Title: Famine
Series: The Four Horsemen 03
Author: T.A. Chase
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novella (142pgs)
Publisher: Total E-Bound (20th February 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3 ½Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Saving a dying man might be just what Famine, the Black Horseman, needs to feed his starving heart.
Having been sacrificed by his village shaman, Famine knows what it’s like to do anything to survive. He wanders the world, sowing drought and starvation in his wake. Yet he hates being the Black Horseman more than anything in the world, except the man who ended his life all those centuries ago. Famine never stops doing his job, and never allows himself to fall in love.
Ekundayo wants a better life for himself, so he steals a diamond from the mine where he works. Nothing goes well for him after that, and he finds himself dying in the desert on his way to the border. When he’s rescued by Famine, Ekundayo isn’t sure if his luck has changed or not. The longer he stays in Famine’s company, the more Ekundayo discovers he just might be falling in love with Famine.
One bad choice of Ekundayo’s part and a future together seems out of reach. Will Famine let his only possibility of love go or will he defy Death himself to keep Ekundayo?
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series
Purchase Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?P_ID=1547
Review: Famine spends his days traveling around making sure nothing will grow and drying up any water around. He might not like what he does and he has done it for a long time, but he knows that there is a reason for it even if he doesn’t agree. Ekundayo steals a diamond from the mine he works (slaves) at. As he runs away with plans to sell it, he slips and now he is trapped. When he is rescued, although he feels attracted to his rescuer, he needs to find the diamond and sell it to have a better life.
This is a well written story that shows us more about what it means to be a Horseman. Famine isn’t like the other horsemen, as he hadn’t done anything to deserve becoming a Horseman and he has nothing to feel guilt over. So I was puzzled as to why he was made one but then it was answered near the end. Both Famine and Ekundayo are good characters and they seemed to have a spark, but they didn’t come across as real people… they were flat and they didn’t really feel alive so my attention wandered often.
Ekundayo being a thief isn’t even a blip on my radar as living in conditions that he was I’d have done worse. What did bother me is that while he was recovering with Famine he was obsessed with getting the diamond back. Even while he was falling in love with Famine. Famine is cautious with Ekundayo and he does try to dissuade him a bit. The sex between the two is hot and I did like the way that Famine went to Ekundayo’s rescue with Death’s subtle nudging of course.
Now the only part that really got me and miffed me off a little and that was a mistake by the author (unless there was something missing with an explanation) and that was Famine’s salt, it was clearly stated to Famine by Death that the salt would only work for Famine ‘no one else could do what he did’ but Ekundayo drops one of the grains and it ruined the little Island. Now on the good side Lam has a mystery so is he heavily featured in Death’s story or will there be a story just for him?
So any way with this one I will recommend it to those who love hot sex, desperate men, a man who needs to forgive and a happy ever after.
Portia’s Mini-rant: I was very disappointed with the cover art for this book. There are too many beautiful Black men in the world to have to Photoshop in dreadlocks. My my mind, Death looks more like this. 😉 