if Voldemort won, and he was female instead and kind of kinky?
Better Than Dead was a wild departure from Eric’s Henchmen series. In this piece of speculative fiction things that go bump in the night: sorcerers, vampires, ghouls, gorgons, giants, basically every fictional magic creature in the pantheon have revealed themselves to be real and are living openly with humans. His main character, Ace Colton, is a Lead Slinger, paid by the banking industry to go after magic users who have robbed banks. After pursuing two targets and finding a still living head on a broom handle, Ace realizes something out of the ordinary is going on in town—that’s saying a lot for a city teeming with the paranormal. From there the situation only spirals into the Twilight Zone. Forget brainless zombies. Corpses are coming back to life with an agenda. They can’t die until they fulfill their task—whether inane or bloodthirsty. Ace teams up with Tabitha, a vampire with her own agenda. They’ll dodge ghouls, hit squads and mythical creatures while trying to uncover the necromancer responsible for the chaos before the entire city falls to darkness. Not that it was such a great place to begin with, but Ace doesn’t want to spend his days as something in between dead and alive.
Buckle up for a fun, fast-paced noir action story with a flawed anti-hero and some great twists and turns (and quite a bit of kinkiness…Ava and the machete, OH MY!).
Ace is not a perfect hero. In fact, there’s quite a few times you want to smack him upside the head. He’s good at what he does—he shoots guns and fighting—but at times he’s slow to pick up on the clues. This makes the story and character more realistic, since he’s figuring things out, rather than having everything come together seamlessly. At first Ace is portrayed as a stereotypical, alcoholic “Humphrey Bogart-type character.” As the story progresses, the feelings and emotions, both good and bad, in the relationships between Ace and the various women in the story: Jezebel, Tabitha and even Ava show a lot of heart.
Since I have read a few of Eric’s novels at this point, I can really see his development as an author in this tale. His other novels tend to be just action-packed fun. What I liked most about the novel overall, was the underlying moral theme that Eric delivers without being too preachy or heavy handed. Human beings have a terrible track record of how we treat those who are different than ourselves. What would we do if we found people (or creatures) with magical capabilities living secretly among us? In Better Than Dead, they are feared, vilified, exploited, used for government experiments, sometimes they are tortured and killed. Using the backdrop of a heartless city with no mercy, he paints a realistic portrait of human nature.
I’ll be interested to see where Eric takes this character and story next…there’s going to be a sequel, right?
Thanks for reading! My Alaska backcountry horror novels The Dark Land and The Devil’s Valley are available on Amazon.
The legend of the headless ravine is steeped in blood. Its thirst for human blood never sleeps, even in the dead of winter.
Let me set the scene. You wake up, and there’s two people in your house drinking your coffee and beer.
Oh, and they came to kill you.
Must be a Tuesday for Steven, our anti-hero in Eric Lahti’s Arise, sequel to Henchmen. After unleashing the God of Dreams and taking out congress, he thought he’d be able to just settle down in his cabin in Colorado and stay below the radar.
Nope. When you unleash a God, it irritates the universe. Now a bunch of deities he never knew existed want a piece of him. He’d be okay with fighting off the world if it were only him they wanted to kill. But the stakes are higher. He must come out of hiding and make it right, or it’s not just his neck on the line. The life and souls of the few people he cares about are being threatened. Particularly, Jessica, the woman he doesn’t want to admit he needs. And there’s something special about Jessica. They don’t just want to kill her. He has to figure out why the supernatural being is after her before he destroys everything.
The Henchmen are back. Doing all the wrong things for the right reasons. Eric’s action-packed speculative fiction takes us from the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of Tijuana, to the deserts of New Mexico. This group of assassins and misfits will take on cults, demi-gods and even Nazis to reign in the God of Dreams before the out-of-control deity turns the world into a living nightmare. Before it is over, a new power will Arise out of the dust of a secret lab in the New Mexico desert. But if you want to find out whether that new power will be good or evil, you’ll have to read Eric’s book.
Thanks for reading!
Usually, I would jump to the third book in his Henchmen series, but since I happen to have a hard copy of Better than Dead, and I am going off the grid this weekend, I am going to be reading that instead.
Mean while, if you would like to check out my horror stories, you can find them on Amazon below or in select Alaskan bookstores
The legend of the Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps. Even in the deepest cold of winter. Some places were never meant for humans to trespass…
I enjoy reading as much as I like writing. One of the frustrating parts of trying to publish and promote a book is that it cuts into my reading time. Now that things are slowing down a little it is nice to catch back up on my TBR and Review pile.
