Review: ARC Cruel Enchantment by Anya Bast

CRUEL ENCHANTMENT
A Dark Magic Novel
Berkley Sensation
ISBN-10: 0425236374
ISBN-13: 978-0425236376
Release Date: September 7, 2010

Even the most powerful hands need a delicate touch…

Emmaline Gallagher is a master of wielding personal glamour. As a free fae who lives among humans, she must hide her true self at all times as she works undercover within the powerful Phaendir—for if certain factions within the Phaendir gain control, the fae will be wiped from existence. Now, an object of fae power lies within a locked ancient box. And there is only one fae who can forge the key.

Known as “the Blacksmith” Aeric O’Malley can create or destroy almost anything with his forging skills. Emmaline has come to him in need, but he and Emmaline have a past—and he has spent centuries wanting to take revenge on her for her transgressions. But now that he has her within his grasp, something about her keeps him from exacting his vengeance—or is it merely her glamour blinding him?

Trapped by fate, Emmaline must hope that she can reach Aeric’s furious heart before it’s too late…

I obtained the above information from Ms. Anya's website ->> here!

I received this book from the author review. The words and thoughts are strictly my own.

This is the second installment in Dark Magick serie and I can say without a shadow of doubt that Ms. Anya has rocked my world yet again with another awesome tale!

Emma is a woman with a lot of things not going her way. Life has dealt her a pretty crappy hand, but I admire the woman she become. She made the best of what she could with the cards that she was dealt. Her parents died when she was around ten. Leaving her to fin for herself. Until the Summer Queen took her in. Only it was not from the warmth of the Summer Queen's heart to do this. The Summer Queen knows no warm and fuzzy feelings. She is quiet the opposite to her title. Anything but warm. In the Seelie Court, the Summer Queen turned Emma into an assassin, her personal assassin. The job Emma was created for, she excelled in it. Excelling so well that she pissed off more than a few people....

One of those people being Aeric... the Blacksmith of the Unseelie Court. He wields weapons laced with his magick for all of his life. A man Emma fell in love with since the day she laid eyes on him ~ way back when. Emma knew that his heart belonged to Aileen, but she still cared for him. Aeric was the type of man to give one hundred percent. He did nothing half-ass. It was all or nothing for him and his love to Aileen was just that. He gave her everything. Even though he has a few doubts in the back of his mind about her and her past. He overlooked them and loved her for all she was worth. But one day that all changed, with one arrow... Aeric's world was turned upside down...

Three hundred odd years have passed... Emma now lives among the humans. On the outside of the walls of Piefferburg. Her cause now changed... no longer an assassin. Now she is working with an organization for Human for the Freedom of the Fae (HFF). Trying to free the fae. Her mission to go back inside the gates of Piefferburg and get a key made... Simple enough right. Wrong, the only person that can make the key ~ the Blacksmith. Three hundred years and she still loved him and Aeric still hated her.

This couple rocked my world. Emma is a woman who made me very proud. She owned up to her mistakes, she knew that her past would always follow her, condemn her... She knew that the mission was more important that herself. She was willing to give up all that she has left for the better cause of the fae people, her people. It was amazing to take the journey with Emma through her true past and her present. To see the things she had to endure that no one else ever knew to become the woman was today. The events and occurrences from Emma's past would have broke a regular person, broke them so hard they probably would not have survived it. But she did. And Aeric was a man on a mission of destruction. By all means, he wanted Emma dead for taking what was his. But when he learns of all of Emma's past secrets, strips her bear and goes beyond the glamour, he sees the true Emma. The one who is afraid, whose heart is bigger than most, who's soul is in need of healing.

Can two wrongs makes a right? Can one forgive and forget the past? Is it truly that easy to walk away and let go of all the strings that bind you to that past? What happens when you don't want the past to be forgotten? But what happens when you learn that things are not really what they seem? Can love truly be blind and over come all?

This story is truly a hate/love relationship. There was no simple solution to this story. If you want to read a vanilla kinda story, do not pick this up... However, if you want a book that will make you pray for love, hope to be forgiven, dream to live another day ~ then please read this one. But be warned with every side, there is the side you don't want to know about. The side where there is pleasure in the pain inflicted on others, by the hands of others. Ms. Anya gives you a story complete with the things that nightmares are made out of. This is not a story to scare you, no... this is a story to see all the dynamics of what powerful people are capable of doing.

The story building is absolutely phenomenal. Ms Anya leaves nothing out to the imagination when it comes to describing the world of the fae. She holds no barred when it comes to making sure you know your surroundings, you know the people and you know their land. You know it as your own backyard. The relationships, Ms Anya, gives you the hero and heroine's story. But what I truly enjoy is that Ms. Anya keeps the family/friends together in this series. Each book is about a different hero/heroine... but the group as a whole is still brought forward!

If you have not indulged into the world of The Dark Magick, I insist that you do. This is an awesome series that Ms. Anya has created. Bringing light to two people who would have never come together if it were not for the greatest cause of their people. Their love and devotion for what they believe in shines through. With these two people the truth was always what was important. Emma and Aeric... well.. come with me on this journey and find out for yourself just what a kick-ass heroine and a bad-ass blacksmith can accomplish together! I promise you a ride all the way to the end!

Ms. Anya did a fan-flipping-tastic job at creating another stealer of a book! The world she enveloped me in was all I could have imagined and more. It was breathtaking as it was heartbreaking. It was pain, while there was pleasure. It was soul shattering as it was soul searching. This book was truly a Cruel Enchantment of piece of work. Ms Anya ~ wonderful job! Simply spell bounding!

Please visit Ms. Anya's website ->> here and see what else she has up her *sleeve*.
And if you are so inclined, please visit her blog -->> here.
Peek in and let her know you are there!! She is an awesome lady!!

Remember... Keep it Dirty, Smutty & Hussy!