#paranormal #erotic #romance
Adult/18+ read
Samantha Macleod’s novella Honeymoon releases today, which continues the romance between the uber sexy Norse god Loki and the mortal Caroline, which began in The Trickster’s Lover, published earlier this year.
I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book as not only do I adore the characters of Loki and Caroline but I love the worlds that the author has created which draw deeply on Norse mythology. I was also thrilled to be given the opportunity to quiz Samantha about her writing journey and her plans for the future! Scroll down to read my review of Honeymoon and to read the interview with Samantha. 🙂
Blurb for Honeymoon
Mythology expert Caroline Capello agreed to marry Loki, the Norse god of fire and lies.
She didn’t realize the most dangerous part of their marriage might be the honeymoon.
My Review ~ Five stars
Just wow – frantically fanning myself!
Samantha Macleod’s novella Honeymoon follows on from the events in her scorching erotic paranormal read, The Trickster’s Lover (click on the link for my review). This sexy story packs one helluva sizzle and is a fabulous addition to Caroline’s and Loki’s romance. It works well as a standalone, but for maximum reading pleasure I’d definitely recommend reading The Trickster’s Lover first.
In it, Loki whisks Caroline away on an impromptu honeymoon, a welcome distraction from her impending nuptials on earth. Transported to Alfheim, home of the Light-elves, Caroline is subjected to Loki’s carnal attentions in this beautiful land, whilst also becoming more embroiled in the politics of the Nine Realms and the part Loki plays in it.
The lovemaking scenes are off the Richter scale and you will need a copious supply of iced drinks! The picture painted of Alfheim and the Light-elves is a vivid one and adds to the author’s rich world building of the Nine Realms. There’s also a heavy dose of magic, danger and suspense which adds to the reading pleasure.
Reviewed by Tina Williams
Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.
Purchase Links
Honeymoon
The Trickster’s Lover
Author Interview
1.Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you have been writing?
Sure, and thank you so much for hosting this interview!
Like many writers, I’ve always wanted to write, and I wrote quite seriously in my early twenties (mostly short stories and personal essays). But I never got any publications, so I got discouraged, quit, and went to graduate school to study religion and mythology.
I started writing again in the spring of 2015, because of my children. I realized I was telling my kids to follow their dreams and never give up, but here I’d given up on my own childhood dream of being a writer. So I forced myself to sit down and write the sci-fi story I’d been kicking around for years. Once that was finished, I realized I had a few more stories in me. One year ago, in November of 2015, I started what I thought would be a sexy short story. It turned into The Trickster’s Lover, my first novel.
2.Do you base any elements of your heroes or heroines on anyone you know, either physically or in terms of their characters?
Hmmm, that could be a loaded question!
In The Trickster’s Lover, Loki and Caroline pretty much showed up on their own. But many of the supporting characters are based on people I’ve known, especially my friends, colleagues, and professors at the University of Chicago. All names have been changed to protect the innocent, I promise! 😉
3.What inspired you to write about the Norse god Loki (furiously fanning myself)?
Well, here’s a story I thought I’d never tell anyone: I had a dream about Loki showing up on the University of Chicago campus. That morning I sat down to turn the dream into a short story, which became the first scene between Caroline and Loki, which turned into a much longer story!
4. I loved The Trickster’s Lover and Honeymoon, your latest release which continues the story of Caroline and Loki. Do you have any plans to continue their story or to write any more books set in the world you have created? (Please say yes!)
Thank you so much! Since you asked so nicely, I’m happy to say the answer is yes!
I’m currently working on my next novel, and it does take place in the same world. This story focuses on Loki’s son Vali, who was turned into a wolf when Loki was imprisoned in the cave, and Karen McDonald, a wildlife biologist in Yellowstone National Park. It’s not exactly a sequel, although several characters from The Trickster’s Lover do show up.
I’m in the early stages of revising and, for me, that’s a painfully slow process, so I’m not going to make any promises yet. But I am hoping for a spring 2017 release…
5. What was the most challenging aspect of Caroline’s and Loki’s story to write and why?
What a great question!
Let’s see… Both Loki and Caroline are emotionally closed-off, private characters, which made them a real pain to write.
There’s a scene in the U. of C. library, after Charlie Trotter’s, that immediately comes to mind. I woke up in the middle of the night – more than once! – thinking about the dialogue in that scene. Actually, I woke up thinking about that scene even after the book was published.
And I probably re-wrote the “meet-cute” scene between Loki and Caroline about fifty times. That was my first attempt at writing a sex scene; I really struggled with pacing. It’s also the first time the reader meets Loki, so I wanted to make sure his character came across in a realistic, interesting way.
6. What do you think makes a good hero and heroine?
You know, I’ve just never been drawn to a hero or heroine who always does the right thing, the first time around. I’m much more interested in a flawed and struggling hero (or heroine), the kind of person who has to overcome their own dark side or face their insecurities in order to save the world.
7.Loki, the hero of The Trickster’s Lover and Honeymoon is a powerful and conflicted character. How much research did you have to carry out into the Norse legends before writing the novel?
I studied mythology for several years, so I’d already done quite a bit of research before I decided to put my hard-earned mythology chops to work writing a romance novel!
I tried to remain true to the original sources, with one major exception – I totally invented the Trial of Ӕsìlynd. Everything else, though, comes straight from the myths.
I did have to return to the texts quite a bit, especially once Caroline went to Asgard, and when Ragnarök began. My personal copy of the prose Edda is a dog-earned, scribbled mess at this point!
8.Why do you think that readers enjoy reading about ancient gods and goddesses and myths and legends?
Well, when I first started reading myths and legends as a kid, almost all the books included an explanation along these lines: “Ancient people didn’t understand how the world works, so they invented myths to explain these everyday phenomena.” So, as an example, the story of Hades and Persephone was merely their primitive way of explaining why the seasons change.
But I don’t buy that. I think myths are still popular today because they really speak to the human experience, which honestly hasn’t changed that much in several thousand years. To continue with Hades and Persephone, that myth is a lot more than an explanation for the seasons; it’s about the human, and especially the female, experience of leaving one family to start another, and trying to balance the call of romantic love against familial and other obligations.
Most gods and goddesses are complicated, flawed characters, and I believe that also helps to explain their persistence. Odin, for example, is pretty damn unpredictable. Sure, he’s a warrior, but he’s also someone who transforms himself into a snake and spend three nights sleeping with his enemy’s daughter to get what he wants. That kind of complexity is fascinating, as much so for modern readers as it must have been for the Vikings.
Finally, I think the persistence of myth also speaks to the universal power of a really excellent story. Spin a good yarn, and it lasts.
9.Have you any writing/publishing projects in the pipeline that you are able to share?
Why yes, I do have some projects to share!
First, I’ve got the Vali novel. I’m hoping to have that out this spring, and you can follow my website or subscribe to my newsletter for more updates.
Second, I’m really excited to announce that Less Than Three press is publishing a story of mine called The Night Watch. This is a bit of a departure for me; it’s a high fantasy romance between two male characters with nary a shred of mythology. This novella tells the story of Prince Liam, who returns to his kingdom after five years at the Academy to find an ailing king, an arranged marriage, and his closest childhood friend Cerdec, who is now his personal guard.
Finally, as usual, I’ve got a handful of projects I’m currently polishing, and another handful of projects out for submission.
10.Have you a message to readers?
Thank you!!! I’m so honored you’ve chosen to spend your precious time reading my stories. 🙂
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