Flora Reviews... "Once Upon A Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales"

Flora Reviews...

Once Upon A Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales

By Devon Monk, Anthea Sharp, Christine Pope, Yasmine Galenorn, C. Gockel, Donna Augustine, Annie Bellet, Audrey Faye, Danielle Monsch, Tara Maya, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy, Phaedra Weldon, Julia Crane, Sabrina Locke, Jennifer Blackstream and Alethea Kontis

..So what’s this book about?

This book (approx 360 pages) is a collection of seventeen short stories and novellas by best-selling and award winning fantasy authors, with the common theme of being dark faerie tales. 

The official blurb says;

Seventeen magical stories from NY Times and USA Today best-sellers and award-winning authors that will entice you to the darker side of faerie tales.

More Grimm than Disney, in this collection you’ll find twists on Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, Rumplestilstskin, The Snow Queen, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood, plus new tales paying homage to the old traditions.

Shadows cannot exist without light, however, and you’ll find enough happily-ever-afters to lift your spirits in this anthology full of adventure, dark powers, and ultimately the enduring power of true love.

I downloaded this Kindle version for just 99p from Amazon UK in the hope of finding some “new to me” authors while reading some new tales from a couple of existing favourites. I will give a brief review and rate each story, if you want to find out more about each author, just click on their name to be whisked away to their own little corner of the web.

Story 1 - YARROW, STURDY AND BRIGHT by Devon Monk – Sweet music cannot hide a wicked heart…
This really reminds me of those old dark fairy tales I used to read; The Brothers Grimm, old Welsh tales like the lightening tree, etc. I liked it - it had the same feel. I will be looking out for more from this author.

My Rating: 5 stars

Story 2 - FAE HORSE by Anthea Sharp – Faerie bargains can grant any desire, but be careful what you wish for.
I felt that this was neither a tale written in the old traditional style or modern. The story was set in times past but it was the language and writing style (sentence structure, etc) that left it adrift. I still enjoyed it but it felt lost compared to Story 1.

My Rating – 3 stars

Story 3 - THE QUEEN OF FROST AND DARKNESS by Christine Pope - Her heart is the only thing colder than a Russian winter….
I enjoyed this retelling of The Winter Witch or Snow Queen. It was a very short version and so wasn't as complex or as in depth as some other incarnations but it was still enjoyable.

My Rating - 3 stars

Story 4 - BONES by Yasmine Galenorn - Sometimes, your most cherished dream can turn out to be a nightmare.
Wow! I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale; it reminded me of the Greek fairy tales that I read as a teen. I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

My Rating - 4 or 5 stars

Story 5 - MAGIC AFTER MIDNIGHT by C. Gockel – The Wicked Stepmother is about to meet her match…
I am already a fan of Ms Cockel’s writing style and this didn’t disappoint. I really enjoyed this tale; it would be a wonderful prequel novella should Ms Gockel wish to take the characters further (I would certainly read it). There have been many Cinderella re-writes but this comes from a new angle - think of this as Wicked (the Wizard of Oz re-write) in an urban fantasy setting...
My Rating - 4 or 5 stars

Story 6 - DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Donna Augustine - When the devil makes a deal with a dancer, he gets more than he bargained for.
I really liked this one; it's very short but didn't feel rushed. What I liked the most is like all good fairy tales, just when you think you know where the story is going - it doesn't! ;-) I will be looking out for more stories by this author.
My Rating - 4 or 5 stars

Story 7 - NO GIFT OF WORDS by Annie Bellet - Never steal from a witch...
I am already a fan of Ms Bellet’s writing style and this didn’t disappoint. I really loved this tale - it felt & read like a traditional folk tale. Brilliant!"

My Rating - 5 stars

Story 8 - THE GRIM BROTHER by Audrey Faye – Not all walks in the wood end well…
I liked this story. It is written as a memoir from the point of view of an old priest. You get clues as to who he was in his youth and I like the way you're lead to the final realisation.

My Rating - 3 or 4 stars

Story 9 - BEAUTY INSIDE BEAST by Danielle Monsch - Happily Ever After ain't guaranteed when Once Upon a Time is here.
This had potential, the beginnings of a good story (or series) but it kind of leaves you hanging - a lot. Not a good story to include in a box set like this as it feels more like a taster sample; the first 10 chapters of a book.
My Rating - 2 or 3 stars

Story 10 - DRAWN TO THE BRINK by Tara Maya - Sajiana's job is to hunt down monsters brought alive from paintings. She never expected to meet one so handsome... or to need his help.
It was good, I really liked it. Although this tale takes place as part of a series that I am unfamiliar with, I found the story and characters very easy to follow and believe in. What a fantastic premise for a fantasy world! I will look for more books in this series.

My Rating - 3 or 4 stars

Story 11 - FAESCORNED by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson - The Morrigan, Celtic goddess of war and strife, must relive a painful memory that reminds her of what she can never have.
I thought that this was a good story. This tale feels like an additional novella for an ongoing series and as such, there was obvious history and back-story that I was missing, having said that, I have read various stories within the Celtic mythologies and was familiar with this complex goddess so it was nice to read a bit of fantasy fiction that tried used this as it’s premise.

