What do you think?
Rate this book
Chaos Tryst
A chaos magic Goldilocks and a Russian bear-shifter team-up for a rollicking fairytale retelling--and maybe a little romance.
Ariana Golde may be known for breaking and entering but she's no thief, she’ s a returner. She retrieves stolen objects and gives them back to their rightful owners. Her latest job: retrieving a statue from the Medveds. But Ari is having an off night, and she's caught red-handed by the three brothers, who don't just get mad—they turn into bears.
Maksim Medved is outraged — the statue belongs to his parents. But Ari's returner magick doesn't lie: the heirloom has a new rightful owner. Ari is drawn to the surly, handsome Maks — maybe because he possesses the same chaos magick she does. But while Ariana enjoys a touch of chaos, Maks hates its destructive power.
When Ari and Maks team up to find her mystery client, their chaos magicks ignite even faster than their attraction. Can Maks learn to love a little chaos, or will the havoc they cause among the faebled creatures drive him away for good?
33,000 words
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2011
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Shirin Dubbin
7 books53 followersShirin Dubbin is often called a “chic geek,” and she likes the sound of it. Especially since she’s a closet wallflower (albeit one with a super-heroine styled alter ego). When not working in graphic design or hosting The Fantastic Forum—a celebration of comics & speculative fiction—she writes stories inspired by the art, literature, international cinema, and anime she grew up with.
In her own storytelling, Shirin spins tales of sci-fi and urban fantasy with romantic edge. The battle between good and evil, humor, and break neck action are ink to her imagination.
Culturally, she’s half American, half British and very southern; right down to the accent and love of grits. Government reports show a residence in DC, but Shirin lives largely on the astral plane and hopes to meet you there.
In her own storytelling, Shirin spins tales of sci-fi and urban fantasy with romantic edge. The battle between good and evil, humor, and break neck action are ink to her imagination.
Culturally, she’s half American, half British and very southern; right down to the accent and love of grits. Government reports show a residence in DC, but Shirin lives largely on the astral plane and hopes to meet you there.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 26, 2011
This seems to be my week for the almost-greats. Y'know what I mean. I'm referring to those books that inch along the tightrope between 'Eh. It was good,' and 'This was awesome,' and they invariably fall off the wire somewhere in between. Chaos Tryst took the plunge closer to the 'Eh' side, which was disappointing.
Ariana (aka Ari) is a returner, a person who retrieves stolen artifacts and returns them to their rightful owners. She's also the daughter of two trickster gods, Anasai and Inari, and she's inherited a large chunk of their chaos magic. Maks's origin is somewhat fuzzier. He's a Bear shifter, the middle of three brothers, and he's the only one who got chaos magic from their mother. Maks makes a big deal out of being half Russian and half Gypsy, but since I'm not really up on Russian or Gypsy mythology, I couldn't really tell you where his parents fall on the the power scale or what Maks really is. Maks's characterization is where the book started to lose its balance. Ari is very clearly defined. She is a tricksy girl who tries to use her powers for good. When she's being tricksy, her kitsune spirit overlays itself on her physical body, but she doesn't actually turn into a fox. Maks literally turns in a bear and the bear seems to have its own consciousness because the bear knows it wants Ari while the man is still reluctant. Maks the man is also sulky as several of characters call him and he is largely inscrutable. You don't really see him fall in love with Ari. He goes from being murderously pissed off to I guess I'll help her out to We shall be wed!. I raised my eyebrows at that.
Furthermore, the world Dubbin has created bears the potential to be fascinating. It's like a cross between the comic book series Fables by Bill Willingham and Wen Spencer's Tinker (I need Spencer to write faster. Like seriously). However, the reader is never given any framework for understanding it. It's like there's a refugee camp crammed full of every mythological being ever created, regardless of ethnic origin, and inhabitants refer to themselves as Faebles. To make things more confusing, the implication is, Ari aside, that the characters' first language is of the country their myth originated from. For example, Inari's dialogue reads like a native Japanese speaker translating her thoughts into English. Maks's dialogue has a Russian flair. So it begs the question: why are they here and not there, and why is English the common-use language?
It sounds nitpicky when I re-read it, but I firmly believe that if an author is going to create an elaborate fantasy world, they need to establish a logical framework within it. When Maks and Ari touch, their chaos magics spiral together and create havoc. Okay, I can buy that, but why? Is it because they are meant to be together? Did their magic ever spring out of control when they were children? Can they manipulate events to kill someone? Is chaos magic only passed down trickster bloodlines? Why did Maks inherit the magic, but not his brothers?
Also, after some chaos incidents, Dubbin throws in a section, '2 minutes prior' or whatever, where the reader is told how the chaos incident happened. I don't understand why this wasn't just part of the story. Why do I need a flashback for this? Why can't it be in the linear narrative?
I can keep asking question after question about various aspects of the story, which is basically my point. A story can have a good foundation and be crappy (see the vast majority of fanfiction), but if the foundation is riddled with cracks, the story is going to collapse within itself.
I'm keeping this at three stars because I would read a sequel. The flaws within Chaos Tryst are definitely fixable so another story set in this world has the potential to be very good, if it can just keep its balance long enough!
