The Best of Times

Pact Arcanum Saga #3.5

by Arshad Ahsanuddin

Author's Note: This novella has been incorporated into the most recent edition of Starlight (Book 4), and is now out of print.

“Mortals die. It’s what they do.”

Anchorpoint City, 2082. Rory understands. The death of his lover Takeshi is a devastating blow from which he can’t bear to recover. Lorcan takes it upon himself to coax his friend and ally back to life. Then an innocent gesture of affection places them both in the center of an explosive scandal, forcing them to make choices they might otherwise never have considered. Magic requires sacrifice. Will their friendship survive the pressure of Nightwalker politics, or will their relationship be just another casualty of war?

This novella falls after Moonlight (Book 3) in story continuity.

Genres: Vampires, M M Romance, Paranormal, Futuristic, Gay, Fantasy

ebook

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

By profession, I am a hematopathologist, a laboratory physician who specializes in diagnosis of diseases of blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes, such as leukemia and lymphoma. In my off time, I write LGBT Fantasy and Scifi books. Yes, I realize the irony that I write about vampires. ;)

Note: I do not guarantee a happy ending to any individual book within each series.

Reviews

[Jason Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful future glimpse at the immortals among the group. Bittersweet. Arshad continues to amaze me with the depth of his storytelling and the vastness of the world he created in this series.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set chronologically after “Moonlight” (Pact Arcanum 3), “The Best of Times” tells the story of how Rory, Ruarc and Nick came to be joined. It follows from Rory’s loss of his mate, Takeshi, through his political marriage to Ruarc and their eventual falling in love, and then to Jeremy’s dying and Nick’s struggle to accept that loss and remember his love for Rory and Ruarc. This is a very well-written novella and a must-have for fans of Pact Arcanum. A wonderful story – a wonderful series – and highly recommended.

[Nile Princess · Rating 5 out of 5]

In terms of timeline, this novella falls in between , the third book in the Pact Arcanum series, and the upcoming fourth book, Starlight. Newbies would do well to read the first two books, and to acclimate themselves to the world and truly appreciate, both the depth of the characters, and the scope of Arshad's imagination.

But on to The Best of Times! If you are a Ruarc fan whose heart broke a little everytime he interacted with Nick, or a Rory fan whose pulse sped up a little at the suggestion at the end of Moonlight (guess you'll just have to read it to find out, won't you? :-)) then this is the novella for you! Best of Times opens with Take's death and Rory's struggle to deal with his grief. As Ruarc steps in to guide him through a process with which Ruarc is all too familiar, their friendship blossoms...until an innocent gesture between friends lands them in a world of trouble and threatens to derail everything they've worked for. Best of Times charts their response to the fallout, and takes us a journey of friendship, political alliance and finally love. As always, Arshad delivers big. I am continually impressed by his ability to get to the heart of a matter, with so few words. The characters shine and there were moments that just gave me the warm fuzzies.

As a novella (62 epages), it packs a punch and will not leave you wanting. A worthy addition to the Pact Arcanum series

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best of Times by Arshad Ahsanuddin takes place after the third book in his Pact Arcanum series Moonlight: Pact Arcanum: Book Three. It serves as a very nice appetizer for the upcoming release Starlight by setting up a few pretty major character changes. Arshad truly has mastered telling about his characters in ways that make them seem realistic and vulnerable despite the extraordinary amount of power they wield.

This is a good read for fans of the series and really makes me eager for Starlight to see what's coming next.

[SueM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is numbered 3.5 and takes place after the events in Book 3, it focuses on the main characters from books 1 and 2, particularly on the Daywalkers with mortal partners. We follow Rory after Takeshi's death, and then Nick after Jeremy's death... It mostly follows what I expected would happen, but it was nice to actually read it, rather than assume it. Now I plan to go back to read the revised edition of Sunset: Pact Arcanum: Book One (which Jason has rated as 5 stars, when the previous edition was 4) as I really liked reading about those characters again.

[Meghan Loves M/M · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I really liked that the story was told in the same voice as the original books and all the characters were still in keeping with their essential personalities. Because it takes place further in the future and contains some big character developments, I wish it were longer and more detailed, especially involving Take's story. Despite its short length, I shed a few tears here and there. I'm excited that the next story is a full-length novel.

[Yy Tang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit it. I cried when I read this. It takes a lot to get me to cry but one of the character's (I won't say who and spoil it) death stuck me really hard. I had hoped for a happy ending for him but that wasn't the case. Mr. Ahsanuddin has really improved in his writing. I look forward to what he has in store for his readers next.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful, beautiful love story. I'd have given it 5 stars, except for the fact that I don't think the story would stand alone without one's having read Sunset and possibly Sunrise, as a short story ought to do.