What do you think?
Rate this book
Steel Born #1
Dark Hunter’s Touch
Once upon a time, iron kept the fae from wandering the world. But over the millennia, iron gave way to steel, and now the fae are unbound…
Welcome to the Court of the Steel-Born Fae
Yearning to be free, Olette has fled the idleness and illusions of the fae court to hide in the sunlit realm of humans. When the dark warriors of the Wild Hunt find her—and they will, because the black-winged shadows always find their prey—she will face the fae queen's wrath. But until the hunters come and clip her sylfana wings, she will seize this moment to indulge the real emotions of world beyond the walls she’s always known.
After a chance encounter with a seductively handsome stranger, Olette longs to embrace the earthly passions within her, if only for one night. Vaile’s dark eyes might see through her disguise and his tantalizing touch could make her forget her vow to keep running as long as she can.
Because it seems there are deeper dangers than she knew. In the ages since the end of the Iron Wars, the Court of the Steel-Born Fae has grown restless, the queen’s power to hold them within wearing thin, and the sunlit realm has forgotten the old charms that once kept the oblivious human folk safe from the shadows.
Olette might risk even her freedom for Vaile’s love, but when the Wild Hunt closes in, she has to wonder: has she fallen for a man—or beautiful lie?
*Originally published as Dark Hunter’s Touch by Jessa Slade
Welcome to the Court of the Steel-Born Fae
Yearning to be free, Olette has fled the idleness and illusions of the fae court to hide in the sunlit realm of humans. When the dark warriors of the Wild Hunt find her—and they will, because the black-winged shadows always find their prey—she will face the fae queen's wrath. But until the hunters come and clip her sylfana wings, she will seize this moment to indulge the real emotions of world beyond the walls she’s always known.
After a chance encounter with a seductively handsome stranger, Olette longs to embrace the earthly passions within her, if only for one night. Vaile’s dark eyes might see through her disguise and his tantalizing touch could make her forget her vow to keep running as long as she can.
Because it seems there are deeper dangers than she knew. In the ages since the end of the Iron Wars, the Court of the Steel-Born Fae has grown restless, the queen’s power to hold them within wearing thin, and the sunlit realm has forgotten the old charms that once kept the oblivious human folk safe from the shadows.
Olette might risk even her freedom for Vaile’s love, but when the Wild Hunt closes in, she has to wonder: has she fallen for a man—or beautiful lie?
*Originally published as Dark Hunter’s Touch by Jessa Slade
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2012
91 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Jessa Slade
22 books250 followersRead more at:
jessaslade.com
Find Jessa online at:
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
jessaslade.com
Find Jessa online at:
"Wonderfully addictive!"
~New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter
“Dark and sexy and intense."
~New York Times Bestselling Author Nalini Singh
“[F]or readers who love J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Marked Souls series will hit the spot."
~RT BOOK Reviews
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 20, 2012
Jessa Slade writes with a lovely, poetic style. The world is fascinating, conceived with a great deal of depth. Looking at the author's website, this is the first of a trilogy, though there is no sign of this in the book itself. I would read followup titles, as I'm interested in seeing how this world develops.
That said, what's holding the book back from a higher rating? In some cases, I felt that the characters' magical powers seemed far too convenient, introduced when they needed to have them, with insufficient foreshadowing. It must have been challenging to convey details about a complex world in the short space of this book, but I still got lost sometimes. I had particular difficulty at the end of the story, when the resolution felt rushed and various items and characters turned out to have unexpected and unexplained magical properties.
To read the book, I had to consciously decide to trust the author. For about the first half, several things seemed extremely improbable to me, and I nearly chalked them up to a poor premise. However, it turned out that a turn around the halfway mark explained many of the things I was struggling with. I was glad I had persevered through the beginning, however, I think the author achieved this effect by cheating the reader somewhat. I will explain what I mean, but I think this gets into spoilers, so be warned.
Spoilers in this paragraph:
The hero is not what he seems. I felt suspicious of him for the first half, but was thrown off the scent because the book included scenes written from his point of view that made him seem to be telling the truth. When his true nature was revealed halfway through, I felt both vindicated and cheated -- vindicated because it confirmed my sense that there must be an explanation for some of his odd behavior, but cheated because the limited view into his mind left me feeling misled. The reader would have been better served if the book had been told only from the heroine's perspective -- then the reader is lied to by the hero along with the heroine, rather than tricked by the author.
