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The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
by
Kristen Painter
fantasy, magical realism in a Kindle edition that was published by Sugar Skull Books on August 1, 2015 and has 356 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Blood Rights, Flesh and Blood, Bad Blood, Out for Blood, Last Blood, House of the Rising Sun, City of Eternal Night, Garden of Dreams and Desires, Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case, All Fired Up, "Prologue to The Vampire's Mail Order Bride", The Vampire's Mail Order Bride, The Werewolf Meets His Match, The Professor Woos the Witch, The Vampire's Fake Fiancée, The Shifter Romances the Writer, "The Witch's Halloween Hero", The Dragon Finds Forever, The Vampire's Accidental Wife, The Reaper Rescues the Genie, The Detective Wins The Witch, The Vampire's Priceless Treasure, The Werewolf Dates the Deputy, "When Birdie Babysat Spider", Miss Frost Ices the Imp, Miss Frost Saves the Sandman, Miss Frost Cracks a Caper, Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard, "The Werewolf's Christmas Wish", The Vampire's Cursed Kiss, Her First Taste of Fire, The Trouble With Witches, Moody and the Beast, The Vampire's Sunny Sweetheart, Miss Frost Chills the Cheater, Lost in Las Vegas, Wrapped Up in Christmas, Mystified in Music City, Sucks To Be Me, A Sky Full of Stars, Suck It Up Buttercup, The Forgettable Miss French, Sucker Punch, The Suck Stops Here
Third in the Nocturne Falls magical realism fantasy series and revolving around a town full of supernaturals in Georgia. The couple focus is on Willa Iscove and Nick Hardwin.
My Take
It’s rather fun to see how Willa works with metals and how much she enjoys the freedom of being her own person.
Poor . . . or is that lucky? . . . Nick is bored and yet he doesn’t want to leave town. He wants to put down roots, and it’s that new job offer that is the ticket to the possibilities. It’s also an exposure that reveals a dark side to fae-gargoyle history. That history certainly adds to the conflict Nick feels.
More revealed history explains why it is that Willa is so glad to have run away. Jeez, Nick has a sad childhood history as well.
I reckon Willa’s learned a lesson about keeping her workspace ultra clean. You could say that, that was the inciting incident in the story. It’s a good thing that Willa’s parents appear to be young enough to learn new tricks. Good thing they’re open to new concepts!
Ah ha, we also learn about a past tragedy in Pandora’s life. Hmmm . . .
Painter uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Willa’s and Nick’s perspectives. It’s a bit unfortunate, as we hear Nick whine on and on about trusting Willa when her kind enslave his kind…and it’s just gotta be a trick. Oy.
There is plenty of action what with kidnapping, break-ins, Willa’s jewelry-making process, Nick’s new job, fae dueling, the bodyguarding, and more. The coziness factor is here as well with the supernatural interactions in town, although it’s not as much as in the previous two full stories. It might be because Willa is so focused on creating.
Still, it was a fun story to read.
The Story
Nocturne Falls is a great place, but it’s kind of boring too, and Nick Hardwin is used to a bit more excitement. When Julian Ellingham offers him a security job for the town, he jumps.
It’s lucky for Willa, as she has a very focused stalker who will not leave her alone.
The Characters
Willa Iscove, a lapidus fae, is the town jeweler who infuses her creations with magic. Het metal gift is from her mother’s side; her stone gift is from her father’s. Jasper is her orange tabby. Ramona and Valerie, sisters who are brownies, are her employees.
Nick Hardwin, a leviathan-class gargoyle, has left the Army Rangers to put down roots in Nocturne Falls after receiving an invite from his fellow Ranger, Merrow. He works as security at Insomnia, a supernaturals-only nightclub. The Russian Maxim Petrov is also a gargoyle, titan-size, and works the same “new” job as Nick.
Nocturne Falls is…
…a town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year…the better to hide in plain sight. The Ellinghams, vampires who can walk in daylight, own most of the town.
Hugh Ellingham, a second son, just got married to Delaney in The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride, 1. Julian Ellingham is the youngest vampire grandson and is in charge of the town’s characters where their “dressing room” is the Basement. Julian lives in the Excelsior, an elite apartment building. The Ellingham matriarch is Elenora, their grandmother. Alice Bishop is a witch and Elenora’s assistant.
Hank Merrow, a werewolf and former Army Rangers master sergeant, is the town sheriff. He recently married Ivy Kincaid, another werewolf, in The Werewolf Meets His Match, 2. Charlie is Ivy’s son. Hank’s deputies include Jenna Blythe, a Valkyrie.
Howler’s is a popular local tavern run by Bridget Merrow, Hank’s sister . . . and a werewolf. Marigold Williams runs a flower shop. Pandora Williams, the House Witch and Mari’s sister, is the top real estate agent in town. Pumpkin, a.k.a. Her Royal Fatness, is one of Jasper’s littermates and is Pandora’s cat. Corette Williams is their mother, and she runs the local bridal shop.
Martin Burnside, a troll whose true name is Brindlesticks, wants a ring that will draw love to him.
Rhoswynn is…
…the fae kingdom in the mountains of Arkansas where Willa grew up. Seems Willa’s parents, Jarrel and Melinna Iscovian, were paid to have more children: Kyanna is another lapidus fae and the king’s All Seer, Zane is a stone mover, and eight-year-old ungifted Shay. Vellana is their maid who spies for Kyanna.
Edwyrd is the dying king. Tyrra is one of the king’s daughters. She has her own ideas about the old ways. Gerard is the king’s right-hand man who isn’t interested in Kyanna as queen. Queen and All Seer Wyndellia, another lapidus fae, had built the Oracle’s Eggs and was the last to wear the crown of Nualla.
The Cover and Title
The cover is . . . whoa . . . with its bright blue sky. There is some interruption with lighter blues near the top and the blending of the blues with the full yellow moon on the left, bats flying on the right above the rooflines. It’s a little unexpected seeing those “normal” houses silhouetted in the background with the windows lit up. Watch for Jasper in silhouette on top of the chimney on the left, lol. Settling down from flight, Nick, in a black T and gray pants, is transforming from his gargoyle self while carrying the blonde Willa in her short red dress and red heels. On the right, a wrought iron sign post holds a wooden sign with yellow print with the series info. Atop it is a lit-up jack-o-lantern. The title is white with a thick black outline in a modern Gothic font centered at the top. The author’s name is in the same colors but a serif font at the bottom. Below that is an info blurb in white.
The title is Nick’s dream when The Gargoyle Gets His Girl.