Ariana (aka Ari) is a returner, a person who retrieves stolen artifacts and returns them to their rightful owners. She's also the daughter of two trickster gods, Anasai and Inari, and she's inherited a large chunk of their chaos magic. Maks's origin is somewhat fuzzier. He's a Bear shifter, the middle of three brothers, and he's the only one who got chaos magic from their mother. Maks makes a big deal out of being half Russian and half Gypsy, but since I'm not really up on Russian or Gypsy mythology, I couldn't really tell you where his parents fall on the the power scale or what Maks really is. Maks's characterization is where the book started to lose its balance. Ari is very clearly defined. She is a tricksy girl who tries to use her powers for good. When she's being tricksy, her kitsune spirit overlays itself on her physical body, but she doesn't actually turn into a fox. Maks literally turns in a bear and the bear seems to have its own consciousness because the bear knows it wants Ari while the man is still reluctant. Maks the man is also sulky as several of characters call him and he is largely inscrutable. You don't really see him fall in love with Ari. He goes from being murderously pissed off to I guess I'll help her out to We shall be wed!. I raised my eyebrows at that.
Furthermore, the world Dubbin has created bears the potential to be fascinating. It's like a cross between the comic book series Fables by Bill Willingham and Wen Spencer's Tinker (I need Spencer to write faster. Like seriously). However, the reader is never given any framework for understanding it. It's like there's a refugee camp crammed full of every mythological being ever created, regardless of ethnic origin, and inhabitants refer to themselves as Faebles. To make things more confusing, the implication is, Ari aside, that the characters' first language is of the country their myth originated from. For example, Inari's dialogue reads like a native Japanese speaker translating her thoughts into English. Maks's dialogue has a Russian flair. So it begs the question: why are they here and not there, and why is English the common-use language?
It sounds nitpicky when I re-read it, but I firmly believe that if an author is going to create an elaborate fantasy world, they need to establish a logical framework within it. When Maks and Ari touch, their chaos magics spiral together and create havoc. Okay, I can buy that, but why? Is it because they are meant to be together? Did their magic ever spring out of control when they were children? Can they manipulate events to kill someone? Is chaos magic only passed down trickster bloodlines? Why did Maks inherit the magic, but not his brothers?
Also, after some chaos incidents, Dubbin throws in a section, '2 minutes prior' or whatever, where the reader is told how the chaos incident happened. I don't understand why this wasn't just part of the story. Why do I need a flashback for this? Why can't it be in the linear narrative?
I can keep asking question after question about various aspects of the story, which is basically my point. A story can have a good foundation and be crappy (see the vast majority of fanfiction), but if the foundation is riddled with cracks, the story is going to collapse within itself.
I'm keeping this at three stars because I would read a sequel. The flaws within Chaos Tryst are definitely fixable so another story set in this world has the potential to be very good, if it can just keep its balance long enough!
October 27, 2011
Chaos Tryst fit very nicely into the fairy tale romance spin off 'kick' I've been on lately, since it stars the golden dread-locked Ariana Golde in the role of "Goldilocks" and bear shifter Maksim Medved with small supporting appearances by his brothers, as the 'three bears'. Here Ariana is not a wandering child, she's the daughter of two gods and a 'retriever' which is not exactly a thief - that's good, because with her affinity for chaos she'd be a pretty inept one. The pair comes together on a bungled retrieval - Ari is interrupted while removing an artifact from the Medved's abode. So it is not too surprising that Maks is not too appreciative of the distinction between thief and 'retriever' since the item which Ariana claims 'belongs' to someone else - or else she wouldn't be liberating it - has been in his family since his father crafted as a gift for his mother. Even though the truth of Ari's claim is proven by magic, Maks isn't about to give up so easily and attaches himself to Ari as she goes about her business, determined to confront Ari's client when it comes time for Ari to drop off the item. And since Maks also has a talent for chaos which interacts with Ari's in ways that are sometimes explosive, the together the two or them create a fair amount of mayhem.
While I enjoyed the idea of the more archaic elements anachronistically woven in with modern day trappings, and the mix of being from fairy tales, classic fantasy, and myths, the story would have benefited from a bit more definition in the world building. There are elements which make it seem like this might not be a pure fantasy world, and there are humans mixed in with the mythic and fairy tale beings, Bluetooth, and Maks' top notch kitchen, but it is never clear whether this is a corner of our world or if the world of fairy tales has just progressed from the medieval times to the modern. And since not as many readers are familiar with Japanese and African deities and myths, slipping in just a tad more explanation about why Maksi calls Ari kitsune (a Japanese fox spirit) and about Inari and Anansi (a Japanese goddess of luck and change, and an African spider trickster god, who are Ari's parents) would have helped too.
I really liked both Ari and Maks. Part of the pair's appeal is that they are both well fleshed out. Ari sees herself as a misfit but she's a happy playful one and she's determined to get grumpy bear Maks to smile, and she secretly nurtures a long held crush for Maks that becomes 'more' over the course of the story. I enjoyed Maks who tries to resist Ari, due to the fact that she brings out the part of his nature that has left him feeling responsible for his parents fate, the nature he's tried to contain ever since, but fortunately his inner bear isn't taking 'no' for an answer.