I'm curious to see what Jessa Slade does with this series in the future. She creates rich and resonant mythology, with a satisfying blend of familiarity and originality. After Dark Hunter's Touch, I'm interested in reading a full-length work of hers to see if her style works better when she has more room to stretch.
That said, what's holding the book back from a higher rating? In some cases, I felt that the characters' magical powers seemed far too convenient, introduced when they needed to have them, with insufficient foreshadowing. It must have been challenging to convey details about a complex world in the short space of this book, but I still got lost sometimes. I had particular difficulty at the end of the story, when the resolution felt rushed and various items and characters turned out to have unexpected and unexplained magical properties.
To read the book, I had to consciously decide to trust the author. For about the first half, several things seemed extremely improbable to me, and I nearly chalked them up to a poor premise. However, it turned out that a turn around the halfway mark explained many of the things I was struggling with. I was glad I had persevered through the beginning, however, I think the author achieved this effect by cheating the reader somewhat. I will explain what I mean, but I think this gets into spoilers, so be warned.
Spoilers in this paragraph:
The hero is not what he seems. I felt suspicious of him for the first half, but was thrown off the scent because the book included scenes written from his point of view that made him seem to be telling the truth. When his true nature was revealed halfway through, I felt both vindicated and cheated -- vindicated because it confirmed my sense that there must be an explanation for some of his odd behavior, but cheated because the limited view into his mind left me feeling misled. The reader would have been better served if the book had been told only from the heroine's perspective -- then the reader is lied to by the hero along with the heroine, rather than tricked by the author.
I'm curious to see what Jessa Slade does with this series in the future. She creates rich and resonant mythology, with a satisfying blend of familiarity and originality. After Dark Hunter's Touch, I'm interested in reading a full-length work of hers to see if her style works better when she has more room to stretch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2023
I wasn't quite following the story too well, nor did I understand the relationship between fae and humans... at all. The more I read this the more I felt as though it was written on a whim. Nonetheless, the spicy scenes were definitely written well, hence my three star rating. The author's writing style is very pretty.
February 28, 2019
No. Just no.
This was extremely disappointing, and I found the romance boring and playing on readers sympathy of their past interaction, while hoping you overlook the tropey mess it is.
So glad I read it on OverDrive and didn’t waste my money buying this on Kindle.
This was extremely disappointing, and I found the romance boring and playing on readers sympathy of their past interaction, while hoping you overlook the tropey mess it is.
So glad I read it on OverDrive and didn’t waste my money buying this on Kindle.
October 5, 2019
Short Read, Not Much to It
****Spoilers*****
This one was a quick read and because of that I had a hard time believing Imogene's emergence to fight the queen. Convictions or not, it seemed quick as well as Vaile's realization about his feelings for Imogene.
****Spoilers*****
This one was a quick read and because of that I had a hard time believing Imogene's emergence to fight the queen. Convictions or not, it seemed quick as well as Vaile's realization about his feelings for Imogene.
March 21, 2023
I received a complimentary copy of the book and am giving my honest review. It's a nice quick story that has twists that I didn't expect. The reveals were nice and the magic of the story is interesting. There is love and betrayal that makes the ending more meaningful.
May 18, 2023
Dark Hunter’s Touch
This is an intriguing story about hunters and perceived freedom. It is brutal at points and there are betrayals. You also get what you need for a good love story. This can be read as a standalone but there is a teaser to what might happen next.
This is an intriguing story about hunters and perceived freedom. It is brutal at points and there are betrayals. You also get what you need for a good love story. This can be read as a standalone but there is a teaser to what might happen next.
April 7, 2019
Very fragmented
August 11, 2023
I kind of figured this book wouldn't be for me. It was a stab in the dark off of a free recommendation. Regardless, I still finished the book.
November 21, 2023
Such a great short story! I loved both main characters and the plot is very interesting. I'll keep reading this series.
August 12, 2024
DNF 30%. I was completely lost. Couldn't understand anything. I just got tired of trying.
