Their love does include a physical component, but you needn’t worry about bestiality. It’s all right to love someone so beautiful, and to let Aerie-Smith love him in return. Their relationship unfolds and deepens as they spend more time together and Naef realizes it’s all right to let his guard down around this man. Aerie-Smith is friendly and kind and capable of volleying back as much shit as Naef tries to throw at him. In true romantic hero fashion, Aerie-Smith sees right through the smokescreen and refuses to treat Naef as the subhuman Naef would have everyone believe he is that he suspects he may be, deep down, after more than two decades of abuse. He’s certain if he confirms their worst suspicions right off the bat, they’ll shun him instead of mocking him or hurting him two things he’s had far too much experience with. Naef, like so many examples of the form, is an essentially good person who does his best to convince everyone he comes into contact with that he’s the nastiest guy they’ll ever meet. Naef’s first person narration is raw and heartfelt, and I latched onto him immediately because he falls into one of my favourite character types: the defensive asshole. The resulting story is part “Beauty and the Beast,” part “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” And I cried so damned hard.Īmy Lane’s got a direct line on my emotions.
Aerie-Smith’s got an island full of subjects whose animal forms are more confining than his own, and he promises Naef a home for a year if he’ll end his stint as companion by performing one regrettable act will not only secure Naef’s family’s future but also free everyone from their curse. The cousin in question turns out to be a man cursed with the shape of an anthropomorphic lion and saddled with the improbable name Aerie-Smith. Naef will spend a year as companion to the suitor’s cousin, freeing his sister from worry while introducing Naef to an unusual community where he can start fresh. When said sister hesitates to marry her true love because it would mean leaving Naef on his own, her suitor proposes a solution to settle her fears. The only people he’ll allow close to him are his sister and his mother.
Naef, a young woodworker, has been tormented all his life because of his appearance, and he’s raised a prickly set of defenses against future hurt. To date, I’ve read two of her sweet contemporary romances, one dark-as-hell SF offering, and TRUTH IN THE DARK, a fairy tale that straddles the line between these two extremes. Not only does she write fabulous stories, but she’s got a hell of a narrative range.
Ooh, friends, I’m so in love with Amy Lane’s work.
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