So when the last page was turned, I still enjoyed Chaos Tryst, largely because I am very character-centric. And even though with just a bit more clarity in the world building department, this would have been great, what was here was still a good fantasy romp with just a touch of romance.
ARC provided by Carina Press via NetGalley
While I enjoyed the idea of the more archaic elements anachronistically woven in with modern day trappings, and the mix of being from fairy tales, classic fantasy, and myths, the story would have benefited from a bit more definition in the world building. There are elements which make it seem like this might not be a pure fantasy world, and there are humans mixed in with the mythic and fairy tale beings, Bluetooth, and Maks' top notch kitchen, but it is never clear whether this is a corner of our world or if the world of fairy tales has just progressed from the medieval times to the modern. And since not as many readers are familiar with Japanese and African deities and myths, slipping in just a tad more explanation about why Maksi calls Ari kitsune (a Japanese fox spirit) and about Inari and Anansi (a Japanese goddess of luck and change, and an African spider trickster god, who are Ari's parents) would have helped too.
I really liked both Ari and Maks. Part of the pair's appeal is that they are both well fleshed out. Ari sees herself as a misfit but she's a happy playful one and she's determined to get grumpy bear Maks to smile, and she secretly nurtures a long held crush for Maks that becomes 'more' over the course of the story. I enjoyed Maks who tries to resist Ari, due to the fact that she brings out the part of his nature that has left him feeling responsible for his parents fate, the nature he's tried to contain ever since, but fortunately his inner bear isn't taking 'no' for an answer.
So when the last page was turned, I still enjoyed Chaos Tryst, largely because I am very character-centric. And even though with just a bit more clarity in the world building department, this would have been great, what was here was still a good fantasy romp with just a touch of romance.
ARC provided by Carina Press via NetGalley
November 25, 2011
Chaos Tryst is an interesting idea for a world setting which is hampered almost to the point of ruin by the childish and unrealistic "romantic" couple of this paranormal romance. Arianna Golde and Maksim Medved are characters from the "conflict" school of romance, which states that at no time may the characters have anything resembling chemistry until the last chapters of the book. These two succeed in that regard, and in the process they turn what could have been a cute book with a great idea into a long and painful crawl through fairy hell with a too bubbly tour guide and a male passenger who keeps shouting "harrumph" after every one of the tour guide's sentences.
Before I explain why the characters don't work for me, I should explain the world, which was incredibly fascinating and detailed. In this setting, Mother Goose and Grimm's fairy tales have evolved into their own modern world of "faebles", one with its own unique history. The history of the land is a sub-plot, as is one of the main character's tasks, which I won't explain and ruin for others. The world and settings were great, and many of the bit characters were interesting or cute in some way. Indeed, the idea of all these stories existing as a race of people called faebles instantly tickled my myth-loving nerd roots.
But the same cannot be said for either main character. Let me start with Ari, a "returner." That's basically "magical thief with a heart of golde...er, gold." And to make sure this name isn't wasted, Ari has gold hair and gold skin too. So Ari Golde goes into the house of three bears to look for an item that's "just right." And here after this kind of cute joke, the story falls apart faster than a house of cards in the presence of a hyperactive cat.
Ari is supposedly a pro, having done her job for a hundred years or so. But she's doing this job with sleep deprivation from several days of stacked jobs (not buying that) and she's carrying a cell phone and has no trouble stopping in the middle of a quiet house to chat up her mother. (ditto.) The story tries to convince the reader that because of sleep deprivation and Ari being a creature of chaos, her behavior is a bit random. Which is why she's making about a dozen rookie mistakes just walking through the house.
Instead of seeming random, Ari comes off as a little girl out on a night of play pretend. Most of the time, she's a brat, only acting like an adult when she can't avoid acting like a child. She takes nothing seriously, talks nonsense half the time, and then suddenly becomes wise beyond her years at the key points when the story cannot move on without her growing up for five minutes.
And then there's Maks, who the story claims is a drop dead sexy werebear. Instead, he's a stereotyped Russian. He's stoic, a braggart, and talks with a thick Hollywood-style Russian accent. He's openly hostile to Ari, and spends most of the book playing the grumpy little boy to Ari's excited little girl.
Problem is, both of these characters are over 100. If this book had made Maks and Ari 16 or 17 for a wacky paranormal YA comedy, I might have bought their chaotic behavior as teens goofing off far more readily than I would believe two grown adults were acting like spoiled brats.
As an example, in a pointless scene in the middle of the book, Ari performs karaoke badly. So Maks insults her, and then does a full song and dance to show off just how awesome he is. Ari writhes around like this show of egotism is really sexy, simultaneously turning me off of the scene and lowering my respect of Ari for her lousy taste in men.
When the book goes for a final plot twist at the end, Ari's parents further reduce Ari and Maks to being children, complete with Ari being sent to her room while Maks is scolded for not courting Ari properly. Yes, really. The scene is so stupid, I almost didn't get to make it to the ending where Ari childishly gets Maks in trouble with her dad. (Won't explain why, no spoilers.) She might as well stick out her tongue and go, "neener neener, doodoohead!" for the closing line.
