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Wildside #1

Traveler

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Evil forces were on the rise, and lo was part of a secret association dedicated to stopping them. Lutins were replacing society's bigwigs and no one was safe. The only solution was to infiltrate the menace, travel beneath the Motor City into the hordes thronging Goblin Town, rendezvous with Jack Frost and uncover the plot.

The quest would lead to the monster band SEXXX and then to Horroban, the goblins' never-before-seen king. It would force lo through labyrinths of vice; challenge every aspect of her incomplete training. And if enemies weren't enough, her ally would imperil her heart. Arcane power was a matter of course in Goblin Town, but Jack Frost was much more than a simple sorcerer: He ruled the realms of love and death.

Yet in Jack's hands, a little death could be a very, very good thing.

369 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

13 people are currently reading
217 people want to read

About the author

Melanie Jackson

168 books183 followers
Melanie, an award-winning author of more than fifty novels, stories and poems lives with her writer husband in the California Gold Country with their cat (also a writer who has a page on myspace) and their dog (who is hoping to get a page on facebook as soon as she masters typing). Melanie likes gardening but hates the deer who also like her garden, and she volunteers at a local animal shelter.

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5 stars
51 (26%)
4 stars
50 (25%)
3 stars
62 (31%)
2 stars
22 (11%)
1 star
10 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Dallass.
2,301 reviews
February 9, 2020
Nostalgia read

I remember reading this many years ago, and upon discovering it was available as an ebook I decided to give it a reread to see how it has aged. And actually, it’s not too bad. Still had me laughing in places (blue balls) and I liked the characters and the setting. The world building was fine and gave the reader what they needed to know to understand what was happening.

3 stars ⭐️
Profile Image for CJ - It's only a Paper Moon.
2,322 reviews159 followers
March 26, 2010
Not a bad book, great beach read and even better if you are not in the mood for anything serious or thought-provoking.

Jack Frost is a great male lead and even better romance male lead. Io is soft but tough.

This story could've been a lot better though (more back story, more explanations and character development and possibly a more satisfying ending) at one point I thought Io and Jack knew each other and I was all prepared to have that explanation given to me. Lo and behold, the two had never met and I think that actually hurt the characters rather than helped (if you've read the book, you should know which point I'm referring to. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone else but the blurb at the beginning is the scene I'm talking about).

Good and likable characters. Easy story, no fuss no muss but nothing to really write home about.
Profile Image for Kate.
1,181 reviews43 followers
February 13, 2023
This is one of the most anti-Semitic pieces of trash I've ever read. I don't normally review books I don't like, but this deserves a warning. Be very wary of this book, and I'll certainly never read another by this author.
Profile Image for Paranormal Romance.
1,317 reviews47 followers
December 18, 2024
Inexperienced in terms of action and danger, the heroine in neither the less dedicated to stopping the evil Goblins and saving human kind. She's drafted by the organization H.U.G. and sent deep into Goblin Town on a mission to find the source for all the evil going ones and putting a stop to them. But the heroine knows that she's not meant to be the savior, but rather her superiors are just using her as a way to keep on eye on a rogue agents whom her boss once had an affair with.

Untrustworthy because of his insight into the less than pure H.U.G. organization, she's to partner with him to keep tabs on exactly what he's doing. When she meets the death fey she immediately feels the intense draw of his magic and in puts her off mentally as much as it attracts her physically. She's not one to like magic, though she possesses some of her own and the fact that this man uses that magic to try to seduce her makes her want nothing to do with him.

The hero is turn knows from the jump that the little fey sent to spy on him is like no other woman he's ever met. The magic inside of him calls out to the magic in her-trying to draw them together in a bid to repopulate their endangered species. Though he understands on one hand why she would feel skittish and afraid of her emotions, mostly he just decides that she'll come around and realize that she's meant for him. Soon, the heroine discovers that the partner she never wanted in the only man she can trust as they uncover scandal in the H.U.G. ranks and a plan devised by the Goblins to enslave the human population.

The heroine finds herself growing more and more attached to the death fey and doubts herself and this new emotion is real because of the magical compulsion between them. But as the final battle draws near, the heroine realizes that what she feels for the hero and what he feels for her in return is true and pure and she'll be damned if they're killed before they can experience it for real.

