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Spellcraft #1
Threads of Desire
Guild-trained weaver Ily is furious her rival Kal, a smug yet wickedly sexy rug merchant, outsells her at every turn. She knows her magically crafted rugs are far superior to anything he can produce, but can't compete with his charming personality.
When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure...until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal--and more dangerous--than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.
36,000 words
When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure...until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal--and more dangerous--than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.
36,000 words
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Eleri Stone
15 books222 followersEleri Stone is a RITA-nominated author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Born and raised in New Jersey, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children. All of her stories have some element of speculative fiction to them and they all end with a happily-ever-after.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 27, 2013
Sono rimasta decisamente incantata dalla nuova short novel di Eleri Stone "Threads of desire", tanto da divorarla durante un pomeriggio di lettura, assaporandone la magia, la sensualità e la bellezza dei personaggi durante la lettura. Il mondo in cui e' ambientata la storia mi ha catapultato in un luogo che mi ricordava "Le mille e una notte", ma anche uno di quei mercati presenti nel mondo arabo. Forse il fatto che Ily e' una tessitrice e parte del libro e' ambientato in un mercato mi ha creato una "immagine mentale" di questo tipo, mentre ero immersa nella lettura.
Ily e' una tessitrice di grande talento, che ha frequentato l'università per far crescere e perfezionare il suo dono nel creare i tessuti attraverso la sua magia, ma e' stata costretta a fuggire, far perdere le sue tracce, abbandonando anche la possibilità di vendere i suoi capolavori utilizzando il titolo che le spetterebbe; per sopravvivere e' costretta a vendere sottocosto le sue creazioni al mercato, per tentare di guadagnare i soldi per ricostruirsi una vita altrove. Kal e' un ricco mercante di origine aristocratica, con una reputazione discutibile, che non avrebbe la reale necessita' di vendere la sua merce al mercato, ma e' li' a far concorrenza a Ily, tra i due esiste uno strano rapporto di rivalità-attrazione, che spinge la ragazza a mettere da parte il suo orgoglio e tentare di ottenere in qualche modo l'aiuto dell'uomo per raggiungere il suo obiettivo. Kal, dal canto suo, può sfruttare l'occasione per realizzare i suoi scopi, per cui le capacita' di Ily sono fondamentali.
Kal e' un personaggio meraviglioso, da scoprire un po' per volta: misterioso, sexy, scaltro, che nasconde un prezioso segreto. Ily e' orgogliosa, disposta a mettersi in gioca con questo uomo che la attrae e al tempo stesso può essere estremamente pericoloso per il suo futuro. Diciamo che i due insieme fanno a dir poco i fuochi d'artificio.
Il racconto mi e' piaciuto molto e scoprire i misteri legati a Kal e' stata graduale piacevole sorpresa.
Si ringrazia Netgalley e la Carina Press per la gentile preview.
VOTO: 4 Stelle
I was quite enchanted by the new short novel by Eleri Stone "Threads of Desire", so as to devour during an afternoon of reading, savoring the magic, sensuality and beauty of the characters while reading. The novel's reminded me of "The Thousand and One Nights", but also one of those markets in the Arab world. Perhaps the fact, that Ily is a weaver and part of the book is set in a market, has created a "mental image" of this kind, while I was reading.
Ily is a weaver of great talent, who attended the university to grow and refine her gift to create tissues through her magic, but she's forced to flee, to cover her tracks, leaving the possibility to sell her masterpieces using the title she was worth, to survive and she's forced to sell her creations to the market, groped to earn the money to rebuild her life elsewhere. Kal is a rich merchant of aristocratic origin, with a questionable reputation, who would have no real need to sell his goods to market, but doing so he's in competition with Ily; between them there is a strange relationship of rivalry -attraction, which pushes the girl to put aside her pride and groped to somehow get the help of man to achieve her goal. Kal, on the other hand, can use the opportunity to accomplish his purposes, where the Ily's ability are essential.
Kal is a wonderful character: mysterious, sexy, smart, and he's hiding a precious secret. Ily is 'proud, and she starts a game with this man, who can be extremely dangerous for her future. Let's say that the two together are explosive as fireworks. I loved this story and for me the discovery of Kal's misteries was a gradual and pleasant surprise.