I give Chaos Tryst 2 stars, and I might recommend it to fans of whimsical romance stories that draw on fairy tale themes. But for me, the main characters had no chemistry, and rather than try for an immortally lifelong romance, I think the best Maks should hope for from Ari is some pity sex for being a sadder bear than Sexual Harassment Panda.
Before I explain why the characters don't work for me, I should explain the world, which was incredibly fascinating and detailed. In this setting, Mother Goose and Grimm's fairy tales have evolved into their own modern world of "faebles", one with its own unique history. The history of the land is a sub-plot, as is one of the main character's tasks, which I won't explain and ruin for others. The world and settings were great, and many of the bit characters were interesting or cute in some way. Indeed, the idea of all these stories existing as a race of people called faebles instantly tickled my myth-loving nerd roots.
But the same cannot be said for either main character. Let me start with Ari, a "returner." That's basically "magical thief with a heart of golde...er, gold." And to make sure this name isn't wasted, Ari has gold hair and gold skin too. So Ari Golde goes into the house of three bears to look for an item that's "just right." And here after this kind of cute joke, the story falls apart faster than a house of cards in the presence of a hyperactive cat.
Ari is supposedly a pro, having done her job for a hundred years or so. But she's doing this job with sleep deprivation from several days of stacked jobs (not buying that) and she's carrying a cell phone and has no trouble stopping in the middle of a quiet house to chat up her mother. (ditto.) The story tries to convince the reader that because of sleep deprivation and Ari being a creature of chaos, her behavior is a bit random. Which is why she's making about a dozen rookie mistakes just walking through the house.
Instead of seeming random, Ari comes off as a little girl out on a night of play pretend. Most of the time, she's a brat, only acting like an adult when she can't avoid acting like a child. She takes nothing seriously, talks nonsense half the time, and then suddenly becomes wise beyond her years at the key points when the story cannot move on without her growing up for five minutes.
And then there's Maks, who the story claims is a drop dead sexy werebear. Instead, he's a stereotyped Russian. He's stoic, a braggart, and talks with a thick Hollywood-style Russian accent. He's openly hostile to Ari, and spends most of the book playing the grumpy little boy to Ari's excited little girl.
Problem is, both of these characters are over 100. If this book had made Maks and Ari 16 or 17 for a wacky paranormal YA comedy, I might have bought their chaotic behavior as teens goofing off far more readily than I would believe two grown adults were acting like spoiled brats.
As an example, in a pointless scene in the middle of the book, Ari performs karaoke badly. So Maks insults her, and then does a full song and dance to show off just how awesome he is. Ari writhes around like this show of egotism is really sexy, simultaneously turning me off of the scene and lowering my respect of Ari for her lousy taste in men.
When the book goes for a final plot twist at the end, Ari's parents further reduce Ari and Maks to being children, complete with Ari being sent to her room while Maks is scolded for not courting Ari properly. Yes, really. The scene is so stupid, I almost didn't get to make it to the ending where Ari childishly gets Maks in trouble with her dad. (Won't explain why, no spoilers.) She might as well stick out her tongue and go, "neener neener, doodoohead!" for the closing line.
I give Chaos Tryst 2 stars, and I might recommend it to fans of whimsical romance stories that draw on fairy tale themes. But for me, the main characters had no chemistry, and rather than try for an immortally lifelong romance, I think the best Maks should hope for from Ari is some pity sex for being a sadder bear than Sexual Harassment Panda.
November 15, 2011
See this review and others on my site, www.ufreviews.com
A magical retelling of Goldilocks and the three bears. This is a novella, which for me I enjoy as short reads, but don't read them all that often because I like to really dive into a book and get lost in it for hours. But novellas also have their place, they are quicker reads, I think for those of us who don't have the time to immerse ourselves for hours in a longer book.
I would like to mention that the concept for this book is unique. The imagination alone required to take a simple fairytale and create a complex world to retell this story is quite remarkable. I would like to take time to acknowledge that.
Ari and Maks are the two main characters of this story. Ari is the modern representation of Goldilocks and Maks is one of the three bears. Ari is a retriever, who essentially just retrievers stolen property to their rightful owner and she is bound by a magical code. Ari meets Maks when she goes to retrieve something from Maks' home that she believes to be stolen, and that her magic shows to be stolen. However, the item in question has been in Maks' family since it's creation, which mean the two of them need to iron out who the rightful owner really is, which is how this story start off.
While this book is generally speaking a cute story, and truly unique it does have it's flaws. The story moves quickly (always a good thing), but at some point it starts to become confusing, and not in a good way.
In a lot of ways the story starts to begin feeling forced about half way through. As if the first half was a steady build up of events, and then the author realized it was a novella and not a book and just started through events together that would allow for the completion of the story.
The romance itself, that is a huge primary part of the novella, feel forced. The characters do not feel organic together, and they do not really feel like they have a lot of chemistry. I'm not really sure what element is missing between the two characters or how to go about fixing this issue, but it just doesn't feel right and feels forced.
Overall, the book is so-so. If you are looking for a quick read this might be a book for you, or if you are a person who likes the retelling of the stories you heard of as a child then maybe this is for you. Other than that I don't know of many people who are going to think this novella is a favorite.
