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Garoul #1
Goldenseal
When Amy Fortune returns to her childhood home, she discovers something sinister in the air—but is former lover Leone Garoul stalking her or protecting her?
Amy Fortune and Leone Garoul were teenage lovers. Now, years later, Amy returns to Little Dip, the Garoul home valley to help her aunt finish a botanical project.
Except Little Dip is no longer the happy place of Amy’s childhood memories. There’s something sinister in the woods. And why hasn’t Leone moved on? Why does she still dog Amy’s every move?
As more and more of the Garoul family arrive for a special hunting weekend, parts of the puzzle come together and Amy’s fears escalate as she moves closer to the truth—and the secret that has eluded her since childhood.
Amy Fortune and Leone Garoul were teenage lovers. Now, years later, Amy returns to Little Dip, the Garoul home valley to help her aunt finish a botanical project.
Except Little Dip is no longer the happy place of Amy’s childhood memories. There’s something sinister in the woods. And why hasn’t Leone moved on? Why does she still dog Amy’s every move?
As more and more of the Garoul family arrive for a special hunting weekend, parts of the puzzle come together and Amy’s fears escalate as she moves closer to the truth—and the secret that has eluded her since childhood.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
57 people are currently reading
1844 people want to read
About the author
Gill McKnight
28 books283 followersGill McKnight is Irish but spends as much time as possible in Lesbos, Greece, which she considers home. She can often be found traveling back and forth between Greece and Ireland in a rusty old camper van with her rusty wee dog. Gill enjoys writing, roses, and by necessity DIY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 9, 2022
**'Average literary skill, much less greatness cannot be looked at with just an okay narrative, just as exhibitionism extorting the price of failure...'
3.5stars!
An okay mystical fairy tale...
3.5stars!
An okay mystical fairy tale...
December 1, 2019
Finally I’ve read the first of the Garoul series. It has been languishing in my to-read pile for an obscene amount of time, but after enjoying Borage so much I decided to stay with McKnight for a bit longer.
So, Goldenseal left me a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I really had to work hard to find anything sympathetic about main character Leone. She was immature, secretive and pushy and the sex scenes between her and Amy made me feel uncomfortable because of the non-consensual nature of it. The whole Garoul clan was complicit in keeping poor Amy in the dark for most of the book and, as she herself pointed out, in doing so exposing her to considerable danger. Amy was a brave woman for staying in Little Dip.
I think this was probably my least favorite McKnight book so far. I am not super into the whole shaggy alpha wolfie shifter stuff, so that can be part of it. Also, McKnight wrote this 10 years ago and I miss the humor she put into her later work. But I read some of the reviews and the consensus is that it gets better, so I will certainly read Ambereye.
f/f explicit – Leone is a biter
Themes: Little Dip, hostile villagers, artist, cracking the code, family secrets, something evil lurks in the woods, where is aunt Connie, I didn’t care much for Leone, shifty librarian, Amy should have booked the next flight to London.
3.2 Stars
So, Goldenseal left me a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I really had to work hard to find anything sympathetic about main character Leone. She was immature, secretive and pushy and the sex scenes between her and Amy made me feel uncomfortable because of the non-consensual nature of it. The whole Garoul clan was complicit in keeping poor Amy in the dark for most of the book and, as she herself pointed out, in doing so exposing her to considerable danger. Amy was a brave woman for staying in Little Dip.
I think this was probably my least favorite McKnight book so far. I am not super into the whole shaggy alpha wolfie shifter stuff, so that can be part of it. Also, McKnight wrote this 10 years ago and I miss the humor she put into her later work. But I read some of the reviews and the consensus is that it gets better, so I will certainly read Ambereye.
f/f explicit – Leone is a biter
Themes: Little Dip, hostile villagers, artist, cracking the code, family secrets, something evil lurks in the woods, where is aunt Connie, I didn’t care much for Leone, shifty librarian, Amy should have booked the next flight to London.
3.2 Stars
September 25, 2012
The main thing you need to learn from this review, is to not read any other reviews about this book. Just buy it.
