Review - Wyrmwood by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

book cover

Wyrmwood

by Sam Burns, W.M. Fawkes

My rating:

Volume 2 of Poisonwood & Lyric

Tags: Fantasy Novella

Posted in Book Reviews on November 30, 2022

Declan is not your typical incubus. He lives a largely isolated life in the penthouse he shares with his siblings and doesn't go out to 'hunt' humans. When he can no longer resist the need to 'feed,' he orders a sex worker to satisfy his hunger. Never the same one twice to avoid the inevitable attachment a human would feel for his kind. The one thing that can lure Declan outside is the sea. His mother was a sea nymph, and he loves swimming in the ocean.

Augustine is surprised when he spots the beautiful man swimming in the sea near his lair. He has been alone for so long that he was beginning to doubt his mother's stories about one day meeting his true mate. He knows right away that Declan is meant to be his and snatches the incubus to take him back to his home. Only, once they get there, Declan is unimpressed with the riches on display. He is offended by being kidnapped, doesn't believe he is Augustine's mate, and just wants to be released. What's a dragon to do?

Like Jasper in the first book of the series, Poisonwood, Declan is a somewhat reluctant incubus. He refuses to ‘feed’ in the ‘normal’ way his father and siblings expect. Declan believes it's impossible for anyone to truly desire him as a person rather than under the influence of his magic. His reaction to being grabbed by Augustine is quite understandable.

Although the narration switches back and forth between Declan and Augustine, the dragon is a bit harder to get a read on. There is, in effect, a huge cultural gap between the two men, and this is what creates the drama of the story.

“Wyrmwood” is available from Amazon.