A magical retelling of Goldilocks and the three bears. This is a novella, which for me I enjoy as short reads, but don't read them all that often because I like to really dive into a book and get lost in it for hours. But novellas also have their place, they are quicker reads, I think for those of us who don't have the time to immerse ourselves for hours in a longer book.
I would like to mention that the concept for this book is unique. The imagination alone required to take a simple fairytale and create a complex world to retell this story is quite remarkable. I would like to take time to acknowledge that.
Ari and Maks are the two main characters of this story. Ari is the modern representation of Goldilocks and Maks is one of the three bears. Ari is a retriever, who essentially just retrievers stolen property to their rightful owner and she is bound by a magical code. Ari meets Maks when she goes to retrieve something from Maks' home that she believes to be stolen, and that her magic shows to be stolen. However, the item in question has been in Maks' family since it's creation, which mean the two of them need to iron out who the rightful owner really is, which is how this story start off.
While this book is generally speaking a cute story, and truly unique it does have it's flaws. The story moves quickly (always a good thing), but at some point it starts to become confusing, and not in a good way.
In a lot of ways the story starts to begin feeling forced about half way through. As if the first half was a steady build up of events, and then the author realized it was a novella and not a book and just started through events together that would allow for the completion of the story.
The romance itself, that is a huge primary part of the novella, feel forced. The characters do not feel organic together, and they do not really feel like they have a lot of chemistry. I'm not really sure what element is missing between the two characters or how to go about fixing this issue, but it just doesn't feel right and feels forced.
Overall, the book is so-so. If you are looking for a quick read this might be a book for you, or if you are a person who likes the retelling of the stories you heard of as a child then maybe this is for you. Other than that I don't know of many people who are going to think this novella is a favorite.
November 2, 2011
Favorite Lines: "Everything went swimmingly on the approach but she'd forgotten what a tall woman she was. Forgot it all the way up until her forehead slammed into the poor guy's 'nads." (p. 14, egalley)
Chaos Tryst is a short story which takes place in a fairy tale like land and features The Three Bears. Ariana Anase Kitsu Golde is the daughter of Inari (a Japanese trickster fox god--kitsune) and Anansi (African trickster god who looks like a spider). She is a quick-witted woman who is attracted to a cursed bear shifter named Maks. He is a man who hates wild magic and thieves. Both Ari and Maks have chaos magic and tends to react in a variety of ways.
One of the most interesting aspects of Chaos Tryst was the interracial hero and heroine. The heroine is African-Japanese and the hero is Russian-Gypsy; she uses Japanese terms and he has a Russian accent. I thought it slightly odd that characters from such varying fables would interact so freely, but it didn't distract me from the story. It made me think about how different the characters where from their appearances to their jobs. It didn't take long to figure out they were perfect for one another. (Good thing seeing as how the book's less than 107 pages long.) Ari has a carefree, live and let live attitude while Maks was bitter. He had reason to be, but I kept thinking that he was a major cry baby.
Despite like parts of the story, there were things that didn't work for me. I understand the reason they were included was to show chaos magic at work, but they really confused me for a while. I'm talking about the scene in the bakery involving an old woman and later on the thoughts running through a princess's mind. I don't like being yanked out of a story by additional ideas or information which is what I felt like happened.
Chaos Tryst is a retake on fables and fairy tales. If that's your thing, you'll most likely enjoy the book. It features a warring land with goblins and ogres, tons of trickery and a happy ending. It's not the most exciting book I've ever read, but it's a fairy tale aimed at romance readers. While I didn't love the hero, I liked the idea of him shifting and the alpha tendencies his inner beast tried to put into his head. However, bear shifter or not, there wasn't enough to create more than a "meh" reaction within me.
Chaos Tryst is a short story which takes place in a fairy tale like land and features The Three Bears. Ariana Anase Kitsu Golde is the daughter of Inari (a Japanese trickster fox god--kitsune) and Anansi (African trickster god who looks like a spider). She is a quick-witted woman who is attracted to a cursed bear shifter named Maks. He is a man who hates wild magic and thieves. Both Ari and Maks have chaos magic and tends to react in a variety of ways.
One of the most interesting aspects of Chaos Tryst was the interracial hero and heroine. The heroine is African-Japanese and the hero is Russian-Gypsy; she uses Japanese terms and he has a Russian accent. I thought it slightly odd that characters from such varying fables would interact so freely, but it didn't distract me from the story. It made me think about how different the characters where from their appearances to their jobs. It didn't take long to figure out they were perfect for one another. (Good thing seeing as how the book's less than 107 pages long.) Ari has a carefree, live and let live attitude while Maks was bitter. He had reason to be, but I kept thinking that he was a major cry baby.
Despite like parts of the story, there were things that didn't work for me. I understand the reason they were included was to show chaos magic at work, but they really confused me for a while. I'm talking about the scene in the bakery involving an old woman and later on the thoughts running through a princess's mind. I don't like being yanked out of a story by additional ideas or information which is what I felt like happened.
Chaos Tryst is a retake on fables and fairy tales. If that's your thing, you'll most likely enjoy the book. It features a warring land with goblins and ogres, tons of trickery and a happy ending. It's not the most exciting book I've ever read, but it's a fairy tale aimed at romance readers. While I didn't love the hero, I liked the idea of him shifting and the alpha tendencies his inner beast tried to put into his head. However, bear shifter or not, there wasn't enough to create more than a "meh" reaction within me.
