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Welcome to Spellfire, Texas by
Mae Powers
This is not a story but rather an introduction
to the town and residents of Spellfire, Texas. It introduces not
only some central characters but also some central businesses and
what makes them run. It is a great start into the stories for
anyone whether they have read any of the other Spellfire, Texas
novels or not.
Welcome to Spellfire from Electra
Spellfire by Mae Powers
Again this is not a story but rather a dialog
from the owner of Sinful Sundaes Ice Cream Shop and one of the most
powerful residents of Spellfire. Electra is speculating idly about
several of the people in her ice cream shop and about several things
that have happened around town both recently and in the past. I
found it great to “listen” into the thoughts of one of the residents
that are so central in the happenings around town. It is also a
wonderful slide in to the first of the reader’s choice stories.
Fairies & Cherries by Leigh
Ellwood (from the Sinful Sundaes digest)
Jewlie drives a delivery truck for Fairy Belle
Ice Cream. Not only is she forced to wear a “fairy” costume no one
would ever want to be seen in, but she always seems to be given the
route that includes Sinful Sundaes in Spellfire. Jewlie really does
not like going into Spellfire because of the general feelings that
she gets and tries to make the trip and delivery as quickly as
possible. She can already see this is not going to be one of those
times because it appears that someone is determined to stop her
delivery. Kor is a fae and the brother of the real Fairy Belle. He
is determined to not only delay Jewlie but to stop her deliveries
permanently. Kor has several demands that he wants met by the
owners of Fairy Belle Ice Cream and he believes that using Jewlie
will get their attention. Discussions between both Kor and the
owners go well but not as well as between Kor and Jewlie. By the
end of the afternoon, Kor gives Jewlie an offer she would be insane
not to accept.
Fairies & Cherries is one sexy
story of business discussions and compromise. Jewlie doesn’t
believe in fairies until she is face to face with Kor and even then
it takes seeing it for her to believe. Kor has a unique method;
making his demands that to Jewlie makes total sense to agree on. I
have to admit that by the end of the story I would have done the
same as Jewlie. Who could say no to her benefits package?
Fairies & Cherries is a great beginning to this digest of
magic.
A Statue For All Seasons by Mae
Powers (from Spellfire Seasons digest)
Geovani Leone McMillan (Geo) was cursed by
Frightful Frieda to be an aroused, naked statue many years ago,
except for one 24-hour period - midnight on Christmas Eve til
midnight on Christmas Day. Although he is not always awake enough
the rest of the year to know what is happening to his body, he does
know he hates the Christmas decorations that appear on his various
appendages. Geo only knows part of the way his curse can be broken
- by having sex in a public place with a willing woman. Geo knows
he is probably doomed to be a statue until and/or if Frightful
Frieda decides to break her own curse. Lillia West is the town
librarian and has learned tonight that she has finally lost her job
to Frightful Frieda during the annual holiday party. Lillia takes
this news by doing two things she never does - the first is getting
extremely drunk at the party and the second is going to Geo’s statue
in the city square, getting naked and having sex with the stone
statue. Geo becomes fully human just in time to catch Lillia as she
passes out. The next day Geo and Lillia discuss the curse and
wonder if they can actually fully break Frieda’s curse. If they
ever want to be able to explore the feelings between them they have
24 hours to figure it out.
A Statue For All Seasons shows
the determination that two strongly motivated people can have when
focused on a specific problem. Geo and Lillia have less than 24
hours to not only figure out how to break a curse but they have to
avoid Frieda and those few friends that she has while doing it. For
Geo and Lillia, what starts out as just trying to right an unjust
wrong quickly turns into a fierce hope for the future they want
together. I was very happy to read how Geo and Lillia came together
as I had met them in another story and instantly knew they had a
special story and was proved correct in that theory. I have always
felt that the holiday season was magical anyway and this story just
further proves to me that the magic of love can only be further
enhanced with the magic of the holidays.
Drifting Desires by Leanne
Strange (from the Spellfire Hearts digest)
Harpy Collins is a head waitress and night
manager at Sinful Sundaes and she is also a harpy that cannot fly.
