Shadowfae

I think that Erica needs time to let the characters grow, Their always quick to swap body fluids, but not enough is known about them. I'm not sure who to hate or to love. However I found the book quite erotic and I loved it. I think this was good for her first book, however a little advice Erica, let the story build a little.

In Shadowfae, Hayes brings to life a sensory feast of glittering and dangerous creatures, an urban fantasy realm existing side by side with humans in the magnificent shadow of Melbourne. In the luminous underbelly of that cosmopolitan city breathes a current of life filled with incubi, demon lords, banshees, vampire syndicates, spriggans, fairies..the Shadowfae. The lives of two entities take center stage in Hayes' dark treat: Jade a succubus, and Rajah, and incubus form an unlikely partnership to free themselves of the mystical bonds enslaving them to a demon lord. According to legend, if the enslaved capture and devour four souls, four particular souls, then the bonds that hold them prisoner will disintegrate. Jade, who has been enslaved for over 140 years, and Rajah just over 300 years, the possibility of freedom is too much to ignore. Even if it means that one will have to brutally betray the other. As Jade and Rajah hunt down the four souls at great personal cost, and fight those who would keep them apart, each has to examine what immortality means. Greater yet, to learn the sacrifice of love, happiness, and its boundless capacity when sorrow shadows it's every move. Breathless and exquisite imagery are illuminated by Hayes' sure hand as Shadowfae captures readers in its edgy, twisted fairy tale and never lets go. Hayes shatters the dreamy shallow urban fantasy romance with a stygian tale that examines the heart-wrenching journey of two beings who will never capitulate, and never stop until they are free and their souls are joined...

Jade, a succubus, in thrall to a demon lord for a thousand years is sent on an assignment to kill one of his minions. Someone beats her to it. An incubus, Rajah, also enslaved to the same demon lord, holds the minion's soul. The pages heat up instantly as these two intense beings finds themselves uncontrollable attracted to each other, physically and emotionally. They also discover a secret to end their enslavement, but there's a hitch. Of the souls each needs to capture, one soul they both need to obtain their freedom. Erica Hayes creates a world unlike anything that has come before. The world and the people are all colorful. It will be exciting to learn more about this world Ms. Hayes has created in future novels.

Both leading lady succubus Jade and leading man incubus Rajah are enslaved to a demon and both long for the end of their servitude, they are forced to seduce and sometimes kill unable to resist the compulsion of their master's orders. But Rajah has discovered the way to win his freedom, a secret he shares with Jade - to be free, four special souls must be harvested, the only catch is one of the key souls is the same for both Jade and Rajah which means that only one of them can be free. Shadowfae was an interesting read, and Aussie writer Erica Hayes' tale blurs the line between good and evil. Almost all of the characters in Shadowfae are predators, and even the `good' characters are morally gray. Just as Jade falls under the control of one of the villains of the tale, who uses his vampiric thrall as sort of a date rape drug, eventually the predator falls prey to the sensual power which allows Jade and Rajah to enrapture their victims. And that blur allows for moments where it is possible to actually feel sympathy for the villians even as they pay the price for their misdeeds and also for moments where Haye's reminds us that the leads, though capable of sacrifice and love, are not classic hero/heroine material. With an incubus and a succubus in the starring roles, it is not surprising that sex plays an important part in Shadowfae, making it somewhat erotic as well as dark. But the sensual language is not as in your face crude as most of the few erotic books I've attempted - I tend to stick to the steamy side of main stream paranormal romance - and not all of it is meant to titillate, much of it is almost setting and texture. But if you are not an erotic reader, you should be forewarned that the sexuality woven throughout Shadowfae comes in pretty much every flavor. On the whole, I liked Shadowfae, it felt very original and actually had one very poignant scene that captured me. And since Haye's barely scratched the surface of this Fae inhabited alternate Melbourne, there is much left to explore when the Shadowfae Chronicles continues with [[ASIN:0312578016 Shadowglass: The Shadowfae Chronicles] ]in April 2010.