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Dalanine #2
The God-Touched Man
Five years after the defeat of the Despot, the southern country of Santerre has finally recovered from his rule and sends an embassy to Dalanine. Piercy Faranter, government agent and man about town, receives an assignment to watch over the princess of Santerre, who is disguised as one of her own ladies in waiting. It’s a task perfectly suited to his charm and reputation with attractive young ladies, but proves to be more of a challenge, both personally and professionally, than he ever could have anticipated.
The beautiful Ayane Caligwe seems shy, but Piercy finds behind her coy smiles she’s more than a match for him in cunning and cleverness. But when a rogue magician opens a portal to the past, dragging Piercy and his reluctant charge with him, they are both forced to put pretenses aside.
Trapped in a time two hundred years before his own, Piercy finds himself embroiled in a mystery whose roots are a thousand years deep. With time running out, he and Ayane must work together to stop the magician’s madness—even if it costs them their lives.
The beautiful Ayane Caligwe seems shy, but Piercy finds behind her coy smiles she’s more than a match for him in cunning and cleverness. But when a rogue magician opens a portal to the past, dragging Piercy and his reluctant charge with him, they are both forced to put pretenses aside.
Trapped in a time two hundred years before his own, Piercy finds himself embroiled in a mystery whose roots are a thousand years deep. With time running out, he and Ayane must work together to stop the magician’s madness—even if it costs them their lives.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2016
16 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Melissa McShane
94 books857 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 15, 2016
Release-day review. And I'll note up front that I'm not exactly a neutral reviewer as I'm proud to say Melissa and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary next month. I do my best to be honest, but can't really claim a complete lack of bias.
This is a follow-on from The Smoke-Scented Girl and it is Piercy's story. You don't have to read that one before this to get most of the story, but I really enjoyed seeing Evon and Karensa and some of the legends explored in that book have reverberations in this one. Which is to say I'd recommend reading that book first, even if it isn't essential.
Also, I liked that Piercy's skill and competence that was hinted at in that book (like a roomful of antagonists and he's like, no big, I got this) is background in this one. Being in Piercy's head was awesome, particularly his lack of self-deceit even as he's working in a field that requires seeming less than he is on a pretty much full-time basis. But even more fun was seeing the self-assured flirt find how very hollow those flirtations have been.
And Ayane is full of win. I loved everything about her, from her heritage to her skill and ferocity to discovering an appreciation for the court fop she's stuck with in a desperate adventure through time and, um, other set-backs. Her banter with Piercy starts off charged but I loved seeing it mellow as they develop an appreciation that starts off professional but becomes increasingly personal as they become partners with a trust neither is used to but that both come to cherish.
And, oh yeah, the story is great, too. There are some twists and turns so I don't want to spoil too much but having a 250-year trip to the past to kick off the adventure should give you an idea of how things are going for Piercy and Ayane. Helping an obsessed magician in order to get back is only the start of their troubles. Seeing Piercy think his way around roadblocks and Ayane backing him up with steel and ferocity was just huge fun.
So yeah, I've enjoyed every reread and hope you will do the same.
A note about culture and race: Ayane is a Lady from a country that has long been ruled by the dark-skinned nobles from a long-ago invasion. So she's a high noble from a country where true nobility is denoted by dark skin color and her heritage is notably pure. So there are interesting layers of race and pride layered into the story of their relationship that have no adequate real-world analogy. Which gives an interesting exploration of bigotry and racism and pride in one's heritage, but from an unusual perspective. I think it works very well, but would love to hear what others think about how well it worked.
This is a follow-on from The Smoke-Scented Girl and it is Piercy's story. You don't have to read that one before this to get most of the story, but I really enjoyed seeing Evon and Karensa and some of the legends explored in that book have reverberations in this one. Which is to say I'd recommend reading that book first, even if it isn't essential.
Also, I liked that Piercy's skill and competence that was hinted at in that book (like a roomful of antagonists and he's like, no big, I got this) is background in this one. Being in Piercy's head was awesome, particularly his lack of self-deceit even as he's working in a field that requires seeming less than he is on a pretty much full-time basis. But even more fun was seeing the self-assured flirt find how very hollow those flirtations have been.
