Lord of the Dark

This book is the best of Thompson's Elementals series. I have read all three and feel that she had a certain affinity for the Lord and his Lady. This is definitely a book that I'd like to read again. Gideon is shrouded in mystery and yet Thompson is able to make him accessible to the reader. He is a character condemned and yet compelled to ensure that that all of nature and humanity is safe from harm. He is the archetypical hero not unlike Hercules. The story flows and has enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages, while at the same time, remaining believable.

Gideon the fallen Guardian of the Principalities of Arcus thought he knew suffering when the slightest touch of his wings turns him into an animal in heat, but he will soon learn how wrong his belief is. He believes he deserves his punishment of eternal exile to the Dark Isle for angels are forbidden to lust after mortals, but he will soon learn how unfair his punishment is. He has survived for eons but now comes a crisis that rips his soul. The most beautiful female he has ever seen, Rhiannon washes up on his beach surviving the Pegasus shipwreck. He knows he must not tamper with her innocence, but his desire for her is way beyond the wind caressing his wings. He thinks of her and turns hot and bothered. Making matters worse, Rhiannon reciprocates heat for heat. As they fall in love, Gideon's biggest fear is the Gods will punish him by punishing her. LORD OF THE DARK is a deep erotic romantic fantasy with a different overall spin than Dawn Thompson's previous tales (see THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE, THE WATERLORD, THE FALCON'S BRIDE, AND BLOOD MOON); this story line is much more fantasy with the romance serving as a critical but support subplot. Fans of the late great Ms. Thompson will relish this superb thriller as the lead couple struggles with outside interference, his eternal sentence, and their love (in that order) with no hope for the future. Harriet Klausner

Gideon, Lord of the Dark, lives a tortured existence. Ever since the gods of Arcus threw him out of paradise he's lived in constant arousal. Even the wind's caress on his wings can be overwhelming. Of course that doesn't stop him from occasionally attempting to satisfy his desires with a willing female - but the watchers, winged watchdogs of the gods, are zealous in their duties to ensure he remains celibate. Since his `fall from grace' he hasn't even been able to sleep in a bed since his wings no longer retract. Gideon's observance of Simeon, Lord of the Deep and his human bride's ritual mating installs a sense of loneliness and increased arousal. After leaving the ceremony, he notices that the watchers are absent from their vigilant duties. In route to his home on the Dark Isle he spies Muriel, Queen of the Sirens, and she's obviously in the same needy condition as he. With no watchers present he believes it's relatively safe to aid a lady in need - that is until the first lightning strike from the diabolical creatures. Muriel is livid - she's unsatisfied and her skin is smoldering from the lightning. An angry siren is never a good thing. Many ships would sink and sailors die because of her ire as she sings them to their doom. Aboard one of the doomed ships is a young woman who's terrified of dark water but possesses a strong will to survive. Alone and adrift Rhiannon opts to pray to the Arcan gods for either deliverance or a speedy death. When she washes up on black sand on a desolate island it seems like her prayers have been answered, but she never dreamed that the gods would deliver her into such bizarre circumstances. Once she meets Gideon she's stunned by his beauty and her own desire for him - a desire that's doomed to failure. He's convinced he must send her away - for her own good - only letting her go is proving to be impossible. Is there any way he can convince the gods to release him from his punishment? This is the second book in Dawn Thompson's ELEMENTALS series. In keeping with the ELEMENTALS theme, this tale is `darker' then its predecessor, LORD OF THE DEEP, but just as stimulating. I was fascinated by the various mythical creatures and how easy it was to visualize each scene as it plays out. Gideon is the perfect tortured hero. His anger and resentment over his fate is almost overpowering and once Rhiannon enters his life he develops an all or nothing mentality that's stunning. The late Dawn Thompson certainly caught my attention with LORD OF THE DEEP and successfully held it right through LORD OF THE DARK. If you enjoy paranormal stories that allow you to step into another reality and really become vested in the storyline then I'd recommend any of Ms. Thompson's books - she had a unique ability to `paint' with words that will fortunately live on with her fans. Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)