Hold on to your reading glasses, because this book is INTENSE!
Inspiration…
Inspiration is a crazy beast. A writer can find it in the middle of nowhere, listening to a news blip on Animal Planet, reading a post on Jezebel about a thug of a boyfriend or when just sitting in a chair, watching BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER while nursing a temperature of 103 and guzzling cold meds.
I should know.
I’ve been driving down the road in the middle of nowhere and had an idea attack me.
Animal Planet was on, talking about a girl who’d been kidnapped and a pride of lions chased away her attackers and surrounded her until police found her—and an idea attacked me.
I was reading the Jezebel post about a guy who was whining about how his ‘idea’ to have an open relationship backfired when his girlfriend starts getting more dates than he did…and yep…an idea attacked me.
And the idea for my GRIMM’S CIRCLE series happened when I was high on cold meds and dealing with a raging fever, watching the Hansel and Gretel episode of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.
The episode inspired CANDY HOUSES and here I am, seven books later, getting ready to wrap up what’s been one of the most fun series I’ve ever written.
I’ve always enjoyed twisting up fairy tales and folklore.
I retold Gretel’s story—and Hansel was there, too, but he was an evil thing and died fast. I gave Cinderella a spin and she had a prince who had to chase after her for a couple of centuries. I did a retelling of one of the older Rapunzel tales, too. There were a few others who weren’t fairy tales, but if you want to know who they are, you’d have to read their stories.
I’m on book eight now. FURIOUS FIRE releases in November and it’s all about Finn, the troublemaker of the series. He’s handy with firearms and fires…and he’s got one mission. Kill a lot of demons before one of them finally gets him.
Fate gets in the way, as fate usually does.
A snippet…
Please keep in mind only registered guests are allowed—
Finn knocked the sign out of the way as he set down a glass of water, along with a bowl, some towels.
Will eyed the sign after it landed on the floor and sighed before looking back at the woman.
She still had her face averted. She wasn’t asleep. Finn wanted her to look at him, but she was in pain. Besides, that sort of fascination with human females never led to good things. Every woman who’d ever interested him had died—usually in a bloody, horrid way. Thus the reason he tended to seek out women who were only vaguely appealing. In the dark, he could close his eyes and pretend anybody with a soft, lush body was Becky.
The woman gasped and he jerked his head up, saw that she’d arched her neck, gritting her teeth.
Will had her shirt open.
Smooth, tawny skin, a warm smooth gold, was mottled with bruises over her ribs.
And he was a monster, because even with those bruises, he found himself eyeing the way her high, firm breasts strained against her bra. Small, but full… Okay, even in the dark, he couldn’t pretend she was Becky.
But damn if he didn’t find himself wanting to get horizontal with her anyway.
Once she was healed up.
Quick. Fast. Anonymous.
“Shit, that…hurts!” Another gasp ripped out of her and unwittingly Finn moved closer.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Will shot him a dark look. “My gates aren’t meant for humans. It almost killed her. There’s damage to her liver, one of her kidneys, her heart is bruised and she’s got bleeding in her lungs.” Will curled his lip as he looked back at her. “I think you also broke several bones, but those are the least of my concern. It’s a miracle you didn’t crush your brain like a grape.”
Ignoring the last part, Finn snapped, “If it’s that dangerous, why’d you bring her through? Why the fuck is she even here? Didn’t you get the something is messed up part of my message?”
“I got it. Loud and clear.” Will’s face was tight. “For the record, I didn’t exactly bring her.”
“You didn’t bring her? Then what…” His words trailed off and he looked from the pale angel to the woman on the bed. Despite her injuries, despite the shallow way she breathed, Finn still knew what he was looking at. Sleek form, toned muscle. And the way Will had cataloged her injuries yet all she’d done was make a few soft noises as he assessed the damage? Yeah, okay.
“Please tell me that a mortal got the drop on you.”
A muscle pulsed in Will’s jaw and he turned his head from Finn to look up at the woman. “Have you ever meditated?” he asked, completely ignoring Finn.
She flicked a look toward Finn, her chocolate brown gaze wary and then she looked back. “Yeah.”
“She did,” Finn said, amusement rising up inside him.
“Boy, be quiet,” Will bit off. “She’s injured and we don’t tend to travel with first-aid kits or narcotics so it’s not like I can give her medicine to make this easier.”
