August 19, 2013
Very little survives when worlds collide in the premier book of Robertson’s the Forbidden Side of Nightshade erotic romance trilogy (a companion series to her young adult Nightshade books, bylined Andrea Cremer). The war between the evil witches called Keepers and the valiant Searchers surrounds young Searcher Sarah and guides her life. A high-risk solo mission to discover Keeper secrets within Castle Tierney leads her to the handsome, enigmatic Tristan: Keeper, lord, and both master and prisoner of the castle. With the help of a very few friends and a great many enemies, they must learn about themselves before they can take on the war—and the world. Robertson delivers an intriguing plot that’s heavy on story and characterization, and light on spice. While the book is set in modern times, with references to Rocky Horror and blue jeans, Castle Tierney and its residents are vividly described in the most feudal and anachronistic terms, but the deliciously disconcerting blend only serves to enhance the tale. The somewhat predictable ending nevertheless stirs anticipation for the next installment. Agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management.
November 1, 2013
Sarah, a young soldier in the Witches War, is captured on a reconnaissance mission after trying to learn the secrets held in an enemy stronghold, but Tristan, the noble Keeper who lives there, is ultimately captivated by her. After centuries of fighting to overcome the Keepers, witches who have embraced Dark Magic, the Searchers have hit an impasse. When their intelligence leads them to a practically impenetrable fortress off the coast of Ireland, they send Sarah, a gifted climber, in the hopes she can scale the rocky cliffs around the castle and gather even more information on what it protects. Unfortunately, she is captured by the incubus guard and is sent to be interrogated by the nobleman who lives on the remote island. Tristan has lived a lonely existence of wealth, power and privilege, so he is more intrigued than threatened by his lovely captive. Convinced he will learn more from Sarah by gaining her trust and seducing her, both emotionally and physically, than he will by torture, he goes about treating her as an honored guest rather than a detested enemy--much to the disgust of the resident incubus and succubus, who feed on negative emotions. In the end, though, it is Tristan who is intrigued and seduced by Sarah's intelligence, courage and compassion, as well as by her egalitarian ideals--a novelty in the highly hierarchical Keeper society. After Tristan falls in love with Sarah, he must decide between the only world he's ever known and the specter of freedom and love he glimpses through Sarah's eyes. YA best-selling author Andrea Cremer expands her Nightshade series under the pseudonym A.D. Robertson and adds a sexual edge to the storytelling. With a Gothic, old-world sensibility mixed with modern characters, Robertson has created a bewitched fairy-tale arc complete with ancient prophecies, star-crossed lovers, a magical war and a full spectrum of enchanted creatures, and she's introduced a well-built, spellbinding world that will captivate paranormal romance fans. Engaging and intense--though with sexual overtones that never quite bridge into the eroticism it hints at--the book is an intriguing, sexy read.
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September 1, 2013
Sworn enemies. Forbidden romance. A prophecy. This novel, set in the world of the young-adult Nightshade series, has all of the familiar fantasy tropes, but the erotic content is not for teens (and is, in fact, written under a pseudonym). Twenty-five-year-old Tristan has been holed away on an island, protected from the outside world due to his sacred lineage: he is a descendant of the original line of Keepers, or witches who practice dark magic. Sarah is a Searcher, fighting to close witches off from the human world, who is captured during a reconnaissance mission to Tristan's Irish estate. But instead of dungeons and holds, Sarah is given free reinunder the watchful eye of Guardian wolf shape-shiftersand, as she and Tristan probe one another for information, it's basically a form of foreplay. Of course they're not supposed to get together, but let's just say that if castles could steam, this one would. With the series starter mostly establishing conflicts to come, fans will be anticipating greater threats related to the Witches War in book two.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)
May 15, 2013
The author of the New York Times best-selling YA "Nightshade" series goes adult with a novel limning the illicit relationship between the powerful Tristan Doran, a descendant of the Keepers--witches who went to the dark side--and a human Searcher named Sarah.
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.