Nightshade by Jaide Fox

Nightshade (novella)

Jaide Fox
Medieval Romance/Fantasy/Erotica
Published in 2012

H/h - Nightshade (Marcus Raventhorne)/Lady Bronwyn Smythson
Setting: Somewhere in the medieval England.

Read in July, 2013.

My rating:

                                                      [spoiler alert]

Ah, something different in Nightshade by Jaide Fox; a gargoyle hero... or he was, until he transformed.

But I didn’t care! Nightshade was just too sexy for words... ummm, well, maybe I was just too engrossed in imagining his ‘beastly face, body and... lovemaking (*snickers*)’. :p

So, how did Nightshade look like?

This?

 Ummm... no.

Oh, no... no, no, no! :o

Noooope.

I think, for me, he was more like this (including the rose, as he called Bronwyn ‘his little rose’):

Back to my review now that I’ve determined how Nightshade should look like. Lol

He has been cursed for the centuries and stood guard over his own keep. He had watched his family being slaughtered by an evil wizard named Gaelzeroth before the curse was on him. Nightshade has seen it all. His body becomes blood and bone each night, he can fly if he wishes but each morning light brings the pain of transformation which is etched in his face whenever he sits on his place at the top of the entryway. Nightshade is called the guardian of Raventhorne. There are many superstitious stories about him and about what happened so long ago but no one really knows the exact story. Sadly, we don’t have any exploration of his past other than whatever we hear from the characters.

Bronwyn was forced to marry the dreadful lord of the manor, William. He is as abusive and greedy as they come! Bronwyn has suffered at his hand since the beginning of their marriage and lost her unborn child from one of the beatings couple of weeks ago. And now he’s going to kill her for even surviving as William thinks she has nothing to give him anymore. But he had no idea of Nightshade being able to see it all, hear it all… and somewhere deep inside even feel it all.

So when William finally throws Bronwyn off the parapet, he didn’t expect to find an unseen savior, neither did Bronwyn. But her weak pleas of help got to Nightshade who was trying hard to ignore it as this was none of his business.

Yet, Nightshade has longed for Bronwyn ever since she came into this castle. He wanted her... and now he will have to squander his only chance of breaking the curse so that he can save her.

I was so engrossed since the beginning, can’t explain. The story had a definite Gothic feel in it, the cover excellent (the first thing that caught my eyes). Bronwyn and Nightshade’s affair took off so delish… especially the way he demands it from her (ooh)! *sigh* In the end, there are some resolutions to their dilemma (how Bronwyn can really be with Nightshade... and his sexy original name :p) but honestly, I would’ve LOVED some more chapters. This deserved to be expanded IMO.

I’m normally a fan of Jaide Fox’s EHRs under Julia Keaton, and going to try more of her stories from this penname. 4.5 stars.