Dead Man’s Trigger, a Raven & Iris novel: Book Two of a LitRPG series based in the Fantasy World of Menelon (The Raven & The Iris 2)
The action packed sequel to Raven's Tears! is here!
One for sorrow, two for joy…
One winter night in the month of Vilmath, Raven and Iris face off high atop Fernwall's iconic Morrissant Bridge. It's been four months since he discovered her secret identity as the thief of the Magun-Zak, a priceless and ancient artifact of dwarven origins, and the night he confronted her with her lies. As Angel, she can't forget him, but as Iris, she's had to spend too many nights prowling the shadows in the harbor district protecting her dead man's trigger, the secret cache of documents holding her ex-partner-turned-nemesis at bay. That night on the bridge, injured, exhausted, and surrounded by her enemies, the Iris finds herself making a choice between rage and love, one that will change her life, and Raven's, forever.
Three for a girl, four for a boy…
Raven's had a stack of problems: The wrong criminal is on trial for the theft of the Magun-Zak. Raven knows who did it and has the evidence, but he can't bring himself to arrest the love of his life, no matter her crimes. Mercenaries and other hired goons are roaming with impunity south of the river, stirring up trouble in the poorest districts of the city. Everyone wants answers he hasn't got, and faced with the choice between betraying Hal Roland, the only man in Fernwall who believes in him, or Angel, the only woman he's ever loved, Raven decides to try drinking and whoring himself to death, first.
Five for Silver, Six for Gold
Louis Arnot has bided his time, gloating as Angeligue's health begin to fail and her public quarrels with Vincent explode across the daily society pages. His plans never included the possibility that she could fall in love - or that she'd betray him again and again for the hope of a "happily ever after" with a con turned cop! As the effects of Louis' secret operations begin to make life difficult for the poor folk of the city, Raven must use all inventive skill to discover Arnot's plans before Fernwall's river district erupts in open warfare.
When Inspector Barbara Cole is severely beaten and left for dead in the river district, it sets off a cascade of events that drive Vincent and Angelique to a high-stakes confrontation in the heart of the Merchants' Quarter. Can Raven recognize the truths between the Angel and the Iris before it's too late?
And will Iris ever forgive Vincent for abandoning them when they needed him most?
Seven for a Secret to be published soon!
| Dead Man's Trigger costs $4.99 USD | |
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(The following review has been copied from our old cart service, with its original posting date and attribution.)
Posted by Lucylicious Reads – December 1, 2015:
I feel like I just stepped off a roller coaster that was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Dead Man’s Trigger was a TRIP! We find out two lovers much like we left them in Raven’s Tears- apart and angry at each other. Angelique initially is hoping that she can mend fences with Vincent. But he is too deeply wounded and angry. Their first encounter since their explosive confrontation at the end of the first book ends disastorously and with them farther apart from each other than ever.
And apart, they descend into equally wretched patterns of self destructive behavior. Vincent become a drunk manwhore who tried to numb his pain by drowning in liquor and women. While he is busy drowning his sorrows, the city he is charged with protecting is in the midst of a crime wave that is being fueled by warring traps ( I understood these to be warring criminal organizations). The stolen artifact is still missing and as far as the public knows the police sabotaged the case against their only suspect and so are no closer to finding it.
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In Raven’s Tears we know that Angelique is living a double life. She is impersonating a Barronness that is the creation of Louis Arnot while she is really the bastard daughter of a duke named Angela. What is revealed in this book is that is not impersonating anything…she is actually 5 separate personalities in one body. And the stress of her separation from Raven has brought two of them to life – and while they seem to be aware of each other, Angelique the Barronness is not fully aware of the acts committed by these personalities when they take over her body. Iris (the namesake of the book) is a badass, trained elite fighter, who is basically a one woman army involved in the trap wars that are raging the streets at night. She dons a black wig and moves like a ninja at night. Angel seems to be the personality closest to Angelique’s original personality and is the calming glue that seems to bind them all together. We are also introduced to Cricket (a child) and Angela (the one who actually loves Louis). I was really surprised by this turn in the story. And honestly for the first half of the book I didn’t understand it. I am not sure that I do now, actually. But when Raven and Iris/Angel/Angelique reunite I am relieved that Raven, at least, seems to not be freaked out by these split personalities. In fact, he seems to like having these different women all in the body of the woman he loves–it might actually be what keeps him faithful in the end (I hope!) His initial encounter with the core trio is with Iris and he doesn’t recognize her initially. It is not just the wig and the clothes, it is the way she moves and speaks– it is starkly different from Angelique. To him, she is Angelique in disguise and he doesn’t really truly understand what she is until he encounters Angelique the morning after.
These two are SO good together. I almost wept tears of relief when they were finally back together and when Angelique FINALLY tells him all about her and Louis and her past. I thought it took too long, really because while the whole crime/suspense part of the story was interesting, I want to see my couple together! Though- their reunion, the sheer joy they feel and radiate from it. nearly makes the wait worth it. They don’t waste anytime getting things back in order. Angelique and Vincent resume their betrothal. Iris and Raven plan to take Louis Arnot down and Angel just tries to keep everyone from killing each other.
Speaking of Louis, we get to see the workings of his unhinged mind. He is the ultimate criminal mastermind. But I feel good about the chances of his defeat. He is TOO confident. As they say, pride goes before the fall. But, at the moment he is desperate to re-exert control over Angela and he clearly feels he has nothing to lose. That makes him a very dangerous opponent. Raven and Iris need to stay on high alert and we see them take a hard hit when they lose their focus. The concept of the Multiple Personality Disorder (i think) is novel. I am curious to see what it is in aid of.
And this installments ends in a cliffhanger that made me need listen to some music and bake banana bread as soon as I finished the story – for real. I had to step away because I just couldn’t believe that I have to wait almost 9 months for the next installment. The authors do a nice job of assuaging some of the angst with a nice post script.
Main impressions: The writing is great, the story highly entertaining and FASCINATING! This in terms of character development and the quality of the relationship between Raven and Iris was a step up from book 1 and so I hoping that trajectory continues in book 3. I am looking forward to more romance, a faithful Raven and a mentally intact Iris in the next installment!
(The following review has been copied from our old cart service, with its original posting date and attribution.)
Posted by Adam Smith – November 29, 2015:
I recently read the first book, so it was fresh in my mind when I started this one. This sequel picks up exactly where the first one left off, and the relationship between the two main characters is initially built in the first book, so I highly recommend reading the first novel, Raven’s Tears. This book was faithful to the setup of the first and maintained consistency completely.
This book is vastly different from the first novel. Raven’s Tears had almost no action scenes whatsoever, while this book is packed with a great and satisfying amount. I love action films and books, and this definitely didn’t leave me wanting. There is a sharp edge to the action scenes. The first novel had numerous explicit sex scenes, where this one has far fewer. The one major sex scene in the book is less physically explicit and more focused on descriptions of reactions and emotional interaction. The character descriptions and scene locations are tighter and more visually apparent. Overall, the authors seem to have stepped up their writing game and shifted to a style more engaging for all audiences.
The subject deals to a great extent with mental disorder or illness in several of the characters. It’s portrayed tastefully and with respect, without exploitation or fantastical exaggeration.
As for the plot, it’s good. I enjoyed it immensely, and this is not my standard go-to for genres. The first book in many ways felt geared primarily toward the stereotypical female reader of romance. This felt far more blended between Romance and Action Fantasy. It kept me hooked all the way through. There’s not a dull moment to be found. In all honesty it is clearly book 2 of 3, as many parts of the ending stay wide open for resolution. But it was a satisfying sort of ending which brought a lot of character growth to fulfillment in many areas. I definitely look forward to the next book.
I would feel comfortable recommending this to any adult fan of fantasy. Not for kids, without being over-the-top “adult-only,” and definitely enjoyable for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy world with a deep love story. This love story is not all sunshine and roses, and that makes it all the more meaningful and engaging.