I first “met” Sara King in an online workshop for writers. She had a novel up for critique, and I was so hooked by the opening that I begged her for the rest of the book. I devoured that one, and begged for more. That story isn’t quite ready for prime time yet (According to her. I thought it was great, she thought it needed… something.) So I was thrilled when she published Alaskan Fury. I figured if I loved the first novel that much, I’d probably like the others as well.

I was right.

This is a paranormal romance between a Fury and a Djinn, set in Alaska. You just don’t read very many of those! I found the whole idea so refreshing and original that I was hooked from the synopsis. But it gets even better than that. These two have been fighting each other for 3,000 years. Can you imagine? The Djinn is chained, quite literally, to the Fury the entire time. He can’t get away from her. She hates men. All men. She thinks they are impure and will ruin her status as a warrior and favored of her Lord. But suddenly her world is turned upside down when her friends are captured by a religious zealot. She must rescue them, but she’s lost her ability to harm anyone. Not even a rabbit. Not even if she’s starving to death. A warrior, unable to fight. The Djinn, who is made for love and passion, is chained to a woman who hates men, is a virgin, and has no intention of ever letting him touch her. And he’s cursed to not touch anyone else. It’s a nightmare for both of them, but now they must learn to get along in order to save their friends. And each other.

First Line:

“The winds breathe foul today, mon Dhi’b.” ‘Aqrab’s words were like a warm breath against the back of her neck, rousing Kaashifah from a dead sleep in an instant of total panic. Though Kaashifah couldn’t see the djinni, she knew he was nearby from the way the drapes seemed to waver above the bed. Over the long years of bondage to the Fourth Lander, she had trained herself to almost see the odd flicker of the light where he danced, half in his own land, half in hers. Some days, she was better at seeing it than others. Often, it came and went with her mood. Anger made it easier. Fear…

Well, fear made it impossible.

And there was so much to fear.

At first, I stumbled over the names a tiny bit. But the idea of a Djinn sucked me in, as well as the immediate conflict that was apparent. The winds breath foul…doesn’t that just send a shiver down your back. I wondered why, and what she had to fear…and was hooked.

I loved this story, and I loved the slow building of trust between the two lovers. There isn’t a lot of steamy sex, but there is passion and romance and a couple where the woman is the warrior and the man is the, well, lover. I loved that spin, and found this a fun read.

This is not the first book of the series. I have the first, Alaskan Fire, in my To Be Read pile now.