Sample audio by actress Stephanie Bentley
Delphina Read Too Much review:
As most people who know me, know, I adore all things fae. I like little kid's books about fae, I like poetry about fae, I have fae figurines throughout my home, I like hot steamy romance novels with fae, goodness I even have a fae tattoo. Basically, if it is fae, I will give it a go. Knowing how intense some of Valerie's other novels were, I was not sure that I was going to enjoy this book. I was afraid it would turn darker than I would like. I was so wrong. This is a wonderful story about true love and being careful what you wish for. There were many things I liked about this book from the characters (especially Juniper) to the plot twists and turns. One of the wonderful things about this book is that even though it does not meet the criteria of YA due to the characters ages, I would feel completely comfortable recommending it to a teen reader without reservation. One of the things I think about when deciding if a book is worth suggesting to others is if I am still thinking about it, even after I have started another book. Well, this one passed that test. I read this book two and a half books ago and am still thinking about it. My guess is I will probably be drawn back to this book and it will be in my rotation of "read agains". I feel like I am not doing this review justice, but I am terrified of giving away spoilers because everything I loved about this book is connected to a spoiler. It is a short read and if you are reading this when it was first posted, it is free!!!!
to visit Delphina's blog go here.
to visit Delphina's blog go here.
New cover
New comment for Faerie Wishes
Laurie writes: Never think you have it figured out because right about then, you are blown away by one of her twists! Faerie Wishes is one that will leave you stunned by the end!!! Not one of her books could ever be considered boring-at any point.
Latest reader review for Faerie Wishes:
Review by: Arlena Dean on March 21, 2012 :
Review:
"Faerie Wishes" by Valerie Bowen was a cute and sweet romantic fantasy read. I really enjoyed this storytelling by Ms. Bowen. Talia Saturnfrost was a fae and had dreams of living among the humans....becoming a human. After Talia meets and falls in love with Cayden (who was a human) she decides that this is what she wants and that is to leave her forest home and live with the human...Cayden. Her
best friend Juniper was not for her doing this...but Talia had her own ideas on this matter and she wanted this dream to become a reality for her. So,just how this all turns out you will have to pick up this novel. But I will let you
know that sometimes what you ask for may not be the best of you...as in this story. Sometimes some wishes can even almost kill you.
The characters in this story were outstanding.. For there was Tailia, Cayden, Juniper, Deaghan, Thorn, Arielle, Haleigh and Samuel. The author did a wonderful job in her storytelling of "Faerie Wishes." There were some twist and turns that were interesting... especially toward the end.
Will Talia and Cayden live happy ever after or will there be someone who will comes into this story and presents issues between them? Again you will have to read and find out for yourself. It will be worth the read to find out just how this 'wish' does turn out.
"Faerie Wishes" was a short, sweet fantasy romance that I did enjoy and I think if you are into fantasy you will like this good read.
smashwords
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
paperback on lulu.com.
Faerie Wishes
Chapter one
Talia Saturnfrost would be considered to be a rather small faerie with big dreams. She stands approximately five foot one; she has very long dark chestnut hair and deep green eyes. Her flawless skin looks as if were fabricated of the finest porcelain. Although she was over a thousand years old, to the untrained human eye she appeared to be about eighteen years old.
Talia has grown extremely bored living in the deep forest of Maine; she wanted the one thing she has always dreamed about, she wanted to be human. For as long as she cared to remember all she desired was to make a wish and be transformed from fae to .human. She dreamed of getting married just as humans do and she would have children just like a human.
“Pipe dreams.” her sisters would say, “Humans are the ones that dream of becoming fae not the other way around. What fae would ever give up eternity to be a short lived human?” They harassed her constantly. They told her to get her head out of the stars and enjoy her existence. Talia was beginning to understand their reasoning…that is until the day she wondered to the stream at the edge of her forest home.
