5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 162 pages. Published March 23rd 2020
Blurb:
It’s a classic fairytale: Knight meets necromancer. They argue. They fight. They…make out?
Prince Roland comes home from the war to bury his father and see his sister on the throne. He sneaks out to his favorite tavern for nostalgia’s sake. It’s the place where he kissed a man for the first time, the place where he used to carouse with the lover he buried on a battlefield.
Roland expects to enjoy some anonymity and perhaps flirt with a few strangers for old time’s sake. He does not expect to find a fascinating scholar from out of town—a lonely young man with beautiful eyes and an obvious longing to be touched, buried beneath a prickly demeanor. The man clearly has his secrets, but so does Roland, and their unexpected chemistry makes him feel alive for the first time in months.
Roland exerts all his knightly charm and is rewarded by the promise of a second date. He figures he’ll need something to look forward to tomorrow, since he must spend the day in council with his family’s sworn enemy—a necromancer whom his sister has rashly invited to consult about the war.
Sairis is a necromancer with a price on his head. He knows that he will have to bargain for his life tomorrow. He’s never been this far from his tower. He’s good with magic, not people. He’s frightened, although he doesn’t want to admit it.
Sairis knows he’s doing something foolish by visiting a tavern the evening before his meeting with the royals—a tavern that caters to men of certain tastes. But Sairis wants things. Things a hunted outlaw can never have.
He tells himself that he’ll just watch—see what ordinary people enjoy every day. Sairis is confident in his ability to intimidate anyone who comes too close.
He’s shocked when a dazzling mountain of a man is not intimidated in the slightest. Sairis knows a knight when he sees one. He has killed plenty of knights. But this knight is funny and kind. Sairis finds his defenses melting in spite of his best efforts. Maybe he could go on a second date with this person.
Of course, he’ll have to get through tomorrow first…when he must bargain with the hated royals who have persecuted him all his life.
Likes:
- Quick read.
- Hooked me right from the start.
- World building.
- Characters.
- Romance.
- Mystery element.
Dislikes:
- Abrupt ending with a cliffhanger.
I loved this book. I was looking for a high fantasy gay romance, and it delivered. The book is probably closer to a novella in length, but the plot moved at such a good pace that it doesn’t feel like anything has been left out. I actually enjoyed the short length, because I finished reading in record time.
That could be because I didn’t want to put the book down. I was hooked from the very start. The characters and their situation were so compelling. The instant attraction between Saris and Roland got the romance moving right from the start, while their respective positions kept them at odds. Both were great characters in their own rights. They came from different places, had different opinions, and had different life experiences, but they fit together well.
I was rooting for them the whole way through. The romance is paced really well, so that they get to know and trust each other while never forgetting that the kingdom is in danger. It was a perfect balance.
The non-romantic plot was well structured. There were traitors, a massive threat to the kingdom, and plenty of people working to promote their own agenda. That brought in a mystery element as everyone tried to figure out who was plotting what.
I loved that Daphne was not just a figurehead but a strong woman. Her being the kingdom’s first ever queen was a nice touch. It showed how much things had changed over the past few decades. I always appreciate when authors are able to tell me things about the world without resorting to info dumps, and this book handled that perfectly.
The cliffhanger caught me off guard. It happens at a good time, but it did make me worried about whether or not the next book was out yet. Happily, all three books in the series were published at the same time, so I was able to instantly download the second book and get reading. This series is truly a series, with the plot continuing seamlessly from one book to the next. If you like the first book, you’ll want to get the second immediately.
Love is Love Reviews 