Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Wicked as They Come
    Wicked as They Come
    Wicked as They Come
    Ebook424 pages6 hours

    Wicked as They Come

    By Delilah S. Dawson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The first in a steampunk paranormal romance series in which a woman is transported to a world filled with vampires and magic.

    When nurse Tish Everett forced open the lovely locket she found at an estate sale, she had no idea she was answering the call of Criminy Stain, from the far off land of Sang. He’d cast a spell for her, but when she’s transported right to him, she’s not so sure she’s ready to be under the spell of another man. If only Criminy wasn’t so deliciously rakish…

    Half the inhabitants of Sang are Pinkies—human—and the other half are Bludmen, who in Tish’s world would be called vampires. But they don’t mess with any of the bat/coffin/no sunlight nonsense. They’re rather like you and me, just more fabulous, long living, and mostly indestructible—they’re also very good kissers. But when the evil Mayor of Manchester (formerly Bludchester) redoubles his efforts to rid Sang of the Bludmen once and for all, he steals Tish’s locket in hopes of traveling back to her world himself for reinforcements. Criminy and Tish must now battle ghosts, sea monsters, wayward submarines, a secret cabal, and thundering Bludmares to get the locket back and allow Tish to return home…but has she found love with Criminy? Could she stay in Sang forever?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Books
    Release dateMar 27, 2012
    ISBN9781451657890
    Wicked as They Come
    Author

    Delilah S. Dawson

    Delilah S. Dawson is the author of Hit, Servants of the Storm, Strike, the Blud series, Star Wars novels and short stories, a variety of short stories, comics, and essays, and the Shadow series as Lila Bowen. She lives in Georgia with her family and a fat mutt named Merle. Find her online at WhimsyDark.com.

    Read more from Delilah S. Dawson

    Related to Wicked as They Come

    Titles in the series (7)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Paranormal Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Styx: Master Of Shadows

      Feb 3, 2022

      Styx: Master Of Shadows
      1 min read

    • Article

      For The Wolf

      Jun 16, 2021

      ⏵ RELEASED 17 JUNE 480 pages | Paperback/ebook/audiobook ⏵ Author Hannah Whitten ⏵ Publisher Orbit Books Wolves run through fairy tales, flashing a tooth here, a tail there. But if you pick this up expecting to see familiar motifs popping up, you’ll

      1 min read

    • Article

      Daughter Of The Moon Goddess

      Jan 26, 2022

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 496 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Sue Lynn Tan Publisher HarperVoyager On paper, this story has so many familiar elements (a plucky runaway protagonist trying to help an imprisoned parent, cruel monarchs, a handsome prince

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      Jan 20, 2020

      My year off was also interesting, in that I didn’t feel any less loved, or cherished, or wanted. Why? Because my life is already rich with soulmates, and I got the chance to behold that. You don’t have to shag someone for them to be a soulmate. We do

      7 min read

    • Article

      Longer on Moon

      Sep 22, 2022

      Longer on Moon
      19 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Temporary Arrangement

      Oct 2, 2023

      A Temporary Arrangement
      19 min read

    • Article

      Penny

      Jul 2, 2020

      Penny
      6 min read

    • Article

      All Of Us Here

      Jun 4, 2020

      All Of Us Here
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton

      Sep 20, 2021

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
      5 min read

    • Article

      Where Night Stops

      Jan 15, 2018

      Where Night Stops
      6 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Nov 1, 2022

      Day after Thanksgiving. I give thanks for Eveto beat the rush of appreciating hernext year and let her sleep inuntil three hundred o’clock.Thank you light on the mountainfor being my star on cloudy nights.Thank you all the guns I’ve never ownedand ki

      6 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      What I Deserve

      Apr 13, 2022

      IN THE past two years I have opened a bookstore while keeping my day job; finished a novel draft and written another novel draft; grieved the death of a friend, and another friend; started and stopped multiple vitamin regimens; watched my mother slip

      8 min read

    • Article

      After “The End”

      Oct 10, 2022

      I walked down the road with a hunched back and a wet cigarette in my mouth—the fire had died a while back. My hands were tucked into the pockets of my jacket, and my hair fell over my face, limiting my sight. But I wasn’t really seeing where I was go

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Leather Coat

      Apr 4, 2024

      The Leather Coat
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mammy Dearest

      Mar 20, 2022

      Noelle McCarthy, the broadcaster, podcaster and journalist, has two obsessions: her mother and Dracula. She has written a memoir, Grand: Becoming my mother’s daughter, in which both characters flounce across the pages, one with fangs wearing a cape,

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Problem with My Dachshund

      Dec 11, 2019

      The Problem with My Dachshund
      10 min read

    • Article

      Dear Frankie

      Oct 4, 2020

      Dear Frankie
      2 min read

    • Article

      Jason the Heat Guy

      Jan 11, 2021

      Jason the Heat Guy
      11 min read

    • Article

      Dear Frankie

      Jan 31, 2021

      Dear Frankie
      4 min read

    • Article

      How Postcards From My Mother Helped Me Survive Childhood

      Mar 3, 2017

      For years, my mother wrote to me every day. I’d been sent away to boarding school and for the first weeks was forbidden to call home­. I was eleven. This was just before mobile phones came beeping and clicking into the lives of everyday people. I di

      4 min read

    • Article

      Frog

      Jan 16, 2022

      Frog
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Wicked as They Come

    3.5/5

    165 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Wicked As They Come tells the tale of Criminy Stain and his enchanted locket that brings Tish into his world. A world that is only available to her when she sleeps but is like something that she has never experienced before. Criminy is like no one that she has ever met especially when he claims that they are meant for each other. And when she finds herself unable to return to her own world, she sets out on an adventure with Criminy that she will never forget.Wicked As They Come was a fresh and original story filled with a world that brought about new reading experiences for me as a reader. I went into reading this book with high hopes as every review that I had seen was mostly/extremely positive. And while the world that the author created was extremely fascinating, I never managed to connect with the characters. It left me feeling a bit shaky about my overall experience with the book.One of the things that I liked about the book was the circus atmosphere and the world that Criminy lived in. It was both unique and engrossing and I found myself wondering what the author would come up with next. The book was filled with killer "blud" animals and all of the humans lived walled up in a city that was supposed to protect them from the "bludmen". This was all very different than anything I had ever read before. The author also used different plays on names of countries and continents to tie the world that she had created to our actual world. It made it fun to read and find those references. Everything about Criminy's world I enjoyed and the world building was my favorite part of the book. That being said, I was never able to connect to either of the main characters in the story. Tish and Criminy's relationship was precarious from the start for me and I spent a good portion of the book trying to figure out how it would work. It was clear from the beginning that Tish was going to have to choose between her world or Criminy's and I didn't like either choice by itself (sorry if that is a bit spoiler-ey). I also felt that the relationship that developed between them went too fast for me to really root for them as a couple. I just never connected, plain and simple, which left me wanting more.All in all, I can understand why so many others have loved this book way more than I did. And you probably should check out some of those reviews if you are on the fence about this book at all because my opinion seems to be in the minority. I just didn't love this book like I hoped that I would. I liked it enough though to give the second book a try at some point when it comes out. Hopefully, another dip into Criminy's world will allow for me to connect and love the world like so many others. And if not, then that's okay too :)Bottom Line: Just an okay read for me.Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review from the publisher. Obviously, my thoughts on it are my own.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book! I'm confused as to why it doesn't have many reviews. I've read a lot of indie books on Kindle and some have thousands of reviews only to let me down with a clunky, cliche, lackluster book. That is not the case here. The world building is detailed, the world and magic are unique, and Tish and Crimminy were meant to be.

