Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay, Pan
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
A magician in need of redemption. A loyal hero on a quest. And only one bed at the inn.
Once the world’s most legendary sorcerer, Lorre fled the Middle Lands after his own curiosity — and a misguided transformation spell — turned him into a dragon and nearly killed a king. He isn’t a dragon anymore, but he is hiding alone on a tropical island, avoiding people, politics, and his own reputation.
But now a hero has found him. And not just any hero. Prince Gareth’s full of patience, intelligence, a kind heart … and unfairly attractive muscles. And he needs Lorre’s help: his tiny mountain kingdom is under attack from ice magic, and Gareth hopes the world’s last great magician will save his people.
Lorre is done with quests and princes and trying to change the world. But Gareth might tempt him to believe again … in heroes, in himself, and in magic.
The Review
Lorre is a half-human half-water-spirit and a powerful magician, vain and arrogant one at that, or at least he was. He has moved on from tha,t but he doesn’t know it yet when he is found by Prince Gareth. Lorre was not lost or anything, he was just in hiding from everything after a few disastrous associations with humans. Okay, maybe he was a little lost, but he has been slowly finding himself and his place in the way of all things.
Gareth, on the other hand, is a brave, handsome and definitely not heroic man in search of a warrior sorcerer to save his home from bandits with a tame sorcerer of their own. Mind you, he will make do with Lorre, as he is the first magician Gareth finds.
No, that’s unfair. Gareth went looking for the most powerful and consequently dangerous magician in the whole of history and, against all odds, he finds him. What neither of them was anticipating was the chemistry that forms between them – a quite magical chemistry at that.
They both have some unexpected consequences to deal with as a result of their union, including Lorre’s ex-lover and grand sorceress, Lily. I’ll leave you to find out what happens, other than to say there are a few sexual interludes between the two ‘heroes,’ and lots of scones and cakes.
What more could you ask for. Tea? Yeah, plenty of tea to go with the cake.
I cannot leave this without mentioning that there are some beautiful set pieces where Lorre loses himself in the world, mixing and merging and tending for the things that are hurt and need a little care.
I was a little undecided about this story, but I’m swaying more over to the “like” side rather than the dislike side of the pendulum. It’s a good, funny and sweet story that manages to get its head above the flood of ‘I could hurt you’ and ‘I trust you’ conversations Lorre and Gareth seem to have at a drop of a hat – not that there are any hats in the book (though there are lots of other garments mentioned).
I’ve convinced myself. It may be a bit stodgy in places, but it is mainly as light and fluffy as an angel cake. Magical!
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.