The Dark
Huntsman, A Fantasy of the Black Court
Tales of the Black Court,
Book One
Jessica Aspen
Genre:
Fantasy Romance
Publisher:
Abracadabra Publishing
Cover
Artist: Kari Ayasha of
Book Description:
An evil queen, a dangerous
man, and a witch, tangled together in a tale of Snow White...
Desperate to
save the last of her family from the murderous Faery Queen, Trina Mac Elvy
weaves a spell of entrapment. But instead of a common soldier, the queen has
released the Dark Huntsman, a full blooded fae with lethal powers.
Caged for
treason, Logan Ni Brennan, is ready to do anything to win free of the
manipulative queen, even if it includes running a last errand for her…murdering
a witch. The sight of Trina, ready to fight despite the odds, gives him another
option: use the witch as a chess piece, put the queen’s son on the throne, and
bring down the queen forever.
As the queen
slides into insanity and her closest advisor makes plans to succeed to the
throne, Logan secrets Trina away in the enchanted forest and makes a decisive
move in his dangerous game of manipulation. But the gaming tables of fate turn
on him, and when Trina’s life is threatened he discovers he risks more than his
freedom…he risks his heart.
Dare to enter Jessica Aspen’s world of steamy,
fantasy romance in her new twisted fairy tale trilogy: Tales of the Black
Court…
Purchase it
at Amazon
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Excerpt:
Riding into
the dry-as-bones mountains on the back of the puca, Logan’s anger seared bitter in his chest. It rolled off him in waves,
pulling thunder down from the sky. He toyed idly with the storm letting his
anger draw the danger of the lightening to him as he seethed. Fifteen years
away from his hounds. Fifteen years of Solanum’s running wild, the puca causing
havoc wherever he went. Fifteen years of Logan’s life eaten away in the hole of
the queen’s dungeons.
And now he
was to kill witches for the queen. A fact that rubbed him raw.
Humans were
amusing companions, why create trouble? Irritated with the brief flare of
morality, he smothered it with brutal force. It didn’t fucking matter what he wanted. It never had.
Lightening
cracked. The eerie silent hounds of the Dark Hunt tightened around him, their
tense glances and snapping teeth reflections of his flaring emotions.
He had no
room for second thoughts tonight. The Black Queen had given him no reason why
she needed these witches killed, but if he satisfied her it might give him his
freedom. At the very least it would give him some space. Maybe some time to
figure out a way to stay out of the dungeons. And time to figure out how to
truly extricate himself from her bloody dominion.
Because no
matter what she had promised him, he knew, there was no way she would simply
let him go. Not after the way he had betrayed her.
Solanum
tossed his head and bucked. “Quit squeezing my ribs.”
Lurid green faery flames leapt from his hooves, igniting short-lived cold fires
in the dry Wyoming brush.
“Cease, horse,” Logan said, squeezing his
legs a little more. Punching Solanum’s buttons felt good, really good. Just
like his wrath at the queen felt good. Justified.
The puca
tossed his long mane into Logan’s eyes. “Lay off, or
you’ll be eating dirt,” the puca snarled, his nostrils flaring in the dimming
light.
Solanum’s irritation put a hard smile on Logan’s lips. He tightened his
legs and drove the puca harder down the hill through the brewing storm.
A hound
pushed in close. Solanum’s hoof lashed out, connecting with a solid
thud. The hound’s yipe sounded inside Logan’s head as he regained his balance,
cursing the hound’s behavior and the puca’s intolerance.
He was back.
The hounds would get used to him again. And Solanum too.
Thunder
crashed in the sky, following him down into the shadowed hills as he approached
the witches’ lair. Nostrils burning from the ozone,
nerves tingling, he distracted himself with the dark moist wind, manipulating
it to blow through the dry autumn brush like a child's tantrum.
He laughed,
the spiteful wind stealing away the dark sound as cracks of thunder echoed off
the mountains. He let the anger simmer and the lightening moved further away.
He wasn’t free yet, and he wasn’t suicidal. What he
was, was trapped. And it pissed him off, the frustration riding him like a hag.
What could
he do when the queen changed her mind and refused to release him from her
service? What if the bitch thought she could use him then put him back into her
dungeons Underhill, calling him to her side like a lapdog? He needed a way to
show her there would be repercussions. He needed leverage.
In the
distance, thunder rumbled and they tipped over the edge of the valley in search
of the witch. A wavering glow of candles shone above the last few rocks.
Almost
there.
The telltale
traces of a spell raised the hair on the back of his neck. He extended his Gift
to perceive what he couldn’t yet see. A labyrinth set
by a single inexperienced witch. His lips twitched. As protection it might have
worked, had the Faery Queen sent her regular henchman. Unluckily for the witch,
the queen had unleashed him. The Dark Huntsman.
He would
kill the wench, and be done with this thing between himself and the queen of
the Tuatha De Dannan. And when the queen refused to release him? He’d deal with that when the time came.
The wind
carried the hot dry smell of sage mixed with the smell of fear and musky female.
He inhaled the raw flavor of the witch, the taste of her fear and anger and
power slid down his throat, easing his rage.
The anxious
hounds shifted around him, sensing the proximity of their prey. Solanum rounded
the rock.
And there
she was.
The sight of
her rocked him back like a blow, almost knocking him to the ground. And he
realized that despite the stasis, fifteen years had been too long a time to be
without a woman.
Glimmers of
power limned her naked body and the silver blade of the athame that gleamed
between her breasts. Her legs were spread slightly apart, tensed for battle.
Long black hair crackled and lifted with static. Her expressive face was poised
on the edge of dilemma, her body caught between the need to hold the spell and
the need for action.
He paused to
let the feel of power and woman roll through him.
Beautiful.
Unexpected.
Green,
almond shaped eyes widened. Her stance firmed, her shoulders pulled back, and
her full breasts rose, nipples tightened with cold or fear. Something wild and
raw he hadn’t felt in a hundred years stabbed low in his
gut.
His agenda
changed.
The queen
wanted to kill the witch. Why? His plan of placating the queen suddenly seemed
weak. She’d never let him go without leverage, and
here was leverage standing naked and lovely before him. He had a new plan.
Screw the
queen.
My Review: 5 stars
What an excellent introduction to this series. I love the twisted fairy tale version that Jessica has written, not to mention the erotic aspect that she's brought to the tale. It was creative to make the Huntsman the hero instead of bringing in a Prince. The Huntsman is the one who is already involved in the story by hiding the person the Queen wants dead, makes perfect sense. Although in this case, it's not a princess, but a witch that the Queen wants dead. Rather, an entire clan of witches, yet the Huntsman only finds one: Trina. Initially, Logan, the Huntsman, plans on using Trina to get what he wants. But the best laid plans swiftly fall away when the heart decides to become involved. Trina is angry at Logan, yet she finds herself very attracted to him. She tells herself it's because of his fae magic, but it's really not. This was really a great story to read and I truly loved all the different, slightly twisted aspects of the story that Jessica changed and wove into her tale. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out which tales she chooses, and what the prophecy brings forth.
About the
Author:
Jessica Aspen has always
wanted to be spirited away to a world inhabited by elves, were-wolves and sexy
men who walk on the dark side of the knife. Luckily, she’s able to explore her
fantasy side and delve into new worlds by writing paranormal romance. She loves
indulging in dark chocolate, reading eclectic novels, and dreaming of ocean
vacations, but instead spends most of her time, writing, walking the dog, and
hiking in the Colorado Rockies.
Stop by Jessica’s website
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Website: http://jessicaaspen.com
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