3.5 stars

The Engineer (Magic & Steam, Book 1) by C.S. Poe: Audiobook Review

October 26, 2020 by Denise

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.

Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.

If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.

Based on the short story, “Gunner the Deadly.” Entirely revised, newly expanded, and Book One in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

Audible

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I’m slow at audiobooks, even ones that are only 2.5 hours long. But I enjoy them so much. (I wish I could focus on them, while doing other things like working, but sadly, often I can’t). This one took me a little while to listen to simply because I was finishing another, but I loved the book when I read it so much that I knew I had to listen when given the opportunity.

This is a prelude to how these two guys get together, and begin their adventures, and honestly, it’s super cool. Steampunk can be anything you want it to be. So, the author has so many historical references and language, it’s obvious how much research goes into her books (and if you follow her online you know that is the truth). However, then there are all kinds of magical things that very obviously are not from that time, but just make it that much more enjoyable. The descriptions of the train, and all it could do…just fun, loads of fun.

However, the MC’s, they had to feel their way around each other (hahaha literally and figuratively) due to the historical time period, but finally finding what they needed in each other. Yes, there is a small cliffhanger, but this isn’t surprising simply because we know there is a book 2 coming, The Gangster (Magic & Steam Book 2) (preorder it!) where we get to see exactly what is in store for their impending romance.

This narrator was new to me, Declan Winters. His narration was succinct and appropriate for the time period of the book. I liked his narration, and enunciation, but felt like I needed more energy. That being said, it could very well have been his interpretation of the character of Gillian, who himself was a very serious character.

I’m looking forward to more of Special Agent Gillian Hamilton and Gunner the Deadly, in both visual and audio formats.

Story: 4 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

The Sex Coach by Garrett Leigh: Blog Tour, New Release Book Review and Giveaway

October 14, 2020 by Denise

The teacher and the student. The stable hand and the single dad. First times and friendship turn to love.

Toby
There’s nothing attractive about a twenty-four year old virgin, especially not one who blushes every time a hot dude looks his way. But I can’t help the heat that ripples through me every time I see Cole Maguire. And the clench of my heart when I realise how unhappy he is. He’s a city boy with a baby on his hip—we have nothing in common—but if he can teach me how to own my sexuality, perhaps I can teach him he’s worth loving.

Cole
I don’t like horses. But I love my daughter, and there’s nothing I won’t do for her, including leaving the city for life on a farm. I’m ready for that, but I’m not ready for blushing stable hands who make my heart race and my blood run hot. Toby has no idea how beautiful he is. I can teach him that, if he can handle the heat, but after one night with him…damn.

Maybe it’s me that has a lot to learn.

The Sex Coach is an MM summer romance with first times, a virgin stable hand, a single dad pilates teacher, and guaranteed happy ending.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

Length: 61,000 words approx.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Terrible title. Sorry, but it is.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that we are back on the farm where we met and fell in love with so many couples. Joe and Harry, Rhys and Jevon, Angelo and Dylan… But you also can completely read this book as a stand alone.

Toby is adorable. Being that he started at the farm as a teen, he is still viewed as a kid by most of the men. Which is kind of infuriating for him. And even though he held an inrequited torch for his boss Joe, he has only dated women.

Cole gets hired at the farm to take over/fill in/help out with Angelo’s pilates classes. A single father who has partial custody of his infant daughter, he is kind of at a cross roads in his life. But he notices Toby and Toby notices him. Toby who doesn’t know how to approach a man, let alone what to do, and Cole who feels like he will always be alone because he has a daughter.

Ahh but there are some sparks between the two. So Cole is acting as Toby’s “sex coach” (I still say it is a terrible title), which of course leads to FEELINGS by both that they both refuse to admit.

Toby is still adorable. With Cole, with the guys on the farm, with the animals, with Cole’s daughter. ADORABLE.

Cole, though. I don’t know. He definitely has some mental health issues. Depression, anxiety. And those problems are never addressed. They don’t just go away because you have a boyfriend. I was actually really disappointed that his major mood swings were written off as “that is just how Cole is. a cranky bastard” or similar. No, the guy is obviously depressed, and has anxiety that gives him insomnia, etc.

ESPECIALLY since he is written as this hippie kind of guy. Yoga, pilates, essential oils, barefoot toes in the grass kind of guy.

So I did really like them together, I just wish Cole got his act together more. Because Toby deserves it.

