Pandora #Paranormal Box Set Author Showcase: Rainy Kaye

About a month ago, I had the honor of participating in the Summoned Blog Tour for Rainy Kaye. Well, the book was so good, I'm going to showcase it again! In case you haven't picked it up yet (Why not?) Summoned is a part of Pandora!

Blurb:

Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told—literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.

Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets Syd—assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd—he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can’t tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn’t the type to tolerate secrets.

Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl’s ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming—the wish that will destroy him.

A dark twist on genie folklore, SUMMONED follows a reluctant criminal as he unravels the mystery of the paranormal bond controlling him.

My Review: 
First of all. I am glad to see books out featuring Arabic lore. There is a wealth of great material for stories there that is untapped. This story focuses on djinn, or genies as most people know them. However, if you think this is going to be anything like I Dream of Jeannie or Disney's Aladdin, you will be very mistaken.

This book is filled with violence, sex, and a mystery that keeps you reading until the end. At first I was really questioning why Dimitri had no power, but I'm really satisfied with the answer at the end. Dimitri himself was just awesome. He attitude and quips had me laughing aloud throughout the entire book. And at the end I had some real Damn? Really? Moments.I loved how everything snapped together. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Kaye's work.

Excerpt:

I dislike having to murder someone. Kidnapping is worse. At least when I setup a kill, I know what’s coming. No connections, no honesty, no surprises. Everything I say and do are just steps to luring in my victim. Once the victim falls right into the trap, the next move is swift: crushed windpipe, fatal concussion, or a good ol’ fashioned headshot.

Kidnapping, on the other hand, is a little trickier. First, the victim has an opportunity to respond. I don’t like this. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they manage to alert the authorities. And sometimes they escape, usually by inflicting bodily harm on me.

Dead people don’t retaliate. Kidnapped ones, well, they’re a little more . . . lively.

The second major difference between killing and kidnapping is my conscience. I get in and out with a kill. We have no chance to bond.

Abductees require a little more one-on-one. As much as I try to keep the switch turned off, I can’t help but listen to their pleas and demands. And I usually realize I’m a jerk.

That’s exactly where I find myself one late afternoon in June. I prefer doing this at night, but moreover, I would prefer not doing this at all.

Instead, I have a belligerent nine year old girl sitting in the passenger seat of my Honda Accord, shackles on her wrists and ankles and a small stuffed bunny on her lap. She’s eying me in a way that makes me self-conscious. Like I’m the bad guy.

Probably because I am the bad guy.

About Rainy:
Rainy Kaye is an aspiring overlord. In the mean time, she blogs at RainyoftheDark and writes paranormal novels from her lair somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona.

A Few Words from Rainy about her stories:

I write dark, gritty paranormal/Urban Fantasy novels--for grown ups. This means there will be sex, violence, and bad things happening. No one is sweeping anyone off their feet but, if they're lucky, they just might come to their senses at the end.

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A-Z Blog Hop: Iblis

In my April post for D, I mentioned Iblis being the name for the Devil in Islam. And as the Devil has many tales so does Iblis.  His name is Arabian for despair.  He is described as the father of the djinn and an angel.

The Qur’an mentions his name nine times, seven of which are in reference to his fall from Allah’s grace. One states he was one of the djinn and he broke the Lord’s command. Another says he was treated as an angel. When Allah created Adam, he ordered the angels to bow down and worship him. Iblis refused because Adam was made of dust and beneath Iblis, who was made of fire. Allah curse Iblis and booted him from heaven. Hmm, sound familiar anyone? Iblis managed to persuade Allah to delay any other punishment until judgment day. So, he was allowed to roam the earth and lure men to si so he may destroy them.

In an alternate version, Allah sent his angels down to Earth to destroy the djinn for rebelling against the divine laws. The angels won the war, killing many of the djinn. They captured Iblis and took up to heaven to be “educated.” The remaining djinn formed a new nation and Iblis left heaven to become their king.

In another legend, Iblis promised any animal who carried him into paradise three magical words that would bestow immortality. The serpent agreed and carried Iblis in his mouth. Iblis, being djinn, was made of smoke, so this was easy. Iblis spoke to Eve through the serpent’s mouth and convinced her to eat from the tree of knowledge.

I always find connections between religions of different cultures fascinating.  It proves to me over and over how connected we are, despite distance and limited means of travel in the past.  Are there any stories that you have heard from different countries that are connected?

Do you like stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural? Pick up a copy of "A Prescription for Delirium" available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.