A Fantasy Romance of The Black Court (Tales of The Black Court Book 1)

Enjoyed reading this book. It's a different take on an old story. I really liked the puca character. The chemistry between Logan and Trina was amazing. The downside of Trinas character is she was constantly whining about being left behind even when she acknowledged that was for the best and also constantly questioning Logan's motives.

Good adult retooling of a classic fairy tale with focus on the huntsman, and the Snow White maiden being a witch needing protection from the wicked queen. Good writing. I would look for more on this Black Court series in the future to see what else will happen with other characters in the story, perhaps a retooling of Rapunzel or Cinderella. Enjoyable read.

This was a fun fantasy book, the story was interesting and I am eager to know what happens next. The plot held my interest and there were some naughty bits mixed throughout as well. Overall a very good read, I'm glad I discovered this book while it was free,otherwise I may have missed out, since this isn't typically the type of book I read.

The Dark Huntsman is a retelling of Snow White. I absolutely loved this book. The Dark Huntsman is mainly set in a cottage in the world of Faery. The story follows Logan, an elven lord, and Trina MacElvy a green witch. Logan who is the Queenâ(tm)s Huntsman is ordered to kill Trina and her clan but instead go on the hunt for why the Black Queen has it in for the MacElvy clan. As for what I loved about this story. The first thing that won me over is how it wasnâ(tm)t love at first sight it was like a real relationship there were ups and downs. The other thing is it isnâ(tm)t just the same retelling I have read over and over again. She added new and exciting twists that I thought were perfect with the story. I canâ(tm)t wait for the next book. I hope we get to see more of Loganâ(tm)s uncles even though it wouldnâ(tm)t be centered around Logan and Trina. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone fairy tale fan or not.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Up front: I received this ebook in a giveaway. This has no bearing whatsoever on this review.

This book surprised me, in a good way. I usually stick to YA Fantasy, but The Dark Huntsman is a (very) Adult Fantasy Romance.

MAIN CHARACTERS & ROMANCE
I'll be honest. I was iffy about both Trina and Logan until about halfway through the book. Logan (the Huntsman) was possessive, arrogant, and treated Trina (Snow White) like property instead of a person. More irritating? Trina put up with it. There were moments when his antics angered her, even infuriated her, but the next moment she was back to admiring "his package." What? But then the romance got more interesting. Trina admitted to herself that Logan was not good for her, and struggled inwardly with her feelings for him. Logan's transformation was a long time coming, but in the end, he admits to having been completely insensitive in his treatment of Trina, and resolves to turn over a new leaf. It was actually pretty refreshing to read about an imperfect romance, since most romance in Fantasy is made difficult by external forces.

MINOR CHARACTERS
Solanum, Logan's reluctant sidekick, is the comic relief of the story. He is inherently evil and yet at times his inner good shows through. A "puca," Solanum is able to transform at will between the form of a human, a large dog, and a horse. He could always be counted on to lighten dark moods and add a touch of the unexpected to slower parts of the story. But my favorite minor character, I have to say, was the evil queen. Her appearance changed along with her mood, and, well, she was moody. I thought she was very well done in this story, and every bit as evil as the reader would expect.

THE STORY
The Dark Huntsman is original enough to be interesting but familiar enough to capture the essence of Snow White. Most of the story is completely new, with occasional nods and nudges to the classic fairy tale. Familiar scenes included the huntsman bringing the heart of an animal to the queen in place of Trina's, Trina taking a bite of a poison apple and slipping into a coma, and the huntsman journeying to her glass coffin to break the spell with a kiss.

THE SETTING
The characters could travel through portals between modern and historical times, as well as between "our" world and the Fantasy world of Underhill. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book, and it kept me guessing where I'd be taken to next. Logan discovers Trina in Wyoming, and she bites the poison apple in New Mexico, but various trips are taken to the Black Court in Underhill (the evil queen's turf). The descriptions are absolutely beautiful, and the picture Aspen paints of Underhill is incredibly vivid.

