'Warlord' by Elizabeth VAUGHAN

From the BLURB:

Lara of Xy and her Warlord, Keir of the Cat, have been through much together. Lara abandoned her lands and people for love of him. She adopted his ways and learned of his tribe. Together they have faced plague and insurgency -- and despite these struggles, they have known happiness and joy.

Now they face their most arduous task: Keir must take Lara into the Heart of the Plains, and introduce her as the Warprize to the warrior-priests. She must be tested--questioned, examined, watched--and must find favor with the warrior-priests and the tribe's elders before they will confirm her as a true Warprize.

But in Lara's heart there are doubts--for what if she is found wanting? Will Keir give up everything he knows to be with his Warprize?

The final book in Vaughan’s trilogy.

‘The Chronicles of the Warlands’ reminded me a little bit of Diana Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ series. There’s no time travel, and Vaughan’s series is nowhere near as epic as Outlander – but on a smaller scale the two series have a few things in common. An outsider follows her warrior lover to his homeland. And both female protagonists are ‘healers’ – persecuted for their peculiar ways by their new adoptive people.

In this final book Lara finally sets foot on Keir’s firelander homeland. It’s a very different community than the bricks and mortar Lara is used to – Keir’s people live in tents, and as if their living establishments aren’t strange enough – their customs are utterly bewildering to Lara. Keir’s people are open with their sexuality (and homosexuality, a bizarre concept to Lara) they walk around naked if the mood suits them and take multiple lovers unless bonded. Keir’s people also have very different ideas of family – firelander women are expected to birth no less than five babes before being allowed to join the army. They do not raise their children, but leave child rearing to the designated ‘theas’ (nurse maids) of the village.

Vaughan has created a fascinating world, and it is interesting to read all of the minute details of these foreign people. It’s still a bit frustrating that Vaughan doesn’t give anything away as to whether or not the trilogy is set in ‘real time’ or alternate universe, but that can be forgiven because the world she’s created is so vivid and compelling. I’m a bit concerned about the cover of ‘Warlord’ however, proclaiming it to be ‘Paranormal Romance’. I really didn’t read anything paranormal – except perhaps for the Warrior-Priests of Keir’s village who supposedly use magic to heal (in actuality they pass out magic mushrooms to make their patients hallucinate). The only other way this could be even remotely paranormal is if Vaughan did mean for her trilogy to be set in an alternate universe – but since that is never explicitly stated, I really think the ‘paranormal romance’ tag is misleading.

The good news about ‘Warlord’ is that Vaughan gets a little bit more confident in her sex scenes. She actually uses the words ‘nipple’ and ‘impale’ a few times. Hallelujah! It took her 3 books to get there, but Vaughan did eventually write details of Lara & Keir’s sexual encounters.

‘The Chronicles of the Warlands’ is only a trilogy, which I am a bit disappointed at; especially because Vaughan doesn’t tidily wrap up the series. There’s no ‘cliffhanger’ per say, just lots of loose ends and questions unanswered. For one thing, in ‘Warlord’ two secondary characters are given romances – but as Vaughan draws the book to a close there is no follow-up to those relationships, which is beyond frustrating!

One of the most fascinating things about ‘Warlord’ was the revelation about the firelanders attitude toward family and child rearing. Lara is adamant that she will break with fireland tradition and raise her own children. There is also the fact that firelanders have to have five children before being allowed to join the army – men have to impregnate at least five times, and women birth five times. However, Lara never asks Keir about his five children, which seems to be a HUGE couples conversation they just skipped over.

And it would have been nice to have details about how Lara intended to overcome fireland tradition and raise her own children – it seems like that would have been a compelling fourth book?

Despite my grievances about the ending, I did really enjoy this final book and would highly recommend it.

4/5

Warprize REVIEW

'Warsworn' by Elizabeth VAUGHAN

From the BLURB:

A powerful healer, she has sworn an oath of loyalty to Keir the Warlord, and his people. Now the Warlord and his chosen mate face enemies within the tribe and danger lurks on every hand as they journey toward Keir's homeland.