This author has a very bizarre and intriguing sense of plot and storyline. Not many Goblin centric novels out there and though I can safely say this this series is by the most alien I've ever read, I find myself enjoying it nonetheless. It's unique and I think that's why I like it. The writing style is very enchanting and it's got an almost Disney feel to it. I found the hero and heroine to be likable and thought there was a decent amount of chemistry. Mind you it was far from spectator but it was still pleasure and fun despite the twilight zone feel.
Profile Image for Inara.
561 reviews239 followers
March 2, 2014
In this book Melanie Jackson has created a world where Goblins live among humankind in their own ghettos but with no rights to vote. Some ambitious goblin leaders want to change that situation and are slowly taking over tycoons of industry by modifying their bodies. That´s why an organization called H.U.G. (Humans Under Ground) was founded to prevent Goblins from taking over the world. Io Cyphre is an agent of this organization: Not quite human herself – she´s half siren fey – she´s sent with her partner Zayn to Goblin Town (aka Detroit) to bar the Goblin leader Horroban from finding the magical generator, a power source, and using this jewel for his own dishonorable intentions. There she meets Jack Frost a death fey and free agent and they team up after realizing that there is much more to their commission than just finding a magical generator and that the world is in grave danger..
I liked this book. Altough the suspense was not really overwhelming and I never read on with bated breath what would happen to our heroes next - I never thought them to be in real danger everything was going really smooth for them - it was an enjoyable read and I was throughly entertained. Io is smart mouthed but not stubborn and silly like some main characters in other books I read and the banter between Jack and her was fun to read. Likeable characters, an interesting setting – I was pleasantly surprised by this paranormal romance and I will surely read the next book "Outsiders" in Jackson´s Wildside romance series.

Website of the author: http://www.melaniejackson.com/
Goblin Town: http://www.lutinempire.com/
Profile Image for Cher.
468 reviews
November 7, 2008
"Was the way to love through Goblin Town?"

World's best rhetorical advertisement line. Not the world's or even Jackson's best book. Main problem being scant world-building and romantic tension. She's already orgasming by page 10 from her death fey who you know she's gonna end up with. Where's the tension? Maybe just past Goblin Town, which is supposed to be set under the Motor City, but the author gives absolutely no description of the town, so it may as well be happening on the moon.

So the crux of the story is that she's a siren and she's working undercover for a potentially corrupt agency. Instead of just following her mission to gather intelligence on a freaky goblin rockstar chick, she runs off with a death fey dude and investigates a whole underground plot to destroy humanity via an irresistable drug called goblin fruit.
Profile Image for Petra Grayson.
182 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2014
4 1/2 stars.
This one has been on my keeper shelf for ages and I just got it for my Kindle while it was on sale. I've probably read it 4-5 times over the last 10ish years. My feelings from before were that this book wasn't all that romantic; it was a great adventure but the romance was more rote and duty bound. I was pleasantly surprised on this re-read that the romance seemed stronger. This time it felt like it struck a perfect balance between attraction, romance, and adventure. I did feel like some of the magic was just glossed over: we don't really find out what each type of fae can do, or how the magic is crafted inside them. But it's action packed with a well formed world. I can't wait to re-read the rest of this series.
7 reviews
October 15, 2010
Very different, but still a pleasure to read. Rookie agent teams up with a pro to beat the bad goblins. Each from a different agency, they both suspect the goblins are up to something big. It's a mad rush to stop the goblins while enjoying a little romance.
Profile Image for Megan.
275 reviews5 followers
January 8, 2015
I was really excited to read this book due to the reviews on goodreads, however, I don't think it lived up to those reviews. The story was ok, seemed a bit rushed at time and slow at others, I don't think the main characters had any chemistry, except for their "magic".
Profile Image for Sara.
98 reviews
August 13, 2016
It was okay. It seemed kind of ridiculous at first. I am not used to this type of book.
Profile Image for D.
404 reviews
March 8, 2015
Really good. Love the world this author has created and I really liked the characters too. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
Profile Image for Amelia in PDX.
346 reviews7 followers
June 27, 2015
my issue is the first published in 2003...
enjoyed the book & started me on reading Melanie Jackson's books.
Profile Image for Ruth Peters.
3 reviews
June 4, 2016
Very good book

I really enjoyed this book can't to start the next one. Up would recommend the book and I have recommend it to people I work wih
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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