A HEART IN SHADOWS

Review

A HEART IN SHADOWS - Emily Veinglory

Maewyn's Prophecy, Book 4

ISBN: 978-159632-264-6

January 2007

Erotic Fantasy Gay Romance - Short Story

Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England and The Unseelie World

Giffen Bourke has lived in Scott House, the outpost in Edinburgh for the Society of Fairies, for several years. The Queen of the Fey, Tania, has been trying to get Giffen to come to London House ever since her Fey seer Vavsour renounced the Seelie court and became Unseelie. Giffen wants nothing to do with the Queen, he just wants a way to change the vision he has. In his vision, Giffen is holding Archer, his good friend, in his arms, and Archer is dead. Giffen doesn't know how, but he knows that he is responsible for Archer's death.

Giffen has longed for love and the happiness that his house mates have found but has resigned himself to being alone. The only person to stir his passion in a long time is Peter, the ex-priest and mate of Veleur, the elfin warrior. But now a librarian of sorts has come to Scott House from London House to catalog the library -- and Giffen feels an almost uncontrollable attraction to the young man. But Derek Forth has been sent from the Queen and anything from the Queen is suspect. Even realizing this, Giffen cannot control the passion Derek stirs within him. But Giffen's unrelenting vision of Archer's death continues to haunt him, and he knows that if he stays with Derek, he too will be in danger. Giffen decides to go to the Queen and see if she has an answer to stopping the vision from becoming reality.

Once at the palace things become more complicated as Giffen finds himself torn between his feelings for Derek, loyalty to the Queen, and the unnatural passion he feels for an unseelie elf.

A HEART IN SHADOWS is a fascinating short story all by itself, with well drawn characters and a plot filled with danger, death and the possibility of love. However, I feel readers would be better served to read the series in order, as I was forced to deduce by the action taking place in this story, several of the continuing plot elements. I would have liked to learn more about the other characters, whose stories were told in previous books, as well as more about the world in which Giffen lives. However, even not having read the previous books in the Maewyn's Prophecy series (which I'll be doing immediately) I can recommend A HEART IN SHADOWS fully. Ms. Veinglory writes with a sensuous and often wicked pen and always entertains the reader with her sexy and often naughty characters.

Isabelle Spencer