This is because she is only half harpy and half human. One of
Harpy’s greatest dreams is to be able to fly and feel the wind in
her wings. Her other great dream was the love she had for Derek
Spellfire. That she gave up because of a misunderstood happening
while they were in high school many years ago. Derek Spellfire is a
wind elemental sorcerer who lost his body due to a youthful prank
with a friend in high school. Now just a rushing wind Derek has
come to terms with losing his physical form, but he can’t come to
terms about Harpy leaving him without explanation. Derek thinks the
reason is because Harpy doesn’t believe he can love her without his
body. He has come up with a way to prove her wrong. Harpy learned
just a bit ago that she was wrong about what she thought happened
with Derek, but can’t bring herself to admit it to him. Derek
tricks Harpy in to agreeing to meet him at the annual Valentine Day
Picnic with a promise to try and help her learn how to fly. What
actually happens that day is more than either of them would have
believed possible.
Drifting Desires has several
underlying currents going on at the same time. I fell quickly for
both Harpy and Derek while watching them try and fix what
interrupted their love. Misunderstandings, pride and secrets had to
be overcome before they could come together and fulfill their
destinies with each other. Drifting Desires is the
best type of love stories as it gives you two happily ever afters
instead of just one. No I’m not going to tell you, you’ll just have
to read the story, which I think everyone should do anyway.
Moonshyne by Jewel Adams
(previously posted review I did for the Spellfire Moons digest)
Moonshyne Holiday (Shyne), is the only moonbeam
fairy in Spellfire, Texas, and she just might be the only one left
at all. Moonbeam faeries have been kidnapped and killed because of
one of their gifts that otherswant. Other faeries tend to leave
Shyne alone because of the type of magic she can do and this leaves
her very lonely most days. Shyne moved recently to Spellfire to
help an old friend and employer by working at his new place.
Magical beings are all over in Spellfire, but there is one person
she would love to meet formally, a beast she ran with under the
moonlight just after her arrival. Sheriff Malachi Spellfire, a
shape-shifting demvir, has been watching Shyne since that first
night. He has only watched her from afar up until now, because she
is a fairy and he is worried about rejection. When they do meet
finally, their attraction is immediate and passionate. Just when
both Shyne and Malachi are settling into a steady relationship,
Shyne disappears. Now Malachi needs to use all his skills to save
her.
Moonshyne tells the tale of what
it is like to be the only one of your species and having to make
your way through life. Shyne has never known of any other moonbeam
faeries besides her parents, and they disappeared many years ago.
The passion she feels for Malachi in both his shapes is only matched
by his passion for her. Because of this, their differences just
don’t seem to matter that much to them or to other loved ones around
them. I fell for both these characters and kept turning the pages
just to see where their story would lead, laughing and cheering the
entire way, especially when Shyne has her revenge. Moonshyne
takes you into the small town of Spellfire, Texas, lets you meet
several of the residents, and holds you there so you just have to
keep going. Ms. Adams wrote an outstanding, sensual story that is
already a favorite for me. Yes, I still love these characters and
their story.
Grolim by Bridghid Parkinson
(New)
Terri Torarcane is a dispatcher with the
Spellfire Sheriff’s Department during the nightshift. She works
that shift because Terri is the only one that can connect with the
Grollim; long time residents of Spellfire known as Shadow People who
protect the Labyrinthine Institution, an abandoned hospital. One
night during her shift, Merratodiz (Diz), a grollim known to Terri,
notified her of a broken down car with a couple of teenagers in it
by the hospital. Terri thanks him and gets right on it by sending a
deputy to the couple that is in the area. The lost kids are
suspicious when the deputy shows up but he truthfully tells them
that the grollim notified the dispatcher. For Terri it is all in a
day’s work and she finishes her shift. Diz goes back to his
protection patrols and waits for the day Terri can walk in the
shadows and he can show her what he feels. All the while keeping a
watch on bad magic that resides unseen and unknown by the residents
of Spellfire.
