
Review:
This was one of those books in which the characters/narrator were just the slightest bit absurd in a funny way, but also with pretty writing (I think, it’s harder for me to notice writing in audiobooks). Anyway, that humor and writing style is one of my favorite types, so I loved this.
I also loved Thornby. I felt terrible for him, trapped on this estate for a year and a half, going mad, desperately wanting to know it wasn’t all in his head but also desperately wanting to leave. But I also just loved his absurdity, his quirks, his confidence, his cheekiness. John had a bit of absurdity too, I think it kind of came with his magic, but he was also more serious, and he was kind and self-assured and resourceful, and I liked him too.
I also liked the two of them together. I felt the chemistry between them. I awwwed at their tender moments, and the sex scenes were hot. They worked together really well, those two, and it was nice seeing them trust each other and be vulnerable and find this magical relationship with each other.
The actual magic was really cool too. I’ve never read about magic quite like John’s. His magic involved the use of objects. In addition to just using things for doing magic, he could, in a way, speak to objects and listen to them. They could tell him things, show him magic they were involved in in the past, help him out. I found it interesting. He also had to make sure he dispelled enough magic before sex, or it could be a problem. And sometimes his magic reacted in strange ways with Thornby.
“You realize there’s an octopus under the bed?” he said, getting under the covers.
John, who had been slipping an arm around him, went still for a moment. “Is there? Yes, alright. I’m not surprised.”
“Yours, is it?”
“No.”
The plot revolved around the mystery of what magic was keeping Thornby trapped on the estate and how to break it so he could be free. The whole story had a bit of underlying darkness, but it was fun with some humor and some sexy times and some growing feelings between the men. Then things got real serious real fast (in a great, intense, emotional sort of way), and there was this reveal that was just this total “Everything makes so much sense now!” moment. Bonus: *SPOILER* I finally got to read about a supernatural creature I’d not read about yet (selkies), even if I didn’t realize I was reading about it until the reveal. *END SPOILER*
I also enjoyed the audio narration. Joel Leslie did a great job, no complaints.
This was a completely random find, I’m pretty sure I found it while browsing through Hoopla, but I thought this was a fantastic little standalone book with great characters who had great chemistry, fascinating magic, and an interesting story!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes historical/paranormal m/m fantasy, a bit of absurd humor, pretty writing, likeable characters, and some scorching hot sex scenes.
This sounds pretty good! And I love when I find something random that turns out to be more than I was expecting😁
Same!
This sounds like another wonderful read! I love when the narration can make the book funny but also not too absurd and weird either. Just the right twist on things. And the characters sound so endearing. No wonder you enjoyed it so much. The title works so well as well. It caught my eye straight away, because it’s so symmetrical.
Olivia-S @ Olivia’s Catastrophe
It is a really interesting title, it just made me curious what it even meant. And yep, the book and narration both had such a great balance of everything!
The magic does sound interesting and the romance sweet. Then you sealed the deal with stand alone lol I’ll see if I have it on my Hoopla.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
I hope you love it! I really thought it was great.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one, too 🙂 It was one of my favorite audiobooks of 2019! I’ve listened to soo many audiobooks by Joel Leslie since then. He’s a friggin genius with accents.
I didn’t realize you had read this one, I’m happy you also loved it! I’ve listened to two books by Joel Leslie now, and he’s already one of my favorite narrators.
Sounds like a good book and I’m glad you enjoyed it and got to read about a new supernatural creature even if you didn’t know it until the end. That’s always fun though that a book keeps you guessing until the end and then everything makes sense for the end.
You know how I love my supernatural creatures lol. And I love those kinds of endings too!