Guest Review: Carnal Healing by Virginia Reede

Leonore has always known she’s a witch, a direct descendant of the legendary Witch of Caernathen, whose power flowed from the sensual pleasures of sex. After years of searching, Leornore has found six other women, each of whom has one of the magical gifts of their mutual ancestress. The circle of seven now prepares to perform the ritual that will restore all of them to the awesome power that is their birthright.

Dr. Jeff Carson thinks Leonore is only interested in a one-night stand. But he soon learns the mysterious woman is impossible to forget, and not only for the astonishing and puzzling sensations that he experiences during their lovemaking. For once, Leonore is having a hard time leaving a lover behind once she’s used him to restore her power. Jeff and Leonore barely have time to explore their new connection when an ancient enemy appears from an order of sorcerers who will do anything to stop the ritual from happening, threatening not only Jeff and Leonore’s love, but their very lives.

Ellora’s Cave Publications is famous for their erotic romance literature and their shorter story selections. This is one that I think feels like it should be a prequel (I couldn’t really find any indication that it is) because the ending sort of leaves the readers somewhat expecting more to come at a later time. In any event, the introduction and the Prologue indicate that Leonore’s ancestry goes back centuries and that the magic that she possesses as a healer is not yet fully formed. The Circle of Seven must activate all their powers by performing an ancient ritual at the precise time of the vernal equinox. The Circle of Seven, their participants and they conversations forms a backdrop to the love story between Dr. Jeff and Leonore—a love story that is quite accidental and certainly not intended by Leonore. As a healer she uses up enormous amounts of magic energy whenever she visits the sick and finds someone upon whom she can lay hands. She can only regenerate her magic powers by having sexual orgasm, not by her own hand, but brought upon her with a partner. She usually seeks out what she call “anonymous” partners, picking them up, taking them to a neutral location, having sex, and disappearing, all without giving away even her name. Dr. Jeff Carson is the object of her interest and certainly would have joined the ranks of the anonymous lovers of the past had Leonore not run into him at the local hospital. It turns out that he is a resident there. She is surprised to hear herself giving him her name and agreeing to meet him at his apartment the next evening where he cooks her dinner.

Leonore is aware that there is something very mysterious about her coupling with Dr. Jeff – whenever they reach the peak of their sexual experience there appears a “light show” all around them, almost as if they manufacture their own fireworks. And they manage to put on several fireworks displays! But all this sexual bliss is brought up short by the appearance of one who is out to destroy the Circle of Seven and he fixes on Leonore as one of the most powerful of the seven women.

Now this is a valiant attempt by the author to use the novella format to tell a very complicated story – I would say two layered. On the one hand you have the Circle of Seven who are having their own difficulties planning and executing the ancient ritual during the equinox. You then have Jeff & Leonore’s story, and then you have this old, but tried and true conflict between the good magic of the Circle of Seven witches and the evil sorcerers who are attempting to do them in one by one. However, Leonore is an interesting and a complex person who is not really open to personal loving but who begins to see that Jeff Carson is in her life for a reason and it is not a reason that she has to understand in order for it to be important. The fates have spoken! Her friendships with the other women add greatly to the flow of the story as well as coloring it with the warm hues of loyalty and kindness. Jeff is a true healer as well—caring for those who need him, most of whom are children with cancer. His willingness, because of his growing love for Leonore, to hear the truth about her and to accept her for who she is, testifies to the bigness of his heart and the openness of his mind to new ideas.

It is a nice story and not a difficult read. Like all novellas, it serve its purpose as being one of those quickly read bits and pieces that we often slot in between the longer and heavier fiction we all keep close to us. The characters are interesting and have depth; the story itself is well told and is a careful blending of fantasy as modern reality. It is deeply moving to witness Leonore’s consistent care for a particular child who is full of cancer and dying—one of Jeff’s patients. It is a very nice book and a satisfying love story. I do think the ending left me hanging a bit—I still maintain that I missed some indication that more of the story will follow. If so, I will most certainly be interested in reading it.

I give this novella a 3.75 out of 5 rating.


You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place