In particular, by Immortal Honor Bound by Danielle Ancona involving Angels, Alchemy, Gods, Heroes and other supernatural creatures. Before I dive into my review, I want to be honest and give you a hint of how much liked this book. I rarely buy books for other people because I feel that books are a highly personal thing. But in this case, I bought several copies for the female members of my family and couple of my close friends when it was released. I wrote a piece of fan fiction as part of my blog. I also had the honor of beta reading this story in the early stages three years before it was published and seeing how it evolved, so I had an idea what the final product was going to look like.
So yes…I’m a fan of this story and the stories that are (hopefully) to come in this series.
Danielle’s writing blends historical fiction and paranormal romance with strong heroines and heroes. She takes us on a STEM-based, paranormal adventure through history, blending Greek, Egyptian, and Christian Theology/Mythology/Lore with warrior angel Malachi.
Main Character Malachi
A battle is raging between the Seraphs led by renegade Angel Gideon who wishes to subjugate humankind and the Celestials in Heaven. Unorthodox (and incredibly sexy) Malachi leads forces to thwart him. At the same time, his brash manner and closeness with deities of other backgrounds and humans irritates the Celestials—in other words, makes them look bad. Kind of like the competent blue-collar worker pointing out the flaws in the CEO’s plan. I picture him almost like a cross between Han Solo, Geralt in the Witcher and Maximus in the Gladiator. Competent, not afraid to get his hands dirty, gets the job done, but of course, totally embarrasses the insecure along the way. As punishment, they sentence him to being an immortal earthbound guardian.
Time Travel
He moves forward through time, protecting numerous important historical figures whom the Gideon and the Seraph wish to destroy or manipulate. Because of the success of book like Outlander, there’s a lot of people rushing to write “time travel” romance. Danielle’s version of time travel, having a supernatural character who can move through time, allows for more flexibility/believability than taking a character out of one time and placing them into another. It helps avoid many of the paradox and social issues that turn the story more toward scifi.
Romance Element
Malachi comes forward into 1600’s England where he meets Alchemist, Daphne. I always chuckled growing up when I would read my mom’s “bodice ripper” novels and they would say something along the lines of, “the head strong, sassy, intelligent <female protagonist’s name> did x.” And usually, it was something that a female character of that time period really wouldn’t do. Sure, I get it, they are selling a fantasy. Still always made me laugh. Right there along with whenever they had people taking an unrealistic number of baths in the medieval era or portrayed women with silky, clean shaven legs. I always wanted to re-write in, hairy, you mean hairy right? Maybe they meant the silky hair on her legs. I digress…
Instead of telling us what a smart, strong female protagonist Daphne is, Danielle shows us. Daphne is a female alchemist studying under Dante, a renowned Alchemist in Yorkshire. She walks a fine line this era of England, when women are getting tried for witchcraft and hung/burned just for having the wrong attitude in life, let alone having thoughts and knowledge uncommon to a woman. Not to mention, she is also harboring supernatural capabilities of her own, which Gideon and the Seraph are hoping to bring over to their cause.
The attraction between Daphne and Malachi is intense and immediate. At the risk of avoiding spoilers, there is also a dark fate hanging over the couple. They are drawn together, but forces are conspiring to rip them apart by any means necessary.
Side Characters
Danielle gives us an intriguing cast of side characters who ally with Malachi and eventually Daphne along the way. The heat between Egyptian God Thoth and Warrior Katherine the Adamantine is off the scale. Picture Bridgerton level of desire and wanting, but between a god and an Amazon, instead of Regency England. Danielle has hinted that there may be more instore for these two characters, which I hope is coming soon.
The only negative I would have with Immortal Honor Bound is that Danielle could probably have split the material into two if not three stories and stretched it out. Over all, it is a great and compelling story, and I am looking forward to the rest of her Angels and Alchemy series.
Thanks for Reading!
About the Author
I joined the Navy at 18 to escape a small town in the Mojave Desert. A diagnosis of MS disrupted my dreams of becoming an astronaut or a super spy. I made limoncello from my lemons and became a super electrical engineer instead. My fascination with live high voltage drew me to Alaska. I came for the job, but stayed for the adventure. I enjoy blogging about my journey as a woman working in STEM, my experiences dealing with everything MS has handed me, and the wonder of the Alaska wilderness. My husband and I have undertaken the task of turning 30 acres of remote land into an off-grid retreat. I write stories about unique women in STEM who save the day and the hot guys who sometimes help along the way, as well as historical fiction about the Klondike Gold Rush. Teasers for these stories can be found on my website. I self-published my first horror novella, The Dark Land, on Amazon in May of 2020. I released the sequel, The Devil’s Valley, in May of 2021. Both stories are set in the wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and draw on the Athabascan “Head Waters Peoples” legends of the Cet’ann, or “The People With Tails”.
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Ancient evil stalks the Alaska Backcountry. Some places were never meant for humans to trespass.
