by Amanda V. Shane
5 Sheep
January 30, 2019
204 pages
Odile is an orphan living in the shadows. A virtual prisoner, Odile dodges the abuse of her owl sorcerer step-father by clinging to darkness and seeking refuge in their castle’s underground labyrinth. She’s a silent witness to the dark magic woven by her cruel benefactor, Rothebart. His harrowing creations, while swans who transform into seemingly mindless maidens, both entrance and haunt the young Odile. Rothebart eventually thrusts Odile from the shadows into the cold light to participate in a merciless plot to gain ultimate domination. But when the plot unravels, Rothebart flees leaving the Odile to take the fall. Odile receives a tenuous reprieve in rescuer Azarus, a terrifyingly powerful magi who pursues both Rothebart, and Odile, for his own ends.
Odile is the second installment in Shane’s Enchanted Lands series. Enchanted Lands is a reimagined fairy tale anthology series where the books are thematically and stylistically linked, but standalone. I was absolutely captivated by Odile from start to finish. Odile’s transformation is heartbreakingly beautiful as is her connection to Azarus. Shane’s enchanted landscapes are imaginative and rich. The storyline is creative and whimsical.
Odile combines fairy tale, romance, historical fiction, action, and even mystery. The storyline jockeys between time and place and creates a delicious tension throughout. The romantic relationship between Odile and Azarus is a book highlight, eclipsing the book’s major showdown with Rothebart, the story’s big-bad.
I look forward to a third installment in this series and anxiously await where Shane’s imagination will lead. The first book in the series, Snow Maiden, was another outstanding read, with the same stellar attributes.
Review: Snow Maiden (Enchanted Lands Romance)
Pale, cold mistress of the serpent’s lair, blood red lips and coal black hair…
Enter the world of the Black Swan, a dark and seductive tale where things are not always as they seem. Odile is the reviled villainess of Aarroughac, a castle inhabited by the evil wizard, Count Rothebart. After a sinister magic sweeps through the land and results in death, Odile is accused of the crime. Von Rothebart vanishes, leaving her to face the wrath of an entire kingdom alone until a mysterious stranger with powers of his own comes along.
With vengeance as his guide, Lord Azarus di Caspari hunts an ancient curse. When he crosses paths with the Black Swan of legend, he immediately makes up his mind to use the temptress’s magic for his own devices. But when Azarus learns that the story of the sorceress might not be true, disappointment gives way to desire. Spells are cast and secrets are revealed, but can love exist in the shadow of two dark hearts such as theirs?
Are the tales of the Black Swan true? Is she a murderess and an evil sorceress to be feared or is she the only thing standing between true evil and the fall of a kingdom? Only time will tell as the magical story of the Black Swan unfolds.
Odile, Legend of the Black Swan is a fantasy, fairy tale romance inspired by the legendary ballet, Swan Lake. An Enchanted Lands Romance.
18 and up. This story involves some intimate scenes and adult situations. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
Odile is the second installment in Shane’s Enchanted Lands series. Enchanted Lands is a reimagined fairy tale anthology series where the books are thematically and stylistically linked, but standalone. I was absolutely captivated by Odile from start to finish. Odile’s transformation is heartbreakingly beautiful as is her connection to Azarus. Shane’s enchanted landscapes are imaginative and rich. The storyline is creative and whimsical.
Odile combines fairy tale, romance, historical fiction, action, and even mystery. The storyline jockeys between time and place and creates a delicious tension throughout. The romantic relationship between Odile and Azarus is a book highlight, eclipsing the book’s major showdown with Rothebart, the story’s big-bad.
I look forward to a third installment in this series and anxiously await where Shane’s imagination will lead. The first book in the series, Snow Maiden, was another outstanding read, with the same stellar attributes.
Review: Snow Maiden (Enchanted Lands Romance)
5 Sheep
Bianca Greenwood
About the Author:
Amanda V. Shane is a Colorado native and fully admits to being a library dork growing up. To this day, she loves the smell of book paper on an almost fetish level (okay, maybe not, but that gives you a peek into the dark and twisted mind of this author). One of her first book romances came at the age of nine when, in a far back aisle, she found the story of King Arthur and was entranced by the blood purple canvas cover with gold leafing (she likes shiny things.)
Since then, she’s been hooked on stories with magic, mythical beings, daring heroes and, of course, desperate romance.
She writes paranormal and fantasy romance from her home where she lives with her family and a Bassett hound who she routinely has to fight for the “soft” end of the couch to set up with her laptop. She likes chocolate, wine, coffee and kids, in no particular order.
