Welcome to Regency England where wood nymphs in an enchanted forest can sing songs of true love or true lust and sometimes confuse the two. Where six young nobles find the loves of their lives because they all possess Wild Blood and can hear the nymphs sing. Where a marriage may hinge on a little girl’s wish or a recipe for sauerkraut…and a blue unicorn grazes in a nearby pasture.
MY OPINION: A truly delightful set of short stories compiled to form a novel. All related just as the characters are kin to each other, these tales of love meant to be, magical interference by invisible nymphs singing their spells, and the young people who can hear them because of their magical, wild blood, (even when they try to deny or have forgotten that heritage) are totally entertaining. From the beginning we know each set of lovers are going to end happily ever after but the ways in which they go about achieving this goal are truly enjoyable. The dialogue, as with most Regency tales, is brisk and full of the proper terms of the times, the characters likable, and even though each tale is of a young miss stalking her beloved swain who thinks he’s the one being the hunter, the storylines have just enough of a twist not to be redundant.
My only complaint: I wish the Unfortunate Incident between Ardmoor and Melody had been explained a little more plainly. I think I grasped the why of it but am not really certain.
This is a Wee Dram Book but to me, a wee dram isn’t enough. I’d like to read more.
On the Wild Side is available from the Highland Press, www.highlandpress.org
This novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.
