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65th out of 124 books
—
26 voters
The Knife's Edge
by
Stephanie Draven (Goodreads Author)
He's a royal bastard who wants to be king, but two things stand in his way: the queen and her magic medallion. To kill her, he'll have to seduce her, but will he lose his heart in the bargain?
She's a queen on an uncertain throne who has guarded her reputation at the expense of her desires. She desperately needs to submit, for just one night, even if it's at the point of a...more
She's a queen on an uncertain throne who has guarded her reputation at the expense of her desires. She desperately needs to submit, for just one night, even if it's at the point of a...more
ebook, 24 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Stephanie Dray
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These sixty pages aroused a smile from me -- not necessarily from the erotica itself but the battle of wits, the foreplay if you will. The line "lions mate only with lions" clearly expresses the theme of this story. The two powerful adversaries are circling each other, trying to decipher if the other is trustworthy enough for one moment of weakness in mating.
If you're a fan of chess and political strategy, this story will hook you in and leave you wanting more. You WANT to learn more about what...more
If you're a fan of chess and political strategy, this story will hook you in and leave you wanting more. You WANT to learn more about what...more
There are two kinds of characters that I love those are anti-heroes and strong women. This short story has both and portrays them unflinchingly. Truly at the start of the book I wasn't sure if I liked Dardanus at first. He is an unrepentant manipulator and murder after all. He is also very buried in his own head, which makes sense with the shady deeds he carries out. It also proved to be a fascinating way to view this unconventional love story.
Because we see through Dardanus' jaded eyes we make...more
Because we see through Dardanus' jaded eyes we make...more
![.þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...]](http://d.gr-assets.com/users/1363347489p2/3840999.jpg)
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** I would give this 2.5* if I could.**
THE KNIFE'S EDGE seemed like it would be a nice, quick selection for the feature. If I remember correctly, the story was touted as an erotic romance. But what it really read like was a prequel teaser, or maybe a prologue for a much more in-depth novel. The reader is literally dropped into the middle of a fairly complicated political scenario. The narrator, Dardanus, is an advisor to the lonely Queen Nestra. Since he is a "bastard", Dardanus can never assume...more
THE KNIFE'S EDGE seemed like it would be a nice, quick selection for the feature. If I remember correctly, the story was touted as an erotic romance. But what it really read like was a prequel teaser, or maybe a prologue for a much more in-depth novel. The reader is literally dropped into the middle of a fairly complicated political scenario. The narrator, Dardanus, is an advisor to the lonely Queen Nestra. Since he is a "bastard", Dardanus can never assume...more
42 pages
Wow, 0 to 1000 kms an hour in the space of a couple of seconds.
Our anti-hero is a royal bastard, cold, calculating, manipulative and a murderer. Through first person narrative the reader is plunged immediately into his head. Dardanus is determined to assassinate the Queen and claim her throne for himself but first he must find a way to separate her from her protective medallion and there’s only one way he can think of to achieve that. Seduction.
42 pages of raw sensual grit…but gad damni...more
This short story seemed like i started reading from the middle of a complicated book. The idea seems very good, so i don't understand why the author bothered with 20 pages of weird verbal "foreplay" but didn't spend some time on writing out a proper novella actually telling us this complicated story and how it ends! It was in the erotica genre- but the sex scene was extremely short, mild and blah, with an unnecessary slap at the beginning, that in my mind qualifies as woman abuse....
Also, the f...more
Also, the f...more
May 16, 2012
Sherri *Mistress of Laundry*
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2012,
alpha-male,
ebook,
freebie,
heroine-i-loved,
historical-romance,
kick-ass-heroine,
love-the-cover,
ntm-author
Never having read Stephanie Draven before, I picked up this freebie at BN with no expectations, and am very happy I did. This is a hidden gem of the first order. The short story (60 pages) revolves around an anti-hero who plots to seduce the Queen and kill her for her throne. The only problem is that she is protected by a pendant that renders any attempt on her person null. Not quite magical, yet almost sentient. I cannot say much about the plot without giving it away, however it was a very enga...more
2 likes
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The main problem with this short story is that it's short - 350 locations on my kindle, shorter than a lot of free samples I download for full-lenght novels. I'd been chomping at the bit to read it after someone described it as an erotic version of Megan Whelan Turner's Thief series, and the description is apt - except that if you take out all the scheming and delaying and the withholding, as happens here - this story is SHORT, there's not much room for buildup - the result is just not that thri...more
This story starts off with lots of potential -- lots of description and a great premise, with some interesting characters -- but falls flat in the end. Right when it gets exciting and the sexy times start, it stops. Sounds like there's another story after this one, but I needed more detail and, well ... just more!
Read more reviews on my blog, Reading In Winter:
This a free ebook I obtained from Kindle on October 2, 2012.
Read more reviews on my blog, Reading In Winter:
This a free ebook I obtained from Kindle on October 2, 2012.
This story was advertised as an erotica, which is why I read it (and because I got it for free) and why I only gave it 3 stars bordering on 4.
I didn't get what I was looking for, but yet, this quickie appealed to me because of the characters, strong-willed and not goody-two-shoes, bordering on evil on the side of the H, and because the attraction and suspense is very well built.
They circle around each other, test each other and you never know if one is going to kill the other or spend the night...more
I didn't get what I was looking for, but yet, this quickie appealed to me because of the characters, strong-willed and not goody-two-shoes, bordering on evil on the side of the H, and because the attraction and suspense is very well built.
They circle around each other, test each other and you never know if one is going to kill the other or spend the night...more
Aug 02, 2012
Ashley
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-freebie,
novella-short-story
A very, very short read, but what there was of it was engaging. I liked the setup and intrigue of it all. I would have liked more backstory on Dardanus to put his feelings in better context. Ihis felt like an except; it would be an a great starting point for a full-length story. Also, only half the kindle file is this story, the other half is excerpts from the author's other works. That makes an already very short story seem even shorter. However, for the price of free, it was entertaining enoug...more
For as much as I am learning to hate the way some authors write short stories...I actually really enjoyed this one.
The bad? It was WAY TOO SHORT! I want MORE! It was a very well written story that grabbed my attention and held me riveted until the end.
The good? The entire short story.
So if I have nothing but good things to say about this story, why only four stars...
I can almost guaranty this. If the author ever took the time to make this into a full length novel, I would probably be five starr...more
The bad? It was WAY TOO SHORT! I want MORE! It was a very well written story that grabbed my attention and held me riveted until the end.
The good? The entire short story.
So if I have nothing but good things to say about this story, why only four stars...
I can almost guaranty this. If the author ever took the time to make this into a full length novel, I would probably be five starr...more
I was literally blown away when I got to the end of the story and realized how quickly you fall into the characters world. If I could give this story more stars I would! The interaction between this super powerful woman and her would be assassin is just incredible. I literally felt like I was standing in the corner and watching this tale play out. Fantastic use of detail and time. Very dark due to the main character's mission but after the Queen's medallion digs into his soul/mind/heart you just...more
Draven proves she has talent with this novella, it doesn't miss a beat and will have you engrossed before the first page is read. Never before has an anti-hero been crafted so well. You feel his hatred, see the justification of his actions. Then the Queen submits to him and he is broken, an amazing transition. The ending fits perfectly, even without giving you the happily ever after you yearn for.
This was fun in the sense that it was told from the perspective of the man and there was a lot of sword/sheathing/scabbard talk during sex. (win, win, win.) That said... I want more. More sex. More detail. More development of the characters and the world.
The Knife's Edge was a free Kindle book I downloaded on October 2nd, 2012 for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge.
The Knife's Edge was a free Kindle book I downloaded on October 2nd, 2012 for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge.
Interesting enough with the potential for plenty more than we were given, but it ends just as the sexin' starts and the danger to the protagonist is set in motion.
This book was a free Kindle download I picked up 10/03/12 for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
This book was a free Kindle download I picked up 10/03/12 for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Charming! I like the idea of the anti-hero.