      The book is steampunk/ vampires/ distopian/ run away to join the circus/ parallel universe (full of magic, genocide, and oppression)/ fantasy/ love story/ adventure. Which sounds like a lot but the author makes work beautifully. The author's version of vampires is completely unique and intriguing (and I've read A LOT of vampire books).

      I don't like love at first sight stories, it just doesn't make sense to me. While it is love at first site for Crimminy, Tish grows to love him. The chemistry is real and the spicy scenes are definitely up there on the Scoville scale ?️ without taking away from the story.

      I wish we learned a bit more of Crimminy's past and I wonder if I ever will since this seems to be his only book in the series. The ending isn't quite HEA and is a bit open ended but a HEA is implied to happen soon. I'm excited to keep reading the series.


    • 3/5
      I am not an avid reader of this general type of genre (we'll call it steampunk, but this book crosses into many) so anything I have to say or think about it comes from a very fresh and outside view.

      If I was asked to describe this story in as few words as possible, I would have to go with Alice in Wonderland....on steroids. I tagged this book on my selves as Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, and Time Travel. It's a whole bag of wackadoodle. This wild crazy world however, needs what we call, world building. This being the first book in the series (there is a short story that gives a causal introduction to the series) it suffers from the slow pace and awkwardness this creates. Don't get me wrong, the author creates a fascinating world you want to read about, but the character's storyline gets dragged down.

      The characters are unique but I'm not sure I ever felt connected to them. Letitia is a woman in the modern world who ends up stealing a necklace that transports her to "Sang", a parallel universe if you will, whenever she falls asleep. Criminy is a "bludman" (loosely a vampire) in Sang who created the magic necklace. The necklace is suppose to deliver his one true love. So we have the instalove, well on Criminy's part anyway. This is where I think the story was the weakest. As the story is told in first person from Letitia's point of view, we just get a lot of "this is weird" and "you're weird". Understandable since this world has "bludbunnies" (a'la Holy Grail) and a man claiming to be her soulmate. The whole scenario makes dialogue between Letitia and Criminy very wooden and you miss the how, what, and whys of two people falling in love.


      With all that said, I still enjoyed this book.....somewhat limited. It reminded me and brought out similar feelings I had while reading Stephen King's The Dark Tower series (for the world building) and Shannon K. Butcher's The Sentinel Wars (for romance/characters). Would say it's worth your time to give it a go whether you're a fan of the genre or not. I was intrigued enough that I will definitely be continuing with the series in the future.
    • 4/5
      3.5
      Let's get the I didn't like this stuff out of the way first. It's shorter anyway. For almost the third of the book I didn't like Letitia (Tish), the heroine. I couldn't understand what the hero saw in her. She was too irresolute and a few of her decisions were influenced by her wish to be contrary to Criminy. Next there was that love triangle scare. I really have to do something about that. Even a hint of that and my mind is unable to get over it. I can't enjoy the story (very few exceptions). For those who want to know there is a possibility of one, it sort of starts, but nothing happens. I must admit it was masterfully done. If only I didn't hate them this much.

      I loved a lot more than I didn't. First: Criminy Stain. He managed to be awesome, desirable and perfect even with this name. Tish finds his enchanted locket which transports her to his world. He was waiting for her.“Now you know who I am. What’s your name, then, love?”
      “Tish Everett,” I said.
      He almost giggled, the answering glare in my eyes stopped him.
      “Tishefferett?” he said. “That’s quite strange.” I can't even begin to find words that would do him justice. Imagine a guy who not only doesn't want to change you, but he draws the best and wildest you out to play. And you get a choice, you get to say what you want. And that's just a small part of his character. “What are you doing?” I asked him.
      “I’m letting you get used to the idea of me,” he said idly. “I’m pretending to be harmless. Is it working?” Second is the world itself. It is wonderfully depicted. It is a dangerous place full of bloodthirsty bunnies, bludstags, bludeverything. Bludmen live almost as slaves, they are required to wear a badge in some cities, they are hated and feared. The other half of Sang population are Pinkies, ordinary humans who rule Sang. Criminy Stain's carnival has both Bludmen and Pinkies working there with some others.
      I loved that the author didn't try to make Criminy more human. There are no apologies. He kills, he drinks blood and his hands are scaled and he has claws. I have no idea what's with that book cover and those ordinary human hands. He is not immune to magic. Nothing is made easier for the sake of the story. Not even the ending is completely clear, and yet it is so perfect for them that you realize that anything else would be wrong. It is a happy ending, just a bit different.
      If it hadn't been for those things I wrote in the beginning, I would have enjoyed the story even more.
    • 5/5

      Some books I give a five star rating to, and some earn the five stars…Wicked as They Come earned every star.

      I bought this book because people whose opinions I respect were ravaging about it, however I wasn’t entirely convinced that it was for me from the blurb and had to somewhat force myself to start it. I am ever so glad that I did. This book charmed me, almost in spite of myself, with its through-the-looking-glass feel done in darker tones and characters that were both familiar and reflected. The plot, a somewhat standard adventure, gained mystique in the details by lovingly paining a believable and intriguing alternate world. Our cast of characters added breath and life to the page, and while I will admit that our main voice, Lititia or Tish depending in which world you catch her in, had a backstory of issues that was more or less thrown at us and then ground into the dirt resolving, I still liked her as a character and respected the whys of her decisions—even if having it pointed out that it was because of said past issues became repetitive after a time. Crimminy was a fun hero, and while his use of magic often mortared over possible plot difficulties the sheer magnetics of his personality bursting off the page more than made up for it, and in his exuberance he created more than enough plot to fill in any gaps. The triangle that was presented, I feel to represent the lure of both her old world and this new one, was a tad bit sloppy and cliché…luckily it didn’t last too long as a plot device, and it did allow us to explore both Lititia’s glancing—or fore and backsight—which I found fascinating, and the connection between worlds. I am glad that this wasn’t as much of a presence as it could have been, but still felt that it was overdone. Even still the creativity and crafting of the world, characters, and choices made that a memorable and unique book to me that deserves recognition.

      Ms. Dawson has created a world that I am eager to explore further, and I can only hope that future installments managed to capture the same grand whimsy as this one.
    • 2/5
      Meh, I found it unimpressive. It wasn't bad. The world-building was pretty good and there was some humor. But it just was nothing new or exciting either.

      I think the author was going for a strong determined heroine, but she just came across as selfish and stubborn to me. She also did a lot of crying and sleeping. There was a POINTLESS and BASELESS love triangle for a little while. I didn't understand Criminy's obsessive love for woman he just met. I thought the bad guy was cheesy and she defeated him too easily. But most of all I thought the whole thing felt random. They ran here and did this. Then, they ran there and did that. Then, they ran into this creature or interesting contraption. I was not overly impressed. If my library carries the books, I'd probably read another but I'm not buying any more.
    • 3/5
      This is not the type of book I normally read. I don't usually care for those stories that are set in two worlds. I did really like the name Criminy Stain. His character grew on me. The world grew on me. However I don't see myself reading more stories of the Blud world. The author did a great job in making me visualize what she wrote. She did draw me. I do want to know Jason/Casper's story. As for Tish, she was ok. She didn't impress me. I do in a way like that she chose to live in both worlds for now. I do think the author would have done better having a better ending.
    • 4/5
      Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson

      This novel is listed as a steam-punk-paranormal romance. And though I did get paranormal romance out of it and there was mention of dirigibles and even Victorian like dress and some clockwork mechanics I would hardly want to call it steam-punk. But I might be a little unfair here because I'm not sure how well defined the genre is. What I do take away from this novel is that it's a bit like crossing Dracula with Somewhere in time and throwing in a bit of Alice in wonderland with Dorthy of Oz and I suppose that that's how we come up with blood sucking bunny rabbits.