September 27, 2011
Goldilocks and the Three Bears has never been told like this. Dubbin creates a fantasy world that few could have thought of. With bearshifters, goblins and chaos reigning we are left reeling in wonderment in this Faeble world.
Ariana Anase Kitsu Golde, a mixture of Japanese and West African heritage, is a returner. She feels a tug towards the item that she is looking for, meaning she is not stealing but returning an item to the rightful owner. In human world this doesn’t matter but for Faebles, the race of folklore and faerie tales, it has prevented many magical showdowns. She is hired if a storied folk loosing an item to theft or trickery. Ari is also under a lot of pressure to marry from her mother, Inari, a frightful lady if you were to be on her bad side.
Ari’s job this time is to retrieve a honecomb from the Medved brother’s home. Upon entering the house, Ari feels that she is out of control and she doesn’t know why. When the three brothers, stoic Dimitri, chaotic Maks and the seer Kostya, find Ari in their house they are not too happy. Maks and Ari’s chaotic magic instantly collides and it leads to a night of pandemonium and trickery. As much as Ari loves a little chaos, tonight is getting a little out of control and she has a job to do. Not only returning the honeycomb but she is also on a mission to bring the two goblin families together.
Ari and Maks grow from thinking there is no way anyone could love them to finding they are made for each other. I will admit that at times the writing was chaotic BUT the underlining story is beautifully written. Fantasy is sometimes hard for me to figure out when there isn’t anything tying to a human world. There are mentions of a human world but not much more than that. The personalities of Maks and Ari are well-defined. Towards the end I was lost again because of a few things that seemed out of character for Ari and Maks. All that being said, this is a good short fantasy read. It is a new world that I would definitely like to know more about.
Ariana Anase Kitsu Golde, a mixture of Japanese and West African heritage, is a returner. She feels a tug towards the item that she is looking for, meaning she is not stealing but returning an item to the rightful owner. In human world this doesn’t matter but for Faebles, the race of folklore and faerie tales, it has prevented many magical showdowns. She is hired if a storied folk loosing an item to theft or trickery. Ari is also under a lot of pressure to marry from her mother, Inari, a frightful lady if you were to be on her bad side.
Ari’s job this time is to retrieve a honecomb from the Medved brother’s home. Upon entering the house, Ari feels that she is out of control and she doesn’t know why. When the three brothers, stoic Dimitri, chaotic Maks and the seer Kostya, find Ari in their house they are not too happy. Maks and Ari’s chaotic magic instantly collides and it leads to a night of pandemonium and trickery. As much as Ari loves a little chaos, tonight is getting a little out of control and she has a job to do. Not only returning the honeycomb but she is also on a mission to bring the two goblin families together.
Ari and Maks grow from thinking there is no way anyone could love them to finding they are made for each other. I will admit that at times the writing was chaotic BUT the underlining story is beautifully written. Fantasy is sometimes hard for me to figure out when there isn’t anything tying to a human world. There are mentions of a human world but not much more than that. The personalities of Maks and Ari are well-defined. Towards the end I was lost again because of a few things that seemed out of character for Ari and Maks. All that being said, this is a good short fantasy read. It is a new world that I would definitely like to know more about.
October 3, 2011
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: October 3, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Carina Press
Author’s Website: http://fan-fatale.com
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
Ari Golde is a returner — her job is to retrieve stolen items and return them to their rightful owners. When her latest mission to retrieve a statue goes wrong and she’s caught by three notoriously scary bear-shifters, she knows her night is headed for the dumps. Escaping with only the use of her wits and a touch of chaos magic, Ari flees, but it will not be the last time she comes face to face with one of the bears.
Maks is furious at the vixen who broke in his house and stole the statue that belonged to his parents. Determined to force Ari to hand over the statue, he’s stunned to learn that her returner magic proves that he is no longer the rightful owner of the statue.
Driven by the a strong attraction he’s determined to ignore, and the desire to get his family heirloom back, Maks accompanies Ari for a night that ends up being chock full of chaos, havoc, and magic
While I think the overall premise had a whole lot of promise, in the end, this book lived up to it’s name: there was an overabundance of chaos, and I think the overall story suffered greatly from it.
While the chemistry between Ari and Maks was crackling (and how sexy is it that Bear kept wanting to take her as a mate even when Maks was being stubborn?!), there was simply far too much going on far too quickly to actually make sense half the time.
Very fast paced, with a plethora of characters, it was a fast, energetic read full of fight scenes, trickery, chemistry, and fun, but in the end, it was simply too chaotic for me to keep up with.
3/5 Stars.
Expected Release Date: October 3, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Carina Press
Author’s Website: http://fan-fatale.com
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
Ari Golde is a returner — her job is to retrieve stolen items and return them to their rightful owners. When her latest mission to retrieve a statue goes wrong and she’s caught by three notoriously scary bear-shifters, she knows her night is headed for the dumps. Escaping with only the use of her wits and a touch of chaos magic, Ari flees, but it will not be the last time she comes face to face with one of the bears.
Maks is furious at the vixen who broke in his house and stole the statue that belonged to his parents. Determined to force Ari to hand over the statue, he’s stunned to learn that her returner magic proves that he is no longer the rightful owner of the statue.
Driven by the a strong attraction he’s determined to ignore, and the desire to get his family heirloom back, Maks accompanies Ari for a night that ends up being chock full of chaos, havoc, and magic
While I think the overall premise had a whole lot of promise, in the end, this book lived up to it’s name: there was an overabundance of chaos, and I think the overall story suffered greatly from it.
While the chemistry between Ari and Maks was crackling (and how sexy is it that Bear kept wanting to take her as a mate even when Maks was being stubborn?!), there was simply far too much going on far too quickly to actually make sense half the time.
Very fast paced, with a plethora of characters, it was a fast, energetic read full of fight scenes, trickery, chemistry, and fun, but in the end, it was simply too chaotic for me to keep up with.
3/5 Stars.
July 31, 2013
Chaos Tryst was an odd book, which given the "chaos magic" that affected the characters' lives perhaps makes a certain amount of sense. Ari spent much of the story sleep deprived and loony because of it while Maksim spent a lot of the story fighting "Bear" and the primal urges his other self was trying to force upon him.
What I found most interesting was that we saw things mainly from the perspective of Ari or Maksim, both of whom viewing their chaos magic in very different ways. Ari embraced hers and strived to match her trickster parents' legacies, while Maksim fought against the pull of his magic, feeling it contributed to his family's curse. However whenever the two came together and something bad seemed to occur, Dubbin would show us the opposite side.
For example at one point the explosive chaos magic between Ari and Maksim literally causes an explosion. Maksim is horrified, thinking they had ruined some poor soul's livelyhood. But little clues point that this wasn't the disaster he thought it was and later Dubbin confirms this by explaining how it had helped the person.
This is kind of a catch all for mythology and fairy tales, with Kitsunes and the Bears of the Goldilocks story and Baba Yaga all inhabiting this universe along with heaven knows what else. It can be a bit overwhelming; Dubbin doesn't waste much (if any) time explaining how this all occurred, it just is and the characters talk and act like there was never anything else. The casual way Ari refers to being born in the 1800's is as common place as finding a green skinned Goblin Princess attractive.
A fast read with an interesting occupation for the heroine and a hero who fights his alphaness with athe tenacity of a bear (ha!) make this to be an enjoyable, if weird, read.
What I found most interesting was that we saw things mainly from the perspective of Ari or Maksim, both of whom viewing their chaos magic in very different ways. Ari embraced hers and strived to match her trickster parents' legacies, while Maksim fought against the pull of his magic, feeling it contributed to his family's curse. However whenever the two came together and something bad seemed to occur, Dubbin would show us the opposite side.
For example at one point the explosive chaos magic between Ari and Maksim literally causes an explosion. Maksim is horrified, thinking they had ruined some poor soul's livelyhood. But little clues point that this wasn't the disaster he thought it was and later Dubbin confirms this by explaining how it had helped the person.
This is kind of a catch all for mythology and fairy tales, with Kitsunes and the Bears of the Goldilocks story and Baba Yaga all inhabiting this universe along with heaven knows what else. It can be a bit overwhelming; Dubbin doesn't waste much (if any) time explaining how this all occurred, it just is and the characters talk and act like there was never anything else. The casual way Ari refers to being born in the 1800's is as common place as finding a green skinned Goblin Princess attractive.
A fast read with an interesting occupation for the heroine and a hero who fights his alphaness with athe tenacity of a bear (ha!) make this to be an enjoyable, if weird, read.
November 4, 2011
It’s always a good sign when the first paragraph of a story makes you giggle – the good kind of giggle. Not the snickering kind…
I really enjoyed this story – perhaps all the more because my last few reads have been on the shadowy side of dark, and I was ready for a dose of levity. Chaos Tryst is a tongue-in-cheek conglomeration of fairy tales, packed with action, and a romance on the sweeter side of sexy.
I giggled. I chuckled. I might have even snorted once or twice. Basically, I had fun. The characters are incredibly likeable, the romance is adorable, and there’s a solid plot to the story apart from the relationship.
My only real complaint is that I wish it had been longer – 33,000 words isn’t a lot, and there were scenes that felt a little rushed. I’d have enjoyed seeing a bit more detail during the chaos moments, and to have a few more conversations between just Maks and Ari. The other characters were all more caricatures, which fits with the playful feel of the story, but didn’t give me anybody except Maks and Ari to care about.
Like I said, this is definitely a tongue-in-cheek tale, so if you’re a diehard to fable “realities” and can’t handle poking some fun at it all, you may want to avoid this one. Otherwise, this is the perfect kind of story to while away a couple of hours on a lazy weekend afternoon – there’s an impressive amount of entertainment packed into this short little novel.
I really enjoyed this story – perhaps all the more because my last few reads have been on the shadowy side of dark, and I was ready for a dose of levity. Chaos Tryst is a tongue-in-cheek conglomeration of fairy tales, packed with action, and a romance on the sweeter side of sexy.
I giggled. I chuckled. I might have even snorted once or twice. Basically, I had fun. The characters are incredibly likeable, the romance is adorable, and there’s a solid plot to the story apart from the relationship.
