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Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category

Flying with Dragons by Sean Michael

Posted in Authors: M-O, B, Fantasy, Paranormal, tagged , on May 28, 2013 | 1 Comment »

dragonTitle: Flying with Dragons
Author: Sean Michael
Length: 10,800 words (44 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m fantasy paranormal
Rating: B

Blurb:

Having annoyed the council, Grunk is assigned the job of Director of Human/Dragon Relations. Unfortunately for Grunk, he hates the city, he’d rather be in his dragon form than his human one, and he already hates the job even though it’s only his first day.

Then he meets his assistant, Kyfan, and he’s instantly smitten. When he finds out that Kyfan has never really flown and rarely spends any time in his dragon form, Grunk is shocked and insists on changing that, immediately. After all, flying with the lovely Kyfan’s way better than sitting behind his desk in his office.

It turns out that Kyfan is a lovely little dragon and once they’ve flown together, Grunk knows that they share a bond and he prepares to make his claim. The fact that it’s going to annoy the council is only a bonus.

Review:

It seems to be the month of the dragon, but I thoroughly enjoyed this short story, even though I think there was so much more that could have been added. It’s set in an alternative reality where dragons presence among humans is “normal”.  The biggest joy in this story however was Grunk. He’s just kind of surly, hates that he has to do this new job for the council and it’s his little internal dialogue like being hopeful when he sees Kyfan sitting in the office that maybe they’ve found someone else for the job and he can get out of it. Or his shock and incomprehension of the fact that Kyfan hasn’t shifted in decades and has never really flown, because Grunk can’t fathom that kind of life for a dragon and he’s determined to right it immediately.

It’s typical Sean Michael in that you have the strong dominant type male, with the smaller nervous virginal bottom, but that is part of why I enjoy this particular author, so if that’s what you are in the mood for it’s a good choice. So while I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the two, watching Kyfan who was “old” for someone to have found their heart-mate realize that despite being odd for a dragon, someone loved him, there was so much more that could have been fleshed out.

Why was Grunk in trouble with the council? Was it just his surly attitude? What about Kyfan’s background and his current conflict with his supervisor who has been jealous of Kyfan. There was also the process of telling the council about their bonding and what that means. So I was definitely left wanting more of this world, or more of Grunk more or less grudgingly following the rules so they’ll stop bothering him. However despite that, I still enjoyed this a great deal and found myself smiling several times through-out, so if you like dragons, this is another good selection this week

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The Luxury of Vengeance by Isabella Carter

Posted in A-, Authors: A-C, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , , on May 10, 2013 | 2 Comments »

luxuryofvengeanceTitle: The Luxury of Vengeance
Author: Isabella Carter
Length: 20k words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: m/m
Rating: A-

Blurb: Take no prisoner. Show no mercy. Trust no soul. And vengeance shall be yours…

Prince Chien is determined to claim his birthright — the Throne of a Thousand Swords — denied by his wicked aunt, Empress Mai. He has successfully turned her two equally wicked sons, Prince Minh and Prince Tuan, into dueling each other for the throne. Hiding a vial of EverBloody, Prince Chien attempts to poison their foods at the banquet. No matter who win the duel tomorrow, both wicked princes will die.

One cut to the skin, and blood will flow relentless. Prince Chien will make his aunt suffer every second in watching her beloved sons die a slow painful death. Afterward, he will take her head and the crown that sits upon it. Only then will he have successfully eliminated all the traitors who helped kill his mother and his younger sister in the palace coup thirteen years ago.

Only one person stands in his way — General Bao. Prince Chien has skirted around court intrigues, planned successful assassinations, and demurred himself as a dunce prince. But love is the one thing Prince Chien never thought he would had to face. Whoever said that those who embark on a journey of revenge should dig two graves was not wise enough to realize love could do exactly the same thing.

This story was written for the Love is Always Write event at the M/M Romance Group on GoodReads.

Review: I don’t know how I missed this one when the free stories in last year’s Goodreads M/M Romance Group came around. I’m definitely a fan of Isabella Carter (especially after reading her recent full length novel A Shadow of a Dream), but this one slipped through the net. I’m happy to get the chance to review it now, because as excited as I was to review this short, I was even happier once I’d read it.

