S L Thorne

Book two of the Gryphon's Rest SeriesAs the white raven flies, the journey of the lady of the mist, An Ceobrun continues. The fog-veiled path winds through the usual adventures of life, delightfully and lovingly embroidered with Celtic designs, and the unusual adventures of things fey. Those things most easily seen in the particular light of the gloaming - when the dark of night squeezes the day toward the edge of the earth and finally pushes it over - materialize just as easily in full daylight or blackest night for one who sees truth. An is such a one...Warfare flares between Russian mafia and Irish mafia and their fey counterparts. The concurrent, ongoing conflict between the forces of good and evil play out in the realms of modern man and ancient fey. After the gloaming fades, the mists rise and the night melts into bright day, who emerges victorious? And who are the good guys anyway?Follow the path with An. The answers lie just beyond the mists, in the gloaming...

Book two of the Gryphon's Rest SeriesAs the white raven flies, the journey of the lady of the mist, An Ceobrun continues. The fog-veiled path winds through the usual adventures of life, delightfully and lovingly embroidered with Celtic designs, and the unusual adventures of things fey. Those things most easily seen in the particular light of the gloaming - when the dark of night squeezes the day toward the edge of the earth and finally pushes it over - materialize just as easily in full daylight or blackest night for one who sees truth. An is such a one...Warfare flares between Russian mafia and Irish mafia and their fey counterparts. The concurrent, ongoing conflict between the forces of good and evil play out in the realms of modern man and ancient fey. After the gloaming fades, the mists rise and the night melts into bright day, who emerges victorious? And who are the good guys anyway?Follow the path with An. The answers lie just beyond the mists, in the gloaming...

Book 2 of Shift.The story of Caelerys continues the morning after one of her best friends leaves to begin her married life. Cae is clandestinely summoned home to her father where she learns why he did not attend the coronation. He is dying of an ancient poison associated with the extinct House Levitau.In Stag's Heart, Cae discovered that she is a Sympath, a being gifted with understanding and cursed with the ability to feel the emotions of those around her. Prince Valan, they are certain, is a Shift. And not just any shift. A dragon, like his uncle who went mad and killed his wife and children before being slain himself.Returning to the capitol with the aid of a foreign princess and a new body guard, she herself is attacked on the way. The moment it is known that the crown prince has chosen his bride, every enemy she has makes their move, anything to get her out of their way, or into their own power. Little do they know the wrath of Stag, much less the dragon they have awoken. The culmination of Shift, begun in Stag's Heart; rife with evil, manipulative mothers and their sons, twisted lords not above kidnapping, and unexpected were-creatures. It doesn't matter if one doesn't want the faery tale ending. It is hard won and long suffering, and above all, inexorable.

Book 2 of Shift.The story of Caelerys continues the morning after one of her best friends leaves to begin her married life. Cae is clandestinely summoned home to her father where she learns why he did not attend the coronation. He is dying of an ancient poison associated with the extinct House Levitau. In Stag's Heart, Cae discovered that she is a Sympath, a being gifted with understanding and cursed with the ability to feel the emotions of those around her. Prince Valan, they are certain, is a Shift. And not just any shift. A dragon, like his uncle who went mad and killed his wife and children before being slain himself.Returning to the capitol with the aid of a foreign princess and a new body guard, she herself is attacked on the way. The moment it is known that the crown prince has chosen his bride, every enemy she has makes their move, anything to get her out of their way, or into their own power. Little do they know the wrath of Stag, much less the dragon they have awoken. The culmination of Shift, begun in Stag's Heart; rife with evil, manipulative mothers and their sons, twisted lords not above kidnapping, and unexpected were-creatures. It doesn't matter if one doesn't want the faery tale ending. It is hard won and long suffering, and above all, inexorable.