I originally skipped this book because reviews had me thinking i wouldn't like it. But it wasn't nearly as 'scarey' as some people reported, and i didn't spot certain other things that one reviewer didn't like. (non-con). So, the thing to know here, is to always trust the author before you trust reviews. If you know Gill McKnight's work and like her writing, just get this first book and save yourself confusion from trying to decipher reviews. Plus some of those long winded reviews contain spoilers that they don't warn you about.
Many reviews of this series, will say book 2, ambereye, was the best. i completely disagree, and after seeing how i differed in opinion on book 2 and 3, i decided to come back and read Goldenseal. And i'm so happy i did, it is nearly perfect. A great balance of paranormal, mystery, romance, and still has Gill's superb character development. I loved the mixture of magic and supernatural and the mystery kept me guessing the whole time. Much like 'Green Eyed Monster', i often found myself saying "woah, i didn't see that coming!"
So, this is my favorite of the series. Ambereye, book 2, seemed a bit more scattered to me, but i'll be reading it again. it contained more humor but had an abrupt ending. Book 3 was more like this book and also very good. You don't have to read all three, they can very easily stand on their own in any order. but i recommend all three.
writing: 5 star
character dev: 5 star
ending that doesn't suck: 5 star
hot and steamy: 4 star ( all 3 of these books have kind of one sided scenes with caveman like dominance at times, but what's there is pretty hot)
I originally skipped this book because reviews had me thinking i wouldn't like it. But it wasn't nearly as 'scarey' as some people reported, and i didn't spot certain other things that one reviewer didn't like. (non-con). So, the thing to know here, is to always trust the author before you trust reviews. If you know Gill McKnight's work and like her writing, just get this first book and save yourself confusion from trying to decipher reviews. Plus some of those long winded reviews contain spoilers that they don't warn you about.
Many reviews of this series, will say book 2, ambereye, was the best. i completely disagree, and after seeing how i differed in opinion on book 2 and 3, i decided to come back and read Goldenseal. And i'm so happy i did, it is nearly perfect. A great balance of paranormal, mystery, romance, and still has Gill's superb character development. I loved the mixture of magic and supernatural and the mystery kept me guessing the whole time. Much like 'Green Eyed Monster', i often found myself saying "woah, i didn't see that coming!"
So, this is my favorite of the series. Ambereye, book 2, seemed a bit more scattered to me, but i'll be reading it again. it contained more humor but had an abrupt ending. Book 3 was more like this book and also very good. You don't have to read all three, they can very easily stand on their own in any order. but i recommend all three.
writing: 5 star
character dev: 5 star
ending that doesn't suck: 5 star
hot and steamy: 4 star ( all 3 of these books have kind of one sided scenes with caveman like dominance at times, but what's there is pretty hot)
September 6, 2017
This book started off kind of slow, but picked up pace quite nicely. It is an entertaining tale of paranormal love.
While I will now harp on a couple of negatives, I don't want to leave the impression that the book was not good. It is.
But... It's really hard to have a novel that you know is a werewolf novel, but the main character spends a majority of her time working through a puzzle of information to find out what you've been screaming the whole time. "They're freaking werewolves! Look at the cover of the book you are in!!" Subsequently, I did not follow the puzzle part of the book so well. I didn't really study the clues. Some of them seemed a little confusing, but maybe that's just a byproduct of me screaming, "Werewolves!"
Also, some books build suspense through the telling of the tale, others build it by purposefully neglecting to tell you key information. This book seemed to rely on the latter tactic which I find a little frustrating. The reader is left wondering why the characters aren't asking the most obvious questions.
So, the price was kind of steep for this book compared to others that I have enjoyed much more. Many reviews have really hyped the second in this series which costs even more. While I enjoyed this novel, it just does not meet the bar for me to continue with the series at the current price point ($10). So, I will hope that the price comes down.
While I will now harp on a couple of negatives, I don't want to leave the impression that the book was not good. It is.
But... It's really hard to have a novel that you know is a werewolf novel, but the main character spends a majority of her time working through a puzzle of information to find out what you've been screaming the whole time. "They're freaking werewolves! Look at the cover of the book you are in!!" Subsequently, I did not follow the puzzle part of the book so well. I didn't really study the clues. Some of them seemed a little confusing, but maybe that's just a byproduct of me screaming, "Werewolves!"