Prince Chien has been nursing his plan for vengeance against his aunt for thirteen years. Then, while he was still a child, his aunt murdered his mother in cold blood, taking the Throne of a Thousand Swords and becoming the Empress, leaving his mother’s body to rot in the streets as a sign of her power. While playing the dutiful fool of a nephew (sometimes too well) he’s been secretly honing his skills, both physical and mental. And through the past years, he’s assassinated each person who took part in the conspiracy to murder his mother one by one.

The story starts just one day before his long plan is to come to fruition. But all has not gone as he’d hoped. General Bao, one of Empress Mai’s most favored, has set his sights on Chien. But their secret trysts have become much more than bed warming to both of them and Chien is unable to decide between his heart and his mind. Bao is an honest and proud man, genuinely good, and Chien knows that the plan of vengeance he’s meant for — that is sanctioned by the gods — should take precedence over his own selfish, secret wishes. The Empress is ruining the country, the people are starving and her greed is ending in the murder of innocents across the country. To do what must me done means, in the end, pitting himself against the man he’s grown to love and who is sworn to protect the Empress.

I have to confess that I did something I don’t normally do before writing up my review. After I finished the story and went to mark it as read on Goodreads, I saw that the story had an overall rating of 3.5 something stars. Honestly, it confused me because I found this story to have really wonderful writing, an interesting plot and characters and I was engaged with it every step of the way. What I found was a really diverse group of ratings, some of which frankly baffled me. Someone said that they found all kinds of errors and horrible pacing and tons of telling instead of showing. Maybe it’s that I have a current incarnation of the story downloaded from Less Than Three Press, which has since been edited. I’m not sure. But, seriously? The story is free, people! And it has little editing because it’s for this annual story writing event. Anyway, I specifically went back to check in the story and I only found three small proofreading errors (missing words, etc.). I actually found the pacing to be wonderful because the format of this story is of the two days where Chien has enacted his final plan to dethrone his aunt and during his actions he reflects upon how he got to where he is and how his plan for vengeance started. No info dump, great pacing, and hardly any telling at all. In fact, the story is almost all present scenes back to back with little transition between them. I also saw some people talking about his sexist and racist this story was… Huh? I won’t even talk about that.

I apologize for turning a review into a rant. I hardly ever use a review to reply to other readers’ reviews, but in this case I thought it was warranted because I had such a different and positive reaction to the story, which I enjoyed immensely. And in the end, I think it comes down to style. As readers, we tend to view the story in the light of how we responded to it. I loved it, so naturally I had a bit of an easier time skimming over it’s faults. If I had hated it, I might not have felt the same, there might have been numerous details that irked me, only because I didn’t find enjoyment in the story, or it didn’t suit me. Maybe some people didn’t like that this is a Cinderella type story, but with a very different and dark twist, with seriously flawed characters… Who knows?

I definitely liked the story, but what I really enjoyed about it and what I feel made the story really successful is twofold: one, the story is character driven instead of world driven, and two, that allows the story to be full of rich detail without trying to do too much for the short format. The romance here is enough for an HFN ending but it shares the stage equally with the machinations of the royal family. There’s little sex and what is written isn’t very explicit, which went well with the mood. Most of all, I found the writing to be really beautiful. The writing has a heavily reflective mood. Prince Chien’s narration reflects his own mood — apprehensive, eager, somber, nervous, driven and determined. No matter how his own coup ends, it ends in death either way. And that slowly encroaching ending has a heavy finality that is only sometimes pierced by the hope and regret he feels in relation to General Bao.

My only real complaint is that Empress Mai came across as a storybook villain instead of a real and flawed character. I think that her brand of evil, while easy to show the contrast of good in others, ends up being less effective than it would have been if we understood her a bit more.

So, if you made it this far in such a long and twisted review, I congratulate you! LOL. You might as well go ahead and read the story now. It is free, after all!

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Crowns and Criminals by Kayla Bain-Vrba

Posted in Authors: V-Z, C, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , on April 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

wereTitle: Crowns and Criminals
Author: Kayla Bain-Vrba
Length: 8,000 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m fantasy romance
Grade: C

Blurb:
When Noble, a common thief, rescues a cursed prince to clear his own name, the last thing on his mind is falling in love. True love, however, is at the top of Prince Danson’s to-do list; hence why he had himself cursed and locked away in a tower in the first place. The trying journey home brings them closer together, but are the secrets from their past powerful enough to rip them apart forever?

