Happy Tails and Tales Blog: The Darkling Lord by Shona Husk w Giveaway!

Monday, March 16, 2015

The Darkling Lord by Shona Husk w Giveaway!

Book Description:

A darkling with a lust for power…

Henry Saint shouldn’t exist. Every year on his birthday, he kills someone and takes their soul so that he may live another year. He is a darkling, not fairy… but not human either. Yet he is bound by the laws of both worlds. With a new King on the throne of Annwyn and the mortal world trying to rebuild after plagues killed so many, Henry seizes the opportunity to carve out a place of his own. He wants Detroit.

A spy without a soul…

Darah was Felan’s spy before he became King of Annwyn. Now he has one last mission for her. He wants her to join the darkling’s Court and discover what Henry’s endgame is. No one trusts the Banished when they gather in great numbers. As Darah gets drawn into Henry’s world she realizes he can give her the one thing she could never find in Annwyn—love. But is love worth betraying her King?

Excerpt:

This time, though, he’d have fairy magic on his side. Or at least in his possession, if not exactly on his side. He glanced at Darah.

“So, Darah, what did you do to end up here?” The cup warmed his hands. Summer was fast becoming a memory as autumn took hold.

She paused, the cup almost to her lips. After being surrounded by humans and the ugly and awkward Greys for so long, her beauty was like a rose growing among the weeds in sidewalk. Something rare that made him pause.

Her tongue darted over her lip. He shivered, unprepared for the spark of lust the thought ignited. He’d spent a long time keeping those kinds of thoughts deeply buried, and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to release them. Certainly not with a woman he barely knew and didn’t quite trust.

Although to be fair, most of his encounters had involved women for whom kissing wasn’t part of the job. It was safer for everyone, even if it didn’t satisfy the ache. Darklings didn’t get to love. Any human he did love would eventually die. And Greys, he’d tried once. It was easier to go without.

“I stole from the old Queen.”

“If you were exiled before the power shift and the change of Kings, you’d be dead.” All fairies caught on the wrong side of the veil had died, only the Greys had survived because they were already cut off from the magic. “Don’t lie to me.” He wasn’t a mortal fool who knew nothing of Annwyn.

“That wasn’t a lie.” And she sounded offended that he would accuse of stooping so low. That revealed a little more about her; at least she wouldn’t lie to him…merely mislead. “I was a shadow servant for a year and day as punishment. However, the taint of being one of the mad Queen’s ladies has stained my reputation.”

Henry narrowed his eyes. Her words were too careful. She had never once actually said that she was exiled, merely agreed with the assumption. “You aren’t exiled, are you?”

She sipped her soup but didn’t answer. No confirmation or denial. He was taking that as an affirmative.

He leaned back. This one had teeth and cunning; he was going to have to watch her closely. It had been a long time since anyone had roused the thrill of a hunt and the chance of a good game.

Damn his fairy blood for that one too.

“Why Detroit?” He smiled, and plucked some of the bread. It was always made fresh, but it really needed butter.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Very well, a truthful answer for a truthful answer.” All fairies loved a deal. Was she enjoying the idea of a game as much as he was? How far was he willing to take it? It was a delicate dance and he couldn’t afford to gamble too much, nor get too distracted.

“That’s an acceptable deal.” She smiled and her gaze sharpened.

He exhaled as lust traced a razor edge over his skin. If he mis-stepped, dancing with Darah was going to hurt.

My Review

So let me say this- I haven't read this author. *gasp* I know. I know who she is, and I've heard wonderful things about everything she writes. So I had to read this one. I wanted to know if it was true- LOL it was. She's an excellent writer and has created a fascinating world. Which now means I am going to have to read everything! LOL This one is about the fae. And no, we're definitely not going to Tink. We are talking some cruel, soulless beings here. It's a dark world, and it's crazy good! And the kicker, this one MUST steal souls every year to live. OOOOH right, cuz I said soulless.

Henry is caught in both worlds- human and fae. And there's war still going on because of the Annwyn. He thought he could go back to normal in Detroit, but all is not normal, nor did it go untouched from the aftermath of those wars. So Henry wants to fix it. But that's so much easier to say than to do. And those hiding here in our world are also trying to fight back, but they aren't so trusting of Henry. And the new regents send Darah to find out exactly what Henry is doing.

Darah has to prove her loyalty. So she needs to spy on Henry. Henry is not what or who she expected, and this challenges her, a lot, because she really doesn't know what to do with him.

I'm not really sure how to explain everything, because I probably should have done myself a favor and read the first books- right? But I will say this, I don't feel myself feeling lost, I just know that there's more to it that what I do know. :) LOL Yeah I'm loosing it. But, I loved the world that was built. And even I know these characters are awesome, and the crazy part is that I love the darkness from them. And how the good shines so much better when surrounded by it. Henry is a wonderful character. And the romance between Darah and Henry is fantastic. There's no insta-love they had to work for it. I love everything about how the author created her Fae and their world. I definitely look forward to going backwards- reading the first in the series, and then continuing forward because I want more, so with that-- 4.5 PAWS!

Bio:

SHONA HUSK is the author of the Shadowlands Series and the Court of Annwyn Series. You can find out more information about Shona and her edgy romances at www.shonahusk.com or follow her on Twitter @ShonaHusk, Facebook www.facebook.com/shonahusk or join her newsletter.

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