Though he provides a brief synopsis at the beginning of what has transpired in the previous book, without missing a beat, Michael brings us right back to where we left off in the land of Lythinall. And in doing so, we start the story with a battle between a Dar’Krist and a dragon.
The action doesn’t stop there. When we left our heroes in the Darkness Returns, they had just faced off against a Wolvren, with Rhoe severely wounded. They’ve been taken to River Vale to be healed before continuing on their way home to Everknight.
New Characters
Michael introduces some new and unique characters in his sequel.
Trashcan-guy
Spoiler alert: this ain’t going to be an easy journey. Treachery awaits around every bend. And new characters come out of the woodwork, or in this case out of the trash pile to assist them on their way. The mysterious recluse Graf who at first appears to be just some crazy, ragged, smelly homeless guy, saves Allissanna (Liss) from assassins and become and unwilling recruit in getting them to Everknight in one piece. As with many of Michael’s characters, he is much more than he seems.
Evil Queen
A new villain joins the pantheon. It would appear that the awakening of the evil incarnation Dar’Krist is being orchestrated by a legendary elf-queen to the south. I’ll leave most of the details and description out, but I have to admit I liked her style. She reminded me of Salma Hayek’s Vampire in From Dusk til Dawn, when she pushes George Clooney to the floor and tells him he’s going to be her dog, and his name will be Spot. He establishes right away that this chick means business, and the word ‘empathy’ is not in her vocabulary. But my intuition tells me that her plan to control Dar’Krist isn’t going to pan out the way she thinks.
Sexy Bard
Jenna the Bard, appears on the scene. One of the things I like most about Michael’s fantasy is that it includes unique magical characters. They’re not the typical elves, orcs and trolls (though worls has some of that too). In this case, Jenna is a bard and a warrior on a mission, but you also quickly realize she’s something more. I’ll let you read and find out what. Her side quest to seduce Karsis cracked me up. I was waiting for Karsis to just tell her, “Look, I’m not a piece of meat!”
Character Development
Most of the other characters take a back seat in this story, but Liss is pushed to the forefront as she realizes that leadership isn’t as glamourous and easy as the songs and stories make it out to be. While she’s still rash and impulsive at times, she learns to consider others as she leads the group of refugees toward Everknight, knowing that they are being pursued all along the way. I feel Michael does a credible job here as she doesn’t lose her underlying temper/impulsive nature instantly, she is still slowly learning to control it.
Pacing
Michael sets a fast pace with this story, with non-stop action. The sequence with Karsis and Caerlyn fighting the Demon is pretty epic. Almost more Dreampunk than fantasy. And we finally get the big reveal on who/what Karsis is. There was one point, I thought for sure Rhoe had naively screwed up (won’t spoil it, but I was saying in my head, don’t fall for it—he’s the villain, doh!). My one hesitation is that at times the story felt compressed. He has several complex plot lines and character arcs going on. I would like to have seen more emotion and detail at times, and I was left saying to myself, “wait that’s it?”. He has enough here that I felt it could have been split into two stories with ease. Don’t get me wrong, this is in no way going to deter me from reading the last book, because I just have to find out how he’s going to wrap this up. More the difference between four and five stars.
If you’re looking for fast paced, high fantasy, check out Micahel Nadeau’s The Darkness Within. You’ll enjoy his complex world of Lythinall and his cast of compelling characters.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned. My next reviews in the queue will be Danielle Anacona’s By Immortal Honor Bound, and Beth Anderson’s The Vine Eater. I will also be catching up on some of our projects from this summer. In the meantime, if you are looking for a great horror read in time for the season of darkness, my own Alaska backcountry horror novella, The Dark Land is available on Amazon.
The legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. It’s hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be tested to the limits on the isolated trails of The Dark Land.
**AD ASTRA PER ASTERA-Inscription on the plaque in memory of the crew of Apollo I (Gus Grisham, Ed White, Roger B. Chaffee)
A little-known factoid: before MS reared its ugly head, I had ambitions of being an astronaut. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be. But to say I was obsessed with space travel and flight as a child would be a mild understatement. When I read the premise for Willie Handler’s Loved Mars, Hated the Food: NASA sends Dix Jenner, a self-proclaimed stoner-chef from Jersey to the Mars Colony; I immediately added it to my TBR list. It took me a while to work my way to it, but it was well worth the wait.
Even before the Russians launched Sputnik into the October skies in 1957 humans have been inspired by the stars.
“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of stars makes me dream,”
Vincent Van Gogh
We tend to place almost god-like status on Astronauts, making them into super-human characters rather than relatable people. I remember attending a Women in Science event in Seattle during college. During the event, we got to meet several female astronauts and shake their hands. Afterward, one of my classmates joked that once you become an astronaut, you have to wash your hands a lot since everyone wants to shake your hand and tell you how amazing you are. I couldn’t help but think she was more right than she knew.