My Rating – 3 stars

Story 12 - THE VARIANCE COURT by Alexia Purdy - Anna, a struggling college student, discovers a mysterious ring that turns her quiet life chaotic when the ring's magic doesn't do what it's told.
I didn't like this; not my cup of tea. I think this is an opening novella/short story for a new series. The premise to this story was not original and the execution was poor. My 11yr old niece writes stories and I felt that the writing style, execution of grammar and the construction of sentences/paragraphs/chapters as well as the general plot development here was of a similar standard. I felt no love for our main character, Anna, in fact she frustrated the hell out of me; I didn’t like her at all.

My Rating - 1 star

Story 13 - THE MORRIGAN by Phaedra Weldon – A young man discovers he has leprechaun blood – and is wanted by dark faerie forces.
I haven’t read any fantasy books starring leprechauns before… but I certainly loved this one. What a great urban fantasy tale. I found the writing style easy to read, the plot had a good pace and contained a great balance of tension, action with enough some mysteries were solved while other questions are left to be explored within future tales.

My Rating – 5 stars

Story 14 - ALICE by Julia Crane - A twisted tale of Alice and Wonderland. Facing madness and an ominous prophecy, Alice chooses to follow her heart despite knowing her world is about to change forever.
I liked this story; however it does end very abruptly with a tagline about the storyline continuing in “Down The Rabbit Hole”. As you can imagine, this story takes its premise from Alice in Wonderland, I did like the author's writing style and what's here was captivating but as this is more of a taster, I'm unable to comment on character or plot development
My Rating - 3 or 4 stars

Story 15 - STILL RED by Sabrina Locke – When the Hunters come, can there be any escape?
I did like this dark, sometimes surreal, short story; it was good. The writing was beautifully crafted and very intelligent. It read like a cult classic; passionate, poignant but with a sprinkling of magic to leave you bewildered or awed depending on your interpretation.
My Rating – 3 or 4 stars

Story 16 - THE FINAL STRAW by Jennifer Blackstream - To banish a gold-spinning demon, first you must guess his name...
I enjoyed this story; Ms Blackstream took the premise from Rumpelstiltskin and made it her own. This is a lovely short story/novella which can be read as part of her Blood Prince and Blood Realm series. I found it easy to read and liked how the story developed.

My Rating - 3 or 4 stars

Story 17 - THE UNICORN HUNTER by Alethea Kontis – Only Snow White knows what really happened in the forest…

I absolutely loved this story. I was completely transfixed from start to finish; the way the story was written and how the characters of the demon and the princess revealed themselves, their journey, the plot evolution and the poignant ending (yes, I blubbed). I will be looking out for more books from this author.

My Rating - 5 stars

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

This is a good box set.

I have enjoyed having this as an ongoing back-up, to be able to pick up and read when I’ve had a bit of free time. What I’m thrilled about is that I have found some new to me authors to check out and I’ve really loved reading 4 out of the 17 tales while only a couple of stories were not to my taste. I think that is quite rare for a collection of this size and price.

I think it’s got a nice assortment of different settings and sub-genres under the faerie tale themed umbrella to suit most tastes.

So, has my review of ONCE UPON A CURSE: 17 Dark Faerie Tales sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See ONCE UPON A CURSE: 17 Dark Faerie Tales on Goodreads.com

Buy ONCE UPON A CURSE: 17 Dark Faerie Tales on Amazon.co.uk or through Amazon.com

Flora Reviews... Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) by Felicity Heaton

Flora Reviews...

Ares (Guardians of Hades #1) 

by Felicity Heaton

 

Read: 24^th – 26^th November 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is the first book in Felicity Heaton’s new paranormal romance series - Guardians Of Hades. This new series is about the sons of Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld, and his Goddess wife, Persephone; Ares, Daimon, Esher, Valen, Keras, Calisto and Marek. Each son has been charged with guarding one of the seven gates to the Underworld - which are located here on Earth - from the daemons who want to use them. 
As the title suggests, this book features Ares who is the guardian of the New York gate. It is a full length novel of 115,000 words and is set in our world, at this time.   

Now as my regular followers will know, I never post any spoilers or reveal plot twists in my reviews, so this is what the official blurb says:

Prince of the Underworld and Lord of Fire, Ares was banished from his home by his father, Hades, two centuries ago and given a new duty and purpose—to keep our world and his from colliding in a calamity foreseen by the Moirai.

Together with his six brothers, he fights to defend the gates to the Underworld from daemons bent on breaching them and gaining entrance to that forbidden land, striving to protect his home from their dark influence. Caged by the manifestation of his power, held apart from those he loves by his own fire and starved of physical contact, Ares lives a cold existence driven by duty and the desire to return to his world.

Until his world collides with a daemon who steals his power and a mortal female who shatters the ice around his heart and awakens the true fire within him—a soul-stirring passion both dangerous and seductive.

Megan has wandered far from her home, driven from everyone she loves by the devastating realisation that she is different to them all. Unsure who to trust in the world, she keeps to herself, until a fateful stormy night brings a temptingly handsome warrior crashing into her life and into her heart—a warrior who seems to hold powers more frightening and marvellous than her own.

