5 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 210 pages. Published September 5th 2016 by Troll River Publications
Blurb:
Forty-year-old, hard bitten, foul-mouthed, homicide detective, Hiro Santos, suspects the owner of the art studio committed the gory killing. Too bad. There are other things he’d like to do to the gorgeous young man than book him for murder. Worse, his sexy suspect is certifiable. The nutcase claims he’s some kind of high wizard from an alternate reality and needs Hiro’s help to save their worlds.
While the striking Sable Campion appears a youthful twenty-five, he’s endured over two-hundred lonely years as guardian of the portal between Everlight and Elysium. None of those centuries offered him any experience finding a vicious killer. That’s where Hiro Santos comes in; but convincing the virile detective to trust Sable will take all his persuasive skills…and perhaps a bit of magic.
The magic they find in each other’s arms will rock each of their realities.
Likes:
- Person of color main character.
- Hiro and Sable, together and separately.
- Hooked me fast and kept my attention.
- A great mashup of romance, fantasy, and mystery.
- The character development both men went through.
- Hot smut.
Dislikes:
- Too many pronouns on occasion could make things confusing.
- Was expecting last minute drama.
- Occasional point of view changes out of nowhere.
My favorite genres are gay romance, fantasy, and mystery. This book had all three, and combined them seamlessly. I’m very impressed. There was a lot going on in this book, but it was balanced nicely. A romance that continued to change and grow up to the end, enough world building to flesh out Elysium, and a mystery that drove the story’s momentum.
I liked Hiro and Sable equally. They’re both smart, talented men. The lives they’ve lived are wildly different, but they fit together perfectly as both a romantic couple and partners trying to solve a crime. Watching their relationship was so much fun. They both undergo drastic changes throughout the book, thanks to one another. The character development was top notch.
I especially love that Hiro is a person of color with a complex ethnic background. Not only that, but his ethnicity plays a part in the story. I wish there were more character like Hiro in gay romance.
This book hooked me fast. I don’t mind a gruesome murder scene here and there, especially when it sets up the mystery. The mystery was the main driving force behind the story’s momentum. Hiro and Sable are a couple by about the middle of the book, so the romantic drive decreases a bit. Other points of interest come in, which makes you want to hurry and find out all the details.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the smut. So hot, and a lot of it. Plus, the men are verse. The attraction between Hiro and Sable is off the charts, and doesn’t cool down even after they get together.
I was expecting last minute drama when it came time for the killer to be revealed. It was a little disappointing that there was no double cross or anything like that. But I liked the way everything ended. It sets up future books perfectly.
I think there are times when the pronoun ‘him’ was overused, and made things a little confusing. Similarly, there are some random point of view changes. But other than that, I don’t have any complaints about this book. I’m excited to get to the next one. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if Hiro and Sable were the main characters again, I liked them that much.
Find the review for the second book in the series, Incident of Magic, here.
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