Shona HuskReviews

I enjoyed this short, fun story. Eliza is a sixteen year girl in way over her head, and she calls to the Goblin King for help. Though nothing sexual or untoward happens (it shouldn't because the girl is only a kid), it is a prequel to the Eliza and Roan's main story, which I would love to read.

wow. this one was terrible. how did this mess even happen?

I liked the prequel novella better :/

I have to admit going into this expecting something along the lines of the movie "Labyrinth"

But it disappointed me in so many ways.

I never managed to form an attachment to the heroine and the hero was just of sort of mopey and thinking about gold or something like that most of the time.

There was no magic in the writing,no flow to make you want to read along to the end.I skimmed through a lot of it.

GREAT BEGINNING

this was a great introduction a short prequel into what will be the main story of the Goblin King. It was well written and does what it says on the tin, in short gives you a real incentive to read the main novel which I am now looking forward to a very short but good start.

GREAT BEGINNING

this was a great introduction a short prequel into what will be the main story of the Goblin King. It was well written and does what it says on the tin, in short gives you a real incentive to read the main novel which I am now looking forward to a very short but good start.

Well, a mini-review. I really enjoyed this PNR book, first in series. Skated close to some things I don't like in PNR but was overall a fun read with characters I truly liked.

I'll continue the series (particularly since is a library ebook borrow). But, because doesn't necessarily follow same characters -- no hurry.

Received an ARC for my fair review for netgalley. The book started out a little slow for me, it did pick up a little but it is not like I normally like, but it is a pretty good read. What I did like, is that it is a little different, Kurt is a Chef in the Navy, and he is in a cross road in his life where he does not know what he wants to do, and he ends up having an explosive one-night stand, come to find that it is his co-worker!!! Rainy is just pretty much starting out, and she is a marine technician, and while they do not want the others to know about that night, it is pretty uncomfortable, but the chemistry and tension can not be denied. They did respect the work place but they could not stay away from each other, you will have to read it, to know what happens... Did also enjoy the secondary characters and hope to read there stories next. Enjoy!

Yeah...no, this really didn't work for me as a romance. Mildly interesting concept, but I found both Eliza and Roan rather flat. She's been rather pampered, and is now the gullible victim of a smooth con-man (not the only one, but the "marry me or I'll ruin your (and your family's) reputation!" threat is pretty dumb. What sort of marriage does she think she'll have? Roan at least has the excuse that the curse literally leaves him unable to love (a golden heart...which doesn't work physically (just how does he pump blood? Especially to crucial areas during the sex scenes?). And then there's the frustration in the middle of the book, where they've done all the things but it doesn't work - it feels like too many point-and-click adventures, where I've clicked on everything I can see or think of and none of them do anything. I usually quit, at that point - not fun. I did stick it out through the end of the book, which was...kind of flat. Roan, come on, do you mean you never tried that? You thought just the sex would work? Really? Not a favorite, and I don't think I'll bother with the sequel, though I usually like family series.½

Check out my review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2012/12/made-grade-sex-with-strings-se...

Check out my review and a teaser here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-was-i-thinking-shadowland...

Each year, the prosperous island nation of Adar offers one of its women to the Fire God as a bride in order to appease him and keep from being buried under lava and ashes. The newest offering is Camea. Although most other women would be trembling in fear, Camea is secretly elated. She figures that it's one of the witches who kills the women, and not the Fire God himself. If she can overpower the witch, she can escape Adar on one of the trading ships and see the world she's always dreamed about.

It isn't a witch that kills the bride...but it also isn't the Fire God. Matai is a prince of Adar who, many generations ago, was punished by the Fire God. He was turned into a being of fire and, each year since then, has been forced to live with a bride for a year and then kill her in order to save Adar. Even as Matai tries to keep as much distance from Camea as the Fire God will allow, he finds himself intrigued by her fearlessness.

This story was okay, although too short to be more than that. It reminded me of the “Beauty and the Beast” story, with maybe a hint of the Persephone myth. Matai was the prince who was transformed for being a jerk to a witch. Camea's frustration with being locked up inside the volcano reminded me of Persephone's desire to see the world above. A lot of what kept me reading was a desire to find out what Camea and Matai's happy ending would look like, and how they would manage to achieve it.

The “Camea and Matai getting to know each other” stuff was much less interesting than I'd hoped, in large part because Matai was pretty boring. I liked Camea's determination. If she had to be Matai's prisoner, then she'd at least convince him to let her out enough so that she could see the sky. If he refused to talk to her, she'd make it so that he couldn't ignore her. Matai, on the other hand, hadn't even thought of testing his own abilities until Camea started asking him questions.

Additional Comments:

I should mention that Camea was raped by the farmer's son she would have had to marry if she hadn't been chosen to be the Fire God's newest bride. It happened before the story began and was referred to in such a low-key way that I kept forgetting about it. I was a little bugged by how it was handled. At most, it made Camea nervous about having sex with Matai.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Anyway, to the story! Roan lives in the shadowlands, a horrible place of nightmares. He is cursed and has been for 2000 years. He used to be a good king, but now he is a man whose greed might make him into the goblins he hate. He is loosing little by little to the curse. But there is something there, and sure at times in the beginning I thought he was a bit too alpha idiot, but I still could not look away.