When they reach a village marked with the warnings of the plague, Keir forbids Lara to heal the sick, commanding that she not risk her own life. But both Lara and Kier are strong of will and neither will bend easily, even for love; and when Lara disobeys, she pays the price: both she and Kier are plague-struck... and so is their entire encampment.

In the midst of the dying, Iften, a rival warrior, gathers his followers and challenges Keir for the right to rule their tribe. If Keir, weakened by the sickness, loses -- he dies.

And so does Lara.

To save her love, her life, and her adopted people, Lara must find a cure for the plague -- and fully embrace her sworn role as Warprize to her Warlord.

This is the 2nd book in Vaughan’s ‘The Chronicles of the Warlands’ trilogy’.

There’s quite an upheaval in this book. Lara and Keir’s relationship is put to the test; by their own actions, and the growing resentment of Keir’s soldiers who are disgruntled at their lack of bounty after such a long battle.

The plague storyline has Vaughan killing many beloved secondary characters, but the fast-paced, gripping plot more than makes up for the heartache.

Vaughan still has a problem with writing sex scenes. The good news is that Lara and Keir are far more open with their affections in book 2. The bad news is Vaughan still stumbles through intimate scenes, and at one point she describes an orgasm thus; “we both cried out, shattering into a thousand bright pieces of pleasure”. Urgh. She does get a little bit better, letting Keir use innuendo frequently and with teasing affection for Lara, but the actual logistics of such scenes still fall-short.

Still, the book supplies romance in spades. Lara is put to the test as she realizes the weight of her decision to leave home and follow her Warlord to unknown lands. But there is never any doubt that she made the right decision; her and Keir’s love for one another is palpable, and even without overly steamy sex scenes Lara and Keir sizzle in their scenes together. Vaughan explores their relationship in depth in ‘Warsworn’, and the stakes are heightened as they pledge themselves to one another amidst the death and destruction plague brings.

Bonding binds two souls, and as with all bindings it can cause pain as well as pleasure. Where once one mind and body worked together, now so must two mesh. This is more of a challenge than the fiercest battle, for a battle lasts but hours, but the work of a bond is constant and never-ending.

I really loved this book. Despite quite a depressing plague plot, and the death of a few beloved characters – the pace is fast and furious, the romance sizzles and there is a delicious build-up to the third and final book

4/5

Warprize REVIEW

'How to talk to a widower' by Jonathan TROPPER

From the BLURB:

When Doug Parker married Hailey - beautiful, smart and ten years older- he left his carefree Manhattan life behind to live with her and her teenaged son, Russ, in a quiet Westchester community. Three years later, Hailey has been dead for a year, and Doug, a widower at 29, just wants to drown himself in self-pity and Jack Daniels. But his family has other ideas...

Russ is furious with Doug for not adopting him after Hailey died, and has fallen in with a bad crowd. Claire, Doug's irrepressible and pregnant twin sister, has just left her husband and moved in uninvited, determined to turn his life around.

Then there's Debbie, their younger sister, engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and maniacally determined to pull of the perfect wedding at any cost. Soon, Doug finds himself trying to forge a relationship with Russ, reconnecting with his own eccentric nuclear family, and reluctantly dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene.

I love, love, loved this book!

It’s hard to put the book into a specific genre. On the one hand it’s a romantic-comedy, but with a very bleak beginning. Before Doug’s restorative journey the book deals with his dark depression following the death of his wife, Hailey. It is a sad beginning; but infused with Tropper’s laugh-out-loud humor that takes a speculative look at grief and the funny side of mourning.

Doug has to fight-off the advancements of suburban housewives in the wake of Hailey’s death – women his wife once called friends are dropping by with casseroles and offers of ‘shoulders’ to cry on. Doug talks about his questionable hygiene in the wake of his mourning and amidst his grieving – life goes on. His sister’s life is crumbling down around her, and she turns to Doug for help.

Doug also has to deal with his stepson’s escalating recklessness after Hailey’s death – and wonder at his dubious role in Russ’s life since he’s no longer really his step-father, is he?

