The House of Silver Oak by Nix Winter --here-- is an amazing story that I was fortunate enough, along with several other members from Ethan Day's Yahoo group, to get a copy of from the author. I've read a few of Nix's books and really enjoyed them; but this one I absolutely loved! In Nix's books, that I've read, there's been an underlying sense of mischief that pervades the story, usually associated with one of the characters. In The House of Silver Oak the mischievous character is Shelly Comstock-Gray. His interactions with the other main character / hero, Cain Hardrain, really make this story sparkle and add a humour that is wielded with a deft touch.
Then there's the eerie mystery of just what it is to be feared in the cellar... and who was responsible for the deaths of Shelly, his brother and his brother's fiancée? I was kept on tenterhooks throughout the book and couldn't wait to get to the answers. But then I was disappointed that I'd come to the end.
There is a spookiness to the story that is wonderfully balanced by the humour. The cast of characters is bigger than I expected and the intricacies of the various connections is quite stunning. Everything, everything, works so marvellously together and I hope that this book gains a wide audience... it is very deserving of such.
Oh and not only is NIx Winter a fantastic author, but Nix is also a stellar artist. Nix has done many covers for other ebooks and, if I'm not mistaken, is the creator of the beautiful and haunting cover for The House of Silver Oak. Multi-talented is the least I can say!
If you enjoy ghost stories, murder mysteries, romances and sexy man-on-man loving, then I strongly urge you to check this book out. And don't delay!
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Summary:
Cain's problems didn't get smaller in Iraq.
Whiskey doesn't fix anything long enough.
His last chance gets him a job as a caretaker for an old mansion.
It comes with more ghosts than he had before.
Don't go in the cellar.
A hundred years before a triple homicide made the house notorious.
Shelly Comstock-Gray is still the celebrated murder suspect.
Cain can't believe the smiling, cheerful ghost hurt anyone.
Mistakes can be deadly.
Don't go in the cellar.
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BUY BOOK
Oh this was a really cool story. And it has enormous potential to be just the beginning of something huge! But even as a novella there is so much to recommend it. The sense of high adventure permeates the entire story; the sense of an incredibly sensual ménage lurking in the background is enough to tempt, tease and titillate.
I'm really hoping that Nix Winter has a lot more story for Faith, Yee and Nathaniel. These guys deserve it!
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Book Info:
Nix Winter; Timeless ~ Immortal Fire; Loveyoudivine; October 21, 2009
Book Description:
Different worlds, different expectations, but when a Captain saves a Prince, it may be the Prince's love that saves the Captain.
There are three main characters, it's a love triangle, where they could all end up in a trio. They are Captain Faith Denen, Yee the Leche, Nathaniel Lath Rizen Vin Rayn, Duke of the Emerald Coast, Lord of Trimern, Crown Prince of Elestrian. The world is a far future world, where landfall was made on a distant planet and technology not retained... so that the people are living much closer to the level of Europe in the 1700's. The culture is split between High Town and Low Town. Nathaniel is the heir to the throne. Faith is the captain of a merchant ship with a disreputable family history. In Timeless, Faith and Nathaniel are trying to escape the palace and Faith comes into possession of some very ancient magic that will make him the ultimate protector of his prince. It'll make him immortal, but every immortal life starts somewhere.
I just finished the 7 stories that make up this anthology and I'm actually quite stunned; not quite the reaction I expected, but it definitely has a bigger impact than I had thought it would.
Firstly I have to say that the stories all deal with the theme of Immortals within M/M romances. They're also quite... varied in their genres shall we say. The setting for Adrianne Brennan's Dawn of the Seraphs is very futuristic. Bryn Colvin's Death and the Immortal as well as Clare London's Out of Time are more along the lines of paranormal fantasy. Jaime Samms' WindBlown deals with long-lost Atlanteans, while M. King's Almost Human is a paranormal futuristic tale. And Nix Winter's Timeless is almost an amalgamation of futuristic fantasy. Then there is Jaime Samms' Black Roses which is... fantasy?
Whatever else you call them, these stories are all, at the least, good reads. A couple of them totally blew me away and one I rate a 5 star read... it was amazing! And that's disregarding that there were a couple of stories that it took me a few minutes to acclimate to. Mostly because they were completely out of my frame of reference ~ really futuristic sci-fi stories often do that to me. But once I sat back and let the story come to me and tell its tale I was fine. Getting interested in the various characters was no challenge at all; instead I found myself going from one story to the next in almost a daze... of amazement mostly.
Individual stories and ratings follow. As far as I'm concerned there is not one loser in the bunch, not even a story that I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend; certainly I'll be looking for more books from each of these 6 authors.
- Jaime Samms ~ Black Roses: 3.5 to 4 stars
- M. King ~ Almost Human: 4.5 stars
- Clare London ~ Out of Time: 4 stars
- Bryn Colvin ~ Death and the Immortal: 5 stars
- Jaime Samms ~ WindBlown: 4 stars
- Nix Winter ~ Timeless: 4 stars
- Adrianne Brennan ~ Dawn of the Seraphs: 3.5 to 4 stars
Over the next couple of days I will be posting individual reviews of each book... they certainly deserve their own. This review is for the overall anthology / series. My first exposure to the publising house Loveyoudivine was great! I'm also very much looking forward to any and all follow-up stories... and soon please!
