Reviewed by Maria
Xandra James is a new writer for me. This novel is both a paranormal and an erotic romance. The world this writer has created is disturbingly vivid. Probably close to the truth as well. The premise is that there is another world, the meta world, alongside the physical world. Cerys, a moon witch, escaped from the meta world many moons ago, where her power was being abused. She lives a quiet life. Problem is, she's captured by Luca, a real bit of rough, albeit an attractive one. Luca's a bounty hunter, sent out by the evil fae guard, who seem to be the police force of the meta world. As Luca handcuffs Cerys and drags her away so he can claim the reward, the unlikely couple find themselves being pursued through the night by demonic forces. Luckily, Cerys has a filial relationship with the moon and can call up help from there and get a recharge of moon energy. This keeps them a step ahead of their pursuers every time. Then something strange happens. The pair realise that Luca too is being pursued. Now why would that be? As Cerys finds herself more and more drawn to her captor, her heart sinks. She recognizes that long back, before she escaped from the meta world, she was forced to use her powers to banish Luca from there. Luca is falling heavily for Cerys, but what will he think when he realises the role she played in his banishment?
It is the paranormal rather than the erotic which plays the dominant role in this paranormal, erotic romance. For a couple, supposedly of supernatural origin, Luca and Cerys have absolutely no problem getting down and dirty. This is not sex with a supporting cast of four poster beds, orchestral violins and lavish, extravagant flower arrangements. This is more sort of back alley sex, with a wall and a couple of dustbins for support, in all it's squishy, squashy glory. Since Luca handcuffed Cerys from the moment they met and she fell for him anyway, it comes as absolutely no surprise to learn that Cerys enjoys spanking and bondage games. But the harrassed lovers have no time to indulge in such luxuries now. Should they succeed in riding off into the sunset, the readers may get an opportunity to witness that particular sexual extravaganza (if Luca and Cerys are willing to share and the readers consent to be the audience) in a sequel, but right now, there are a couple of demons to bump off.
This writer has an unusual voice for a woman. She did the male viewpoint so well that I often felt that the voice was 'blokey' enough to be a male. She has an enjoyable sense of humour which had me giggling at times. Particularly the part where Cerys's bottom gets caught in a toilet window as she's trying to escape and Luca gets a chance to have a quick shag. Well, he would have if a demon hadn't interrupted him right then. I felt their pain, believe me.
My verdict? It was fun! With a few chills added.
Published by Siren Publishing.
This novel is the first in the Moon Magic series. You can grab your copy here, or here if you are in the UK.
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