And amidst all this, Doug’s professional life inexplicably takes off. His personal column in the paper starts to reflect the acerbic wit he’s cultivated during his mourning, and ‘How to talk to a Widower’ turns him into a smash hit.

Your heart does break to read about what Doug has lost. Tropper highlights Doug and Hailey’s romance through flashbacks and heart-wrenching narration by Doug about how much he misses the love of his life.

But ultimately Doug is a prickly character. Admittedly, we are meeting him when he’s at his worst – and because of his vulnerable, depressive state he does make some ginormous mistakes that will have you gritting your teeth at his stupidity. But it’s all a part of his healing process. He has to go there to come back, so to speak. Doug’s grief makes him a kind of ‘anti-hero’ – through flashbacks about him and Hailey we know that underneath the slovenly, sometimes jerk we first meet is a very affectionate, charming young man. But grief has changed him.

The book does have a romance at its centre, as Doug tentatively starts dating Russ’s High School guidance counselor. Their interactions leave you with butterflies in your stomach, and the relationship has a restorative quality for Doug whose real personality starts to resurface as the romance progresses;

Sometimes you walk past a pretty girl on the street and there's something beyond beauty in her face, something warm and smart and sensual and inviting, and in the three seconds you have to look at her, you actually fall in love, and in those moments, you can actually know the taste of her kiss, the feel of her skin against yours, the sound of her laugh, how she'll look at you and make you whole. And then she's gone, and in the five seconds afterwards, you mourn her loss with more sadness than you'll ever admit to.

Be warned – you will cry. But you will also laugh, loudly. Tropper walks a fine line between humour and compassion throughout the book as he explores the many facets of Doug’s grief and healing process. You will be frustrated by some of Doug’s actions, but sympathetic to his grief-addled state.

This is the second book of Tropper’s that I’ve read. The first was ‘The Book of Joe’, which I also loved. I intend to read all of his books eventually, because I think he’s fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

5/5

Hottest Book Couples MEME

Created by Larissa at 'Welcome to Larissa's Life'

Objective of this Meme: list 5 Book Couples you find the Sexiest, Hottest and most Smoldering and why, in order.

Instead of detailing 'why' they're my favorites, I've just included excerpts of my favorite scenes, which speak for themselves.

1. Claire Beauchamp & Jamie Fraser

"I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you---then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest." His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me. "Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well."

- Diana Gabaldon, ‘Outlander’

2. Sookie Stackhouse & Eric Northman

My mind was about to switch off and my body was about to take over. I could feel part of Eric pressed against my back, and he wasn’t standing that close. Yikes. Yahoo. Yum.

- Charlaine Harris ‘Dead to the World’

3. Mercedes Thompson & Adam Hauptman

I was more than willing to accept responsibility for my own actions – and allowing him to slide his warm, calloused hands into my hair was certainly an action on my part. I loved a man’s hands in my hair, I decided. I loved Adam’s hands.

He bit the nape of my neck and I moaned.

- Patricia Briggs, ‘Blood Bound’

4. Zsadist & Bella

He glanced back down at the pencil in his hand and then turned to the table. Flipping the spiral notebook to a new page, he bent over and laboured on top of the paper for quite a while. Then he ripped the sheet free.

His hand was shaking as he held it out. “It’s messy.”

Bella took the paper. In a child’s uneven block letters there were three words:

I LOVE YOU

Her lips flattened tight as her eyes stung. The handwriting got wavy and then disappeared.

“Maybe you can’t read it,” he said in a small voice. “I can do it over.”

She shook her head. “I can read it just fine. It’s… beautiful.”

- J.R Ward, ‘Lover Awakened’

5. Elena Michaels & Clayton Danvers

I moved my hips against his. My stomach chortled and wheezed. Clay shifted up and forward. I reached out to pull him back, but he didn’t withdraw, instead reaching for something over my head. As I closed my eyes again, grease dripped onto my cheek, and a slice of ham pressed against my lips. I opened my mouth and chomped it down in a few bites, then sighed, and lifted my hips to meet Clay.

“Mmmm.”

“Is that for me or the ham?” he whispered against my hair.

- Kelley Armstrong, ‘Stolen’.