A fantasy of political intrigue and long suppressed magic, religious strife and ancient enemies, and the price of the faery tale.For the country-raised, the capitol is a frightening place, full of noise and smells and the unfamiliar. It is the home of a new and oppressive religion that seeks to objectify and infantilize the female and overshadow the faith of the Great Mother. It is the slow fading out of the feudal system, full of people who are beholden only to themselves and the crown. It is the centre of politics and back-handed compliments, where what a person shows is nothing at all what they feel.Caelerys is the only daughter of one of Elanthus's four dukes, sent to the capitol to her eldest brother who has lived at court since she was born, in hopes of his finding her a suitable match. She is an accomplished huntress, archer, and horsewoman; fair of countenance and... painfully shy amongst strangers. Her brother Willam is overprotective, taciturn and generally at a loss as to how to deal with this female creature who is now his responsibility. Cae can handle herself in the wilderness and wood, but a royal court is a different kind of forest, with altogether more dangerous and insidious beasts than any she has ever known. Enemies lurk seeking advantage, both ancient and newly made, and highly skilled in social warfare.Not dreaming of the faery tale romance, determined only to find 'someone who'll suit', Caelerys finds instead that hearts never listen to reason. She knows the faery tale never comes easy, knows the price of failure as well as victory. It is hard won, and long suffering, and always inevitable.The kingdom is old, and secrets have been long lost; things which refuse to be forgotten; things which can become violent if denied, and no oppressive, newfangled religion can change that... for long.

A fantasy of political intrigue and long suppressed magic, religious strife and ancient enemies, and the price of the faery tale.For the country-raised, the capitol is a frightening place, full of noise and smells and the unfamiliar. It is the home of a new and oppressive religion that seeks to objectify and infantilize the female and overshadow the faith of the Great Mother. It is the slow fading out of the feudal system, full of people who are beholden only to themselves and the crown. It is the centre of politics and back-handed compliments, where what a person shows is nothing at all what they feel.Caelerys is the only daughter of one of Elanthus's four dukes, sent to the capitol to her eldest brother who has lived at court since she was born, in hopes of his finding her a suitable match. She is an accomplished huntress, archer, and horsewoman; fair of countenance and... painfully shy amongst strangers. Her brother Willam is overprotective, taciturn and generally at a loss as to how to deal with this female creature who is now his responsibility. Cae can handle herself in the wilderness and wood, but a royal court is a different kind of forest, with altogether more dangerous and insidious beasts than any she has ever known. Enemies lurk seeking advantage, both ancient and newly made, and highly skilled in social warfare.Not dreaming of the faery tale romance, determined only to find 'someone who'll suit', Caelerys finds instead that hearts never listen to reason. She knows the faery tale never comes easy, knows the price of failure as well as victory. It is hard won, and long suffering, and always inevitable.The kingdom is old, and secrets have been long lost; things which refuse to be forgotten; things which can become violent if denied, and no oppressive, newfangled religion can change that... for long.

The Gentry. The Fair Folk. The Fey. By whatever names we call them, they take people, or bargain with them. For whatever reason they go in, most never come home again. And those that do often find that Home isn't home anymore, for the strands of time flow differently between the worlds. Whether escaped or released or rescued, those that leave Faery are forever changed by it. Reentering the world at the Griffon's Rest, some find a community of their own kind, struggling to make their way in a world they no longer quite fit. But the Unseelie still lurk, if no where else but in the hearts of their faithful and life at the Rest is not always quite... restful.​​​​​​​ An Ceobrun is an Irish governess who signed on for more than she expected, teaching three royal Fey children who never seemed to grow up. Until one afternoon changed all that forever, and she makes the ultimate sacrifice for the lives of her charges. In the end, it is her eyes and not her life she trades for their safety, but either way, her time in the Summerlands is over. The real world that she knew is a hundred years and more in the past, and a frightening place to one who can no longer see.

