Book forty-three: Deep, Dark and Dangerous

Deep, Dark and Dangerous (2006)
Jaid Black

Rating: 2/5

Weird plot. Not much really happens and what does occur I couldn’t really make much sense of. I had had very little sleep when I read it though, so my opinion's probably not valid.

"A star in a world of wealth and privilege....

Fed up with Hollywood backstabbing, famous movie actress Madalyn Simon decided to escape the spotlight. Her new back-to-basics existence in an Alaskan cabin did take getting used to, but at least she was in control of her own destiny -- or so she thought. While snowmobiling on the frigid coast with her sister, the pair is taken hostage by a band of rough men who want them -- for reasons beyond imagining.

A captive in a world of inescapable seductions....

They are neo-Vikings from a hidden underworld, in search of women Outsiders to breed for the New Sweden clan. Their sexy leader, Otar, wants only one woman: Madalyn. Overpowered by his masculine strength and unmasked desire, Madalyn must become Otar's wife or face the marriage auction block. Now, in a world beyond dreams and as real as the hot flesh of her enticing warrior-husband, Madalyn discovers the power of an all-consuming passion -- as the fires of revolution threaten all she has come to love...."

One thing that stood out from this was that it didn’t really go past the surface level of the world. Ever interaction the main character had with people or situations within the world were just to reinforce one thing – they were highly sexist race, who would use her ill if she didn’t follow their social order and marry the guy (or should I say “hunter”) who’d claimed her.

The “old language” thing was also annoying. I think it may it hard to decipher what they were saying. Also, I don’t really know that much about ancient whatever-it-was – which is probably why it annoyed me so much – but wouldn’t their language have evolved as our languages has in their isolation? Surely they wouldn’t be using the same words and phrases thousands of years later?

Still, it’s an interesting concept to have this race of people living underground and avoiding everyone on the surface. And maybe Black will use the world she’s created more successfully in the future.

Meanwhile, what’s with the cover? The book was set somewhere near Alaska… no water, only snow.

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Finished: 9/5