Publisher: Sugar and Spice Press
ISBN: 9781939151148
Publication Date: February 11, 2013
Pages: 309 KB/163 pages (e-book)
Rating: 4 ½ stars
BLURB
Unemployed museum curator Lily Redway responds to an advertisement in the newspaper, thinking she is applying for a job. On the other side of that small, black-and-white box waits two things: a fantasy world come to life and a man named Rowan Keir.
Rowan is a man with many secrets. He is a shape-shifter, a descendent of old world mythology, and the guardian of a rare and valuable Nordic artifact. He is also being hunted by the god Loki and has spent the last six hundred years outsmarting and outrunning him.
With the fury of Asgard on Rowan’s trail, Lily finds herself caught up in a real-life fantasy story, a love triangle, and an ages-old war that pitches her into a different world and one very hard truth: All is fair in love and war.
EXCERPT
Lily’s mind reeled. They knew each other. And they hated each other. And Rowan owned the
damn club. This must be the trouble Rowan talked about.
“All right, outside…both of you,” she shouted, and started for the front door. Rowan caught
her wrist and pulled her around behind a curtain, into a dark hallway. The touch of his fingers on
her skin burned; threatened to derail her completely. Then the cold night air rushed over her and
his touch left her. Lily turned to face the pair of them, taking a deep, hard breath to steady her
jangled nerves. “Now, will one of you please explain to me what the hell is going on?”
Loren and Rowan caught each other’s stare, holding in that pattern for a long moment.
Neither spoke.
“Rowan…how do you know him?”
“We go way back,” he said through clenched teeth. She was afraid of what that meant. “Your
boyfriend,” he spat the word at her, “has a bad habit of stealing things from me.”
“First of all, Loren isn’t my boyfriend.”
“Didn’t look that way inside.”
“I work for him, you idiot. As for that kiss…I hardly had time to process it before you threw
him halfway across the room!”
“My prerogative as owner,” Rowan replied, unrepentant.
“Go to hell, Keir,” Loren snapped, obviously having had enough of this game.
“Fuck you,” Rowan said. “Fucking poacher.”
“If you wanted her, you should have marked her.”
“I am not a barbarian.”
“What?” Lily interjected, but went unnoticed.
“So the chest-beating He-Man bullshit is considered civilized in your world?” Loren asked
with a smirk.
“You will destroy her.”
“And it is no concern of yours.”
“It is.”
Loren rolled his eyes and laughed, a deep, sardonic chuckle that rattled Lily’s nerves. She
had no idea what this argument was really about, but at the center of it was not where she wanted
to be. “Don’t give me some lame line about her being your mate.”
“Hurt her and I will tear you limb from limb,” Rowan threatened.
“I’d like to see you try.”
“There won’t be any trying, kitten.” The air shimmered around Rowan’s form. His eyes,
normally that soft sea-and-sky color Lily loved, had dilated, shifting to black. His teeth looked
sharper, his fingernails more like claws.
“BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” Lily screamed, and both men froze. She swallowed around
the frustrated lump in her throat. She knew how close Rowan was to losing it, knew that Loren
had provoked him. No matter how she spun it in her head, Rowan was the monster she wished he
wasn’t, and while the offered protection flattered her, it also frightened her.
There was something deeper happening here, she knew. She had no idea what they were
really arguing about, but she knew without a doubt that she was at the crux of the fight, and was
ultimately the catalyst for whatever would happen from here on out.
“Now will one of you idiots please put aside the testosterone and calmly explain to me what
is going on? Loren?”
“Keir here is jealous because he let you get away.”
“No,” Rowan countered, his voice taking on an edge of desperation that set her nerves on
high-alert. Even with what little she knew of him, she knew he was reasonable. And he did not
sound reasonable right now. “He is dangerous, Lily.”
“I knew this was a mistake,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. This had to end
or someone was going to get hurt. “Look,” she started, forcing calm into her voice, “I don’t
know where this misguided sense of duty has come from, but as flattering as it is on both sides,
it’s a little creepy.”
“He’s jealous,” Loren said at the same moment Rowan muttered, “He is dangerous.”
Throwing her hands up in disgust, Lily turned and stalked away, hailing a cab despite both their
protests, and gave the driver Loren’s address so she could pick up her car.
My Thoughts:
Rowan Keir is thinking about advertising for a girlfriend – what a unique way to start off a book. But that begs the question; would you be one to answer that ad? Lily Redway is one such woman. Next question is; do you wish you were in her shoes?
Their first meeting seems to be a little awkward but isn’t that what you would expect? It’s a time of getting to know each other. It also leaves the reader wishing that they were a fly on the wall – wishing you could see what Lily is seeing. There is also a lot of heat between the two of them. But what starts as heat quickly turns into a blazing fire. The passion seems to ignite as soon as their lips touch. Then a secret is revealed.
If you want to know what that secret is then you will just have to go out and grab a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed. It’s a great book from beginning to end. As I read Rowan and Lily’s story, I can picture this story going up against some of the current shows out there – Arrow and Beauty and the Beast come to mind. I think Siobhan could give them a run for their money.
If you like a shape-shifter romance that is sexually charged, you will want this book on your list. It’s also a book that I wouldn’t mind reading again. I had a hard time putting it down – which is a good thing. The bad part was that I was reading it on my lunch hour and had a hard time getting back to work because I kept having to read one more page. It’s not too long so I was able to finish shortly after getting home.
Siobhan also adds in another character – love never comes easy and sometimes others can get in the way. You will want to know who Loren Eshu is and what is his connection to Rowan. The reader also gets a good look at the war between good and evil. Something else that I loved about this book was that Siobhan includes some information about Mythology. This is what is great about paranormals – nothing is off limits and creativity abounds. I look forward to see what Siobhan has in store for her readers next.
I received a copy of this book from the Jitterbug PR in exchange for an honest review
Siobhan Kinkade
