Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
Homeless and jobless, Fenn Todd has nearly run out of hope. All he has left is his longing for horses and the strength of his own two hands. But when he’s cheated into accepting a very ugly sackcloth horse, he’s catapulted into a world of magic, politics and desire.
Fenn’s invited to stay at the black tower, home of the most terrifying man in the realm: Morgrim, the court sorcerer. Morgrim has a reputation as a scheming villain, but he seems surprisingly charming—and sexy—and Fenn falls hard for him.
However, nothing is as it seems and everyone at the tower is lying about something. Beset by evil hexes, violent political intrigue and a horse that eats eiderdowns, Fenn must make the hardest choices of his life.
Can a plain man like Fenn ever find true love with a scheming sorcerer?
The Review
Morgrim the court sorcerer has got a lot of problems, what with fighting off murderous attacks from enemy sorcerers, ending a drought and hiding no end of secrets from the world at large. What he does not need is an ex-convict turning up, stinking of sweat and wild magic. Or so he thinks.
Fenn Todd, the ex-convict, is in no doubt that he is in the most dangerous place he has ever been in, and facing the most dangerous man in existence. Shame the sorcerer is also one of the most handsome men he has ever seen.
Both protagonists are well developed characters with plenty of shading from light to dark. They have trod different paths, but they have experienced highs and lows and managed to struggle on. Watching them circle each other as they get to know one other is both heartwarming and exasperating. When they finally own up to their feelings, it’s quite explosive but that’s only half way through their story. It is a bit of a long haul but there are many rewards on the journey to share with them.
How good is this book? A fair measure of a romantic story that is if it still hangs together once you take out all the sex, kinky or otherwise. Boy does this hang together. When Fenn finally gets to relate what his past life has been like, I had to wipe away a tear or two. In fact there are quite a few emotional moments throughout this book.
Fenn’s mode of speaking is very idiosyncratic and there are a couple of slightly clunky moments but I was more than happy to overlook them. Fenn’s a very rough diamond with a stout heart of gold.
And that sorcerer? I’ll let you make your own mind about him.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.