Conversely, the story Dix’s survival after the Mar’s Colony Futurum is destroyed by an explosion brings humanity back into the space program.
Dix is rescued by Bleeker and Seepa, a Martian couple who wish to study him. Taken below the surface into the Martian city of Elysium, his new companions request that he keep his identity as a human secret during his stay. Kind of tough, since he looks nothing like a Martian. Bleeker, a Martian doctor, makes up a story that Dix is his cousin and suffers from a rare medical condition.
World Building
Willie does a great job of building a believable advanced society that still has problems and social issues that parallel our own. Using humor and subtlety, Willie raises questions about social class and discrimination that are prevalent in the chaos we see unfolding today.
Characters
We see the story unfold in first person from the perspective of Dix. The reader is immediately immersed in his angst and fear when he realizes the colony is gone. The Martians communicate via telepathy, so this helps us to build upon Dix’s character as he struggles to reign in his sarcastic thoughts so his companions cannot read them. We also get a peek at Seep and Bleeker’s personalities, who both bicker and love as a realistic couple.
Dix occupies his time growing human food, pot and coffee and trying to get his Martian hosts to eat it. Hilarious results ensue, especially once he sees the effect that coffee has on the Martians. He tries to introduce basketball as an alternative to the violent Martian sport of “Sling” which is played by the lower classes of Martians (the Arbiters).
The romantic relationship between Dix and Plinka, Seepa and Bleeker’s neighbor, is both humorous and touching. The “interspecies-erotica” scenes are well written and enjoyable.
Themes and Dilemmas
As an engineer, and an avid reader and follower of science, I enjoyed Willie’s touching on some very real moral dilemmas in the world of science and technology:
If an alien crashed on earth and needed help, how would we treat them?
Is it ethical to spend billions exploring space when there are people suffering on Earth?
Is it morally acceptable to give your enemies coffee knowing they will crash head first into a wall to get them off your back? (this was a hilarious and very creative part of Willie’s story—hope this doesn’t count as a spoiler)
I really enjoyed this tale of a slacker-stoner who travels all the way to Mars to discover true acceptance. And I am definitely going to try Willie’s mashed potato recipe, even if the Martian’s weren’t too impressed with it.
Thanks for reading. I have several books in the queue and I am working furiously on The Devil’s Valley, sequel to the Dark Land. Sign up for my newsletter for sneak peeks and snippets.
The Legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be stretched to the limits on the isolated boundaries of The Dark Land.
While I love to write, I love to read just as much. Fantasy, horror, scifi, historical fiction and non-fiction are my favorite genres in which to read. While I have been neck-deep in self-publishing my own book, it is always a pleasure to take a break and review a book from one of my fellow authors.
This past Memorial Day Weekend I had the pleasure out at the cabin of sitting down and reading The Soul Web, by Steven Nedeau. Those of you who follow me know I love to do deep dives on my reviews, but I am going to refrain on this one (as much as I can) because I don’t see how it would be possible to discuss all the things I want to without spoilers. I will share what I enjoyed about my adventure into Nedeau’s world of Melanthios and his complex high fantasy novel.
Definition of High Fantasy
Fantasy is a broad category of fiction with multiple sub genres. The Soul Web fits squarely in the category of High Fantasy. This genre is defined as taking place in a world that is completely separate from our own, usually with magical elements, complex characters and subplots. Oftentimes, this world has a medieval setting and involve a quest. These books are often longer than typical fiction, as the world building involved takes more description than a story set in the regular world as we know it. Examples of High Fantasy are: Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings; The Dragon Lance Series, by Margret Weiss and Tracey Hickmann; A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin.
High Fantasy can also devolve into some very well-known tropes, clichés and traps. I think one of the most well known is bogging down the plot with too much description. Tolkien was infamous for this. As was Martin. This is where Nedeau does a really good job. His story is very plot and action driven. The characters move quickly from one scene to the next, filling in the gaps as they go. I would say there were a few times I could have used a little more description, but all in all a very fast paced storyline.
Revitalizing old Clichés and Tropes of Fantasy
As mentioned above, fantasy and in particular High Fantasy, tends to fall into stereotypes and clichés. Here are 5 of the most well known:
The Chosen One
Oversimplified Good vs. Evil Dynamic
Setting Medieval Style Monarchy
Contrived Romance/Insta-love/Love Triangle
The All-Powerful Magical Object
Nedeau does a great job of turning each on its head or reinventing it in a fresh, engaging way. I will explain how in my review.
