Having once escaped the dark waters that cursed him, a young witch returns home to face the evil targeting his loved ones—whatever the consequences.
After almost a decade away, Taliesin Ashborne has come home to attend his grandfather’s funeral. While past tensions still linger between him and his family, a stiff drink and a steamy encounter with Kessian, the gorgeous man who approaches him at the wake, really takes the edge off.
But the old magic of Shearwater Spring has left more scars on Tal than he realized. Nine years ago, twenty-four townspeople, including Tal and his father, mysteriously walked into a deep river one night—and only Tal returned.
To this day, something dangerous lurks in Shearwater’s black waters. It’s hunting down everyone Tal loves, and after it got his twin, he couldn’t stand to lose anyone else. Hoping to rid him of this curse once and for all, his sibling Fae urges him to see the town’s new healer . . . who just so happens to be Kessian.
Trying to keep his emotions in check—for not only his own benefit but also Kessian’s safety—will be anything but easy for Tal after nine years of isolation. Now, with a wraith hot on his trail, he must uncover what corrupted the ancient magic of the river so he can finally come home for good.
Praise for A Spell for Heartsickness
“Reeves’s remarkably assured debut delivers a queer, witchy romp with deep feelings.” —Publishers Weekly
“As comfy and satisfying as ‘the taste of hot stew on a rainy night.’” —Kirkus Reviews
Alistair Reeves (he/him) writes romantasy about messy queers and morally grey characters. Born in Canada, he moved to England to indulge his addiction to hot caffeinated beverages. His influences range from video games to Chinese danmei. When not writing, he can be found playing Dungeons & Dragons or tending to his frankly absurd collection of succulents.
In 2019 he won a Watty Award for his queer science fiction, Static Crush, and was a 2022 Pitch Wars mentee. A SPELL FOR HEARTSICKNESS is his debut novel, releasing with Podium in Fall 2024.
He graduated from Sheridan College with a Bachelors in Animation, but he mostly uses his artistic skills to draw his OC’s kissing.
Loved this story - so sweet and full of emotional twisty turns. An easy 4.5 stars. I loved the question of where home is, whether it is a place or a person or both. I also loved the resolution theme, but I don’t want to add a spoiler here, as it’s a powerful and enduring idea for all of us.
The spice is gentle, believable, and unique - something which seems increasingly rare in the MM Romance world.
Absolutely loved the sentient campervan/motorhome, despite it being inaccurately referred to as a caravan - which is a very different beast. Nevertheless, when I get a motorhome, this is the kind I want - one with a dial that can lead you to infinite rooms of possibility, that puts the kettle on for you, and fluffs up the cushions! Yes please!
It was so lovely to see our other couples briefly getting involved, and getting a brief glimpse into the ongoing HEAs they are living. I often read reviews which talk about readers kicking their feet in delight - I think I get it now!
Just a few inconsistencies in familial relationships between cousins/siblings, mother/aunt, dad/ uncle. My suspicion is that the characters of Fae and Amelia went through some evolutionary developments along the way, maybe even splitting from one person into two, and these are minor artefacts left from those changes. Also, towards the end, a Volvo suddenly becomes a Golf!
But none of this detracts from a brilliant, well-written story. Highly recommend - read the Spell for Heartsickness, then Hex for Hunger before reading this one.
Such a beautifully written conclusion to one of my all-time fave cozy fantasy series! Even though I'm sad that the "Rune Tithe" trilogy has come to an end, this book was everything I wanted & hoped it would be. Reeves's trademark lyrical prose really shines in Tal and Kessian's story.
After 9 years on the run from the wraith that took his twin sister, and very nearly drowned him as well, Taliesin is back in town for his Grandpa's funeral. Nobody wants him there, himself included, for the bloodthirsty wraith that decimated his family is always hot on Tal's heels; but he cannot bring himself to skip the last chance at saying goodbye. Neither can he deny himself a wild night of pleasure with the dazzling young man he meets at the funeral, Kessian, whose freckles gleam like stars. When Tal's sibling Fae announces they're getting married in a few weeks, and would love for Tal to attend, fear of the wraith's bloodthirst urges Tal to run as fast as he can. But Kessian wields immense power connected to the stream where the family tragedy began, and Fae cannot bear the thought of their only surviving sibling missing their wedding. How is Tal meant to choose between keeping his family safe and showing them the love he's been holding back for 9 entire years? Is it true that there might be a way to exorcise the wraith for good? And why is it that, whenever he looks at Kessian, it feels like coming home?
Family curses, an unsolved murder mystery, wild magic and a cheeky familiar-turned-caravan went into the caudron for this one, and the result is exquisite. While I'm biased beyond reason because Emery is my absolute baby bean from this series, and nobody will ever take his crown, I fell head over heels for Tal and Kessian. Though they appear to be very different people, deep down they both long for the same thing; they both long for a home, though neither of them knows what that might look like. Dreamlike nostalgia permeated the story from front to back, but it wasn't necessarily sad. Instead, it felt like flipping through photo albums and reminiscing about all those happy memories you weren't aware would become precious sanctuaries you'd come back to time and time again when the world weighs too heavily on you.
