Review: THIEF OF LIGHT & Interview with Denise Rossetti

THIEF OF LIGHT by Denise Rossetti

Four-Sided Pentacle Series Book Two

Releases November 3, 2009

In the elegant, subtropical city of Caracole, Erik the Golden is widely known as irresistible; his Voice an instrument of incredible pleasure, the stroke of velvet on bare skin. But the Voice is a curse as much as a blessing, for once Erik used it to steal a soul, and now he must pay.

Pruella Takimori McGuire is the business manager for the beautiful courtesans of the Garden of Nocturnal Delights. She deals in numbers, not Magick, and when Erik turns his charms in her direction, she sees only vanity, not a golden gift. If Erik cannot use his power to win Prue's heart, how can he truly possess her? How is it she can resist what others can't? She's either a torment devised by the gods to drive him mad — or Erik's last hope of salvation.

And all the while, a far darker power corrupts the foundations of Caracole - the Necromancer, who feasts on souls. When the Necromancer's hired assassin kidnaps Prue, Erik must harness his air Magick to recover the woman he has come to love more than life itself...

Genre: Erotic/Fantasy Romance

Cover Thoughts: Hmmm...I do like how the artist tried to portray the hero's affinity with air Magick and I'm also lovin' the colors but the guy is just a bit too scary looking for me. When I first see him with his flowing blond hair, I immediately think Fabio but on closer inspection not only is it not Fabio but a mean looking dude hell bent on...something. Nice abs though.

Single Title/Series: THIEF OF LIGHT is book two in Denise Rossetti's Four-Sided Pentacle series but it can easily be read as a stand alone novel. The over-reaching plot arch's from book one, THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW, are extremely easy to pick up on without having to have read it.

Why I read it: I was offered a soft copy to review by the author.

My Review:

Erik Thorensen, known throughout the worlds as Erik the Golden, is a man both gifted and cursed. Owner and leader of the Unearthly Opera, Erik's voice can captivate any crowd. Holding them in the palm of his hand, he can reduce the masses to stark silence, completely enthralled. But his ease of enchantment bears a high price that requires strict control for with the Voice, Erik can command anyone to do anything, feel anything. It was with the Voice that Erik compelled a young girl in his past that eventually led to her doom and his eternal guilt. Sworn to never use the Voice to compel again, Erik bound himself to a strict code of honor, a code that prevents him from ever getting close to anyone until he meets Prue.

Prue McGuire is a woman living a half life. Sure she has the love of her daughter and her friends. She's also co-owner of The Garden of Nocturnal Delights and she has plenty to keep herself occupied, but despite all that she has, all that she's proud of, she's lonely. Cruelly used in the past and left alone with her then young daughter, Prue has stayed away from any man who exudes false charm and smiles filled with lies. When Erik the Golden singles her out after his soul-shaking performance, Prue is unconvinced of his interest in her. She's plain while Erik's masculine beauty could easily lead him to the most beautiful, but instead he's looking at her. Prue's guard is immediately up and she swiftly turns downs his pursuit. Even his oddly compelling voice can't waver her determination to keep distance from what must be a cruel act.

It's been years since Erik has used the Voice to compel and he's more than horrified that one small curvy woman with blue-green eyes was able to completely shatter his hard won control. Yet Prue's resistance to the Voice more than intrigues him and she prevents a challenge that he can't resist. Using Prue's bookkeeping skills, Erik carefully backs Prue into a corner of acceptance. But from this point forth, he will do everything in his power not compel Prue. He wants her, but he wants her to come to him freely.

During Erik's subtle conquest of Prue, he notices a fowl stench clinging to the Leaf of Nobility in Caracole. The gorgeous landscape of the city is built upon giant leafs. When one stands still, you can even feel the slight sway of the giant leaves upon the water. When the smell of rot has him diving into the water to investigate, he's met by a mythical beast that is now proven to be real. Seelies. Small otter-like creatures with blue fur and dark bulging eyes, surround him and take him to the origin of the smell. The stem and leaf of the Leaf of Nobility, is rotting away. Evil clings to it. The seelies, desperate for help, convey a sense of urgency that has Erik agreeing to do what he can to help. Knowing that he can trust Prue, Erik goes to her to for assistance.

Prue has never been one to believe in Magick or the Gods. Neither of them have ever done anything for her even in the most dire of times. While Erik's story of the seelies seems outlandish, she decides that she'll help him but with proof. Prue also decides to take a leap of faith with Erik personally, at least to some degree. She knows his time on Palimpest and Caracole will only be for so long before the Unearthly Opera moves on, but for the time being she can partake in the aching desires that flood her every moment in Erik's presence. While she'll indulge in her body's desire, she'll guard her heart and soul. She can't afford to fall in love.

Erik knows that Prue might be giving him her body, but she's not entrusting herself to him and while he knows it's how it should be he can't help the overwhelming possessive desires that run rampant through his soul. He wants Prue, all of Prue and as selfish as that may be, he'll do everything he can to call her his own. But Erik's not the only one who wants Prue. A sinister evil that stinks of rot and death is after her and when it successfully captures her, Erik discovers that without Prue, life isn't worth living.

While having only read two other works by Denise Rossetti, I've come to expect some lusciously tortured heroes but I thought that Erik, although cursed, wasn't quite as tortured as I would have liked. I sympathized with him, his moral dilemma, and the fact that once compelled, he could never again trust the feelings of that person. Did they love him because he commanded it? Or did they truly love him?

I also didn't fully understand why he was gifted with the Voice. It's discovered, later in the novel (after much foreshadowing), that Erik is an air wizard, but it was also discovered that he was and could be an air wizard without the Voice. So why did he even have the Voice in the first place? It wasn't used to secure Prue's attention or love, she gave that freely. He also didn't use it to save the Leaf of Nobility nor even to save Prue. I think it could have been used more as a tool but instead it's just a side plot that in my opinion, wasn't fully explained. I suppose it could have been used as a test to find the right woman, the one that couldn't just be compelled to do Erik's bidding, meaning he had to work for the love he desired. If that was the case, I think it could have been conveyed in a much stronger manner.

With regards to Prue, I liked her. I understood her pain and how a past betrayal shaped her into a woman with a well guarded heart. Erik represented all that she detested in a man but he's also incredibly endearing. He works his way under her skin and into her heart with no small amount of resistance. Once there, Prue doesn't deny the fact that she's fallen in love which was what I was expecting and therefore left me very satisfied with the way Rossetti played out Prue's love for Erik. It read genuine.

I did miss the immediate eroticism that was played out to such perfection in THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW. The heat between Gray and Cenda was much more intense. Erik's and Prue's love retains a much slower and complicated burn but it never went super nova hot like TFATS and therefore became a slower read. At times I felt more interested in the over-reaching plot arch's rather than the main characters and unfortunately the novel didn't fully engage my interest until about three quarters of the way in.

However, I think Rossetti had the makings of a good story with the THIEF OF LIGHT and that The Four-Sided Pentacle universe is still as captivating as ever. Once again I was ensnared by the beauty Rossetti created with seeming ease, although I'm sure it was a labor of love. Colors exploded in my mind's eye and the landscape left me in absolute awe. Erik and Prue may not have been my favorite hero and heroine pairing but I'm still more than curious to discover who might be the witches or wizards that are gifted with water and earth and if good will win over evil.

C+