The Chosen One
After years of living and working in a library reading history, Jaron learns that he is the son of a King. All of the people around him who he thought were his friends were really assigned to be his bodyguards. Fearing that his father is dead, they are thrust into a quest with a land surging into war. Nedeau does a great job here of creating an awkward, studious teenager that doesn’t magically morph into Superman, Aragorn, or any other legendary character. Throughout the story you do question whether he really is the guy for the job.
Oversimplified Good versus Evil
As the kingdom of Melanthios plunges into war all kinds of creatures come out of the wood work. Unlike in Tolkien where:
Goblins, orcs= bad
Elves and dwarves = good
Humans something in between
There’s a different dynamic here. The races of Melanthios choose sides based on their own political agendas and past histories. Centuries of grudges and bad blood come to light. Nedeau does a good job of creating empathy in the reader behind the different races and helping to understand why they are allying with either side in the battle to come. And even as the story progresses, there’s hints that even the main characters are not as virtuous as they seem at first blush.
Medieval-style Monarchy
Nedeau does use this trope, and it is considered the most forgivable of the High Fantasy trope because the magic and themes blend well into this frame work and are more believable than in a modern setting. It works well for his plot of an ancient king who has in a sense sold his soul and the souls of his knights in a pact for immortality. Now the current rulers are battling for control, and one has made a pact with this Army of the Dead thinking he can control it. This also ties back to the oversimplified good vs. evil above. There are times when you are looking at both sides (kind of like politics today) and wondering why are heroes want to fight for either side. They are being forced to choose between the lesser of evils.
Contrived Romance/Insta-love/Love Triangle
At first when I saw the set up between Joran and his protectors Keras and Ellian I wondered if Steven was going to go in the love triangle direction. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but he takes us in an entirely different direction. He builds Keras as a skilled and powerful female warrior, but also as a charming young woman. So he doesn’t devolve into what I like to call the female stereotype of the “bad-ass.” She’s worthy of admiration, but so is the other companion Ellian. His strength and strategic ability get them out of trouble on their journey more than once. Nedeau uses these characters as foils to show Joran growing and changing as he confronts his own securities as the purported future leader. There is love, but it blossoms slowly. I won’t spoil it, but I will give you a teaser from one of my favorite lines where the three have to crawl through a tight space. I think I really liked this scene because it reminded me of some of my interactions in the Navy.
Before Keras entered she pointed at Joran, “Don’t look at my butt,” and then to Ellian, “Don’t touch my butt.”
“Wait,” Ellian clarified, “So I can look then?”
She hit him and squeezed through the opening.
Scene from The Soul Web
The All-Powerful Magical Object
Instead of the One-Ring, or sword or book, they are searching for something magical. But Nedeau puts a unique spin on this one as well. Once again, I won’t go into detail here, but it involves the title of the book itself. He reveals snippets of what the group is really questing for little by little as the story goes on. The scene between Joran, Sir William and Lord Baros had a definite Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade/Tales from the Crypt feel to it and is one of my favorite scenes.
Nedeau’s addition to High Fantasy is a fast-paced, magical ride with unique and real feeling characters. I look forward to seeing where the story goes next and how the characters develop in the sequel to The Soul Web.
Thanks for reading. I have a great line-up of authors in the queue for this summer while I work and write out at the cabin. Hoping to dive in to Eric Lahti’s The Henchmen, next.
I am also working hard on the sequel to The Dark Land, available on Amazon now. Sign up for sneak previews.
The legend of Alaska’s Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter. Courage, skill and love will be stretched to the limits in the isolated boundaries of The Dark Land.
THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT THE BOOK’S PLOT. I USE THESE TO EXPLORE THE SOCIAL THEMES AND DOUBLE STANDARDS IN OUR SOCIETY. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK/DON’T WANT SPOILERS…READ NO FURTHER. YOU WERE WARNED!!!!
“Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel, they need exercise for their faculties, a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.” Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Conversation between me and Rowena Tisdale, the Sultry
Scribe, when she approached me to review the Heart Could Forget:
RO: Are you sure you want to review this? It may not be the genre you typically read.
DM: I’ll give it a shot.
I do like to read outside of what may be my normal comfort zone. Much like my review of Ryen Leslie’s River, this was not a book I would have normally picked up in the book store on my own.
So why did I choose to read it?
I follow Rowena’s blog and I am intrigued by her sensual
writing and characters and I wondered how that would translate into the genre
of “Chick Lit.”
Unlike traditional romance, with it’s happily ever after
ending, “Chick Lit” is a more fluid and less-defined category. The story
revolves around a female protagonist and her evolution as a character. While it
can have a happy ending, it doesn’t have to.
