Stairway To Heaven
Ebook ISBN: 1-59279-414-9
Shannon Leigh
Amber Quill Press
August 2005
"...a sensual, flight-of-fancy release that will whisk readers away to a place of enchantment..."
Traveling to Peru’s Amazon Forest on behalf of Providian Pharmaceuticals is the opportunity of a lifetime for biologist, Rhea, and her perky, don’t-let-the-blonde-hair-and-big-boobs-fool-you lab assistant, Ashley. With so many miles separating Rhea from her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can finally put their months’ old break-up in the proper perspective. And about time, too, right, Ash?!
Finding a possible cure for cancer is a heck of a lot more important than her messed-up love life, anyway. Thank goodness the Huitoto Indians’ village is more welcoming than the bunch of ramshackle buildings they first encountered upon stepping off that equally rickety plane. Rhea almost decided to get right back on it, in fact. Spend six weeks in the middle of nowhere without a rain-proof roof over her head? I don’t think so…
The village is really quite lovely, though, and has surprised both women with its level of comfort and the eye-catching beauty of the Indians’ wares. What ever happened to the mahogany-haired hunk Rhea saw (and promptly started to drool over) shortly after arriving, though? He didn’t seem to be one of the local natives -- he had too much muscle and brawn, too much knee-weakening presence and arrogant awareness of said presence to blend with the natives. Then again, he didn’t seem to be a figment of her imagination, either.
Sure, Rhea’s tired and hasn’t had anything substantial to eat or drink for twelve-plus hours. That doesn’t mean she’s imagining things or having some weird, low blood sugar-induced hallucination about a really hot guy, does it? Darn it, she saw something, no someone; she knows she did! But could it have been The Guardian of the Stairway to Heaven -- what an insane, creepy, out-there thought! -- as a local woman insists?
If so, what does this so-called Guardian want with Rhea, and why isn’t she more afraid of him, it, whatever? (Valos, I’ll call him Valos, she decides after another up-close-and-personal encounter with the unsettling entity).
Shannon Leigh’s paranormal novella from Amber Quill Press, Stairway To Heaven, is a sensual, flight-of-fancy release that will whisk readers away to a place of subtle enchantment. At approximately twenty-six thousand words, it’s just long enough to satisfy one (though Valos, by nature, is a rather nebulous character). Ms. Leigh’s arrogant, irritating and irresistible guardian appears and disappears at will, in fact, and can even read poor Rhea’s thoughts.
How can she muster a suitable defense against such an overpowering force? To be quite frank, she can’t. As a result, Valos’s utter mastery of the situation, his unruffled calm and implacable arrogance, are a little off-putting at times. Rhea, after all, is painfully vulnerable in comparison and doesn’t have as much power in the situation as she should, though she does tell Valos where to stick it when she’s feeling overwhelmed by his, er, persistence.
A greater balance of power -- more give and take to their relationship, in other words -- would have thrilled this reviewer beyond measure, but there’s also something very, very enticing about letting go of one’s control, isn’t there? Of being the focus of a man’s hot-eyed, single-minded desire? Hmm, come to think of it, Rhea is a pretty lucky girl, isn't she?
Stairway To Heaven is yet another stepping stone in Shannon Leigh’s writing career, and paves the way for lengthier releases from this author (such as Ms. Leigh’s previous release, More Than Prophecy). It’s sexy, creative and light-hearted, and has an intriguing paranormal twist to the plot. Can a reader really ask for anything more from a novella?
