The Lady of the Storm
Author: Kathryne Kennedy
Release Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks
The Elven Lords #2
ISBN: #978-1402236532
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (416 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
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About the book:
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Giles is bound to protect her…
In a kingdom viciously ruled by warlike elven lords, village blacksmith Giles Beaumont reluctantly swears to protect the half-elf, half-human Cecily Sutton, never dreaming that he will fall under her enchanting spell.
But duty soon turns to desire…
When Cecily’s father disappears, Cecily and Giles set out to find him. But, as their journey unfolds, duty is quickly replaced by desire–and the search for Cecily’s father leads to a magical destiny that could end the rule of the elven lords forever …
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What I’m talking about:
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I picked up this book because I absolutely enjoyed Ms. Kennedy’s Beneath the Thirteen Moons (review HERE), and I thought this was a follow up to that book. Well, my mistake, it’s the second book in a different series – The Elven Lords – but I still enjoyed reading it! And I’ll tell you right up front, you do NOT need to read the first book, The Fire Lord’s Lover, to enjoy The Lady of the Storm.
In the prologue, we learn that long ago seven elves opened the gate between Elfhame and the human world, divided England into seven sovereign territories, and treated the humans as their personal slaves. They mated with humans, creating hybrid humans with magical powers; however if a child showed any potential magic that could be used to defeat one of the elven lords, the child was destroyed. This brings us to our heroine, Cecily.
Cecily is the half-human daughter of Lord Breden of Dewhame, one of the elven lords, but she has been hidden from her father and protected by the Rebellion for her entire life. When Lord Breden’s armies attack Cecily’s village, she is forced to use her powerful water magic to defeat the soldiers.
Giles Beaumont has a bit of elven in him as well. He is a loyal member of the Rebellion who as played the village blacksmith for 9 years while secretly protecting Cecily. When she uses her powers, Giles reveals his true identity to Cecily, and they leave at once to find out what happened to Cecily’s adoptive father (and fellow Rebellion member).
Ms. Kennedy does a marvelous job generating a fanciful rewrite of Georgian England, integrating her own creations into this historical setting. The combination of the fae-based mythology and the English countryside made for a delightful read. Although a little predictable at times, the story was exciting and adventurous.
Cecily and Giles have great passion for one another, each hiding it from the other for many years. Due to circumstances, neither were willing to express his/her true desires until Giles thinks he has lost Cecily forever. Once this happens, their passion ignites and they are ready to marry and live happily ever after. I have to admit I was a bit put off by their sudden and immediate attitude changes, but I suppose since they had all those years of unrequited love, they were ready to explode.
Of course, things don’t go so smoothly and the pair have to deal with many hurdles to find peace. Giles “sacrifices” his love for Cecily when he feels her future is doomed with him… doing what he feels is best for her (even though she disagrees). I’m never a big fan of this type storyline; however, I like that although Cecily realizes what is going on, she continues on with her life rather than trying to continually change Giles’ mind.
The hero and heroine finally reconcile near the conclusion, and the story picks up pace to climax with a fairly exciting scene involving a dragon. As the story ended, I felt like there was unfinished business for both our main couple and a few minor characters that were introduced within the story. I hope that Giles and Cecily have a future helping the rebellion and would like to know what happens next. I look forward to read the next book in the series, The Lord of Illusion, coming February 2012.
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My Rating:
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Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)
I *heart* the writing voice of kathryne kennedy and can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on my copy. The dragon peeks my interest, wondering if its the same dragon as from the first book in this series…
Leontine: I agree, Ms. Kennedy has a wonderful voice and I enjoy her mythologies. I didn’t read the first Elven Lord title, but I’m looking forward to the next.
I will have to check out Kathryne Kennedy! This actually sounds like a wonderful read and I went to refresh my memory on the other series. I think both sound right up my alley!
This book sounds wonderful. I think I’ll try to look for the first and second books of this series. Thanks for this great review.