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Ravenfall
What would you do for love?
Would you kill? Would you die? Would you give up your soul?
British soldier, Dr James Sharpe, returned from Afghanistan a changed man. Like most war veterans haunted by deadly choices and the horrors of battle, James struggles against his demons. Unlike other ex-soldiers, his demons are real. Transformed in the heat of a desert battlefield, James Sharpe is now a vampire.
Struggling London artist, Gabriel Dare, has his own secrets - like who he really is, and why he lived on the streets before lodging with Dr Sharpe; like the ghosts he used to see, that made others question his sanity.
James knows Gabriel is the best thing in his life, but questions his ability to love and fears he's a danger to all. Gabriel knows there's something different about his enigmatic landlord, but can't deny his attraction.
When some of Gabriel's street friends go missing, he discovers that London is full of monsters - real, vicious, otherworldly monsters.
The two men join forces with a clairvoyant cop and a Peer of the Realm to uncover the truth, for it seems the vampire who sired James is back in London - with a diabolical agenda that threatens the entire nation.
Would you kill? Would you die? Would you give up your soul?
British soldier, Dr James Sharpe, returned from Afghanistan a changed man. Like most war veterans haunted by deadly choices and the horrors of battle, James struggles against his demons. Unlike other ex-soldiers, his demons are real. Transformed in the heat of a desert battlefield, James Sharpe is now a vampire.
Struggling London artist, Gabriel Dare, has his own secrets - like who he really is, and why he lived on the streets before lodging with Dr Sharpe; like the ghosts he used to see, that made others question his sanity.
James knows Gabriel is the best thing in his life, but questions his ability to love and fears he's a danger to all. Gabriel knows there's something different about his enigmatic landlord, but can't deny his attraction.
When some of Gabriel's street friends go missing, he discovers that London is full of monsters - real, vicious, otherworldly monsters.
The two men join forces with a clairvoyant cop and a Peer of the Realm to uncover the truth, for it seems the vampire who sired James is back in London - with a diabolical agenda that threatens the entire nation.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Narrelle M. Harris
66 books120 followersI grew up in a home bursting with books. My father was in the Royal Australian Air Force – we moved roughly every three years – and my parents were passionate advocates of reading and the importance of access to a library of ideas, no matter where we lived.
Between a childhood spent on the move yet steeped in literature, and a naturally dramatic personality, it’s no surprise I became a storyteller.
At home, and at libraries all over Australia, I read everything from Little Golden Books to The World Book Encyclopaedia. As my family moved so frequently, my companions wherever I went were the Pevensies of Narnia, a horse named Flicka and the Hardy Boys. I grew up with the characters created by Diana Wynne Jones as they too learned independence and responsibility. Miss Marple and the Dragonriders of Pern were always at my side.
Writers like Eric Frank Russell and Lois McMaster Bujold were as influential on my character and my writing as surely as Shakespeare and the Brontes. I’m still always picking up new influences, from modern writers like Emily Larkin and Neil Gaiman as well as classics by PG Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Before you figure I am always and forever reading, I’m a traveller too. My early years spent moving from state to state led to itchy feet. After moving out of the family home, I lived in Perth, then met Tim Richards and we decided to have adventures of our own. We moved to Egypt to teach English as a Foreign Language, then went on to Poland.
After we finished teaching, we kept travelling: we’ve been to the UK and US, to Thailand, Germany, Hungary, Syria, Jordan, France, Italy, Slovenia, Czech, and Canada – and we’re not done travelling yet.
The places I’ve visited – London, Hungary, Canada – often appear in my work, but the home of my heart is the place I write about most often.
Melbourne, Australia. The town we chose to live in always. The city I love so much she is practically a character in her own right in books like The Opposite of Life and short stories like Near Miss. I even researched the Marvellous Melbourne of the 1890s for my Holmes♥Watson romance, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy.
Given my background and all my literary influences, it’s hardly astonishing that my storytelling is eclectic: crime, adventure, fantasy, horror and romance – separately or combined.
For all the different genres I write in, everything I write generally includes the same tone and the same type of themes. They are full of the families one is born with and the families we make for ourselves. The protagonists all face challenges they’ve made for themselves as well as external threats that test them. They’re full of people who’ve made mistakes who seek to learn and to make better choices.