Themes
Chick Lit usually has deeper themes than traditional romance
which is driven more by the will they/won’t they plot of the story. For myself,
the biggest take away I got from Ro’s writing is still the prevailing double
standard of expectations about sex and sexuality and roles that exist for men
and women. Ro’s story (even though her MC, Sara is single), is almost a
modernization of Anna Karenina or Madame Bovary, where men are rewarded and
praised for following their passion and having multiple partners and extramarital
affairs. Women on the other hand are cast into one of two categories: the good
girls or the whores.
“Sometimes she did not know what she feared, what she desired: whether she feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what she desired, she did not know.” Leo Tolystoy, Anna Karenina
Ro’s story opens with Sara, a 36-year-old single mom working
in DC as an IT professional. She’s an empty nester, unsure what to do with her
new found freedom after sending her beloved son away to college. Her friends
want to see the lovely Sara, who has worked so hard her whole life to support
herself and her son, find love.
By chance she meets DC’s most eligible bachelor, reporter
Eric. A charismatic womanizer, everyone warns Sara (some of them quite
snarkily) that she’s not Eric’s type, and that he’ll only break her heart. But
Eric seems genuinely smitten. Eric sets about romancing Sara in a way she’s
never experienced before. Admittedly, even I was a little in love with Eric by
the end of part one of the book. The other part of me was looking at the
remaining pages thinking two things:
This is too good to be true
There’s a lot of book left—something bad is about to happen
“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed.” Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Enter Nathan
So a little background on Sara. In her teens she
was awkward and shy. She volunteered on a political campaign for a politician
on whom she had a crush, Nathan Remington. In doing so she got raped by one of
the adult staffers, and that was how her son came to be. She set aside her
emotions attached to what happened in order to love her son, but she always
carried a torch for Nathan.
One night, while waiting for Eric at a DC political event, she encounters Nathan again. The sparks instantly fly. Nathan takes her into a back room and they have passionate mind-blowing sex. Afterwards, he informs her that Eric has been cheating on her.
“I’m like a starving man who has been given food. Maybe he’s cold, and his clothes are torn, and he’s ashamed, but he’s not unhappy.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Sara is torn with guilt and passion. She cheated
willingly on the man she loved, and she struggles to come to grips with just
how much she enjoyed it. She also longs to have Nathan touch her and make love
to her again. She experiences a sexual awakening, craving Nathan in a way she
has never wanted anything before in her life.
Meanwhile she’s devastated by the revelation
that Eric has been cheating on her.
As one might expect, Eric and Sara break up.
Nathan comes back onto the scene, demanding that
Sara become his exclusive mistress. He sets her up to be a VP in the company in
which she works and publicly be on the arm of one of his closest associates,
since in the eyes of the public, he’s happily married. He can’t be seen to be
cheating.
“Love. The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
I have to admit, when I got to the part where
Sara has sex with Nathan, I wanted to just throw the book across the room. For
me, the idea of someone just casting aside everything they love for a fling is
a tough pill to swallow. But maybe I have just never been overwhelmed by
passion, like Sara is in this story. The other part about this was Nathan
himself. He may be good-looking, charismatic, sexy, but he is possibly the most
narcissistic and frightening male character I have read. I kept reading because
I really want to know where this is going to go. Ro writes incredibly
compelling characters, even if you want to slap some of them (Nathan).
“There can be no peace for us, only misery, and the greatest happiness.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Sara and Nathan embark on a very steamy and
passionate affair. It’s obvious that Nathan is incredibly obsessed with Sara.
His possessive, passionate behavior is all consuming. He desires nothing less
than absolute control over Sara’s life. Sara gives in, allowing it to devour
her.
Even as she experiences luxury that she has
never known before, swept away in the glamour of being the mistress of one of
the most powerful men in the country, she longs for the love she had with Eric.
Part of her even wonders why she can’t have both.
“There are no conditions to which a person cannot grow accustomed, especially if he sees that everyone around him lives in the same way.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Sara’s devolution and evolution as a character
is what really drives the story. Her change from the good girl, to high glamour
mistress then back to normal speaks volumes about how our society views women
who dare explore their sexuality outside what is deemed acceptable. In the
high-stakes DC society in which she moves, the men are admired and praised for
having mistresses. Women line up to throw themselves at womanizing Eric. Men
applaud him for being able to have more than one woman at a time. When Eric and
Sara are together, people constantly let her know that she’s not his type and she
not only doesn’t belong with him, but she doesn’t belong in the DC political
crowd. It’s subtle, but his behavior to her is similar to Nathan’s. He puts her
on a pedestal, showering her with gifts and love. It’s okay for her to be his
mistress. But when she’s another man’s mistress, she’s a gold-digger, a whore.
Now much of his words and pain come from losing her, but it is still a vivid
reflection of how women are treated in our society.