Also, some books build suspense through the telling of the tale, others build it by purposefully neglecting to tell you key information. This book seemed to rely on the latter tactic which I find a little frustrating. The reader is left wondering why the characters aren't asking the most obvious questions.
So, the price was kind of steep for this book compared to others that I have enjoyed much more. Many reviews have really hyped the second in this series which costs even more. While I enjoyed this novel, it just does not meet the bar for me to continue with the series at the current price point ($10). So, I will hope that the price comes down.
March 8, 2010
After so many people told me that Falling Star wasn't really her best book, this one practically fell into my hands. After it fell, the person who threw it told me that really, this wasn't her best book either. Heh.
Anyhoo... I liked it while reading it. Now there's an issue that destroys the whole story for me the longer I think about it.
It's fantasy, which really isn't my thing a lot of the time, but I'm learning that there are only certain elements of fantasy I don't like, like elves, for some reason ;), and this book didn't have them.
It's one of those books I really don't want to say a lot about content-wise, because along with the main character, Amy, you're dropped into a world and are left to figure things out for yourself. If you're open to that you'll have a good time with the story, unless you happen to stumble upon and are bothered by the following:
I have to go into spoilerish territory now because something did bug me. Bothers me a lot, even though it was addressed and resolved in the book and in the end I guess you can put it down to genre-specific cliche. There's two sex scenes in this book that read a lot like rape, and at the point they happen that remains unaddressed. The main character later addresses it and says she was abused, both mind and body, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wonder if that specific point that was made by describing those scenes could have been achieved in any other way, without leaving the impression of abused forgiving abuser for what she did and live happily ever after.
ETA: The above issue is still bothering me, with the additional level that the scene is clearly written to be sexy. WTF? I am truly and really offended by this in the context of this story. I also don't quite understand why none of the other reviews here and wherever I came across them address this. I really don't think that I'm 'too sensitive' in this regard.
Anyhoo... I liked it while reading it. Now there's an issue that destroys the whole story for me the longer I think about it.
It's fantasy, which really isn't my thing a lot of the time, but I'm learning that there are only certain elements of fantasy I don't like, like elves, for some reason ;), and this book didn't have them.
It's one of those books I really don't want to say a lot about content-wise, because along with the main character, Amy, you're dropped into a world and are left to figure things out for yourself. If you're open to that you'll have a good time with the story, unless you happen to stumble upon and are bothered by the following:
I have to go into spoilerish territory now because something did bug me. Bothers me a lot, even though it was addressed and resolved in the book and in the end I guess you can put it down to genre-specific cliche. There's two sex scenes in this book that read a lot like rape, and at the point they happen that remains unaddressed. The main character later addresses it and says she was abused, both mind and body, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wonder if that specific point that was made by describing those scenes could have been achieved in any other way, without leaving the impression of abused forgiving abuser for what she did and live happily ever after.
ETA: The above issue is still bothering me, with the additional level that the scene is clearly written to be sexy. WTF? I am truly and really offended by this in the context of this story. I also don't quite understand why none of the other reviews here and wherever I came across them address this. I really don't think that I'm 'too sensitive' in this regard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 22, 2023Not a bad story, but the character development wasn’t deep enough for me and there’s a sex scene that comes too close to being non-consensual and it’s never addressed by the characters.
I really liked the sequel, Ambereye, though.
I really liked the sequel, Ambereye, though.
May 7, 2013
It seems that everyone and their girlfriend has already read this except me. Its been in my reading queue forever. The author has just released a 4th book for the series and the good reviews are in.
Once I started reading Goldenseal, I suddenly recalled that I HAD read this before but never bothered to finish it. The reason why is--In the first few chapters of the book, the lead character is annoying as hell. Fortunately, things get better and the intriguing mystery and suspense is enough to save the book.
I have finished reading all four books in the series and I can definitely say it is very worthwhile to wade through the first one.