Review:
I usually like fairy tale type stories and this one had a lot going for it with Noble as the thief and underdog rescuing the vain handsome prince, trapped in a tower of his own making. The story began well with the amusing twist at the start being that Danson placed himself in the tower for foolish romantic notions. This played well with the convention of being rescued from some horrid evil as seen in tales such as Sleeping Beauty and I enjoyed the initial encounter between a somewhat petulant Danson who is robbed of his prince charming by the sensible and practical approach from Noble. I also liked the way that Danson gradually began to see the value in Noble and how that developed into respect and admiration.

My main criticism of the story is that it was too busy for the word length. The reader gets a lot of information thrown at them about Danson and Noble, plus we have a token bad guy and yet there’s not enough space to explore any of the more interesting aspects of the story, such as Noble’s past. Instead information is told to us and we pass on to the next thing. In some ways this fit the theme of a fairy story but as a romance reader it was a little frustrating.  The scene leading to the forced separation was a little overdone and Danson’s actions during that time were baffling, given what we find out about him earlier in the story.

Having said that, this wasn’t a bad story. The dynamic between the couple is done well and the action scenes were tense. If you like fairy stories then you may enjoy this one which had a light and breezy tone, even if the characterisation was a little thin.

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The Mask Maker by Spencer Rook

Posted in Authors: P-R, C+, Fantasy, Romance, YA, tagged , on April 23, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

themaskmaker400Title: The Mask Maker
Author: Spencer Rook
Length: 11,000 words (36 pdf pages)
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: m/m fantasy YA
Rating: C+

Blurb:

Rumors abound about the mysterious young mask maker, everyone curious as to why he spends all his time hidden away in his house, barely talking past what’s required to complete a job. Determined to learn more about him, Luk agrees to go speak to him about the masks commissioned for a coming festival. What he encounters is a man much more, and much less, than all the rumours warned him about.

Review:

I’m noting this as YA, in part because both characters are 16 years old and there is no explicit sex in the story. Luk and his classmates are preparing for their graduation and during construction of the stage, a lot of time is spent gossiping about the locals, including the young mask maker. Luk feels a bit badly about the things they are saying about him, remembering one interaction he had when they were around 9. He agrees to go and check on the progress of the masks for graduation, but it doesn’t go well when he asks to see the mask maker (who remains hidden during their conversation) and Alexander kicks him out.

However Alexander apologises and they take the opportunity to get to know one another. It seems most of the gossip about Alexander is false and he had a difficult childhood and has been running the family mask business alone for two years since his father died when Alexander was only 14. There’s not much angst, there’s a small falling out when Alexander refuses to attend Luk’s graduation, having cloistered himself for so long he’s nervous to go out.

And maybe that is part of where I had a little confusion. Alexander claims that he has to stay hidden, but really he’s not hideous, I suppose you’d say modern goth, but I couldn’t understand why he, or anyone would consider him so unattractive as to remain hidden. It just didn’t seem to make much sense to me. There were also a couple of times when some modern word usage kind of seemed incongruous to me with the fantasy/magical setting, but it might not bother some others and they aren’t excessive.

If you’re in the mood for some light fantasy this is a cute little story of young boys finding each other in their small village.

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Through the Door by Ana Reese

Posted in Authors: P-R, C, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , on April 19, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

PrintTitle: Through the Door
Author: Ana Reese
Length: 19,000 words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: m/m fantasy romance
Grade: C

Blurb:
When his family suddenly finds themselves in debt, Jonas is forced by his mother to take up work in the royal palace, despite the fact he could be arrested if caught. Worse, Jonas is hired to be a palace whore. Terrified, but desperate, Jonas determines to make the best of the situation until his family’s problems are resolved. But he never expected to catch the eye of the crown prince, or the hostile and conniving minstrel perpetually at the prince’s side.

Review:
Jonas is sent away from home by his aristocratic mother to find work in the city after the family falls into desperate straits. He knows that the best work is to be found at the palace and soon finds himself employed as what he thinks is a servant. Unfortunately he’s been tricked and his role is that of a prostitute. Jonas’ good looks catch the eye of the prince’s friend who snaps him up for the prince.

