"An entralling and steamy family fantasy saga"
The Way of the Wolf is the first anthology in the
Northlander series, although it is composed of four
distinct stories the compilation is a saga of a family
living in a post apocalyptic era, a medieval fantasy world
which together they must find a way to right. Members of
the House of Lochinvar find love along the way, but the
saga doesn't end here. By the end of this volume a new
mystery has surfaced, and finding the answer becomes a
critical part of their continuing mission. Lives may very
well depend on what they discover in Volume 2: Song of
The Bear. The tale begins with "A Slave's Price" Lady Evalayna of House Lochinvar of the Wolf Clan has sent
forth her youngest daughter Cassadara to negotiate the
return of an ancient talisman from Lord Yarishet. Learning
that her daughter's escort had been slain during an Orc
assault she sends her emissary, the Mage Shammall, with a
missive instructing Cassadara to obtain a Northlander
Warrior from the slave trader Argolyn. None of the dwarf's obviously human slaves draws
Cassadara's interest until the last one is brought forth.
The man is clearly not one of the Clan but something about
his defiant attitude inspires her to liberate him. Though
badly beaten the man still has spirit. With distaste for
the dwarf evident in her bargaining Cassadara purchases the
Human, praying that her act of mercy will not turn out to
be a bad bargain. Unfortunately that appears to be the case
when the man's health begins to fade rapidly (a curse
placed on him by an irate Argolyn). Unless Cassadara could
find the right spell to heal him, Mâk would not last the
night. Lord Mâkakao had woken to find the woman of his fantasies,
a she-wolf, tending to him and had pledged himself to her
cause. Little did she know who her slave was or that he was
the one man who could aid or hinder her mission. Every
fantasy has its price. When she breathes the breath of life
back into him she gets more than she bargains for, a
passion that cannot be denied, and though she offers him
his freedom he vows to forever to be her willing servant. The saga continues with "A Rogue's Virtue" The Rogue Northlander Seanan, former thief, now Royal Guard
for the house of Lochinvar, is standing guard for the
wedding of Cassadara to Lord Yarishet (Mâkakao) when his
attention is diverted by one of the sexiest voices he's
ever heard. But when he locates the owner of the voice, he
can hardly contain his disappointment. He's been caught
lusting after the bride's sister Tranorva by what appears
to be an exquisite child. In spite of the petite stature of her heritage, the
Half-Elf Ranger Yarwyn is twice Seanan's age. Intrigued
with the
tall Barbarian shape shifter, Yarwyn asks him to dance.
Seanan soon realizes that she is no child. An embrace
reveals that she has breasts, a spin that she has pointed
ears, and a kiss the fact that she shares his lust. A
summons however reveals her status. Lately the Orcs have been acting uncharacteristically,
attacking the people of the tundra and dealing with slave
traders. The attack on Lord Yarishet's party which landed
him in the possession of the dwarf Argolyn is only one
example. Ambassador Yarwyn believes that someone else is
behind the
activity and that the Orcs are mere puppets for a greater
evil. She recommends finding the true enemy, while the
warrior Tranorva
advocates annihilating the enemy's tools. Lady Lochinvar
agrees with both sending Tranorva and her troops to
neutralize the Orcs while Yarwyn draws the more delicate
assignment of infiltrating and securing the castle of the
Orc King. For such an assignment Yarwyn wants the
assistance of only one man, the man whose measure she had
taken out on the dance floor, Seanan of the House of
Lindall the man she'd been told was the best operative in
the Rogue's Guild. A relationship between the two of them
is inevitable, if she doesn't get them both killed first. The third story is "A Sorcerer's Seduction" With the battle against the Orcs won, Tranorva a warrior
through and through must now give it all up for the world
of politics she despises. It is the duty she was born to as
the heir to house of Lochinvar. Her mother had chosen to
step down and had sent her pet Mage Shammall to inform
Tranorva. Élandine is a Fae Changeling known to to Tranorva only in
the form of Shammall, the elf she despises as much as her
new duty. He was everything she wasn't and could never be.
In a life changing moment she'd become everything he'd ever
wanted and could never have. Élandine had born to serve
and had chosen to bind himself to the House of Lochinvar.
In his centuries of life he had never taken a wife, never
loved. Élandine had been Evalayna's pawn in the War against the
Orcs, a role he would not be acknowledged for. Hopefully
his latest persona would soon become little more than a
memory. He had played the role of a villain a role that
found him now imprisoned waiting for his mistress to devise
his "escape". He wondered if this was all there was to be
of his life. For a moment when he had taken the form of the
Ranger Yarwyn he had felt her emotions. He now knew he
needed something more. The need to love and be loved
consumed him. There was only one who could fill this aching
need, Tranorva. As he had hoped Lady Lochinvar arrived to free him, but it
was a mixed blessing. Tranorva had vanished, he'd been
charged with finding her and returning her to her duty.
Failing to find her he petitioned the gods. But their aid
came with a price, mortality and a vision.......He must go
forth to Élahandara and wrest his love from the clutches of
the Dark Elves' High Priestess, Géndalaine. Will he rescue
Tranorva and in doing so save his own heart? The last tale in this installment is "A Warrior's
Pride."
At last we uncover Evalayna's story. Élandine has sacrificed himself to save Tranorva. His body
exists in a state of limbo, alive but without spirit.
Evalayna cannot bear her daughter's pain and petitions the
gods once more. Again their wisdom comes with a price.
Evalayna must be willing to face her past. She is told to take Élandine to the source of his life
along with all those she holds dear. They are to make their
pledge there to the King of the Sidhe. He alone
might grant them the gift they desire. Evalayna casts the powerful spell that is the Summons. The
Summons is heard by her son Tyrell, a mage apprenticed to
Evalayna's mother Ayailla. Ayailla is of another time, the
distance past, when technology ruled rather than magic.
Nevertheless she is a powerful mage in her own right.
Ayailla decides to join her grandson on his mother's quest. The newly wed Cassadara too hears the Summons in her sleep
and obeys. Not to be left behind her husband Mâkakao soon
follows. Evalayna's sister-son Seanan is summoned as well and is
joined by his lover Ambassador Yarwyn. Another, one thought long dead, hears the call of his mate.
Evalayna recognizes the sound of this particular grizzly.
Evalayna had been great with their third child, Cassadara,
when Roahr VinDall of the Bear Clan had gone to war. She
had not been able to follow by his side as his mage. When
he had not returned, she had known he was gone and had
agreed to a marriage in name only to Lord Lochinvar to give
her children a heritage. Roahr had not died but had been taken prisoner by the Dark
Ones. He had been liberated by the mage Shamall and told of
the death of his family. A broken man, Roahr had roamed as
a bear for three decades. Now with the scent of his mate in
the air and her Summons in his mind, the deception is at
last revealed. Is he too old to feel what a man feels? Can
he recover the love that meant more to him than life
itself? His daughter's heart is bound to the traitor mage. Will
Evalayna have to choose between her daughter's happiness
and her own? Can Tranorva's family forgive her lover's
transgressions? If so will they go forward as a unified
pack and succeed in finding a cure for Élandine? Whoever said erotic romances lack plot was dead wrong! Not
only was The Way of the Wolf steamy, it evoked the reader's
every emotion as old and new members of House Lochinvar
banded together to save their world, their lives and their
loves. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book to
find out if Élandine can be saved and what will become of
them all.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted April 1, 2007
|
