On the trail of a dangerous, violent mage, Tannis and his partner, Beck, fall into a nasty trap—and it's Beck who barely survives, losing blood almost faster than Tannis can get her to the nearest village for help.
Help proves to be Isani, a curt, mercurial healer who wants nothing to do with Tannis, and even less to do with the mage they're hunting—a mage Isani knows far too well, and had hoped would never return.
Sasha L. Miller spends most of her time writing, reading, or playing with all things website design. She loves telling stories, especially romance, because there’s nothing better than giving people their happily ever afters. When not writing, she spends time cooking, harassing her roommates, and playing with her cats.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was another one of those novellas that read as a full novel. Or so it seemed. Axbridge tells the story of Tannis who comes to this town with his injured partner Beck, in search of help. Here we meet Isani- the physician- who I envisioned as that elf professor from Winx Club. Don’t ask, I read this at 2am.
So much happened in such a short time and I found myself not wanting the book to end. There was action, an actual plot with a minuscule amount of romance thrown in to bring the picture all together.
I loved the writing style. It was quick and made me want to continue. I read this book in one sitting and I’m ashamed I took so long to read it.
I received a free copy of this via NetGalley. Thanks for letting me read~
To be honest, when I read a gay short story this is what I want. There's a nice ending with good resolution and the main characters are respectful towards eachother. When I was a young lass I got into yaoi, and even the western-made yaoi had a lot of rape and characters that were disrespectful to their partners. Women were hardly ever present in the stories, and they were usually an obstacle to the men and their relationship.
This ended up being a nice relationship, once the characters ironed out their minor differences. The main characters are also respectful of platonic relationships with females. Just a good, more realistic m/m relationship (dynamic-wise, I mean, I know this is a fantasy setting).
Nice story with an enjoyable chemistry between the MCs. I think what keeps this from a 5 star for me however is the length. I would’ve loved to see more attention given to the development of the plot, the relationship of the MCs and its aftermath etc.
Also side note it took me way to long to realize this was in the same universe as Battle of Will but after I did it made it more fun for me. Seeing the new mage military from a different point of view.
When Tannis’ partner, Beck, is hurt by the mage they are tracking, Tannis has no choice but to bring her to the nearest village and beg for help. Luckily the villiage healer, Isani, is also a mage. Unluckily, the village and its healer are the reason that the dangerous mage was in the area in the first place. Cut off from help by the weather, and with so few to defend the village, it will be up to Tannis and Isani to try take down the man that has already put Beck at death’s door.
Oh this was lovely. Just lovely. Nice and short and sweet. And while I dearly wish it was longer, and that we get to see more of Tannis and Isani’s lives, I’ll take what I can get. And what you get out of this story is a good fantasy with a sweet romance thrown in.
It also certainly doesn’t hurt that it was well written. Axbridge was very much the warm blanket that soothed the wounds from the last story I read (not for review, but just for ‘fun’). Finding someone with even a passage grasp of the English language was bound to make this story good for me. Having a good story as well–one that I might be willing to beg more of, if the author is so inclined–was just icing on the chocolate cupcake.
While this is technically the second book in the Morcia series, it is very much a standalone story. In fact the two really are not all that connected, except by the world in which they inhabit. I will however be going back to read the first one, Battle of Will, if only because I am now curious about this world and would love to know more. It doesn’t hurt that that story is full-length, either.
There is not much of a romance in this short story, in fact it doesn’t really come into play till the last quarter of the story, but there is some lovely chemistry between the two MCs and I just enjoyed the story for what it was, even if I would have loved to see more action between the two protagonists.
If you have an hour to spare I would highly recommend this story. I deeply enjoyed it, and hope that the Battle of Will will be just as enjoyable.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
Axbridge by Sasha L. Miller is another short and sweet fantasy novella with more of a first blush of romance rather than a full-blown relationship. We have Tannis, a soldier regularly partnered with mages, searching for the village healer when his partner is badly injured by a rogue mage. The healer, Isani, has experience with said mage, Corric, and offers his help and the hospitality of the village while Tannis continues to hunt the rogue.
Since this story is all of 18,000 words, we don’t get a whole lot of background in the world or the characters, but I thought the author did a pretty good job of showing who the characters are. Tannis is strong and loyal to both his partner and his country. He’s also incredibly open-minded and actually quite sweet and respectful towards others, even when they are less than wonderful to him. He’s confronted by both the village leader and Isani, and he doesn’t get angry, he just explains. I wish I had that ability! Isani is prickly, but obviously cares about his village and people in general. He’s had issues and his current situation certainly doesn’t help – he’s overly sensitive to people coddling him (when we first meet him, we find he only has one leg), and it takes a confrontation with Tannis for him to calm down about it. There are also all these aborted looks between the two – like they are watching each other, but trying not to be noticed. It’s adorable.
Basically, it’s short and sweet like a good first date – you meet each other, you hang out, and you’re left wanting more. The romance is still a possibility, but nothing is set yet. It’s really more about the fight and the fantasy than the romance. The story is more a way to get the two to meet. I really wanted there to be more, but I loved the potential we were left with.
3.5 stars. This is another enjoyable short read from LT3 and Sasha L. Miller. Tannis is a strong soldier worried about his military partner after she’s injured by a rogue mage. The healer he finds to help her is another mage and extremely prickly about soldiers, people helping him and Tannis in particular.
Heavier on the fantasy side of things than the romance, I enjoyed this quick read. The relationship is subtle, growing more out of mutual respect than any obvious attraction, with Isani being particularly defensive about his disability and mage status, while Tannis is much more easy going. It’s a dynamic that Miller has done before and does well. With such a short length there were aspects of the plot that were handled perhaps a little too easily, and I think this story could definitely have been longer without losing anything.
Overall quick and enjoyable with an interesting plot, magic and romance. All the good things I’ve come to expect from this author.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
My thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a 6/10.
This is a short story heavy on fantasy and not really that well developed with regards to any romance or relationships. Beck gets hurt by a mage in the line of duty and with the help of Tannis her comrade in arms, they set out to find a healer for Beck. In the village of Axbridge where they are hiding out. Tannis stumbles upon Isani a mage that has healing powers.
The romance element in this story is in the form of m/m and with this being very short and a fantasy story, it's not a very deep or graphic part of the story.
I am not a short story fan and must admit when I requested this I didn't realise that it was as short as it is. I found it lacking and was a little confused at times with it.
Please note that it didn't take me the 3 days to read that it states as I marked it as reading before I actually started it.
It's a little too short to really deserve the 4 stars, but the small amount there is certainly is better quality than most other books that are rated 3 stars. Miller has talent, but not enough time, which is sad, because this would have made a genuinely great story if it was fleshed out enough. It's only about 65 pages and seems like a lot less.
The world building is good (from the Battle of Will) and the characters seem interesting and likable, both MCs as well as the secondary characters. It manages to avoid insta-love, insta-sex, thank god, but it still feels rushed given that it's a fairly short novel.
I'd like to avoid reading short stories altogether, but there seems to be hardly anyone of quality writing a decent length novel these days. That might be my biggest complaint.
In the village of Axbridge, Tannis and his partner, Beck seek shelter from injury. Isani is the town's physician and mage. As he takes care of Beck's injuries, he and Tannis see to the village's defense. As they go, a mutual respect is developed... and soon a romance. I enjoyed this story very much. It reminded me of one of Ms. Miller's other books, "The Errant Prince"... everything is subtle and everyone has respect for each other. It was very well done!
I read this not realizing it was a book two of a series, but it works rather well as a standalone with a happy ending. Tannis is a likable character, as are all the rest, and the story reads at a brisk pace, filled with a fascinating magic system.
Alright. Seemed like a newer author. I did like the glimpse at the magic system, and the main character Terrace, and Isani was well written, but it seemed a tad rushed and cliche. But I really did liked Terrace's protective nature of Beck.
3.5 stars - Just as I expected, a short and light story about the tender beginnings of a relationship. The focus of the story is their situation with a rogue mage and not the romance. I liked it very much.