E-Book Review: "Tanaquill" by Akalle

Tanaquill is a fairy princess who is betrothed to a fairy prince whom she despises. She pays a visit to the human realm to get away from her fears and depression over her impending nuptials. Shortly after her arrival, she attends a party and meets a Shapeshifter, who may (or may not) be one of the last of his kind. He is desperately seeking a female Shapeshifter for a mate. He mistakes Tanaquill for just that. She succumbs to his power and animal sexuality. Danger, adventure, self-revelation and some very interesting inhuman sex ensue.

There is a Quest in which Tanaquill and Gavin travel into a coven of witches to liberate an amulet in order to lift a spell that has afflicted her cousin ... with all the creepiness, danger and drama you could want from such a quest into darkness.

This book totally seduced me. It drew me into a strange world inhabited by humans, inhumans and some creatures whose exact species is ambiguous. The story takes place in 19th Century aristocratic England,  where human reality encounters the realms of fairies, witches, and other inhumans.  There's more graphic sex than I typically like in a romance, but the copulation of a fairy and a Shapeshifter made for such imaginative and interesting tactile experiences I didn't even skip the sex scenes as I tend to do most of the time.

The characters are compelling.  Tanaquill is almost a perfect fairy princess, with the added twist of raging hormones (I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I haven't run across such a sexy fairy before). Gavin may be a Shapeshifter with all kinds of weird powers, but he stands in the classic line of dark and possibly dangerous romantic heroes, such as Mr. Rochester.  Tanaquill's cousins are delightfully upper-crust British old maids, who just happen to be witches. It's darker than I would have expected for a "fairy" tale, but the tone is perfect for the story, which is driven largely by Gavin's quest for a mate of his own kind.

I recommend it. 


This book is available here on  Smashwords. The author's website is here.