The premise to this story was slightly contrived, in that there didn’t seem to be a wholly realistic reason for Jonas in particular to be sent out to work, nor is this properly explained. It felt to me like a forced set-up to get Jonas where he needed to be – as a whore in the palace – and so in the end I just went with it.

Once Jonas gets to the palace, the story picks up and I liked the way that the author had incorporated the historical fantasy setting, with some nice touches to the world building which built up a slightly sinister atmosphere within the castle. I liked the cautious friendship Jonas builds with another of the castle prostitutes who acts as a mentor and adviser. The scenes with Jonas and the prince were done well too and I was really starting to enjoy myself with the story. However, it was getting close to the end of the book and I wasn’t sure how the author would wrap up the story in such a short time. The answer was she didn’t, as the story just stops and we get a ‘to be continued’. This was very annoying because the book is described as ‘book 1 of Serving Royalty‘ by the publisher. In fact it’s not a whole book but half a book and this was intensely frustrating.

Overall, the sudden end spoiled my enjoyment of the book, despite some good characterisation in Jonas and a story which was building nicely. My advice would be to wait until the rest of the book is published and buy together if you want to avoid an annoying ending.

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A Werewolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Rob Rosen

Posted in Authors: P-R, C+, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , on April 16, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

wereTitle: A Werewolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Author: Rob Rosen
Length: 3,200 words (13 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m fantasy
Rating: C+

Blurb:

Meat might indeed be murder, but for a wolf, what choice is there? So thinks the blood-hating Jackson until he encounters a rather curious bear, one who introduces him to an equally odd assortment of vegetarian forest hunters, the most intriguing another wolf such as himself—in more ways than one. Love brings the two together, but can it save them from a sinister plot that is hatched by an animal that is not what it appears to be?

Review:

Jackson is a rather unusual werewolf. He find the concept of eating meat abhorrent and generally tries to eat vegetables when he can. One night while avoiding the kill his pack is devouring he comes across a bear who claims that he is of the same mind and that they are not alone. He invites Jackson to a meeting at the lake where he meets a variety of carnivorous (or omnivorous)  animals who all believe that meat is murder and have a self-help group to avoid meat and share tips on other healthy vegetation they can eat.

These are quite unique animals. Not traditional weres who are human mostly, these appear to be mostly animals and they can talk in their animal form to each other. It was really quite humorous at times, when they have their self-help group I was chuckling out loud.

“Good morning,” he said. “My name is Woodly and I am a herbivore. It’s been five months since last I killed.”

The group responded in unison. “Good morning, Woodly,” they said.

This admission was repeated with each of the animals, until finally, it was Jackson’s turn.

“Um,” he began, nervously. “I’m Jackson and I, well, I’m a, a… I’m a herbivore.” His knees buckled, but he otherwise remained upright, despite the boulder-sized pit that formed in his stomach at saying this aloud for the entire world to hear. “It’s been four weeks since last I killed.”

The group, mostly unable, of course, to clap, clicked their tongues in approval and in welcome. And then Woodly again took the makeshift podium. “Friends, I congratulate you all on your non-carnivorous achievements. And I remind you that meat, as we say, is murder.”

Again, the sound of tongue clicks filled the space around them. And then, one by one, the animals dispersed, clearly uplifted and prepared to fight their genetically predispositioned urges.

Jackson enjoys the support of the group and gets to know another wolf Frank, however as winter approaches Jackson wonders how he’ll find enough food when the snow comes. He asks Woodly the bear for guidance but finds it strange he never sees Woodly eating or gathering food. He and Frank have a little interlude in human form and decide that Woodly has a plot and engage the rest of the pack to help take their revenge on the sneaky bear.

I really enjoyed the first part of the books, as Jackson struggles to cope with his vegetarianism and meeting the others and getting to know him, but I felt the part with Frank was a bit tacked on as if “oh, it’s a romance, quick, have him hook up with someone”. It didn’t seem natural as you never saw him interact with Frank until that scene. I almost think I would have enjoyed it better if were just a story rather than a romance, but still, if you are in the mood for something light and quite humorous at times, it’s a cute read and was certainly not what I was expecting, which can be a good things.