      Letitia 'Tish' Paisley Everett is an interesting character. She wants to be her own woman and escapes the smothering relationships she's had with men. And she does come off as a strong independent character. She just seems to be a magnet for controlling men. As a home care nurse Tish has been able to stay close to her grandmother helping to care for her while she cares for her regular patients. As the story begins with Tish at one of her recently deceased patients house[They are all old and infirm and on their death beds or they wouldn't need her] whose family is selling off her belongings and Tish has stopped to browse to perhaps pick up something to remember her patient. She runs across an old locket inside a book. She manages to have a medical emergency that calls her away and she ends up not paying for the locket. And so begins the strange journey.

      When Tish finally opens the locket she sees the small portrait of man and her hand is burned by a red fluid which may end up being magically enhance blood from Criminy Stain. This takes Tish through the proverbial rabbit hole into an new world and another universe. Having arrived in the new world naked proves to compound Tish's problems. Criminy is a bludman which is this worlds equivalent to a vampire without some of the usual quirks of vampire. And the world itself is full of other blood sucking creatures which account for the Victorian like dress as a means of keeping her fully covered from the gnashing needle sharp teeth. Criminy is there to greet her and he seems to think he owns her, which is the last thing that Tish wants to hear. But Criminy is patient and really seems willing to give her all the space she needs while he waits for her to come around.

      As Tish acclimates she discovers she is a glancer--she sees peoples past and future--and fortunately Criminy runs a circus of a sort and she fits right in with a paying job. Tish also discovers that it's possible that people who are in coma's on her world might be here just the same as she is. She also discovers that when she sleeps on this world she wakes in her own and vice versa, which means there will be no rest for her. With all the wild animals in this world having turned to blud-creatures the world is full of mechanical animals.[The only safe animals.] And the real villains in the book are the normal people who are trying to destroy all Blud-creatures including the Blud-people.

      Though Tish is fascinated with Criminy and the rest of his circus, she primarily wants to get back to where she can take care of her grandmother which means she needs to either find a way to stop coming to the new world or find some way to coexist in both world without driving her self mad. But there is more evil afoot in the land of Bludmen and Pinkies and when that interferes with Tish's plans she and Criminy embark on a quest.

      And once again Delilah S. Dawson has found a way to thoroughly entertain her readers.

      I would recommend this to all Fantasy Fans and this should fit nicely into anyone's collection of Steam-punk as we know it these days. Any Young Adult would have to be the mature type.It's a world of Vampires and Magic out of step with ours about a hundred years.

      J.L. Dobias
    • 2/5
      My favorite part of this story was the bludbunnies! Cute fluffy bunnies that want to eat you alive! I love it. The world was really interesting in this story, but there were several elements of the romance that left me uncomfortable and grumpy.

      The main character recently left an abusive relationship that she'd been in for some time, and she referred to herself as "weak," "broken," and "dull." I understand that someone recovering from such a relationship might not have the best self-image, but I still hate any implication that someone who has survived an abusivie situation is in some way WEAK. So that sat wrong with me.

      And then, very near the end of the story, the main character is trying to decide how she wants to handle existing in two worlds at once, and the romantic lead pretty much pulls a jerk move and tells her "I would burn down the world for you...I always thought that when you came to me, you'd feel the same way too." This, after he mocks her for taking time trying to decide what she wants to do. So, he's pulled her from her world with magic, told her he's in love with her because she's his perfect woman, she's started to fall for him, but that's not enough because she needs to love him as much as he loves her right now. Which means leaving behind her grandmother she loves dearly and who may die without her care so she can be with him every moment of every day. UGH. This attitude changes a bit by the end of the book, but the page with this exchange totally spoiled the romance for me. It's not a bad book, but it really wasn't for me.
    • 5/5
      I not only love the world in this book, but the hero is also one of the best heroes I have read in a long time. Heroine wasn't perfect but it was very likable.
      I can't wait to read more.
    • 3/5
      That was a fun read.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this very different story. It wasn't really time travel, but rather dimensional travel - moving from one plane of existence to another. The world Dawson created was very interesting, and I really liked the characters, Tish and Criminy. While enjoyable, it wasn't really enough of a romance for my tastes, had more of an HFN, and lacked the deeper dialogue I needed to really know Criminy since everything is told from Tish's POV. Plus, the cover shows him with real hands, but according to the story, he has black claws which was kind of gross and killed the mood.
    • 4/5
      Previous to this book I had read Dawson’s YA book Servants of the Storm and really enjoyed it a lot. This is the first book in Dawson’s Blud series and is the first of three books in this series. It was a well done steampunk romance with gothic overtones.Tish is a nurse recovering from a bad relationship with an abusive and domineering boyfriend. Then one day at an estate sale she is drawn to a strange locket; little does she know when she opens it she will be answering the call of the bludman Criminy Stain in the land of Sang. In Sang there are people like Tish, called Pinkies, and Bludmen (who live off of blood but really aren’t anything like your traditional vampire). They have trouble coexisting and Tish and Criminy are drawn into their politics. Additionally when Tish’s locket gets stolen she loses her only way back home to her old life, she is determined to get the locket back.There was a lot I really loved about this book. I loved the idea of the world of Sang, where everything has gone a bit wrong and many creatures live off of blood. Nothing is what it seems in Sang and it reminded me of a very dark and twisted Wonderland of sorts.I also really loved Criminy as a character; he runs a circus in Sang and is a bit creepy. At the same time his ideals, the respect with which he treats Tish, and his general swooniness are very fun to read about. He is a wonderful lead man for this book and just perfect.Tish was an excellent heroine as well. As a nurse she has a very nurturing side, but in Sang she gets to explore a more mystical side to herself. I thought it was interesting how she was kind of living two lives throughout the book and working to make everything work out for her.This book is primarily a romance with a lot of steampunk elements. However, the world-building was amazing as well and there is an excellent story to go with the romance. Tish and Criminy have great chemistry together; however I wish some of the scenes between them were a bit more just...well-written. There were scenes in this book that could have been absolutely engrossing but they ended up being just good because of how they were written.The book ties up in a way that is realistic and interesting, but not exactly the type of happy ending I was hoping for. It does match the dark and gothic tone of the book well though.Overall I enjoyed this book and will most likely read the rest of the series. I loved the world-building here and really loved the world of Sang. I also enjoy Tish and Criminy as characters. The book is well written and engaging. This book will remind readers of a lot of other steampunk romances out there; although this book has a bit more of fantasy element to it. If you enjoy Calihan’s Darkest London series or McMaster’s London Steampunk series I think you would enjoy this book as well.
    • 4/5
      I picked this up after attending a panel with the author at Dragon*Con 2013. It's a smart bit of wish fullfilment, well written and with neat world building. An antique locket is the catalyst for sending Letitia to an alternate version of Britain where Bludmen are persecuted by Pinkies, their blood drinking contained and feared. She's been called by the master of a caravan of performers, a magician and trickster named Criminey. There's one entertainer in the caravan that provides a bit of a temptation for a love triangle, but the main focus is on the Stranger and the master. The draw to Criminey is that he's passionate, dark and a bit dangerous, but devoted to her. The locket sparks a quest when it goes missing, there are factions at work trying to reform the world according to anti-Bludmen prejudices, and some interpersonal problems that rear their ugly heads. I liked that the draw back to the "real world" wasn't another man, but job and family obligations.
    • 5/5
      Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Guest Reviewer - Tanya C:Wicked as They Come is the first book in the Blud series by Delilah Dawson. I was instantly drawn into the wonderfully magical world Delilah Dawson has created. I loved the character of Criminy Stain who was like a steampunk version of The Mad Hatter from the classic Alice in Wonderland.The story itself was very well paced and did not lack action and intrigue at all. The way the two worlds in Wicked as They Come were so intertwined was what really hooked me, and quickly made me a forever fan. LITERAL ADDICTION's Guest Reviewer gives Wicked As They Come 5 Skulls and would definitely recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I had originally intended to read this book next month, but then I picked it up early at a local store and was in need of some distraction from real life, so I decided to read the first chapter. Well, naturally after reading the first chapter I just kept going.

      I have to say that this is honestly one of the strangest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I'm not even sure how to describe it if someone asked. I will say that I found the world of Sang pretty interesting. The author doesn't seem to take herself too seriously which is one of the reasons I think this book works for me. I really appreciated the humor and I like that the narrator realized the absurdity of some of the situations she was placed in.

      There is definitely something a bit sinister about Criminy. That being said I found him to be a rather likable character overall. Tish got on my nerves from time to time and I questioned some of her decisions, but I think perhaps deep down she's a bit sinister too.

      A couple of things to be aware of before reading this book: It's written in first person. Also, there is a tiny love-triangle-esque plot. Neither of these things hindered my enjoyment of the story.

      I would definitely suggest this book if you are looking for something different. All in all an interesting read. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series, which I believe is about Casper.
    • 3/5
      The instant I read the blurb on this book, I put it on my wishlist as I knew I would love it. Steampunk, alternate world, Bludmen (vampires)--wow- right up my alley, what's not to like. I loved the world building of this alternate world but I never felt a spark of connection between the characters. They were rather blah which is sad as I felt this series had the makings of an awesome trip to a new universe. Instead it was rather flat. That said, I'll still probably read the next book in the series but will probably get it second hand rather than forking out my money for another ho-hum book.
    • 2/5
      I have to be honest and say that I struggled to finish this one. While it had a really cool premise, I had trouble getting into the story and was never able to connect with any of the characters. The pacing of the book was also off, with an extremely slow start, and didn’t pick up until the middle of the book or so. Unfortunately by then, I had a lost a lot of interest and was just trying to get to the finish line. The book starts off well enough with Tish finding a locket at an estate sale. When she goes to bed, she wakes up naked in a strange world that is similar to her own but also very different. Criminy Stain is there, a mysterious stranger who claims that he cast a spell to bring her to him. Tish must learn to survive in this new, dangerous world while trying to find a permanent way back to her own world. I think my main problem was with the characters. I found Tish to be whiny and annoying for most of the book. She has two men fighting over her and I couldn’t understand why either of them was interested. Criminy Stain, is the Mad Hatter in this tale, with his magic tricks and enigmatic nature. But instead of charming, I found him to be somewhat patronizing and a little manic. And while I am sure that there are many women out there who would find Criminy swoon worthy, he did nothing for me. I do give him points though for his infinite patience when dealing with Tish. I probably would have left her on the side of the road for the bludbunnies the first chance I got. The book was also lacking in the romance department. I didn’t feel any spark or emotional connection between the two. Even the sex scenes weren’t very exciting.That’s not to say that I didn’t like anything about the book. It’s clear that Dawson is a good writer and I found the world of Blud to be very unique and imaginative. Dawson’s vivid descriptions paint a dark new world filled with terrifying, bloodthirsty (literally) creatures and ruthless Pinkies and Coppers. The idea of an oppressed vampire race is definitely interesting and I found myself wanting to know more about the history of Sang. I’d also like to learn more about how Tish’s human world and Sang are able to exist at the same time and if there are other parallel worlds. I wish this had been more to my liking but you can’t win them all, right? If you’re interested in really unique worlds and don’t mind so-so characters, you might enjoy this more than I did.
    • 5/5
      This book arrived on my doorstep and I must confess I had not heard of it before. I read the back cover and it sounded really interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I gave this book a shot because wow! It blew me away! While this book is classified as paranormal romance, I think Steampunk fantasy would be a better description. There is romance sure, but the world of Sang really steals the show and the adventure is driving the plot forward rather than the love story.Wicked as they Come, is unlike anything I have ever read before, it was very unique and interesting. Sang mirrors our own in many ways, but has quite a few twists that make it simply magical. The names of the places in Sang are a couple of letters off from places in our own world, which gives the reader a way to relate and navigate Sang. It is also inhabited by people who eat meat and vegetables called “Pinkies” and others vampiric beings that survive on blud (blood), known as Bludman. Many of the creatures Letitia encounters also survive on blud as well. The most difficult one for me to get used to were the bludbunnies that Letitia runs into upon arrival into Sang.“Motion caught my eye, and I looked down to see a small brown rabbit tenderly nosing out from the wood. It hopped and halted, hopped and halted, almost to us.“Did you dream that?” he said.“The rabbit? Sure, I suppose I did,” I said. “He’s a cutie. Probably represents my kindness. Or innocence. Something like that.”The rabbit sniffed my foot, nose twitching, eyes bright. I smiled.And then it bit me, sinking fangs into my bare ankle.”Letitia also encounters Criminy Stain (which is the best character name ever) when she wakes up in Sang. I pictured him as a mixture of every character Johnny Depp has ever played rolled into one. He is the proprietor of a magical traveling circus and he has been waiting for Letitia. He is dark and dangerous and yet incredibly attractive at the same time. He speaks in riddles, you are never quite sure of what is going on in his head, his magic is quite alluring and he is dead set on making Letitia his. I loved his clever dialogue and his desire to put Letitia at ease with who he is was endearing.“I watched him playing with the long blades of grass, weaving them into patterns as he hummed an unfamiliar song, a waltz.“What are you doing?” I asked him.“I’m letting you get used to the idea of me,” he said idly. “I’m pretending to be harmless. Is it working?”He is by far one of the most spellbinding characters I have ever encountered. I was glued to the pages when he appeared and could not wait to see what adventure he would bring us next.Letitia on the other hand was fascinating but frustrating at times. Her last relationship was not a good one and ended poorly. Which has left her with a hardened heart and no desire to find another guy anytime soon. She is intrigued with Criminy, but does not want to be tied down again and therefore she fights him every step of the way. Her unwillingness to give into her emotions and just be with him results in a slow building romance. It was nice not to have them meet and jump right into bed together, but I thought she could have put up a little less of a fight. There was also a hint of a love triangle thrown in there for a bit that I could have done without. There was enough tension being built between Letitia and Criminy and throwing another person in the mix was just too much. The two guys did represent her two choices, stay in Sang or return home, but I thought that choice could have come from within her without the other guy entering the picture.I can’t really delve into the plot too much without giving away all the delicious secrets of this world. I will say I was completely engrossed from beginning to end and could not walk away from this book for a moment. It is utterly enchanting. I don’t know how Delilah came up with the world of Sang, but I cannot wait to see more from it in the future. In a world of books that can blend together this book stands out and has become an instant favorite of mine. I highly suggest this series to anyone looking for something a little different that will suck you in and not let go until the last word.
    • 4/5
      There are plenty of things I would've done differently about this book, but there are plenty of things I liked too.First of all, Letitia Paisley Everett is annoying. And a crybaby. But I didn't really expect anything more from a romance novel. Sometimes she can be pretty cool and clever, but then she'll go burst into tears and the moment is ruined.Second of all, I -loved- the parts at the caravan. But as soon as Letitia and Criminy left the band of gypsies and freaks, I lost interest. Unfortunately, over half the book took place outside of the caravan.Thirdly, I was impressed with the fortune telling bits and the way they were actually fulfilled. That was pretty cool.So there were good parts, but like I said, most of it just didn't click for me.
    • 4/5
      Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Magic and mystery and vampires, oh my!Opening Sentence: I was the one who found Mrs. Stein’s body two weeks ago.The Review:I am fairly new to the steampunk/urban fantasy type of paranormal books, but I found this one quite different and rather interesting.One portion of this book is set in modern day USA, the rest in the parallel world of Sang, circa 1904. In this world, things are somewhat different, for there are several species of bloodsuckers, or bludsuckers as they are referred to in this universe. These nasty things come in every variety too, bludbunnies, bludstags, and most disturbingly, bludrats the size of housecats. *shudder* Also, this world contains all of the elements that make this a steampunk novel, the clockworks, the wardrobe, etc.In our world, the heroine Tish Everett is a home health care aide, who also cares for her invalid grandmother. When she attends the estate sale of a previous patient, she is drawn to a specific volume on a set of bookshelves, and the locket contained therein. When she receives an urgent page she runs from the house, inadvertently taking the locket with her, not knowing just how special that locket is. You see, the locket acts as a portal of sorts, sending her between worlds when she lays her head down to sleep. When she wakes up in an alternate world, it seems as if it is a dream, but in reality her whole life has been shifted on its axis. And in this new world, she becomes Lady Letitia Paisley, fortune teller. It seems her travel to this new world has given her the power of glancing, the ability to see the past and/or future of anyone who’s bare skin she comes in contact with. Good for the business of being a carnie sideshow, bad when knowing another’s secrets can get you in trouble. But also in this world she has the love and protection of a good man, one willing to give her almost anything she wants.Criminy Stain is a bludman with the heart of a poet, the hands of a magician and a dream of long lasting love. In the past he had sent out an enchanted locket with a spell to find him the perfect mate. When the locket plops Tish basically right into his hands, he falls instantly in love. The locket had worked, and Tish was everything he could ever want. There is one slight issue, she craves her home world, and resents this new world, and its strange inhabitants. Wooing her is going to take some work, and a lot of magic.When Letitia’s locket is stolen by a man desperate to return to his world, Criminy promises to help her find it, a journey that will be risking both their lives. For this is no ordinary man, he has risen up in the ranks to magistrate, and is also running a secret organization whose goal is to eradicate the species of bludman entirely. Taking it a bit far for a lover scorned, if you ask me. In the end, Tish finds a way to balance her life in both worlds, caring for her grandmother in one, loving her man in another.Like I said, I found this book rather interesting, and only put it down to sleep. I’m so excited to know there will be another installment.Notable Scene:“I don’t know what you’ve done,” the old man shouted in his deep Southern drawl, all Sangish affectation forgotten. “But I’ll kill you for it!”“You have to get over the wall,” Criminy grunted as his belly hit the branch by my boots. He held out a hand to me, and I took the locket from his black-scaled fingers and shoved it down the tight neck of my gown.“Come on,” I begged, grasping his hand to pull him up. “You’re almost here. We can do it.”He chuckled sadly and looked down.And that’s when I saw the crossbow bolt through his calf, pinning him to the heavy branch below.“You can do it, Letitia,” he said. “Just get over the wall and go to Antonin. I’ll find a way. I’ll find you again.”“You only have to last another minute,” I said frantic and unwilling to abandon him. “The old man—“And then I heard a thwack, and a crossbow bolt bloomed from his throat.Blood spattered over my face and my dress, but I was already in shock. His eyes went wide with surprise. He looked down at the metal point dripping with his blood, then fell slowly backward. It was almost graceful, until the bolt in his leg stopped his downward motion. His body jerked around it and spun, leaving him hanging upside down by the arrow’s shaft.For only a moment, he floated in space, his hair blowing in the breeze. Then the arrow broke, and he fell to the ground with a nasty thud.Goodwill cackled in triumph.The Blud Series:1. Wicked as They ComeFTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books provided me with a copy of Wicked as They Come. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Tish falls in love with a locket at an estate sale and ends up taking it home. She gets it open, goes to bed and finds herself dreaming of a man and a world not like her own. Tish is a bit broken when it comes to relationships. She previously escaped from an abusive relationship and is content to be on her own taking care of her elderly patients and grandmother. From the start she is attracted to Criminy but refuses to let him close for fear that she will lose herself again. Criminy was a fun character to get to know. He is a gypsy musician and he claims Tish is his soul mate from the start. There relationship slowly builds and Tish finds herself torn between worlds. Sang ended up being one of the more original worlds I have read lately. Everything was well described from the landscape to the different people to the unique and deadly wildlife. We meet a wide array of characters that were well developed and brought their own something to the story. I very much hope that even though each book in the series will revolve around a different budding relationship, that we will be able to follow Tish and Criminy a bit more so that we know what their future holds.I found WICKED AS THEY COME to be superbly unique and fun to read. The characters were all full of spunk, the plot was nicely paced, and the world was original and easy to fall into. I will definitely be looking for more from debut author Delilah Dawson.
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyWICKED AS THEY COME, the first book in the Blud series, transports us to an alternate England that is amazingly vibrant and unsettling. Paranormal and steampunk smash blood and gears together in this fascinating world. Cute, fuzzy bunnies can bring down a sheep and strip it to the bone, blood is currency, clockwork animals are the only safe ones, and magic is real.As amazing and intriguing as the world was, there was something lacking in the characters and plot. Tish is the protagonist, a nurse fresh out of a controlling relationship, who finds her way to vampire ridden Victorian England via an enchanted locket. Tried as I did, I couldn’t connect with her. She just took every strange and terrifying thing that happened to her in stride. I’m all for calm and collected, but she needed to freak out a bit, worry a little, something. Then there was Criminy Stain (love that name) a self proclaimed rake and Ringmaster of a circus. Except he never did anything rakish, never did anything that made me think he was truly dangerous. Tish constantly compared him to a gypsy version of Mr. Darcy, but he wasn’t ever arrogant or ill-tempered.The writing was quite good and easily transported me to this alternate England, but the pacing was pretty slow. The whole book takes place over the course of a week, and the first few days are especially slow in terms of plot, and the short time period just wasn’t long enough to create the credible bond between Tish and Criminy (magical fate not withstanding) that we’re supposed to feel.Those complaints aside, the writing and worldbuilding are strong enough that I’m recommending WICKED AS THEY COME, especially if you like steampunk novels. No details are available about the sequel, but three books in this series have been sold to the publisher.Sexual Content:A couple mild sex scenes

    Book preview

    Wicked as They Come - Delilah S. Dawson

    CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

    To my husband, Craig.

    The first one was always for you. Only you.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    Huge thanks and cupcakes go to:

    My husband, Craig. Thanks for making me write that first book, putting up with an unruly helpmeet, and indulging my muse. I would say he’s a saint, but as you can tell by Criminy Stain, I’m not much into saints.

    My family. Thanks to my parents and grandparents for their support and love even though I’m the weirdest person in the family.

    My children. Thanks for rewiring my brain and being awesome.

    My fabulous editor, Abby Zidle, her assistant, Parisa Zolfaghari, and the entire Pocket/Gallery team for an amazing first publishing experience. Thanks to Tony Mauro for an incredible book cover. And thanks to Jen Heddle for falling in love with Blud.

    My rock star agent, Kate McKean. Thanks for lifting me out of the slush, indulging my freak-outs, and killing my darlings. When I doubt myself, I open the first email you ever sent and get all twitterpated. Dude, you rock! Here’s to many more!

    My beta readers. Ericka Axelsson, Carrie Damen, Debbie Pascoe, Austin Lewis, Charis Collins, Kathy Epling, Justina Ireland, and Brent Taylor. My first audience and my cheerleaders, I thank you.

    Janet Herron, for help with the nursing bits of the book.

    Simon Effendi of Artistic Moments Photography in Atlanta, GA, for six years of stunning images.

    Literary agents Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and Jim McCarthy. Thank you for taking the time to reject me kindly and offer advice. It meant the world. And to Jennifer Laughran, just thanks. You rock. You know why.

    The people who helped me become a writer. To my eleventh-grade AP English teacher, Karen Lanning. To Liz Gumbinner, Kristen Chase, and the whole team at www.CoolMomPicks.com.

    My dear friend and mentor, Jan Gibbons. I miss you every day.

