"Can love conquer death?"

It started when Tranorva went in search of a way to bring back from death Elandine, a member of the Fey and her love.

Balthaine, a mercenary, didn't belong here with these people. Though not unwelcome, he was not needed by any of them, especially General Tranorva, High Matriarch of the Bear Clan and Mistress of House VinDall. Yet here he is, on Tir na nOg--the island of Faerie. When he finds himself inadvisably claiming to be the Childling Dahlai's protector, he finds that Dahlai is not truly a child. It is his Succubus though, that he dreams of. And in this time, in this place, the dreaming is more real, so real that he must now seek her outside of the dream. As for Tranorva, she still seeks to bring Elandine back to her. Yet even as she gets him back, he is in danger of being taken away -- this time for good.

Though this story with the numerous different characters and threads can get confusing, it's a fascinating type of confusion. I must admit that Faerie, their land and legends have never been a favorite of mine. However, this story caught my imagination and drew me into this world. I had to read on to find out what happened next. It is not revealed immediately what is going on and who each character truly is, but these things come about in the course of the tale. And now the story is ended, I find myself impatient for the next one, which will continue this fascinating journey.

Sensuality--NC17; masturbation, oral sex, descriptive sex, mild bondage, blunt language. Sexually explicit scenes: 5.

Reviewed by Flora Bell
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted October 20, 2002

Sexual Content: Hard R/borderline NC-17

Summary

All Tranorva had to do was cart a dead man half way around the globe to an island no one knew how to find, persuade the King of Faerie to grant her an audience, restore Élandine's spirit to his body, and waive the prohibition against Fey and Mortal marriages.

Right. Simple enough until restoring her family made Tranorva heir to a dead house and a captive people. Now the King of Faerie has set her an even greater challenge. The price of Élandine's freedom is the price of her own, and she must rely on the aide of a Rogue and a thief to clear Élandine's name and bring her people home. Can she trust Balthain to find the truths hidden deep in the heart of Élahandara or does the Mercenary have an agenda of his own?

Everyone has a price...