My only real complaint is that I wish it had been longer – 33,000 words isn’t a lot, and there were scenes that felt a little rushed. I’d have enjoyed seeing a bit more detail during the chaos moments, and to have a few more conversations between just Maks and Ari. The other characters were all more caricatures, which fits with the playful feel of the story, but didn’t give me anybody except Maks and Ari to care about.
Like I said, this is definitely a tongue-in-cheek tale, so if you’re a diehard to fable “realities” and can’t handle poking some fun at it all, you may want to avoid this one. Otherwise, this is the perfect kind of story to while away a couple of hours on a lazy weekend afternoon – there’s an impressive amount of entertainment packed into this short little novel.
July 19, 2021
This was a Netgalley preview. I got about halfway through this, and surrendered. There were some good things here - a different sort of FMC from the same-old same-old (albeit deeply annoying and somewhat dim) (I kind of liked that she was clumsy, but not that she was kind of an idiot), and interesting use of fairy tales. As seems to be happening so often lately, there are good ideas at the core - but good heavens the writing. And editing. I don't care if the tone of a story is supposed to be light, "booty" is one of those words that should not, ever, be used by anyone over the age of five (and possibly not then), and here it seems to appear on every page. The humor felt forced, as did the MMC's "Russian" vibe. Constant head-hopping provided a classic example of why this is something to be avoided. Also, a considerable number of typos - mainly missing or misplaced apostrophes - were hard to take.
November 1, 2011
rating : 3.5/5
Chaos Tryst is about a girl, Ari Golde, that has to retrieve objects. Her job is to return the objects to the rightful owners, but she runs into a trouble along the way.
Her latest job is to retrieve a statue from the Medveds, but Ari gets caught red-handed by the three brothers, who could shift into bears.
Long story short, they don't believe that the statue isn't a heirloon from their parents, but Ari's magick doesn't lie. Ari has this strong attraction to Mak.
The only thing that I didn't like is that it's a bit of a cliche. It was a bit obvious that they will end up together at the end, but what I liked about the book is how the author shows the relationship grow between Ari and Mak. We could easily picture some scenes.
Chaos Tryst is about a girl, Ari Golde, that has to retrieve objects. Her job is to return the objects to the rightful owners, but she runs into a trouble along the way.
Her latest job is to retrieve a statue from the Medveds, but Ari gets caught red-handed by the three brothers, who could shift into bears.
Long story short, they don't believe that the statue isn't a heirloon from their parents, but Ari's magick doesn't lie. Ari has this strong attraction to Mak.
The only thing that I didn't like is that it's a bit of a cliche. It was a bit obvious that they will end up together at the end, but what I liked about the book is how the author shows the relationship grow between Ari and Mak. We could easily picture some scenes.
January 7, 2012
This is one of my favorite Carina Press titles thus far. It was absolutely hilarious. Two wreakers of chaos get together, cause havoc, and fall in love. There was major cheese and a good selection of puns; however, it was written in the "people look at you strangely when you laugh on the bus" way more than the "I want to bang my head on a hard surface and become unconscious" way. The crowning glory was the end, which I won't spoil, when they found out why they were forced together in the first place. I also liked the way the narration occasionally switched to an abstract view and described the results of all the calamity.
Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for giving me access to this title.
Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for giving me access to this title.
November 9, 2011
Thank you to Net Galley and Carina Press for allowing me to read this book!
This has to be one of the most exciting reads I’ve read in a long time. The retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is brought up to date with the authors humour and modern tricks to boot.
Enter Ariane, a Faeble, and her magic stick! Bring on Three Medveds who can turn into Russian Bears and you have a light hearted, skilled new story-telling at its best.
The intricate way that Dubbin writes will have you hanging on to every word, sentence, and page. Before you know it, you’ll be so into the tale you won’t want to put it down.
Quality writing doesn't get better than this!
This has to be one of the most exciting reads I’ve read in a long time. The retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is brought up to date with the authors humour and modern tricks to boot.
Enter Ariane, a Faeble, and her magic stick! Bring on Three Medveds who can turn into Russian Bears and you have a light hearted, skilled new story-telling at its best.
The intricate way that Dubbin writes will have you hanging on to every word, sentence, and page. Before you know it, you’ll be so into the tale you won’t want to put it down.
Quality writing doesn't get better than this!
December 6, 2011
Actually a 3.5
This is not normally the genre I would read but I had received it as a prize during the Fall Romance Yahoo Group so I went ahead and read it. Even though it is not typically a book I look forward I did still enjoy reading it. It was very enjoyable and seemed like a fun romp through faire land. It was fun to see the characters overcoming one situation after another. The ending was a surprise twist and added to the fun. Overall a very satisfying read.
This is not normally the genre I would read but I had received it as a prize during the Fall Romance Yahoo Group so I went ahead and read it. Even though it is not typically a book I look forward I did still enjoy reading it. It was very enjoyable and seemed like a fun romp through faire land. It was fun to see the characters overcoming one situation after another. The ending was a surprise twist and added to the fun. Overall a very satisfying read.
September 23, 2011
Frothy, funny fantasy with a ton of myth and humor. Very cute. Great read for a plane flight.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews