J.E. & M. Keep are dark fantasy fiends.
With a lust for fantasy and science fiction, they bring you an eclectic selection of works. They write for both male and female readers, with rich detail, developed characters and settings, and explicit sex. All stories are erotic, with many dark romances, and they range from demons and elves that jump into bed at the slightest provocation, to the slow, exquisite tortures of denial. Fall in love with the characters, root for the villain, and always come back for more.
About Theodora’s
Descent:
Dante’s Inferno and Hieronymus Bosch - that’s what this book
was. I have to admit that I didn’t pick it at first. Prolific as they are, I’ve
never read these authors before, and to be honest, I never have any idea what
Ingrid Hall is going to throw at me next (hurrah! I love surprises!), so I
really had no idea what to expect, and no pre-conceived notions.
Theodora’s Descent
started out as a pretty staid gothic novel. Can I say boring? It started out
pretty boring. Ho-hum. A young woman inherits her aunt’s estate. Guess what,
she’s rich. Guess what, she’s beautiful. Guess what, she’s strong and
independent and very modern for her
era. And oh, guess what, there’s a dark and mysterious set of stairs leading
downwards that she simply must explore.
I’m sorry but my eyes
glazed over and I was about to throw it back Ingrid-ward. I’m not sure how many
more times I could hear that Theodora was petite. And that her large, pale blue
eyes shimmered. And she had a tiny frame. And that she had lustrous golden
hair. Gawk.
But then - oh my gosh. How did I ever get past the first few
chapters? I have no idea but thank God I did. What an absolutely mesmerising
read. Once she does descend those very suspicious stairs, she finds herself in
a nightmare. I’m not exaggerating; a nightmare.
Creature after sickening creature attempt to kill, devour, enslave or rape her,
each more grotesque than the last.
That’s when Bosch’s work sprung into my mind.
I used to pore for hours over his work, the twisted details
of his perverse imagination fascinating and disgusting at the same time. And
this book was exactly like that. Theodora’s story is so sick it became
fascinating. And much as the authors dwelt on their main character’s perfection
at the start, so too did they dwell on the horrifying ugliness of the creatures
that she found in the world below.
I couldn’t stop reading. It did tend to go on… I think I
would have liked the book to have been shorter, and an epilogue about eight
chapters before the end did throw me rather, but it was lengthy. But the
surprises were well-timed and cunningly laid. Like the traps which Theodora
falls into time and again, the reader falls into icky gooey rotting traps too.
Clever.
The authors’ hero is a monster. I’m not kidding, he’s gross.
But they play with our understanding of a hero most beautifully, presenting us
with what we have come to expect from him and yet questioning the need for him
to be attractive. Or even - um - human.
I found it interesting on so many levels. The story, and especially the
characterisation, made me consider quite deeply what is necessary in our
protagonists in order for us as readers to find satisfaction. What makes the
hero heroic? What makes a villain villainous? (Or in this case, many many
villains villainous?)
Think Beauty and the Beast - but the uncut non-Disney version. This is the X-rated
version that comes on TV after 11pm. Beast is not just a little fluffy round
the ears, he’s actually got extra pairs of arms, triangular eyes and a
snake-like tongue. I kid you not.
So, basically, Theodora descends into the bowels of hell
where it’s dark and creepy and everything that moves is a threat. Except for
one guy (I use the term loosely) who wants to protect her. She spends the rest
of the book trying to escape either him or everything else. And most of all to
get back to the surface where she came from. Of course he doesn’t want her to
leave, but he also wants her to be happy, so it’s a little tricky. Will she
fall in love with him? (ew, gross!) Will she ever leave? And what would happen
to him if she did?
A simple story. But told in such a fascinatingly creepy and
mesmerizingly tangible way, you’ve just got to see it for yourself.
Where they have an enormous list of novels and novellas for
you to browse - there will surely be something for everyone.
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