Jami Gold has done a fantastic job creating the characters and settings for all her Mythos Legacy novels. Each set pairs a human with a supernatural, but contrary to expectations, the issues that arise between the protagonists could easily apply to any ordinary human bond. The scenarios developing out of these situations provide an excellent platform to reflect possible approaches to current themes in how sentient beings could respond to one another to achieve a deep and fully satisfying relationship.
Furthermore, each of these characters carries some very negative past baggage that needs to be addressed before truly open communication can be achieved. The sexual intimacies detailed in each are tender without being saccharine but also underlie the notion that expressing love in this way is more than a physical release. As a result, Gold avoids the vulgarity of many other similar descriptions, creating a deeper level of connection and sympathy for individuals undertaking the risk of committing to a relationship built on trust.
In addition, Gold has a keen eye for detail, turning what might easily be overlooked as a minor aside into a key pivot point for major action further along in the story. She does this in all four of the full novels, which, after encountering them in each book, alert the reader to pay attention--something significant involving that object or being will be seminal in moving the action to resolution. She also effectively uses secondary characters or objects to tie everything together. Throughout the tales, her worlds remain consistent, and the the locations of each (Chicago, IL for Treasured Claim; Arizona for Ironclad Devotion; St. Louis, MO for Pure Sacrifice; NYC for Stone-Cold Heart) resonate with authenticity and an intimate knowledge of location--all suggesting copious research to have achieved that level of accuracy.
In Ironclad Devotion, Kira, the Faerie Princess disguised as a biker chick known as "Prin," meets artistic blacksmith Zachary Chase when Prin's custody and attempted adoption process of six-year old Emily, whose mother has been murdered, reveals him to be Emily's biological father. Prin has not had good experiences with any man other than her foster father, Moose, and when she first meets Zac, it appears that pattern will continue. Furthermore, though Zac is part Navajo and has some paranormal abilities of his own, he firmly denies these and prefers to see the world in concrete terms--no "spiritual mumbo-jumbo" of the kind he assigns to his “out there” Navajo shaman grandfather.
The child Emily is central to how these two unlikely characters find their way into each other's hearts. The past nightmare Kira has to deal with is having watched her parents be murdered. For Zac, it's betrayal and abandonement from significant women in his life. Both need to work through these past events to learn to trust, and the actions that unfold in the story arc highlight that theme very well. Throughout the story, the reader is treated to all kinds unexpected developments that keep this work a fast and furious page-turner. Even the skeptical Zac comes to accept his abilities as a seer. Eventually he finds himself able to follow Kira into her faerie world to rescue her and her world from death and destruction as the story culminates in driving out the dark faerie Lirdeag.
The work is generally very well edited, though once again, there is at best an inconsistent use of the subjunctive ("if I were" vs. "if I was..." "as though he were" vs. the incorrect "as though he was..."). The split infinitives are also an irritant ("to not do something" vs. "NOT to do something"). The other thing I stumbled over was the pace of developments and the speed of recovering from near-fatal injuries--especially for the humans. And then, after surmounting this near-impossible list, everyone is cheering triumphantly at the end when the enemies are apparently vanquished--the "happily ever after" impling the end of all difficulties from now on to throughout the future. After all that's happened up to that point, such an implied outcome is rather jaring. It adds a lot of excessive melodrama to character interactions, but I'm not sure if this a limitation inherent in the genre or an honest critique of the writer's abilities.
Regardless, Gold has managed to create stories that are imaginative, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. I've re-read all of the books in the series multiple times and can easily envision these four couples meeting up on the Mythos plane to battle some gigantic threat to their world. And through that process, they would overcome whatever leftover enmities existed among their different species that originated from the past. Highly recommended!
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