Posts Tagged With: Historical Fantasy

Book Review: Yuletide Treasure by Eliot Grayson

Posted on November 8, 2019 by thebloggergirls

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Yuletide Treasure
Author: Eliot Grayson
Series: Goddess-Blessed #3
Heroes: Eben & Tim
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 130 pages
Publisher: Smoking Teacup Books
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: There’s not enough Yuletide spirit in the world to fix this holiday disaster…

Eben Sypeman’s world is falling apart. It’s two days before Yule and his business partner is dead, leaving behind empty accounts and looming bankruptcy. And if that isn’t bad enough, his patron goddess is irritated with him. It seems she’s tired of his tendency to mince words and avoid conflict. She’s insisting—quite forcefully—that he start being totally honest with everyone, including himself. Divinely enforced honesty couldn’t have come at a less opportune time, especially when his clerk’s tall, dark and distractingly handsome son enters the picture.

The last thing on Tim Pratchett’s mind is romance. All the former soldier wants is to fill in for his sick father at work and recover from his war wounds in peace. But there’s something about the grumpy Eben that confounds and entices him in equal measure. Their timing couldn’t be worse. They’re complete opposites. And yet…none of that matters when he’s with Eben.

But if Eben and Tim have any hope of finding their very own happily ever after, they’ll have to survive a dickens of a truth curse and the machinations of a trickster goddess—all while searching for enough yuletide treasure to save them all.

A joyous, relaxing Yule indeed. Bah, humbug.

This is an M/M romance with explicit scenes, a voyeuristic pagan goddess, and an odious nephew. Despite any other possible similarities to A Christmas Carol, there are neither ghosts nor geese, but readers can expect a happy ending and at least one use of the word “dickens.”
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Reluctant Husband by Eliot Grayson

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Reluctant Husband
Author: Eliot Grayson
Series: Goddess-Blessed #2
Heroes: Tom & Mal
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 168 pages
Publisher: Smoking Teacup Books
Release Date: June 7, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Is their marriage a blessing…or a curse?

Tom Drake wants nothing to do with his patron goddess. Her blessing has always been little more than a cruel curse. But when he finds himself disowned, disgraced, and on the verge of homelessness, he knows he can no longer afford to ignore her demands. He must marry. Sadly, his one marriage prospect is a pragmatic, stubborn man who only seems to value him for his blessing…and his body…

Mal Leighton will stop at nothing to save his beloved cousin’s life, even if it means marrying Tom—and using him for his blessing—to do it. Theirs would be a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience. Love was never part of the equation. He’ll just have to somehow learn to ignore his overwhelming attraction to his dangerously charming and seductive new husband.

As weeks pass, Tom and Mal find there’s often a fine line between love and desperation, passion and pride—and what exists between them is infinitely more complicated than their simple marriage of convenience was ever meant to be. Can they set aside their painful pasts and misconceptions to take a chance on the love match they never expected to find?

This is an M/M romance set in an alternate-universe Regency. It contains the ideal number of carriages, duels, and redeemed villains, but beware of pagan goddesses who like to micromanage. It is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone. Tom’s previous dastardly deeds can be found in The Replacement Husband.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Replacement Husband by Eliot Grayson

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Replacement Husband
Author: Eliot Grayson
Series: Goddess-Blessed #1
Heroes: Owen & Arthur
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 186 pages
Publisher: Smoking Teacup Books
Release Date: January 4, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Owen Honeyfield lives a goddess-blessed life. His picture-perfect courtship and engagement to the man of his dreams is proof of that. But when his betrothal takes a disastrous turn, Owen’s only hope to restore his tarnished reputation comes from a most shocking source—the cold, disturbingly sensual brother of the man who just shattered his heart and abandoned him. Perhaps he’s not as blessed as he’d always thought…

Arthur Drake is accustomed to cleaning up after his impulsive and selfish brother. After all, he’s done it his whole life. The latest debacle, though, is much worse than usual. This time, his brother’s actions have threatened not only their family name, but Arthur’s own happiness. The only honorable choice is to marry Owen. But while he knows he can repair the damage to his beautiful new husband’s reputation, mending his broken heart might prove infinitely more difficult.

It’s not long before the lines between duty and passion blur, and Arthur finds himself in the inconvenient position of falling for his new husband. Will his love be enough to convince Owen to let their marriage of convenience become the happily ever after they both deserve?

This is an M/M romance set in an alternate-universe Regency with waistcoats, awkward tea-drinking, and pagan goddesses on the loose. It is the first in a series, but it can be read as a standalone.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Heather C

Reviewed by Heather C

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Heroine/Hero: Eelyn/Fiske
Genre: MF Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating. Continue reading →
Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, Heather C's Reviews, M/F, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

Posted on March 21, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Guest Reviewed by ReadsLate

Title: The Tiger’s Daughter
Author: K. Arsenault Rivera
Series: Their Bright Ascendency #1
Heroines: Empress Yui Shizuka & Barsalayaa Shefali Alshar
Genre: Historical Fantasy, F/F Romance
Length: 507 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Even gods can be slain….

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Published in 2017 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Early Review: The Highland Dragon’s Lady by Isabel Cooper

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

21897519Title: The Highland Dragon’s Lady
Author: Isabel Cooper
Series: Highland Dragon #2
Heroine/Hero: Regina Talbot-Jones/Colin MacAlasdair
Genre: M/F Historical Fantasy
Length: 352 Pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Regina Talbot-Jones has always known her rambling family home was haunted. She also knows her brother has invited one of his friends to attend an ill-conceived séance. She didn’t count on that friend being so handsome… and she certainly didn’t expect him to be a dragon.

Scottish Highlander Colin MacAlasdair has hidden his true nature for his entire life, but the moment he sets eyes on Regina, he knows he has to have her. In his hundreds of years, he’s never met a woman who could understand him so thoroughly… or touch him so deeply. Bound by their mutual loneliness, drawn by the fire awakening inside of them, Colin and Regina must work together to defeat a vengeful spirit – and discover whether their growing love is powerful enough to defy convention.

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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, M/F, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Consorting with Dragons by Sera Trevor

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Consorting with Dragons
Author: Sera Trevor
Series: Love’s Landscape
Heroes: Jasen/Rilvor
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 119 Pages
Publisher: Goodreads M/M Romance Group
Release Date: July 28, 2014
Available at: M/M Romance Group
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Dear Author,
It has been nearly 300 years since the last Lord of Drae chose a male consort… so what am I doing here at the capital, dressed in clothes finer than anything I have ever seen, and undergoing three months of (incredibly boring) testing by the Lord’s minions?

Well, to be honest, it is all my father’s fault. Or my father’s lack of ability to win at anything, ever. Not at life, not in love, and most certainly not at the gambling tables. While I can do nothing about his life, nor his love, he seems to think I can do an awful lot about his gambling debts. Mainly, he can sell (er… marry) me off to the highest bidder and happily go on sinking my mother’s land, title, and general good name into the ground he buried her in.

Trouble is, I’m not really worth all that much to anyone carrying a purse, let alone wanting a husband. But if I was unique, if I had done something very few could ever claim to have accomplished (or, realistically, tried to accomplish)… well then, maybe I’d be worth something. To someone. Somewhere. Or, at least my father hopes. Personally, three months free of my father sounds like a rather nice vacation. Three months of good food, free clothes, fine surroundings, and one flirty guard. Yes, that sounds just lovely.

It has been nearly 300 years since the last Lord of Drae chose a male consort… and neither fire nor fate is going to change that any time soon. Or so I thought…

Photo Description:
A portrait of a beautiful young man with shoulder-length red hair and intense amber eyes. He wears a cloak with long spikes on the shoulders. Behind him is a silhouette of a red dragon.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love’s Landscapes” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: In Despair by Megan Derr

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

19162088Title: In Despair
Author: Megan Derr
Series: Princes of Blood #3
Heroes: Telmé/Korin
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 221 Pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: July 9, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Prince Telmé Guldbrandsen has been groomed since childhood to become a Prince of the Blood and Commander of the Legion. He will be the youngest person to ever take the Blooding—if he can behave long enough to prove he can be trusted with the responsibility. But behaving is difficult when he is constantly forced to endure Korin: heir to the Reach of the House and the Temple of the Sacred Three, and the snotty brat Telmé is expected to someday marry.

Then the unthinkable happens, leaving Castle Guldbrandsen—and the Legion—in pieces. Overwhelmed by fear and grief, Telmé convinces Korin to help him attempt the impossible. But rather than relief, Telmé’s triumph is met with anger and rejection …
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Prince, The Thief, & The Shadow Emperor by M.J. Willow

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Nikyta

Reviewed by Nikyta

21893569Title: The Prince, The Thief, & The Shadow Emperor
Author: M.J. Willow
Series: That Famous Happy End Anthology
Heroes: Ilya/Soloyev
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 25,000 Words
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: June 18, 2014
Available at: Less Than Three Press, Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Traveling home by way of the Black Forest, Ilya is accosted by a highwayman who unexpectedly breaks free of his magic by dissolving into smoke. Not a highwayman, he learns later, but rumored to be the malcontent spirit of a despised dead emperor killed centuries ago.

Ilya dismisses the tale as superstition and clever shadow magic … until he sees the thief again in the very last place he expected.

Note: This story was originally published in the That Famous Happy End anthology.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas by Bey Deckard

Posted on May 2, 2014 by justjenbo

Reviewed by JustJen

Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas (Baal's Heart, #1)Title: Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas
Author: Bey Deckard
Series: Baal’s Heart #1
Heroes: Baltsaros/Jon/Tom
Genre: M/M Historical Fantasy
Length: 356 Pages
Publisher: Bey Deckard
Release Date: April 16, 2014
Available at: Amazon & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: . Sheltered and lonely, Jon’s life changes drastically when a strange ship sails into the harbour of his small port town one day. Trapped between the possessive pirate captain and his murderous first mate, he must learn to adapt or he will lose himself completely. An epic tale of love, treachery and revelation, this first installment of the Baal’s Heart trilogy brings you into the lives of three men so bound together by jealousy and lies that they must sail to the very ends of the earth to find forgiveness.

Deckard’s first novel is a masterful portrayal of sorrow, hope, and passion, with a narrative that twists the reader through a world set in the Golden Age of Piracy. A thrilling look into the darker side of human nature, Caged effortlessly melds serious historical fantasy with five star erotica.

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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments