In Ancient Greece, the god Pan made a terrible mistake which resulted in
the creation of a race of immortal satyrs. Centuries later, he lives
secluded in the Pine Barrens, frightening the mortals by taking the
guise of an abhorrent local monster. When a beautiful woman shows up in
his forest looking for proof of his existence, Pan can't resist
revealing himself to her.
~~~
I've been looking forward to reading Wicked Satyr Nights for ages, and the only reason it took this long was because of my day job. I stayed up nights reading eagerly about Pan's adventures with Kat Silverton, the zoologist who stumbles upon his secret, and I was very, very happy to find that Rebekah Lewis and her cursed satyroi did not disappoint!
A Foreplay and Fangs Review
As with all my new reviews, I'll be rating the book in three parts: Storytelling, Technical, and Passion. The Storytelling aspect of any book pertains to how much the story appealed to me, including the setting, the characters, and plot. The Technical aspect
pertains to literary analysis; for those of you who don't know, I spent
4 years learning to appreciate and analyze literature and writing
techniques, including classical, contemporary, poetry and argumentative.
It's impossible for me to read a book without considering its
effectiveness in from a technical standpoint. Passion is probably self-explanatory: how did the tale measure up with heat, eroticism, and romance?
Without further ado, I give you my review of Wicked Satyr Nights!
Storytelling: 5 Happy Grins
From the very first page, I was surprised by the plot of this story. Knowing we are destined to find a whirlwind romance between an immortal Greek God-turned-satyr and discover the story behind his centuries-old curse, imagine my surprise when our story begins with a zoologist and her team searching the woods of New Jersey for the famous Jersey Devil.
I must confess a bit of doubt here. I wasn't exactly sure how Ms. Lewis could connect an American urban legend with an ancient Greek God and the rich history of Greek mythology. The two styles of myth and legend did not seem to mesh, in my mind.
Happily, Ms. Lewis really surprised me, and in the process she created an exceptionally unique plotline! Not only is the story in Wicked Satyr Nights a sound, solid plot, it goes beyond your typical romance to create an interesting complex tale. As Wicked Satyr Nights is the first in the series of the Cursed Satyroi, we know there will be more to come. Ms. Lewis shows a good grasp of pacing and plot elements, and satisfies reader's interest in this book's plot while leaving enough intrigue open for future stories. In terms of story, a definite winner!
Technical: 5 Sage Nods
In the beginning, I thought Wicked Satyr Nights was going to falter a bit in the technical sense, for the same reasons most romances do in my mind: pacing. However, unlike most romance books, this one manages its hints and twists very well, in the sense that, it uses them.
When most romance novels tend to throw the lead romantic pair into a rushed sense of instant passion, this book manages that rush in a much more sensible way. At first it may seem things are progressing out-of-control, until that rapidity becomes a relevant clue in the plot itself. As I mentioned, Ms. Lewis exhibits a very good grasp of pacing with this book.
Another high point in the technical aspect comes from the imagery in this book. I found myself swept away especially by a certain chapter dedicated to Pan telling his story. This, of course, being a story within a story, I was pleased with Ms. Lewis' choice for framing: rather than simply having the characters sit down over coffee and Pan taking over the dialogue for a whole chapter, his past is revealed in a much more immersive, theatrical way. One of my favorite parts of the book.
Passion: 5 Sensual Sighs
I think Ms. Lewis shows a lot of strength in her ability to balance the elements of this story, and the passionate parts are no exception. There is a really wonderful mix of hot-and-heavy, needful desire, and sweet tenderness. Additional points for a fairly intriguing glimpse at the more sexually indulgent side of a Greek bacchanal! Love and sex are, at some times, very separate things to these characters, and at other times they twine together in wonderful ways. I applaud the book's ability to show both these natures without feeling the need to force them into uniform alignment at all times.
Final Score:
A Terrific 5 out of 5!
I recommend this book for fans of magic, myth, and modern romance!
Find Rebekah Lewis and her Cursed Satyroi series on Amazon and Breathless Press!
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think?