Whether you’re reading a vampire adventure in modern Melbourne, a Holmesian mystery in London or a racy lesbian romance in the Middle East, you’ll find humour, heart, friendships and love.
Awards
Jane: In 2017, my ghost/crime story Jane won the Athenaeum Library’s Body in the Library prize at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards, hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.
Other nominations and shortlistings include:
Fly By Night (nominated for a Ned Kelly Award 2004)
Witch Honour (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize as Witching Ways in 1998)
Witch Faith (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize in 1999)
Walking Shadows (Chronos Awards; Davitt Awards in 2012)
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Narrelle's erotica published as NM Harris is listed on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Between a childhood spent on the move yet steeped in literature, and a naturally dramatic personality, it’s no surprise I became a storyteller.
At home, and at libraries all over Australia, I read everything from Little Golden Books to The World Book Encyclopaedia. As my family moved so frequently, my companions wherever I went were the Pevensies of Narnia, a horse named Flicka and the Hardy Boys. I grew up with the characters created by Diana Wynne Jones as they too learned independence and responsibility. Miss Marple and the Dragonriders of Pern were always at my side.
Writers like Eric Frank Russell and Lois McMaster Bujold were as influential on my character and my writing as surely as Shakespeare and the Brontes. I’m still always picking up new influences, from modern writers like Emily Larkin and Neil Gaiman as well as classics by PG Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Before you figure I am always and forever reading, I’m a traveller too. My early years spent moving from state to state led to itchy feet. After moving out of the family home, I lived in Perth, then met Tim Richards and we decided to have adventures of our own. We moved to Egypt to teach English as a Foreign Language, then went on to Poland.
After we finished teaching, we kept travelling: we’ve been to the UK and US, to Thailand, Germany, Hungary, Syria, Jordan, France, Italy, Slovenia, Czech, and Canada – and we’re not done travelling yet.
The places I’ve visited – London, Hungary, Canada – often appear in my work, but the home of my heart is the place I write about most often.
Melbourne, Australia. The town we chose to live in always. The city I love so much she is practically a character in her own right in books like The Opposite of Life and short stories like Near Miss. I even researched the Marvellous Melbourne of the 1890s for my Holmes♥Watson romance, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy.
Given my background and all my literary influences, it’s hardly astonishing that my storytelling is eclectic: crime, adventure, fantasy, horror and romance – separately or combined.
For all the different genres I write in, everything I write generally includes the same tone and the same type of themes. They are full of the families one is born with and the families we make for ourselves. The protagonists all face challenges they’ve made for themselves as well as external threats that test them. They’re full of people who’ve made mistakes who seek to learn and to make better choices.
Whether you’re reading a vampire adventure in modern Melbourne, a Holmesian mystery in London or a racy lesbian romance in the Middle East, you’ll find humour, heart, friendships and love.
Awards
Jane: In 2017, my ghost/crime story Jane won the Athenaeum Library’s Body in the Library prize at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards, hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.
Other nominations and shortlistings include:
Fly By Night (nominated for a Ned Kelly Award 2004)
Witch Honour (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize as Witching Ways in 1998)
Witch Faith (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize in 1999)
Walking Shadows (Chronos Awards; Davitt Awards in 2012)
__
Narrelle's erotica published as NM Harris is listed on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 13, 2020
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this one. I liked James and Gabriel and that their relationship was slow to build. This isn't sexy vampires and jumping into bed. The world was interesting in that vampires aren't monsters but aren't good guys either. Blood given freely if better so most vampires aren't on a killing spree. But the lack of a sex drive makes it so blood taking and sex don't go together. The down side of the book is that it doesn't do a great job of world building. We get a fox spirit as a bad guy different from a were creature. Yet I'm still not sure how the world fits together. The government doesn't seem to have a major problem with the supernatural but one fox spririt was set to take over the government. There were also some funny plot holes toward the end with the plot to take over England. Still at the heart James and Gabriel carry the story well enough for me to enjoy this book a lot.
September 15, 2020
Solid 3 stars for this unusual friends to lovers story with some minor issues.
Both James and Gabriel are very likable characters. James was refreshing and belied many of the vampire cliches that are so common in romance novels.
