Title: Sleight of Hand
Author: Katrina Strauss
Publisher: http:www.samhainpublishing.com
Genre: Historical/Paranormal GLBT (M/M)
Length: short story
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5
THE BLURB
What if the man of your dreams is also the one of your nightmares?
Edwin Matthews just wants to get some sleep. Traveling by steam train with his family, the melancholic nineteen year old is plagued by restless nights and recurring dreams of a fiery disaster. When a mysterious magician comes aboard, the troubled insomniac’s trip takes an interesting turn.
Tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, the flamboyant Sir Marco Satori offers to cure what ails Edwin. Spurred by equal parts curiosity, desperation, and attraction, Edwin agrees to the experiment. Suddenly he finds his quiet journey turned into a wild ride of life, love, sex, death..and a few strange things in between.
He also finds himself claimed—in more ways than one—while a promise of “eternity” may be more than Edwin bargains for.
THE REVIEW
Edwin suffered from recurring nightmares all his life and at one point he had been committed to an asylum at fourteen for what appeared to be an incurable medical condition. At the root of his undiagnosed medical symptoms was his inability to sleep, and consequently he had lost a great deal of weight. Now nineteen, he still suffers from this condition and the story opens with Edwin, his sister Alma and their mother on a train journey which changes his life, because it is on the train that he meets Magician Sir Marco Satori. Edwin and his family were on their way to meet up with the man to whom Alma is getting married, a man old enough to be her grandfather, because Edwin cannot provide for the family due to his delicate health and lack of job skills. So poor Alma is the sacrificial lamb, but Alma is no lamb and has plans of her own.
The first time young, innocent Edwin sees Marco he is attracted to the incredibly good looking person who would be any woman’s dream man, but he’s conflicted because he does not understand his feelings towards someone of the same sex. He had felt these urges before toward other men but always understood them to be unnatural. Marco charms Edwin the first time they meet and he is sure that they have a connection beyond anything he had ever experienced before. Edwin has no experience in the ways of the world and he soon finds out what kind of connection, as he falls more and more under Satori’s spell. However, he’s not sure if he’s under hypnosis or whether his feelings are real since Satori is, by trade, a magician. Very soon after, Edwin crosses the ultimate line and Marco makes love to him.
Edwin is totally fascinated by the magician but he can’t decide if Marco is a man or something else unimaginable. Also, there appears to be something going on with his sister Alma that rings alarm bells. Shortly after his seduction, Satori promises him eternal life and his recurring nightmare comes true; it is then that he realizes how little he knows about the magician.
This is an intriguing paranormal story and the author does a great job of drawing the reader into Edwin’s and Marco’s world with her dramatic prose which conjures up incredible images, and her superb, extremely detailed and stunning world building for such a short book. Her characters were well defined and three dimensional and the fabulous Marco’s first appearance sets up the reader for this terrific read.
In Sleight of Hand Katrina Strauss gives the readers much more than one would expect. The author’s prose really sets the stage for the surprises along the way, which are many. Sir Marco Satori is a flamboyant character, a perfect foil to the very pedestrian Edwin who is still a likable character because he has endearing traits such as his love and concern for his sister in her new role of provider for the family. The one aspect of the book I couldn’t understand was why the gorgeous Marco was attracted to Edwin who is not at all remarkable in any way and is sickly looking, even though the author gives the readers a plausible explanation. Here was this very green young man, with very little going for him, who enchants the worldly Marco into making a life altering decision for no apparent reason except the one provided in the story. Maybe it’s just me – you be the judge when you read the book.
The end of the story is quite startling and I think you will enjoy Sleight of Hand as much as I did. Buy this book!
This book contains at least one scene of non consensual or dubious consent sex
I keep looking at this one because the cover really catches me but I’m just not sure. Hmmm. Not sure why. Maybe because it seems bit dream-like (maybe it was all the talk of dreams) and I guess it is paranormal. Another “we’ll see”. Great review.
I think your review was longer than the book, lol. But I do love that cover *AC fangurl squee* I think I like her Blue Ruin better. The first one, not so much the other two.
Tam
I bought the book because I liked the cover and then realized how much I liked the book, except for Edwin’s character – not so much.
Emmy
You’re probably right. Or close to it *g*
Okay, I bought Blue Ruin because Kris was giving me hell for being out of the loop. Should I not buy 2and 3? Steer me right here ladies.
I have been hearing wonderful things about this book.
Thanks for the great review!
I have the first two Blue Ruin books along with many others on my TBR pile and haven’t read it as yet so I can’t give you a recommendation but it is very yaoi. Jen absolutely loves the books.
Well, I enjoyed book 1 but then I read the blurb for book 2 and it had m/m/m which I am soooo NOT against but I just wasn’t sure it fit and then 3 discussed dungeons which are definitely not my thing. So I’ll see what someone else has to say before I spend my hard earned bucks on them.
I’m sure that at some point the author will be on the blog and you can post a question to her about the content of Book 3
KB
I really like this book which is a paranormal historical but I don’t know if you are into the genre. From my perspective it was a really good read.
I haven’t read many MM paranormals, so this would be one I would be very interested in reading.
