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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Gatos by Lia Connor (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide
Set in Regency England, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a queer historical fantasy of magic, murder, high heat and humour.
Lord Nicholas Monterris, the last remaining heir of a crumbling ducal house, must marry to save his family from complete decline. His father chooses Lady Leaf Serral, eldest daughter of his greatest rival, at which point Nic is sure it can’t get any worse. Until he learns the head negotiator is to be Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten, a man their rigid class structure forbids him to love.
Locked in the mouldering grandeur of Monterris Court (a house more haunting manifestation of dynastic ambition and ancestral guilt than home), the first dead body is troubling. The second, a warning that someone doesn’t want the contract to go ahead. But while Nic and his wife-to-be team up to banter their way through a secret murder investigation, it’s Dashiell he can’t stop thinking about. What would be worse? To love and have to let go, or to wholly deny the yearning of one’s heart forever?
Perfect for fans of Freya Marske and Alexis Hall, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is the perfect blend of gothic and romantic – including a locked room murder mystery, forbidden love and otherworldly automatons.
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is a blind read that hooked me from the opening chapter till the end. Half of it is due to new-to-me narrator James Langton, whose storyteller voice immediately drew me in, and the author’s engaging writing style that kept me riveted.
The plot is part romance, part fantasy, and mostly murder mystery, weaving together family drama, bad blood, dark secrets, and vengeful ghosts.
The story is in Lord Nicholas Monterris’s third-person POV. Nic, being the sole heir of a dukedom on the brink of bankruptcy, is about to be contracted to marry Lady Leaf Serral of the wealthy House Serral.
The two families were bitter rivals, so it was a surprise to Nic his father, the duke, is hell-bent on completing the contract despite the numerous tragedies happening during the negotiations.
My favorite aspect is the world-building. This is set in an alt-Regency world where LGBTQ+ is accepted and people with magic abilities are called Brilliants. They are generally the aristocracy. Everything is governed by contracts and contracts are made by vowsmiths.
Vowsmiths are glorified lawyers with magical abilities. They write the contracts and make them binding by smithing, which is the process of inscribing magical runes. It’s actually as tedious as real-world contracts, but I think this paper-based magic is pretty fabulous!
As much as I liked the world, there are also some low-key steampunk elements that I wished were utilized more. The Regency part was also so subtle, I initially didn’t realize this was set in England.
Brilliance, vowsmithing, and other concepts mentioned, like the Care Clause, could have been expanded more. The Care Clause was invoked but what happened after that was not shown.
The vowsmith hired by the Serral to negotiate on their behalf is none other than Nic’s childhood friend a.k.a. long-time crush, Dashiell sa Vare. Dash was the duke’s former apprentice, the duke being a vowsmith before he inherited the title.
Dash and Nic’s interactions weren’t as frequent as I preferred but I lived for those moments they were together. The chemistry is chef’s kiss! Dash is polite and professional but when he makes passionate declarations, it’s swoony as hell!! And those long looks across the table! Also, buying a whole new wardrobe just to impress Nic.
Meanwhile, Nic has perma heart eyes from the moment Dashiell steps into his house. Dash was the one who got away, so him walking back into Nic’s life…our boy isn’t letting him go again!
While the negotiations are underway, the brilliants are magically obligated to stay within the duke’s residence. And this is where the fun starts, because they cannot leave even with ghosts and dead bodies in their midst.
Rather than Nic, our amateur sleuth turned out to be Leaf. She was the best character, smart, determined, and ambitious, even if her sleuthing skills were just based on detective novels. She quickly became Nic’s best friend, their playful natures and mutual understanding of their predicament bringing them together. She’s also a fantastic aro/ace character.
The murder mystery was very intriguing. It built up my expectations and I was looking forward to being shocked. The big reveal was a bit anti-climatic but Nic’s resolution was clever. The epilogue was the cherry on top!
I love standalones but I hope the author would write another book in this setting, possibly another couple with lots of Dash and Nic cameos. I want more of the vowsmith world!
The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is far from perfect but I had a great time nonetheless. It’s a fun, cozy-ish, hella charming tale with a chockful of dark and drama. Overall, as gothic and romantic as promised!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Promised You A Miracle
Artist: Simple Minds
Album: New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)
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THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS VOWSMITH: Kindle | Audiobook
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REVIEW: Revelations by Nik Knight
Fire & Brimstone: Revelations – Nik Knight
Riley thought he knew what to expect from college, but he never planned for angels, demons, or a team of attractive, overprotective Guardians.
When one fateful night opens his eyes to a world he never knew existed, Riley Shepard must navigate a host of supernatural dangers, all while struggling with new and confusing feelings for his guardian angels. With the promise of friends, family, and freedom finally within his grasp, he fears not only for his heart but for his life as well.
Lucky for him, some things are worth dying for.
*** Revelations is the first book in the slow-burn M/M+ romance series, Fire & Brimstone, featuring hurt/comfort, swoon-worthy guardian angels, sexual awakening, and an unlikely hero, too innocent for his own good. Trigger warnings include: situations of homophobia (both external and internal), past child abuse, self-harm, mental health, and one instance (Prologue) of non-graphic sexual assault. ***
Revelations is the series opener of the polyamorous paranormal/urban fantasy series Fire & Brimstone. It is a story held together by an intriguing premise, a spectacular prologue, and a talented narrator, Kurt Graves.
Without this lucky combination, I doubt I would have finished the book.
I won’t spoil the prologue with too much details. Just know that demons are on a hunt….
The story is in the 1st-person POV of Riley Shepard, a shy 19-year-old college student with barely any friends. Riley grew up in foster homes, the last one with a Dolores Umbridge of a religious nut who brainwashed poor Riley into thinking every other errant thought or action is a cause for shame or sin.
Our boy is a mass of trauma, anxiety, and guilt. He was once committed to a mental health institution for having “imaginary friends.” Due to his foster mother’s training, he is compelled to punish himself whenever he feels he did something wrong.
Riley’s imaginary friends turned out to be real. Noel, Jai, and Gideon were his guardian angels. Why was he able to see them only now?
While I empathize with Riley’s mental health issues, going through his self-flagellatory internal dialogues is a very unpleasant experience. Add to that him being a doormat and being treated like a baby by his friends, to the point of being literally carried like one, it was hard to like the character.
I loved the three protective angels. Noel and Jai’s interactions were the most fun part, as the two were mirror entities who were also complete opposites. Noel is an albino with a sweet, caring nature, while Jai is the bad boy, tall, dark, and with a taste for trouble. Gideon is their leader, complete with daddy vibes, a gruff manner, and fabulous cooking skills.
The thing with these celestial beings is that they take the hurt comfort to a ridiculously infantile level as if overcompensating for Riley’s loveless childhood.
The plot moves efficiently, largely due to Kurt Graves’ engaging performance, even though not much happens until the final chapters, where secrets are finally revealed. Interestingly, while these revelations are not particularly surprising, they still make me eager to read the next book.
It also helped that the epilogue is in Gideon’s POV, which means, we’ll be getting Noel’s and Jai’s POVs too. Sometimes a different perspective changes how I feel about unlikable characters, and I want to like Riley. Our boy has been through the wringer and deserves some extra TLCs.
Revelations was a mixed bag and very slow burn but hooked me nonetheless. It’s an emotional story about a boy living a monochrome life who discovers the world is far more vivid and colorful than he ever imagined. Overall, it’s not setting my world on fire, but I liked it.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Not Alone
Artist: Otto Knows
Album: Not Alone
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REVELATIONS: Kindle | Audiobook
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Lost Selkie by Eule Grey (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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AUDIOBOOK TOUR: The Coven Series by Drako (Excerpt & Giveaway + Guest Post)
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COVER REVEAL: Charmed by Destiny by Jessamyn Kingley (Excerpt)
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RELEASE TOUR: Sunflower by Kayla Halleur (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Earth’s Passion by Emily Carrington (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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SERIES TOUR: Apocrypha of the Knight Shamans series by R. Roderick Rowe (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Night Menagerie by Kathryne Lentes (Excerpt & Giveaway)