Something I quite appreciated was the autistic and trans rep. Both realities were portrayed with nuance and respect, and while I'd encourage you to listen to people from either (or both) minorities regarding the accuracy of this rep, I personally found it to be really well done. There is neither any romantization of the (mostly societal) challenges faced by autistic and/or transgender individuals, nor any 'woe is them' discourse. Finding such representation is still rare, so I cannot recommend this book enough in that regard.
Overall another stellar book by Alistair Reeves. Already excited for whatever he'll write next!
I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of this book, and it just blew me away. But first, take a moment to gander at that glorious cover. It is truly everything.
When Taliesen returns home to attend the funeral of his grandfather, he fears the inky creepy wraith-like creature haunting him will harm his family, so he's in a hurry to get out of Dodge in his caravan (who is also his familiar.) This evil dates back to his youth when he nearly died in the same spring that has taken the lives of other townsfolk, including his sister and father. He's urged to meet with a healer, Kessian, the confident, sexy man who's new to town but already has a strong, magical connection with the spring. Together they search for a solution to Tal's menacing foe, building a rapport that begins to blossom into more.
An Elixir For Wanderlust is the third installment in The Rune Tithe series. While it can be read as a standalone, there are some old friends along the way that will be more appreciated after reading the first two lovely books. Each of these books is squarely romantasy with a smidgeon of horror at the edges, but this one has another dimension of depth and atmosphere and .... I want to say calculus(?) due to the mastery of some complex timey wimey wibbly wobbly intricacies Alistair handles with precision. Also, did I mention the familiar is a caravan? This whole book is bursting with creativity and wild imagination. My gob was smacked.
★ Rating: 4.5/5 Genre: Fantasy Romance Are There Gay People in this?*: ✅
Great end to the series!
I love the Rune Tithe series so much omg. Alistair Reeves is so good at writing books that have a lot of dark plot elements that are properly handled and treated seriously, while keeping the book flirty and whimsical. I really appreciated the conversation they had at the beginning about what words to use for Kessian's anatomy. It's a part of trans romances that I feel like sometimes gets skipped over a little. I also loved getting to see all the boys from the first two books again.
The narration was also great--Harrison Knights has the perfect voice for this series--however I did notice that this audiobook has a lot of pauses between sentences that felt slightly too long. I think that would be a production thing, not an actual narration thing, but I am not familiar enough with the process to be sure. I also read the second book on audio and don't remember this happening there.
Overall, super sweet romance between 2 characters I loved. I highly recommend this book, though I would recommend reading the other two books first since I would say this spoils a little bit of the first one.
* I count a book as including gay people if any of the main or secondary characters are implicitly or explicitly queer or trans. This does not necessarily mean the protagonist is queer or that there is a queer romance
THIS BOOK! An Elixir for Wanderlust was such a joy to read and an absolute page turner. I finished it in about 24 hours and loved every second of it. I very rarely tab or save quotes but I was highlighting and tabbing all throughout this book, so many amazing lines that ranged from extremely relatable, heart warming or laugh out loud funny. One thing I love about Alistair Reeves' books is that they each feel so fresh and original! They don't follow a cookie cutter plot line. They are all unique stories and plots that leave me on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out how it will end and this book was no exception. As a wanderer and traveler myself who has a complex relationship with my hometown, this story was so relatable and beautiful to read. More detailed review to come when I've had time to process but until then, just all the love to An Elixir for Wanderlust and Tal and Kessian, I love them so much!
So good! I preordered this immediately after reading A Spell For Heartsickness because I knew I would want to read it as soon as it came out - I can’t exactly say I enjoyed it as much as ASFH but that’s a very high bar lol. Both main characters are very likable and easy to get attached to. I LOVED being in Tal’s brain; his thought process and internal dialogue felt very similar to my own. Kessian is adorable and I do think he had much more agency in this book than Rowan did in ASFH, which I really enjoyed. Really my only criticism is that the writing felt very on the nose at times, like it was leading me to conclusions I could have gotten to on my own, but that was greatly overshadowed by how much fun I was having lol.
Very much worth the read!! I hope we get to see more from this series 🥰 I could read ten more of these little standalones lol
I don’t write book reviews a lot, but I REALLY loved this and wanted to show my support.
This series of queer romances has been so beautiful and I think this one was my favorite. Exploring the meaning of “home” for different people, and what it means to trust others with your heart, along with a good magical mystery being solved the whole time, made this book into a really fun weekend read. I also really enjoyed the cameos from the other characters in the series. Briar was particularly funny and cute.