I'd have preferred a more comprehensive introduction of the story setting. The story takes place in London and the reader is aware about the chances of finding some supernatural characters. However, it's really not clear what kind of creatures inhabit this world. The more diverse supernatural abilities pop up in the story leaving the reader a bit unaware.
The story is divided into two parts. While in the first one we only get the MCs' point of view, this changes in part two. This was quite confusing, as the author shifts multiple times from one voice to the other within the same chapter. I also found a couple of editing mistakes at the very beginning but the rest was ok.
Both James and Gabriel are very likable characters. James was refreshing and belied many of the vampire cliches that are so common in romance novels.
I'd have preferred a more comprehensive introduction of the story setting. The story takes place in London and the reader is aware about the chances of finding some supernatural characters. However, it's really not clear what kind of creatures inhabit this world. The more diverse supernatural abilities pop up in the story leaving the reader a bit unaware.
The story is divided into two parts. While in the first one we only get the MCs' point of view, this changes in part two. This was quite confusing, as the author shifts multiple times from one voice to the other within the same chapter. I also found a couple of editing mistakes at the very beginning but the rest was ok.
July 4, 2019
OMG! This book! This book is fantastic!
I love the characters, all of them. I love James and Gabriel, and I love Anthea, Helene, and Michael, but I particularly love Sergeant Tavisa Datta, I love her strength, her down-to-earth approach when facing danger and the unusual and what can be described like truly insane. I love her sense of duty and honour.
I love how Gabriel and James build a friendship that, against all logic, becomes something else. I love how they save each other, how they give the other his soul back.
I love the tension of the mystery, the way in which every thread come together at the end, and the heart-stopping, breath-taking climax.
I love the world in which these characters live, and how they are all willing to do their best to protect it.
I love this book and I'm willing to offer my firstborn in exchange for a sequel. Please!
I love the characters, all of them. I love James and Gabriel, and I love Anthea, Helene, and Michael, but I particularly love Sergeant Tavisa Datta, I love her strength, her down-to-earth approach when facing danger and the unusual and what can be described like truly insane. I love her sense of duty and honour.
I love how Gabriel and James build a friendship that, against all logic, becomes something else. I love how they save each other, how they give the other his soul back.
I love the tension of the mystery, the way in which every thread come together at the end, and the heart-stopping, breath-taking climax.
I love the world in which these characters live, and how they are all willing to do their best to protect it.
I love this book and I'm willing to offer my firstborn in exchange for a sequel. Please!
November 23, 2017
I was inspired to write Ravenfall in part by my love of London, and in part by my fascination with what it means to be human. James is technically not-quite any more, but it's a question that plagues him just as much as it haunts the psychic Sergeant Datta. What constitutes 'normal' is another concept I regularly question, as does James's boyfriend-to-be Gabriel.
The themes of Ravenfall are similar to my other works. What is it to be human? What makes up family? How do we find redemption from past failures? How do we become better versions of ourselves?
And of course I love to explore these ideas in a backdrop of action and adventure and a good dose of good lovin'!
The themes of Ravenfall are similar to my other works. What is it to be human? What makes up family? How do we find redemption from past failures? How do we become better versions of ourselves?
And of course I love to explore these ideas in a backdrop of action and adventure and a good dose of good lovin'!
June 12, 2018
Full disclosure, Narelle is a friend. Having said that though I normally won't post reviews of friends' books if I genuinely didn't like them. I have to say this one hit all my buttons. Gay romance, mystery, vampires, government departments, everything you could want in a paranormal romance. Love, love loved it
October 2, 2018
Really enjoyed this book!
October 11, 2018
Loved this book
Hope there are more books in this series because I really enjoyed it. Great MCs and interesting and fun secondary characters. Highly recommended.
Hope there are more books in this series because I really enjoyed it. Great MCs and interesting and fun secondary characters. Highly recommended.
October 18, 2020
3.5 stars
January 17, 2022
This definitely shares some DNA with Harris’s Sherlock fic, making for a wonderfully tender romance and a thrilling crime narrative. The banter was fun, though the dirty talk didn’t work for me.
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March 14, 2018Read for judging in Australian Shadows Awards.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews