Brief Encounters

Title: The Forester
Author: Blaine D. Arden
Length: 18,600 words (50 pdf pages)
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: m/m/m fantasy
Rating: B+

Blurb:

Kelnaht, a cloud elf, is a truth seeker caught between love and faith. Worse, a murder committed ten days before Solstice reveals an illicit affair between two tree elves he desires more than he can admit: Kelnaht’s former lover Ianys, who once betrayed him, and the shunned forester named Taruif, who is not allowed to talk to anyone but The Guide, their spiritual pathfinder. When Taruif turns out to be the only witness for the crime, Kelnaht has to keep Ianys from sacrificing himself and losing his daughter, while at the same time realising he’d gladly sacrifice himself to end Taruif’s loneliness.

Review:

This is first-time author Blaine D. Arden’s debut story and I have to say I was very impressed. CSI meets elves meets menage-y goodness. Kelnaht, is a truth seeker, which is rather a combination elf police/CSI expert. He is called in investigate a murder, along with his assistant. Because the murder happened immediately outside the forester’s home, suspicion falls upon him. The forester has been shunned, and no one but The Guide is allowed to talk to him, even Kel, although he’s been secretly lusting over the man for years. Kel is approached by his ex-lover who wants him to know the forester is innocent, as he is now the foresters lover, a deed which Kel could arrest him for and have him shunned as well. However he still love Ianys, even though he abandoned him years ago to marry a woman, who later died, and had a child.

This was interesting how the author took some elfin magic and applied it roughly to criminal investigation techniques. They can sense things from the body, raise evidence such as bruises and finger marks, get signatures off of clothing or bits of evidence and sense where people have been. Also rather like a mystical autopsy can be performed with no invasive measures needed. Kel also has the ability to enter someone’s mind to determine the truth, which he is forced to do later much to his dismay, as it forces him to witness the murder.

The romantic substory of Kel, Ianys and Taruif was sweet and bittersweet at the same time. Ianys finally explains his abandonment of Kel, and now a truth seeker is faced with breaking the very laws he upholds, in order to be with the men he loves. The Guide gave some cryptic remarks that essentially came down to “everything will work out” which left me a bit lost, as I couldn’t see how. I thought the ending was sweet, if a bit sad, in how the men would have to live their lives given the hurdles they faced. However I appreciated that, compared to some of the tacked on “solved everything – ta da – happy ever after” I’ve seen lately. This ending made me believe a happy ever after would come, but it wouldn’t be easy and they’d have to persevere to get there. More realistic I think.

My only quibble would be that I was a bit unclear with the mystical elf talk about puddles and such and HOW it would work out, but that was minor. I have to say I was as interested in the whole murder investigation and how they went about it as I was in the romance. Not that I didn’t feel a connection between the men, that was there, a long-term longing on all sides, but being a police procedural fan I enjoyed that portion of the story. So if you are in the mood for some elfin police drama, coupled with sweet but challenging romance, an excellent choice that I very much enjoyed.

Also the cover depicts and actual scene from the story which is always nice to see.