Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: MM Bi, Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
Save two worlds, or save each other?
Rakurai hunts demons. He doesn’t consort with gods. Until he meets Tenzen.
Tenzen cares for souls. He despises the callous, self-absorbed Yuvine. Until he meets Rakurai.
A rescue and a sacrifice make a death god and a hunter fall in love, but a life of bliss is a long way off. Someone is disturbing the balance of magic and threatening two worlds. And while desire draws Rakurai and Tenzen together, duty, assassins, and clan politics keep them apart.
Who will Tenzen and Rakurai save in the end? Two worlds or each other?
Caught starts a new mm paranormal romance series, A Balance of Magic, featuring mortals and immortals from both sides of the veil, old promises, new revelations, and a bloody fight between love and duty. It is the first book of a trilogy and ends with a HFN. The characters will get their HEA in the final book
The Review
In 1792, the city of Shimabara, Japan had been destroyed twice over. So many dead, and their screams called to Tenzen from his garden. Tenzen is a god who rescues souls and takes them to his garden until they’re ready to move on.
It’s not easy, as Tenzen has to fight predators – the krull and hyeshi, minor demons that feast on fresh souls. Souruita, who seek out souls of children for youth and longevity. And the most dangerous, the rafeet who thrive on fear and pain and torture souls.
Tenzen, exhausted from his fight with the demons and saving souls to take back to his garden, becomes trapped by a powerful rafeet for eighteen years.
Yamakage Rakurai is a hunter. He is loyal to his clan but his morals often prevent him from agreeing with their requests. When called by Yamakage Daisuke, he cannot agree to the killing of Lugano hunters. Even though he takes the assignment, he hates that he has to continually travel and be away from home and his son Raijin.
When Rakurai is ambushed, he’s surprised by what he discovers. His journey changes from that point, and when he hears of a powerful rafeet, he goes on the hunt to destroy it. His journey turns mysterious, taking him to a strange courtyard with a statue surrounded by water. Rakurai is taken with the statue, and is shocked with what he discovers. And a fantastic journey begins!
Keswick creates an amazing fantasy that’s very easy to read, and the descriptions throughout the novel ignite the imagination. The world building is fantastic, filled with demons, clans, and politics. Caught includes sword play, deceit, magical powers, lightning, a roller coaster of emotions and a beautifully, written romance.
Tenzen and Rakurai are two magnificent characters, and the connection that they make is wonderful, loving and will warm your heart. And Raijin and Rakurai display a beautiful love and respect between father and son.
Even though this is not the genre I usually read, I was thoroughly entertained, and entranced by so many aspects to this novel. There is much to absorb but it held my interest throughout, and now I can’t wait for the next book, Cursed, coming in February to “A Balance of Magic” series!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.