Review - Parting Truth by J.C. Owens

Peyton has been the lover of Prince Mayar since they were young men. But when the soon-to-be king decides to marry a princess from a neighboring kingdom, Peyton becomes excess to requirements as well as a potential embarrassment. So, the prince sends Peyton, along with 50 soldiers unknown to him, to another world where a generations-long battle has been waging between the humans and demons from another realm. The new recruits are taken in hand by ‘The Eight’, a tightly knit band of misfits who are among the humans' most feared fighting group. One of The Eight, Ice, seems to take a particular interest in Peyton, which the young general returns.

“Parting Truth” takes place in the same world as the rest of the Gaven series and well after the events of the first three books. Although characters from all three previous stories appear in this one, you can still conceivably read this as a stand-alone since those people only play a supporting role this time around.

Peyton is all too believable as a man who thought he was in love forever, only to be cast aside by his partner the moment their relationship became inconvenient. The realization that he never really meant anything to the prince and that what he has with Ice may be more than a passing fling is very eye-opening.

Ice is an interesting character. He and his brother Ink are essentially street kids who became good fighters and were eventually taken in as part of The Eight. Unlike many of the other members of the team, Ice has never allowed himself to get close to someone other than his brother. His feelings for Peyton both confuse and scare him.

The big dramatic turn is quite a surprise. I would have liked to have had more about what happens to Ice, but that would have made for a much longer and possibly very different story.

“Parting Truth” is available from Amazon.