And Ayane is full of win. I loved everything about her, from her heritage to her skill and ferocity to discovering an appreciation for the court fop she's stuck with in a desperate adventure through time and, um, other set-backs. Her banter with Piercy starts off charged but I loved seeing it mellow as they develop an appreciation that starts off professional but becomes increasingly personal as they become partners with a trust neither is used to but that both come to cherish.
And, oh yeah, the story is great, too. There are some twists and turns so I don't want to spoil too much but having a 250-year trip to the past to kick off the adventure should give you an idea of how things are going for Piercy and Ayane. Helping an obsessed magician in order to get back is only the start of their troubles. Seeing Piercy think his way around roadblocks and Ayane backing him up with steel and ferocity was just huge fun.
So yeah, I've enjoyed every reread and hope you will do the same.
A note about culture and race: Ayane is a Lady from a country that has long been ruled by the dark-skinned nobles from a long-ago invasion. So she's a high noble from a country where true nobility is denoted by dark skin color and her heritage is notably pure. So there are interesting layers of race and pride layered into the story of their relationship that have no adequate real-world analogy. Which gives an interesting exploration of bigotry and racism and pride in one's heritage, but from an unusual perspective. I think it works very well, but would love to hear what others think about how well it worked.
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May 4, 20222/5/20: I came back to this because I'd had to re-read The Smoke-Scented Girl for research, and I felt the story was incomplete without it. This poor book...I really love it, and it disappeared on release into the maelstrom that was the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election. I hope to re-release it in a box set sometime later this year, and maybe it will get the attention it deserves. Like its companion, it was the result of a couple of major random plot twists that I threw in out of nowhere, and like SSG, it still hangs together.
11/10/16: I re-read this book in preparation for its release on 11/15. Piercy was a much-loved character in The Smoke-Scented Girl and I had many requests to tell a story about him. So I did. The challenge was finding something that would fit his true nature: not the fop and town dandy, but a skilled secret agent.
The story takes place five years after the end of The Smoke-Scented Girl. The Despot's defeat was only the beginning of the post-war recovery, particularly for countries that were actually subjugated by him. Piercy, newly transferred to the Foreign Office, is caught up in the diplomatic visit from one of those countries, Santerre. He's assigned to babysit the Santerran princess, who's in disguise because the Santerrans don't trust the Dalanese, and expects to use his amatory charms to keep her happy. But things don't go as expected, and the story takes a sharp right turn when Piercy and the princess (who isn't what she seems) are transported 250 years into the past, caught up in a rogue magician's quest to save the woman he loves.
I really like Piercy. Writing his dialogue is fun. And I like Ayane, the princess (or is she?) because she's exactly the kind of woman Piercy needs in his life. She's nothing like the girls he romances, and their relationship made the whole story work for me. I don't know that it's necessary to read the first book before this one, as I tried to explain all the references to the previous events; the plot and characters of this one are mostly independent of the first. There's adventure, and mistaken identity, and swordfighting, and gods, and a thousand-year-old mystery. And romance. I enjoyed writing this one, and hope readers will enjoy reading it.
11/10/16: I re-read this book in preparation for its release on 11/15. Piercy was a much-loved character in The Smoke-Scented Girl and I had many requests to tell a story about him. So I did. The challenge was finding something that would fit his true nature: not the fop and town dandy, but a skilled secret agent.
The story takes place five years after the end of The Smoke-Scented Girl. The Despot's defeat was only the beginning of the post-war recovery, particularly for countries that were actually subjugated by him. Piercy, newly transferred to the Foreign Office, is caught up in the diplomatic visit from one of those countries, Santerre. He's assigned to babysit the Santerran princess, who's in disguise because the Santerrans don't trust the Dalanese, and expects to use his amatory charms to keep her happy. But things don't go as expected, and the story takes a sharp right turn when Piercy and the princess (who isn't what she seems) are transported 250 years into the past, caught up in a rogue magician's quest to save the woman he loves.
