Urban Fantasy
Date Published: November 2013
Samantha Chablon is a self-proclaimed “gadget girl”. She runs the family watch repair shop while her eccentric old father spends his days researching fantastical stories of elves. Sam loves her father, but his odd habits have always been a mystery and a burden on the family. But that all changes after her father dies, and she discovers what he left for her.
Sam has inherited a real elf.
Piv is his name, and he is far older than his boyish face and personality would imply. But he's also wise, and as an elf he is gifted with a preternatural proclivity for making things. Sam's father taught Piv everything he knows about making watches, and he works faster than human hands could ever move. Sam, being much more enterprising than her father, sees opportunity in Piv's talents. Soon Piv is not the only elf working for Sam as she goes about building a luxury watch empire powered by secret elf labor.
But the elves have remained hidden from humans for good reason, and it's not easy to keep a factory full of territorial elves secret in the middle of a metropolis. One night when someone attempts to break into the factory, the elves take matters into their own hands. The incident gives Sam a glimpse of a dark and twisted side of elves that no fairy tales ever mentioned. Samantha will soon discover that great ambition often comes with great risk, and although her elf partners have agreed to work without pay, there are other costly consequences involved in striking a deal with elves.
Sam has inherited a real elf.
Piv is his name, and he is far older than his boyish face and personality would imply. But he's also wise, and as an elf he is gifted with a preternatural proclivity for making things. Sam's father taught Piv everything he knows about making watches, and he works faster than human hands could ever move. Sam, being much more enterprising than her father, sees opportunity in Piv's talents. Soon Piv is not the only elf working for Sam as she goes about building a luxury watch empire powered by secret elf labor.
But the elves have remained hidden from humans for good reason, and it's not easy to keep a factory full of territorial elves secret in the middle of a metropolis. One night when someone attempts to break into the factory, the elves take matters into their own hands. The incident gives Sam a glimpse of a dark and twisted side of elves that no fairy tales ever mentioned. Samantha will soon discover that great ambition often comes with great risk, and although her elf partners have agreed to work without pay, there are other costly consequences involved in striking a deal with elves.
Excerpt:
Hours passed. The hot chocolate was gone. Samantha was knocked out cold, and lying face-down on her kitchen table. A little trail of drool dangled from her mouth and pooled onto the table. Sam was in perfect, dreamless sleep.
She never would've known someone else was there if Rupert hadn't barked.
Rupert's yelp woke Sam with a start and she was instantly alert. In her mind she cursed herself for letting her guard down. She checked her watch. 11:35.
She looked down at Rupert and saw him staring into the living room. The lights were off in there. Sam was certain they were on before she dozed off.
Sam didn't have Rupert's excellent senses, but she could still tell something was awry. Some ancient remnant of human evolution told her she was not alone. The back of her neck tingled and her heart raced. She stuffed her hand into the pocket on the belly of her hoodie and clasped the handle of her gun. “I know you're here,” she said. “Come out where I can see you.”
She saw his eyes first—two shining orbs in the darkness, approaching slowly. Then dainty feet clad in handmade shoes appeared. Then a pert little nose, and a coppery face sporting a beaming smile with long eyeteeth that looked sharper than Rupert's.
My Review:
This is a book worth reading! I'm so glad I signed up for this tour. The story is well written with wonderful characters. I really enjoyed Piv from the beginning. Rupert stole my heart from his first hello hug. And Sam is a strong, intelligent woman that is easy to care for.
I don't really know what to say about the story that isn't in the description above without giving stuff away. I think I retold the whole story to my husband as soon as I finished it, even though he isn't as into fiction as I am. He seemed interested and entertained by the retelling, so I guess I didn't do too poorly!
I love the humorous moments throughout the book. I, too, would think I was going insane if I'd met Piv, especially the way Sam does. Or re-met him, not that re-met is a real word, anyway. With all the stress Sam had to be feeling at the moment I'm surprised she didn't have a nervous breakdown at that time.
I recommend at least giving the book a try even if elves aren't your thing. These aren't exactly the tall, bow wielding, fair forest folk from a lot of movies. These are more like the ones I grew up reading about. It was a real treat for me to read this book and I'd happily read more by this author.
Ramsey Isler
Ramsey Isler is an author, software developer, and designer who lives in Los Angeles. He currently writes feature articles and media reviews at IGN.com, an entertainment site that focuses on TV, movies, and video games. Ramsey loves books, anything with circuits and wires, and cats.
For fiction, Ramsey usually writes urban fantasy that blends elements of science fiction and suspense. His stories feature young protagonists that are often unsure of themselves, but they find the strength to persevere when faced with extreme circumstances. Ramsey does not write traditional "evil" villains or black-and-white morality tales; he instead opts for antagonists and anti-heroes who have viewpoints and ideals that pose difficult moral challenges for the protagonists, and the worlds they inhabit.
Website: http://www.ramseyisler.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ramsey_isler
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