I *heart* BR1 muchly, but the other two disappointed because Blue couldn’t keep other people out of the bed. It’s just not my thing. If you don’t mind a good story with random side people joining in the festivities, you’ll like the other two BR books.
I Reviewed BR3 here:http://emmyjag.livejournal.com/55348.html
Katrina responded about all the side dishes in the last two books.
I loved this book. As you say, superbly written for such a short story. And quite different as well.
I wasn’t bothered by why Satori would be attracted to Edwin. Since it’s a paranormal, I felt that there must have been something about Edwin that Satori had known about or seen in him. So the question you bring up never even occurred to me.
And really, why is anyone attracted to anyone? In so many books people are fated to each other, so that wasn’t an issue. And I liked that in this case Edwin is weak in body but strong in character. Satori choosing him gives him a change to be all that he is. And from Satori’s side, I can see how since he’s quite powerful that he would be attracted to someone who’s very pure and innocent as many stronger types would have taken advantage of his power.
Jesse,
Thanks for the review! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Sleight of Hand overall. My roots lie in paranormal historicals, and it was fun to re-explore that theme with the yaoi approach I’ve honed in my more recent contemporaries.
Victorian psychiatry was a quack science at best, so unfortunately Edwin must cope with the ineffective means he is given, whereas today his issues would be more easily diagnosed and properly treated. Enter Satori, who understands what ails our Victorian emo kid and has the perfect cure. 😉
I’ve started a sequel, Devil to Pay, that picks up with a certain character a few years after the events of SoH, when another character shows up in regard to a bargain still to be met. (Sorry for the vague-ness but don’t want to give away spoilers to those who haven’t read the first story yet!)
As for the commenters who’ve mentioned the “almost but not quite poly” Blue Ruin, that series is a whole different animal from Sleight of Hand. LOL I’d prefer to save the BR discussion for BR-related threads, but will say that the bondage/dungeon elements in book 3 are heavy with some pain play, though not of the excruciating torture variety — at least not by my standards, though my perspective is perhaps skewed. 😉
Emmy: Thanks. Side dishes, I like the phrase. Sometimes they bother me, sometimes they are tasty, just like those noodle things from Lipton. 🙂 I think if both partners are enthusiastic about the idea then it works for me, if one is only going along to avoid losing the other one, then no. (Hits a little too close to home.) I’ll have to think about this one some more.
Hi Leah
Thanks for an excellent point. In today’s society we tend to go for what’s on the surface which in most cases means “attractive” or “flashy.”
However, I did say that it was my problem and I invited readers to judge for themselves because we all have different perspectives. (Sometimes Emmy hates books that I love ) *g*
Katrina
Thanks for your comments. I bought this book last December but because of my TBR pile I am only now getting to it. Even my coupon for a free Anne Cain print of the cover ran out *g* As you can tell, I really enjoyed the book and your imagination is awesome. You should give lessons. 🙂
I’ve started a sequel, Devil to Pay, that picks up with a certain character a few years after the events of SoH, when another character shows up in regard to a bargain still to be met. (Sorry for the vague-ness but don’t want to give away spoilers to those who haven’t read the first story yet!)
What kind of hints are those? :DDD Even I can’t figure them out and I have read the first book.
….but will say that the bondage/dungeon elements in book 3 are heavy with some pain play, though not of the excruciating torture variety — at least not by my standards, though my perspective is perhaps skewed.
I’m with Tammy on Book 3 of BR. I think I’ll stick with Books 1 and 2 🙂 We’ll see how I feel after I finish those.
Even my coupon for a free Anne Cain print of the cover ran out *g*
Well, you purchased the book before the deadline of January 31st. So if any readers still want to claim their postcard, just drop me an e-mail via katrina_strauss13 AT yahoo DOT com and we’ll talk. 😉
And my apologies for the double post. Blogger is being persnickety this morning.
OK I can negotiate. Off to find my receipt. Blogger screwed up royally during the big menage vs. M/M debate. Treva was really pissed that it ate her response. I bet it was a good one too!
I have this one in my tbr pile. I might have take a break from writing and read it. 🙂
I adore the cover, but then again I pretty much love anything Anne Cain does. lol
Great review.
Thanks TA
The book is certainly different and I enjoyed it because I’m twisted *g*
Man, I’ve really fallen behind with this blog! That’s what I get for being so damned conscientious about working. 😉
I’m not a big fan of yaoi — don’t think this book entirely qualifies as that, anyway — but Katrina’s writing and this particular storyline easily supersede my overall indifference to the genre. Her prose manages to be both clean and elegant, and the attention to historic detail is like a tufted fainting couch I want to laze around on for hours.
This wouldn’t be the case if the detail were just meticulous; it’s the atmosphere woven around the detail that makes it so compelling. (Can you tell I love me some strong, evocative writing?)
Hi KZ
You have to make money. We understand when you don’t call or write. *g*
Katrina’s prose is what makes this story as beautiful as it is.I guess I’ll be reading Blue Ruin next.
Tam, I’m know I’m late to this, but… I personally liked BR3 better than BR2 because of how involved the ‘side dish’ becomes in BR2. Not saying anything more though cos of spoilers. Really enjoyed BR3.
Must dash now to get my AC postcard. *g*