Once I started reading Goldenseal, I suddenly recalled that I HAD read this before but never bothered to finish it. The reason why is--In the first few chapters of the book, the lead character is annoying as hell. Fortunately, things get better and the intriguing mystery and suspense is enough to save the book.
I have finished reading all four books in the series and I can definitely say it is very worthwhile to wade through the first one.
January 1, 2018
This was a well written mystery and romance.
Want to read
June 16, 2022lmao this looks fun
August 24, 2018
This was my first Gill McKnight but not my first shifter novel. It took a while to get into it but once I was, I was hooked. It starts with Amy Fortune returning to the forest compound she spent her childhood holidays with her aunt Connie. Connie is ill and Amy needs to finish her work in order to meet the publishing deadlines. Leone, her childhood girlfriend, is overbearing and insisting on following her everywhere. It soon becomes apparent to Amy that all is not what it seems.
It is more complicated than the others I've read in that the constructed rules for these shifters aren't immediately apparent but I imagine they will be dealt with more in depth in the sequel. Amy is really the only character I really connected because the others seemed to have been kept in the background. I feel that Amy and Leone's story isn't really finished and I'm hoping that they will make an appearance in Ambereye.
Wild was an enjoyable, quick read in the shifter genre. For a fast-paced read, The Midnight Hunt and the rest of the series is high on adrenaline, sex and war with shifters, vampires and faeries. Geonn Cannon's Underdogs was also pretty good. Bridget Essex also writes a lot in the genre but I've only read Raised by Wolves and it was okay.
It is more complicated than the others I've read in that the constructed rules for these shifters aren't immediately apparent but I imagine they will be dealt with more in depth in the sequel. Amy is really the only character I really connected because the others seemed to have been kept in the background. I feel that Amy and Leone's story isn't really finished and I'm hoping that they will make an appearance in Ambereye.
Wild was an enjoyable, quick read in the shifter genre. For a fast-paced read, The Midnight Hunt and the rest of the series is high on adrenaline, sex and war with shifters, vampires and faeries. Geonn Cannon's Underdogs was also pretty good. Bridget Essex also writes a lot in the genre but I've only read Raised by Wolves and it was okay.
October 18, 2020
I'll settle for 3.5 for this book i guess. I can't decide how to rate this book at all. I enjoyed the story very much. But I don't like how Leone's attitude and being secretive toward Amy. Despite claiming that she's her true mate and love her, she kept everything secret and have no intention to reveal the truth at all until they become mate. And how can they reach that point, if the truth cannot be reveal first. I thought love conquer all and rule sometimes has to break? (Well, that just my idea, other people have different opinion. Dont mind me 😅)
Beside that, i did enjoy the story. And I heard book 2 is more lighter and more enjoyable. I may read that one next.
Beside that, i did enjoy the story. And I heard book 2 is more lighter and more enjoyable. I may read that one next.
August 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this one, I’d have given it 5 starts if not for the unnecessary lying, but I guess it had to happen for the plot, but still... it doesn’t really make sense lol but ignoring that part, I liked the characters and the family and the place they live in.
May 20, 2024
I did not care for the bestiality aspect of this or the near rape of the MC, Amy. Not sure I want to continue on with this series. I read this because the series has such high ratings.
December 7, 2023
Enjoyable paranormal romance fiction and better than I expected!!
January 18, 2010
I loved this book, the first in Gill's werewolf series. It is a breakthrough novel for her, I think. Funny, sexy. It makes you want to howl a little on your own. It is a must-read, in my opinion.
April 25, 2019
2019 re-read
December 22, 2010
"2.5" stars
The beginning was promising and I was pulled in and kept in, entranced by the layout Gill McKnight sets. The Garoul family - clan, really - and the land they own. Amy comes across as intricately woven in among them and yet separate, and Leone - a powerful personality, daughter of the owner of the land and leader of the family, a head-strong woman who is determined to right wrongs that happened in their youth.
As the novel went on the plot grew more and more detail, more and more exciting ... and then passed the point of interesting and into tedious. Amy became a wishy-washy waffler, thinking of how much she loves Leone and how they will move on with a new start - and then turning around less than a page [or paragraph] later saying to herself that she would never let Leone in her heart again. Likewise, Leone gradually turned from a headstrong and admirable character into a simpering ex-girlfriend desperate to win Amy's forgiveness and win back her mate. It was just ... somewhere between sad and sickening. As was even mentioned at one point, Leone would walk across burning coals to win Amy back and deserve every moment of it ... but for what? Because of circumstances beyond her young control that guided her in one direction and Amy in another as teeneagers?
As for the plot, the discovery of different things happened in jerking spurts; Amy would find a piece to the puzzle, get confused, set it aside, work on her sketching, argue with Leone, find another piece of the puzzle, get confused, set it aside, be confronted with odd violence or bloody evidence of a frightening beast nearby, settle for the half-ass explanation she's given, suspect something is up, shrug and set it aside, go back to painting ...
I cannot possibly say how aggravating that was. She sees trees ripped to shreds, and lets it go. Finds a mutilated deer corpse, lets it go. Suspects the Garouls are lying when they go hunting without guns and explain a dead deer off as being hit by one of their trucks when the only damage it has is its throat ripped out, and she lets it go. Creepy librarian showing up at her hut, which is in the middle of nowhere? Lets it go. Her aunt missing amidst all this and explanations given only evasive and half-ass? .... need I say it again?
By three-fourths of the way through, I was ready to jump into the novel, pummel Amy and tell her to man up [woman up?] and get to the bottom of everything instead of just shrugging and secretly growing more and more distrustful of everyone and everything, and yet accepting every explanation given.
The beginning was promising and I was pulled in and kept in, entranced by the layout Gill McKnight sets. The Garoul family - clan, really - and the land they own. Amy comes across as intricately woven in among them and yet separate, and Leone - a powerful personality, daughter of the owner of the land and leader of the family, a head-strong woman who is determined to right wrongs that happened in their youth.
As the novel went on the plot grew more and more detail, more and more exciting ... and then passed the point of interesting and into tedious. Amy became a wishy-washy waffler, thinking of how much she loves Leone and how they will move on with a new start - and then turning around less than a page [or paragraph] later saying to herself that she would never let Leone in her heart again. Likewise, Leone gradually turned from a headstrong and admirable character into a simpering ex-girlfriend desperate to win Amy's forgiveness and win back her mate. It was just ... somewhere between sad and sickening. As was even mentioned at one point, Leone would walk across burning coals to win Amy back and deserve every moment of it ... but for what? Because of circumstances beyond her young control that guided her in one direction and Amy in another as teeneagers?
As for the plot, the discovery of different things happened in jerking spurts; Amy would find a piece to the puzzle, get confused, set it aside, work on her sketching, argue with Leone, find another piece of the puzzle, get confused, set it aside, be confronted with odd violence or bloody evidence of a frightening beast nearby, settle for the half-ass explanation she's given, suspect something is up, shrug and set it aside, go back to painting ...
I cannot possibly say how aggravating that was. She sees trees ripped to shreds, and lets it go. Finds a mutilated deer corpse, lets it go. Suspects the Garouls are lying when they go hunting without guns and explain a dead deer off as being hit by one of their trucks when the only damage it has is its throat ripped out, and she lets it go. Creepy librarian showing up at her hut, which is in the middle of nowhere? Lets it go. Her aunt missing amidst all this and explanations given only evasive and half-ass? .... need I say it again?
By three-fourths of the way through, I was ready to jump into the novel, pummel Amy and tell her to man up [woman up?] and get to the bottom of everything instead of just shrugging and secretly growing more and more distrustful of everyone and everything, and yet accepting every explanation given.
March 15, 2013
This is the first book I've read by McKnight and I was very impressed. I read it in a day and a half and found myself lost in the world she created. I could feel the weather and smell the forest and when a book does that, it's one I'll come back to again. I really enjoyed spending time with the characters and the plot was gripping and tense. This is one of the first romance thrillers I've read that actually scared me at points. I wouldn't classify it as a horror over-all, but the elements of horror fiction it contained were just as well done as the rest of the story.