Meanwhile Sara submits to Nathan’s subjugation,
because she is indeed desperately in love with him. She experiences the full
wrath of society’s condemnation for her behavior. But before long it eats at
her like a cancer. She loses her closest friends. But it is her son that calls
her on her behavior. This is her true wake up call that brings her back to
herself.
At the risk of putting too many more spoilers
into this review, I will leave it to you to find where Sara goes from here. I
will say this. Rowena’s book will make you angry. It will make you cry. If you
like descriptions of passionate sex, you’ll love this. But it will also make
you think. It will make you ask, why can’t she have both? Why is it that it has
been over 140 years since Anna Karenina was published (written in 1873,
published serially until 1877) and women are still punished for having sexual
desire, while men get a free pass?
Reference
It’s been ages since I read Anna Karenina. I used this link below for the quotes in my review:
DK Marie is a writer I stalk…I mean…follow online. I really
enjoy her steamy poetry and snippets from her DK Masquerade, a series of flash
fiction she is writing about a woman on the run from an abusive husband. Her
character Liberty travels all around the world, seeking to find herself, and
finds love along the way. Meanwhile, her Contemporary Romance, Fairy Tale
Lies, was released in June. This is the first book in her Opposites
Attract Series published by Champagne Book Group.
I have to admit, this was a tough review to write. I enjoyed
her book immensely, but Contemporary Romance is not a genre I am normally drawn
to. I’m used to writing and reading Romantic Suspense, Fantasy and Horror. When
it came time to review it, I’m definitely worried about spoilers. Is it okay to
say the sex was hot? It’s okay to give away that they had sex, right? Lots of
it…it was pretty steamy. Did I mention they had sex…? There were lots of other
things as well, but I decided in the end to just have fun with it.
In this particular tale, the opposites are a couple from
different socio-economic backgrounds. Timid, high-society Greta and sexy blue-collar
business man Jacob have what they think is a one-time fling. When they are
thrown together again, neither can ignore the spark between them. Greta is
determined not to mix business and pleasure, but she finds that sexy Jacob is
very persuasive. As Shakespeare once said in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “the
course of true love never did run smooth.” So it will not for Greta and Jacob,
as they encounter not only Greta’s family’s displeasure over the match, but
each of the character’s own insecurities as they move forward.
Setting
Fairy Tale Lies is set near Detroit. I have never been to
Detroit (or Michigan for that matter). I have read a lot about its music and
maritime history, but I decided to do a little more research for this blog
post. I was aware Detroit took a huge hit economically in the last downturn, as
did most of US manufacturing. According to its most recent State of the Region Economic
Outlook Report (2018-2019), it is rebounding by attracting new start-ups from
cities where the cost of living has become prohibitive to business (areas like
Seattle, Atlanta, and Silicone Valley). It is re shaping itself to be the up-and
coming modern city for millennials. DK’s story (and really her Opposites series)
uses the backdrop of a city renewing and rising up, with self-starting
characters from a multitude of backgrounds.
To read the Michigan Economic Outlook Report, you can find
it here:
Myself and my husband can relate quite a bit to DK’s theme.
I started my career non-traditionally as a Naval Electrician’s Mate. My husband
started out as a welder. We both went on to eventually get degrees in
Electrical Engineering and Welding, Corrosion and Non-Destructive Testing
(respectively). There is an incredible amount of bias in our society towards
going to college and getting a degree while painting these “blue-collar” jobs
as somehow inferior. To be frank, the only reason I got my degree was my
medical condition meant I could no longer be an electrician. Yet my time as an
electrician is what makes me such a successful electrical engineer. My husband
got his degree because he was interested in corrosion and ultrasonic testing,
and he is considered to be a global expert on NDT and corrosion.
All you have to do is Google “dating down” and here is what
pops up:
There is a bias that a college education is somehow higher
than a trade job. In these articles women who have a degree but don’t date
other men with degrees are “dating down.” Fewer and fewer men are graduating
from college, where more women are graduating with degrees. As we have seen in
recent years, a degree doesn’t even necessarily guarantee a good job. It also
comes down to what type of degree you get (that’s a whole other blog article
right there).
Yet some of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time
dropped out of college. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg are a few. **Ironically,
good luck trying to get a job without a degree at Microsoft, Apple or Facebook.
Characters
Jacob
One of my biggest pet peeves in the Romance Genre is the
rise of the “Alpha-Male.” Or as I like to call it, the incredible D-bag. So
many authors try to sell you on the dangerous, bad-boy with a past that the
female main character is going to change with her magical vagina. DK doesn’t
try to make us swallow that tired pill.