Welcome back to Portswain Things have been looking up. Hells, we haven't seen a fireball in the sky or a random monster in the streets in days. Maybe this will all be over soon. Still no word on the king, or what the heathens outside our gates want... but we're fine Absolutely fine The mayor has a brilliant idea that will get us out of this pickle barrel long before we have to start resorting to barrel soup. He was a great adventurer in his day, don't you know Lord Mayor William FitzWaller saved this town more than once in his youth. He'll save us again, don't you worry none.While you're here, you might as well get comfortable. Not safe to leave the gates at the moment. But there's probably rooms available at the Cinnamon Tree. Rumor has it, they still have plenty of food, and the prices have only doubled. Not like the Sleepy Dragon, where they're charging three times the coin for one fifth of quality. You can't go wrong with the Tree: Romeri entertainment, decent ale and no rats in the soup. At least not yet....Wait, was that...? Maiden, Mother and Crone Not again........Conclusion (book 2) of the Portswain Saga.

Welcome back to Portswain Things have been looking up. Hells, we haven't seen a fireball in the sky or a random monster in the streets in days. Maybe this will all be over soon. Still no word on the king, or what the heathens outside our gates want... but we're fine Absolutely fine The mayor has a brilliant idea that will get us out of this pickle barrel long before we have to start resorting to barrel soup. He was a great adventurer in his day, don't you know Lord Mayor William FitzWaller saved this town more than once in his youth. He'll save us again, don't you worry none.While you're here, you might as well get comfortable. Not safe to leave the gates at the moment. But there's probably rooms available at the Cinnamon Tree. Rumor has it, they still have plenty of food, and the prices have only doubled. Not like the Sleepy Dragon, where they're charging three times the coin for one fifth of quality. You can't go wrong with the Tree: Romeri entertainment, decent ale and no rats in the soup. At least not yet....Wait, was that...? Maiden, Mother and Crone Not again........Conclusion (book 2) of the Portswain Saga.

Escape from Faery was just the beginning.The Gentry. The Fair Folk. The Fey. By whatever names we call them, they take people, or bargain with them. For whatever reason folk go into Faery, most never come home again. And those that do often find that home isn't home anymore, for the strands of time flow differently between the worlds. Whether escaped or released or rescued, those that leave Faery are forever changed by it.An Ceobrun is an Irish governess who signed on for more than she expected, teaching three royal Fey children who never seemed to grow up. Until one afternoon changed all that forever, and she made the ultimate sacrifice for the lives of her charges. In the end, it is her eyes and not her life she trades for their safety, but either way, her time in the Summerlands is over. The real world that she knew is a hundred years and more in the past, and a frightening place to one who can no longer see.It does not take long to discover that, while she may have left Faery, it has not left her. a modern fairy tale, about a lady (well, a peasant) returning to the mortal realm after over a century in a distant fairy realm...An (as she doesn't remember her original name) is sent back to the world of men after fulfilling a great duty to an otherworldly king with only a capable knight to guide her to safety. She finds herself 150 years after she left and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. While handicapped by both physical ability, language, and understanding, she's a fast learner and has a few other advantages that make themselves known as she encounters others who have ventured to the fae realms and come back permanently changed...and a large community of those like herself, hiding their true nature from mortals while living side by side with them...and working to protect them from the Fae that might prey on them...An has to learn how to adapt to this brave new world while making new friends finding a new family, while also using her unusual abilities and mortal skills to be useful and help others...however she can...

Margaret has a fantastic secret. Pale of hair and skin with a silvery voice to match, she has endured life as the ill-used mistress of British Navy Captain Ambrose Price. The only way she can return home is to find a magical pearl stolen by the pirates aboard the Mercy's Ransom. When she meets the man with the 'golden aura', she knows he is the only man who can save her. Trouble is: will she be able to let him go?Handsome Jack is a gentleman pirate just looking for a fight. Thrown off his own ship by a treacherous hand, he is seeking a ship to bear him on a bloody mission of revenge. Then he comes face to face with a silvery woman offering him everything: escape from the noose, a ship, plus the sunken treasure of the fabled Ana Maria Salvador. All he has to do is find her one, solitary, grey pearl. It sounds so simple. But he never bargained for the feelings she draws from him as easily as breathing. He never counted on being unwilling to let her go. In the end, he knows it is more than his honor at stake. It is his soul.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.