Amy and Leone are good leads and I'd love another book starring them. They frustrated me at times but the better I got to know them the more their interactions made sense. Leone is kind of childish, or maybe childlike is the better description, when we first get to know her, but by the end I felt for her and understood how her life had left her that way and more importantly, saw how she was getting better and believed it. I also totally bought their sexual chemistry. One of the sex scenes is extremely hot, maybe one of the hottest I've ever read. Also unconventional and I really appreciated that because sometimes sex scenes in this genre feel a little cookie-cutter. This one showed that there are other ways lesbians can have sex than just what Hollywood puts in movies.
So, transporting writing, good handling of romance, horror, mystery and suspense, engaging leads with great chemistry, definitely pick it up.
Amy and Leone are good leads and I'd love another book starring them. They frustrated me at times but the better I got to know them the more their interactions made sense. Leone is kind of childish, or maybe childlike is the better description, when we first get to know her, but by the end I felt for her and understood how her life had left her that way and more importantly, saw how she was getting better and believed it. I also totally bought their sexual chemistry. One of the sex scenes is extremely hot, maybe one of the hottest I've ever read. Also unconventional and I really appreciated that because sometimes sex scenes in this genre feel a little cookie-cutter. This one showed that there are other ways lesbians can have sex than just what Hollywood puts in movies.
So, transporting writing, good handling of romance, horror, mystery and suspense, engaging leads with great chemistry, definitely pick it up.
June 26, 2019
Having already read the prequel to the Garoul series about a year ago, I was excited to see where it all started, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Goldenseal is the first book in the Garoul series, introducing the family, and Amy Fortune to us. I absolutely adored every moment of the story. Learning about characters that hadn’t been the focus of the later produced prequel was brilliant.
Amy is no stranger to the Garoul’s having grown up around them, but there is so much she doesn’t know. Experiencing this story mostly from her perspective was refreshing because although she is familiar with the valley and the family, she has a lot to learn, and a past with Leone to face.
I found myself completely caught up in Amy and Leone’s strained relationship. It really kept a subplot tension running with the intensity of Amy uncovering the Garoul’s secrets and having an adventure that was both thrilling, and frightening.
I am now so excited for the rest of the Garoul series and can’t wait to read it. Completely hooked on this series, if I wasn’t before. A must read. This is a book I would highly recommend, especially for anyone into the supernatural but with a love or romance with a pinch of angst, and a whole lot of excitement!
Goldenseal is the first book in the Garoul series, introducing the family, and Amy Fortune to us. I absolutely adored every moment of the story. Learning about characters that hadn’t been the focus of the later produced prequel was brilliant.
Amy is no stranger to the Garoul’s having grown up around them, but there is so much she doesn’t know. Experiencing this story mostly from her perspective was refreshing because although she is familiar with the valley and the family, she has a lot to learn, and a past with Leone to face.
I found myself completely caught up in Amy and Leone’s strained relationship. It really kept a subplot tension running with the intensity of Amy uncovering the Garoul’s secrets and having an adventure that was both thrilling, and frightening.
I am now so excited for the rest of the Garoul series and can’t wait to read it. Completely hooked on this series, if I wasn’t before. A must read. This is a book I would highly recommend, especially for anyone into the supernatural but with a love or romance with a pinch of angst, and a whole lot of excitement!
July 9, 2017
Superb!
Someone runs amok and they had to hunt down this evil. This evil who poses a threat for the whole family. Amy wants nothing to do with Leone and she would do anything to avoid her. When Amy must return to Little Dip, she finds danger, intrigue, heartache and a very different life. Totally different as when she left so many years ago. Her instinct screams to walk away but she can’t, she has work to do. This is a gripping, suspenseful story with lots of love and packed full of actions. A story with unexpected twists and an uncomfortable surprise. The well developed characters draw you in and keep you riveted. I don't understand why I've waited so long reading this series? It is now one of my favorite and I recommend it highly to everyone. Do not miss it!