    The Hush Sound, Villainess Soaps, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab for inspiration.

    All my real-life friends, my Facebook buddies, my Tweeps, and the people who follow my blog—thank you! If I ever run a magical carnival, I hope you’ll all run away with me.

    1

    I was the one who found Mrs. Stein’s body two weeks ago. Now here I was, pawing through her things, finally free to explore her creepy old house. It wasn’t personal, though—I had barely known her. And the estate sale was probably her idea, anyway, one last attempt to infuriate her children.

    The second I saw the sign, I had to stop. She had been surprisingly paranoid for a hospice patient, and I had never seen anything of her historic Victorian home beyond the downstairs bedroom where she had chosen to spend her remaining days. The chance to explore was just too interesting to pass up. Plus, I’d said good-bye to most of my worldly possessions when I left Jeff , and I had an hour to kill until my next patient.

    I was starting over from scratch and didn’t have the money or the lifestyle for priceless antiques, but I always had room for treasure. Knickknacks, odd paintings, or costume jewelry would help liven up my empty apartment. Best of all, though, the sun-dappled attic upstairs was wall-to-wall books. For me, that was heaven.

    When I first saw the chain hanging from the top of the old tome, I didn’t know what to think. I tugged it up. As the flat locket slid from between the pages, I got a little rush of excitement, like when pulling the prize out of a box of cereal. Sure, it was tarnished and grimy, but it was a prize nonetheless. Maybe my luck was finally changing.

    I let the locket dangle in a sunbeam, charmed by its age and strangeness. I could picture it shining on some young lady’s neck, part of an epic story full of romance and a Prince Charming who didn’t turn out to be an overbearing, soul-sucking jerk. Not that I was bitter or anything. I just wanted to start over fresh, make that good-bye really mean something positive.

    It’s funny how a relationship can sneak up on you like that. It starts with a whirlwind courtship, dozens of roses and poetry and dancing. He buys you a toothbrush, gives you a drawer. You move in. You give in on little things, just to make him happy. The curtains. Your hair, which he thinks you should grow out. Then it’s bigger things. The checkbook. Your job. And the one big-big thing, the baby that you lose, the gift he wasn’t ready to give you. His relief at your pain kills something inside you, the hardest goodbye of all.

    And then one day, you realize that you’re basically a plaything and property to a man who’s charmed you out of your pants and into the perfect wedding ring he had picked out before he even met you. That he’s not making plans with you, he’s making you fit into his plans, no matter what the cost. You realize that you’ve become a paper doll with paper thoughts, that it was all too easy to give up control. And then one night, he hits you, and you pull your dignity off the floor and kick the bastard to the curb.

    You say good-bye. And then you leave. And then you get somewhere else and learn how to say hello again.

    Hello, I said to the locket, trying it out.

    Just looking at it made me happy in a way I had forgotten. A feeling of hope, of indulgence. I’d forgotten how good it felt to choose something for myself, to see an object and say, I’m going to make that mine.

    It was pretty in such a Gothic, old-fashioned way. One side had a large, flat stone—maybe a ruby or maybe just glass. And the other side of the oval had indecipherable writing around the edge with a compass rose in the center. I breathed on the metal and rubbed it on my scrub pants, but its secrets remained safe under eons of muck.

    Just as I was about to head downstairs to pay for the locket, a little old lady appeared at my elbow and said, Excuse me, miss. Can you read this?

    I’d be glad to try, I said with a smile.

    She handed me a crusty old saltcellar, and I read the smudged grease-pencil price. I was like a magnet for old people. Maybe because I was accustomed to helping them at work. Maybe because I looked kind. Or maybe because every time I looked at an elderly person, I thought of my grandmother and couldn’t help smiling.

    Taking care of my grandmother was one of my greatest joys and greatest sorrows. I got to be with her and help her, take care of all of the nursing tasks that she would be mortified to impose on a stranger. But I also had to watch her die, and it broke my heart. With my mom gone and my dad remarried across the country, she was all the family I had. The hours I spent with her every day were precious to me, and I couldn’t believe how much time I had lost with her by wasting time with Jeff in Birmingham.

    This old lady had the same sort of fire that made my grandmother special, a mix of manners and moxie that I hoped I had inherited. Watching her eyes narrow at the offending saltcellar reminded me of going antiques shopping with Nana when I was little, popping jelly beans one by one as she haggled. Still, I didn’t have much time until I was expected at Mr. Rathbin’s house, and after that, I had four more hospice patients waiting. Old people get really cranky when you’re late.

    I was just opening my mouth to apologize and slip away when my beeper went off. It was my case manager, followed by 911.

    Excuse me, I said, rushing past the surprised old woman and down the narrow staircase.

    Must be a doctor, I heard her remark to someone else before I was out of earshot.

    Coulda, woulda, shoulda, I thought, remembering the night that Jeff tore up my applications to medical school and threw them into the trash. Then I corrected myself.

    I can still be a doctor if I want to. Nothing’s stopping me, dammit. I can be anything and anyone I want to be. No one’s going to tell me what to be ever again.

    Back in my car, I reached into my pocket for my cell phone to call the office. Instead, I found the locket. Staring at it, I reminded myself that I was not a thief, that I had never stolen anything in my life . . . on purpose.

    But something I couldn’t explain kept me from going back inside and making things right. The busy woman running the estate sale probably didn’t even know the locket existed. And the recently deceased Mrs. Stein wouldn’t miss it. There wasn’t a price on it. Still, I couldn’t help imagining police cars with blinking lights surrounding my little sedan in the driveway as officers with guns ordered me to put my hands up. So much of the last three years of my life had been based on fear.

    I tugged the chain over my head and pulled my long dark hair out from under it. I couldn’t help giving myself a sly grin in the pull-down mirror. The locket was heavy, and it hung exactly over my heart, much lower than most of my necklaces. I tucked it under my T-shirt and scrub top, enjoying the dull weight against my skin and wondering what sort of metal lurked under the tarnish. Maybe once it was cleaned, I could have the chain shortened.

    Or maybe I’d keep it a secret, just because I could.

    2

    "What’s this thing made of—Kryptonite? I muttered to myself. It’s useless."

    Nana didn’t even glance up from her crossword puzzle to ask, What’s useless?

    Getting this locket clean. I’ve tried everything under your sink. It’s making me crazy.

    I looked at the array of cleaners and scrubby things cluttering the kitchen table. I’d tried them all. Up next: a jack-hammer.

    One corner of her mouth twitched up, and the other puckered down. Tish, honey, please tell me you didn’t just put bleach on a valuable piece of antique jewelry.

    Yep, I said.

    Lordy loo, sugar, she said from her wheelchair, her face all crumpled up like a dried-out apple. You’re going to ruin it. You have to be careful with old things. Show some respect.

    What would you recommend? I asked her. If she didn’t have a good old Southern recipe for hope, no one did.

    Patience, she said with a smile. Take it to a jewelry store tomorrow, before you muck it up. You’re too impetuous. Have you opened it yet?

    I’ve been too busy trying to clean it to see what’s inside, I said. To be honest, though, I was saving that for later, when I was alone. I wanted to savor it, keep it my own little secret.

    When she turned back to her crossword, I tried the bleach one more time, just in case. In the silence of my scrubbing, I heard it. The sound I hated most. Nana’s labored breathing. She was having a tough night, but she wouldn’t admit it. I had arranged it so she was the last call on my rounds, so that I would always have plenty of time for her. I logged all of my nursing duties, making sure she had her chemo meds and antinausea drugs. And after that, I heated up her dinner, helped her tie the scarf around what was left of her hair, and tucked her into bed. She couldn’t climb into it anymore on her own, and she hated that.

    Do you need more Demerol, Nana? I asked softly.

    Her mouth turned down again, and her eyes narrowed. No, I don’t need any more, thank you very much, missy, she said. Don’t you go telling me how I feel. She’d been prickly after the latest relapse. We had thought she was in remission, but apparently, her cancer thought the third time was the charm.

    I just want you to be comfortable, I said. Because I love you.

    I’d rather be me than be doped up, she said, fire in her eyes. If I don’t have much time left, you’re darned tootin’ I’m going to spend it awake and raising heck.

    But it’s bedtime, Nana, I said with a soft laugh. You need your sleep.

    You’re the one who needs it, sugar, she said. Old bones don’t sleep so easy. Now, why don’t you get me ready so you can go out and enjoy being young?

    I’m twenty-five, I said. That’s not very young.

    I’m eighty-four, she said. You’ll have to be young for both of us. Go to a party, or whatever it is you do. Go meet a nice young man.

    I don’t think I’m ready for that, I said.

    The last nice young man I’d met had nearly broken me. I wasn’t ready to be tied down again. And I wasn’t ready to share what was left of myself yet, either.

    I thought about it as I went through our nightly ritual. Thought about bars and bookstores, online dating, handing out little cards to attractive men. None of it was appealing. And it wasn’t as if I was going to meet any eligible bachelors at work. All of my patients were older than seventy except one, who was thirty and a vegetable.

    As I pulled the covers over my grandmother’s shrunken arms and bloated stomach, I gave her my brightest smile. I made sure she had her remote controls, her crossword book and pen, her cordless phone, and her I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up button.

    Good night, Nana. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you, I said.

    Quit saying that like it’s the last time you’re going to say it, she said peevishly. Somebody besides me has to pretend I’ll live forever.

    You’ll live forever, I said. Until I’m as old as you are, and then you’ll finally teach me how to make your famous chocolate pie.

    Maybe, she said. If you’re good.

    I’d be back at her house at eight in the morning to help her out of bed and into her remote-control wheelchair. She could do almost everything else for herself and didn’t want to give up her independence and move into a home. I was happy to help. After I had left Jeff, she was the first one I called, standing at a pay phone, crying in the freezing cold. I’d left my cell phone behind, not wanting to give him a way to find me.

    Just come home, Tish, she had said. Us Everett women can get through anything. Just come home.

    And I had. I’d lived with her for a few weeks before she offered to give me money for the deposit on my apartment. I was touched that she understood how much I needed space of my own, space to find myself. I was broke, and she’d called it an early inheritance. Since then, we’d anchored each other and developed a friendly, loving relationship with only one rule: we never talked about her illness or my past.

    Driving home, I browsed through my CD case. Sure, I had an iPod full of music, but it was all stuff Jeff had picked out, things we had listened to together. I wanted my old favorites, songs that made me feel powerful and pretty and wild and young. The sort of music Jeff had called immature and part of the old Tish. I rolled down my windows to the balmy spring night and sang at the top of my lungs, loving the wind in my hair and the thump of the locket against my heart in time with the drums. He wouldn’t have liked that, either. Would have asked me, with that plaintive voice, if I didn’t prefer the diamonds he had given me.

    Nope. That’s why I’d dumped them down the garbage disposal on my way out and flicked the switch.

    Back at my little apartment, I felt lighthearted for the first time in a long time. As if taking the locket had soothed me, become another choice that further defined who I was. I liked loud music. I took care of my grandmother. I had a good book and a rescued cat named Mr.Surly. I was having cheese toast and tomato soup for dinner. And I had stolen an antique locket from my dead patient’s attic.

    As I undressed and put on my pajamas, my eyes didn’t leave the locket’s reflection in the dresser mirror. I didn’t want to take it off. There was something exciting about it, about having something I wasn’t supposed to have.

    It was time to open it. I felt around the edge opposite the hinge but couldn’t find a clasp. Then I tried to work it open with my fingers, but it didn’t budge. I went to the bathroom and tried to use a nail file to pry it open like an oyster, but it was very unwilling to produce its pearl. Mr. Surly watched me from the counter, tail twitching. He seemed amused.

    With a weary sigh, I waggled my fingers at it and said, Locket, reveal thy secrets!

    Of course, that didn’t work. That sort of thing never does.

    I ran my fingers over it. There had to be a way. Then I pressed the jewel on the front, and the locket popped open.

    I gasped as red liquid burst from inside, splattering my hand with scarlet drops.

    Whatever it was, it burned, and I dropped the locket onto the counter, where it spun for a second, scattering a constellation of red on the bathroom counter.

    I ran my hand under the cold water. The stains stopped burning but didn’t wash away. I lathered up with antibacterial soap, but they didn’t budge, so I got out the nail brush. Looking up at the mirror, I saw myself standing there in a ragged tank top and baggy pajama pants, scrubbing my hand until it was raw and pink. The stains seemed somehow brighter, so I gave up.

    I couldn’t help but wonder, what sort of ancient prankster filled a locket with staining red acid and then hid it in a book? It was its own antitheft device.

    The locket lay innocently on the bathroom counter amid more pesky red spots. No point in scrubbing those right now.

    Then I looked closer and noticed that the red drops had made tiny pockmarks in the granite. Little red holes, eaten into solid rock. I ran my finger over them, puzzled. It didn’t make sense—I should have been full of holes, too. But I wasn’t.

    I didn’t think too hard about it. I was more curious about the locket itself, which was finally open. The red stuff had drained out, so I picked it up and held it under the light.

    Inside, trapped under glass, was a delicate portrait in watercolor. The man was fascinating, and I was transfixed by his piercing eyes, which challenged me from under delicate but sharp brows. His long dark hair looked as if it had been yanked from a tidy queue just moments before and left rebelliously loose to annoy the painter. His mouth was small and somewhat cruel, quirked up into a knowing smirk. His cheekbones could have cut paper. He wore a high white collar that was carelessly open, an indigo cravat hanging untied.

    I loved Jane Austen, so this rogue in a cravat was right up my alley, like an extra-naughty Mr. Darcy. He was the complete opposite of stocky, clean-cut, all-American Jeff—another point in the mystery man’s favor.

    I could almost see a thought bubble rising above his head. I dare you.

    Dare me to what? I said.

    He didn’t have an answer for that.

    I tore my eyes from the image and considered the other side of the locket, looking for the portrait of his lady. Instead, there were words engraved there, and I could almost make them out.

    "Viernes toa meo," I whispered, tracing the letters. I knew a smattering of French and Spanish, just enough to order a sandwich and find the bathroom, and the words seemed oddly familiar but made no sense. Portuguese, maybe? Or Esperanto?

    Who are you? I said out loud. And who carried you over her heart?

    He didn’t have an answer to that, either. I would probably never know, unless I went back to the estate sale and dug around in the attic for clues. Maybe there was a larger portrait that I had missed lurking somewhere in the house, or something written in the book. Between the old lady and the locket, I hadn’t even cracked the spine or looked at the cover. But it would be easy enough to spot—a deep, oxblood red that stood out from the other, dusty brown tomes, which is why I’d noticed it in the first place. I made up my mind to go back to the estate sale the next day, then snapped the locket shut and slipped it back over my head and under my tank top. I felt a little silly.

    Now that the locket’s mystery was solved, real life seeped back into my thoughts. After my time with Nana, I was more bothered than ever. If she was in more pain and not telling me, was she telling her doctor? Was the cancer getting worse, or were the chemo drugs the problem? Worst of all, where would she be if I hadn’t come back from Alabama right when I had? Sometimes I thought I was the only thing willing her to live.

    I’ve always fallen asleep instantly, and my dreams were a fertile place for solving problems. I hoped to find the answers I needed that night.

    3

    I was cold and reached for my blanket. There was nothing there.

    My tank top and pants weren’t there, either.

    Neither was my bed.

    Now, that was curious.

    I opened my eyes as I pressed myself up from the chilly stone. I was completely naked. Except for the locket, which hung against my heart. But it was no longer crusted with age and grime. It was shining and perfect, the brilliant gold glinting in the deep blue stillness of early morning.

    I was frantic for a moment, my arms crossed over my chest, my eyes searching the strangely quiet woods around me. The stone slab was in a foggy clearing surrounded by a ghostly ring of birch trees. A few birds began to sing, breaking the silence. But their songs were somehow wrong.

    Then I laughed to myself.

    I was dreaming, of course.

    Just another one of my crazy lucid dreams.

    I’d had realistic, colorful, full-sensory dreams my entire life, and I was quite accustomed to this moment. In my dreams, I left behind the self-doubt and worry that had dogged me for the past few years. I was stripped down to the essential Tish—the me I wanted to be. I reveled in the lack of consequences. In my dreams, I was free. And yes, frequently naked.

    No big deal. I could do anything I wanted to.

    Time to explore the world.

    After hopping off the stone, I dusted off my dream-butt. I spun slowly in a circle, looking for a path to follow, some sign of where the dream would lead.

    I was startled when I saw him there, leaning against a birch tree. Seconds before, I was sure I was alone, and then he appeared as if by magic.

    It was the man from the locket. He had the same insolent, daredevil, knowing smile, the same unruly hair. One tall black boot was kicked up against the tree behind him, and his arms were crossed over his chest, stretching the shoulders of his black tailcoat.

    You’re here, he said simply.

    Do I know you? I asked, which came out more haughtily than I had intended.

    You will, he answered, kicking off the tree and walking toward me. After all, you’re wearing my locket. And I’ve been waiting for you.

    His accent was clipped and British, just as I would have expected.

    I imagined you with more clothes, he said.

    And I imagined that you ended at the collarbone, I said.

    He threw back his head and laughed, a laugh so full of fierce joy that it was unsettling. No one laughed like that in the real world. They were too self-conscious of what people would say. I hadn’t laughed that way in a long, long time.

    Come along, then, love, and let’s get you covered, he said, and he began to unbutton his coat.

    I don’t normally talk to strangers, I said, arms crossed.

    And I don’t normally escort naked hoydens about the countryside, he said. But if you stand around here uncovered for too long, something even more dangerous than me is going to find you. Besides, I can’t take you home like this. It has to be respectable.

    What has to be respectable? And where do you think you’re taking me? I asked, but he was already shrugging out of his coat and holding it out to me.

    Go on, he said. Then he grinned like a wolf, showing his teeth. It won’t bite.

    I wasn’t too worried about being naked, but if he wanted me to wear his coat, that was fine. The air was chill and clammy, raising gooseflesh on my arms. I shrugged into the coat, and he buttoned it up to my neck. As he twisted the top button right under my chin, our eyes met, and I had to blush and look down. Too intense, his gaze. He was just a little taller than I, rangy but muscled, as I could see through the open neck of his shirt.

    I wasn’t used to things tight around my neck, and I struggled to unbutton the top button.

    Mustn’t, he said, his glove catching my hand. That’s the most important one.

    Don’t tell me what to do. I growled as he swatted my hand again. What is this—Victorian England? No one buttons anything up to the neck, unless it’s snowing, I complained. But I left the button alone.

    Victorian England? he said. Never heard of it. But showing your neck is dangerous here. Showing any skin, really. If it were anyone but me, you’d most likely be dead.

    He held out his arm, and for lack of options, I took it. His black coat was worn but thick and beautiful, fitted and darted in a way that made me feel curvy and pretty, even with nothing else on. His own shirt fluttered in the breeze, the scarlet waistcoat enhancing the paleness of his skin.

    As we began to walk, I breathed in the scent of his coat. It smelled lovely, like berries and wine and something sharp and green. I got a little light-headed, drawing in the aroma.

    He was watching me, and he chuckled. Do you know how a man tames a wolf? he asked me.

    No, I said.

    You get some clothing you’ve been wearing for a while, and you toss it in with her. In the cage or the cavern, where she sleeps. That first one, she rips up, shreds it to nothing. The second one, she just mouths it a bit, gets a taste. Inhales, like you’re doing there. The third bit of clothing, she starts dragging it around, loving on it, sleeping with it. And then you’ve got her under your spell. She’s got the scent of you, wants to keep it around. She’ll follow you anywhere.

    Are you calling me a wolf? I asked.

    Are you calling me a man? he said.

    What else would you be?

    He shot me a wicked grin full of pointy teeth. I started and then shook it off.

    I’m not scared, I said. It’s my dream. Nothing can harm me.

    A dream? he said, one arched eyebrow raised. You think this is a dream?

    I know it is, I said coolly.

    He grinned. Sweetheart, you couldn’t conjure me if you tried.

    We glared at each other then, a battle of wills.

    Motion caught my eye, and I looked down to see a small brown rabbit tenderly nosing out from the wood. It hopped and halted, hopped and halted, almost to us.

    Did you dream that? he said.

    The rabbit? Sure, I suppose I did, I said. He’s a cutie. Probably represents my kindness. Or innocence. Something like that.

    The rabbit sniffed my foot, nose twitching, eyes bright. I smiled.

    And then it bit me, sinking fangs into my bare ankle.

    I shrieked and, without thinking, kicked it. It shrieked, too, tumbling head over fluffy white tail through the air and landing with a thump in the grass. When it finally righted itself, it turned to hiss at me before darting back into the underbrush.

    Hmm. That was different.

    I looked down. My ankle was bleeding from two puncture wounds. And it hurt. Bad.

    You’ll have to watch out for that one now, the man said with another sly grin. He’s got a taste for you.

    Still not scared, I said. Just a bunny, fangs or not. It’s all in my head.

    He’s got friends, the man said. And they’ll be back, and they all have fangs. And you’re bleeding. If you think you’re strong enough to fight off a warren of bludbunnies, I assure you that you’re wrong. You’d better come with me. Now.

    I wasn’t buying it. I needed to take control of the dream. I held out a hand with fingers splayed and focused my will.

    Zzzzzzzsssst! Pshew! Zzzzist! I said. But nothing happened.

    What in Sang are you doing, love? he asked.

    My arm dropped to my side. I was trying to shoot lightning bolts out of my fingertips, I said. Then, quietly, It usually works.

    Told you it wasn’t a dream. Do you want to try flying, too?

    Sheepishly, I gave a little hop, but my feet came back down to the ground.

    No, I said, feeling sullen and embarrassed and on the verge of outright panic. Things weren’t going at all the way they usually did. He should have exploded in a ball of blue lightning by now.

    If you’re done playing around, he said, we really should get moving before something smells that blood on your ankle.

    Again, the glove waited for my hand. I considered.

    It was just a dream, whether or not the usual tricks worked. Might as well see where it went. He couldn’t be more dangerous than a pack of deranged, bloodthirsty rabbits. I took his arm again, and we began to walk down a strange sort of path formed of two deep ruts in the earth. They were about six feet apart and very straight, cut as if by a machine.

    The sky hung too low over a landscape of bleak, endless grasses and small copses and woods. It made me think of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The air was hazy, almost smoggy, but that went with my dreams, where things were often obscured or blurry until I was right up on them.

    As we walked, something began to form in the sunrise haze ahead, dark shadows standing stark against the pearly lavender clouds.

    That’ll be the caravan, the man said conversationally. "My caravan."

    Ah, I said, unsure what to say.

    The silence between us deepened. He seemed pleased about something, but I was suspicious of his good humor. There was something going on, something obvious that I was missing, that he wasn’t telling me. Squinting into the haze, I saw smoke rising from the caravan and tried to puzzle out the shapes.

    Is it a train? I asked.

    You’ve never seen a caravan? he asked. "Oh, love, you slay me. You’re like a

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1