Product Description

With the charm and accessibility of a fairytale, C. L. Wilson tells the Cinderella romance of a simple woodcarver's daughter whose dreams come true when she is claimed as the truemate of a powerful fey lord and discovers passion and magic can be dangerous bedfellows.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34261 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 402 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780843959772
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
This fantasy-romance debut features faerie king Rain Tairen Soul, a man tormented by age-old grief: a thousand years ago, the woman he loved was slain in battle, and in his rage he laid waste to half the world. Now his people are dying out and the evil mages of Eld are rising again. When Rain hears the call of his lost soul mate, Ellysetta, he journeys to the neighboring kingdom to find her; when he claims a woodcarver's daughter as his mate, he scandalizes the nobility of her country and rouses the interest of Eld's wicked wizards, who come seeking her in order to get at Rain. The first book in a series, much of this volume is devoted to establishing the characters and their world, at the expense of plot. Though the extended courtship between Rain and Ellysetta can grow tedious, the story moves well enough to hold readers' interest and draw them into the sequel (due in November), which should advance the plot significantly. A promising start, this series should have great appeal for fans of fantasy and will likely reward romance readers for whom patience is not a problem. (Oct.)
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Customer Reviews

Engrossing new read
I was really anticipating this book and wasn't disappointed in the least. When I received the book, I had that same excited feeling that I'd get when a new Christine Feehan book would come. Just the synopsis made me feel that Wilson was onto something new & exciting.

At some points in the book, I could feel the dread building in me--waiting for the author to use the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING card or have something horrible happen to the h/h just to further the plot. I can quite happily say that Wilson resisted this impulse and instead gave me a story that was uplifting & engrossing, but not sugary-sweet. The interactions between the h/h were believable & intense. I like that the author showed the heroine's vulnerability regarding the hero's past marriage. If she hadn't addressed this, I would've wondered.

I would agree with another reviewer who said that they would be put this in the fantasy category, rather than paranormal romance. While it is definitely a romance, it has plenty of elements that would make this "acceptable" to those who avoid romances.

I can't wait for the next book, and I am overjoyed that I won't have to wait a year for it. Kudos to this new author, and here's hoping that we see plenty of books from her in the future!

Absolutely dazzling story from a new voice in fantasy romance
Rainier vel'En Daris Feyreisen, the Tairen Soul, King of the Fading Lands, and Defender of the Fey has got to do something to save his people. There is only one fertile female tairen, and her offspring are dying inside their eggs. His people are dying, his land is barren, and there is nothing he can do about it. Desperate for a cure, Rain seeks out one of the more powerful Fey objects, a magical crystal called the Eye of Truth. After punishing him for having the audacity to seek answers from such a holy object, the Eye tells Rain that she salvation of his people and himself lies in a land called Celieria and shows him the image of a red-haired, green-eyed girl. Though he hates that cursed land since it reminds him of love lost and battles fought long ago, Rain decides to accompany Marissya, the only remaining female Fey, on her trip to Celieria in the hopes of finding the girl and saving his people.

Ellysetta Baristani is the peasant daughter of a woodcarver in Celieria. She is not the biological child of this family, but they found her in the woods and raised her as their own. Ellie has never felt that she was anything but a full member of the Baristani family, even though there is a darkness inside her that she struggles to contain. When it is learned that the Tairen Soul is coming to Celieria, Ellie's younger twin sisters ask her to accompany them to the ceremony. No one has seen the King of the Fey in more than a thousand years, and Ellie acquiesces to her sister's demands. In the crowded mass of people gathered to see the visiting Fey, one of Ellie's sisters is injured. When she kisses her sister's wound to make it better, the spark of magic between them calls the Tairen Soul from the sky and changes Ellie's life forever...

As the Fey king, Rain will sacrifice anything for his people, and once he meets Ellie and learns that she is his truemate, he will do anything to protect her as well. These two barely even hook up, but the romantic tension was palpable and the passion between them was evident at every turn. Ellysetta is just a sweet, simple country girl who just wants to be happy. She never aspired to be a queen, let alone the wife of most powerful Fey alive. She has no idea the power that she wields and instead just wants to find happiness with Rain and live a simple life. But of course that's not going to happen. There are dark forces who wish to do her harm, and those who think that the Fey king deserves better than a peasant Celierian.

I read a lot of books--romance, fantasy, paranormal, literary fiction. I cannot remember the last time I have been so utterly dazzled by storytelling. C.L. Wilson's magical world is the best of all genres. The fantastical Fey with their tairen souls (tairen are winged cat-like creatures that can fly), the dark Eld who wield sorcery in an attempt to wrest control from the Fey and dim their Light, the stunning royal court with its mystery and intrigue--this book has something for all readers. I don't know what else to say except to pick up Lord of the Fading Lands when you have hours to spare because you won't want to put it down. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Lady of Light and Shadows.

Hey men! This one is for fans of Fantasy too!
"His Esteemed Majesty, Rainier vel'En Daris Feyreisen, the Tairen Soul, King of the Fading Lands, Defender of the Fey." With an introduction such as this, everyone knows that the Fey king is a force to be reckoned with. Unlike most of the Fey, Rain can call upon more than one elemental magic; he can call upon all of them. Rain knew love once, but it died along with all his gentler feelings at the Battle of Eadmond's Field, where his mate, Sariel, had breathed her last. At Sariel's death, the Tairen within him broke free and Rain succumbed to the Wilding Rage. Rain had shapeshifted into his Tairen form, a ferocious black feline with glowing purple eyes and long wings, and nearly destroyed the world in a rage of Tairen flame. That happened a thousand years ago. Since then Rain has lived in the Fading Lands, self exiled.

The Fey and the Tairen races are dying. Rain risks his life to ask the Eye of Truth how to save them from extinction. The Eye finally answers. The key to their salvation rests in the mortal city of Celieria. Only to save his people would Rain return to Celieria. The Truthspeaker, Lady Marissya, leaves the Fading Lands for her annual trek to Celieria the next day. Rain goes with her and their Fey warror escorts. Before they even reach the human king and queen, Rain's instincts react, revealing his Truemate. (A Truemate is the one person who holds the other half of a Fey's soul.) Truemates are the equal of each other. Most Fey never locate their Truemates. A Tairen Soul, such as Rain, has NEVER had one ... until now.

Ellysetta "Ellie" Baristani is the eldest daughter of a master woodcarver. No one can understand how such a lowly girl, much less a mortal, could possibly be the Truemate of a Tairen Soul. Ellie has also been betrothed to Den Brodson, a man she loathes. Rain must somehow legally break the engagement to claim Ellie as his mate. She is the rightful Queen of the Fey. Then Ellie must willingly (and unconsciously) accept their magical bond. Otherwise Rain will die, along with the Fey and Tairen races. Should this happen, there would be nothing to stand in the way of the evil Elden mages and the human race would be doomed to soul-binding slavery.

***** The spine of this book says the genre is Paranormal Romance; however, I am here to tell you that this title is in the Fantasy genre. Men, do not let this series pass you by. This series will enthrall you, even against your will. (Just ask my husband!) The second title, "Lady of Light and Shadows", is due out within thirty days of this book's release. The two are a complete story. Yet enough is left open for more books in the series, should the author decide to continue it. I, for one, sincerely hope so. I cannot recommend this story highly enough! OUTSTANDING! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.