As the events unraveled they initiated a whole new way of thinking for Talia. It was a few human months ago when she first spied him sitting on a large boulder in the small clearing on the opposite side of the stream from where she stood. The human male appeared to be about twenty five. By her estimation he was approximately six feet tall with very dark hair that shimmered whenever the sun’s rays were cast upon his head. The male’s muscular body appeared to be heaving with heavy sobs. She continued to watch the man as he sat alone on the large boulder. His head was bowed and his hands were trembling uncontrollably. He stared down at a small flimsy item in his hands. After a few long moments he raised his head and wiped his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. The male stared straight ahead not really holding anything in his gaze. The male’s face was red and his eyes were wet from the many tears he shed.
Talia stared at the handsome human with great fascination. She approached the stream’s bank, while keeping her eyes fixed on the male. She noticed he was tearing apart the item he held in his hand. Suddenly he slid off the boulder; knelt on the ground, and began to dig a hole in the moist soil beside the boulder. Once he was satisfied the depth of the hole was deep enough, he dropped the destroyed item into the hole and buried the pieces. When he had finished replacing the soil, he patted the ground firmly and drew a cross on the makeshift burial site. He closed his eyes, hung his head and continued to sob.
Talia continued to watch the man as if she had been enchanted in some obscured way. She wondered if this demonstration was some strange human ritual she had heard of but had never personally witnessed. When the man was completely satisfied with his burial chore he rose to his feet and walked to the stream’s bank. He knelt down and washed his soiled hands in the cool water of the stream. He sat back on his heels and gazed across the stream. He thought he spied someone watching him. He scrubbed his wet hands over his face and re-examined the opposite side of the stream. He didn’t see a thing; slowly he rose to his feet, and remounted the boulder. He continued his examination of the opposite bank wondering if his mind had been playing tricks on him, or if there truly was a young woman watching him. After a few long moments he noticed her, she was a striking woman. She was barely five foot tall with long dark hair and her flawless skin had the appearance of porcelain. He held his eyes glued to her, not daring to move or utter a word out of fear he would startle the young woman. His eyes locked on hers for the briefest moment.
Talia realized she had unwisely shown herself; abruptly she lifted her cloak and retreated to the shadows of the trees. She continued to watch the man from her cloaked position as he continued to stare in her direction. She was in complete awe of the handsome male. She began to feel a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach as she scrutinized his every movement.
Talia revisited the stream everyday with high hopes of seeing the handsome human again. She always based her visits upon the sun and the position it was in the sky the first time she had watched him. Every day she silently waited cloaked in the shadows of the forest, and each day he failed to show. She felt the undeniable urge to see the male once again. Finally on the fourth day she heard the sharp snap of a twig coming from the opposite side of the stream. She turned her head, and watched him as he walked out of the tree line and approach the boulder. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a light blue tee shirt; his dark hair shimmered in the bright sunlight. Talia thought he was more handsome than she remembered. He quickly climbed the huge rock, and sat down. He stared in her direction. She watched him as he removed the top from a clear plastic bottle he had been carrying. He brought the bottle to his lips and tilted it spilling its contents into his mouth. She watched with delighted fascination as the muscles in his neck moved with every swallow of the clear liquid. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, replaced the top and laid the bottle on the rock beside him. He continued to gaze in her direction. He said in a loud but careful tone, “I hope you’re there, I would hate to think I am spending my time on an imaginary woman.” He waited for a response, when nothing came he said, “I know you’re over there I can feel you watching me.”
Every muscle in her body tensed as she listened to his words. She wondered if it was actually possible for a human to sense the presence of the faerie. Talia thought for a long moment, she wondered what she could do to make him aware she was actually there without showing herself to him again. She smiled as the answer passed through her mind and she acted on it.
Talia caused a light breeze to brush across the human’s handsome face. She witnessed him taking in a deep breath as he inhaled the aroma of a flower he couldn’t recognize. The fragrance was more alluring than the sweetest flower he had ever smelled. He thought it was as if the aroma was sent directly from a flowerbed in heaven. He kept his eyes focused on the opposite bank, “Did you smell that? The breeze has the undeniable scent of flowers.” He paused a brief moment and asked in a louder tone, “Tell me did you smell it?”
