Book Review: Swords, Sorcery, and Sundry by Mina MacLeod

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Swords, Sorcery, and Sundry
Author: Mina MacLeod
Series: Edges & Embers #1
Heroes/Heroine: Sylvain, Niklas & Ashe (No, this is NOT a menage)
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 90,000 words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: May 21, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A wizard, a soldier, and an assassin walk into a bar…

Wizard Sylvain just wants to sit down and have a drink, after days of walking when a shortage of funds forced him to sell his horse. Soldier Ashe would like to enjoy her evening, and not have it ruined by trouble. Assassin Niklas wishes they had both minded their own business and not made his bad night worse.

The bar they accidentally burn down is only the beginning, and they quickly learn that if they are to survive their penchant for trouble, teamwork will get them farther than standing alone.

Review:

This was a clever tale centered around three individuals: Sylvain, Ashe and Niklas. Total strangers until one day they happen to be in the same bar where Ashe and Sylvain try to save Niklas from a people trying to kill him… but unfortunately end up burning half the place down instead and then yelled at for intervening when they shouldn’t have. Forced together to repay the debt to repair the bar, the three learn that they not only have a kinship together but with their pooled skills, they might just have the means to create a lucrative business.

I will freely admit that I was a little hesitant to read this one only because, with three names in the blurb, I automatically think it’ll be a threesome. THANKFULLY, this book isn’t. No, Ashe may be a warrior woman but she’s no love interest in this story! Instead, the book is more about that bond that is created between the three of them but also has quite a bit of chemistry between Sylvain and Niklas. The story tells of how the three of them met, create a business based on their combined skills, and their experiences on a few of the ‘jobs’ they’re paid to do. These ‘jobs’ range from finding a lost kitten to catching serial killers. With their skills in sword, sorcery and… sundry, they can do just about any job anyone wants them to do!

I adored these characters because each had their own personality and traits so they were all unique. Sylvain is the naive, innocent wizard on his road to self-discovery (kinda), Niklas is the dark assassin (who’s not really an assassin) with a soft heart, and Ashe is the heart of the three; boisterous and exuberant, she brings the trio together and subtly smacks Niklas and Sylvain upside the head when they’re being idiots. The bickering and bantering between the three was hilarious and constantly made me smile. But what I loved most was the cat and mouse game between Niklas and Sylvain. As a sheltered wizard, Sylvain is oblivious to what’s right in front of him and never actually notices that Niklas is attracted to him. At least, not until one drunken night that sets the course for their relationship to come. I loved that Syvlain was so unobservant and that Niklas held so much jealousy and possessiveness in him. I ADORED them together and really just want to see more of them as a couple! ❤ I also can’t wait to see more of the relationship between Sylvain and his familiar, Fury. I’m intrigued by them but feel like there wasn’t enough time to explore their new-found relationship.

My only big issue is that I felt like the writing was stunted and choppy at times to the point that I would constantly get thrown out of the story because of it. I also felt like some passages were unnecessary and didn’t further the story. The book also had a slight issue with repetitiveness but then again, that stems from Sylvain being so innocent that he constantly rethinks some things he either doesn’t understand or is shocked by. They were amusing, to be honest, but well, some readers might take issue with that.

All in all, a LOVELY read. I wholehearted enjoyed it to the point that I stayed up late multiple nights just to continue reading it! I loved the jobs the three went on, which held quite a bit of suspense and action. I also loved the chemistry between the three characters and their comfortable bantering. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, it can’t come soon enough!

Overall Impression: I really liked it!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*