Review: Fascinating Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 26, 2012
The clever short story manages to surprise and delight by artfully spinning a web of deception that a reader easily gets caught up in. Perhaps it was the heroine's plight and her heightened level of fear, or maybe it was the sheer determination and clear purpose of her pursuer, but whatever it was, the first chapter had what it needed to capture my attention and keep it.Tannis is a young being and her internal voice held a lot of innocence and fear. She sounded sweet and pleasant in moments of calmness but she's also confused and fearful. The author wrote the heroine's POV effectively so that I had a lot of sympathy for her character.Kadin is at first, the enemy. A hunter by nature, his thoughts initially do not tell me anything different than what Tannis already knows. Imagine my surprise when I find out that he's not what the heroine was told. Yes, he hunts her, but for something totally not what the heroine expected. And that's one of the best things about this story. And some of the most confusing because the writing was so convincing, incredibly solid and well worded, the shift from killer to something else took me aback. It was so diametrically opposed to what I accepted that my brain stumbled a bit. However, I enjoyed the new direction so I happily let myself be swept away again by this new and improved version of Kadin.Another revelation that made me blink was who ended up being the real villain. After the truth was revealed, and thinking back to the beginning, it all made sense and I was miffed on the heroine's behalf. It was never made clear why she was his target initially or what the villain's eventual purpose or intent would have been had he not left but what happens after that overshadowed my curiosity.The slow dance of romance between Tannis and Kadin was tentative and gentle. There's a reason for that and a reader will understand why once they read this book for themselves. It's the `how' of it that makes this story unique. Personally, I wouldn't want to `wake up' in the condition that the sort of secondary characters are left in, but it does leave room for some spicy imaginative interpretations.The funniest part in the whole book was Kadin cooking, or, attempting to cook. The most sensual was when the truth was revealed and Kadin's version of `calming' a panicked Tannis down.Will o' the Wisp is a really cute story. It has elements of science fiction but because all the action is on Earth, it's more like a paranormal. There wasn't much time to fully explore their romance, time being on short supply for Tannis, but the author had Kadin work his courtship wiles on her until she started to trust him. Why he was willing to go to the lengths he went to was part of his charm. If a reader is looking for a book that focuses on people, their emotions and the pursuit of love then this quick read with the sweet happily ever after should do the trick. It's a nice afternoon read.Originally posted at LAS Romance Reviews