The Dark Huntsman, A Fantasy of the Black Court
Tales of
the Black Court,
Book One
Jessica Aspen
Jessica Aspen
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Abracadabra Publishing
Date of Publication: October 2013
ISBN: e-copy: 978-0-9899558-0-5
ISBN:
Paperback: 978-0615891682
ASIN:
B00FN2P7A8
Number of pages: 326
Word Count: 88,000 words
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
Add to Goodreads
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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.
Review:
From the first page, this book grabbed me by the hair and wouldn't let go. The fresh retelling of the Snow White-esque story was well done and I loved it. The voice was crisp and each and every character came through clearly. The huntsman was a figure that became Herne, the lord of the Great Hunt and the witch became his prey. The evil queen brought elements of Alice in Wonderland. The book is rife with familiar fairy tales and stories I loved as a child, now woken up for a more adult spin on things. Excellent read! In fact I can't wait to get back to it now to see just what happens to that wicked queen. I hope she gets a trip down the oubliette herself. I know just the huntsman who could put her there.
*Great sexual tension
*Believable characters
*Smooth pacing and vibrant action
*Fairy tale lovers will adore it!
5/5
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 and leave a comment to enter
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