Friday, December 24, 2010

Cornerstone Deep by Charlen A. Wilson

Posted first at The Romance Reviews

Charlene A. Wilson has written a fabulous fantasy, filled with imagination and beauty. From the beginning you are hooked, the male characters are interesting, charismatic and yet flawed, making them very likable. The prose is quick and the fantasy fun. The story is well developed, with an ending that is sure to surprise.


Cole Shilo and his brothers, James and Vince, have been on this world for thousands of years. They came from another dimension when their parents first settled here, hoping to help settle the new inhabitants of this place. They remember their home world with fondness and love, and above all else, they are each seeking their soul-mates here in this dimension.

Four hundred years prior, Cole had found such a love, and in their home world, souls returned time after time. Looking for his one true love Mianna, but for centuries, he has been doomed to disappointment time after time. It is all he has ever wanted and he yearns to find her soul reborn here in this dimension. His brothers think that he is unrealistic. After all, their father too had searched for years to find the soul of their mother, and they did not believe that the regeneration of souls worked in this time and place. Cole though is a romantic and knows that she is out there, waiting for him to find her, and he has never stopped looking in all the years since her death.

Their job on this world was to continue to help settle the land, and as such, they used their magic to take away unhappy memories of those in pain or with nothing in their life. They also did jobs for Kyle Dressen, current Grand Marshall of the courts. Some of those jobs included finding these unhappy souls and helping to bend their wills, then delivering them to the Marshall, with him as their master.

Anna Sinclair, a designer of glass, is one of the young women noticed by Kyle, and he must have her. She is a beautiful young woman, in the prime of her life, and unbeknown to Cole and his brothers, the Marshall has set her up to miss curfew, so that she would be delivered to him and put into his power.

As Cole and his brothers round her up, Cole loses control and binds her soul to the Grand Marshall. As he looks deeply into her eyes, he recognizes that soul, the very one he has been searching for. Too late, he realizes he has just bound the very love of his life to another man. Will he be able to break the binding or has he doomed himself to a life without true love?

The fantasy is marvelous and well written. The brothers are like siblings the world over, they argue, they fight and they disagree. But when one is threatened, they come together and stand for each other. The dialogue with each other is at times heartwarming, and sometimes just interesting. The anger is bold and described in such terms that you can feel the tension. Cole is such a romantic, you want to forgive him almost anything and yet you are also horrified by his actions, and hope and pray that his brothers can help him come up with a solution.

Anna is lost in a world not of her choosing. Her free will is gone as well as much of the memories that have made her who she is. She is almost like a puppet, and the situation has a very creepy feel. She is there, in a place that while comfortable, is also unknown. She is complacent and not at all the same girl she has always been, and it is imperative that Cole find a way to release her.

The love that Cole and his brothers look for is tender and beautiful, and when he finds his mate again, but then binds her to another, he is lost. The scenes play out over and over, can he save Anna?

This is a well-written world, with a cast of characters that bring it to life. Cole is the bad boy, the one that tugs at your heart, but makes so many mistakes. His brothers are a great foil to his personality, both well written as well with stories of their own. Anna is a fun and feisty young woman, also looking for love, but with her will taken from her, making her an entirely different character. Cornerstone Deep is fast-paced and hard to put down. I look for Ms. Wilson to follow this up with stories on each of the brothers. I would enjoy reading more about this fascinating family.
 
Rating 4/5
Cornerstone Deep

This Book was received from the publisher through The Romance Reviews. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

1 comment:

TheBookGirl said...

This sounds like a very innovative story, with an interesting cast of characters. It's always a good sign when you want to read more about the people in the story after the book is finished :)