About the Book
Title: Keeping House
Author: Jeanne G’Fellers
Series: Appalachian Elementals (book 2)
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Tags: LGBT, religion & spirituality, elemental magic
Date: July 8, 2019
Length: 410 pages
ISBN: 9781732327771
Purchase Links
Publisher | Amazon eBook | Amazon paperback | Amazon UK | Smashwords | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Synopsis
Centenary Rhodes is caught in a deal she didn’t make. Thanks to her eternal lover, Stowne’s, quick thinking, she’ll live forever, but there’s a hitch. Cent’s now fey, and three months out of the year she’ll live on the other side of Embreeville Mountain among the Hunter Fey, serving their king, Dane Gow.
As Cent begins wading through the anachronisms that come with being a Hunter, she learns that nothing is what it initially seems. Cent shares several past lives with Dane, who wants her back, and Stowne’s lied to Cent so many times that she’s having doubts about their marriage. To make matters worse, the past Hunter Kings are influencing Dane’s behavior, and the youngest Hunter, Brinn, might well be the most dangerous of them all.
It’s going to be a cold, dark spring, and Cent needs to unite both sides of Embreeville mountain before her eternal life, her relationship with Dane, and her marriage to Stowne come permanently undone.
Another rich Contemporary Appalachian tale about fantastic people and the magic they possess, including LGBTQIA+ characters Human and otherwise.
Review
Full disclosure: I was one of the behind-the-scenes people who worked on this novel, so I’m going in with a little bit of bias. [Honesty: I love the series and have from the beginning, so I had an idea how this would go too.]
It’s a little hard to know where to begin because the story, like its predecessor, is so full of cultural and spiritual meaning. That’s probably the thing I like most, getting a taste of life in the story’s setting. Everything is interconnected, a bit like linking points on a map with string.
There’s a lot going on in here: a sort of ghost story, if you squint; the unsettling and ruffled feathers of changing relationships; an epic battle with evil; and a heartwarming family tale, if an unconventional one. What’s not to love with all that happening?
As always, though, it’s the characters who bring everything to life (and I’d argue that this specific part of Appalachia is a character all its own). After the first novel, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about Dane, the Hunter King. I ended up loving her. She’s a handful, and I think I’d be intimidated if I met her in person. And man, does her intuition really stick in Cent’s craw, which I also like. It’s fun to watch their interactions and the way they both open up to each other slowly.
Of course, I adore Cent in all her stubbornness and distrust. Once again, it’s her journey and growth we’re really following, and through her eyes, we see the same in others. Cent is literally an old soul, yet she still has so much to learn. Ultimately, her compassionate nature wins over, and she changes and expands as her world does.
There are a lot of new faces in here, but also plenty of familiar ones. This is a story with dozens of characters, and yet it somehow doesn’t ever feel like too many. Each one has an important part in the larger tapestry, and I felt as if they all had their own story they could tell. This world keeps expanding, like an entire galaxy contained within this small community. I hope it keeps going for a good long while.
I could go on forever, but what I really need is half a dozen people to sit around and talk about this with. This is a book, and a series, worth pondering the deeper themes: what does it mean to be a family? where will our spiritual paths lead us? are first impressions always right? how do we fight the demons of the past and live in the present?
Mostly, I just want everyone to have the chance to read these books. While I wait for others to catch up, I’ll be spending my time re-reading about Cent and company and immersing myself in their world.
About the Author
Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Science Fiction and Fantasy author Jeanne G’Fellers’ early memories include watching the original Star Trek series with her father and reading the books her librarian mother brought home. Jeanne’s influences include author Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Isaac Asimov, and Frank Herbert.
Jeanne’s first series, The Taelach Sisters Series, won two Golden Crown Literary Awards for excellence in Speculative Fiction and was short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award.
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