Review: Cold Iron

Cold Iron by D.L. McDermott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Fae lovers this is a must read new series. In Cold Iron, Ms. McDermott creates a fresh look at Fae and Druids. While the Fae Court is still locked away in a world away from ours, there are a few Fae still roaming freely on earth. Conn is such a fae. His home is disturbed by archeologists. The person of interest is Beth Carter. Beth possesses extra senses she is unable to explain. While her credit stealing ex-husband discounts her abilities, he has no qualms about abusing her to use them.

The characters in this story are fabulous. This is because they are not black or white. Each character contains different shades of "evil" in them. Evil not as the devil, but more a darkness which allows a person to become callous and lacking in morals. The degree is different for each main character as it is for each secondary character. For Beth, she comes across wholesome pure, until her heritage is uncovered. Will she be able to resist the power she is able to tap into? Time will tell. Rather than only one anti-hero in this book, there are two. One is Conn, the lead protagonist. The second is secondary yet important character, Miach. Both of these male fae are alpha males who will do what they need to make sure their families are protected. It seems a bit inhumane, but really, from an Eastern culture, not so much. This is no Disney fairy tale. This is a fairy tale on par with Grimm. This is why I like the book so much.

This world is gritty and filled with darkness which a person with power must constantly stay vigilant against. For a weak person, it would be too much. Beth starts out coming across as a weak-willed female cowed by her asshole ex-husband. As the story progresses, she strengthens and grows. This is a delight to witness. It's even better that as she becomes stronger, the men still treasure her and aren't afraid of her. They may be afraid of what she can do and what will happen if she falls into the wrong hands, but they don't fear her for her power nor do they want to strip it away from her. This is want made the story so good for me.

Ms. McDermott does a great job with the erotic part of this story. This is unexpected yet deliciously kinky at times. There is a hint of D/s which is to be expected when dominant males are in control. The provocative sex tied to a geas is rather hawt in a sexual submissive manner. The sexual chemistry between Beth and Conn is smoking. There are too few scenes of their rough sex. This is an Urban Fantasy rather than erotic romance so this is to be expected. The sex in this story gives it an added appealing erotic element. This is a great start to a new series and I can't wait to read the next two books. This Urban Fantasy is recommended to fae lovers who also enjoy spicy sex.

*provided by Edelweiss


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