The only minor criticism I have is the dialect of certain characters. It made sense to me that Logan's seven uncles (a nod to the seven dwarves) would speak in an old-timey fashion, and it made sense to me that Trina, being from modern day Wyoming, would speak in a more modern way. But Logan's language totally threw me. One minute he would be using words like "thee" and "thou," and the next he would be speaking in ultra modern dialect. Solanum's language was equally inconsistent. I understand that the author wanted their language to reflect whatever time period they happened to be in at the time, but it really sounded awkward to me. It was just too much of a contrast.

BOTTOM LINE: Original enough to engage the interest of anyone who's tired of the traditional Snow White fairy tale, but with occasional references to iconic parts of the story. Definitely recommended.

Where to start with this review? I should’ve known better than to choose to read and review a paranormal romance book…there is a reason why I haven’t read much of them in the past. But the lure of book blurb which promises spin offs of fairy tales was too much for me to resist so I succumbed and decided to pick up The Dark Huntsman.

This novel is definitely aimed towards older YA or NA (new adults), as it clearly stated in the author’s message at the beginning of the book. So yes, that does mean that some of the scenes are probably more suited for 17+ year olds. For its genre, The Dark Huntsman hit all of the defining characteristics of paranormal romance right on. Female protagonist with powers—check. Sexy male protagonist—check. Romance between the couple—check. A dash of dark magic—check.

I really loved the whole plot idea of the novel and how the author incorporated parts of fairy tales into the book. In The Dark Huntsman, the Black Queen from Alice in Wonderland is the villain. Owen is the Queen’s mirror (he’s a seer but he assumes the same role as the mirror in Snow White.) Characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, such as the Summer Court and King Oberon are included as well (well, at least I think so...I've never actually read A Midsummer Night's Dream before so I may be getting everythng confused!) That being said, there are original characters to the book as well, such as Trina and Logan and Solanum…which brings us to the next part of the review: characters.

Logan, Logan, Logan…how can I start to describe him? To me, he’s pretty much what the stereotypical paranormal romance novel hottie to be. He’s an elf with incredible powers, however, because he supported the Prince’s plan to rebel against the Black Queen, he got thrown in prison for 15 years. When the Queen finally releases him, she tasks him with killing the first witch he finds, which in this case in Trisha.

Trisha is a green witch, which means she works with earthen magic. I personally didn’t really connect with Trisha that much. I felt that although she did have her moments of being an independent person, most of the time she seemed to hang onto every word coming from Logan’s mouth. It’s like every time she’s around Logan she becomes weak kneed and compliant. I do have to give her credit for her determination for finding out why the Black Queen is trying to kill her family though.

Last but not least, Solanum is by far my favorite character out of the trio. Solanum is a puca, a magical being (kind of like a djin) bound to serve Logan. In many ways, Solanum reminds me of Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet. He’s pucky, crass and pretty kick-ass. I can usually count on Solanum to make some kind of sassy comment :-)

Alright, moving along to the romance aspect of the book. I will be honest right now, I didn’t really like the whole insta-love relationship between Logan and Trisha. I mean, yes, the author did explain that the reason why they were attracted to each other in the first place was because they shared the Gift (ability to perform spells and such.) But the heads-over-heels relationship Trisha and Logan had seemed just a bit too rushed. Last but not least, I strongly disliked how Logan often kept on putting Trish down.

My overall thoughts of The Dark Huntsman? It’s the perfect book for anyone seeking a hard core NA fantasy romance. The genre just wasn't up my alley. Personally, I wished the author spent more elaborations on the plot rather than the Logan-Trisha relationship.

***a free copy was given in exchange for an honest review***

Enjoyed it, but it's not without flaws, including some that would be improved by judicious editing. The heroine needs to grow up and get some skills. The hero needs to be guided by something other than his privates. I would prefer more depth of character, more determination, and less complaining. I thought the things I want might be in later books in the series, but those appear to deal with other family members. I enjoyed this, but it is not a memorable read.