MASQUERADE OF THE CURSED KING - Vanessa Gilfoy
Torrid Tarot: Five of Cups
Ellora's Cave - www.ellorascave.com
ISBN: 978-1-41991-276-4
December 2007
Rating: S-ensuous
Erotic Fantasy Romance

Valetta and Damien Pass, Biston - 9544 AR (Alternate Universe)

Eleanor is trying to run away from her parents so she can go to a far away university to study. This is mainly an excuse because, five years earlier, her friend and teen love, King Erick Duran, rejected her. She has not seen him since that time and now he has returned.  Eleanor is a hybrid, elven and human, and gives off pheromones that attract most males so much that they want to mate with her. Erick is among them. Eleanor would do anything to be with Erick but instead she is cruel to him. She is most upset because he tends to have late night orgies and sleeps with every woman, just not with her.

Erick can’t believe the change that has come over his “Ellie.” Eleanor is rude, snaps at her parents, and can hardly talk without sneering at him. But her scent makes Erick go crazy for her touch and, every chance he gets, he tries to rub against her or kiss her. Eleanor won’t fall for his charms and, as the winter approaches, she will reside in one of the castle rooms, since hybrids like her will die in freezing temperatures. This is also an excuse for Erick to watch over her.

One night, Eleanor walks into one of Erick’s royal orgies and decides she will take part in the festivities, hoping to finally be with Erick. With the help of her maid, Meagan, Eleanor dons a mask and goes by the name of Violet Glass. Soon Erick forgets all the other women and takes Violet as his lover. Even though she continues to wear her mask, he feels that she is his bonded and the love he has been waiting for. But the lies and mistrust continue to put a toll on Eleanor. Erick can’t decide who he wants; either his secret lover, Violet, or Eleanor, who constantly sets him on edge.

Vanessa Gilfoy has written a fairytale-like story with kings and queens and elves and demons. You may not find the typical happily ever after, but a more sexually charged and darker one. Erick and Eleanor are two such characters that I felt needed to grow up and get over past hurts they had done to one another. And it doesn’t help matters that Erick is torn between two women who are actually one and the same. I also find it funny that Erick fell in love with Violet right away and had no clue that she was Eleanor in disguise because, at one point, he had sex with Eleanor multiple times as Violet and as herself.

There is also an underlying plot about Erick’s mother, Marilyn, who is locked in a tower and is only seen by her lover and Erick’s Uncle Phil. Plus, Erick has to contend with Riley, another suitor for Eleanor, and of course those enemies of his who are trying to kill him and take over his kingdom.

MASQUERADE OF THE CURSED KING has some uncomfortable moments and you truly will wonder if Erick and Eleanor will end up together and finally happy. At least with the intense passion they share, I know their future relationship will be an interesting one in and out of bed. MASQUERADE OF THE CURSED KING may not be a winner to my reading tastes but, for others, the world of Biston and these fantastical creatures may be just the right story to get lost in.

Kate Garrabrant