Any Price by Gail Faulkner

I know I have read this author in the past, but after finishing this book I can see why I did. I’ll start off by saying I did enjoy this book, but I’ll also admit that at the beginning of the book I was having a hard time getting into it. I was having a hard time because I became a bit confused at the lack of exposition at the beginning. I know that the “man behind the curtain” is usually explained at the end, but there are at least some bread crumbs to tide you over. I felt as if I had no clue why Lore and Kenna were so drawn together and their paranormal gifts were just shoved in my face. Whether these two issues have any grounds or make any sense, they are MY opinion.

Moving on….

The more I read the more I liked Kenna. I do wish I could’ve had more of a background on her – as far as her grandmother and her family knowing their true ancestry. The same I could say about Lore. I wanted more of a glimpse into his past before he became King. What I enjoyed most was the dynamic of the Keepers. At first glance I had the impression that the Keepers were meant to “serve” the One and the Keeper of the Treasure. After reading more I was happy to discover that between the Keepers there wasn’t a caste system, they did not live to serve the One and the Keeper. It was more like a large family whom were further enhanced by the Keeper of the Treasure, Kenna, and the One, Lore.  I enjoyed the variety of secondary characters that Gail Faulkner used. Case in point, the Keeper Boris whose family originated in Egypt, but in order to survive had to assimilate by intermarrying into European culture.

The chemistry between Lore and Kenna was so intense my laptop monitor was literally smoking. I found myself chanting do it every time they had a moment alone together. GF is very good at teasing the daylights out of her readers. As for the secondary characters, the inner circle of Keepers, I appreciated the individuality of each of them. They all had their own strengths, i.e. powers, and their own personal connection to the Keeper of the Treasure. At the precise moment where I decided I needed to know where these Keepers came from and how they evolved into them GF dropped that info into my lap. I wasn’t distracted by my ‘need to know’ and that was absolutely awesome. I became so firmly invested in Lore and Kenna’s story I was literally sick to see the About the Author page.  I’m happy to report that there will be more Keepers’ stories.

I give this series starter a Medium/High rating and definitely recommend it. To me, it would make an excellent series on the Syfy channel.   Hint hint : There is room now since Eureka is ending.