Eliza, the deal that annoyed me there for a moment was how fast she fell, but come on, this is a romance after all. So I went along with that, cos in the end, Roan is a hottie, he is alpha, and he is a mighty warrior. Eliza has grown weak and scared. She is being bullied by her idiotic fiance and even though she has everything her lives sucks. She just wants out. And when these two meet, a woman who needs something more, and a man who needs help fighting his demons, well you can guess what happens. Flames of passion and lots of drama.

Because life is not easy. She has her ass of a fiance. He has not much time left to live with his fading human soul. The goblin is taking over. They are doomed from the start, but they still can't stay away from each other.

It was the goblins, the curse and the world that did it for me. It was good, and I also really liked his brother Dai. When the book ended I kind of wanted a book with him too, must be because he was a nerd. I do like nerds, and since this is book 1 then fingers crossed that Dai is getting that book.

Conclusion:
All in all a good book that had me reading fast, I enjoyed the romance and the passion they shared. It was a fairytale happy ever after with goblins, fights and the will to love.

I liked book 1 because it was a bit different, a goblin hero..and they ain't pretty, I'll tell you that. But in this book the curse is broken and we have a new hero, Dai. He may be human again but life is not easy.

Oh Dai, I wanted his story already in book 1 and here I got it. He is all things I want my hero to be, that's right, tortured and hurting. He feels that he can't let go of his horrid past and all the things done to him. He is suffering and he is just the kind of man you want to hug and tell that everything will be ok. Because he is also loyal, kind and good with kids. He is not that alpha when I think about it, he always shadowed his brother. He is the magician, the scholar, the beta, and I really liked that.

The story is a lot about he trying to come to terms with things, being human, the magic he can now use, and falling for a woman, Amanda.The lovestory is not rushed at all, another thing I liked as you do not need to jump in bed at once. Like I said, he has suffered and Amanda is a widow. They dance around each other for a while and think about if they want to pursue this. Yes, things should take time.

We also meet the hero of book 3 briefly in this book and I do want his story too, especially if the book is as good as this one was. At times I could not put it down because I felt for Dai and there are things going on too, that I cannot mention. All making it exciting at times.

Conclusion:
Who knew a former Goblin could be a hottie?! I liked the book and the series should keep on getting better and better.

Ok I am unhappy, I wrote a good long review, now where it is you ask? Oh it is gone, I deleted it by mistake *headdesk* This will be shorter

Verden is Lord of the Hunt, poor thing, I did feel sorry for him later on in the book when I realized that he is not truly free in a way. He does his job and guards Annwyn and looks after the mortal world.

Taryn is a fairy who grew up in the mortal world. Now she is a court to plead for her parent's life and she will do anything to get what they want. To be back. She had a great spirit and I liked her.

These two should not fall in love, he has his duties and she should focus on her quest at hand. Later on you will see why they should have let it be as things evolve. But passion can't be stopped.

Passion, court intrigues and two lovers caught up in the middle of it all.

This book felt light and easy, even with the darkness in it. It was a romance about two people being saved by each other.

Meryn used to be a Goblin who stole gold and killed. Now he is back int he real world, 2000 years later. He is lost, but he is smart. He mourns in family, and the darkness of the Goblin hangs over him. But he is a nice guy, a man who just want to live again..if there was something to live for.

Nadine is a nurse who have nightmares (yes goblins there too). He father is in jail for killing her mother and she has blocked that out. She may go on about her life, but there is something there. Something sad. Then Nadine and Meryn meet. Something pulls them together. They are meant to be. But first they have things to go through. He needs to let go of his past and she needs to deal with her past. Not to mention that you know the whole Goblin thing is gonna pop up and mess things up.

A good romance, 2 people just meant to be. Throw in a little paranormal and there you have it.

I read her Goblin series and when I saw that she was to publish a series with fairies I was intrigued. I liked what I heard about Annwyn, it was the not so kind Fae types.

Caspian is a changeling and has never been to his father's court. He is human, but still got those fae qualities too. I must confess that I sooo wanted his father's story while I read it, to see him fall in love. Le sigh, wonderful :) But that is a future book. Now we got Caspian and he falls for Lydia. A nice and sweet woman. They suited each other. Both with pasts and secrets.

But that was not all it was about. We need some drama and danger too and in comes the hunt for a mirror. And the court of Annwyn is in trouble and the ripples are causing bad things to happen in our world. I can't spill it all, but Annwyn was different, and I liked what she did there.

Romance and a man caught between two worlds. A good start to this series

Shona you have no idea...this book was so EPIC...and Kick-Ass awesome...and can't wait to recommend this book to my friends...i love Erotica & Vampires and you Rocked my world when you wrote this book...!!! I'm now speechless...if i could give you more stars i would...made me laugh made me cry and even pissed me off in some parts but...lady...my hat is off to you...i can't wait to read more of your books...a well deserved 100% loyal Canadian fan XXOO...All the best for 2015!!!!