Anyway, I love this magical world and THE GAYS CAN BE HAPPY! 🥰
I cannot express how BEAUTIFUL all the books in this series are. I’ve been waiting for this one ever since the cover was announced, and it was better than anything I could have hoped for!
The characters are so beautifully human, and the grief, loss, joy, and love was so, so, so well written. The world is spectacular and absolutely gorgeous, and I’m obsessed with the magic system. If you haven’t read the books, please do! Alistair Reeves weaves beautiful stories with lovely characters. The emotions are so very potent and the characters so very real. Please read these books, you won’t regret it at all.
I am once again blown away and in awe from the emotional roller coaster I just got off of. Alistair Reeves has done it again! The first two books were beautiful, queer master pieces with magic woven in every word. An Elixir for Wanderlust is no exception. I'm still bawling my eyes out and grinning like a giddy fool over all the twists that kept me guessing and craving more. Plus, wonderful trans representation is always welcomed. ❤️ The only compliment I have is that I need more and would love to dive deeper into this fantastical world Reeves has built.
An excellent book from start to finish. This series has been so unique and so interesting. Each book has its own vibe, but you can feel that they are all within the same world. I really enjoy the magical system used throughout, even though this book was more focused on wild magic over deliberate spellcasting. Both Tal and Kessian are rich characters with a lot of layers and dimension. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them and the narrative as a whole. Every minute of this book was great.
I love how diverse the cast of characters is in Alistair Reeves' books. The series is obviously queer, but we've also got main characters who are trans, neurodivergent, and disabled. And each of the books in this series are so very different, but they all just suck you right in and keep you (rather like the Strid, really...)
I adore Tal and my heart just hurt so much for him. An Elixir for Wanderlust kept me guessing at all the twists and turns and reveals, while drawing me in to solve the mystery of this wraith and Tal's curse, and flirting with the potential in Tal and Kessian's romance.
This is the third book in The Rune Tithe series and can be read as a standalone. That being said, the characters from both book 1 (A Spell for Heartsickness) and book 2 (A Hex for Hunger) do play a role as side characters in this book, and there are some (fairly minor) spoilers for the first two books in this one - so basically, if you're going to read the entire series anyway (which you *totally should*), it's probably best to read them in order. :)
I liked the inclusion of the characters from the previous Rune Tithe books in this book, I don't know if there are more stories planned for the series but this made it feel a bit like a conclusion, bringing everyone together. I liked the story here, it had a lot of different elements weaving together; their pasts, the town, the wraith, the river's magic, and the relationship building between Kessia and Tal. An enjoyable addition to the series.
4.75/5. While it didn’t feel like the previous two, it was still really good. I miss the vibes from the others, though, and I was happy to see the characters having their cameo moments. I wonder if there’s a next one where it’ll go and how it’ll tie in.
So good, hot and sweet and an awesome action packed magical mystery. I guessed the villain at the start, but the how and why was fun to reveal too. I hope there's more in this series, but either way I'm so in love with it as is.
I absolutely loved the first two books, but this one blew the other two out of the water. Wow. I absolutely ADORED Kessian and Tal so so so so much. I didn't want to let them go. I also adored the call back to the first two books, too. I cannot WAIT for the next book by Alistair!
Taliesen returns home to attend the funeral for his grandfather, to make matters worse the creature haunting him gets closer and closer; the looming feeling of his family being harmed by said creature he attempts to continue life on the run… at least until he meets a healer, Kessian might be new in town but he might just be what Taliesen needs to figure out how to stop the creature following him.
Adored this book. The characters were written so well and the plot had my interest the entire time. Also the trans and neurodivergent representation was amazingly done. The romance was quick to spice and had dimension and depth as it progressed. The magic and fantasy elements were so creative and entertaining to read with the plot of this book.
POV: First Person Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Sad Level: 💧💧💧 Would I Recommend? Yes Favorite Character(s): Taliesen and Kessian Emojis Based on Vibes: 🌊🔮⚰️
This book was everything I wanted and more. Immediately tempted to re-read and purchase a physical copy as well to hoard it like a dragon. Please. Read it.
This book Is like Tingmo- a fluffy cloud like steamed bread that is a staple of Tibetan cuisine. Tingmo and Elixir is are once unique and familiar - after all bread is bread, love is love, romantacy is romantacy. It is the same starchiness taste and sense of being cared for is evoked by all good bread. and yet the texture and even conventions of Tingmo and queer love are whole their own.
Tingmo like all bread, sustains the life of peasants and enriches plates of kings. Although delicious by itself its shines when you used to sponge up the flavors of whatever sauce it’s near. And so burst of emotion will surprise you as you bite into this book.
This is a book that explores the avenues of loneliness. Whether your beloved by all abs known by none or the outcast. Whether you hold yourself back because you’re afraid of being hurt or you’re afraid that some uncontrollable part of you will hurt others you are in the end alone all the same. The only way out of this is to risk your peace for the riptide of authentic connection and of course love.