I’ve been on a fantasy kick lately. It’s my favorite genre, but I am so often massively disappointed by the stuff I buy that I tend to avoid it. But, I reread a book recently that I forgot I liked, and I read another one this past weekend that is worth pimping. I also read one that I should hate, but like despite myself :3
Shadow Hunt
by L. M. Prieto & Jayson Taylor’s
Published by: Loose-id
ISBN: 978-1-59632-475-6
Genre: LGBT Fantasy
Length: NovelBastard son of the king and member of the magic-wielders Council, Peregrine the witch has a lot of power. He also has powerful rivals. When one summons a demon to kill him and destroy his line, he must find a way to stop him and gain the throne.
Bound to serve a powerful witch, the demon Winter wants to complete his mission, kill the one who bound him, and return home. The longer he hunts Peregrine, though, the more he comes to appreciate him.
Now Winter doesn’t want to kill Peregrine, and Peregrine finds himself drawn to the dangerous, seductive demon. With a mortal’s compassion, and a demon’s cunning, Peregrine entraps Winter more securely than his rival ever could.
My absolute favorite part of this one is the lack of black and white. I fucking love the villian, and that he’s not Pure Evil. I like the council doesn’t worship the hero. I like the hero is a lot confident and a little vain, and really fucking practical. The characters are solid, the world is solid, and even though I think the hero’s sacrifice is a bit silly and I’m not big on Winter having to break it, honestly the authors pulls it together.
I wish with all of me that they would write one about the villain. God, would I be their biggest fucking fangirl.
(Boys Of The Zodiac) Virgo: The Warrior Prince
by Pepper Espinoza
Published by: Amber Allure
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-740-3 (Electronic)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-770-0 (Paperback)
Genres: Gay / Fantasy / Fairy Tale / Witchcraft / Magic / Series
Length: NovelNot even death can break a fey’s word or stop a fey’s love…
Legend speaks of Banbha, the most powerful goddess of both fertility and war. She led an army of fairy folk and regularly made war on the humans. She was destroyed in one of the wars she loved so much, and her remaining followers were either killed along with her or driven underground. Her only son refused to avenge his mother’s death, choosing the coward’s way. Despite his divinity, he married a human woman and had a son.
Legend never names the man who bested the evil goddess and ended her followers: Prince Castan, the warrior prince. Castan offered quarter to Banbha’s son, Reghan, who chose the way of peace instead of seeking revenge. And legend never knew Reghan fell in love with Castan and sacrificed his very kingdom for the man he loved.
Now, Prince Castan’s life is mapped in the stars, but his destiny is the hands of his greatest enemy, and most loyal love, the fairy prince Reghan…
I saw this one once, and bypassed it, because the summary still annoys the ever living fuck out of me. It’s disjointed, and really does not make clear what goes down and how. That, and fae are like vampires with me–avoid avoid avoid.
But, I finally grew bored enough to give it a try. I’m glad I did. There are a couple of little things that gave me pause, but it’s nothing that should prevent anyone reading the book. I really like the MCs, I like the way everything plays out and ends. It’s a good story, and does very well with all the fae elements.
There’s another story that ties into the characters that show up in the end. Am hoping to read it this weekend. If I like that one, I plan to buy both of them in paperback.
The Blood King
By: Jay Di Meo
Published By: Cobblestone Press
ISBN # 9781600886300
Genres: Shape-shifter Gay Multiple Partners
Length: NovellaWerewolf Jade fights a duel to win the throne of the Golden Clan, and claim Tristan as his mate – but loses when a spell prevents him from shifting, making him slave to the new King.
Tristan could never hope to challenge the new King and win – but he will go to any length to save Jade, even the illegal use of magic.
Sorrel, under a spell like Jade’s, is on the run from his Clan. Together the three werewolves must decipher the clues, undo the spells, and explore their desires, or else their world will fall apart.
This is the book I probably should not like, since 99.9% of the time the whole ‘we must have sex or we’ll die (or suffer some other dire fate)’ annoys the hell out of me.
It’s also really confusing in that the book does not start where I expected–it start’s after the events in the summary take place. That annoys me, for a few reasons (the author is copping out, the summary is misleading to a degree, it’s just plain irritating), but I kept at it.
Despite the confusion, and the fact I’m still not really clear on the whole world itself, I liked the characters. And the whole sex or die thing amused me, and it could be hot at times, and what I got of the world was interesting.
So, even if I shouldn’t, I do like this book. If nothing else, it does a pretty good job with the foursome and I believe they’ll be happy together, not that they’ve been shoved together for no reason.
My favorite part was, oddly, the bond with the vampire. It worked, they helped each other, and he was really goddam pretty.
All in all, not an awful way to spend a Saturday night.