Flight

Gay Fairy Tales #3

by Leta Blake, Keira Andrews

Previously released as Love's Nest in 2013.

There’s no greater mystery in the kingdom than where Prince Mateo’s sisters disappear to each night. The king is determined to discover where they go and issues a challenge to all the nobles to help him learn their secret. Hoping to protect them, Mateo hides beneath a magic cloak and follows his sisters to an enchanted world of fairies and lusty delights.

Ópalo has waited years to finally meet his human lover. Fairies are bound by fate, and Ópalo is eager to embrace his, and plans a future with Mateo. But while Mateo soon succumbs to the pleasures of the flesh, he refuses to surrender his heart so easily.

As their worlds collide, Ópalo has to risk everything to win his man forever.

This is a previously published version of ASIN B016NA41A0

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Magic, Fairy Tales, Queer

162 pages, ebook

First published July 17, 2013

About the author

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and fan favorites Training Season, Will & Patrick Wake Up Married, and Slow Heat, Leta Blake has been captivating M/M Romance readers for over a decade. Whether writing contemporary romance or fantasy, she puts her psychology background to use creating complex characters and love stories that feel real. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her writing and her family life.

If you'd like to be among the first to know about new releases, you can sign up for Leta's newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bdn32H

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.5~

This is a sexy read about faeries and magic, destiny and love.

Faeries are not really my thing, but I enjoyed the descriptions of the fairyland, the colors and lights and wild dancing. And BIRDS. Birds everywhere.

I loved Opalo, bright and beautiful with his pink feathers, who was always meant for Mateo. It killed me that Mateo withheld his heart, taking advantage of Opalo's patience and kindness.

Mateo seemed almost cruel at times, so stubborn in his refusal to give up his illusion of choice (because that's all it ever was: an illusion; he was always meant to be with Opalo) that he almost killed Opalo.

The ending, while a HEA, was anti-climatic. I wanted the sparkle, the AWARENESS, the unbridled JOY.

I waited the entire book for Mateo to eat that damn cookie, only to find out he held back for YEARS, maybe a decade, and even then, we didn't get to see it! SO unsatisfying.

I was waiting for a BANG, but got a whimper.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Definitely embodying the fairy tale structure and the obligatory happy ending, this is all about Mateo who has sworn off love, seeing as how it's brought nothing but pain to those who succumb. He's determined to not give his heart away, and struggles with this decision when he meets the charismatic fae Opalo, who claims their very existence is to be solely for the other.

There's no argument that this had an original set up and was full of smexy smex, but overall I felt mostly ambivalent. Mateo resists and cannot, will not, see that his destiny is already writ, bringing unnecessary heartache to Opalo, as he refuses to give in to his feelings. Thus this was frustrating, and I wanted a different journey and emotional outcome than what I got. Because of my own expectations and wants, unfortunately, I was just mostly bored.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. I don't think I ever actually liked Mateo. I also didn't like the deception. Alas, I kept having to remind myself this was a Fairy Tale and of course, as we all know, they are kind of scary or creepy or disturbing or something. It read well as a Fairy Tale, it truly did, it just didn't read like one I enjoyed a lot.

It happens.

I did love Fairy land though. That was awesome.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairies and magic!

Mateo is the youngest of 12 and the only boy. And they are all the children of a king and queen. His father is a tad controlling since his queen passed away and doesn't allow his children to leave the castle, even locks them in at night. However, the 11 girls' new shoes are all worn through each morning. And he wants answers!

Mateo wants to know what's going on too. And thus begins the magic. Because each night, his sisters go to the land of fairies. And in the land of fairies are 12 royal siblings that they've been destined to. And Opalo has been waiting for Mateo.

But Mateo wants no part of something chosen FOR him. He wants to make his own decisions in life and has no desire to ever marry. He comes to feel affection for Opalo and has no problem sharing his body, but will not give his heart.

I really enjoyed this story. I'm not a huge fan of the fairytale type of story for m/m, but I have faith that Blake and Andrews can always bring it, and they did!

[Meags · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

I'm a little bit torn by this one. On one hand, I absolutely loved the use of the dual-worlds, with the characters crossing back and forth between the human realm and fairyland throughout the story. Fairyland, in particular, was authentically present in my mind's eye, through some spectacularly vivid descriptive and creative writing. It was all quite fantastical and fun. I enjoyed this aspect of the story immensely.

However, I had difficulty falling for the story as a whole simply because I never warmed to Mateo (the human Prince) as a main character. Although somewhat understandable, I found his hesitancies and unwillingness to give his heart to Opalo frustrating. Instead of appearing cautious, Mateo came across as arrogant, self-righteous, unfeeling and often (unintentionally) hurtful towards those around him, particularly Opalo. This was simply my interpretation of this character and I'm hopeful that my strong reactions may be taken very differently by other readers.

My feelings towards Mateo ultimately resulted in my disinterest in his love story, but I still enjoyed the atmosphere created here regardless.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely rendition of a fairytale.
The language and storytelling is true to fairytale magic. I got very easily and willingly swept up in the world that is conjured up.

Prince Mateo is the youngest and only male in twelve children. His sisters are harbouring a secret, which he is determined to bring to light.

He discovers a fairy land where all his sisters have found a mate and one is waiting for him as well. Mateo is enamoured of Opalo but won't surrender to love as easily as Opalo does.

Mateo and Opalo are both very sexy and likeable characters who have sizzling chemistry. Their love scenes are delicously hot and their love story is sweet and soulful. Not toothachingly sweet mind you but that golden combination of tenderness and wickedness that had me smiling and chuckling throughout.
Keep it up girls ;-)

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that was different. Intriguing.
It has the feel of a fairy tale, because, yes, there are tons of fairies fluttering around in a magical world of light and colour and birds. Fascinating world building really.

But ultimately it is the love story between a human prince and a fairy. It is a tale of destiny and making choices. And of untold pleasure to be had. 'Naughty' inhibited fairies with a different moral code from humans make sure of it. *G*
I enjoyed this and would happily read more about Opalo and Mateo!

Ideal, if you just want to try something completely different!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mateo is determined to find the answer of the mystery on why her sisters wear out their shoes although they are locked in their room at night. He finds out that each night his sisters cross the portal to the fairy world and they have became lovers of the faes. Ópalo, the youngest fae brother knows that Mateo is the human lover meant for him. However, despite the pleasure he feels when he is with Ópalo, Mateo refuses to give his heart and his love because he doesn't want to be in love and suffers from grief if he loses a lover (just like his father does)

--------------------------

As I love the previous two books in this slash fairytale series, I am happy to see Keira Andrews and Leta Blake have written another one. This story is based on the German fairy tale, Twelve Dancing Princesses" which of course has a slash twist. Instead of 12 princesses, we have 11 princesses and 1 prince, Mateo. I love the relationship of the siblings, especially Mateo and his twin, Luz.

The writing is again, lovely -- with that touch of fairytale-like language. I enjoy the twist of Mateo not wanting to fall in love. Ópalo is simply wonderful. He understands that his human lover is strong-headed -- so he refuses to give Mateo the bewitching fairy cake. He wants Mateo's heart but he will win it in an 'old-fashioned' way, rather than using the charm of fairy food.

The question whether the princesses are giving out their heart in their own free will, knowing the consequences of eating fairy cake, is explored nicely. I like how Mateo is conflicted -- so certain that his sisters are thralled to love, but at the same time he wonders how bad it is if his sisters are in love and being loved in return.

I desperately wish for Mateo to stop being so stubborn and to see how Ópalo is in love with him. My heart aches when Ópalo, in quest to find out the news about Mateo and his sisters when they are no returning to the fairy land, ends up hurting physically. That scene just choked me up .

I find this book to be slightly less smutty than the previous two books -- but I truly don't mind. The only complain I have is probably the gradual progress on how Mateo finally accepts that he loves Ópalo is slightly happened off page. I want to see read moment, that CLICK moment where Mateo realizes that he has given Ópalo his heart. But alas, I don't really get that here *pout*.

Now I wonder which other fairy tale that the two authors will work on. I HOPE the series continues...

[Caipi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Achim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
What can I say: I'm a sucker for slash fairytales and the authors telling this story exactly like a fairytale has to be told. The fairy kingdom shines beautifully and if there ever was a fairy prince worth of a human heart then it's Ópalo, brave and patient and famously handsome Ópalo.

Even my inner nerd got something out of this story because it deals with the question if feelings are real in the face of fated mates, fairy thralls and enchantments. Unfortunately that is also the one weak part of this book: Mateo is getting tangled up in his indecision about his feelings for Ópalo and authors never really delivery an answer.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another imaginative (and sexy!) twist on an old fairy tale. I'm generally not a huge fan of fairies and that kind of stuff, but the fantasy world created here was so compelling and interesting. I really rooted for Mateo and Opalo to find their happily ever after. Also enjoyed the characters of the sisters, especially Mateo's twin. Always nice to see rounded female characters who aren't stereotypical bitches or villains. The writing style is lovely and as always the sex is hot. Great book and refreshingly off-the-beaten-path.

[Charley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear. OMG. I understand Mateo's POV on his situation but how could he be so insensitive about Opalo's feelings?! sigh.
I hope he quickly regain his senses and listen to his heart. He's getting on my nerves.

EDIT : Finished! I must say, the coming to terms with his love for Opalo was implicit so I missed it, but it was sweet! I almost feared for Opalo's state in the end but it was a HEA.

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retold fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses with the addition of the two main characters. I didn't like Mateo's reticence at all. His journey to knowing he is in love is only written in a few sentences in the epilogue. Poor Opalo.

[Tito the Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little m/m romance fairy tale and the sex scenes were hot. Not quite as enchanting a story as I had hoped for when I downloaded this ebook, but it was a quick and enjoyable read.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

A TRAGEDY OF A DISAPPOINTMENT

After reading Rise and Levity and loving those to a feverish degree, I admit, my expectations and hopes were very high for this one. I mean, our two beloved authors set the bar so high in those, I can hardly be blamed for being almost sure that this one would be as delightful as their other two MM fairy tales. It started out interesting enough, if somewhat less clearer in intention than the other books had been. But more than halfway in, this one had me stumped. There were so many things about this I found confusing if not utterly pointless. Even the parts about this I initially liked—Mateo, for one—turned out to be a dud. A character with so much promise but one that remained void of substance until the very last page, and with rickety motivations (at best) for being what he is.

I wanted so much to like this, I waited until the very ending of the epilogue to pass judgement, still hoping until the very last word! that a lot of the murky aspects of this story would be cleared up… No such luck.

* S P O I L E R S * beyond this point!!!

1. Let's start with the biggest problem: Mateo.
In the beginning, he is a young man who longs for love and freedom, and yes, someone to share his passions with. He has not experienced any severe heartache at the hands of any past lover, no other traumatic event other than the passing of his mother. All things considered, he lived a rather charmed life. When he is given most of what he had been wishing for in the form of faerie land, and his supposed faerie mate Ópalo, it was understandable that he wasn't in a good headspace to think about being in love and was filled with doubts due to his sisters' deception not only towards their father, the king, but towards him as well. It was all fine up until that point. Now, when he starts saying that he doesn't feel any love for Ópalo but would very much like to continue to take pleasure from his body as much as he can? Uhm… This really makes everything his character is founded on (as flimsy as that foundation was) fall apart disastrously. HE CLAIMS TO WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY HIS FATHER, HE CLAIMS THAT RATTING OUT HIS SISTERS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, and thus far, HE HAS NOT SHOWN ANY NARCISSISTICALLY SELFISH INCLINATIONS. Okay, good so far, right? He presents himself as a character with a healthy moral compass…. UNTIL the point where he is incapable of fathoming how using another being for his own personal gain—taking and only taking without giving—without regard for that person's feelings—faerie as he may be—is shameless and completely heartless. Huh?? Wow. What a spectacular nosedive right there. Even if he continually derives pleasure from Ópalo and knows he is breaking the boy's heart, he does not give two shites. He is proud to be "his own man" who is the "master of his own heart" but oh, please keep fucking me and giving me pleasure, but I don't care about you, you're just a piece of meat to me! YAY. Whut? Okay, I dunno about the psychopaths, but people do not become this terribly jaded or resistant towards attraction and love if they hadn't experienced something that warrants it. Nothing was shown about his past to justify this, and it just happened so out of the blue. But since I trusted the authors so much, I waited and waited and waited for this… hmm… "forced quirk" of his to be given credence. But…… I get no such thing. Therefore, I was forced to think that this imposed and painfully forced internal conflict is nothing more than a plot device because without it, the story would simply not hold up. THIS IS THE ONLY TRUE CONFLICT THIS STORY HAS, AND IT IS AN UNBELIEVABLE AND LAZY ONE AT BEST. (I truly expected more from the authors, I mean, c'mon. An external conflict in the form of a villain would actually have been a better and easier choice??) I honestly cannot imagine why the authors decided to go with this lame plot device for the entire story. I am thinking it's probably an attempt at establishing some kind of "deeper love"? Maybe an attempt at making Mateo a "deeper" character. But it only succeeded in making him shallow, incredibly petty, and dislikeable. A character who is stubborn for the sake of just being stubborn. But to what end? Even Mateo himself doesn't know why he is doing or feeling the things he does (which is quite pathetic, I mean, didn't the authors ask themselves the same questions even once? Because if they did provide an answer to it in the story, heck, I DID NOT SEE IT ANYWHERE, haha). Is making Mateo like this an attempt at being cool and pragmatic? A sort of "eff you" to those who believe in love at first sight?? The thing is: It is simply not human nature to resist an offer of a beautiful love FOR NO REASON AT ALL, if not for the childish wish to feign wiseness or being self-willed. HUMAN BEINGS ARE MADE DESPERATE TO BE IN LOVE. IT IS THE MOST PRIMAL OF HUMAN NATURES! (That's why romance sells!) Even those who claim they have a heart of stone, secretly want to love and be loved! (Hell, even psychopaths want their version of love.) So I don't understand what planet or inhuman dimension Mateo really hailed from to pride himself as above all this. There's just no sense in anything he says and does beyond this point. Even when he realises without a doubt that Ópalo is special to him in every way possible, and even when Ópalo has never been stingy or lacking in his affection for Mateo, Mateo still gives him the cold shoulder (all the while, still presenting his arse for pleasuring), because… well…… reasons. Reasons that don't exist other than a contrivance to continue to keep this rickety story afloat, that is. The ending attempts to rectify this whole messy non-plot in the most uninspired way ever too, which is just… sigh. DEPRESSING?? Like, the least we could have gotten after all that nonsensical beating around the bush is a sweet reward. All we get is a careless mention of that love happening along the line, somewhere. Take it or leave it. It's like trying to appease a child you caused to cry with the candy wrapper instead of the actual candy. Haha, just kick me in the face why doncha??

And since the main character was so senseless and lacklustre? He took down the entire story with him, and no amount of colour or glitter or "dazzling" faerie magic could salvage it. (Again, I liked Mateo at the beginning. I actually kind of pity him that he wasn't handled better, because I get the impression that the authors just gave up on him at some point and just barrelled on with the story just to get it over with.) I mean, even his previously established motivations get muddled up at some point when he…

2. Suggests to his father how to better help King Hernando win the contest (and therefore, win his hand in marriage). HUH? Why on earth would he do this? Isn't this the farthest thing from what he wants?? Again, I waited for Mateo's objective here to be explained, and AGAIN, IT NEVER WAS.

3. Then there's that ever-so-random (and utterly WEIRD) flirting with Sir Franco RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS DYING FATHER, and after supposedly BEING SICK WITH MISSING ÓPALO SO MUCH. Whu… WHAT?? Is Mateo a scatterbrain or something? Does he have Alzheimer's?? Is he incognisant that he just goes off in illogical tangents that completely disregard everything that he himself established, as though he has some kind of split personality or something? Seriously. WHAT THE FLYING FOOK IS GOING ON? Is this all an experimental attempt at making a character more unpredictable and hopefully, more interesting? Because if so, NOPE. Just no. And I can't believe this unfounded UTTER BIZARRENESS with Mateo actually lasted for more than 50% of this book to the very end. IT'S UNBEARABLE!

