Title:A Thread of Deepest Black
Author: Finn Marlowe
Publisher: Samhain
Buy Link: Amazon
Genre: BDSM, Paranormal/Shapeshifters
Length: Novel
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
A Guest Review by Raine
Summary Review: An immensely enjoyable erotic novel, totally dominated by a big bad werewolf with a dirty mind and a wicked whip.
The Blurb
The seduction of his enemy is the ultimate hunt…
When his mortal enemy, the handsome and deadly Colton Dècarie, shows up on his doorstep asking an unspeakable favor, Killian Frost is cautious—and curious. What could drive a shape-shifter to beg a werewolf for an honorable death in the line of duty—defending humans from soul-stealing Lycans? Moreover, why ask Killian, who has kept his own feet off that dark path?
Colton’s conflicted heart can take no more of the violence that consumes more of his humanity with every hunt. Even now, Killian’s werewolf scent makes him burn with the instinctive urge to shift and destroy. Death would be a mercy, but the price is impossibly simple: one night of submission in Killian’s bed.
Yet as Killian extracts payment in flesh and pleasure, Colton finds himself giving all that’s demanded of him and more, feeling something he hasn’t felt in a long time. Alive. And Killian discovers the hidden cost of sleeping with the enemy. To keep the balance between light and dark, Bella Luna binds his Lycan blood with a quest to unravel a conspiracy threatening all his kind. If he’s brave enough, he’ll discover a love that means more than the power of a dead man’s soul.
The Review
“Give me one night in my bed and I’ll consider your request.” This opening sentence establishes the character of the dark anti hero Killian Frost; sexually dominant and intellectually devious. The request for death from blonde, pretty, shapeshifter Colton Dècarie, his traditional enemy seeking suicide by werewolf, is beyond shocking.
Killian seduces Colton into giving his sexual submission and then later introduces him to the pleasures of pain. This forms a significant part of the book and is played out in delightful detail. This inexplicable, world shaking event; sexual congress between two mortal enemies, fuels the events of the novel.
“Ill met by moonlight..”—La Bella Luna is a powerful force in the book’s mythology, When Killian and Colton first have mind shattering sex, both characters are changed by the experience. Killian, eyes flaring red, is filled with the additional strength of the instinctive need to hunt he has always denied himself; a symbol of his control. His change is represented by a silver stripe on his previously black as sin wolf’s pelt. Colton start to lose the desire for death forced upon him by his circumstances as an exceptional shifter.
They come together to form an alliance, empowered by the moon, in order to fight the underlying reasons for Colton’s need for death. To understand what has driven him to this desperation you have to deal with the world Killian and Colton reluctantly share.
The world, subtly built by Finn Marlowe in this debut novel, contains werewolves generally regarded as representing the dark side of the moral spectrum, and shifters, guardians who hold to the light and the good. However most of the “nasty”’ werewolves in the interests of survival have excepted a peace pact with the shifters and no longer indulge in their antisocial hunting of humans for their precious power giving souls. Any renegade werewolves are hunted by shifters and killed.
Shapeshifters are able to take various forms, but their default mode is as wolf. Colton holds secrets, has special powers, and the ability to make a mythic shift. This makes him even more fascinating to Killian, whose desire for control is intrinsic to his personality.
The balance of this world is threatened by the corruption of the shifter’s ruling council. This council of nine powerful shifters caused the death of Colton’s wife. Actually although this is meant to be the start of Colton’s emotional decline, I didn’t ever really get a sense of his relationship with his wife. Both main characters are bisexual. Colton is being sent out to hunt too often, enjoying killing and pain and his soul is becoming corrupted. This is why he wants to die. This corruption is symbolised by the colour of his blonde fur gradually changing to black. When he submits to Killian, the emotional release allows him to give up the dark threads of corruption.
The book then moves on to a sequence of travel, adventure, rescue and some really good bloody battles, which involve both characters willing to die for their cause.
(When Killian travels to the UK, I have to confess I started to hear Warren Zevon’s iconic growl of “Werewolves of London” as a constant soundtrack!)
Finn Marlow’s world has cohesion and is a neat amalgamation of accepted werewolf lore with some really nice additions, especially to the shifter morphology. The shifter’s life within a continual acceptance of pain, was sharply described. I got a real sense of the otherness of the shifters with their system of pain expressed by colours, “Just a tiny lick of red.” and “Did it burn. All the way to the white?” Another inspired touch was the regenerating anal virginity, much relished by Killian. There is a nice sense of emotional growth and symmetry, both characters have to beg for something important to them.
