Anthony Gates has been alone since he broke up with his boyfriend two years ago, and his best friend convinces him to go out on a blind date. But that turns sour, leaving Anthony to walk the streets rather than head home and face his friend. That's when he sees the a unicorn killing a man. Fantasy collides with Anthony's reality, and he can't seem to escape the currents pulling him deeper.
Leon Phillips is the strongest of those currents. When he and Anthony meet at the club, they have immediate chemistry and can hardly keep their hands off each other. But Leon's hiding a secret. He's the unicorn Anthony saw that night, charged with guarding the local population from hunters. As their romance blooms, the secrets leak out until, finally, the unicorn hunters capture Anthony as bait. To keep Anthony safe, as well as the rest of the unicorns, Leon allows himself to be captured instead.
Now, perfectly-normal Anthony will have to save Leon from his hideous paranormal fate--because that unicorn is his soulmate.
After years on hiatus, Raven de Hart returned to writing her tantalizing tales and salacious stories of gay erotica and romance. Her first novella, Wild Ride, is available through Torquere Press. On top of that, she has been featured in various anthologies. When not writing or researching, she can be found tending her herb garden, playing with her Basset Hounds, drinking far too little, and trying to figure out this new-fangled Internet fad. More information can be found at http://dehartslist.blogpot.com
Silverfall is a unicorn story. I can honestly say, I have not read much about unicorns as they have a tendency to be difficult to write about. In this story, the unicorns are shape-shifters and hunted. You say: oh no, not another one! Well, yes, another one, but mind you, this has some twists to it. So the sexy man becomes a unicorn and falls for a human. The hunters come to hunt them down and eventually killing is involved. So where's the twist?
The twist is the why behind the hunting. Although it reads the usual, the reason behind is different. There is something magical about a unicorn and that is the point of why they are hunted. The hunters, now they are different as well. They are not the run of the mill types with guns and ammo.
Anthony finds himself in the middle of a life he never thought possible. Who knew he would fall for a unicorn? Who knew his ex would be a hunter? Past and present collide but not the way you expect.
This is a very light read with a twist here and there to add a bit of angst into a story. It is fairy-tale like but not quite. Overall, quite the unexpected fun read.
This was an okay book, the story just didn't pull me in like I would have like. Anthony goes a on a blind date that turns horrible, as he is walking home he sees a man get stabbed by a unicorn, to make his night even worse. Leon has an instant attraction to Anthony when they meet in a club, but he is hiding a secret, he is the unicorn that Anthony saw. Once the truth gets out, Anthony is in danger but so are the unicorns they are being hunted, for their horns and bones.
I usually enjoy Shifter books but this one just didn't captivate my interest, both Anthony and Leon were fairly bland characters for me, there just didn't seem to be any growth in their development from the beginning of the book. There is obviously so background for the unicorns that it felt like was left out of the book, which made it even harder to get into.
Silverfall is a quirky, offbeat take on the shifter genre, diving into the realm of unicorns, an area that’s surprisingly underexplored in urban fantasy. At first glance, the premise sounds familiar: a sexy man who’s secretly a unicorn, a dangerous world full of hunters, and a romance that faces several impossible odds. But as the story unfolds, there are just enough twists and turns to keep things interesting, even if it doesn’t completely hit the mark.
The story follows Anthony, a regular guy who’s just trying to survive a disastrous blind date. But his night takes a bizarre turn when he witnesses a stabbing in an alley by none other than a unicorn. As his encounter with Leon (the unicorn in question) grows, so does the danger. It turns out that unicorns aren’t just mythical creatures in this world; they are hunted for their valuable horns and magical bones. And of course, Anthony gets caught in the middle of it all, with his ex now in pursuit of the very creatures that Leon belongs to.
While the plot is fairly predictable, unicorns being hunted and a romance between a human and a magical creature, what Silverfall really tries to do is differentiate itself with its world-building and the underlying reasons behind the hunting. It’s not just a simple chase; there’s something uniquely magical about unicorns in this universe, and the hunters have motives that go beyond the usual villainous greed. That said, the explanation feels a bit underdeveloped, leaving some gaps that could have provided more context or depth to the conflict.
Where the story stumbles, though, is with its characters. Anthony, our protagonist, is likeable enough, but he doesn’t evolve much throughout the book. He’s mostly reactive to the events happening around him, and while his initial disbelief adds some humor, it doesn’t really lead to significant growth. Leon, the unicorn-shifter, also doesn’t stand out as much as I hoped. He has the potential for a richer backstory, but much of it feels glossed over, leaving him as a bit of a bland love interest.
The pacing is another tricky aspect. The story takes a while to find its rhythm. The initial premise has promise, but it often feels like we’re wading through too many clichéd scenes, especially the inevitable romantic tension that builds between Anthony and Leon. I found myself hoping for more moments of emotional or narrative payoff, but those were few and far between. There are glimpses of something more meaningful, but the lack of deeper exploration into the lore or character arcs left me feeling disconnected at times.
One thing I will give Silverfall credit for is its lightheartedness. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and there’s an element of fun in the absurdity of it all. It’s not the kind of book that demands deep analysis, but rather one you can enjoy for its quirky charm. It's an easy, breezy read, which is refreshing when you're in the mood for something less intense. That said, I couldn’t help but feel that the story could have been more compelling if it had dug a little deeper into its magic system or character development.
Overall, Silverfall is an enjoyable read, but it’s not quite the standout I was hoping for. Fans of shifter stories or those looking for a unique spin on unicorns may find something to enjoy here, but for those seeking a more intricate plot or emotionally driven characters, it might not fully deliver.
If you're in the mood for a light, somewhat predictable read with a few interesting twists, this might be worth a shot. But if you're expecting a deep, multifaceted fantasy, Silverfall may leave you longing for more.
Anthony is out one night and sees what looks like a man being stabbed to death in an alley by a unicorn! He thinks he’s going crazy, especially when he sees the unicorn over and over again around town. When meets Leon at a bar, he feels compelled to admit that he’s been seeing this unicorn but luckily Leon is a believer, too.
Eventually it becomes clear that the reason Leon is so easy going in regards to unicorn siting is because he IS the unicorn Tony’s been seeing. Leon is a guardian for the local paranormals. He and Tony get caught up in the danger that Leon is sworn to protect against and it ends up being Tony who has to save his unicorn.
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This book was difficult for me to get into. I kept stumbling over the whole “unicorn” aspect and how strange it was that Tony wasn’t more freaked about it.
I never got a good handle on Tony’s relationship with his bestie Terry and I never understood how a unicorn could be seen around town all the time by Tony and not everyone else. I didn’t feel a lot of great chemistry between Tony and Leon so I wasn’t invested in their relationship.
The smexy times were good but the whole “whose gonna bottom since Leon’s hung like a horse” aspect was a bit unnerving.
All in all I just didn’t gel with this title very well. I’d definitely look for this author again, but this one didn’t flip any switches.
I'm always up for an unusual shifter. It was an okay read although I never quite got the whole backstory. Not sure there will be other stories which elaborate. Still, it's always fun to have a story with shifters who aren't wolves or cats.