Title: Illumined Shadows
Series: Treble and the Lost Boys #3
Author: G.R. Lyons
Genre: Paranormal
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Pages/Word Count: 331
Reviewer: MaryAnn
About the Book
When Victor Lucius was sixteen years old, a few cruel words out of his mouth led to a brutal tragedy, one that Vic has been trying to make up for ever since. Now, working as a missing persons expert, Vic tracks down and rescues people from abandonment or abuse, trying to alleviate the guilt constantly weighing him down.
His latest case—a boy who was kidnapped at the age of two and then held captive for nineteen years—is by far the darkest of his career. If there’s any chance of Vic finally redeeming himself, helping this boy might be it.
But rescuing Colby from his basement prison is only the beginning, and brings a whole new struggle to Vic’s life:
Temptation…
(Note: This story takes place in a fictional world, the same as in the Shifting Isles Series. There are multiple gods, different names for the days of the week, etc. A glossary is included.)
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The Review
“Illumined Shadows” is the final novel in this trilogy. Victor Lucius finds himself having to come face to face and address his emotional issues with the finding of Colby; the tragedy of Cam his brother and his failure with Ryley. Vic has carried a burden of guilt throughout a good part of his life and as an insurance agent has taken on the mission of finding lost and abused people. Vic’s life comes to a head when the horribly abused Colby comes into his life. Vic learns some of simplest things gives Colby a sense of security: Cam, a dog and music. Vic and Colby still have to find a way to heal and live a full life again.
“Ice on Fire” is the first book and introduces Zac Cinder and Adrian Frost, two young men who find themselves coming from very opposite worlds. Adrian is in a very abusive situation because of a domineering and cruel father and it leads Adrian to panic attacks and self-harming. Zac is always trying to be responsible and deal with his own problems and not burden his family. Zac comes from a loving and wonderful large family. Besides being in a band, which Zac has high hopes for, he plays in a trio known as Treble with Victor Lucius and Ryley Skye.
“Heavens Aground” the second novel in the trilogy gives an in-depth look into the failing relationship of Ryley Skye and Victor Lucius. Regardless of their feelings for each other Ryley and Vic still work together on insurance cases and searching for lost people. The case of Asher Arden, who has been missing for thirteen years, turns Ryley’s world upside down. Ryley always seems to be assertive and confident but is somewhat in denial of issues. He’s plagued with nightmares, odd emotional occurrences and he’s not willing to accept what’s really going on with himself.
I was so intrigued with the blurb for “Illumined Shadows” that I found myself curious and read the trilogy which I highly recommend. I have to say I was not disappointed. “Treble and the Lost Boys” is a spin-off from “A Shifting Isle Trilogy”. “Treble and the Lost Boys” trilogy is filled with a combination of mystery, fantasy, contemporary, paranormal, and futuristic/modern day world. The author provided a glossary for this trilogy that really helps as the novel progresses and it gives a basis on how the Isle of Agoran and other isles came about in the year 2952. The characters in each of these novels are very interesting and deal with many different emotions. I was so glad that they all continued throughout the trilogy. In a way they come together as a support group for each other. Just fair warning several of these characters suffer from serious abusive situations; self harm, rape, abandonment, panic attacks and some scenes are very graphic.
What I really found intriguing in this futuristic world it seems that it’s mandatory everyone have an insurance policy that covers just about everything. The job of insurance agent crosses lines with being detectives. Vic and Ryley have a certain expertise in the insurance field: Vic deals with the abused and missing people and Ryley deals with the dead and often times their cases cross.
This was a first time read for me by G.R. Lyons and I’m curious to see what’s in store next.