January 14, 2013
Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/01/book-review-dark-hunters-touch-by-jessa.html
Dark Hunter's Touch is a story about a phae named Imogene. She is on the run from the phae world because she is tired of the Queen's tyranny. Her eyes have been opened and she wants to be free. Of course, her freedom comes with a price. She escapes the phae realm and enters the human realm. The Queen has sent her Dark Hunters after her to bring her back, but Imogene continues to outrun them. But one day she comes across a fellow runner named Vaile (she runs for sport) and they fall hard for each other. But there is something about him that is different that may make things worse for Imogene.
Slade is a new author for me. I thought I would like to start off with her novella. I liked this, but I wanted to love it. Slade definitely has a way with words and kept me on the edge of my seat. I have every intention of starting her Marked Souls series which looks delicious. The problem I had with this is book however is that it was too much for 67 pages. It felt like 250 page book condensed down to 67 pages. It was a bit overwhelming because it is so much packed into something so little.
I really liked Imogene and Vaile. Imogene is scared and wants her freedom from the crazy queen. She wants a life not full of deception and illusions. I like the instant attraction between her and Vaile. Vaile has been running into for a while and he has finally gotten the chance to talk to her. But things fall a little short when they start running for their lives from the Dark Hunters. I liked the chase, but the chase alone revealed things that I expected very early in the book. Vaile is suspicious from the beginning because he didn't seem like your average runner. But it was odd because given his inner dialogue you would have thought something completely different. This will make sense once you read it.
I liked the plot a lot and think this book has a great premise. But as I said 67 pages is just too short for this. The world is huge and very complicated. From the get go I felt a little overwhelmed by the story. But once we meet the characters and get some of their story, things start to fall into place. So it is best to keep to the book until the end. But even when you get to the end and things are explained, it felt a bit contrived and rushed.
If this had 50-100 more pages, it would have been great. I think the suspense would be a lot better and drawn out. I figured things out pretty quickly because there wasn't that much build up there, but still. I liked the characters and I like the story though. I heard that this will be a series and I am extremely curious to see where it goes. The ending of this was pretty complete, so I don't know what the series will be about, but I am guessing there is more to this that we missed. Jeez, I usually don't write long reviews for short stories, but I just had to get this off of my chest. Overall, this is a good read, but could have been great.
Dark Hunter's Touch is a story about a phae named Imogene. She is on the run from the phae world because she is tired of the Queen's tyranny. Her eyes have been opened and she wants to be free. Of course, her freedom comes with a price. She escapes the phae realm and enters the human realm. The Queen has sent her Dark Hunters after her to bring her back, but Imogene continues to outrun them. But one day she comes across a fellow runner named Vaile (she runs for sport) and they fall hard for each other. But there is something about him that is different that may make things worse for Imogene.
Slade is a new author for me. I thought I would like to start off with her novella. I liked this, but I wanted to love it. Slade definitely has a way with words and kept me on the edge of my seat. I have every intention of starting her Marked Souls series which looks delicious. The problem I had with this is book however is that it was too much for 67 pages. It felt like 250 page book condensed down to 67 pages. It was a bit overwhelming because it is so much packed into something so little.
I really liked Imogene and Vaile. Imogene is scared and wants her freedom from the crazy queen. She wants a life not full of deception and illusions. I like the instant attraction between her and Vaile. Vaile has been running into for a while and he has finally gotten the chance to talk to her. But things fall a little short when they start running for their lives from the Dark Hunters. I liked the chase, but the chase alone revealed things that I expected very early in the book. Vaile is suspicious from the beginning because he didn't seem like your average runner. But it was odd because given his inner dialogue you would have thought something completely different. This will make sense once you read it.
I liked the plot a lot and think this book has a great premise. But as I said 67 pages is just too short for this. The world is huge and very complicated. From the get go I felt a little overwhelmed by the story. But once we meet the characters and get some of their story, things start to fall into place. So it is best to keep to the book until the end. But even when you get to the end and things are explained, it felt a bit contrived and rushed.
If this had 50-100 more pages, it would have been great. I think the suspense would be a lot better and drawn out. I figured things out pretty quickly because there wasn't that much build up there, but still. I liked the characters and I like the story though. I heard that this will be a series and I am extremely curious to see where it goes. The ending of this was pretty complete, so I don't know what the series will be about, but I am guessing there is more to this that we missed. Jeez, I usually don't write long reviews for short stories, but I just had to get this off of my chest. Overall, this is a good read, but could have been great.