I really like Piercy. Writing his dialogue is fun. And I like Ayane, the princess (or is she?) because she's exactly the kind of woman Piercy needs in his life. She's nothing like the girls he romances, and their relationship made the whole story work for me. I don't know that it's necessary to read the first book before this one, as I tried to explain all the references to the previous events; the plot and characters of this one are mostly independent of the first. There's adventure, and mistaken identity, and swordfighting, and gods, and a thousand-year-old mystery. And romance. I enjoyed writing this one, and hope readers will enjoy reading it.
November 15, 2016
Where to start with this one... Prolly at the beginning which is the first book in this series, The Smoke Scented Girl. ((Note you can read them separately, having read the first one provides some extra insights, but it's not required to understand what's going on.)) While I had a great time with The Smoke Scented Girl I did not fall in love as much with the protag as his best friend Piercy, the dandy and spy. I always hoped to find out a little more about what happened to him when everything was over. The God-Touched Man is the answer to that hope.
I love Piercy and being inside his thoughts was even more fun, especially because he has such a strong character arc in this book. He is well established up front as a man looking for something, and while he thinks he knows what it is there are layers which run a lot deeper than even he realizes.
On the other side of the coin you have Ayane who, in her own way, is in much the same boat. She's nobility: fierce, loyal and clever and...lonely. Not that she'd ever admit it. No, she has a job to do, and nothing (and no one) is going to keep her from doing it.
Combining these two personalities with a magical plot which crosses both time and space makes for a hugely fun read which I'll be visiting again.
I love Piercy and being inside his thoughts was even more fun, especially because he has such a strong character arc in this book. He is well established up front as a man looking for something, and while he thinks he knows what it is there are layers which run a lot deeper than even he realizes.
On the other side of the coin you have Ayane who, in her own way, is in much the same boat. She's nobility: fierce, loyal and clever and...lonely. Not that she'd ever admit it. No, she has a job to do, and nothing (and no one) is going to keep her from doing it.
Combining these two personalities with a magical plot which crosses both time and space makes for a hugely fun read which I'll be visiting again.
February 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! There are so many twists and turns. There is a lot of “on the hunt” and giving chase. Sometimes I got tired of the chase, but then there would be some action or a twist, and I was right back into it. The story contains magic, mythology, time travel, action and romance. The author has pulled it all together to create a believable fantasy world.
I really liked Piercy. He is definitely a charmer, and talk about a quick thinker! I really liked the other characters as well. I don't really want to say much past that. I don’t want to give anything away! Like I said, there are a lot of twists and turns. So, I guess you’ll just have to read it. :)
This is the second book in the series. I haven’t read the first one, but was able to understand and enjoy this book just fine. I would like to read the first one now. The glimpses I got of Evon and Kerensa made me want to know more of their story. And I would love to see more of Piercy!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I chose to leave a review. These are my honest opinions.
I really liked Piercy. He is definitely a charmer, and talk about a quick thinker! I really liked the other characters as well. I don't really want to say much past that. I don’t want to give anything away! Like I said, there are a lot of twists and turns. So, I guess you’ll just have to read it. :)
This is the second book in the series. I haven’t read the first one, but was able to understand and enjoy this book just fine. I would like to read the first one now. The glimpses I got of Evon and Kerensa made me want to know more of their story. And I would love to see more of Piercy!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I chose to leave a review. These are my honest opinions.
January 18, 2017
As a guy who grew up reading fantasy more along the lines of Conan and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser than Lord of the Rings (but I loved that, too), I enjoy a solid fantasy story that doesn't try to be some massive epic. Melissa McShane's books are exactly that (at least that I have read so far... she is prolific!).
This story is of the roguish government agent Percy Faranter and his counterpart, the former freedom-fighter Ayane. While very skilled, they are in over their heads in an adventure involving magicians, artifacts and places of power, time travel, priests, and even gods. It's a fun adventure story that really soars because of the intriguing characters.
This story is of the roguish government agent Percy Faranter and his counterpart, the former freedom-fighter Ayane. While very skilled, they are in over their heads in an adventure involving magicians, artifacts and places of power, time travel, priests, and even gods. It's a fun adventure story that really soars because of the intriguing characters.
