Beneath the Canyons

Daughter of the Wildings #1

by Kyra Halland

Cowgirls and gunslingers in a world of magic...


Silas Vendine is a mage and a bounty hunter, on the hunt for renegade mages in the sparsely-settled Wildings. When he rides into the town of Bitterbush Springs on the trail of strange, dark magic, he lands in the middle of a deadly feud - and discovers that a local rancher's daughter is hiding a dangerous secret.


Lainie Banfrey has been taught all her life that wizards are unnatural creatures with no heart and no soul. If anyone finds out she has magical powers, she could end up on the wrong end of a hanging rope. But when a gunslinger shows up searching for the man who has brought Lainie's hometown to the brink of open warfare, she learns that he shares her secret and agrees to help him.


As they find themselves falling for each other - an attraction forbidden by the strict laws of the Mage Council - Silas and Lainie must find and stop the renegade mage before the dark power he has unearthed destroys everyone who makes the Wildings their home.


Beneath the Canyons is the first book in the innovative Daughter of the Wildings fantasy-western series. If you love magic, adventure, and romance in a unique setting, come discover the wonders and mysteries of the Wildings today!


Contains language, violence, and mild to moderate sensual content.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Westerns, Magic, Weird West, Anthologies, Historical Fantasy

ebook

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Kyra Halland has always loved fantasy. She has also always loved a good love story. She combines those two loves by writing the kinds of romantic fantasy novels she loves to read, tales of magical worlds where complicated, honorable heroes and strong, smart, feminine heroines work together to save their world - or their own small corner of it - and each other.

Reviews

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could possibly improve a good old-fashioned western? Why, a little magic, that's what. Yes, folks, what we have here is a western/fantasy mash-up, complete with horses tied up outside the saloon, gambling and whoring inside, and gunfights in the street, but some of the people wearing the big hats are mages, and the mining going on in the hills is digging up something a lot more powerful than gold. And is it fun? You betcha.

Silas is a mage visiting the Wildings from neighbouring Granadaia, a bounty hunter looking to round up a renegade mage for profit. Lainie is a rancher's daughter with her own untrained magical powers. Silas ought to hand her over for training, or else remove her powers altogether, leaving her a shell of her former self, but somehow he can't quite bring himself to do either. Meanwhile, the town is being torn apart by the mining for some valuable commodity which damages the ranchers' land and produces terrible nightmares. What is going on?

Now, the mystery isn't terribly complex and most of the characters fall into one of the standard categories: white hats, black hats or red shirts. No shades of grey here. But the two main characters are lovely, a solidly honourable and gentlemanly hero, and a spirited, independent but smart heroine. Lainie's determination not to be docile does get her into trouble sometimes, and yes, she does have to be rescued by our stalwart hero once or twice, but she also uses her initiative and is just as instrumental as he is in saving the day. And the romance between them is wonderful, sweet rather than hot (although magic does create certain... erm, interesting effects).

There's some fascinating world-building in the background, and I would have liked a little more detail about some of it, particularly the blueskins living in the hills, who have the power to understand any language spoken to them. There's the politics of Granadaia, with its Mage Council, too, and I loved the idea that a person's magic is rooted in the land they were born on. Fortunately, there's a whole series in the pipeline, so I'm hopeful that more of this will be revealed.

What didn't work so well for me? There were a huge number of miners who were almost uniformly stupid and selfish and greedy. And a lot of them got shot in the numerous gunfights. They were very expendible, and I wondered how many of them had wives and families back in town, and perhaps wouldn't have been quite so cavalier about their own safety in reality. But perhaps that's just me with my twenty-first century sensibilities. [ETA: Apparently they were all vagrants and drifters, a point that whizzed by me as I sped through.] Another minor grumble: I found the plot just a tad predictable at times. There were one or two twists, but not quite enough for my taste.

But these are trivial complaints. I really loved this book, and tore through it in no time. I loved the blend of magic with western conventions, I loved the politeness (Silas always addresses Lainie as 'Miss Lainie') and I loved the gentle romance. An entertaining read. A good four stars.

[Glory · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 звезды

Первое, о чем хочется сказать, - у серии жуткие обложки)) Если б не случайно где-то увиденный отзыв, в жизни бы не подошла к этой явно СИшной книжке со средним рейтингом и минимумом оценок.
Но отзыв заинтриговал, сочетание вестерна и фэнтези - еще больше, и я рискнула.

Мне очень понравился авторский мир - по сути, хорошо нам знакомый Дикий Запад с примесью магии. Я такого еще не встречала, потому читала с интересом. Герои тоже приятные. Сайлас - маг и охотник за головами, но весь из себя джентльмен, а уж в отношениях с героиней... "Мисс Лейни то, мисс Лейни се", давно подобного не попадалось, сейчас все больше грубияны в ходу)) Лейни - милая провинциалка, в которой вдруг просыпается магическая сила. Сайлас должен либо отвезти героиню на обучение, либо запечатать магию, ибо бесконтрольное использование сил - запрещено. К магам здесь вообще относятся с опаской и неприязнью.
А в центре повествования - поиск злодея и мини-заварушка в маленьком шахтерском городке.

Понравилась яркая и красивая любовная линия - без пошлости, но с изюминкой. В остальном же... Весьма предсказуемый сюжет. Авторские придумки нового мира цепляли, но им уделялось не так много внимания, как хотелось бы. Описательные моменты порой затягивались, и становилось скучно.
Автор хорошо пишет (лучше многих издаваемых и распиаренных), но конкретно в этой истории мне не хватила каких-то "Ах!"-моментов и "Нифига себе!"-впечатлений.
Ровненько так.

[Laura]

RTC

[Violet Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

Ok...so it lost its charm about 50% in. While I still enjoyed it, and I do plan on at least reading the second book, I found myself a little bummed at the fast pace.

If the mystery and romance had been drawn out this would have flowed so much better.

And then there's the random sex scene for the heck of it. And I'm not taking the excuse of magic fatigue or whatever. It was poorly placed.

The villains and goons were also pretty shallow. The main villain had an interesting setup, would have loved a more fleshed out character. And the goons only knew how to threaten with rape...So, there's that.

Overall, it wasn't great. I've read better series in this mage/mystery category. Although I love the western tie in. But, I will give the second book a try.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the Noblebright kindle box set

Not bad, some interesting twists.... honestly expected her to be handed off to the Shaman.

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from page one. It has fantasy, mystery, and western with a great romance plot throughout. The intrigue kept me turning the page, and the well-developed characters made me care about what would happen next.

The plot was evenly paced, and it pulls you along to the end where you will immediately need to buy book two. There are western shootouts and farm hands looking out for their boss’s daughter. There were other magical races with an interest in one of the main characters. And there is a romance that changes the course of two character’s lives.

Lainie is a well-developed character with layers and competing motivations. She’s stubborn and loyal as all heroes tend to be. She’s not one to wait around to be rescued, but if she does need help she joins in to help her would be rescuers. She’s spent her life being told that magic is bad and Mages are soulless, but she believes in herself and trusts her instincts in the face of all she has ever been taught. She’s young and naive, but also strong and insightful.

The magic system is well thought out. The magic has a color/essence and leaves an energy residue. It also has a cost and can be depleted. An overlord style mage council controls the bloodlines and procreation of Mages. The Mage School is used to break them and remake them into something unrecognizable. I can’t wait to learn more about the secret council, and the underground movement to protect plain folk (muggles).

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Brandon Sanderson’s The Allow of Law.

[Robynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book after reading a post about the noblebright genre at The New Authors' Fellowship. The price was right, so I downloaded the Kindle version. I read it in one evening. This reads like a first book, although I haven't researched if that's true. All the bones of good writing are there, as well as some meat: varied characters, a vivid, detailed world, and good pacing that carries tension all the way to the end. I've recently rediscovered Westerns, so the Wild West overtones were enjoyable. The author doesn't seem to trust her own skill yet (why I think it's a first book), so there's a bit of unnecessary over-explaining, but not so much I couldn't finish. There's also a simplicity to the characters that may be a deliberate attempt at characterization that will grow over time (I see there are at least 6 books with these characters) or might be accidental skimming because the plot took precedence - I couldn't tell with the one book. The story did provide a little surprise almost at the end that moved it out of the "young adult" category I had mentally sorted it to, but that might just be me being old fashioned. In short, I liked it, but I think better is coming as this author learns to trust her storytelling abilities.

[Pamela Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year, I purchased eBooks 1-3 of this series through Smashwords during their annual sale and enjoyed this unique series so much that I bought the rest of the series at full price. I loved this series! Kyra Hallands is such a gifted writer; therefore, I bought every eBook she wrote during last month’s Smashwords sale. I am reading and loving Kyra Hallands books!

[Lennie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical western.

A really great read.
I wasn't expecting mate's in western times, however it's written very authentically and holds your attention.
While it's the first in the series it can be read as a stand alone.

[Mettesknit · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know the laugh you do after 'reading' a shitty book..?

Yeah - that's me right now 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love magic. Love cowboys.

[Sharon Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Beneath the Canyons' is the first book in a series that mixes a wild west setting with a fantasy storyline. Lainie is a young woman who has inherited powers that she must keep hidden to stay safe from those who would do her harm.

It took me a while to get into this story, mainly because it took a bit of time to get used to the unusual world that was being set up. It was around the halfway mark that I was pulled right into the story and couldn't stop reading. It's a different and interesting read with a plot that is partly adventure, partly romance. I look forward to seeing where the next book takes these characters!

This is a solid start to a fantasy series that combines adventure and romance. Recommended to fans of high fantasy looking for something a bit different to read.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It could just about be your standard western plot: ranchers versus miners, saloon brawls, a feisty cowgirl, a mysterious stranger who comes to town. Sprinkle a little magic over it, and you've got something completely different, and maybe even more fun. Silas Vendine is a mage bounty hunter, on the trail of a powerful renegade wizard. Lainie Banfrey is a rancher's daughter who's discovered her own magical talents, and the need to hide them before they get her in trouble. What follows is a rip-roaring chase across rugged countryside and some exciting magical brawls, a burgeoning romance woven throughout. The world is nicely developed without being overly complex, and it was one of those books where I just sat back and enjoyed myself. This is the first in a four-book (so far) series, and I'm looking forward to spending more time in this world and with these characters.

[Ria Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Westerns are really hit-or-miss for me. I don’t have a spectacular amount of interest in them as a genre or subgenre, though I do admit that the setting can hold some appeal for certain types of stories. I wouldn’t say that Beneath the Canyons is a story that can only be told with a wild west setting, since it has many elements that appear in dozens of other stories, but it wasn’t incongruous. It fit, it wasn’t jarring, and I can’t say that I minded it in this case. The story overrode the setting, so to speak.

The story uses the alternating viewpoints of Silas — a bounty hunter and mage come to investigate reports of a rogue mage and bring them to justice — and Lainie — a girl who lives and works on a ranch in the Wildings, hiding her own magic from the fearful and superstitious townsfolk. Strange things have been happening in the town of Bitterbush Springs, something to do with the wealthy man Carden, and both Silas and Lainie get mixed up in events that take them into uncharted territory.

Being a setting based very much off old tales of the wild west, the world in Beneath the Canyons is very familiar. There’s civilized country, there’s the frontier where men and women tough it out to get by, the whole shebang. Which is great if that’s the kind of setting that really appeals to you. For my part, though, some of the worldbuilding seemed lackluster, and like it was the same old building with just a new coat of paint on the outside. The world’s religion might be pantheistic instead of monotheistic, but society still plays by the Judeo-Christian societal rules we’re used to thinking of: no sex until marriage (unless you’re one of those women), women are subservient to men, men wear pants and women wear skirts/dresses, and so on. It wouldn’t have taken much to mix things up a bit, and it would have added something to the story, something to distinguish it and make it stand out.

And I completely understand that mixing it up probably wasn’t what the author was going for. For people who are really into this kind of setting, they like it as it is, with all the bells and whistles that typically come along with it. It’s part of the genre. I get that. This is purely a matter of personal taste. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before, and not in a genre I particularly have a thing for, and so all those bells and whistles just didn’t do it for me. It felt uninspired in that regard.

I was of two minds when it came to the whole “science/magic” dichotomy. On one hand, it’s a parallel of the science/religion controversy that some people face. On the other hand, both aspects of that are based on an utterly flawed idea of what science actually is. In Beneath the Canyons, science is used as a shorthand for certain kinds of technology. Sewing machines, things powered by electricity, etc. People who use magic eschew ‘science,’ and vice versa, each side believing the other to be inferior. Really, though, if magic has quantifiable results, it can be called a science. And not all technology is anathema, or else humans would still be living in caves and eating whatever they could shovel into their mouths instead of having axes and saws to cut wood and build houses, stoves to cook food, looms to weave cloth for clothes and blankets, and so on. Call it a pet peeve of mine, but it bothers me when people use science and technology like the two terms are completely interchangeable, and then ignore so many things that involve technology we take for granted because it’s been around for so long.

Whether this was intentional — for instance, if it was meant to show that people generally dislike what they don’t understand and often don’t use the correct terms for things — or if it was a mistake on the part of the author, I can’t really say.

The bulk of the story revolves around trying to uncover the mystery of the ore that Carden wants miners to dig up, that he’s paying them a small fortune for. Why does he want it so badly? Is the ore related to the reports of spooky things happening at night around Bitterbush Springs? And what of the A’ayimat, the blue-skinned people who live in forbidden land beyond the town’s boundaries? The story unfolds at an even pace, and Halland’s writing is smooth and uncomplicated, making the story feel quick and easy to digest. There’s some action, but most of the story is mystery rather than brawls in the saloon or shoot-outs at the corral.

From the first couple of chapters it’s pretty clear that the intended romance is between Silas and Lainie, and to be honest, I really couldn’t feel it. I can see her being attracted to him, since he’s a stranger from far away and there’s always that appeal, plus he discovers her secret magic, so he’s in close confidence, but beyond that, what develops throughout the story is more akin to a friendship than a romance. They don’t see much of each other until closer to the end, when the plot gets hairy and people are in danger, and then Silas pulls the, “I think I loved you the moment I met you,” and I didn’t see anything there beyond brief infatuation at best.

When all is said and done, Beneath the Canyons wasn’t a bad novel, but it wasn’t anything great either. The story itself was interesting even if the setting didn’t do much for me, and though I had my other issues with it, it’s definitely on par with numerous other books I’ve read in my life. I may not go back and read it again, but I don’t regret reading it now. If Westerns and fantasy trip the right triggers for you, then Halland’s novel will probably entertain; don’t let me sway you away just because it wasn’t really my thing.

(Received for review as part of the SPFBO.)

[Treena Beavers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this !
Cowboys, bounty hunters and a young woman stuggling to hide her strange magical powers.

Bitterbush Springs is an old western styled town that hates magic and will happily kill all witches and wizards. Not the safest place for a young lady, who's just discovered she has powers. The best thing to do would be to hide them.
But when Lanie uses her powers to prevent getting hit by a hail of bullets her whole life changes. This is a brilliant story, I'm definitely going to be checking out the rest of this series.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

[BarbaraAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The location is a fantasy world, but the situation is out of the old west - miners and ranchers are feuding about resources. Silas, a bounty hunter and Lainie, a young rancher's daughter with magical abilities, were well-fleshed out and interesting both together and separately. The world-building was done well and I'm looking forward to further books in the series. My only complaint is that the book was too short - the ending wasn't a cliff-hanger, but there's a number of loose threads that I'd like to see detailed in future books.

[BrokenMnemonic · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand, the setting for this was something I really liked the sound of - sort of a wild west/fantasy cross, with magic. On the other, it felt like there was a fairly large power imbalance between the two protagonists, which made the romance less appealing for me, and I could really have done without the repeated rape threats thrown out by the villain and his henchmen to control the female lead.

[Melissa (missy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a awesome western fantasy epic. It's got a little bit of everything for western, fantasy and romance lovers alike. The author has developed a complex and intriguing world that draws you in and keeps you guessing. I grew up watching westerns with my mom and grandpa and this made me think of them so Thanks :)

[Myst]

Hmmm, historical isn't usally my cup of tea but the story was interesting. Lots of action scenes just wish there was more about the setting, maybe be extended in the next book?

This is a free review, thoughts are my own.

[Kendra Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's an engrossing mix of wild west and magic, with a little romance mixed in.

The plot and character development were very well done and the pace is fast enough to keep you engaged through out the entire book. Can't wait to read more from Kyra Holland.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5 out of 10, will definitely Lainie and Silas again.

Wonderful twist on a typical western. Loved all of the lore scattered through the book and great flow to the writing.

[A Shrimp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some very negative feelings about this one but decided to wait a few days first to take a more objective look at what bothered me:

I went in looking for a romantic story and was left just kind of underwhelmed.

First of all, I have a very major gripe with this book, and it ruined most of it for me to begin with: the female MC is an archetypal damsel in distress if I've ever seen one, and not even an interesting one at that. Most of the conflict arises when the male MC must run to save her when she is yet again kidnapped and constantly threatened with rape (seriously, every time...) The male lead is equally as boring: he has very little character apart from being the badass protector dude who can also do magic. Throughout the entire thing, we find out very little about his actual character; I suspect that is because he has none.

I could've just about excused that if at least the romance had made any sense. The characters meet each other and are immediately super attracted to each other, constantly go on and on about how super special the other person is and how they've never met somebody so amazing before. You get the idea. For a romance, that's just kind of boring. Why even read a romance if the characters don't have to work for it and get to know each other?

The world and magic system aren't all that special either. Sure, there are some new ideas, but all in all I can't remember anything that blew my mind or held my attention particularly.

To top it all off, it turns out the western/magic crossover does nothing for me. That's very much subjective though, but might explain part of my frustration. I don't hate westerns and I love magic... but something about how both themes are executed just left me disappointed. The hillbilly western theme feels super out of place in a world where there is incredibly powerful and advanced magic, and the magic system feels sort of... clinical. I have none of that feeling of adventure and mystery, stories about mages usually give me.

The magic is really a bit generic: mages can sense each other by pushing their mind out into the world, and most of the magic they perform just sort of... happens without much explanation or reason. It feels more like a Deus Ex Machina every time somebody uses magic (especially the antagonist)

And oh boy is the antagonist weak. He is the most generic mustache twirling bad guy you could think of. He has superior magical abilities which can overcome a seasoned hunter of magicians for some reasons when it suits the plot - but ONLY when it suits the plot. His motivation is insanity/gaining power and he is a bit rapy, as usual. Have I mentioned that the heroine is constantly threatened with rape? There was just absolutely nothing interesting about him. I'm so tired of generic antagonists with no motivation and no character traits apart from being evil for the sake of it and being unrealistically powerful.

Spoilers:

The main characters go from being strangers to being married and in love within days. I didn't buy it whatsoever. The pacing felt completely off.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of a box set (Patty Jansen's Sword & Magic: Eight Fantasy Novels ), and my few Kindle notes are attached to that volume. I'd come across another Kyra Halland book, vaguely recognised the name, and then figured out that she had a book in the box set which I hadn't read. Because she seemed to have a better than average grasp on basic writing mechanics, and I was just coming off a read where the author very much did not have that, I gave it a go even though the premise wasn't 100% me.

There were a couple of elements I disliked. Almost all the men, including the hero (though not during the story), make use of prostitutes; and the heroine spends a large portion of the book under threat of gang rape. If you have a problem with such content, avoid this one. There are no explicit scenes, though.

Other than that, I did enjoy the book, which does a decent job with all three of its genres (fantasy, Western - albeit in a secondary world - and romance; a dystopia is happening elsewhere, but not really onstage). There's plenty of suspense and tension and conflict, which for me were the best part. I could have done with a little more involvement from the heroine in the resolution of the plot, but given her untrained-mage status and the fact that she was a slender young woman surrounded by hard-bitten miners, the fact that she was somewhat ineffectual is believable, I suppose. She does go into danger alone in an ill-advised, headstrong way and have to be rescued by the hero, though, which is another element I don't love.

Despite having some tropes that I'm not a fan of, this is a well-executed novel, and makes it to the bronze tier of my Best of the Year list.

[Christina]

Beneath the Canyons is a Wild West romance with a touch of fantasy-style magic. It begins with Silas, a magic-wielding bounty hunter who visits a western-style town in search of a lawless wizard. He quickly grows attracted to Lainie, a rancher's daughter with secret magical ability.

The frontier setting was vivid (although magic was an important part of the plot, the story felt more like a western), and this was due in large part to the dialogue. The dialogue matched my image of the Wild West--which I suppose I acquired from movies, seeing as I have no idea what people actually spoke like then! The magic system could've used more development, but I'm guessing that will happen in the sequels. The romance between Silas and Lainie followed a predictable course, although the reader saw Silas's perspective much more often than Lainie's. (Usually romance novels are the other way around. I liked this switch. Silas was an interesting protagonist.)

The book was quick and easy to read. As far as self-published novels go, the editing is SUPERB. There wasn't a single error, which I can't say of any other dozen-plus indie books I've read this year. Kyra Halland is clearly a professional!

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Writing settle draws you in immediately and doesn’t beat around the bush while also taking time to draw out the interesting bits. I’m not usually one for Wild West romances, but this was interesting. The magic didn’t really play much of a role (which is one of the critiques), but spiced things up enough to make it different. Which might have been the only reason magic was included. I’m not sure if this magic is weak or if we’ve just not gotten enough of a taste of everything that’s possible. The only spells used were shield, quasi-bullet, and sensing. There was a healing spell at the end but it was used for minor scratches and not even a hint of healing used for bullet wounds acquired earlier in the book. But the MMC is charming and the FMC is feisty without forcing it. The only other odd thing was their way of speech. During stressful moments, it was very refined and modern but in the interim, it took on a more “western” feel. Odd to say the least, but not overly so
There’s also a tiny bit of spice at the end of chapter 26, but very mild

[The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the action-packed Western with its intriguing fantasy flair. The characters were quite well written and I certainly was intrigued by what was going on in their lives. Silas makes for a classic gunslinger hero, rough around the edges but good at the core and always willing to do what is right, no matter how hard or complicated. At the same time, Lanie was more complex than the usual damsel in distress, and although she needed rescuing a time or two, she also held her own and added a lot to the story.

The magic system is very interesting and I love the culture this author has built for this world. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the world building, which is rich and vibrant and quite unique.

This novel makes for a great start to what promises to be an intriguing series. I certainly am curious to find out where things go from here.

[Emily M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pre-reading more fantasy for my girls, and I don't know that I have ever read a Western with magic, so this premise intrigued me. I did like the (barebones) set up of a Wild West type town in a fantasy world, and the first half of the book was fairly deliberate, but I enjoyed it more than I expected. The flavor did remind me of the few Westerns I have read, down to the rather cardboard cut-out villains, though the magical aspect made things a bit more interesting. The main couple has potential to be a decent partnership despite their simple start, but I don't think I will be reading on in the series-- the sudden sex scene after they defeat the main villain was very jarring and not my cup of tea.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

 I love this story. It was fascinating to read a fantasy that had a western setting, and I loved that there was a nice pace to the story. As the story moved along, I felt that the author did a wonderful job of keeping the readers' interest. I will admit that I wanted more romance, and once the characters had their first interaction with the A'ayimat, I wanted to know more about them. In the future, I would love to see the author develop a story centered around an A'ayimat male or female who falls in love with a human. If you love fantasy and westerns, this one is for you and you will not be disappointed.

[Amanda Meggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A western with a big chunk of magic, a fun new style of novel for me. Lainie is a strong woman in a world where women have little power over their lives. Silas is a magical bounty hunter looking for someone using an unusual type of magic that he can sense and follows it to Laine's home town. The surprise for me was that the A’ayimat were not in the story more and could have taken on the training of Laine and allowed Silas to stay in the area without becoming a renegade, but perhaps they will appear in the series later. This was a very enjoyable book with likeable and believable characters.

[Nils Ödlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable discovery

I've not read any "weird west" style fantasy before, and I don't picture myself a romance reader. That said I rather quite enjoyed this.
The story is well written and well paced, and it paints a believable picture of the world it takes place in.
The romance aspect is important to the story, but it's not an overbearing part of it. The
I won't stay up and start the next part right away (it's past 2am), but it's definitely on my radar.