Instead, DK shows us a self-made, blue-collar business man
who’s good with his hands, and has a natural talent for fixing things. His
dialog and responses to Greta and other characters are realistic. His
insecurities and changes he undergoes throughout the story are in-line with
what DK has shown us as a character. While he is definitely sexy as hell, he’s
just an average guy just a trying to get his dream of expanding his business, Rework,
off the ground. He’s finally found the financial backing to do so. Too bad it
just happens to be with the company that Greta’s father owns. Jacob also has a
“past” but he’s determined not to let it get in the way of his future.
Greta
Okay, confession time. I wanted to slap the hell out of Greta for 80% of the story. While sweet, she is possibly one of the most spineless, insecure female characters I have ever read—and it is fantastic. DK creates a woman approaching her late-twenties who is so stifled by her parents (particularly her narcissistic, smothering mother’s) behaviors and expectations she can barely breathe. She is the Queen of Non-confrontation, and this will drive a wedge between her and Jacob. I’m surprised she had the guts to dump the fiancée her mother loved (even though he cheated on her). I’m even surprised she decides to date Jacob. Greta’s character is well written in this story and really relatable (even though she drove me nuts). I wanted to scream at her to stand up for herself. While the other characters evolve and change, I felt Greta’s change was the most well-written and believable. She doesn’t go from spineless to ball-buster, but after all of the mental and emotional abuse she’s been handed, she does become a more independent woman by the end of the story.
On thing I do have to mention…
Yes—it is poor professionalism to make out with a guy at
work who is also a client. The fact that she lets her father lecture her about
this really galled me. She worried constantly about what he would think of her professionalism,
then did it anyway (which I was like—woo hoo! Way to put on your big girl
panties!). If you’re that worried about it, find an office door with a lock, don’t
kiss the guy in a room where EVERYONE and ANYONE can walk in at any time (which
of course, all the people she doesn’t want to find out about Jacob walk in and
tell daddy).
But when she got caught, she really ought to lecture her
father about sexual harassment in the work place and how her ex-fiancee, a senior
employee, is making up IT issues and stalking her at work in order to hound
her into coming back to him. The fact that all of her co-workers see this an NO
ONE calls this out to HR or the boss is hideous. Everywhere I’ve ever worked
that’s considered harassment. Granted, the one who has to report it is Greta,
and we’ve already established (at least at the beginning of the story) that she
just won’t stand up for herself, but I really wanted her to call him out. Okay—rant
over.
Supporting Characters
At the risk of spoilers (not only for this book, but the
rest of her series), I will keep this brief and avoid revealing names for those
who haven’t read the books, as DK does reveals and giveaways.
DK provides a great cast of supporting characters. Greta’s narcissistic,
snobbish mother is a piece of work. I wanted to see this woman just humiliated,
even destroyed. We’re friends with several horror writers—I want to collaborate
on a crossover and write a gruesome death for this woman. Preferably strangled
by her pearls or stabbed to death with one of her Louboutin’s.
Greta’s sister is more than she appears, having learned to
deal with their mother in a different way than Greta. I actually found her to
be one of the more intriguing side characters, even more intriguing than Greta.
I would love to see her become a main character in another book.
Greta’s ex-fiancée is a well depicted antagonist. One thing
I am surprised about is that he didn’t make another appearance at toward the end
of the book. I didn’t expect him to give up after the 4th of July
incident (avoiding spoilers here). He is the epitome of rich, frat-boy snob. He
reminded me a lot of the fiancée from Wedding Crashers. He’s another character
for whom I want to see a horrific, humiliating end—hey maybe with Greta’s
mother since she loves him so much!
Jacob’s brother is another fun character who I would love to
see more of. His dialog with his brother is realistic and yet heartfelt. I
would love to see more interactions with the two brothers (in another book
maybe? Once again, please tell me he gets his own story).
Another pair of side characters I would love to see more
from were Greta’s college neighbors. Their love story would make a great
prequel/fun short story or novella.
This novel was a fun read. I went through the entire gamut
of emotions, which meant DK got me really invested in her characters. I wanted
to slap Greta, I wanted to both shake and well, uh…do other things to Jacob. I
wanted to tell Greta’s mother to go —– herself with a rake. The wide
end. I cried during the New Year’s Day scene, that was really intense. I will
have to let you as readers find out for yourselves as to why.
If you like Contemporary Romance with believable characters
that draw you in and wring emotion from you, then you will really love DK’s
style of Romance. And I mentioned the sex, right? If you want to find out how
steamy it was, I’ll give you a tiny tease from my favorite part:
“He turned her, placing her hands on the still-warm leather
seat. The position had her bent, with his front against her back. He trailed
his hands along her arms, down her sides to her thighs. Once there, he slowly
bundled her skirts in his fists.”
Marie, DK. Fairy Tale Lies (Opposites Attract Book 1) . Champagne Book Group. Kindle Edition.
Thanks for reading. My next review will be Michael Nadeau’s fantasy novel, The Darkness Return’s!