Because of Cole’s unresolved and completely ignored issues, I have to say that this was my least favorite of all of Garrett Leigh‘s books. Even so, it is worth a read, even if it is just to catch up with some of our favorite guys.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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A Friend in the Dark (An Auden & O’Callaghan Mystery Book 1) by Gregory Ashe & C.S. Poe: New Release Review *2

September 29, 2020 by Denise

Rufus O’Callaghan has eked out a living on the streets of New York City by helping the police put away criminals as a confidential informant. But when Rufus shows up for an arranged meeting and finds his handler dead, his already-uncertain life is thrown into a tailspin. Now someone is trying to kill Rufus too, and he’s determined to find out why.

After leaving the Army under less than desirable circumstances, Sam Auden has drifted from town to town, hitching rides and catching Greyhounds, until he learns that a former Army buddy, now a police detective in New York City, has died by suicide. Sam knows that’s not right, and he immediately sets out to get answers.

As Rufus and Sam work together to learn the truth of their friend’s death, they find themselves entangled in a web of lies, cover-ups, and accelerating danger. And when they witness a suspect killed in cold blood, they realize they’re running out of time.

Title: A Friend in the Dark

Book #: 1

Series: An Auden & O’Callaghan Mystery

Author(s): Gregory Ashe and C.S. Poe

Length: 70,000k (novel)

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Genre: Amateur sleuth mystery, romance

Release: September 8, 2020

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Okay, I don’t even know where to start!

First, if it is by C.S. Poe, I am reading it. Plus, she got me hooked on a Gregory Ashe newsletter story…so this was without question something I wanted to read. Okay, but there’s a cliffhanger!!!! Dang you, authors!!! I wanted to scream and shout, but understood why, and what it was for, so I have settled in to wait for book 2 (I will be in the corner with my blanket and my pacifier…) lol

These two authors wrote seamlessly together. They created two characters that on the surface, and deep, deep below the surface were hot messes. They both have a lot of shadows in their eyes, but somehow managed to work really well together, as they learned that they might want to do more than just sleuth together.

As they work together to find out what happened to Jake, they move all around NYC, not the glizty, glamour areas, but the underbelly, the places tourists never see, and NYC doesn’t want to show them. These are the places only locals would know about, which is why Sam needed Rufus’s help, just as much as Rufus needed Sam’s help because you have to come out of the dark sometimes to find answers.

If you are looking for a flowery, beach read, this isn’t going to be it. However, if you want some suspense, maybe a little murder and mayhem, with two men who discover that they might need each other for more than just how to navigate New York’s subway system, this might be it. And I know that I will be waiting in line for book 2, because I need to know more about how these guys navigate their way back to each other.

3.75 pieces of eye candy

Gritty NYC is the backdrop for this story. Rufus is a paid police informant. And then at a meet he finds the cop he worked with murdered. Rufus has no one. No family, no friends, and now he lost the one human who cared about him.

Sam knows Jake from their time in the military. Sam is harboring some serious demons from his years at war. But when he hears that his friend has killed himself, he summons the courage to get to NYC to look into it. Because there is no way that Jake offed himself.

Sam and Rufus discover each other trying to come up with answers themselves. They begrudgingly decide to work together.

Both of these guys are rough. They are just broken shells. Rufus is so used to being in the shadows as an informant, he has nothing and no one. You can feel his desperation even though he didn’t show it to anyone. He only knows the ugly underbelly of NYC and sees most people the same way

Sam is also a mess. Some PTSD, anxiety, tremors. He hates crowds and loud and people. But he is willing to deal with it to find out the real story of his friend. The friend who emailed him drunken secrets in the middle of the night.

Sam and Rufus, both so used to working and being alone, actually work really well together. They challenge each other, help each other and never pity each other. The clues they follow are like needles in a haystack, but they do it. One at a time.

Sam makes a move on Rufus as a one off and Rufus declines. When Rufus finally tells Sam why, it just broke me. Ugh these guys. I just wanted to mother both of them.

They make sense of the web of lies using their own smarts, Jake’s drunken emails and a sex worker in the Ramble of Central Park.

I did enjoy the book. There were times when I said to myself, “Ok, enough, move on” because sometimes the descriptions of things were so long and flowery. Like the authors were showing that they can write well. Sometimes less is more.

AND there was a cliffhanger ending. Enough that I definitely want to read book 2.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Gregory Ashe is a longtime Midwesterner. He has lived in Chicago, Bloomington (IN), and Saint Louis, his current home. When not reading and writing (which take up a lot of his time), he is an educator.

C.S. Poe is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and a FAPA award-winning author of gay mystery, romance, and speculative fiction.

Redemption: Second Chance Gay Romance by Garrett Leigh: Audio Book Review

September 24, 2020 by Denise

Reformed gangster Luis falls hard for his boss. When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.

Luis Pope is back on the street after a six-year stretch in prison, but life on the outside seems just out of reach, especially when the whole neighborhood knows his face for all the wrong reasons.

Paolo’s temper makes it hard to keep staff, and he knows Luis’ rep all too well. But his nonno believes in redemption, and Luis isn’t the tough guy Paolo remembers. Prison has left its mark, inside and out, and all the kindness in the world can’t fix the three inch scar on Luis’s skull.

And it can’t keep ghosts locked up. Luis is the best worker Paolo’s ever had, and Luis is happier than he’s ever been. But his old life doesn’t want to stay in the past. Trouble comes to call, and when it makes him an offer he can’t refuse, keeping Paolo safe hurts the most.

Redemption is an angsty, stand-alone M/M romance novel, with second chances, found family, friends-to-lovers, and buckets of hurt/comfort themed loveliness.

Audible

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I read this book and really enjoyed it. As I really enjoy all of Garrett Leigh‘s work. This is my first audiobook by this author. As as much as I really enjoyed the story, the audio was a little above okay for me.

Now, I am picky. If you’ve read my reviews before you know this. I stopped another audiobook less than 5 minutes in because I HATED the voice they gave the main character. This was almost the opposite. There was almost no difference between the characters and how they were read.

I am not expecting an Oscar worthy performance. But there was almost no difference at all between the inflection and accent of Luis and Paolo. In fact, even the narrative was basically the same.

Several secondary characters, like Paolo’s grandfather, had distinctive accents. But he was Italian so he spoke with an Italian accent. Luis’ brother had a bit of a different accent that almost sounded Jamaican to me.

The cadence of the narrator’s speech was very even toned. But Paolo is a hot headed Italian. And the narrator never raises his voice or gives it any inflection. Same with Luis when he was fighting with his brother. Even hot sex scenes were all spoken with the same tone.

Overall, as a story-it is great. The narration is fine. But it definitely did not immerse me in their world and stories like I had hoped.

Story (read original review here): 4 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Cinderella Proposal (Boys of Bliss, Book 2) by Harley Grace: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

September 21, 2020 by Denise

David wasn’t expecting his ex to be at his friend’s wedding—especially not as the groom.

Six months ago, David’s relationship disintegrated, but when a colleague invites him to his wedding at the newest gay-friendly island resort right off the coast of Florida, he sees his chance to put himself back out there. It turns out groom number two is none other than his ex-boyfriend. He needs cover, stat, and in saunters the hottest little room cleaner he ever did see.

While David needs a fake boyfriend, Fin needs a bailout.

After getting kicked out of his house as a teenager, Finley Sweet is finally back on his feet. He’s got a good job at Bliss Resort, but when a self-made millionaire offers him a mountain of cash to be his fake boyfriend for a week, Fin leaps at the chance to change everything and get his inheritance back from his evil stepfather.

What starts as a business transaction becomes so much more, but there’s a time limit to their love, and the contract runs out when David goes back to the mainland. Only it’s more than a contract holding them together, and everything they want is right there if they can read between the lines.

Cinderella Proposal, The Boys of Bliss, Book 2 by Harley Grace

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Honeymoon Refrain, The Boys of Bliss, Book 1

When his fiancé leaves him at the altar, Andrew Wellman runs straight to Bliss.

After spending the last year of his life busting his butt on the new resort off the south coast of Florida, all Andrew has to do is stick the landing—a gorgeous wedding and a honeymoon to blow the socks—and everything else—off his groom-to-be. But when he finds his fiancé buried deep not in wedding preparations but in his best friend, Andrew calls the whole thing off and cashes in that plane ticket for a solo honeymoon.

Rock star Cord Fabien’s whole life blew apart when his band broke up.

Now, he owes his label a solo album, but all he wants to do at the new gay resort run by the mysterious billionaire Adrien Bliss and is hide from the paparazzi and lick his wounds. But when one sad interior designer catches his eye, Cord finds the inspiration to make beautiful music again.

Two men, completely adrift, find in each other the strength to pursue their passions. But Bliss can’t last forever, and the lives they’ve left behind are waiting to shatter a romance that bloomed in paradise.

“David!” Chet’s excited voice drifted through the entire lobby. “Honey, look who it is. It’s David.”

If he said my name three times, could I sink into the expertly laid marble slab under my feet and wake up back home? God, how had I lived with that annoying fakeness for two years?

It’s amazing what a guy will put up with when he thinks he’s in love.

Eric, for instance, was letting Chet drag him across the lobby by the hand, over to where I was sitting. He didn’t look thrilled about it, and I wondered if I really should keep my nose out of it.

“And look,” Chet said when they reached me at my sofa, then looked dramatically to one side of me and then the other. “Still alone, I see.”

“Sweetie,” Eric whispered, looking around, not for my missing boyfriend, but for other people who might be listening. “I’m not sure this is really necessary. David’s a big boy. He can handle himself.”

“Oh, but this is awful,” Chet said, sticking out his lower lip like a five-year-old being denied candy. He turned and leaned toward me, switching to a stage whisper. “David, honey, did your ‘boyfriend’ stand you up?”

The way he said boyfriend, of course, left no room to question what he meant. Hell, he’d barely refrained from using finger quotes.

And worse, he wasn’t wrong. It was galling that even if I’d paid someone to pretend to be my boyfriend to keep him from finding out, the asshole was right, and I had no one. He was going home to a nice guy like Eric, and when my contract with Finley ended, I’d go back to the enormous empty house I’d built for myself.

I opened my mouth—to say what, I wasn’t sure. Tell him to fuck off, admit the truth—there was no telling what might have come out, because Adrien Blissand’s voice filled the whole lobby.

“David, my boy, I’m terribly sorry. I’ve been monopolizing your young man. He’s just such a delight, it’s hard not to.” He was wearing his fancy white linen suit, looking like a million bucks, with a nervous looking Finley tucked against his side, both hands wrapped around his elbow.

Finley stared at Chet like he was evil incarnate, and I felt that in my soul. Then his eyes tracked to me, and he smiled, and for just a second, I felt like it was real.

Like this beautiful man was here for me, relieved to see me.

This book was all kinds of good feels and happiness. It wasn’t angst filled, other than a little bit (much more so for one of the side characters). Just a whole lot of happiness. Not quite insta-love, but fairly close. I didn’t read book 1, but there already seemed to be a few established couples, so I wasn’t sure if they came from another series or not. However, I loved the range of personalities of all the characters.

Finley really didn’t have a great time growing up. Being a gay homeless teen after losing his mother, and then being kicked out. He still worked hard to get himself into a position to care for himself, and did it through sheer determination.

David, meanwhile, pushed himself to build a business that he loved, and was successful, despite knowing his father never would get to see his success. Then he arrives at a wedding for a friend, and unwittingly takes a huge emotional hit.

However, these two men really connected, and found they had a ton in common. There might have been a bit more sex than necessary to move the story forward…but very good sex scenes, very well written. 🙂

I enjoyed this one, and definitely would like to read more about Bliss Island. There are a lot of potential stories there.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Harley Grace is an author duo in love with love. Writing M/M romance, they’re all about giving sugar, spice, and everything nice to their boys. They enjoy long walks on the beach, reading by the fireplace, and always looking at the lighter side of life.

Connect with Harley:
Website: harleygrace-author.com
Mailing List: https://sendfox.com/lp/3o6lgd
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/harleygraceauthor
Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/harleygraceauthor

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The Sorcerer’s Guardian (Chronicles of Tournai Book 4) by Antonia Aquilante: RDB, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

September 14, 2020 by Denise

Savarin honed his Talent through years of study, and to achieve his goal of becoming the most powerful and accomplished sorcerer in Tournai, he made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings—which is how Savarin prefers it. He wants to be seen only as the man he’s made himself. When Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack, he is more than happy to do so. The spells are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. But to his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompany him on his journey.

Second son of a minor noble family, Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain with single-minded determination and takes pride in his service to the crown. He must obey the prince’s orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere and his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, Loriot has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. He still believes it’s best to avoid most magic entirely, which is difficult when he’s tasked with playing guard to a powerful sorcerer.

Loriot and Savarin clash repeatedly during their journey, but the simmering tension between them doesn’t only stem from their work, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still secure Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution will endanger both him and the royal family.

Title: The Sorcerer’s Guardian

Series: Chronicles of Tournai, Book Four

Author: Antonia Aquilante

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: September 14, 2020

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 111400

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Fantasy, romance, family-drama, gay, cisgender, magic, cat shifters, magician, captain of the guards, storm, antagonists to lovers, court intrigue

Goodreads

Amazon

Nine Star Press

As afternoon waned into evening, Loriot approached his house on Dove Lane. Weariness dragged at him with each step. He hadn’t slept more than a few minutes in the last few days, and now that the crisis had passed, he felt the fatigue down to his bones. But the lack of sleep was worth it for the good outcome of the situation.

He trudged up the few steps to his front door, its rich blue color recently freshened, and let himself in. The key turned smoothly in the lock, and the magical protections on the house recognized him as belonging, allowing him inside. He shivered, even though he didn’t feel anything as he crossed the threshold; perhaps someone with a Talent would, but he had neither Talent nor any sensitivity to magic.

Inside, the house was quiet. The formal parlor was empty, which was unsurprising as they rarely used it—only when Joceline and Oriana chose to entertain. He wanted more than anything to go up to his bedchamber and collapse into his bed for the next few days, but he couldn’t. Couldn’t even collapse for a few hours without checking on his family. But he knew where at least one of them was likely to be at this time of day

The sitting room at the back of the house was quiet, too, so quiet he could hear the scratch of his sister’s pen on paper as he stepped into the doorway. Joceline sat at her writing desk, papers spread around her, pen flying across the page. Despite the silence, she didn’t notice him. A good writing day, then. He hated to disturb her, but she’d want to know he was home.

“Story going well?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet so he wouldn’t startle her. He’d learned it was better to have to repeat himself than to scare her when she was absorbed in a world of her own creation.

But he didn’t have to repeat himself today. She glanced up immediately, her gaze hazy and then sharpening. “There you are! I was wondering if you were ever coming home.”

He hadn’t been gone so long—only a couple of days—but he did try not to let a day go by without returning for at least a little while. He stepped farther into the room and sank down into a comfortable chair. “It was unavoidable. You got my notes?”

“Of course. You know I was just teasing.” Joceline narrowed her eyes and studied him with an intensity he could almost feel. “Is everything all right? You look exhausted, and I heard yesterday the guard was searching everyone leaving the city.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. Sitting had been a mistake. His eyelids wanted to droop; his body wanted to melt into the cushions. “There was a kidnapping.”

“Not Prince Julien?”

“No, no. And it’s fine now,” he reassured her, trying to keep her from coming out of her chair in her alarm at a threat to the heir to Tournai’s throne. “It wasn’t a member of the royal family at all.”

“But you were involved?”

As captain of the royal guard, Loriot normally wouldn’t be directly involved in such a situation. “The baby taken was the daughter of Prince Amory’s friend, Master Tristan. The merchant. Though if what I saw means anything, he’ll likely be a member of the royal family soon.”

“Really?” Joceline leaned forward, her interest of a different kind now. “There’s going to be a marriage? To whom? The princess?”

He shook his head. He didn’t need to tell her what he said should go no further. He didn’t ever tell her anything truly secret, but Loriot didn’t see the harm in a little meaningless court gossip now and then, especially since she wouldn’t spread it. “No. Lord Etan.”

She sat back with a huff. “Well, they really are bucking tradition, aren’t they?”

He let out a short laugh. But what she said wasn’t untrue. Both Tournai’s prince and his cousin, a royal duke, had married men in the last couple of years, and now it seemed Lord Etan, another cousin of Prince Philip’s, would do the same. Loriot couldn’t think of a time when such a thing had happened, as the royal family and nobility tended to marry those who could provide bloodline heirs for their titles—and some families were even more conservative, only marrying women.

“Good for them,” Joceline said. “I hope they’re happy.”

“Now that Tristan’s daughter is back with them, I believe they are.”

Concern flooded back into her pretty face. “You found her? And the person who took her?”

“Yes, with Master Savarin’s help.” He’d gotten over any resentment he might have had that he needed the help of magic long before today and was happy to use any tool he had access to. Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, was not someone whose help should be turned away, and Savarin never withheld it, serving Tournai whenever he was called upon.

“The sorcerer? How did he help?” Joceline sat forward, a gleam in her eyes he recognized well. She wasn’t simply curious; she wanted to know because she might use the information in a story.

“Joceline.”

“What?”

He sighed and shook his head. “He used his magic to try to track the kidnappers and then to try to find the baby directly. He pointed us in the right direction, let us know where to search for them.” Loriot didn’t bother mentioning the help they’d received from someone else, a scholar at the university. If he read Savarin right, Savarin would be finding Master Corentin at the university soon and asking him about the magic he used, because it also sounded as if Savarin hadn’t heard of anything like it.

“Interesting.”

“Let me guess, your new story has a sorcerer character.” He arched an eyebrow at her, his mildly disapproving tone mostly put on. Which she would know, as she was aware how proud he was of her accomplishments.

“I have an idea that would call for one. What’s Master Savarin like?”

“I don’t know him very well.” He tried to think of anything he knew about Savarin beyond the surface. “He’s powerful and arrogant with it.”

She shrugged. “I’d be surprised if he wasn’t. Aren’t all powerful sorcerers arrogant about their power?”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know any others.” He resolutely pushed his newly acquired knowledge of the royal family’s secret Talent from his mind. He didn’t need Joceline seeing a hint in his expression and trying to badger the information out of him. He would never tell, but life would be easier if he didn’t have to fight Joceline about it.

“All the ones I’ve read about in stories are. Especially the evil ones.”

“Tell me you’re not going to base a character on Master Savarin and make him evil.” Making the most powerful sorcerer in the country an evil character in a book sounded like a horrible idea.

Another shrug. “Powerful sorcerers always seem to be evil characters. Or self-sacrificing ones who save the day.”

Loriot shook his head and heaved himself to his feet. If he didn’t move, he’d end up sleeping right there. “Alain is upstairs?”

“Yes. But wait,” she called after him as he walked toward the door. “You must know something else about Master Savarin.”

“I really don’t.” He didn’t turn.

“Is he handsome?”

Savarin’s image filled his mind—his height and broad shoulders, perfectly carved features, blond hair he thought would be soft under his hands. His stride hitched, but he shook the image away and ignored Joceline calling after him. Perhaps she would forget the idea entirely if he didn’t encourage her.

He doubted it, but he could hope. The idea of Savarin as a character in a book on the shelf of a bookshop made him cringe.

Trudging up the stairs took the last of his energy, but he forced himself to bypass his own bedchamber. He couldn’t go to bed without seeing Alain. Not after so long away, not even if it hadn’t been very long. The door to the room at the back of the house was partially open. He peeked in as he pushed it open the rest of the way. The room was tidy, except for a veritable city built of blocks in the middle of the rug. The nursemaid noticed him first, but Alain wasn’t far behind. He looked up, his bright-green eyes—twins of Loriot’s own—lighting up, and something inside Loriot melted, just as it always did under those eyes.

“Papa!”

With ease of long practice, he caught the five-year-old bundle of energy that came flying at him and swung his son up into his arms. He cuddled him close for as long as Alain would allow. As tired as he was, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “There’s my boy. I missed you. Show me what you’ve been doing.”

I want to start off by saying I have read and loved this entire series so far. It would be impossible to read book seven without reading the other six, or at the very least the first couple.

This fantasy world is centered around its magical royal family. I’m not going to reveal the “talent” except it’s a novel twist on the expected genre, and in my opinion not explored enough.

Getting to this book, and while saying I loved the series I think this was my least favorite and maybe because it centers on two secondary characters I feel never really come into their own. The court wizard/sorcerer and the Captain of the Guards. I think based on the other books this didn’t have enough external plot to keep the story moving, and I know I shouldn’t review one based on the others, but I can’t.

The love story – sort of enemies to lovers and kind of forced proximity was a little weak.

But I will definitely pick up the next in the series when it publishes.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Antonia Aquilante has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and at the age of twelve, decided she would be a writer when she grew up. After many years and a few career detours, she has returned to that original plan. Her stories have changed over the years, but one thing has remained consistent—they all end in happily ever after.

She has a fondness for travel (and a long list of places she wants to visit and revisit), taking photos, family history, fabulous shoes, baking treats (which she shares with friends and family), and of course, reading. She usually has at least two books started at once and never goes anywhere without her Kindle. Though she is a convert to e-books, she still loves paper books the best, and there are a couple thousand of them residing in her home with her.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Antonia is living there again after years in Washington, DC and North Carolina for school and work. She enjoys being back in the Garden State but admits to being tempted every so often to run away from home and live in Italy.

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