'Red Letter Days' series by Rachel CAINE

‘Devil’s Bargain’ introduces us to Jazz Callender as she sits in a seedy bar, getting lost to the bottom of a bottle. Jazz is an ex-cop at the end of her tether – two years ago her partner and best friend, Ben McCarthy, was convicted and imprisoned for murder. Ever since she’s been running a half-assed investigation trying to free him. While sitting in this seedy bar she is approached by a lawyer named James Borden, who represents firm ‘Gabriel, Pike & Laskins’. This firm has a proposition for Jazz – she get’s $100,000 to start up her own Private Investigations firm if she agrees to be partnered with ex-FBI/CIA agent Lucia Garza and the two of them agree to take on the firm’s priority cases, to be delivered in a red envelope.

As the story progresses, it is revealed that Gabriel, Pike & Laskins are funding Jazz and Lucia’s PI firm through ‘The Cross Society’ – and more specifically one man called Max Simms who is currently imprisoned for serial murder. Simms isn’t your typical con though – Max Simms claims that he can predict the future. From his holding cell he feeds his predictions through James Borden, who delivers them to Lucia and Jazz who in turn are making catastrophic changes to the universe by altering the cause of events.

It’s not as good as Caine’s other series. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ‘Red Letter Days’ definitely falls short.

Maybe it’s the vague genre. ‘Morganville Vampires’ and ‘Weather Warden’ are both firmly Urban Fantasy – and while ‘Red Letter Days’ does have elements of the supernatural with its psychic storyline, the crime mystery elements kind of outweigh the paranormal, leaving the books in a strange genre limbo.

‘Devil’s Bargain’ is told from Jazz’s perspective. ‘Devil’s Due’ from Lucia’s. The narration change is a little jarring, but as the story progresses in ‘Due’ you realize a change-up in narration was integral to plot pace.

One trademark in all of Caine’s series is a strong romantic element. In all of her series Caine likes to pair her leading ladies up with their soul mates, and ‘Red Letter Days’ is no different. Jazz’s leading man is lawyer James Borden. Lucia’s honey is Ben McCarthy, Jazz’s ex police partner who was wrongly convicted of murder.

I didn’t really feel the heat between James Borden and Jazz. There’s lots of lingering looks and naked speculation, but their romance didn’t spark the same way Caine’s other couples have – James & Jazz didn’t have the same chemistry as Claire & Shane (Morganville Vampires) or Jo & David (Weather Warden). I did like Jazz – she reminded me a little bit of Veronica Mars; a snarky Alpha-female. I preferred Jazz to Lucia (who is a statuesque Latina goddess) and while the narration switch aided plot pace, I would have preferred sticking with Jazz.

I felt a little more heat between Lucia & Ben, but they have added intensity by the fact that Ben’s been in prison for 2 years and is a little… eager. Despite that, their relationship is a bit awkward because Jazz & Ben also share a special bond – and there are hints of jealousy.

I was especially disappointed by the romance in both books because I expected some steamy scenes, judging by the publishers. ‘Silhouette Bombshell’ published the books, which was a Harlequin line with the MO of featuring strong heroines in action-packed storylines. Because ‘Silhouette’ was a Harlequin faction I thought romance and steaminess were guaranteed – not the case, unfortunately.

The plot in ‘Devils Bargain’ takes a while to pick up the pace. It’s not until halfway through the book that Jazz and Lucia discover the revelation that they are working for a psychic and carrying out his chaos-theory predictions.

The ‘Red Letter Days’ series also falls short because it feels incomplete. The psychic storyline definitely has a feel of longevity to it, and the series probably would have improved the deeper Caine explored the conspiracy theories. But unfortunately Harlequin’s ‘Silhouette Bombshell’ line was discontinued in 2007. Meaning the series, and Caine’s rights, died along with the book franchise.

I really wanted to love this series. I am a huge Rachel Caine fan; I adore her ‘Weather Warden’ and ‘Morganville Vampires’ series, and assumed that ‘Red Letter Days’ was guaranteed to please. ‘Red Letter Days’ has all the elements I enjoy; a mix of paranormal and mystery. However it just didn’t click for me. I was probably ranking it too harshly against ‘Morganville Vampires’ and ‘Weather Warden’, but how could I not?

Even if you’re a die-hard Caine fan, I probably wouldn’t recommend you bother with this series. It’s definitely not on-par with her other books, and the fact that the series was cut-short by the publisher’s liquidation means you’ll be reading a ‘work in progress’ that will never be completed.

2/5

'The Vampire Queen's Servant' by Joey W. HILL

From the BLURB:

Lady Elyssa Yamato Amaterasu Wentworth is a centuries-old vampire who's been given a new servant-Jacob, a total alpha male unaccustomed to submitting to any woman's wishes. What really binds Jacob to her are not her sensual midnight hungers, but something far more provocative. It stirs her blood, renews her life, and awakens her soul like only true love can. The passion between Elyssa and Jacob yields something else unexpected-a shared history that reaches back through the centuries and is fated to challenge their destiny like nothing ever will again.

In most urban fantasy books starring vampires, there is a trend for protagonists to be female, human and novices to the vampiric world. Often the protagonist will be guided through this new, supernatural world by a strong Alpha vampire who is usually male. Most authors imbue such Alpha male men with two-sided personalities, at once brutish and imposing, but also capable of tender love and fierce protection.

There is hardly an instance of a female Alpha vampire in urban fantasy being a heroine – these fanged femme fatales are more likely to be villains or secondary characters, but never protagonists.

‘The Vampire Queen’s Servant’ takes a very different tact by casting a vampire Queen as the book’s leading lady.

Imagine a book that offers insight into the history and working cruelty of some of your favorite urban fantasy she-devils: Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Charlaine Harris ‘Southern Vampire: Sookie Stackhouse’), Belle Morte (Laurell K Hamilton ‘Anita Blake’) or Queen Andias (Laurell K Hamilton ‘Merry Gentry’).

It’s an interesting new angle for the vampire story; casting a traditionally villainous character as the lead. Unfortunately Hill hasn’t really imbued her protagonist, Queen Lyssa, with cruelty so much as misunderstanding. I admit, there probably wouldn’t be much appeal in reading a book about someone like Laurell K Hamilton’s Belle Morte who has a predilection for bloody orgies and flogging – but it would have been interesting to read a book about how someone like that could become so despicable.

Hill has given Lyssa a very sad past – her vampire husband started a slow descent into immortal madness and took his growing insanity out on his wife, through cruel sexual sport and disgusting foreplay. But Lyssa doesn’t really seem to have been psychologically impacted by those memories. At times she does flip between compassion for her vampire servant, Jacob, and then mind-boggling distance. And sometimes her inner monologue about how she’d like to dominate him is a little disturbing;

She missed taking alpha males. She enjoyed the fight, their resistance, the sweet taste of heated blood. The perception, if only for a moment, that the hunt would be a challenge. A vampire didn't survive by being ruled by her compulsions, any more than a woman survived by being consumed by her most private desires.

But for the most part she is a very tame character. She doesn’t hold a candle to the sadistic inner workings of Queen Andias or Belle Morte. And while Lyssa claims to be a very dangerous vampire; she is clearly very smitten with Jacob from the get-go, so we never really witness her supposedly ‘cruel’ side, thereby making her a somewhat meek, docile little vampire ‘Queen’.

I had three really big problems with this book.

The first is the author’s penchant for writing lengthy paragraphs detailing the character’s inner thoughts and feelings. This wouldn’t have been so unbearable, except that my second complaint has to do with the lack of plot. There’s no action or suspense, no high stakes leaving you on the edge of your seat. The whole story is about Lyssa agreeing to take Jacob on as her servant – and since she is intrigued and aroused by him from the moment they lock eyes, there’s little to no doubt that she will agree to take him on board. The only ‘action’ in the book are the sex scenes, beyond that nothing actually happens.

My third complaint is a huge gaping back-story. Jacob’s brother is a vampire hunter – but this is only ever mentioned in passing, leaving a huge gaping ‘WTF?’ about how his brother feels about Jacob becoming servant to the creatures he hunts. Halfway through the book it’s revealed that Jacob is the reincarnated soul of two ‘warriors’ Lyssa has met previously in her 1,000 years of life. Jacob was apparently once a samurai who saved Lyssa’s life when she was a child. Centuries later he was also a medieval knight who saved Lyssa’s life a second time when vampire hunters attacked her. Both of these tales are begging to be told through flashback or prologue – but Hill instead has them being recounted matter-of-factly, flat on the page. If there had been a prologue describing these events, maybe it would have made Lyssa and Jacob’s love for one another more convincing – instead we are to believe that a 1,000 year old vampire Queen has simply fallen for her human servant after only a few weeks.

I’ll admit, the sex scenes are pretty hot and smutty – but they’re not enough to make up for boring characters, sloppy back-story and no action in the plot.

2/5

'Dark Desires After Dusk' Immortals After Dark #6 by Kresley COLE

From the BLURB:

A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist...

Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

A tormented warrior she should fear, but can't deny...

Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Surrender to dark desires...

Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

This is the 6th book in Kresley Cole’s ‘Immortals after dark’ series.

I struggled with plot logistics in this novel. Cade (the ‘kingmaker’) and his Kingly brother Rydstrom have been appearing spasmodically throughout the ‘Immortals’ series. I admit, I’ve never really grasped their storyline. Its been told in drips and drabs throughout the various books, but always in passing between characters and never with much detail.

Even in this book, the story behind how Cade lost Rydstrom his demonic thrown is told a little too hastily to grasp. In fact, I was a little hazy on the entire plot of ‘Dusk’. For one thing, the action kicks-off from page one and sets out a fast pace from there on in. Kresley Cole is relying on the reader remembering tidbits from previous books – like the fact that NÏx predicted Rydstrom would regain his crown when he found a sword that would kill demon-rival Omort. Or the fact that Omort’s brothrer, Groot, owns this sword. Kresley Cole is also hoping that readers will remember the fact that Cade has been spying on a human female for the last year after bumping into her at a college campus. It was a good thing Cole kept repeating her character’s motivations in one-line catch-phrases, or else I would have been a little confused; “Cade had to trade his female for Groot’s sword”, etc.

I did like Cade; he was cheeky, funny and totally smitten on Holly.

He knew it was ridiculous. He was an ancient immortal, a brutal mercenary, head of a crew of soldiers of fortune. And yet Cade looked forward to nothing – except seeing her.

But maybe my liking Cade had a little something to do with his linguistic-similarity to Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress’ series. Cade speaks in a British accent, constantly throwing out words like ‘chit’, ‘tosser’ and ‘pet’. And I’m a sucker for a British accent….

I did feel that Cade was underdeveloped as a character. He’s been harbouring guilt over losing his brother’s crown nine centuries ago – yet Cole never gives him a really cathartic scene in which he comes to terms with his guilt. Maybe that’s coming in book 7, since that one deals with Rydstrom, but it’s a gaping hole in ‘Dusk’.

Holly Ashwin (human turned Valkryie) was a so-so character for me. As a human she battled OCD which had her needing her life organized in divisions of three and not being able to eat or drink anything contaminated by her own hands. I actually think Cole could have pushed Holly’s OCD even further – because once she turns Valkryie she pretty much has her compulsions under control, despite complaining otherwise. I think if Cole had given Holly an extreme case of chronic OCD it would have been a bigger triumph for her character to overcome, and a more distinct transformation.

One thing I can’t fault is Kresley Cole’s sex scenes. She never crosses the line into trashy, and she manages to shake things up in all of her books; never relying on the same clichéd descriptions or positions. It's actually pretty impressive how she manages to keep things steamy.

The general plot of ‘Dusk’ confused me a little, and just when I thought I had a pretty good grasp on everything; Cole rushes the ending. Cade betrays Holly in a very vicious way, and it’s at this point that emotions are wrought and the stakes are heightened. But Cole wraps things up too neatly and quickly.

This is probably the worst of the ‘Immortals’ books so far, IMO. I would prefer the books to concentrate on the Valkryie living in Val Hall, or the Scottish werewolves; but that’s just my preference.

2/5