Shannon C.’s review of Jackie and the Beanstalk by Jacqueline Meadows
Fantasy erotic romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 8 Aug 08
Given that my last experiences with EC books have left me somewhat less than impressed, I’m really glad I can recommend one with enthusiasm. I love fantasy romance, and fairy tales in particular, and I love the premise of the woman from our world ending up in some other fantasy realm. I got all of that in Jackie and the Beanstalk and think it’s well worth a look, despite the corniness of the title.
One morning, Jackie Foster wakes up to find a beanstalk planted in the front yard, and notices her father climbing it. Thinking her dad’s gone completely bugfuck, she climbs up after him, and arrives in a completely different world, where she meets two intriguing men, one a wanted criminal and one a prince of the realm, who both want her.
What I really liked about this book was that it trounced all my expectations and subverted a lot of cliches nicely. I liked that Jackie was a mechanic, a very un-girlie job for most romance heroines. She’s smart and resourceful, and throws her whole heart into everything she does. She doesn’t have any TSTL moments, and she also fits the archetype of a fairy tale hero very well, as she ventures on her quest to find her father.
Her hero, (there is only one, despite the promise of a love triangle implicit in the blurb) is an awesome character. He’s my favorite kind of hero–very sweet and beta–and totally devoted to Jackie from the moment he meets her. I loved watching him completely fall for her, and I loved watching him get pulled through an emotional wringer of his own.
There are some great secondary characters, too. Tom Foster, Jackie’s dad, totally steals the show in whatever scene he’s in. I absolutely loved his crotchety maunderings. Deeandra, a giant sentient butterfly, is also drawn well and is fairly complex, and then there is the sorceress Katreen, who seems to have a hand in everything that goes on in the kingdom.
The plot is fairly complex, and it takes some surprising twists. There are magical creatures, monsters that need to be fought, and sorcery. I was reminded a little bit of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books, which are perennial favorites of mine, and I actually didn’t know how Ms. Meadows was going to pull the whole thing off. She does, however, and does so nicely, leaving me very satisfied with the end result.
All that being said, this isn’t quite a keeper book for me. There were times I felt the author was trying to squeeze too much story into one book. I also thought the epilogue dragged a bit. But I’ve definitely found a new author to watch and can’t wait to see what Ms. Meadows gives us next.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Once upon a time in a strange land called Ohio, there grew a beanstalk. Not believing her eyes, or the fact her elderly dad is climbing the behemoth, Jackie, still in jammies, follows. Only to find a giant…holding her dad as if he were a squeaky toy.
Enter stage right — the wanted criminal. Tarn the Bloody is all that is earthy, pagan, uninhibited. He is called thief and murderer, but is so much more than that. And Jackie has a body he can’t keep his hands off. To have Jackie, to love her, he’ll brave any peril. To help Jackie rescue her father, Tarnn will have to confront a giant spider, gargoyles and the most powerful witch his land has ever seen.
Enter stage left — the prince. Calanah is so decadent, so hot, Jackie has to resist the urge to stop, drop and roll. He is masculine beauty, the essence of seduction, and he wants her, fuzzy slippers and all!
In a kingdom where magic rules and mythical creatures roam, not everything is as it seems. The price of love will be a soul living forever in Darkness.
