Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Lesbian
Reviewer: Rari
Get It At Amazon | Publisher | Smashwords
About The Book
Isabeau is having history’s worst honeymoon. Heart-broken when her lover and best friend Margaret married and moved away, she accepted the proposal of a distant cousin, but she regrets this decision even before he insists on taking her to his cold and ruinous ancestral home. Horace does not seem to care about her, either, and soon she begins to wonder about his motives.
Her fears are compounded when strangers arrive seeking refuge from the snow, and her husband’s behavior becomes strangely hostile. Vairya and Ranat seem friendly, but why are they in this isolated region at all? It can’t be coincidence that they come from Persia, where her husband was until recently stationed as a diplomat.
Eventually one visitor confides in Isabeau, but her claims are so wild they cannot be true. Can they? Should she trust her heart, and perhaps her survival, to this stranger who seems to share her forbidden desires?
The Review
This was my first read from Mere Rain, and I enjoyed it. It’s quite a short story, so I was able through it quickly too. But there were no pacing issues, and it packs a punch for such a short book.
Isabeau is newly married and heartbroken. Her best friend and lover, Margaret, left her to marry a man. In a fit of despair, Isabeau said yes to a distant cousin who is a lord, and who her parents approved of. But in the ancestral home of Horace in the middle of winter, surrounded by emptiness and snow and cold and hostile servants and unpalatable food, she’s already regretting it. Horace doesn’t seem to be interested in her, which makes her wonder why he married her at all.
When a strange, foreign couple arrives at their doorstep and claims they’re from Persia, Isabeau allows them shelter without asking her husband. The woman, Ranat, is injured, and seems to be interested in Isabeau, but can she allow her attraction to overwhelm her good sense? It seems strange that the brother and sister are from Persia, where Horace was stationed until recently. But the truth is far stranger than anything Isabeau might have guessed.
I loved the gothic feel to the book – the castle in the middle of nowhere, the whispers and sounds at night, the stone corridors and stairs, the darkness and cold which I could literally feel as the author described it. Isabeau is a relatable character, and though this tale is brief, neither the plot nor the characters fall short in any way.
It veers more into horror than fantasy territory, but it would also fit dark fantasy – it’s not quite Grimdark. Horace and his servants are all very sinister, and Isabeau’s helplessness and terror that they won’t leave soon is something I shared.
An immersive short read with gothic vibes and queer characters.
The Reviewer
Rari is an author and editor writing under the name of Niranjan K. She is an avid reader of all things fantasy, and loves to discourse at length about her favourite books as well as shows. This blog is the space where she will be sharing her views and insights of the books, shows and movies that she likes.