He has been asked to kill the queen, but being asked is merely a formality since he desires to anyway. He also desires her. However, no one may touch her so long as she wears her medallion. He knew the medallion would be his undoing, but not quite in the way he imagined!
He has been asked to kill the queen, but being asked is merely a formality since he desires to anyway. He also desires her. However, no one may touch her so long as she wears her medallion. He knew the medallion would be his undoing, but not quite in the way he imagined!
Short Kindle freebie just long enough to get a taste of the author's voice. It's not particularly erotic but the author drops you right into a political situation that was more compelling than the subsequent seduction of the queen. Just not enough here to decide whether I'll purchase a book by this author or not.
This was supposed to be short erotica. I believe there was one page of so called erotica. ONE PAGE, and the one page wasn't good either. Its sort of wham bam, with a mean slap to her. And then when the scene is over all of the sudden he loves her, and is going to give up his life for her.
Interesting story, though I think it could have served to have a little more to it than it did. Short as it was, it was a little difficult to really connect with the characters.
As for the teasers... I don't know I'll ever want to read the like again. Not because the teasers were no good, on the contrary, they were. I was just frustrated that the whole story wasn't there.
Treachery, deceit and greed are the motivation for Dardanus' actions towards the queens. But he finds it to be different once he gets to where he wants to be.
A short, and sweet hot read that left me wondering what would happen next with Dardanus and Nestra.
A short, and sweet hot read that left me wondering what would happen next with Dardanus and Nestra.
Well, considering it's only a few pages, sure it was okay. I would love to see a fully developed story though between Nestra and Dardanus. These few pages have the potential to be a captivating story of power, struggle, deceit, and lust (or perhaps love.)
This historical short story hooked me right away. An aide to the queen plans assassinate her -- if he can get her remove her protective medallion. To that he must bed her. The Knife's Edge is an interesting read about a game of cat-and-mouse in which winner takes all.
Short and rather minimalistic, yet still manages to be complex with so few words. And it's free, so there's little to complain about, all things considered. I will be checking out other stories of this author.
*** 2.5 stars ***
It was an OK story right up until the end. I really didn't like the ending . . . it just felt . . . I don't know . . . unfinished . . . I guess would be the word for it.
It was an OK story right up until the end. I really didn't like the ending . . . it just felt . . . I don't know . . . unfinished . . . I guess would be the word for it.
Very short, very light read. Essentially a sex scene with a bit of intriguing back story. Starts out strong, and kept my attention, but ended right as it was getting good.
Dec 11, 2012
Rebecca Rogers
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
erotica,
indie,
own,
romance,
short-story-novella-anthology,
fantasy,
historical,
historical-romance
I think what I liked most about The Knife’s Edge was that it’s a fantasy erotica. I don’t see that very often (mostly just contemporary), so this was a nice change.
The gist of the story is that the queen wears a sacred medallion that protects her from harm. She also can’t have relations with a man as long as she wears it. Her closest advisor, however, has other plans. He wants the medallion for himself, since he should be the rightful heir to the throne. But in the process of seducing the queen...more
The gist of the story is that the queen wears a sacred medallion that protects her from harm. She also can’t have relations with a man as long as she wears it. Her closest advisor, however, has other plans. He wants the medallion for himself, since he should be the rightful heir to the throne. But in the process of seducing the queen...more
A very short read. Not the most interesting but the included chapters from Draven's other books were much better and their stories seemed much more interesting.
What we might get if Megan Whalen Turner switched to erotica. (It's not particularly kinky or graphic, by the way.) As a romance fan, I am dying for a sequel.
2 likes
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This was a really short story with not that great of an ending. It was a cliffhanger that will never be finished. I did like the story though.
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Stephanie Draven is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books.
Stephanie has always been a storyteller. In elementary school, she channeled Scheherazade, weaving a series of stories t...more
More about Stephanie Draven...
Stephanie has always been a storyteller. In elementary school, she channeled Scheherazade, weaving a series of stories t...more
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