Someone runs amok and they had to hunt down this evil. This evil who poses a threat for the whole family. Amy wants nothing to do with Leone and she would do anything to avoid her. When Amy must return to Little Dip, she finds danger, intrigue, heartache and a very different life. Totally different as when she left so many years ago. Her instinct screams to walk away but she can’t, she has work to do. This is a gripping, suspenseful story with lots of love and packed full of actions. A story with unexpected twists and an uncomfortable surprise. The well developed characters draw you in and keep you riveted. I don't understand why I've waited so long reading this series? It is now one of my favorite and I recommend it highly to everyone. Do not miss it!
February 26, 2015
I read this book after Ambereye.
Many comments say that Ambereye, book 2 of the Garoul series, is better than Goldenseal, book 1.
I don't know if I agree; they are very different.
I really liked Ambereye which is almost all romance, with the main character Jolie really amusing, so nervous and sweet.
Goldenseal, on the other hand, is a wonderful mistery book and the one of the best novel I have ever read.
Leone Garoul si really a problematic character, walking on the edge of right and wrong behaviour. She's not always positive, she can be istinctive, proud, coward, dangerous and violent.
But for this very reason she's also so real and so "human"!
Many comments say that Ambereye, book 2 of the Garoul series, is better than Goldenseal, book 1.
I don't know if I agree; they are very different.
I really liked Ambereye which is almost all romance, with the main character Jolie really amusing, so nervous and sweet.
Goldenseal, on the other hand, is a wonderful mistery book and the one of the best novel I have ever read.
Leone Garoul si really a problematic character, walking on the edge of right and wrong behaviour. She's not always positive, she can be istinctive, proud, coward, dangerous and violent.
But for this very reason she's also so real and so "human"!
December 5, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, even if I wanted to smack the living daylights out of the Leone character for not spilling any info when Amy starts finding some seriously unavoidable evidence regarding the mysteries of the valley.
Overall though, great humor, good snarky dialogue and I'll probably almost immediately start reading the rest of the series posthaste!
Overall though, great humor, good snarky dialogue and I'll probably almost immediately start reading the rest of the series posthaste!
November 10, 2020
A really good read that drew me in...so much so I immediately bought tge next in the series.
July 17, 2022
Exciting
I really liked this book a lot. I will purchase the next one as soon as I am done with this review. I am a big fantasy fan and this is the first book I’ve read by this author. Not my last, I assure you.
I really liked this book a lot. I will purchase the next one as soon as I am done with this review. I am a big fantasy fan and this is the first book I’ve read by this author. Not my last, I assure you.
February 6, 2021
First time I pick it, I DNF.
I had to read Little Dip (prequel) to fell a bit in love with the writer style and go for this one. Still I couldn't get pass the principal issue.
The world building is completely wrong as a romance premice.
The supernatural species seems to have the ability to recognize their mate, their one and only. Their instinct are bite, mark and possess the human, unaware lucky? Person.
This seems to excuse completely awful stalkerish behaviour, lying, manipulating and succeeding their conquest at the end which left me bewildered.
It kind of happen in most of the books of the whole serie. But in the others, it's balance by discovery and a writing that gets better and better.
I had to read Little Dip (prequel) to fell a bit in love with the writer style and go for this one. Still I couldn't get pass the principal issue.
The world building is completely wrong as a romance premice.
The supernatural species seems to have the ability to recognize their mate, their one and only. Their instinct are bite, mark and possess the human, unaware lucky? Person.
This seems to excuse completely awful stalkerish behaviour, lying, manipulating and succeeding their conquest at the end which left me bewildered.
It kind of happen in most of the books of the whole serie. But in the others, it's balance by discovery and a writing that gets better and better.
May 6, 2021
I actually like it.
If you read it as a lesbian romance, you'd probably get disappointed. I love Amy; she's brave and intelligent, but Leone always gives me an unsettling feeling, especially the witchcraft wooing part... but if you read it as a supernatural mystery and the lesbian romance is just a bonus? Then this book will delight your day. When the mystery starts revealing in the second half of the book, I feel like watching a supernatural cult horror movie, and I meant it in a good way; it gives me those Giner Snaps vibes, and now I can’ wait to read the second book!
