Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Jay
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About The Book
Available: One soul. Poorly maintained. All serious offers considered. (Unseelie preferred.)
Declan
After a lifetime of being treated like a pariah, Declan’s a fae on a mission: Take down Faerie’s oppressive power structure from the inside. But first, he needs a soulbond. Too bad every potential match in Faerie has rejected him. Well, he’ll just have to get creative. And he’s always had a soft spot for humans.
Antonio
Antonio, a tattooed gearhead with a record, has a mission, too: Avoid the fae at all costs. He’s been there, done that, and has the PTSD to prove it. Sure, he’s screwed up his life in more ways than he can count. But it’s his life. Then, the fae he used to belong to returns. This time, planning to keep him forever.
Antonio has one chance to escape: sell his soul before the fae he most fears takes it. If the buyer happens to be a scorching hot punk with bone wings, it certainly makes a bitter pill easier to swallow. And Declan, he can’t turn down the wounded, dark-humored man who asks him for help.
Together, they dive into the world of fae intrigue, supernatural hitmen, and family strife. Oh, and the awkwardness of falling hard when their bond is only supposed to be a business arrangement…
The Review
This is a fabulous follow up to An Embrace of Citrus and Snow. Although it is readable as a standalone story, the reader would find it advisable to read An Embrace of Citrus and Snow first. There are many references to past relationhips between minor characters that only make sense if the first book has been read, and the world building relies on the previous book too. However, the main protagonists are very different.
Bo’s friend Antonio thinks he hates everything fae, but then slowly falls for Declan, a Sluagh. Bo and Everil, from Book 1, provide both advice and refuge. The relationship develops slowly but inexorably, in the teeth of opposition from various fae characters and factions.
Fae politics is complex and dramatic, and whilst the romance of this book reaches a satisfactory conclusion, there is plenty of material for more volumes in the need to combat the worst of fae practices.
The sex is explicit and intensely erotic, given Declan’s unusual nature, even for a fae. I Googled Sluagh, but needn’t have done so because there is a helpful glossary of fae at the end.
As a writer of fae fantasy myself I was intrigued by the authors’ assured handling of many different types of fae – totally unlike mine, but fascinating and steeped in authentic legend.
The book is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions of fae, the fae kingdom, and the growing love between Declan and Antonio. Highly recommended.
The Reviewer
I’ve been doing book reviews on my website, crossposted or linked to various social media, for a few years. I read a number of genres but I really enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction so thought I’d like to share my views with you. I love sci fi and other speculative fiction because of the way it can, at its best, make us see ourselves in a new light. Quite apart from the exciting stories, of course! I used to be an English teacher, and I’m a writer (fantasy) so I can be quite critical about style etc. but I hope I can also appreciate properly some books that don’t appeal to me personally but might be simply perfect for others. I have, obviously, read widely, and continue to do so.