Talia approached the stream being extremely careful to remain hidden behind the safety of her cloak. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from his handsome face. Gently she nudged a small stone into the shallow water of the stream with the hope he would notice where she had advanced. His eyes darted toward the water; he watched the small ripples as they rolled and faded to the water’s undisturbed surface. He peered back toward the tree line, “If you don’t mind, I would really love to be able to see you again. If you’re shy I can just sit here and wait until you’re ready to show yourself to me. I’ll be back every day at this time with the hope that sooner or later you’ll trust me enough to come out from your hiding place.” He leaned back on his elbows keeping his eyes glued to the opposite side of the stream. “Here’s a question for you. What are you doing so deep in the forest? Are you lost? Do you live in this remote area?”
Talia really wanted to show herself to him, but she was very apprehensive of all humans. She wanted him to stay…no she needed him to stay just so she could stare at him. She wasn’t certain he would ever come back once he realized she was fae. She sent another breeze toward him. He inhaled deeply and smiled. He exclaimed, “If that’s the way you smell…ah…well I like it. I like it a lot.”
Talia sent a whisper on the wind containing one word, “Name?”
He sat up straight; he twisted his head from side to side as he tried to find her lurking in the forest. He said loudly, “My name is Cayden.” He inquired, “What’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?”
A soft breeze passed by his ear, he heard a whisper, “Talia.”
Cayden quickly slid off the boulder and approached the stream; he shaded his eyes with his cupped hands. “Where are you? Won’t you at least come out so I can see you?”
She watched him as he strained his eyes searching for her. Talia became very nervous, she didn’t know if she could trust herself to remain hidden, so she decided she had to leave. She sent one more word his way, “Bye.”
He yelled in the direction he thought the sound had originated, “I’ll be back tomorrow! Please, come back tomorrow!”
Talia needed to get away from Cayden as quickly as possible before she lost all control and showed herself to him. She summoned a breeze that quickly carried her very deep into the forest.
She couldn’t concentrate on anything for the rest of the day; all she could think about was Cayden and his handsome face. No matter how hard she tried to push him out of her head, his image would always slam back in as if she was being hit with a two ton boulder. He was on her mind every second of every minute for the rest of the day. She even dreamed about him that night. Although the fae don’t require sleep they do spend many hours daydreaming or night dreaming in Talia’s case. When she jerked out of her dreaming trance the sun was up. She could hardly wait until the sun was in the position for her to lay her eyes on him again. She decided during her daydreaming or night dreaming or whatever you’d call it, today was the day she was going to show herself to him. She wanted him to have the opportunity to see her just like she sees him. Talia prayed to the Blessed Mother of the fae for his acceptance.
As she slowly approached the stream she noticed he was already sitting on the boulder. Talia lowered her cloak and was now completely visible to him. She remained on the opposite side of the stream; she wasn’t entirely ready for close contact with the male.
He noticed her immediately; Talia had definitely been the woman he had stolen a glance of previously. He immediately slid off the boulder and approached the stream. He said with a very shaky voice, as a matter of fact it was so shaky you’d swear he had swallowed a goat, “You came,” he cleared his throat, “I was beginning to think I had imagined everything.”
Cayden kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks, he stepped into the cold shallow water of the stream. Talia began to panic, and quickly took a step back toward the safety of the forest. He slowly took one more step forward keeping his eyes locked on hers. She again took another step back. Cayden stopped, and she relaxed. He stepped back one pace, she stepped forward one pace. He smiled, “Okay, I get it; you don’t want me to get any closer than I already am. That’s fine, how about if I just sit on the bank? Will that be alright with you?” He turned and stepped onto the bank. He sat cross legged on the thick green grass keeping his eyes on hers.
Talia scrutinized his every movement as if she was trying to etch his image on the back of her skull; she sat in the grass on opposite bank, placed her hands on her lap, she said softly, “Hello Cayden.”
He looked stunned as he listened to her almost musical voice; he was in awe of her. He said, “Talia?”
