Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Ulysses, Paranormal Romance Guild
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About The Book
When an old man at the tavern suggests someone who could rid the province of Dorraine of its eternal winter would be a hero, it gives Niall, an apprentice carpenter, an idea. All he needs to do is find such a man, a sorcerer of great power, he thinks.
It means traveling over the high mountains in search of such a person, if one exists. Something he knows he can’t do alone. So he persuades three of his apprentice friends to join him. They need to find a mercenary to escort and protect them, as their Masters are unwilling to allow them to make the quest without one.
Renard enters the picture. It takes a fair amount of persuasion, and the willingness of the merchants to pay his fees, but finally he agrees.
Once they have everything they need — clothing, food, weapons, and mules and a cart to transport all they had — they set out.
As they fight snow and wind-blown blizzards through the canyon leading to their destination, or so they hope, Niall and Renard form a bond which might go beyond friendship, despite the disparity in their ages.
Can they make it to the other side of the mountains alive, with the weather, wolves, and brigands to contend with? If so, will they find a land with all the seasons, and most importantly, a sorcerer willing to help? They pray it’s possible but only time will tell.
The Review
In land of Dorraine it is always winter. The people manage by using their local mages to moderate the weather enough to allow for crops to grow in specific fields, both for trade and for sustenance. Nobody remembers when it was not winter, although everyone has heard the legends of places where the sun shines and flowers grow.
In the town of Misthaven, a young carpenter’s apprentice, Niall, wonders if somewhere “out there,” beyond the snow-capped mountains that surround Dorraine, there might be a sorcerer with enough power to give Dorraine four normal seasons.
Nobody in Dorraine has ever been beyond the mountains, and nobody knows what, if anything, is out there. Niall convinces a group of his friends—Petyr, Merek, Janot—to join him on this quest. He also sets his sights on Renard, the somewhat older and far more experienced local mercenary, who agrees to accompany them on their quest. Niall knows that Renard’s experience and skills will keep them safe and help them succeed.
Renard is an exotic character in Dorraine, and Niall is quite smitten with the older man (older meaning all of twenty-eight). He has seen more of the world than anyone in Misthaven, even if that world is only the winter-cursed Dorraine.
This gentle, low-key adventure, a little bit Lord of the Rings, and little bit Hardy Boys, is full of details that give a vivid sense of life in this crypto-medieval town. I particularly enjoyed the author’s care with minutiae that bring a sense of realism to his fantasy world.
4 stars.
The Reviewer
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