 

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Loki’s Curse by Cameron Lawton

Posted in Authors: J-L, B, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, tagged , on April 9, 2013 | 2 Comments »

Lokis_CurseTitle: Loki’s Curse
Author: Cameron Lawton
Length: 8,000 words
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: m/m historical fantasy horror
Grade: B

Blurb:
Set in ninth century Ireland, when Haakon’s son, the finest warrior in the village, dies in his bed and so is excluded from Valhalla, a blood oath is made. Nobody but the village witch, the Gytha, can foresee the catastrophic consequences. Even she is not sure how they will resolve it.

Review:
This historical fantasy horror short, set in the time of the Vikings, managed to strike a good balance between a solid setting and chills.  It tells of Thorkell, a bard in a Viking village. His best friend and protector, Ivar, contracted a disease/virus and died in agony. Unfortunately, because Ivar didn’t die in battle his soul would not be taken to Valhalla. Ivar’s Father is stricken with grief about this and forces the village witch to bring Ivar back – a spell which has terrible consequences for Thorkell.

The story pulls you in immediately through Thorkell’s grief. He is distraught over the death of his friend, who he secretly loved, and willing to do anything to bring him back. During these first few pages the author does a good job of showing us snippets of life in the Viking village – the superstitions, religion, hierarchy and beliefs which make up their lives – but this never felt forced. Instead a clear picture is built up within a few paragraphs of why Ivar’s father would want to bring back his son, and the hidden feelings of Thorkell.

I also liked that the issue of Thorkell’s homosexuality is dealt with in a realistic way from the start. He knows he can never tell anyone and when Ivar returns and discovers Thorkell’s feelings, Ivar uses that to manipulate Thorkell, exchanging brutal sex for Thorkell’s blood. This is no romance, despite Thorkell’s devotion, instead it’s a chilling horror.  It does have a happy ending, but not before poor Thorkell is forced to see his friend turned into a monster.

Overall, this was a clever story with a strong setting and characters. If you like horror and stories set within Viking times, then this one will be for you and I would recommend it.

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Masks Off Too: Perfection by Anna Hedley

Posted in Authors: G-I, B, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on April 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

masksofftoo-perfection185Title: Masks Off Too: Perfection
Author: Anna Hedley
Length: 5,000 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m paranormal romance
Grade: B

Blurb:
he world of the fey is one that cares about appearances to an almost pathological degree. Imperfection is rarely tolerated and those who are less than perfect are stigmatized and excluded. As an energy vampire who bears the scars of a life long-persecuted, August feels like an intruder in their world. That is, until he meets another outcast, a fairy named Daniel with broken wings and a most un-fairy-like attitude to both the world he lives in and August.

This story is also available in the Masks Off Too! anthology.

Review:
I’ve been rather enjoying the varied settings and genres of these Masks Off Too stories, given the constraints of the vampire/masked ball theme. In this story the setting is fantasy and the court of the fairies.  August attends a ball at the fae court to celebrate the birth of the princess. His scarred face and body disgust the other fae and he’s about to leave when he’s approached by Daniel, a fae with damaged wings who knows how August feels.

Like nearly all of these stories, this one is short and just a snapshot of a meeting between characters, plus the obligatory sex scene. However, I liked the setting of the fae court and the way that the author had manipulated the vampire myth slightly. There’s enough in terms of setting to get a flavour of the shallow nature of the fae, and to give some background as to the connection that August has with the King and Queen to be satisfying which meant that once the story finished it felt complete.

The romance aspect is handled well too with a certain amount of pathos and tenderness in their shared situations. This added to the sex and meant that it felt like more than just a hot scene.  The characters are as fleshed out as possible, given the constraints of the word count, and this is a story i would recommend if you have a short time gap to fill and like fae fantasy stories.

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Playing with Food by K.A. Merikan

Posted in Authors: M-O, C, Fantasy, Horror, tagged , on April 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

17610557Title: Playing with Food
Author: K.A. Merikan
Length: 22 pdf pages
Publisher: Smashwords
Genre: m/m horror fantasy
Rating: C

Blurb:

Just days ago, Llawan was taken from his underwater dwellings by Ossentharian slavers. Left in a tank with other merpeople, he awaits his death on a spit roast, but the arrival of an unusual customer might change his fate. To win his freedom back, he must enter a pact with the stranger, but what if the price is too much to bear?