She smiled, “I am elated you came. I have had you on my mind ever since I departed here yesterday.”
“You have been on my mind too, although I never pictured you looking quite like this.”
“I am sorry if I am not appealing to you.”
“That’s just it; you’re even more beautiful than I had remembered. I only caught a quick glimpse of you the other day. My memory didn’t do you the justice you deserve.”
Talia blushed and looked down at her hands; she picked up a leaf and twisted the stem nervously between her thumb and forefinger. She said shyly, “I thank you for your kind words.”
Cayden smiled; he picked up a small stone and rolled it around in his big hands, “Do you live around here?”
“You could say that” she giggled, “The forest is my home.”
“You mean you have a house this deep in the forest? Do you live there alone?”
“No, I reside with my sister’s; they…ah…are very shy.” She hoped he couldn’t sense she was fae, now that she was talking to him she wanted to keep the conversation going. She loved the rumble of his deep voice. She sent him a breeze with the same aroma he had admired the day before.
He inhaled deeply; he lifted his face toward the sky, “Is that you that smells so amazing? The last time I inhaled that scent was yesterday when I tried to talk to you. I have to say I wouldn’t mind bottling that bouquet so I could smell you whenever and where ever I wanted to.”
A breeze lifted a lock of Talia’s hair, she tilted her head as if she was listening to something, Talia rose to her feet, she said in a rushed tone, “I will return tomorrow.” She turned toward the forest and quickly departed from the stream before Cayden had an opportunity to reply. He rose to his feet staring at the forest where she seemed to have suddenly disappeared. He waited a few long moments with high hopes she would return.
Talia has grown extremely bored living in the deep forest of Maine; she wanted the one thing she has always dreamed about, she wanted to be human. For as long as she cared to remember all she desired was to make a wish and be transformed from fae to .human. She dreamed of getting married just as humans do and she would have children just like a human.
“Pipe dreams.” her sisters would say, “Humans are the ones that dream of becoming fae not the other way around. What fae would ever give up eternity to be a short lived human?” They harassed her constantly. They told her to get her head out of the stars and enjoy her existence. Talia was beginning to understand their reasoning…that is until the day she wondered to the stream at the edge of her forest home.
As the events unraveled they initiated a whole new way of thinking for Talia. It was a few human months ago when she first spied him sitting on a large boulder in the small clearing on the opposite side of the stream from where she stood. The human male appeared to be about twenty five. By her estimation he was approximately six feet tall with very dark hair that shimmered whenever the sun’s rays were cast upon his head. The male’s muscular body appeared to be heaving with heavy sobs. She continued to watch the man as he sat alone on the large boulder. His head was bowed and his hands were trembling uncontrollably. He stared down at a small flimsy item in his hands. After a few long moments he raised his head and wiped his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. The male stared straight ahead not really holding anything in his gaze. The male’s face was red and his eyes were wet from the many tears he shed.
Talia stared at the handsome human with great fascination. She approached the stream’s bank, while keeping her eyes fixed on the male. She noticed he was tearing apart the item he held in his hand. Suddenly he slid off the boulder; knelt on the ground, and began to dig a hole in the moist soil beside the boulder. Once he was satisfied the depth of the hole was deep enough, he dropped the destroyed item into the hole and buried the pieces. When he had finished replacing the soil, he patted the ground firmly and drew a cross on the makeshift burial site. He closed his eyes, hung his head and continued to sob.
Talia continued to watch the man as if she had been enchanted in some obscured way. She wondered if this demonstration was some strange human ritual she had heard of but had never personally witnessed. When the man was completely satisfied with his burial chore he rose to his feet and walked to the stream’s bank. He knelt down and washed his soiled hands in the cool water of the stream. He sat back on his heels and gazed across the stream. He thought he spied someone watching him. He scrubbed his wet hands over his face and re-examined the opposite side of the stream. He didn’t see a thing; slowly he rose to his feet, and remounted the boulder. He continued his examination of the opposite bank wondering if his mind had been playing tricks on him, or if there truly was a young woman watching him. After a few long moments he noticed her, she was a striking woman. She was barely five foot tall with long dark hair and her flawless skin had the appearance of porcelain. He held his eyes glued to her, not daring to move or utter a word out of fear he would startle the young woman. His eyes locked on hers for the briefest moment.
