Reviewed by Monique
Daoust
Lord Callum Lyon has many secrets and has more or less
lived as a recluse for a very, very long time. He's an
author of books on astrology, and while at a book signing
in Scotland where he was born and still he resides,
Callum notices a beautiful young woman: she's Lady
Vanessa Bentley, dubbed "Madam Butterfly" by the media
because no man has ever caught her. Callum wants her,
albeit mostly for only a fling, he tends to keep to
himself and shuns romantic entanglements because of past
relationships gone very wrong.
Lady Vanessa is far from being the poor little rich girl
Callum first assumes her to be: she does not sit on her
noble laurels, she is dedicated to several causes and is
a working woman. Her meeting Callum is far from
accidental: before flying to New Orleans where a position
as a paranormal investigator awaits her, Vanessa has come
to Scotland to verify if the rumours are correct: is
there a vampire lurking about Castle Barrogill, Callum's
home?
Nina Mason is known for the thoroughness of her research,
and STARRY KNIGHT is no exception; whether it concerns
Scotland's history, past and present, or paranormal lore,
the author went above and beyond. Callum is a very
complex character, and Ms. Mason has built a whole
paranormal world to explain his present state. STARRY
KNIGHT is fiction albeit solidly based on historical
facts, mythology, astrology, sprinkled with smidgeons of
British literature and local dialect to embellish a
sweeping story of politics, the supernatural and love.
I found STARRY KNIGHT has quite a gothic feel, which
pleases me immensely, and Vanessa and Callum make a very
interesting couple. They are well matched, even though
Vanessa is a tad jaded, Callum is a delightfully romantic
hero, but their relationship is fraught with ambushes,
and they recognise that what they have is worth giving it
a try even though they will both have to make quite a few
compromises.
Nina Mason is an exceptionally talented writer, whose
lush and vivid prose is just as well suited to the modern
world as it is to foregone eras, which happily merge to
some extent in STARRY KNIGHT. The first book in the
The Knights of Avalon series, STARRY KNIGHT features
mostly Vanessa and Callum, but also serves as an
introduction to what promises to be a very exciting
series; there are no cliff-hangers but there are numerous
avenues still left to explore. STARRY KNIGHT is a
romantic and sexy tale for the discerning paranormal
aficionado who appreciates to be enlightened along with
thrills, chills, and sizzles.
Nina Mason is a hopeful romantic with strong affinities for history, mythology, and the
metaphysical. She strives to write the same kind of books she loves to read: those that
entertain,
edify, educate, and enlighten.
She has four books out at present and two more on pre-order. Her current releases are, in order
of
publication: The Queen of Swords, a darkly erotic Scottish paranormal romance/urban fantasy; The
Tin Man, a political thriller; and Devil in Duke's Clothing and The Duke's Bedeviled Bride, books
one and two in an erotic historical series titled Royal Pains.
The two books on pre-order are part of a new paranormal romance series titled The Knights of
Avalon. The series combines Arthurian legend, Celtic mythology, and Scottish history to tell the
story of four mortals taken by the faeries after falling in battle. The Knights of Avalon are the
breeding drones of the legendary sorceress Morgan Le Fay. The series will be published starting
in
August by Lyrical/Kensington.
Ms. Mason, born and raised in Southern California, currently lives with her family in Woodstock,
Georgia.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Blog
Can these star-crossed lovers bridge two worlds?
British aristocrat Vanessa Bentley has beauty, fame, and fortune, but she gets no respect for her
decision to become a paranormal investigator. Determined to prove the naysayers wrong, Vanessa
ventures to the misty moors of Caithness, Scotland. There stands the immense Castle Barrogill,
where a vampire is rumored to be stalking the dungeons—a vampire Vanessa is determined to find.
She’ll just have to get past the resident shape-shifter…
Callum Lyon is the gorgeous reclusive astrologer and faery knight who guards the castle. For
free-
spirited Vanessa, seducing him proves to be easy. After all, he was once a breeding drone to a
Queen. But astrologically, their differences are harder to overcome. Will Vanessa’s mission—and
Callum’s secrets—be more than their burgeoning love can take? Or will flesh—and blood—win over
the
ghosts that haunt them both? ….
2 comments posted.
This isn't my normal genre, but the story line has me intrigued. I'll have to give the book a try, and perhaps I'll be hooked!! It sounds as if there's enough action, along with the love scenes, to make this quite an exciting read to round out my Summer reading. Thank you for stopping by to let us know about it!!
(Peggy Roberson 11:22am July 24, 2015)