When the New York gate comes under threat, and Ares is put to the test, will he choose his duty and regain the power he needs in order to save his world or will he choose the desires of his heart and sacrifice his fire so he can be with the woman becoming his whole world?

As with most of Ms Heaton’s work, this book contains material of a sexual nature and some graphic violence and as such is only suitable for adults.

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC in digital form for free from the author in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you Ms Heaton.

 ...So, what did I like about it?

I am already a big fan of Ms Heaton’s other series and love her writing style! Her world building is amazing; it is her mix of fantasy and reality that captures my attention right from the start. Her characters are never black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions which they either have to embrace or overcome; Ares and Megan are no exception.

I have already mentioned in previous reviews how I love the way Ms Heaton makes the most explicit sexual scenes very romantic – I think she’s a very talented writer because, for me, a story is only really erotic if I’m emotionally connected to the characters involved, Ms Heaton gives her characters such depth that they do become real, but it’s not just her main characters, I find all of her characters complex, multifaceted and completely believable due to their very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings.  We have been introduced to all the Hades sons in this book as well as Hades and Persephone themselves and learned a bit about them all; I am looking forward to getting to know them all throughout this series.

This story made me giggle, gasp in shock and shed a tear or two. Of course, I got caught up with the passion (who wouldn’t *blush*) but the tender insights into both Ares’ and Megan’s doubts, their feelings of “relationship unworthiness”  and the growth of their trust in each other’s love was heart-warming to read.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Absolutely nothing! (Hence the 5 star review) ;-)

This is the first book in a new series, and as such, you must expect a cliffhanger or two. However, for those of you like me who HATE huge cliff-hangers, rest assured, Ms Heaton doesn’t leave us hanging. Yes, there are main story arc questions that are left unanswered but the paranormal romance aspect between our two main characters is happily concluded in Ms Heaton’s signature style.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really loved this paranormal romance tale. It was a great read that made me smile, cry and feel all warm & fuzzy inside with well written erotic thrills, heart pumping fight scenes and tons of romantic gestures. 
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading stories about the battle between one’s duty and heart, inner strength, the lengths we go for our siblings or those we love, and of course, it's a must for those of us who adore tales about soul saving love. 

So, has my review of ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) on Goodreads.com

Buy ARES (Guardians of Hades #1) in paperback or for your Kindle on Amazon.co.uk or through Amazon.com

(Of course, Ares is also available to download in e-book format from other online sites including: iBookstore, nook, KOBO, Google Play and All Romance eBooks.)

Visit FELICITY HEATON ‘s own little corner of the web

Flora Reviews... Uprising (Vampire Federation #1) by Scott G Mariani

Flora Reviews...

Uprising (Vampire Federation #1) 
by Scott G Mariani

Read: 28^th – 30^th August 2016

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This book is a vampire horror story with an action thriller theme based in the here and now over approx 483 pages.  At the time of writing this review, Uprising is the first book in a two book series.

The official blurb says;

A new war is dawning…

For millennia, the vampires walked the earth undetected, feasting on humans in keeping with ancient tradition.
 
In the Information Age, vampires realised they must be more careful to avoid detection. In the late 20th century they created the global Vampire Federation to police vampire activity, with special agents like Alex Bishop authorised to hunt down her own kind who break the laws. 
The old traditions are history.

But not all vampires bow down to Federation rule. When rebel vampire Gabriel Stone declares war against them, Alex and her team are plunged into danger.

Police inspector Joel Solomon, haunted by a secret terror of vampires, discovers a series of corpses left behind by Stone's bloodthirsty gang. As he and Alex are drawn together in an unlikely alliance between human and vampire, the race begins to destroy the evil Stone before his uprising tears their world apart.

...So, what did I like about it?

I haven’t read anything by this author before and I must say I found his writing style very easy to read, his story development easy to follow and his characters very believable.

I loved the way that the story kept me guessing; the twists and turns, the mystery and intrigue, it’s a real action thriller. Although most of our main characters are vampires, this is not another paranormal romance; the Vampires here are top predators - humans are food, not equals.  The detail and background that Mr Mariani gives to all of the characters that we meet along the way in this tale adds depth and realism to the whole story without slowing the pace.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

No, not really. The only reason that it didn’t get a 5 star rating from me was due to the ending. The battle may have been temporarily won in this story but the war is far from over and we’re left wondering what happens next to some of our main characters.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really enjoyed this book; I can see it making it onto the big screen!  It’s a suspense thriller with as many twists & turns as The Da Vinci Code with the killer vampire battle feel of Blade! I’ve already added Book 2 “The Cross” to my wish list. I haven’t read many horror/suspense thriller books in this vein (excuse the pun) so the only book I can compare it to is William Massa’s “Ice Shadows (Occult Assassin #2.5)” which I loved too.

So, has my review of UPRISING (Vampire Federation #1) sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See UPRISING (VAMPIRE FEDERATION #1) on Goodreads.com

Buy your own copy of UPRISING (VAMPIRE FEDERATION #1) on Amazon.com or through Amazon.co.uk

Visit Scott Mariani ‘s own little corner of the web