Title: Love Lies Bleeding Series: Wood & Stone Part One
Author: Lori J. Fitzgerald
Format: Kindle Edition
Published: May 1st 2015 by White Raven Writing LLC
ASINB:00W6JZCLU
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Contest
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses
The forest is waiting...
Aislin's life wasn't always a wasteland of brittle grass and empty survival on her family's medieval farm. As a child, Aislin's wild heart was nourished with dreams of forest adventure, tales of a terrible creature within its depths, and a special game played with a willow tree. Now, years later, Aislin is sent to the forest's edge on her father’s errand and discovers an old message, carved into the willow…
Aislin, find the door in the oak.
These words set her on an enchanted path towards an ancient grove and its powerful Forest Lord, whose love and gift of a bloodstone necklace unleash the wildness in her own heart and send her underground to the earth's wellspring of magic. But soon her father makes a desperate deal with their landlord to keep the farm. It will take both the Forest Lord and a Unicorn's dangerous magic to change her fate...but what price must Aislin pay to keep her lover and her wild heart?
Love Lies Bleeding: the Lady of the Forest is Part One of Wood & Stone, a series of connecting tales filled with folkloric transformation, startling self-discovery, and love as deep and timeless as an ancient tree, set in the medieval and modern worlds.
Linda's Thoughts:
Never underestimate the power of well-chosen words! LOVE LIES BLEEDING by Lori J.Fitzgerald brings the tale of a free-spirited girl and the Spirit of the Forest into your heart as it pricks long ago memories of feeling the magic of fairytales dancing through your mind.
LOVE LIES BLEEDING by Lori J. Fitzgerald is a lovely lyrical novelette that tells the story of Aislin, an innocent, free-spirited maiden, and of Kern, the Forest Lord known as the Hunter. It is the first installment in the author's new Wood and Stone series
I can honestly say that I've never read anything like LOVE LIES BLEEDING. The writing was rhythmically beautiful. It is not written as a poem, but the writing style was wonderfully symphonious.
The story itself was a fairy tale about a young girl who lost her mother at an early age. Her life has been centered around helping her father on their medieval farm governed by a cruel overlord. Her father has always warned her to stay away from the forest with tales of a terrible creature who resides there. But, of course, the forest's magic calls to her and she can't stay away. One day, she finds a secret message addressed to her carved in the bark of her treasured willow tree that directs her into the forest. She meets the Hunter and the pooka, who are the scouts of the Tylwyth Teg, the Elfin Court. In Kern, she finds the love that makes her whole. However, political forces above and below ground strive to determine her fate. You will have to read the story to discover the rest of the tale.
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from this enchanting read:
...The man who stood before her was taller and stranger than anyone she had ever encountered. His unkempt hair was a long dark brown, partially braided and twisted around twigs, the tips of his pointed ears poking between strands. His bare chest made her flush, but it was completely covered in green inked tattoos. Leather breeches creaked when he shifted. He held his hand out to her, uncurling fingers with long nails. "Aislin," he repeated, his voice gruff and purring, "do not be frightened. I have been waiting so long for you."
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“She knew him as much as the knowing of her own heart’s secret: she was destined for the forest.”
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"It's a pook, a messenger...spy is more like it," Kern explained sourly. "This one will tattle, and I'll never hear the end of it when I go back." An eyebrow lifted. "Consorting with a human."
This was a short, quick, enjoyable read. My only complaint is that such richly drawn characters deserved more story-wise. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment, SONGS WITHIN STONE, which was just published June 28, 2015. Even though the characters found their happy-ever-after, I hope that Aislin's and Kern's story is not done. I highly recommend LOVE LIES BLEEDING to anyone who enjoys charming, innovatively-told fairy tales.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review, Linda! You made my day! Best wishes.
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