Thanks Netgalley and Carina Press for kindly preview.
RATING: 4 Stars
Ily e' una tessitrice di grande talento, che ha frequentato l'università per far crescere e perfezionare il suo dono nel creare i tessuti attraverso la sua magia, ma e' stata costretta a fuggire, far perdere le sue tracce, abbandonando anche la possibilità di vendere i suoi capolavori utilizzando il titolo che le spetterebbe; per sopravvivere e' costretta a vendere sottocosto le sue creazioni al mercato, per tentare di guadagnare i soldi per ricostruirsi una vita altrove. Kal e' un ricco mercante di origine aristocratica, con una reputazione discutibile, che non avrebbe la reale necessita' di vendere la sua merce al mercato, ma e' li' a far concorrenza a Ily, tra i due esiste uno strano rapporto di rivalità-attrazione, che spinge la ragazza a mettere da parte il suo orgoglio e tentare di ottenere in qualche modo l'aiuto dell'uomo per raggiungere il suo obiettivo. Kal, dal canto suo, può sfruttare l'occasione per realizzare i suoi scopi, per cui le capacita' di Ily sono fondamentali.
Kal e' un personaggio meraviglioso, da scoprire un po' per volta: misterioso, sexy, scaltro, che nasconde un prezioso segreto. Ily e' orgogliosa, disposta a mettersi in gioca con questo uomo che la attrae e al tempo stesso può essere estremamente pericoloso per il suo futuro. Diciamo che i due insieme fanno a dir poco i fuochi d'artificio.
Il racconto mi e' piaciuto molto e scoprire i misteri legati a Kal e' stata graduale piacevole sorpresa.
Si ringrazia Netgalley e la Carina Press per la gentile preview.
VOTO: 4 Stelle
I was quite enchanted by the new short novel by Eleri Stone "Threads of Desire", so as to devour during an afternoon of reading, savoring the magic, sensuality and beauty of the characters while reading. The novel's reminded me of "The Thousand and One Nights", but also one of those markets in the Arab world. Perhaps the fact, that Ily is a weaver and part of the book is set in a market, has created a "mental image" of this kind, while I was reading.
Ily is a weaver of great talent, who attended the university to grow and refine her gift to create tissues through her magic, but she's forced to flee, to cover her tracks, leaving the possibility to sell her masterpieces using the title she was worth, to survive and she's forced to sell her creations to the market, groped to earn the money to rebuild her life elsewhere. Kal is a rich merchant of aristocratic origin, with a questionable reputation, who would have no real need to sell his goods to market, but doing so he's in competition with Ily; between them there is a strange relationship of rivalry -attraction, which pushes the girl to put aside her pride and groped to somehow get the help of man to achieve her goal. Kal, on the other hand, can use the opportunity to accomplish his purposes, where the Ily's ability are essential.
Kal is a wonderful character: mysterious, sexy, smart, and he's hiding a precious secret. Ily is 'proud, and she starts a game with this man, who can be extremely dangerous for her future. Let's say that the two together are explosive as fireworks. I loved this story and for me the discovery of Kal's misteries was a gradual and pleasant surprise.
Thanks Netgalley and Carina Press for kindly preview.
RATING: 4 Stars
January 12, 2013
Um, this book didn't work for me. I hate to be a party pooper but I couldn't get into this paranormal erotica book. The sex was so sudden and weirdly worked into the story, and the world building was not up to par. I wanted something more well thought out and this wasn't it for me. The writing wasn't bad per say just not my taste. I kept putting the book down, and I had to force myself to read a few pages each time I picked it up. Not very promising. I'm sure some people will enjoy this story because, like I said, it wasn't terrible. It just didn't do it for me.
January 22, 2013
ORIGINAL POST at Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust
THREADS OF DESIRE
Do you like short works of erotic romance?
Threads of Desire
by Eleri Stone
Carina Press
36,000 words
ISBN9781426894978
E-book
E-Galley loaned by Carina via NetGalley Galley.
No remuneration was exchanged.
Except as noted, all opinions herein are my own.
Pub Date Jan 21 2013
Guild-trained weaver Ily is furious her rival Kal, a smug yet wickedly sexy rug merchant, outsells her at every turn. She knows her magically crafted rugs are far superior to anything he can produce, but can't compete with his charming personality.
When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous offer: her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure…until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal—and more dangerous—than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.
MY TAKE
Eleri Stone's writing first came across my e-reader in her book DEMON CROSSINGS. I said then that I was hoping to see more new work by her. A definite departure from DEMON CROSSINGS, THREADS OF DESIRE takes place on a two-mooned world with a pan-theistic society with similar species to our own. Yet, the terminology, and language aren't too far out. I could pronounce the names ad understand what the societal structure was through Stone's clever story telling. By attaching the invented world to a cfamiliar framework it makes it easier to believe. In a short work of erotic fiction this is really important in making the story accessible. It also gives the story depth without adding detail.
The main characters are interesting and their relationship is challenging for both: they come from different backgrounds and Ily has a lot of animosity for Kal and for his position in society. He needs something from her and while wooing her keeps it a secret. Romance readers, you know what happens next. I liked Kal better than Ily; she was too mean, suspicious and hateful. He came off as a bit cavalier and seemed to make fun of her too much. I came to see why both characters were as they seemed.
While Stone's description of the artistic process here has to do with a magically gifted artist, I thought she perfectly captured the state in which an artist can find themselves in the midst of their creative process.
Inventive and believable intimacy, and a gradual progression into a caring relationship make this book a charming addition to the short-form fantasy erotic romance scene. It's really a delicious glimpse into another world familiar enough to make it easy to place ourselves in that landscape as a voyeur or a participant. Stone is prolific and talented; with DEMON CROSSINGS I said I would like to see Stone stretch her work into longer fiction and I still feel that here.
Do you like erotica to be short or do you prefer longer works of erotic fiction?
THREADS OF DESIRE
Do you like short works of erotic romance?
Threads of Desire
by Eleri Stone
Carina Press
36,000 words
ISBN9781426894978
E-book
E-Galley loaned by Carina via NetGalley Galley.
No remuneration was exchanged.
Except as noted, all opinions herein are my own.
Pub Date Jan 21 2013
Guild-trained weaver Ily is furious her rival Kal, a smug yet wickedly sexy rug merchant, outsells her at every turn. She knows her magically crafted rugs are far superior to anything he can produce, but can't compete with his charming personality.
When Kal fixes his lusty attentions on Ily, she is reluctantly aroused by his interest. She knows he desires her and against her better judgment, she wants him too. A chance encounter leads her to make him a scandalous offer: her body in exchange for enough money to leave the city. She sees their time together as a temporary erotic adventure…until Kal reveals that what he truly wants from Ily is more personal—and more dangerous—than bed play. And she must choose between taking her chance at a new life or risking it all for a man she never meant to love.
MY TAKE
Eleri Stone's writing first came across my e-reader in her book DEMON CROSSINGS. I said then that I was hoping to see more new work by her. A definite departure from DEMON CROSSINGS, THREADS OF DESIRE takes place on a two-mooned world with a pan-theistic society with similar species to our own. Yet, the terminology, and language aren't too far out. I could pronounce the names ad understand what the societal structure was through Stone's clever story telling. By attaching the invented world to a cfamiliar framework it makes it easier to believe. In a short work of erotic fiction this is really important in making the story accessible. It also gives the story depth without adding detail.
The main characters are interesting and their relationship is challenging for both: they come from different backgrounds and Ily has a lot of animosity for Kal and for his position in society. He needs something from her and while wooing her keeps it a secret. Romance readers, you know what happens next. I liked Kal better than Ily; she was too mean, suspicious and hateful. He came off as a bit cavalier and seemed to make fun of her too much. I came to see why both characters were as they seemed.
While Stone's description of the artistic process here has to do with a magically gifted artist, I thought she perfectly captured the state in which an artist can find themselves in the midst of their creative process.
