This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Dagda: A New Dawn by Corina Douglas is a companion short story to the author's Celtic fantasy series Daughter of Winter. The book begins with an introduction to the titular God, Dagda, on a night when all manner of pleasure is permissible. Samhain is on the cusp and Dagda is distracted in anger and jealousy that his wife Morrígan has been singled out to partner with the new king. Worse still, Dagda's beautiful, intense, intelligent, and sexually bold wife is unable to hide her own pleasure in fulfilling this duty. Dagda's sister Cerridwen catches him as he is drowning his sorrows in mead, telling him of a cloudy vision she has had that on this night, Dagda will also find pleasure...but only if he is able to get past his own stubbornness. “When a woman enters a man’s home, they only desire two things: companionship and sex, or to steal from them. Are you here to steal my cauldron, or is it the former...”
In the interest of full disclosure, I had to read Dagda on my phone because my wife practically wrestled the e-reader from my grip after seeing the cover. The irony here is that this exact situation gave me all the same feelings Dagda must have had, and in my opinion that now makes me an expert on the topic. The story is written from the point of view of Dagda, which I appreciated as most books with this degree of excellent sizzle are written from a female perspective. Men need sizzle too. Douglas is skilled in the literary arts of scene-setting and providing readers with a vivid depiction of what is happening and why. What sets her apart is the ability to elicit genuine emotion from a reader because the emotion that extends from Dagda is palpable. For a short story, this piece has some serious weight, and Douglas has roped in not just one, but two new fans. Very highly recommended.