Nymph Gardens and Elfen Moons by
Jewel Adams (New)
Dan Whistler is a single father trying to
manage a farm that just won’t seem to grow anything. His daughter,
Amanda, is mute and he is very protective of her. Dan goes into
Spellfire hoping to hire Bess, the owner of Nymph’s Nursery to come
out to his farm and figure out the problem. Bess Green can see and
understand more than most as a nymph. She immediately understands
that Amanda isn’t mute but is of mixed blood and just hasn’t been
trained to display her voice yet. Bess agrees to come out to the
farm to identify the problem. Bess and Dan are greatly attracted to
each other and the flames burn fast and hot. Dan has been hiding a
great secret that he must open up and face in order to help his
daughter, his farm and most importantly Bess in defeating the evil
that has invaded the area. A terrible misunderstanding separates
Dan and Bess just as they need each other’s strength for the coming
battles.
Shadows & Darkness by Mae Powers
A dark presence has been hiding and growing
beneath Spellfire from when time began. He has no real form but he
has been learning from all he hears and sees while there. Slowly he
had formed a conscious but he still can’t leave until he finds her -
the one that can complete him. While some know of him, not all do;
those that do have described him as evil and others as a god. All
he knows is that he has to wait.
Maejika Maelstromm has agreed to take Sianna
Connelly on a side-view journey with a timescope. Both Maejika and
Sianna have questions that they need answered about the beginnings
of Spellfire. Maejika needs to know to help herself and those she
cares about, while Sianna is trying to fill in some holes for the
Dead Librarians Society in hopes that she can join them soon. What
Maejika and Sianna don’t know is that another is going with them to
find out the secrets for her own uses. What should have been an
adventure turns into a dangerous adventure as they almost confront
something dark and only the help of a dear friend can get them out
safely. Unfortunately for all concerned the darkness feels what he
has been seeking during this time and starts to plan to gain her -
Electra Spellfire.
Grolim, Nymph Gardens and Elfen Moons and
Shadows & Darkness are all new partial stories which
interact with each other relating to some type of battle that the
residents of Spellfire will have to do with an ancient evil. I was
drawn in to each of the stories quickly and right now all I can say
is I can’t wait for the entire book (A Spellfire Evening)
that they are leading to. I will be keeping a watch on this
publisher and these authors.
Moonshyne’s Treasure Hunt by
Jewel Adams (from the Summer 2006 Midnight Showcase’s Beach Party)
Shyne Spellfire is very pregnant with her son,
but she is so hot and craving starfish so she decided to go to the
beach during a day her husband is gone. For a Moon Fairy she has
become very confused and clumsy during her pregnancy, a thing she
hopes goes away after she has her son. Shyne has a magic beach bag
that carries many items that are special to her. A strong whirlwind
has picked up her open beach bag and all her things are
disappearing. Shyne herself is shaken up but she is determined to
get all her things back. She begins to talk to her unborn son to
gain confidence and she begins her own special treasure hunt for the
items given and received from love. At the end of her search is her
greatest love, her husband Malaci.
I missed the beach party and this story last
summer, but I have loved Shyne and Malaci since I read their story
in Spellfire Moons. I loved this brief glimpse into their lives
while they were expecting their son. The love of each other and
those around them was evident by her musing about each item as she
finds it. All I can say is Thank You to Ms. Adams for allowing this
to be published for those of us who missed it the first time. Not
to be missed if you could not attend the cyber beach party.
List of Spellfire Stories
This is a listing of all the stories in the
first four digests of Spellfire, Texas. They each have a small
blurb about the story under the title.
List of Spellfire
Residents
This is an alphabetical list of all the town’s
residents. The best thing about it is that it’s cross-referenced so
that you can pinpoint the person, story and book they are in.
Buildings and Locations in
Spellfire
This is a comprehensive listing of all the
buildings and locations that are used through out all the Spellfire
digests.
Spellfire Commemorative Digest Reader’s
Choice is simply a WOW. After reading not only the stories
that were picks from the previous digest, but the new stories
leading us not so gently to a new Spellfire digest. I could tell
that this digest was put together with love by the authors that have
developed the town of Spellfire, Texas. There is nothing about this
digest that I found unlikable. If you have read any of the previous
Spellfire digest or if you are only getting to know the town, this
is a must have book. From the opening dialogs to the comprehensive
listings of the residents, buildings and locations, the whimsy that
runs through all the digests is present and you will not be
disappointed.
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