4. WHY OH WHY OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CAN'T FAERIES WITH FEATHERS FLY??? What are the feathers for? What is being a faerie for?? What are all the birdhouses for (just regular birds)??? How did they build towering bird houses if they can't fly?? Do they have sky-high ladders?? WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT THE FAERIE MAGIC?? This seems like a really bad call, but oh well. Maybe it's just me. Yet another pointless take in the story that seems forced. Another plot device in order to push the agenda of Ópalo going splat on the cobblestone floor. Even if he had no ability to fly, it has been reiterated more than once that he is smaller, seemingly lighter on his feet, and therefore the impact should not really have been as devastating as it would a regular-sized human.

5. While I enjoy a good dose of smut any day and I did appreciate that there was so much of it here– Mateo's questionable sanity, poor judgement, and deplorable soullessness kind of ruined most of what should have been lovely romantic sex. If anything, all the sex kind of mocked the idea of true love. Hey everyone, we can all just fuck someone without giving a hoot about their feelings! As long as they want a piece of you too, why the hell not?? Haha. I get that there are people who engage in sex without feeling any sort of love for their partners, but even those aren't as cold-hearted as this. At least, in those cases, emotional unattachment is usually mutual. But theirs was a toxic relationship from the start, with Mateo just admitting that he needed to get his rocks off and was unbothered at all by the fact that HE WAS USING ÓPALO, OBJECTIFYING HIM LIKE SOME SEX TOY. How can someone so young be so twisted? Where has his innocence gone to? Is being a monumental jerk something their kingdom considered mature and manly??? Geezes, even that would have made more sense than the all the non-existent reasons unapologetically given in this story.

6. The only time I ever perked up after Mateo's deterioration as a protagonist was the mention of a dead twin sister. I thought OOOHHH, FINALLY! Some actual plot perhaps? A juicy mystery? A deliciously dark secret?? A HIDDEN VILLAIN THAT WILL COME BETWEEN THEM TO SPICE UP THEIR ROMANCE??? Well, haha. Guess what? That was nothing more than a nonsensical foreshadowing that led to Nowheresville. Just like many other things in this story that just happened totally at random with no reason nor rhyme.

7. Going back to Ópalo's unfortunate (but really quite laughable in its ridiculousness) "accident". They couldn't bring him back to fairy land because he was so badly broken that it would jostle him too much to make the trip and cause him to expire. Okay. Fine. I accepted that, albeit only because I loved the authors so much I was willing to further suspend my disbelief for them. But then……… We get: THE KING RIDING THROUGH THE PORTAL TO FAIRYLAND IN A FUCKING SLED PULLED BY A FRIGGIN' DOG. Well, I'll be damned, why the heck didn't they think of that when they needed to I dunno……… SAVE ÓPALO'S LIFE???? Surely hauling him into a sled or some similar gurneylike contraption (heck, even a flat bed of wood!) would have been doable?? How primitive is this kingdom to not have anything of the sort?? Yet, they had the sled and the dog readily available to haul the king's arse. *FACEPALM*

8. Still on that topic, Ópalo could have easily brought fairy water with him when he ventured to the human world—they were well aware that he could face dangers. But of course, he came totally unprepared in spite knowing that. All that says is that faeries of this universe seem to be utterly useless if not for anything else other than to be flashy, dance and eat ad infinitum, and slake their neverending carnal desires (which wouldn't be so bad if that's not all there is to it!). Their so-called "magic" is almost good for nothing, just like their feathers. UGH.

9. The biggest plot point of contention here is the mystery of the 11 sisters' nightly escapades. Now I don't know how the original tale this was based on went down but… The entire castle or a horde of courtiers and knights (even the king himself!) could have all stood guard and watched them sleep and the jig would have been up. The sisters would not have been able to put so many people to sleep. Why didn't THE KING or anyone in the entire kingdom even think of this?? Does their bedroom door magically lock at night? Nuh-uh. So what was stopping them from doing that? Given how desperate the king was to get to the bottom of his daughters' deception, so much so that he was willing to give their hand in marriage to practically anyone—nevermind if it's a creepy-ass pervert who constantly sexually harasses the prince—would those measures really have been overboard? I think not. Again, this could have been resolved IF ONLY the "FAERIE MAGIC" were a bit more useful in the grand scheme of things in this story. But nope. There's hardly any magic anywhere at all. Apparently the only practical use of magic to these faeries are for seduction. The end.

10. Speaking of the end… The climax was almost, almost romantic. Having either the MC or the LI get hurt is a trope as old as time but it never gets old to me (or to the world, for that matter), it's supposed to be heart-wrenching and compelling, and it's supposed to bring out so much delicious angst and drama and finally some much-deserved comfort after hurt! Alas, the whole thing with Ópalo getting hurt was just as pointless as THIS ENTIRE FREAKING STORY. Mateo was fearful and sad, and he will finally realise that he loves his little bird, yes?? *STRIDENT BUZZER SOUND* That's a big fat resounding NO. What was the whole deal with that then? Nothing. It just threw more emphasis on the fact that Mateo DOES NOT LOVE ÓPALO AT ALL. Sure, he didn't want him to die because OH NO?? Who will he get off on now??? No one else has ever dared have sex with him the way he wanted except Ópalo, so that means he isn't in love with Ópalo, but with his prick. BOO-HOO. He can't lose his favourite feathery sex toy, noooo! OH MY GOD. HOW ROMANTIC. I AM SWOONING. *SOBS IN FRUSTRATION* If I didn't know better (and maybe I don't), I'd say Keira Andrews and Leta Blake wrote this just to troll and spite fans of MM romance fairy tales. (Especially since I adore everything of Keira's I have read so far, so so friggin' much. I can't believe she could have a hand in this weirdness, haha.)(Haven't really read anything substantial of Leta Blake's alone to know her stories well, but it's still hard to swallow.)

And finally, a couple of last special mentions…

• Are the weird fragmented sentences intentional? Or are they typos? (Such as "I long for so much." and "Well, crack it very much."?)

• The cover design could have done better too. I mean, really?? Is that the best interpretation of feathers on one's head that you can come up with? Just have them randomly sticking out lopsidedly like it was just slapped back on a chicken with glue or something? I understand that there probably isn't a bigger budget for nicer, more lovingly-crafted covers these days, but if the cover is going to be bad and obviously half-hearted, then might as well have no cover at all, lest it only takes away from what a reader can otherwise imagine better.)

Well, that's it. I sincerely was looking forward to enjoying this as much as I did Rise and Levity, because heaven knows I loved those to bits with all my heart. Like, I am so happy that MM fairy tales exist now, but there only a handful of good and well-written MM romance fairy tales, so Rise and Levity are treasures to me! Saying this was a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. I feel deprived of a hit I really needed, haha. I'm sure there are readers who enjoyed this, but… sadly, this didn't do it for me. Far from it, so…

I wanted to rate this 1 star because it did not leave me with that exhilarating, satisfying feeling I usually get at the end of a good read—I feel rather exhausted from trying to accommodate this, in fact—but I'll be generous and give it 2 stars, ONLY because it didn't scrimp out on the passionate MM sex—its only saving grace for me (that could have been so much more gratifying, if the rest of this story didn't bring it down).

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read my full review, please visit: http://onsilverwingz.blogspot.com/201...

This is the best rendition of the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale I've read. It's very suspenseful and the storytelling is beautiful. In this case, there's 11 princesses and 1 prince. They are promised to 12 fairies in fairy land and fall love in with them. Mateo thinks it's not true love, just a mind manipulation by the fairies and some powerful magic in fairy food that forces humans to return to fairy land. Ópalo wants to win Mateo's heart without using fairy food but Mateo is skeptical of fairy love.

Mateo really questions about love and how one knows it when everyone tells him his pairing with Ópalo is meant to be. This sounds simple but the human mind always questions itself and everything about it. Even I am doubtful of his sisters' words of love when they unknowingly ate fairy food that forces them to return to fairy land. Mateo's distrust of his and Ópalo's love and their hearts leads to unfortunate events and causalities.

I love these two MCs and how they are so strong and brave to allow each other the freedom to love and to question love. The book describes their relationship and Ópalo's unwavering trust in Mateo and Mateo's doubt in their love perfectly.

Overall, this is a suspenseful read with a great romance and interesting characters. This is a must read for fairy tale lovers and those that like a hero struggling to get his love returned.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a retelling of the old Brothers Grimm German classic, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with an M/M twist put on it by the authors.