March 18, 2013
The Phae Court is one of illusion… and the queen creates those illusions by feeding her emotions by ripping them away from others… the other phae live vicariously through the illusions… and if one taps into ones own emotions, then they are considered to be under the influence of the Undoing… leading to wild, even violent behavior.
Imogene is a sylfana – a fairy who entices men into the fairy realm for the use of their emotions, draining them, taking their soul, part of the Phae Court… and she feels she is fading into nothing, and she sees the harm she is doing… so she escapes.
Vaile – a hunter; as a hunter whelp (chained until he had control of his powers) he witnessed the Hunt Lord’s Undoing where he killed many phae, and other whelps and one of his wings were severed – and a kind sylfana (young Imogene) comes to him, and with her tear, her ability to grant a wish, she heals his wing so that he can fly… and when one is needed to hunt her down, he goes… and for a month, he watches – jogging with her on the beach… and after a month approaches her as a human… she is wary, knowing the hunt will track her soon… but cannot resist him… and when the hellhounds spot them, they run together… and she flies him down a cliff (he takes in stride), she kisses him, and hides them in a fog (he takes in stride)… she takes him to her hut… and she allows herself one night with him… and runs far in the morning – as much to evade the hunt a little longer, and more to keep him safe… but the hunt tracks her … and she sees it is him…
She begs him to kill her now… that she did not want to go back, she could not lead another human to his/her death, she did not want to become invisible… he takes her back…
But she birthed in him the idea of freedom… and a month later when she refuses to bring a victim to the queen and to participate in the illusion/party… and she wanders to a part of the palace in decay, and finds the last victim she had brought over, and releases him from his torment… and she returns to the party – Undone – and Vaile joins her, taking her to the circle… and out to freedom… ahhh
Imogene is a sylfana – a fairy who entices men into the fairy realm for the use of their emotions, draining them, taking their soul, part of the Phae Court… and she feels she is fading into nothing, and she sees the harm she is doing… so she escapes.
Vaile – a hunter; as a hunter whelp (chained until he had control of his powers) he witnessed the Hunt Lord’s Undoing where he killed many phae, and other whelps and one of his wings were severed – and a kind sylfana (young Imogene) comes to him, and with her tear, her ability to grant a wish, she heals his wing so that he can fly… and when one is needed to hunt her down, he goes… and for a month, he watches – jogging with her on the beach… and after a month approaches her as a human… she is wary, knowing the hunt will track her soon… but cannot resist him… and when the hellhounds spot them, they run together… and she flies him down a cliff (he takes in stride), she kisses him, and hides them in a fog (he takes in stride)… she takes him to her hut… and she allows herself one night with him… and runs far in the morning – as much to evade the hunt a little longer, and more to keep him safe… but the hunt tracks her … and she sees it is him…
She begs him to kill her now… that she did not want to go back, she could not lead another human to his/her death, she did not want to become invisible… he takes her back…
But she birthed in him the idea of freedom… and a month later when she refuses to bring a victim to the queen and to participate in the illusion/party… and she wanders to a part of the palace in decay, and finds the last victim she had brought over, and releases him from his torment… and she returns to the party – Undone – and Vaile joins her, taking her to the circle… and out to freedom… ahhh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2013
I'm continuing my Harlequin exploration which started a few months back, but after last month's reading of a title from the Intrigue series, I thought I might mix things up try some of the shorter books that are often offshoots of the different themed sets to see how they faired. I chose two titles from the Harlequin Nocturnal Cravings Dark Hunter's Touch by Jessa Slade and The Darkest Embrace by Megan Hart as well as Cake by Lauren Dane which is part of Cosmo Red-Hot Reads. I really thought I would be more like to enjoy the first two titles being part of the Harlequin Nocture, which is their paranormal line, but neither of the books really worked for me. I liked the world of Dark Hunter's Touch which involved phae, but I felt the focus was more on constructing the world and how it worked and very little time spend on the two people in the story.
