Alexi Blake

I was thrilled to get a copy of this ARC, especially when I learned that Patricia Eddy's included novella would be a follow-up to her recent novel, Twisted Captive. My initial review is for her novella alone, with an update below after having read the anthology.

Crowned Torment opens with Kat, a human in the human realm, unhappily seeking an artifact for the demanding boss of a video game company. Of course, said artifact is cursed, binds itself to the unsuspecting woman, and somehow transports her to the realm of the Fae.

Adrian, the son of the former king, is slowly healing from the centuries of magical torment and imprisonment that he faced at his father's hands. He stumbled across Kat, saves her life in one harrowing moment, and then finds himself drawn to both her and the mystery of her curse.

Though from different worlds and both struggling with the ill-effects of magic, they must come together to break the curse and put a stop to the forces behind it - and see if they can walk away from each other at the end.

I enjoyed Twisted Captive, and this novella was a great sequel to its events. We got to see how Adrian fared after his release, and meeting Kat gave him purpose he desperately needed, both in finding a reason to heal himself and to take a place back amongst the Fae. The chemistry ad pull between him and Kat was immediate and fierce, which is nothing less than I'd expect from any of Patricia Eddy's stories.

Updated to add:

The anthology as a whole has a great mix of stories, and it has definitely led me to look into a couple of the other authors' works as a result. Overall, a great read, with something for everyone to enjoy.… (meer)