Talia realized she had unwisely shown herself; abruptly she lifted her cloak and retreated to the shadows of the trees. She continued to watch the man from her cloaked position as he continued to stare in her direction. She was in complete awe of the handsome male. She began to feel a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach as she scrutinized his every movement.
Talia revisited the stream everyday with high hopes of seeing the handsome human again. She always based her visits upon the sun and the position it was in the sky the first time she had watched him. Every day she silently waited cloaked in the shadows of the forest, and each day he failed to show. She felt the undeniable urge to see the male once again. Finally on the fourth day she heard the sharp snap of a twig coming from the opposite side of the stream. She turned her head, and watched him as he walked out of the tree line and approach the boulder. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a light blue tee shirt; his dark hair shimmered in the bright sunlight. Talia thought he was more handsome than she remembered. He quickly climbed the huge rock, and sat down. He stared in her direction. She watched him as he removed the top from a clear plastic bottle he had been carrying. He brought the bottle to his lips and tilted it spilling its contents into his mouth. She watched with delighted fascination as the muscles in his neck moved with every swallow of the clear liquid. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, replaced the top and laid the bottle on the rock beside him. He continued to gaze in her direction. He said in a loud but careful tone, “I hope you’re there, I would hate to think I am spending my time on an imaginary woman.” He waited for a response, when nothing came he said, “I know you’re over there I can feel you watching me.”
Every muscle in her body tensed as she listened to his words. She wondered if it was actually possible for a human to sense the presence of the faerie. Talia thought for a long moment, she wondered what she could do to make him aware she was actually there without showing herself to him again. She smiled as the answer passed through her mind and she acted on it.
Talia caused a light breeze to brush across the human’s handsome face. She witnessed him taking in a deep breath as he inhaled the aroma of a flower he couldn’t recognize. The fragrance was more alluring than the sweetest flower he had ever smelled. He thought it was as if the aroma was sent directly from a flowerbed in heaven. He kept his eyes focused on the opposite bank, “Did you smell that? The breeze has the undeniable scent of flowers.” He paused a brief moment and asked in a louder tone, “Tell me did you smell it?”
Talia approached the stream being extremely careful to remain hidden behind the safety of her cloak. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from his handsome face. Gently she nudged a small stone into the shallow water of the stream with the hope he would notice where she had advanced. His eyes darted toward the water; he watched the small ripples as they rolled and faded to the water’s undisturbed surface. He peered back toward the tree line, “If you don’t mind, I would really love to be able to see you again. If you’re shy I can just sit here and wait until you’re ready to show yourself to me. I’ll be back every day at this time with the hope that sooner or later you’ll trust me enough to come out from your hiding place.” He leaned back on his elbows keeping his eyes glued to the opposite side of the stream. “Here’s a question for you. What are you doing so deep in the forest? Are you lost? Do you live in this remote area?”
Talia really wanted to show herself to him, but she was very apprehensive of all humans. She wanted him to stay…no she needed him to stay just so she could stare at him. She wasn’t certain he would ever come back once he realized she was fae. She sent another breeze toward him. He inhaled deeply and smiled. He exclaimed, “If that’s the way you smell…ah…well I like it. I like it a lot.”
Talia sent a whisper on the wind containing one word, “Name?”
He sat up straight; he twisted his head from side to side as he tried to find her lurking in the forest. He said loudly, “My name is Cayden.” He inquired, “What’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?”
A soft breeze passed by his ear, he heard a whisper, “Talia.”
Cayden quickly slid off the boulder and approached the stream; he shaded his eyes with his cupped hands. “Where are you? Won’t you at least come out so I can see you?”