The language and imagery of the novel is clever and vivid, again using repetition of red and black to convey emotion. I particularly enjoyed the red ribbon Killian sends to Colton to entice him to his bed. This becomes both a real and virtual symbol of their union.
“Wound tightly on its spool was a length of dark red ribbon. Satin and slick, it looked like wet blood. The pad of his sensitive fingertip liked the feel of it……Just a suggestion of submission could be had from a yard of the stuff. Colton would figure it out.”
However the real power of “A Thread of Deepest Black”, comes from Killian Frost. He is an outstanding character. He reeks of visceral decadence. His internal monologues had an original voice that displayed his humour, arrogance, possessiveness and own impaired morality to perfection, embracing the power to hurt but not harm……“But I am not evil. I’m merely wicked.”
I enjoyed him very much.
BDSM involves whipping, not heavy duty. Fight scenes involve blood and occasional dismemberment.
Hey Raine,
I enjoyed the review and was happy to see the rating it received, I bought this story and just started it!
Thank you. Sigh of relief at first comment being nice.
I hope you have as much fun with this one as I did.
Hi Raine, this was an awesome review, I enjoyed this one too, I thought the guys had smoking hot chemistry. I also was very pleased that author avoided Mating bond stuff, which I confess, started grating on my nerves lately, so I had been avoiding shifters. This one was so much fun.
Hello Sirius, thanks so much for that.
Yes I really agree, nothing in the werewolf world has quite resonated for me since J L Langley’s “Without Reservations”. Can’t wait for the new one.
I’m sure there is good stuff I havn’t come across though.I do love weres.
Isn’t it great when a writer’s imagination lights up traditional figures so well.
I have to tell you Raine, I recently tried With or without reservations and I could not get through the first chapter :(. I enjoyed this one so much more and yes, I loved that this writer was being so creative. I mean, regenerating anal virginity made me giggle a little, I admit, but it surely was a fresh one over self lubricating werewolves. I also thought that multiple shifters were interesting in itself, you know?
Of course we’ll be nice! 🙂 Though, I know how hard it can be getting comments over and over from people who didn’t like a book you loved. I’d love to read this one, though I admit that it gave me pause in the past…it seemed like a book that I’d either love or hate. I’d like to read this one, though I might wait until I’m feeling courageous 🙂
I admit — this made me stop and think… 🙂 I’d like to read this book just to figure that one out!
Great first review Raine! I loved the subtle touches and details.
Hello Cole
Thanks so much for the encouragement.
I know its going to be easier writing about the ones that really come off the page.I think this one does that through Killian, but as he is so strong a character, you are right , it is probably going to be love or hate for you.The one thing he is not is bland.
Having just read your comments on Sirius’ review there is one very brief m/f sex scene which is insignificant except for showing the way Killian’s mind works.
I hope you give Killian and his dirty mind a try !
I don’t mind a brief m/f scene here and there as long as it doesn’t surprise me, so thanks for the warning 🙂 I think I will give this one a try, but somewhere down the line. Thanks for the great review!
You made this one sound REALLY tasty, Raine. I OD’d on shifters some time ago but this sounds seriously sexy and just the thing to tempt me back. Thanks for the great review!
Hey Leslie
Thank you.
You were in Richmond! It is lovely there.We have such amazing countryside in North Yorkshire, has to make up for the cold weather….. I think.I am reduced to clutching hotwater bottle as I write this.
Please give in to temptation. Weres had stopped being a first choice for me too.So this one is a treat.
HI Raine,
great first review, very detailed and insightful. You made this book sound darkly intriguing – even to me, although I’m not fond of Werewolves at all. Good Job! :bravo:
Thanks Feliz, I think reviewing is going to be a lot harder when the books is less of a sure thing.This was a lot of fun.
Hello Raine
Great review. I mentioned this when I first saw it but I’ll say it again, I think it’s a wonderful debut for you AND Finn. You touched on all the areas that I look for in a review and showed a lot of insight into a topic we don’t often read about in a book about paranormal enemies who become lovers.
Now I have to read the book to see if I like it as much as you did. lol 😀
Oh Bella Luna, you let me review something you havn’t read! Are
you crazy! 😀
Thanks again for the chance and for being patient as I fumble around the technology.
