This Paperback Book item from New Concepts Publishing was reviewed on 4-Nov-2008. Search ISBN:1586087762 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Devil's Concubine, The Reference Book. Classifications : General Contemporary Romance Subjects Books General AAS Contemporary Romance Subjects Books General Romance Subjects Books General AAS Romance Subjects Books Paperback Mass Market Trade Binding (bindi . Click the following link to view the cover of Devil's Concubine, The. Related topics: General. Contemporary. Romance. Subjects. Books. General AAS. Contemporary. Romance. Subjects. Books. requestid: 1f58bdde-d166-41ac-91fc-d601ff393840
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1) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. This book by the always reliable Jaide Fox is intelligently erotic and humorous. She brings the characters together during a time of duress and takes us along on their exploration and growth. Her descriptions of the various shape shifters and humans gives the reader a full understanding of what the characters look like and what they are feeling.¤ 2) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. Princess Aliya is of marriageable age and for over a year now has been waiting to see whom her father, King Andor, will pick for her husband. Because she is said to be not only fair of face and figure but also warm of heart and voice there have been no end of suitors. Knowing she must marry for her father´s gain, Aliya has patiently waited. Her father, unable to make a choice has decided to hold a contest on her birthday and the winner will get Aliya´s hand in marriage. Every kingdom is allowed to send a champion, every kingdom except those of the shifters, known as the un-naturals.
King Talin of the Golden Falcons knew about the contest and the slight to all the un-natural kingdoms. Infuriated by the slight, he decides to go to King Andor´s castle and challenge him. Not that Talin wants a human bride or could even take one as queen, it is just the nature of the slight he feels should be avenged. Once he reaches the kingdom he chances to find Aliya and decides to steal her away and take her back to his kingdom.
Aliya is not only terrified by Talin being an un-natural but things get worse when she finds out he has decided to take her as his concubine. Aliya sees this as a major slight to her station, while in Talin´s eyes her station is as his second wife, just below his queen, a well-respected position for his clan. King Andor immediately declares war, but something is suspicious about it. Was the contest really for a husband for Aliya or was there another reason for gathering the best fighters together? Is Aliya´s ideal of her father and his actions based on reality, or just something she has been lead to believe. Aliya and Talin need to find an understanding between their worlds and themselves if there is ever to be peace and love between them.
The Devil´s Concubine´s plot falls somewhere in between fantasy and medieval historical. Princess Aliya´s character has been a sheltered asset of her father´s until this point in her life, but she is enough of her own person to know what she wants and is willing to fight for it once she gets the chance. King Talin´s character is just what you would expect from a king in the medieval times, but when you throw in that his clan is that of people that shift into large golden falcons, it gives the story a very unique twist. I did find some of the wording extremely old fashioned and it surprised me when it turned up. While the underlying action of the characters was typical, the twist of putting in clans of shifters, gave the story just enough difference to stand out. If you love historicals you will enjoy The Devil´s Concubine.
Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed¤ 3) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. I can say that I agree with the previous reviewers. It had a really good idea and didn´t live up to it. There were just too many holes in the story. The romance was too short-lived. You don´t actually see how Aliya "falls in love" with Talin and on his part it´s instinctual. You didn´t get to find out about the "magic" that Aliya´s father was using against them let alone any details about the coalition of nations who gathered to assist him to wipe out the "unnaturals).
Most of all the ending was too abrupt. There is no way that it would have been left at that. The "humans" would definitely have regrouped and come back at a later time, especially if they had gone to all that trouble to cross the ocean to wipe them out. In addition, Aliya is all starry-eyed and accepting of her position as a "concubine"/first-wife-after-the-future-queen? Oh, Come on!!! Any woman with half a brain would realize how precarious that is. He´ll eventually have to take another wife who will be the queen(with all the real power) whose "pure" children will be able to inherit while Aliya´s wont; and Aliya can never go back to her own people. Recipe for a living hell.
Lastly, there was the issue of Talin´s "beast" recognizing her as his mate and something about her having to accept the "claiming" or he would go insane? (Shades of Sherrilyn Kenyon´s WereHunters?) This was never fully explained - only alluded to - and it might have explained why Aliya would feel secure in her relationship with Talin.
I was recently pleasantly surprised by Shelly Laurenston´s "Distressing Damsel" so I thought I´d try this one despite the less than encouraging reviews. Well...The other reveiwer was right - shoulda got it from the library.
¤ 4) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. Read the other reviews and give them credit, but know there is more to the story.
This book is not a BDSM romance, the cover art would allow you to think that. And in this case if you bought the book because of that you would be ´judging a book by its cover´; and that would be a massive mistake.
Having said that, let me tell you why I gave this book three stars.
The write-up is the basis for a much bigger story: King Talin (king of the Golden Falcons, one of the un-natural breeds) is denied entry into a contest to win the hand of the fair Princess Aliya. What he, nor she, is aware of is the fact that the insult was deliberate. Aliya has been fed nothing but fantastic and hateful stories about the un-naturals (the name they are given says it all) and so is not hurt by not having to tie herself to such a mate.
Talin decides to kidnap Aliya and force her to be his concubine, not his wife. He takes her from her home to his castle and then sets about to seduce her. With some sage advice, he sets out to win her and does.
I would not classify Aliya as weak, but she has been protected and when she thinks Talin is near death she shows her true mettle.
The romance section of this book was okay, but it did set the stage for these two to know and bond with each other and in that it was successful.
Now, here is the part where I would argue that the other readers sells this novel short.
What any new reader will quickly realise is this book deals with hatred. The Un-naturals, of whom there are many: Falcons, wolves, dragons, et. al. are deeply hated by the humans, so much so that they are hunted to the point of extinction, in fact, that is the desired result--genocide.
They are hated, feared and hunted. Aliya´s father has a plan which will wipe out the un-naturals and he is using her as a pawn.
He is so filled with hatred that he would use and sacrifice his only child to wipe out a race that he sees an an abomination!
This is the crux of the book: what is happening to these species. The tale deals mostly with them fortifying their strong holds; forming alliances with each other even in the face of betrayal and protecting their own when the humans and the sorcerers they are in league with develope a serum lethal to the un-naturals.
If you are an X-Men fan, or enjoy the new television show Heroes, then you get the drift.
If I feel that way, then why only three stars? Well, a portion of the previous review was correct. I did not like the way this book ended, there should have been a smoother, less truncated ending to the novel.
I was left hanging and I "hate" that in a book.
Happy reading.
¤ 5) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. The book was just okay. It was short and lacked a strong story line. It ended quickly and I was left wanting more of the story, which was a good concept. I actually bought the book by mistake thinking it was by my favorite author Jaid Black. Overall the book was a good read.¤ 6) Paperback Book Devil's Concubine, The by New Concepts Publishing. By the time Princess Aliya had reached marriageable age, she was renowned far and wide as the fairest in the land. For not only was she fair of face and figure, but she had a voice so sweet it could charm the birds from the trees and a heart that was warm, and sweet, and giving. And it came to pass that the heir to every kingdom vowed to have her for his own and it seemed war would erupt. Her beleaguered father was at a loss to decide where to bestow the hand of his cherished daughter, for in giving her to one he was certain to make many more enemies. At last, pushed to come to a decision, he decreed that only the strongest and bravest deserved her. A great contest was announced. The head of every kingdom was invited to send their champion to vie for her hand in marriage..the head of every kingdom save those ruled by the unnaturals, for King Andor could not bear to bestow his beautiful daughter on any of the creatures from the shadowy world of the unnaturals. When the news of this slight traveled through the realms of the unnaturals, King Talin of the tribe of the Golden Falcons was infuriated. He had no desire to take a human as his bride, but he would not allow the insult to go unchallenged. Disguised and in human form, he joined those gathering for the contest and stole the fair princess away, carrying her to his own kingdom where he returned the insult to the unnaturals by taking her as his concubine, rather than his bride. Rating: Contains explicit sex, graphic language, and mild violence.¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 2-Dec-2008, 15860877629781586087760, 621-201-981-371-671-641-8 
Devil's Concubine, The, Book, Image © New Concepts Publishing
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