"Bringing a race of myths alive in this futuristic fantasy."

While believed to be a normal human by everyone, Cait O'Keefe is actually only half human and far from normal. Empathic (able to sense the emotions of others), she has an edge on those she comes into contact with, although it hasn't helped her sex life much. Even if she knows a man is attracted to her, it is hard to find a man willing to share her with another man. Her mother's culture (what is believed to be only myth and legend) dictates that every woman has at least two husbands. Among the Sidhe it is one thing, but human males still find it hard to share their mate.

When Cait meets Indio -- her solar wing flight instructor -- she knows that here is a man who, despite outward appearances, has a kind gentle heart, a giving soul and knows how to arouse and please a woman. The perfect man to awaken her sexuality. What she never expected was her desire to make it more than a one-night thing.

Add into the mix her need for another man, her friend Tiny's willingness to be that other man, a trip to an asteroid where there just might be proof of her ancestors' origins, a betrayer amid the exploration group, and a couple of unlikely stowaways -- and you have Barbara Karmazin's DOWN CAME A BLACKBIRD.

As the author herself has said, if you are going to create an alien race, make them different. Barbara Karmazin has definitely done that. The Sidhe ways are very different from those of mortals, as are their physical appearances and it gives this novel something that some other "sci-fi romances" lack, believability.

While bringing a race of myths alive, the author has also woven a tale full of passion and longing, of betrayal and hope, of myth and reality. DOWN CAME A BLACKBIRD stands alone, but also leaves the reader hoping for more. Cait's brother begs to have his tale told.

Although rough in some patches, all in all DOWN CAME A BLACKBIRD was an entertaining story and I am hoping to hear more on the secondary characters as well as more from this author.

Rated: Hard R/NC-17 - Explicit sex.

Reviewed by Michelle Houston
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted March 14, 2003

Also available in e-book format.

Summary

CAIT O' KEEFE's mother is human and her father is Sidhe. Their sisterline is the last remnant of a once proud and populous people. How do you make friends and find suitable mates when most humans believe the Sidhe are imaginary creatures from old folk tales? And how do you explain to prospective mates that Sidhe culture expects every woman to have at least two husbands?

Her people don't hide under shamrocks and they don't have gauzy wings. They exist! And, at five foot eight, Cait hardly qualifies as a "wee person". Strong empathic senses are NOT magic powers and annual tetanus shots eliminate the need to avoid contact with "cold iron."

Frustrated by her failure to find suitable mates, tired of endless questions about the unusual tattoo on her left arm and the fact that her human mother has two husbands, Cait embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Sanctuary, a space station orbiting the Moon, is her first stop. There, she joins an expedition headed out to the asteroids where she hopes to find tangible proof of an extraterrestrial origin for her Sidhe ancestors.

The solar wing flight instructor for the expedition is EDELMIRO JESUS SANTIAGO DE ARROYO (INDIO). He's also an undercover agent whose terrible facial scars give him the appearance of a hardened criminal. Betrayed by a previous wife who tried to rob him blind, he conceals his emotions behind an abrupt demeanor. Cait's easy acceptance of Indio's scars breaches his aloof facade. They go out dancing. That same night he awaken her deep sensuality. He's not prepared to let her go off to the asteroids without him.

TAMERLANE JEHU BARNETT (TINY) is the owner/creator of Tiny's Emporium on Sanctuary Station. Hardly anyone knows his real name and he likes it that way because Tiny sure beats the hell out of Tammy for a nickname. A black ex-Navy SEAL and explosives expert, he's Indio's undercover teammate. He hopes to mount a low key courtship of Cait. But when Indio hooks up with her, Tiny finds himself in a win/lose situation between his best friend and the woman he wants to court.

Warning: Explicit sex.