January 29, 2016
Imogene and Hunter/Vaile. A really good little tale, but tended to get mired down by the writing. Lots and LOTS of story building for such a short story. But that wasn't the problem. It was the overly flowery/descriptive sentences where my attention wandered...
Imogene is a Sylfana. A carefree thoughtless fairy who does the bidding of the fairy Queen. Vaile is a hunter who are the tough guys of the Fairydom. They meet as youths when Imogene saves his life. Years later he is sent to hunt her down when she tries to run from the cruel oppression of the Fairy Queen. It's a great story outline, but for only 67 pages.. man does it drag!
warning torture of side character
Imogene is a Sylfana. A carefree thoughtless fairy who does the bidding of the fairy Queen. Vaile is a hunter who are the tough guys of the Fairydom. They meet as youths when Imogene saves his life. Years later he is sent to hunt her down when she tries to run from the cruel oppression of the Fairy Queen. It's a great story outline, but for only 67 pages.. man does it drag!
warning torture of side character
December 30, 2023
I enjoyed this quick and sexy fae themed paranormal romance. The world building was interesting, especially since both of the characters come from a twisted fae court that they long to get away from for different reasons. I really liked Olette, as a fairy princess who is more than she seems on her quest for freedom. At first glance she seems only concerned with herself, but it is clear that she also wants to protect people from her twisted queen, even if she doesn't know quite how to do it. The romance moved fast but made sense for the characters. Fans of fated mates and fae stories will like this one.
September 7, 2012
I am a huge fan of Jessa Slade's work because her novels are full of sci-fi/fantasy world building depth. I was worried that a Nocturne Craving's story, which are shorter in length, wouldn't be able to showcase her signature writing style. But I am thrilled with the Dark Hunter's Touch. This story had great depth with the creation of a full paranormal setting. Plus she was able to create a relationship with lots of heat and a believable HEA.
January 12, 2013
I was excited to read this book perhaps because I'm a huge Karen Moning fan and like the idea of "things' escaping from faery BUT sadly I fell off the cliff with Emmagene and Vaile....they survived I wasn't as fortunate. This story just fell flat for me. I really wanted to like it but couldn't. I'm giving 2 instead of 1 because the author tries really hard and there's nothing wrong with the writing I just couldn't buy into the characters. Took almost 3 weeks to get through it....
November 12, 2013
Got this book for free from a Kobo event at Jan's Paperbacks. I admit I was more excited to read it because I met and talked to the author.
I really like it! I loved this world and the mythology that the author created. It was a lot of fun. I just wanted to keep reading and reading. I was sad that it was so short.
I would love to read more of her supernatural romances.
I really like it! I loved this world and the mythology that the author created. It was a lot of fun. I just wanted to keep reading and reading. I was sad that it was so short.
I would love to read more of her supernatural romances.
January 1, 2015
I like this Fae-touched romance which was sexy but still romantic - less is more for a change in this 'Craving' imprint. I like both of the leads, and the passion that they developed when their world is just one of empty pleasures.
December 12, 2014
I think this could have been really good but it just fell short for me. I really liked the the premise of the story but I feel like I didn't get enough of it. Things just seemed to happen without much rhyme or reason so that was pretty disappointing.
July 27, 2016
I checked Dark Hunter's Touch out from my local library. I like the author's witty turn of phrase, but I didn't care for this one as much as the other book I'd read by Slade. A good read, but if I'd read this first, it wouldn't have inspired me to read anything else by the author.
August 1, 2012
I like her other series much better. Doubt I'll read any more of these.
September 23, 2012
I am beginning to think this is not an adult entry into he Bionicle canon.
January 6, 2013
I enjoyed the discriptions in this book!
Read
August 3, 2016Read.
June 10, 2013
Short so I slogged through. I wasn't happy though.
August 23, 2016
This book would have been better if it was a little bit longer. But it is a nice afternoon read.
July 26, 2013
3.5 stars
My first time reading a book by this author. It is an interesting storyline, the Fae or Phae, and it reminded me of another author who I couldn't help but compare to.
My first time reading a book by this author. It is an interesting storyline, the Fae or Phae, and it reminded me of another author who I couldn't help but compare to.
May 5, 2014
This was a novella but one that felt complete. In 225 kindle pages, the author created a world and characters that I wanted to know more. I definitely will read other works by this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews