Posts labeled Fantasy
Review - Tarsus by J.C. Owens
My rating: 
Bullied by his warlord father, Tarsus has never known kindness. Everyone looks down on him because of his white hide and silvery hair. When their renegade fortress is captured by the Queen’s army, Tarsus expects to die along with everyone else. Instead of killing him, the Queen’s daughter gives Tarsus to her brother Varan, who makes the young centaur his servant. Tarsus still expects to die eventually, when Varan tires of him.
Review - Forget Me Not by R. Cooper
My rating:
Police detective Ray wakes up in an alley feeling drained, which, for a werewolf, is very strange. His keen sense of smell senses magic, which explains how someone overpowered him. He’s just getting his bearings when some people appear at the mouth of the alley. One of them is human and also smells of magic, but the other is a fairy, or perhaps a half-fairy. He is very pretty, as fairies are, and claims to be Ray’s mate.
Review - The Envoy's Honor by Antonia Aquilante
My rating:
The day Corentin, his husband-to-be Bastien, and the royal family knew was coming has finally arrived. A delegation from Corentin’s homeland, Iviria, is at the palace doors. Their leader, Ederic, is insistent that Corentin needs to return with them to be punished. The group’s second most senior member, Kirill, doesn’t understand why Ederic is so insistent on Corentin’s return, or why he is so confrontational with the Tournai royals. The one bright spot is Griffen, Bastien’s brother.
Tags: Fantasy
Review - The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen
My rating:
Oliver has a talent as a necromancer. He keeps it well hidden since it’s widely looked down upon. He trained as a doctor and now works as the pathologist for the Paranormal Society, a group that looks into crimes involving magic and paranormal beings. Felipe is one of the investigators. Oliver has had a crush on Felipe for a few years, but he’s too introverted to make his feelings known.
Review - Rogue Community College by David R. Slayton
My rating:
Isaac is a trained assassin, although he has yet to kill anyone. He’s on his first assignment for the Undertaker, the man who has trained Isaac and many others since he was a young boy. The mission seems to go sideways, and Isaac is taken by the Queen of Swords, Argent, to a strange school the other students have dubbed Rogue Community College. There, he will learn about the other races with a view to becoming a Guardian, but the others don’t know Isaac’s secrets.
Tags: Fantasy
Review - A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey
My rating:
It’s Apollo’s fate to become the sun god, but he keeps putting off ascending. He doesn’t want to become a god, like his father Zeus, who demands offerings of sacrifice and food from humans who are starving, then wipes out entire villages on a whim. Zeus is becoming increasingly impatient with his half-human son. He gives Apollo an ultimatum: either he ascends now, or spends a year with the human Prince Hyacinth learning how a “good” son behaves.
Review - Little God by R. Cooper
My rating:
Melis is the god of bees and honey, and desire. He’s among the youngest of the gods and a bit of an outcast. King Antero is one of the god’s most ardent followers. Antero is reputed to be very handsome, but has yet to find a suitable companion, someone who wants him for who he is rather than because he’s the king. He prays to Melis often for help in his quest.
Review - Out of the Blue by Lyra Evans
My rating:
Fae Detective Nico Spruce has been unsettled lately. A recent undercover operation gave him reason to question his self-image. Then, while recovering from a bullet wound that ended the undercover job, his boyfriend cheated on him. But there’s no time to think about that now. A dead body has been found on the beach. There’s no clue to the identity of the young man, nor can anyone explain exactly what caused the big hole in his chest.
Review - The Roaming Sea by Mike Carss
My rating:
Callum is a pacifist at heart, but like all humans, he grew up hearing about the war to regain human territory taken by the pactrids. So, when he reaches the age of conscription, Callum does his part. Luckily for him, he shows an aptitude for medicine and is trained as a medic. He works near the front lines but doesn’t have to be involved in the fighting. One day, on his way back home for a rest, there’s a transport problem that lands him far behind enemy lines.
Tags: Fantasy
Review - The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
My rating:
Near the end of the first century BC, in the grand imperial palace of the Han Emperor, three men develop a triangle relationship of love, lust and power with emotions so strong it will propel them to meet again and again for over two millennia. In each encounter, one of them attempts to set right the toxic relationship that has cursed the trio for two thousand years. I’m always a little leery of books with critical acclaim, especially from mainstream media.