Your readers are being so nice. Now back to reading those new books…….
Did you read the book? And if so, how did YOU like the story?
Great work Raine! I especially liked your Summary Review. I visit this site nearly every day but I don’t click through on all the reveiws… so the Summary sentence is very important to me… and once I read “a big bad werewolf with a dirty mind and a wicked whip.” I knew I was clicking through! And after reading your vivid review, I’ve decided to buy the book. Thanks! 😀
Hello Diane
Thank you very much for your kind comment. It was easy to ramp up the words with this book !
Please let me know what you think of Killian and Finn Marlowe’s world. Really hope you enjoy it.
This book sounds really interesting, but the whole “regenerating anal virginity” is kind of freaky 😕 My mind is just not grasping that concept 😐 for a bunch of different reasons.
I can’t even suspend my disbelief, but your review made the book sound soo good. Gah. :wallbash:
Hey Luci
I know perhaps I was enjoying myself a bit too much with that particular phrase- but it was a new concept for me too. Finn Marlowe’s quite inventive with this!
Thanks for commenting.
Hi Raine. Wonderful first review. This book may not be for, but I can definitely see what worked for you and what didn’t, and your enthusiasm for it. And I agree with Diane — the review summary is great. Mine usually suck. 🙂
Hi Aunt Lynn
Thanks for your support. I think Samhain’s blurb for this one was really good so my summary just carried on in their flow. I fear it’s all going to be harder when the book is just so-so.
Oh this was a hot read! I remember being a bit cautious when I bought it over the BDSM theme but it never went to far imo, Colton remained his own person.
Hi Saga
yes I agree, having gone on about Killian so much I havn’t given Colton as much credit as I should have. He is a conflicted character, but as you say, is never overwhelmed by Killian, rather they enhance each other.
Thanks for your comment.
:hurrah: You’re off to a wonderful start, Raine! This is already on my TBR pile! That opening sentence caught my eye for sure!!!
Hi Susie
Thank you. Will you let me know what you think when you’ve finished it? I hope Finn Marlowe is writing another one as we speak.
I’m putting this on my TBR pile. Killian sounds like a character I would love.
Nolagal, you know some characters stay with you, and I could just hear his voice after I’d finished reading. Extra value 😀 I’d love to know what you think later .
Finn is awesome! Well worth a read!
:bravo: Nix, I definitely agree.
Raine,
Great review. I enjoyed this author’s debut novel. Wildly surprised by the imagery and the characters. I’ll be watching for more of F.Marlowe.
Hi Hannah, I think that is just the right word – surprise.It was just such a pleasure that all the layers ; language , mythology, characters, and plot came together so vividly.
You had me at the Summary Review. After reading there was “a big bad werewolf with a dirty mind and a wicked whip” I was sold too. Great review.
Thanks Jen, I really would love to know what you think when you’ve finished the book. Should it have got a 5?
Raine,
I bought and read this based on your review. It was wonderful. The symbolism with the use of color that was woven throughout the book was amazing. That attention to detail shows how much this genre is evolving.
Any word of a sequel? I think the Prince’s story would a great follow up.
Hi aquina,
I love clever, intense use of language and Finn Marlowe has that covered.I think you are really right about the evolution of the genre, which has got to be good.
The Prince plays a lovely little cameo role.He is no Shakespearean monarch come to tidy every thing away, he could definitely carry another book. From your mouth to Finn’s ears!
Thanks for the kind review, Raine.
I’m listening…and working on another novel set in the same world. The cast of characters shall remain a deep dark secret, for now…
Hello Finn,
as you may have noticed I loved your book.
You writers are all such teases, now I know where Killian gets it from.
Raine – I bought this book based on the rating you gave it. I confess, I didn’t read the review at the time because I feared reading any spoilers… I’m glad I didn’t read the review so all the layers of Colton’s guilt and secrets were slowly pealed back by Killian’s hand. It’s a wonderful story, and I’m so glad I picked it up just based on the rating you gave.
And! I see from Finn’s comment, there will be another set in this universe! YAY! Makes me very excited.
Hey merith,
It was really good to hear that you so enjoyed this, I have read a lot of books since, but Killian’s voice is still with me and that just doesn’t happen often.
Thank you very much for getting back to me.