Close Quarter by Anna Zabo
Vampires, Demons, Angels, Fae people, same old same old you would say, and instead nothing was as expected. The author took the usual characters of paranormal/fantasy romance and intertwined it in a story that was a mix of romance and horror, gothic in a modern setting. The strange mix was also aided by the choice of location, a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, that helped the gothic feeling due to the “being trapped” situation but at the same time was big and modern enough to dispel the haunting and dark. BTW I have the feeling the author did know about cruises since the little details she used were quite right, at least according to my experience.
Silas is a fae with a mission; he is using a glamour to mix among the other passengers, but Rhys seems able to see beyond it; to Rhys, Silas appears with an otherworldly beauty, that is actually his real looks. But also to Silas, Rhys appears “different”, and not only since he is young and cute. There is a mystery in Rhys’s past and apparently Silas has the right answers.
The novel was starting in an “ordinary” way, two men meeting by chance, passions flaring between them, good sex and all; the fact one was a fae, wasn’t particularly exceptional, considering this is a fantasy romance. So yes, I was thinking, good story, nothing out of ordinary. And then the real danger arrives, and more than paranormal is horror, vampires eating human flesh, not only drinking blood; and Silas, the fae, wasn’t cute and pretty, he was dangerous, armed with a sword, and when wounded, he was almost pathetic, gaunt and feral. The author took elements that usually convey beautiful imaginary, and turned them into horrific details, with a mastery that is almost unsettling.
Close Quarter was a surprise and a very good debut novel.
http://www.loose-id.com/close-quarter.html
Amazon Kindle: Close Quarter
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (November 13, 2012)
Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle
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