The Fallen Fae by Connie Wood

Title:  The Fallen Fae

Author:  Connie Wood

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Publisher:  Freya’s Bower

Genre: Erotic Fantasy/Angels and Demons

Length: 55 pp 

Other:  M/F


Pagan & Pagan Elements: yes/yes

Reviewed by: Kim Clune

About The Book:

Shae, an unassigned guardian angel tempted by the bounty of an earthly realm, pines for a glimpse at free will, passion and excitement beyond his peaceful servitude in Heaven. Archangel Michael, Shea’s dear friend, does his best to dissuade the curious one from taking the leap, but is ultimately unsuccessful. Once Shea leaves his heavenly realm for one desired moment of bliss, he realizes he can never again return and his wings are painfully scorched during the fall.

On Earth, the Fae lives among the others who had fallen before him until summoned via a faery stone by Hamish Bradey, a Scotsman whose wife is critically injured during a rabbit hunt. Hamish is willing to pay any price for his wife’s salvation, even his family’s firstborn girl child. The Fae heals the wife and seals his agreement with Hamish believing that the girl, once a woman, will be his own chance for salvation.

Years later in Australia, when the family suffers a tragic accident and Hamish has later passed, the youngest granddaughter, Aleta, is all that remains of the family. Her grandfather had tried to prepare her for a fate he knew awaited. She was the Fae’s replacement for his firstborn granddaughter. Hamish shared with her the tales, but never alluded to the fact that they were destined to become her life.

Stories of destiny, with their presumable outcomes, have an interesting way of stirring more questions than answers. Will the Fae take Aleta or will he patiently wait for her to love him, honoring the free will he so desired, once upon a time? If they should find love, would it lead to eternal damnation? Will Lucifer allow the most powerful of the Fae to leave his realm? It is absolutely worth the read to find out, complete with whimsy, celebration, anger, suspense, tragic bloodshed, sabre rattling, heartache, and not necessarily a faery tale ending for all.

The Review:
   
The Fallen Fae is a captivating, if short, story that expertly blends pagan and Christian elements. Beyond Heaven and Hell, God and Lucifer, temptation and salvation, lies the world of Scottish faery lore, a mechanism for bridging these separate planes. Of course, to bridge these distinct and complicated worlds, worlds which are deeply connected to one another yet so very separate, invites conflict, drama and passion. This book is not short on these elements in the least. The passion of innocence, of the forbidden, of unquenched desire, all are ripe for the reading.

Ms. Wood’s writing style is beautifully fluid, revealing her characters’ most intricate and delicate emotions without intrusive narrative. In line with Scottish lore, the tone of her language is hauntingly ancient in its naturally poetic flow. It was refreshing to see characters of each gender equally weighted with moments of fear and bravery, speaking volumes toward masculine and feminine balance without pushing the point. As for the pace, it moves in perfect concert with each scene, never rushing yet, through economy of words, spanning millennia in a mere 55 pages. My only complaint, if I had one, would be that I wanted more.

Cover (Rated 1-10): 9 – The imagery captures much of the story, from the connection between the Fae and Aleta, the conflict that comes from the fallen one’s quest for salvation, and the sun-shielding haze of the faery realm.

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