Caress of Pleasure, an offering by the 1001 Dark Nights books
is the latest in the Dark Pleasures series by Julie Kenner, the loved and lost
and found again story of Dante - a brother of the Phoenix - and Brenna, a
human. Not being familiar with the world
that Kenner had created to accommodate the immortal brotherhood, though of
course they live here on earth, I found myself a bit lost. I didn’t really know the rules, so to speak. And this vehicle couldn’t give it to me;
being a novella it didn’t have the space.
I had no real feeling for the enemy, the Fuerie. Yes they attack and they’re anything but nice
but in this episode they seem more a last moment device to add drama where
really there wasn’t any. Having no real tension build
up for the break-in at Folsom's apartment, and no fear roused for the brother’s safety in this
endeavor or even for Merrick, the poor soul trapped in the brooch, the Fuerie’s
sudden insertion, from out of nowhere, it seems, though two of the immortals
were supposed to be able to see their enemies whereabouts, fell a bit flat for
me. Given no explanation as to how the
enemy sneaked up on them unanticipated didn’t help either.
I did however like both the protagonists. The differing narration from first to third person
between Dante’s and Brenna’s point of view made my heart sink when I first
started reading (I’m not really a big fan), but overall I feel Ms Kenner pulled
it off admirably, and I did want to know them more. And therein lay the biggest issue. The book was too short for the dynamic of the
story, the metamorphosis from devastated, shattered-heart lover to falling
madly in love all over again was too quick.
There was too little time given to Brenna to get over her anger, her
hurt and find forgiveness for the fact Dante had walked so inextricably away
thirteen years before without him really having to do anything… one glass of
martini to his face and then she couldn’t help herself but want to bed him even if it was apparently just to prove she was over him. It needed more… more time, more story, more
reality...more…
Starting with the last book written in a series from an
author you’ve never read before, however, is probably the wrong way to go about
it. So I’m not giving up. I liked Kenner’s style, prose, people and my
interest is piqued. I will definitely
start at the beginning of the Dark Pleasures series and see how I get on.
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Sydney Whyte
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