“Oh, suc…” He almost bit his tongue to keep the words behind his teeth. It had been too long since he’d spent much time around women but he’d been born in a time when a man just didn’t talk in a certain manner around a female and that bred-in trait was still there, deep inside. “Spare me,” he said, feeling something hot and red creep up his neck. Immediately, he clamped his body under control. One thing this life was good for—he might be embarrassed over a slip of the tongue, but he could keep the response from showing. “You can heal her, half the people in this town from whatever minor ailments, and still rattle my brains in my skull if you so desired. You don’t need silence.”
Will shot him a dagger of a glare. “She isn’t me and as I can’t dull all the pain, meditation might help.”
Immediately, shame slammed into him and Finn backed away. Turning his back, he said, “I’m sorry…” he wracked his brain for her name and realized he didn’t know it. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. Go on, Will. I’ll behave.”
“As if you know how,” Will muttered.
About Shiloh Walker:
Shiloh Walker is an award-winning writer…yes, really! She’s also a mom, a wife, a reader and she pretends to be an amateur photographer. She published her first book in 2003. Her newest series, Secrets and Shadows, launched in April 2014. Look for the newest book Deeper than Need, to be followed by Sweeter than Sin and Darker than Desire.
She writes romantic suspense, contemporary and paranormal romance, and urban fantasy under the name J.C. Daniels.
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About FURIOUS FIRE:
The Grimm are coming to an end…the second to last book
He is the love of all her lives…
Grimm’s Circle, Book 8
Thomas Finn, troublemaker, gunslinger, guardian angel…loner. More than a hundred and fifty years ago, he was shot in the back then brought back to life just in time to watch a demon masquerading as his best friend kill the love of his life.
Now, as a Grimm, he satisfies his need for vengeance hunting down demons like the ones that took Rebecca from him. His mission: kill as many as he can, then, when the time comes, go down in a blaze of glory. But with each kill, he comes closer to a line no angel should cross.
Her name was Rebecca. Then it was Tilly. Then Ada. Now, Kallypso. She’s lived so many lives, she can’t even remember when or why it started. All she knows is, she’s always searching for a man with golden eyes that make her burn. And when she finds him—as she always does—she knows that spark of joy means she’s only seconds away from death…again.
This time will be no different…unless something breaks the cycle once and for all.
Warning: Contains the Groundhog Day of star-crossed lovers, a pissed-off guardian angel, a demon-hunter with an axe to grind, and the battle to end all battles. Be warned…there’s pain ahead in this book. Oh, and that HEA finally happens. For these two, anyway.
This will be the second to the last in the Grimm series…make sure you read it…you’ll want to see how it all comes down…
Review:
Oh my goodness, this book takes you on one wild ride! (Note to self: try not to leave the MOST INTENSE PART OF A GRIMM’S CIRCLE BOOK for your lunch break, especially when said lunch break is scheduled to end smack dab in the middle of that part! It’s a miracle I survived until my afternoon fifteen minute one.)
I’m new to the series, but once the story got rolling it immediately drew me right in. It did take me a bit longer to figure out who everyone was–an issue that people who’ve been with the series all along obviously won’t have–but I was able to jump into the world that Ms. Walker has created here fairly quickly, all things considered.
Naturally, I’m now on fire (respectful nod to Finn, the hottest hero out there 😉 ) to read the rest of the books in the series–fairy tale/paranormal mashups? Yes, please!–and maybe that will keep me distracted enough to not obsess overmuch about when book nine is going to be available.
Because after reading this one, you’re going to need book nine to come out. Soon. Our main couple in this book, Finn and Kalypso/Rebecca (best heroine name ever, IMHO) get to a happy-for-now (barring disaster in the next book), but the stars of book nine are left in limbo.
Literally.
There are so many neat things about this book–finding out what famous characters our hero and heroine inspired, the tragic “Groundhog Day” existence that their love life has been so far, the fantastic world of the Grimm’s Circle characters, the epic battle the entire Circle has to engage in, and the amazing sacrifices these characters are willing to make to save those they care about and oh yeah, the whole world–honestly, I could go on about it for days.
But I won’t–because I’m not going to give any of it away. You’ll have to read it for yourself…next week, on its release day. 😉
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
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