3 1/2 Stars

First time I'm reading Shona Husk and surely not the last. I enjoyed her depiction of ordinary, normal people. Both Ed and Olivia were slightly naive, awkward and optimistic. I loved Australian slang and very tentative intimate moments. You know that feeling of absolute awkwardness and trivial things mixed in between sex when people just start their relationship? Miss Husk showed it really well, and it felt real and true. Comforting read, recommended.

I liked the second book in this series just as much as the first one. I will admit, they aren't really my thing as I am used to much longer erotica and anything even remotely sci fi has never interested me, however, I still enjoyed it. Alex and Sierra were both incredibly likeable characters and I liked their storyline! One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that even though it's not written by the same author who wrote the first book, it felt the exact same. I still felt like I was in the same world I was in in book 1. I look forward to reading the third one.

Interesting. I need to get book one and see what happens.

The Darkling Lord (Court of Annwyn #4) by Shona Husk

Falan, the new King of Annwyn sends Lady Darah merch Hathor on a mission to the human realm to spy on darkling Henry Saint, in exchange for a place on his Council.

The Darkling Lord is a creative and awe-inspiring novel that was hard to put down.

I like Henry. He has had to fend for himself his entire life. He’s not considered human or fairy but an anomaly. He didn’t even know what he was until he was forty. I appreciate that he feels remorse for the lives he has to take in order to stay alive. I also like that the Greys automatically follow him without him making deals with them. Henry has great drive and motives.

I enjoyed Darah’s growth throughout the novel. She is used to living at court and becomes more relaxed in the human world. She discovers a lot about herself and questions her wants.

So far, I have found Falan a worthy King. He has been cleaver and open minded. He is smart for investigating Henry and considering the mortal world.

Shona Husk does a commendable job with the plot. I like the connection to the human world and the affect Annwyn has on it. I enjoy all the details and imagery. It is fascinating to see how things have change from the first book in the series to this story. It is amazing what different leadership can do.

Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I'm not really into reading romance novels, but this one caught my eye. It had a lot more substance than i thought it would and i can't wait to read the prequel and the sequel.

Why did I read this? Well...



Yeah, I read this mostly because the title reminded me of Labyrinth. Was the book like that movie? No... well except for the part about the Goblin King granting wishes and abducting a woman. But that's about as far as the similarities go.

Centuries ago, Roan, a king, was cursed by a Druid who believed that he had sold out to Rome. The curse banished Roan and all his men to the Shadowlands where their souls would slowly wither until they turned into goblins. Only Roan and his brother, Dai, have managed to survive the curse to present day but each feels that their days are numbered.

In the "Fixed Realm" aka: modern day reality, Eliza is trapped, by blackmail, in an engagement with a sociopath. After getting drunk off her ass at her birthday party she remembers an old fairytale her mother used to tell her about the Goblin King and calls him. Roan answers the call and promptly decides to kidnap Eliza. A lot of back and forth between the Shadowlands and the Fixed Realm ensue.

It was so refreshing to see mythology outside of vampires, werewolves, and fae used in a paranormal romance. Husk was not afraid to make her goblins ugly and terrifying looking. The mythology Husk uses about the Shadowlands as well as the goblins was interesting and I'll be excited to see where she takes this as the series progresses.

Roan and Dai were pretty great characters. However, Dai definitely stole the show for me. The only big problem I had was that Eliza fell a little flat for me. She had the potential to be really interesting and to eventually grow as a character and get herself out of the shitty relationship she was in but instead Roan ended up fixing it for her. She was also too reactionary throughout the novel. Events happened to her and all around her but she never took initiative to do anything by herself under her own motivation. Something would happen and she would just sort of go with the flow.

I have to say that I went into this novel with rather low expectations and am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series which is going to be Dai's story.

Meagan is one of the Sydney Housewives characters who has been lurking in the background for several books. She walked in on Jorja and Mud about to get down and dirty in Jorja’s story and it’s been mentioned she doesn’t really get on with another one of the Double D group. Even though I didn’t know much about her from these events, I liked Meagan straightaway. She’s feisty, works for a living (she’s a chef at a top restaurant) and isn’t supermodel perfect three minutes after giving birth. I was really looking forward to reading her story and Shona Husk does Meagan justice in this great steamy read.

The story takes place mainly at the restaurant where Meagan is preparing new dishes for her menu. She’s been sweating it out, trying to make the dishes innovative, delicious and come in under budget. Now it’s time for the owner to come in and sample each dish before he gives his approval. But Meagan’s got a problem – one of her dishes is a tiny bit over budget. She’s going to need to work hard to get it over the line. What follows is a sexy, forbidden episode involving food and a dalliance with Fraser, the CEO…

I loved this story – it was sexy yet elegant as if Meagan and Fraser were doing an exquisitely choreographed dance around each other. The addition of food made it extra spicy! I also loved the twist in this story – I was starting to wonder if I had read Meagan’s character wrongly, but the ending was just perfect. I think it has confirmed that Meagan is my favourite housewife. The story packs so much in a small space about Meagan (the characterisation is full) – I’d love to read a full length novel about her. I think she’d have plenty to say!

Thank you to Escape Publishing for the eARC.

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