February 8, 2024
I read the first in this series some years ago, and this year finally got round to reading the sequel (after a re-read of the first book, which was just as good as I remembered). I didn't enjoy it quite as much as
The Smoke-Scented Girl
, but that's a high bar to clear, and this is still a fine book. It's just that Smoke-Scented Girl gripped and compelled me throughout with a combination of personal and wider stakes that were expertly intertwined, flawless pacing, and a hero and heroine I had no issues cheering on from the start, and this book didn't quite achieve any of that to the same degree.
Still, there are personal stakes and world-saving stakes, and the hero and heroine are both admirable, and there's plenty going on. I did feel that the resolution of the romance plot felt a bit sudden and was placed more like an epilogue than a climax. Resolutions, in fact, tended to come a bit suddenly overall, after long periods of lower tension, rather than having the kind of sustained tension and well-prepared shifts of the earlier book. And the protagonist does carry the idiot ball at one point, in order for his situation to get worse because he hasn't spotted something he really should have.
Overall, though, it's a fine piece of writing, with very few editing issues and set in a well-realized world. The characters are appealing, the action well described, the stakes compelling, and I recommend it.
Still, there are personal stakes and world-saving stakes, and the hero and heroine are both admirable, and there's plenty going on. I did feel that the resolution of the romance plot felt a bit sudden and was placed more like an epilogue than a climax. Resolutions, in fact, tended to come a bit suddenly overall, after long periods of lower tension, rather than having the kind of sustained tension and well-prepared shifts of the earlier book. And the protagonist does carry the idiot ball at one point, in order for his situation to get worse because he hasn't spotted something he really should have.
Overall, though, it's a fine piece of writing, with very few editing issues and set in a well-realized world. The characters are appealing, the action well described, the stakes compelling, and I recommend it.
January 4, 2019
It was alright. I didn't love it and I certainly took a long time to read it, but I liked Piercy and Miss Theoradis and Ayane and the Santerre and Dalanine different cultures. I liked reading a little bit of Evon and Kerensa. There were times where the plot was too slow and I wanted it to be faster, and other times where I found a different Piercy from the first book, but besides that, there is magic and villains and travel-in-time and a nice interracial love story.
I think what I didn't mind so much was that the romance was stronger than the action, than my favorite Melissa McShane's book, which is "Burning Bright". There were many times when Piercy was thinking that Ayane was gorgeous, and that her hair was this, and her skin that, and her eyes that... mind you, that is one of my pet peeves in Romances, so it may just be me.
I still find Melissa McShane a gem ^_^ Can't wait to read more of her books!
I think what I didn't mind so much was that the romance was stronger than the action, than my favorite Melissa McShane's book, which is "Burning Bright". There were many times when Piercy was thinking that Ayane was gorgeous, and that her hair was this, and her skin that, and her eyes that... mind you, that is one of my pet peeves in Romances, so it may just be me.
I still find Melissa McShane a gem ^_^ Can't wait to read more of her books!
December 14, 2017
The God-Touched Man was good, but I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to like Piercy’s book. The story was good, the characters (both major and minor) were interesting, but for whatever reason the story didn’t really click for me.
May 16, 2020
Interesting
Pierce deserved his own story and this was a worthy adventure. Time travel, magic, a quest and doomed love are packed in here. I felt the ending was far too rushed this the four.
Pierce deserved his own story and this was a worthy adventure. Time travel, magic, a quest and doomed love are packed in here. I felt the ending was far too rushed this the four.
February 8, 2017
Great read
I am and fan of Melissa McShane. I really love her writing and the descriptions she gives. I alwAys feel like I am right beside each character.
I am and fan of Melissa McShane. I really love her writing and the descriptions she gives. I alwAys feel like I am right beside each character.
April 14, 2017
Piercy wasn't my favorite character from Smoke Scented Girl, but he's pleasant enough to spend an adventure with. The magic was fun, and there were a few surprises. Once again, the story expanded beyond what might have been a natural ending point into a broader scope of story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews