Tailspin (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Book 2 in the Phoenix Rising series.

From his magnificent tawny wings to his wicked feathery tail, Miriliel the Burnished is masculine perfection.

One glance and Fledge knows she's outclassed. After all, she's a small, ordinary circus girl with no education, no looks and no prospects. Mirry's not only a warrior of the Aetherii but also a scholar of renown. Mesmerized by the power of his personality and her desire to be mastered, Fledge gives herself up for lost. But she can't help thinking if only she had wings, she'd soar with Mirry in a Mating Flight for the ages. If only...

Mirry has lots of things on his oh-so-clever mind. An ageless demon captured his friend, Janarnavriel the Noir, and it's using the dark warrior's beautiful body for a perverted playground. All Mirry has to do is rescue his friend, finish his encyclopedia and educate Fledge. By the time he's finished, she'll know how to read, write and submit for her pleasure -- and his. In between, he needs to kill a deathless demon, sort out his complicated feelings for Jan and show Fledge the secret of an Aetherii orgasm.

Not to worry. He's made a list...

About the Author

When Denise Rossetti was very small, she had an aunt who would tell her the most wonderful fairy tales - all original. Denise grew up, as little girls do, but the magic of story still dazzles and enthralls her. On the good days, she likes to think of herself as Scheherazade's sister. On the bad days - not so much.

She remains an incurable romantic who loves happy endings, heart-pounding adventure and the eventual triumph of good over evil. All hail the guys in the white hats - unless the ones wearing black are more...um...interesting?

Denise lives in a comfortable, messy old house in the Australian suburbs. She's small, noisy and tends to wave her hands around a lot, which can be unfortunate if the tale she's telling happens to have explosions in it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishers (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419958712
• ISBN-13: 978-1419958717
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #746,623 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 5, 2009

By	Lissa "Rabid Bibliophile" (USA) - See all my reviews

I didn't really know what this book was about when I purchased it, so it was a bit of a risk, but I'm certainly glad I did.

Fledge is a Story Witch, part of a traveling circus. While collecting carcasses to feed the animals in the menagerie, she discovers the body of a strange winged man with a tail, a type of being she's never seen before in all of her travels. He's not dead, only wounded, and she sneaks him back to her wagon to nurse him back to health, knowing that if he's discovered, the cruel leader of the circus will imprison him as part of the show.

Miriliel is an Aetherii, a creation of The Firsters through the long-forgotten "magic" of gene-splicing. They settled the planet Phoenix (the meaning of that reference is forgotten, too), a world in which cities are built on the leaves of giant plants that float on the surface of the ocean.

Miriliel, or Mirry as he's called, is a scholar compiling an encyclopedia of the Ten Nations and their various customs, flora and fauna. His fascinated reaction when he discovers a cat that's kept as a pet by one of the women who works for the fair is very amusing. He'd heard of them, of course, because it was known that The Firsters brought cats and dogs to the new world, but cats did not thrive. We learn more of this world through Mirry's encyclopedia entries that begin each chapter.

In the course of his travels, Mirry and his best friend Jan were set upon by assassins. Believing they'd killed Mirry, they threw his body into a carcass pit. Mirry fears his friend has fared no better. Unbeknownst to Mirry, Jan has been kidnapped by a demon who inhabits the body of a famous opera singer who had been thrilled to find a pair of the legendary Aetherii. The demon's intent is to leach Jan's life out bit by bit.

Plain little Fledge, an ordinary human, tells stories at the fair for her living. Once it's discovered that she'd hidden this fascinating man from the fair's leader, she's sentenced to be whipped. Mirry, having recovered, pays a huge sum to the fair leader to spare her and to "rent" her for two weeks to tell him of the things she's seen in her life with the fair. Fledge has been the victim of abuse and the book details her battle to learn to trust and to gain her own self-confidence.

And that's just the beginning. Love triangles, daring escapes, battles with demons.... The book is a well-written, entertaining read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to fans of fantasy romance.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Officially Fell In Love With Rossetti's Writing, April 30, 2009

By	Holly Bliss - See all my reviews

This was the second story I'd read by Rossetti, and as much as I adored Gift of the Goddess, I tumbled head over heels in love with her work in Tailspin. I'll try to minimize the fangirl gushing and focus concretely on the attractions of Rossetti's writing (in a way I think even Mirry would approve of!):
1) She offers lush sensual details that tease and charm every sense.
2) The sexual dynamics of her characters combine intensity and heat with a sense of playfulness, joy, and sweetness that reminds me of one of my favorite authors--Emma Holly.
3) She's able to create a menage that is truly a romance; you know that Fledge, Mirry, and Jan HAVE to be together--it's not a happy ending if the three of them aren't a unit.
4) Her skillfulness with worldbuilding is a pleasure--everything from details about the setting and the cultures, to the specifics of Aetherii physiology are handled deftly.
5) Her characters are fabulous; multi-dimensional and delightfully engaging as they take on the challenge of stepping outside of their self-concepts to love someone else (well, a couple of someone elses) with courage and honesty.

All right, I ended up gushing anyway. But Denise Rossetti's writing deserves it; my only complaint is that she isn't writing fast enough to suit me!

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It! Loved It! Loved It!, August 9, 2009

By	S. Frizell "Great Reader" (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This story immediately engages you with the well-rounded and (unlike so many) actually likeable characters. This story is set in the same world and time as "The Gift of the Goddess" with a fleeting mention of the other characters. Fledge, the small human heroine of the story, rescues an Atheri, Mirry, following an attack made on him and a friend, Jan. The story tells how Mirry becomes intrigued by Fledge and encourages her to re-evaluate herself. This story is also about Mirry's burgeoning love for Fledge AND his friend. It's a beautiful and fanciful love story. The 3rd in the series, "Strongman" is just as beautiful and an enthralling M/M/F love story that is very captivating. Denise Rossetti has become one of my favorite and all her stories eagerly awaited (and I see that she is working on another in the Phoenix Rising series - Yippee!) This is a highly recommended read and does not require the reading of any of the others in the series, which is always a plus.