Although I enjoyed this one, it didn't have the same impact as Levity did. There just seemed to be something missing. Perhaps it was Mateo's cake? He came across quite well in some parts, spoilt in others, and even cruel as he refused to even think about him loving anybody. Instead, he was happy to use Ópalo as a booty call! I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers when I say that it ends well, after all the Grimm version has been around since 1812! However, the ending just seemed to fizzle out, in a "oh, I realised years ago" way.

I did enjoy this story, just not as much as other books by these authors. Still very well written though, with no editing or grammatical errors that I could see.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 14, 2016

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved a lot about the book. The fairy tale world was deftly drawn and the sex scenes were scorching. I loved the way they peeled back the usual trope of love at first sight and made that a struggle to overcome in and of itself. The ending was sweet. A wonderful read.

[Fi Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was always my favourite fairytale and the authors have done it justice.

[Jaycee Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful retelling of the twelve dancing princesses, with Mateo as the youngest and a prince who has been left out of his sister's secret escapades to a fairy kingdom, but isn't free of the consequences. When the king offers up the hand of any of his children in marriage, Mateo feels compelled to solve the mystery himself. He meets his fated mate in fairy land, but isn't as quick to surrender his heart as his sisters, as he still has conflicted feelings and duties to the human realm. The romance grows naturally, for all that the characters fall into bed quickly. I enjoyed the creative way this problematic story of a controlling father was dealt with, and some of the unique world building. The characters were easy to cheer for, and the steamy scenes hit just right. Highly recommend for fantasy fans who enjoy fairy tale retellings with a little heat.

[Calila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow managed to enjoy this despite thinking 98% of the characters were spoiled a-holes. I found myself charmed by Opalo and Mateo even as I find the whole premise pretty gross, but that's par for the course for fairy tales I guess. I liked the birdlike qualities of the fae in this book, that was interesting. Would've loved to learn more about their society, it all seemed pretty shallow and I'm confused on if there were any other non-bird fae besides the royal family.

[Denise GremoryKohta · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most was the worlds created here. That was what really got my attention. I wanted to explore them more. My heart went out to Ópalo. Over and over again he made his decisions for Mateo’s sake regardless of what it cost him. Personally, I think he deserved someone better but the heart wants what it wants. I do think his brothers should have been less civil to Mateo after all the trouble he caused.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just didn’t move me in any way. I think the author’s take on the Fae as bird people just felt too weird and I didn’t quite understand the use of Spanish words and phrases. Opalo was very sweet and I really liked him. Mateo, on the other hand, was pretty much an ass, right down to the ho-hum ending.

[Aldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... odd? I liked the characters and all the lush, sensual detail of the fairy world, but I confess the back and forth about the heart got a little tedious. (Also, come on, ladies, all this drama could've been avoided if y'all had just invested in some more sturdy footwear!)

[CARISSA E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

KU
Simple and engaging - would have appreciated more depth but I enjoyed.

[Lucia]

DNF - not for me

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming, quite interesting little tale.

[Susan Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flight by Leta Blake is an entertaining mm take on the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, but with eleven princesses and one prince. Of course the prince is curious where his sisters go at night and decides to follow them. The fairy lands as imagined by Blake are quite unlike any I remember reading from my childhood. And the fairy prince is actually down-to-earth, making him easy to like. There was a twist toward the end that made the story more poignant. I am not a big fan of fairy tales being repurposed with new characters, often to make a point, but this one was well done. And the meaning of the title becomes clear once the fairy lands are described.

[Ferran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Three things make a great tale:
- A main character on a journey plagued with difficulties which will force him to come of age or face his own fears, sometimes with magic involved
- A great villain - sometimes with dark magic involved-, and sidekicks
- A prize in the form of true love

Unfortunately, this story had none of them. It is dull and totally pointless.

First of all: there is no main character, since the weight is divided into Mateo an Ópalo. Neither a villain. Also, why so many sisters and princes if none of them but one add anything to the story?
Second: there is no arduous journey to happiness. Ópalo loves Mateo without even knowing him or having ever met him - even worst than insta-love.
Third: there is no prize, no reward, no overcoming whatever, no intrigue, no angst, nothing.

Sugar is indispensable in a cake, turning chocolate and flour into such delights as sachers, massinis or red velvets. This book is pure aspartame.

PS: Azulejo or Canario are great names for a prince though.