She watched him as he strained his eyes searching for her. Talia became very nervous, she didn’t know if she could trust herself to remain hidden, so she decided she had to leave. She sent one more word his way, “Bye.”
He yelled in the direction he thought the sound had originated, “I’ll be back tomorrow! Please, come back tomorrow!”
Talia needed to get away from Cayden as quickly as possible before she lost all control and showed herself to him. She summoned a breeze that quickly carried her very deep into the forest.
She couldn’t concentrate on anything for the rest of the day; all she could think about was Cayden and his handsome face. No matter how hard she tried to push him out of her head, his image would always slam back in as if she was being hit with a two ton boulder. He was on her mind every second of every minute for the rest of the day. She even dreamed about him that night. Although the fae don’t require sleep they do spend many hours daydreaming or night dreaming in Talia’s case. When she jerked out of her dreaming trance the sun was up. She could hardly wait until the sun was in the position for her to lay her eyes on him again. She decided during her daydreaming or night dreaming or whatever you’d call it, today was the day she was going to show herself to him. She wanted him to have the opportunity to see her just like she sees him. Talia prayed to the Blessed Mother of the fae for his acceptance.
As she slowly approached the stream she noticed he was already sitting on the boulder. Talia lowered her cloak and was now completely visible to him. She remained on the opposite side of the stream; she wasn’t entirely ready for close contact with the male.
He noticed her immediately; Talia had definitely been the woman he had stolen a glance of previously. He immediately slid off the boulder and approached the stream. He said with a very shaky voice, as a matter of fact it was so shaky you’d swear he had swallowed a goat, “You came,” he cleared his throat, “I was beginning to think I had imagined everything.”
Cayden kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks, he stepped into the cold shallow water of the stream. Talia began to panic, and quickly took a step back toward the safety of the forest. He slowly took one more step forward keeping his eyes locked on hers. She again took another step back. Cayden stopped, and she relaxed. He stepped back one pace, she stepped forward one pace. He smiled, “Okay, I get it; you don’t want me to get any closer than I already am. That’s fine, how about if I just sit on the bank? Will that be alright with you?” He turned and stepped onto the bank. He sat cross legged on the thick green grass keeping his eyes on hers.
Talia scrutinized his every movement as if she was trying to etch his image on the back of her skull; she sat in the grass on opposite bank, placed her hands on her lap, she said softly, “Hello Cayden.”
He looked stunned as he listened to her almost musical voice; he was in awe of her. He said, “Talia?”
She smiled, “I am elated you came. I have had you on my mind ever since I departed here yesterday.”
“You have been on my mind too, although I never pictured you looking quite like this.”
“I am sorry if I am not appealing to you.”
“That’s just it; you’re even more beautiful than I had remembered. I only caught a quick glimpse of you the other day. My memory didn’t do you the justice you deserve.”
Talia blushed and looked down at her hands; she picked up a leaf and twisted the stem nervously between her thumb and forefinger. She said shyly, “I thank you for your kind words.”
Cayden smiled; he picked up a small stone and rolled it around in his big hands, “Do you live around here?”
“You could say that” she giggled, “The forest is my home.”
“You mean you have a house this deep in the forest? Do you live there alone?”
“No, I reside with my sister’s; they…ah…are very shy.” She hoped he couldn’t sense she was fae, now that she was talking to him she wanted to keep the conversation going. She loved the rumble of his deep voice. She sent him a breeze with the same aroma he had admired the day before.
He inhaled deeply; he lifted his face toward the sky, “Is that you that smells so amazing? The last time I inhaled that scent was yesterday when I tried to talk to you. I have to say I wouldn’t mind bottling that bouquet so I could smell you whenever and where ever I wanted to.”
A breeze lifted a lock of Talia’s hair, she tilted her head as if she was listening to something, Talia rose to her feet, she said in a rushed tone, “I will return tomorrow.” She turned toward the forest and quickly departed from the stream before Cayden had an opportunity to reply. He rose to his feet staring at the forest where she seemed to have suddenly disappeared. He waited a few long moments with high hopes she would return.