Review:

If you are in the mood for something completely different and “out there”, this little freebie is just the thing for you. It starts right off with a horrific scene as Llawan watches one of his fellow merpeople being carved up at the buffet. He hides well enough when the traps are lowered, realizing what is happening but finally decides he needs to be brave and get it over with, since there are even worse magical fates which could befall him than just being eaten.

He’s distracted by an odd man tapping at the class, and when he’s captured, he’s unsure if he’s to be consumed immediately, or alive or taken somewhere else to be eaten. However the man releases him into a pool and makes him a deal. In exchange for his freedom, he must do something for the man (I’m using the term loosely) which remains unclear, but perhaps a type of reconnaissance or spying. In return, the man must eat a part of his body. Llawan is unsure, and the unclear task set to him could be dangerous, but freedom beckons so he agrees. After his finger is consumed (painlessly), there is some fondling of Llawan’s privates by the man, and he is released to the sea.

It ends there, with little clarity as to the task the man wants him to perform. I assumed the consuming of part of Llawn’s body meant the man will have a tie to him, allowing him to command him when needed since the ocean is a big place. I have to confess, and this may well be personal, that I have trouble at times when the characters are too un-human like. In this case the other man has 4 arms and a mouth resembling the cover (which I love because it is, or is based on West Coast aboriginal art). There seem to be a great many unusual creatures/people and some references made to them being created, perhaps a mad-scientist type of operation, or magic. Tables are made of bones which can be commanded to move, table cloths of skin and what appear to be living breathing walls.

The setting is very rich and vivid for such a short story, but that’s just it. It’s so short you end up with more questions than answers. What or who is the man who rescued Llawan? What does he want him to do exactly? What is the story with the magic and the who world they live in? It’s certainly not romantic, but it is intriguing and if you are looking for something quite outside the norm of m/m (without being gruesomely horrific – no blood and guts spraying around), it might work for you. I’m not sure it’s for me, but I am curious about what is expected of Llawan.

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The Prince and the Cowboy by Sam Singer

Posted in Authors: S-U, C-, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , on April 1, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

theprinceandthecowboyTitle: The Prince and the Cowboy
Author: Sam Singer
Length: 7,889 words
Publisher: JMS Books
Genre: m/m fantasy romance
Grade: C-

Blurb:
Pampered Texan James Walsh has been keeping a secret from his overbearing but well-intentioned mother. When she throws a lavish birthday party in the hopes that he will meet the woman of his dreams, she has no clue James is gay.

But a sudden storm blows rugged, rain-soaked ranch owner Jonathon Ross to James’ doorstep, and suddenly he can’t hide who he is any longer.

Review:
James is Prince of Texas whose mother is determined to see him married off to a princess, as he can only become king if he marries before he is 21. She holds a ball and invites all the local princesses and decides to plant a pea in their mattresses so that she can find James’ true love. James finds it hard to tell his mother that no princess is ever going to be for him, but he suffers through the ball to be polite. When ranch owner, Jonathon, turns up at the ball to collect his sister, James is overcome by the man’s rugged good looks and his rough hands.

This story is a bit like a cross between Cinderella/The Princess and the Pea and an erotic cowboy romance. I don’t think it’s supposed to be taken at all seriously, rather it’s a light and fun story which aims to blend the two genres. That’s all well and good, but for me, the blending wasn’t entirely successful. I think this may have worked better had it been given a different setting other than Texas, because I found that a little jarring. Texas isn’t a kingdom and every time it’s mentioned it niggled at me.

The story is also very over-the-top, with a few unbelievable scenes – such as when James discovers a murderess – which meant that I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I might have done. When Jonathon appears things do pick up a little and I enjoyed the coy interaction between the heroes, and the subsequent sex scene. This is an insta-love story, but given that it’s supposed to be modelled on a fairy tale, that fit in with the genre and I didn’t mind so much. I also rather liked the character of James’ mother, whose overbearing nature didn’t stop me from seeing how much she loves her son.

Overall, this was a decent read if you like fairy tales, but parts didn’t work well for me, even if the romance was quite well done, so it gets a low C from me.

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