If you read it as a lesbian romance, you'd probably get disappointed. I love Amy; she's brave and intelligent, but Leone always gives me an unsettling feeling, especially the witchcraft wooing part... but if you read it as a supernatural mystery and the lesbian romance is just a bonus? Then this book will delight your day. When the mystery starts revealing in the second half of the book, I feel like watching a supernatural cult horror movie, and I meant it in a good way; it gives me those Giner Snaps vibes, and now I can’ wait to read the second book!
July 2, 2021
7/2/21 - listened to the audiobook this time around and I didn't care of it nearly as much as the ebook. I also enjoyed the story less this time...
Rereading with the Mostly Lesfic group!
Just finished and still love it. Same rating as first read.
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Really enjoyed this book! See my review at http://reviews.c-spot.net/archives/35
Rereading with the Mostly Lesfic group!
Just finished and still love it. Same rating as first read.
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Really enjoyed this book! See my review at http://reviews.c-spot.net/archives/35
October 15, 2019
This could have actually been really good had Amy not been one of the most too stupid to live heroines ever!! I should have known, the book basically opens up with Amy being a brat.
Oh and what a ridiculous villain!!
It wasn't terrible but it was just not great. Leone had the patience of a saint!
Oh and what a ridiculous villain!!
It wasn't terrible but it was just not great. Leone had the patience of a saint!
January 4, 2016
I don't want to say too much because this would be a very easy book to spoil, but I really liked it and would definitely recommend it.
March 5, 2020
So, I finished reading (listening to) Goldenseal on Saturday, aka book one of the Garoul series. Yes, within days of having finished the prequel. No, that wasn’t strictly my plan. I guess I’m officially a sucker for sapphic werewolves.
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Was Goldenseal as big of a hit with me as Little Dip? Well, yes and no; in some ways more so, in other ways less. What is evident is that McKnight has grown in her craft in the interim years between book one and book five of this series (published in 2009 and 2017 respectively), which is always a pleasure to see as a reader. Goldenseal has a few pacing issues, a bit of floundering over plot points, and gaps in the world building that’s not present in the later work. Having said that, the chemistry of the lesbian romance part is off the charts, even if I grudgingly have to admit that I did notice the dubcon and toxic love signs that other reviewers have pointed out. Werewolf romance tropes have a tendency to skim the lines here, however, and I think McKnight was definitely aware of and striving to address these issues, even if there are some blind spots.
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A bigger issue for me, listening to these two parts of the series that are currently available as audiobooks back to back, as it were, was the inconsistencies in the background stories of Amy and Connie Fortune between the two books. For the sake of anyone who doesn’t notice them, I’m not going to get into them here. It’s a pity for such a great series, but there it is.
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HOWEVER, despite these misgivings, I still did a miserable job of pacing myself with this second visit to Little Dip, and kept inventing reasons why I needed to take an audiobook break. Also, I broke my physical book-buying ban for the first time this year and ordered the rest of the books in the series as paperbacks. Pure guilty pleasure stuff.
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Was Goldenseal as big of a hit with me as Little Dip? Well, yes and no; in some ways more so, in other ways less. What is evident is that McKnight has grown in her craft in the interim years between book one and book five of this series (published in 2009 and 2017 respectively), which is always a pleasure to see as a reader. Goldenseal has a few pacing issues, a bit of floundering over plot points, and gaps in the world building that’s not present in the later work. Having said that, the chemistry of the lesbian romance part is off the charts, even if I grudgingly have to admit that I did notice the dubcon and toxic love signs that other reviewers have pointed out. Werewolf romance tropes have a tendency to skim the lines here, however, and I think McKnight was definitely aware of and striving to address these issues, even if there are some blind spots.
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A bigger issue for me, listening to these two parts of the series that are currently available as audiobooks back to back, as it were, was the inconsistencies in the background stories of Amy and Connie Fortune between the two books. For the sake of anyone who doesn’t notice them, I’m not going to get into them here. It’s a pity for such a great series, but there it is.
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HOWEVER, despite these misgivings, I still did a miserable job of pacing myself with this second visit to Little Dip, and kept inventing reasons why I needed to take an audiobook break. Also, I broke my physical book-buying ban for the first time this year and ordered the rest of the books in the series as paperbacks. Pure guilty pleasure stuff.
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