Summoned by Rainy Kaye Series: Summoned #1
Published by Bastei Entertainment on March 28, 2014
Length: 237 pages
Reviewing eBook from Amazon
Rating:
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 the genie folklore, SUMMONED follows a reluctant criminal as he unravels the mystery of the paranormal bond controlling him.
Summoned by Rainy Kaye is a unique, fast-paced, action-packed fantasy about a young-man with a genie bond and what happens when his master asks him to do the impossible. Dimitri is twenty-three years old and doesn’t know what it is like to live on independently. He lives his life under multiple aliases and as for love, it’s all about one-night stands. That is until he meets Sydney, Syd for short. He can’t get enough of her quick-wit, but she also has secrets. When her secrets meet his, the story becomes an all-out thriller that I couldn’t sit down!
I loved the concept of this story! For me, this is the first story I’ve ever read about a genie (unless you include the short stories in Arabian Nights). Do not get this confused with the cute lovable Robin Williams’s genie in Aladdin. This story is dark and twisted, and definitely not for younger readers! Dimitri is the main character and the story is told from his perspective. At fifteen, he inherited the genie-bond when his father died. His family as far back as anyone can remember has served the Walker family, and Karl Walker is the epitome of evil in this book. All he needs to say is “This I wish” and Dimitri is forced to do his service, which includes thieving, kidnapping, murder, and the occasional arson.
But what truly makes this story are the characters. Dimitri is written so well that his struggles are believable. It makes you think what would you do in his situation. He creates stories about the people he hurts for Karl to make it easier on his conscience. Yes he’s a killer, but not by choice and the author makes that very clear in Dim’s struggles. As for Syd, she is also a very secretive girl and her revelation blew my mind. Yet the relationship she builds with Dim is a little hard for me to grasp. I’ve never been in her shoes, so I can’t say that I’d keep going back to a man that was repeatedly mean to me in his attempts to push me away, but she does. And it’s this that makes her character likable to me. I guess because we are in Dim’s head and see his struggle, I’d like to think that Syd sees it too and genuinely wants to help the poor guy.
As for the plot, there are so many twists and turns that I just couldn’t keep them straight until the author tied them together in a nice, bloody bow! This story is truly about the genie-master bond and how Dim will escape it, if that’s even possible. The journey to get to that point is fraught with murder, bombings, and quite a bit of romance as Dim tries to bury in his mind what Karl has forced him to do.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this book, probably more than I should have. I loved Dim’s struggling character and Syd’s secrets, but I also loved the story in general. Such a dark and twisted action-packed fantasy/romance, and even though it is listed as book one of the series it can be a standalone read. No cliffhanger! But readers be warned there is strong language, multiple sexual encounters, and violence (lots of violence!), so I would recommend this book for a mature audience and definitely those over 18. However, if you like a story that will make you think and take you into a whole new world (pun intended) you should really give it a go
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