Inventive and believable intimacy, and a gradual progression into a caring relationship make this book a charming addition to the short-form fantasy erotic romance scene. It's really a delicious glimpse into another world familiar enough to make it easy to place ourselves in that landscape as a voyeur or a participant. Stone is prolific and talented; with DEMON CROSSINGS I said I would like to see Stone stretch her work into longer fiction and I still feel that here.
Do you like erotica to be short or do you prefer longer works of erotic fiction?
January 24, 2013
Read in an afternoon. Fantasy romance with the plot falling mostly on the romance side of the line. An interesting world with magic channelled into the arts and ruled by guilds. Lots of tension and heat between the two main characters, Kal, a rich merchant with opaque motives, and Ily, a master weaver who's outcast from her guild.
Quibble: The villain was dispatched a little easily.
Quibble: The villain was dispatched a little easily.
June 5, 2018
Ily is loving in the slums cast out of the Guild, she using magic to weave rugs. Kalar is an aristo who wants her for more than just her magic skills and makes a deal with her that he hopes will lead to more. Was ok read.
September 18, 2017
Threads of Desire is not what I expected it to be, I had a hard time finishing this book. It was slow and not always easy to follow.
January 28, 2013
Threads of Desire is a delightful little novella about mages and magic, greed and corruption, power and abuse, love and family and most of all what one man will sacrifice for his child.
After having escaped from the depravity of the Guild, Ily has accepted that her best chance for survival is sell what she can, hoard her money and run to the outer provinces. She knows her work is superior, she knows no one in the marketplace she has been forced to survive in can out weave her. She is one of only a handful of Guild Trained weavers.. Her magic is undisputed. Only problem is the rich Aristo Kal has something up his sleeve and constantly undersells her. Even though his merchandise is obviously inferior, his fees are so low buyers are unable to resist.
Kal needs Ily, no more no less. Upon hearing that their might be a weaver with some guild training in the marketplace, Kal does everything he can to make her so desperate she has no choice but to accept his offer. Only he didn't account for the magic that wove between them.. Upon meeting her Kal's plans are altered not only does he need her for his personal quest, now he wants her in his bed.
This story starts out steamy and ends up wonderful love story. Both Kal and Ily have secrets that they have learned to keep to themselves.. but both must learn how to share those secrets unless they want to destroy the relationship that they have woven between them.
Together they must battle the insidious evil of one who has too much power and has abused those who should have been in his protection. One who holds the lives of the guild members literally in his hands and who wants to exert his power into all walks of life. This was an excellent secondary storyline, actually there were a couple and this book was too short to do all tangents justice. Ms Stone touches on them and teases us with a rich history but fails to delve. That's not to say that the story lacks.. it just could be so much more.
I probably am not the best reviewer for such a book as I always want more from short stories and novellas. The skill it takes to create an entire story in such an abbreviated manner is vastly under rated. And Ms Stone does an excellent job. I hope the rest of this series is longer but even if not, I have complete faith in Ms Stone and her Spellbound Stories.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Threads of Desirer provided by netgalley
For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
March 9, 2013
As in any romance, the tension is in what keeps the lovers apart, or stops them from committing to each other. In this instance, Ily is a virtual pauper from the street and Kal is a rich man, but Ily's mistrust of powerful men is the more potent issue. Ms Stone handles the emotional/psychological aspects of her characters well, and it's this skill that makes her erotica stand above the mediocre.
She tells us very little about the world we find ourselves in, instead the culture of the world is revealed as we follow the characters through the story. Ily is a weaver Mage. She uses a kind of magic to weave her masterpieces. I recognised it as the magic of deep creativity.
Kal employs her to make a carpet for him and she lives at his house and enjoys his bed and other comforts as she does so, but Kal has a hidden agenda and Ily remains emotionally aloof, knowing that when their business is finished, she will go on her way. Even so, part of her wishes the end could be different.
Apart from the intricacies of their relationship, there are two subtle mysteries that drive the story; one is Kal's agenda and the other is the cause of Ily's mistrust. The tension builds to a satisfying climax (pun intended) as these unravel near the end of the book.
As with all scenes in any book, the sex scenes shouldn't be there unless they move the story forward and the intimate scenes in this book do just that. They are a integral part of a sensitive love story, written by an author skilled in the art of writing the most intimate of scenes in an evocative way. There is nothing pretentious about this story, but if you are looking for good erotica, you need go no further.
I received this from the publisher free of charge in return for an honest review.
She tells us very little about the world we find ourselves in, instead the culture of the world is revealed as we follow the characters through the story. Ily is a weaver Mage. She uses a kind of magic to weave her masterpieces. I recognised it as the magic of deep creativity.
Kal employs her to make a carpet for him and she lives at his house and enjoys his bed and other comforts as she does so, but Kal has a hidden agenda and Ily remains emotionally aloof, knowing that when their business is finished, she will go on her way. Even so, part of her wishes the end could be different.
Apart from the intricacies of their relationship, there are two subtle mysteries that drive the story; one is Kal's agenda and the other is the cause of Ily's mistrust. The tension builds to a satisfying climax (pun intended) as these unravel near the end of the book.
As with all scenes in any book, the sex scenes shouldn't be there unless they move the story forward and the intimate scenes in this book do just that. They are a integral part of a sensitive love story, written by an author skilled in the art of writing the most intimate of scenes in an evocative way. There is nothing pretentious about this story, but if you are looking for good erotica, you need go no further.
I received this from the publisher free of charge in return for an honest review.
February 8, 2013
I have to be honest with my blog readers, I can’t find a way to finish reading this book.
At my first approach with this book, I believed that I had a wonderful story ahead of me. I was reading a synopsis which seemed to promise so much and the beautiful cover made me think that I would have a great way to spend my next hours dreaming about a new world, full of magic. Unfortunately, and now is the time not to judge a book by its cover, nothing happened like I was planning mainly because the book is small. Due to that aspect, I had some issues with the story and the characters. There was no time to create some empathy with them.
Maybe I was on that kind of moments when we need something more enthusiastic, but instead I had a rushing relationship with little story at all. Their relationship was poorly forged and, in my opinion it was the greatest mistake of this book. The beginning was also quite poor, which didn’t help to grab my attention.
All I gave you until now was negative aspects of this book, but I have to point out the author’s courage to write a book series where everything happens in a world of magic, ruled by guilds. There is a market for these romances but only a few whose theme is focused on spell and artists.
Despite the negative review, I’m not going to give up on the author, as I believe that she can do so much better and I’ll be reading more of her books soon.
http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...
At my first approach with this book, I believed that I had a wonderful story ahead of me. I was reading a synopsis which seemed to promise so much and the beautiful cover made me think that I would have a great way to spend my next hours dreaming about a new world, full of magic. Unfortunately, and now is the time not to judge a book by its cover, nothing happened like I was planning mainly because the book is small. Due to that aspect, I had some issues with the story and the characters. There was no time to create some empathy with them.
Maybe I was on that kind of moments when we need something more enthusiastic, but instead I had a rushing relationship with little story at all. Their relationship was poorly forged and, in my opinion it was the greatest mistake of this book. The beginning was also quite poor, which didn’t help to grab my attention.
All I gave you until now was negative aspects of this book, but I have to point out the author’s courage to write a book series where everything happens in a world of magic, ruled by guilds. There is a market for these romances but only a few whose theme is focused on spell and artists.
Despite the negative review, I’m not going to give up on the author, as I believe that she can do so much better and I’ll be reading more of her books soon.
http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...
March 14, 2013
Quite a short read but I really like it. Wonderful chemistry btwn the H/H & the writing flowed well which made it an enjoyable read. Little of an Arabian nites flavor to the story. Would have like a bit more depth & length to the story but overall I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy romance (a lot of sex scenes tho)
January 11, 2013
Review to come.
February 28, 2016
A Little deeper than a typical romance, very good!
February 14, 2014
Quick read with great characters. I personally thought the author could've developed the characters further. The protagonists had some depth and like-able.
October 12, 2016
Lured in by the concept if weaving with magic! Wasn't as impressed by the rest of the story, but it was a solid concept.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews