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Hell-Knights
Decima is a centuries-old Italian city on the water, a vanity project meant to be a fairy tale escape for the titled and the privileged. But something in the distant past had turned it into a murky, putrid dreamscape instead, a crumbling city haunted by a scourge of revenants whose origins and purpose now seem destined to be hidden in the shadows forever. Not even the brave, dogged attempts at fighting midnight creatures by the descendants of a select bloodline can rid the city of the near-daily threat.
Michele De Santis is a young minor sorcerer, a reluctant champion who, along with his twin sister and his cousin, has lost too much through the years and has resigned himself to a life of endless midnight hunts while selling healing and protection spells and artifacts during the day. A life of loneliness, of a forced solitude in a desperate bid at keeping collateral damage at a minimum appears to be his only future.
When long-dead corpses suddenly turn without vampire bites, logical patterns no longer hold true, leaving the weary hunters baffled and unsure for the first time. Decima's bronze guardians fall silent for no reason, a dark, binding spell muting their warnings. A long-abandoned church shows signs of life in the most grotesque ways imaginable. And everything seems to point to an unknown threat, one that's long lain dormant but has been awakened by the arrival of a young English heir and his amateur antiquarian uncle.
Romance and the gothic layer 'Hell-Knights' with the dark, rich textures of an alternate universe Europe, a nineteenth century world where magic reigns supreme, and love knows no gender.
Word Count: 111,728
Michele De Santis is a young minor sorcerer, a reluctant champion who, along with his twin sister and his cousin, has lost too much through the years and has resigned himself to a life of endless midnight hunts while selling healing and protection spells and artifacts during the day. A life of loneliness, of a forced solitude in a desperate bid at keeping collateral damage at a minimum appears to be his only future.
When long-dead corpses suddenly turn without vampire bites, logical patterns no longer hold true, leaving the weary hunters baffled and unsure for the first time. Decima's bronze guardians fall silent for no reason, a dark, binding spell muting their warnings. A long-abandoned church shows signs of life in the most grotesque ways imaginable. And everything seems to point to an unknown threat, one that's long lain dormant but has been awakened by the arrival of a young English heir and his amateur antiquarian uncle.
Romance and the gothic layer 'Hell-Knights' with the dark, rich textures of an alternate universe Europe, a nineteenth century world where magic reigns supreme, and love knows no gender.
Word Count: 111,728
ebook
First published November 15, 2016
46 people want to read
About the author
Hayden Thorne
100 books81 followersI write gothic fiction, fairy tales, and ghost stories with a touch of gay romance. For a complete and updated list of my published books,
please visit my Books2Read store
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 28, 2016
4.5 Stars ~ As one can tell from my reviews, I tend to read more contemporary romances than anything else. Lately, though, I have been reading more and more speculative fiction, and I do have a handful of favorite authors who write it: Jordan L. Hawk, Andrea Speed, and KZ Snow, to name a few. Hayden Thorne has now joined those ranks. Hell-Knights totally wowed me, you guys. Wowed me. Historical paranormals are among some of my favorite books to read, and this one gripped me from start to finish.
The setting is alternate universe, 19th century Europe—this book takes place mainly in Italy, and specifically, the island city of Decima—and it couldn’t be more bizarrely fantastic. There’s magic, mystery, vampire hunters, romance. I feel like the grandpa in The Princess Bride… “Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…” It’s true, though! Hell-Knights delivers with all of that and more.
Originally planned and built as a place where more prominent Italians could show off their wealth, Decima is now a dying city. Strange happenings, long-time rumors of dark magic, and a sickening fog that blankets the city each evening have continued to drive people away, creating population decay and the crumbling of many of Decima’s structures and neighborhoods. The rumors and speculation, however, have dwindled over the centuries, until the Decimans basically pretend there is nothing untoward going on, and that it’s perfectly normal for no one to go out after dark. Despite the rumors, no one knows that their city is plagued with a vampire scourge, and dark magic that is more deeply ingrained in the city than anyone realizes. No one, that is, except for the De Santis clan.
Michele De Santis runs the family magic shop along with his twin sister, Evelina, and cousin, Ignazio. They are minor sorcerers, but that’s not all they do. Born into a family of magicians and vampire hunters—one of the twelve bloodlines tasked with protecting Italy—it’s their duty to fight the revenants threatening the city whenever they are called. Which lately seems like every night. Michele has resigned himself to this life of what is expected of him. Run the shop. Hunt and destroy the vampires with his sister and cousin. What he doesn’t expect is to fall head over heels for the Englishman who wanders into the shop one afternoon.
Gabriel is visiting Decima with his Uncle Vincent to assist him on a research trip, but mainly to get him away from his overbearing and uncaring grandparents who are unhappy with Gabriel over a scandal with his ex-suitor. Gabriel is immediately drawn to Michele upon meeting him in his shop, and is clearly fascinated and awe-struck by all things magic. The fact that Michele is also drawn to Gabriel just ups the ante due to the magnification effect of Michele’s being a minor sorcerer. I loved the concept of magnification to further explain/justify the insta-love between our two MCs. I was already on board with them as a couple, but the theory behind the magnification was very cool.
Everything worked for me in this book. The mystery is fabulous: Why are there suddenly so many revenants to dispatch? Why are the city’s Guardians no longer speaking to Michele? How can the strange things Gabriel has personally been experiencing be explained? The AU worldbuilding was amazing, and all the book’s descriptions and visuals were so lush and intriguing. I loved the tenet that magic is commonplace knowledge among all people, with Italy’s magic being a slightly different brand than that in other countries. There are no ‘muggles’. And, I also loved the romance between Michele and Gabriel. They were passionate and sweet together, and I adored the epilogue.
Hell-Knights was my first Hayden Thorne, but will undoubtedly not be my last. I look forward to reading much more of her work! I highly recommend this one, guys. Super cool, spooky, action-packed, New Adult spec fic. Go grab it!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews
The setting is alternate universe, 19th century Europe—this book takes place mainly in Italy, and specifically, the island city of Decima—and it couldn’t be more bizarrely fantastic. There’s magic, mystery, vampire hunters, romance. I feel like the grandpa in The Princess Bride… “Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…” It’s true, though! Hell-Knights delivers with all of that and more.
Originally planned and built as a place where more prominent Italians could show off their wealth, Decima is now a dying city. Strange happenings, long-time rumors of dark magic, and a sickening fog that blankets the city each evening have continued to drive people away, creating population decay and the crumbling of many of Decima’s structures and neighborhoods. The rumors and speculation, however, have dwindled over the centuries, until the Decimans basically pretend there is nothing untoward going on, and that it’s perfectly normal for no one to go out after dark. Despite the rumors, no one knows that their city is plagued with a vampire scourge, and dark magic that is more deeply ingrained in the city than anyone realizes. No one, that is, except for the De Santis clan.
Michele De Santis runs the family magic shop along with his twin sister, Evelina, and cousin, Ignazio. They are minor sorcerers, but that’s not all they do. Born into a family of magicians and vampire hunters—one of the twelve bloodlines tasked with protecting Italy—it’s their duty to fight the revenants threatening the city whenever they are called. Which lately seems like every night. Michele has resigned himself to this life of what is expected of him. Run the shop. Hunt and destroy the vampires with his sister and cousin. What he doesn’t expect is to fall head over heels for the Englishman who wanders into the shop one afternoon.
Gabriel is visiting Decima with his Uncle Vincent to assist him on a research trip, but mainly to get him away from his overbearing and uncaring grandparents who are unhappy with Gabriel over a scandal with his ex-suitor. Gabriel is immediately drawn to Michele upon meeting him in his shop, and is clearly fascinated and awe-struck by all things magic. The fact that Michele is also drawn to Gabriel just ups the ante due to the magnification effect of Michele’s being a minor sorcerer. I loved the concept of magnification to further explain/justify the insta-love between our two MCs. I was already on board with them as a couple, but the theory behind the magnification was very cool.
Everything worked for me in this book. The mystery is fabulous: Why are there suddenly so many revenants to dispatch? Why are the city’s Guardians no longer speaking to Michele? How can the strange things Gabriel has personally been experiencing be explained? The AU worldbuilding was amazing, and all the book’s descriptions and visuals were so lush and intriguing. I loved the tenet that magic is commonplace knowledge among all people, with Italy’s magic being a slightly different brand than that in other countries. There are no ‘muggles’. And, I also loved the romance between Michele and Gabriel. They were passionate and sweet together, and I adored the epilogue.
Hell-Knights was my first Hayden Thorne, but will undoubtedly not be my last. I look forward to reading much more of her work! I highly recommend this one, guys. Super cool, spooky, action-packed, New Adult spec fic. Go grab it!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews
November 21, 2016
The city of Decima (think of a haunted, half-empty, rotting Venice) has been in a long, slow decline for centuries. But what is worrying young Michele De Santis is the fact that the mysterious evil, which has lurked at the city's very core for as long as anyone can remember, has suddenly become more active, more sentient. Michele is the latest in a long line of sorcerers (it runs in the family) charged with keeping the city safe for its ever-declining population. Every night he's on notice, always ready to hunt the horrible creatures that roam the streets after the sun falls below the horizon. Oh, he's proud of his role as protector and takes his duties very seriously, but also feels trapped by the city which he can never leave. The future stretches out before him in a straight unending line, with no variation in his life in sight....
Until he meets Gabriel Latham, fresh off the boat from England and newly arrived in the city. Gabriel is accompanying his uncle, a scholar who has come to explore Decima's old homes and public buildings. Gabriel and Michele meet by chance---and there the story begins....
This story---part mystery, part horror, part romance---is set in the same alternate universe as Hayden Thorne's "Guardian Angel" and "The Flowers of St. Aloysius." The first story was set in England, the second France, and now here we are in Italy. The time is somewhere around 1870-1880, but of course in this version of Europe there is magic aplenty; the magic of each country is expressed in its own unique style. Unfortunately Italy is currently beset by undead beings that aren't to be found in any other part of Europe, and it is into this mess that Gabriel finds himself embroiled---while surprised to discover that he is about to play a major role in the discovery of just what is wrong in Decima....
Great story; I enjoyed it very much! And I'm happy to know that the author has plans to set additional books in this same alternate universe.
Until he meets Gabriel Latham, fresh off the boat from England and newly arrived in the city. Gabriel is accompanying his uncle, a scholar who has come to explore Decima's old homes and public buildings. Gabriel and Michele meet by chance---and there the story begins....
This story---part mystery, part horror, part romance---is set in the same alternate universe as Hayden Thorne's "Guardian Angel" and "The Flowers of St. Aloysius." The first story was set in England, the second France, and now here we are in Italy. The time is somewhere around 1870-1880, but of course in this version of Europe there is magic aplenty; the magic of each country is expressed in its own unique style. Unfortunately Italy is currently beset by undead beings that aren't to be found in any other part of Europe, and it is into this mess that Gabriel finds himself embroiled---while surprised to discover that he is about to play a major role in the discovery of just what is wrong in Decima....
Great story; I enjoyed it very much! And I'm happy to know that the author has plans to set additional books in this same alternate universe.
August 9, 2018
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®****
4.5 Stars! Now that was a vampire book! I loved it. It definitely didn’t have sparkling, or even romantic vampires so if that’s what you’re looking for, look elsewhere. What Hell-Knights did have was an alternate reality historical UK and Europe where being gay isn’t an issue and magic abounds (both dark and light). The feel of this novel was very dark and Gothic with evil fogs and mindless revenants roaming the night; the vampire hunters being the only ones to protect the people, doing so in secret.
The main setting was an Italian Isle where the worst of the scourge is happening. Gabriel and his uncle go there to explore its antiquities and find themselves smack dab in the middle of the trouble. Michelle and his family, who protect the city, must work with Gabriel to overcome the evil.
While not love at first sight, there is an instant connection between Michelle and Gabriel. While their attraction is central to the story, it doesn’t overwhelm the main plot. I loved how their feelings grew and yet they didn’t leap into bed. Now, I love my sex scenes, but the tone of this story didn’t lend itself to frequent encounters and I was glad the author didn’t resort to them. In fact, I almost wish the one that is there wasn’t. It didn’t feel like a part of the story but rather an addition the author felt needed to be added to appease the masses. It felt perfunctory. (Eta, I didn’t mind the scene as much the second time around.)
That aside, the rest of the novel was delicious! I loved the mystery and the characters. I loved the fact that gayness wasn’t an issue. In fact they never even use the word. People just loved who they loved and it was okay. I definitely recommend this book to people who like a little spine tingling action with their romance. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I will be sure to read him/her again!
4.5 Stars! Now that was a vampire book! I loved it. It definitely didn’t have sparkling, or even romantic vampires so if that’s what you’re looking for, look elsewhere. What Hell-Knights did have was an alternate reality historical UK and Europe where being gay isn’t an issue and magic abounds (both dark and light). The feel of this novel was very dark and Gothic with evil fogs and mindless revenants roaming the night; the vampire hunters being the only ones to protect the people, doing so in secret.
The main setting was an Italian Isle where the worst of the scourge is happening. Gabriel and his uncle go there to explore its antiquities and find themselves smack dab in the middle of the trouble. Michelle and his family, who protect the city, must work with Gabriel to overcome the evil.
While not love at first sight, there is an instant connection between Michelle and Gabriel. While their attraction is central to the story, it doesn’t overwhelm the main plot. I loved how their feelings grew and yet they didn’t leap into bed. Now, I love my sex scenes, but the tone of this story didn’t lend itself to frequent encounters and I was glad the author didn’t resort to them. In fact, I almost wish the one that is there wasn’t. It didn’t feel like a part of the story but rather an addition the author felt needed to be added to appease the masses. It felt perfunctory. (Eta, I didn’t mind the scene as much the second time around.)
That aside, the rest of the novel was delicious! I loved the mystery and the characters. I loved the fact that gayness wasn’t an issue. In fact they never even use the word. People just loved who they loved and it was okay. I definitely recommend this book to people who like a little spine tingling action with their romance. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I will be sure to read him/her again!
November 23, 2016
Soo many eeeeps and eeeks in this book! And I liked it!! A lot.
I truly enjoyed the world, characters, and writing. I could literally *see* and visualize scenes in the story. I was in awe by that alone.
Then add in Gabriel and Michele, who are fantastic! I adored them.
This book was soo intriguing, the mystery, the romance, and definitely the gothic aspects.
I just saw there are a couple of other books based on in this alternate universe. I'm definitely looking into those, because I want to read more! :)
I truly enjoyed the world, characters, and writing. I could literally *see* and visualize scenes in the story. I was in awe by that alone.
Then add in Gabriel and Michele, who are fantastic! I adored them.
This book was soo intriguing, the mystery, the romance, and definitely the gothic aspects.
I just saw there are a couple of other books based on in this alternate universe. I'm definitely looking into those, because I want to read more! :)
September 14, 2017
Decima has not seen prosperity in quite some time but now there's an increase in vampire activity, but not just the normal vampires, these are turning without bites and not just the recently deceased but the long dead too. Michele De Santis is one of the current sorcerers tasked with keeping the peace and safety of the citizens of the dying community. Gabriel Latham has come with his scholar uncle to catalog intriguing history of the area. When these two meet nothing will ever quite be the same, but will it be better?
Hell-Knights is an alternate universe historical paranormal romance, now I know what some might be asking: isn't paranormal already alternate universe? Well, yes, perhaps but what justifies both labels is the historical part, more precisely the acceptance of LGBT relationships and the knowledge of otherworldly happenings as part of the norm. Personally, none of that is really important when you have a story that is so well scripted from minor scene setting to huge angsty life-changing disasters by an author that obviously respects her readers and the power of words to pay attention to those details.
This tale is set in the same gothic universe as the author's Guardian Angel and The Flowers of St. Aloysius, now for me Hell-Knights didn't quite grab me with the same intensity as the others but that is not to say its not brilliant, because it is. Michele and Gabriel are a perfect match even if they don't immediately jump at the chances at that "something special" in front of them. Even though Hell may not have spoken to me the way the other entries to the author's AU I still felt as if I was there, everything is presented so intricately I felt as if I opened my front door, turned on my porch light I would be looking at the streets of Decima.
Such a wonderful blend of mystery, romance, paranormal, historical, and it's all wrapped up in a glorious gothic bow. I can't wait to see what else Hayden Thorne comes up with for this AU.
Hell-Knights is an alternate universe historical paranormal romance, now I know what some might be asking: isn't paranormal already alternate universe? Well, yes, perhaps but what justifies both labels is the historical part, more precisely the acceptance of LGBT relationships and the knowledge of otherworldly happenings as part of the norm. Personally, none of that is really important when you have a story that is so well scripted from minor scene setting to huge angsty life-changing disasters by an author that obviously respects her readers and the power of words to pay attention to those details.
This tale is set in the same gothic universe as the author's Guardian Angel and The Flowers of St. Aloysius, now for me Hell-Knights didn't quite grab me with the same intensity as the others but that is not to say its not brilliant, because it is. Michele and Gabriel are a perfect match even if they don't immediately jump at the chances at that "something special" in front of them. Even though Hell may not have spoken to me the way the other entries to the author's AU I still felt as if I was there, everything is presented so intricately I felt as if I opened my front door, turned on my porch light I would be looking at the streets of Decima.
Such a wonderful blend of mystery, romance, paranormal, historical, and it's all wrapped up in a glorious gothic bow. I can't wait to see what else Hayden Thorne comes up with for this AU.
March 5, 2017
3.5*
November 29, 2016
LOVED! I highly recommend this one, guys. Super cool, spooky, action-packed, New Adult spec fic. Go grab it!
Full review at: http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
Full review at: http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
November 29, 2016
** 4.5 Stars **
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews