A Tangled Legacy

Legacy #1

by Mickie B. Ashling

Prince Colin of Sendorra would have been the spare instead of the heir if fate hadn’t intervened. Like his father and forefathers, Colin is expected to marry and father a child or his principality reverts to Spain at the time of his death. Filling the royal nursery with healthy babies seems easy enough until Princess Charlotte—his childhood friend and intended bride—breaks off their engagement.

Nobel Prize winner—and powerful gray witch—Alain de Gris isn’t looking for love. Science and research have taken center stage for years until he walks into a club and lays eyes on Colin, thirteen years his junior.

Bisexual by nature, Colin seeks to avoid another engagement repeat by shying away from a same-sex relationship. There are no acceptable alternatives to provide legitimate offspring if he follows his heart.

But Colin can’t stay away from Alain and the witch finds him irresistible. Ignoring the absolutes isn’t easy when a legacy is in jeopardy. And while magic may offer a solution, it could also create more problems.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Magic, Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Gay

ebook

First published August 6, 2018

About the author

MICKIE B. ASHLING is the pseudonym of a multi-published author who resides in a suburb outside Chicago. She is a product of her upbringing in various cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West.

Since 2009, Mickie has written several dozen novels in the LGBTQ+ genre—which have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and German. A lot of her backlist is “Under Construction” as she slowly transitions from traditional publishing to representing herself. Her goal is to have most of her novels back in the universe by the end of 2023.

CONTACT INFO:
Email: mickie.ashling@gmail.com
Website: mickieashling.com
Blog: mickiebashling.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mickie.ashling
Twitter: @MickieAshling
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/micki...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickieashling/

Reviews

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

A Tangled Legacy is the first book in a series that, while having a contemporary setting and mannerisms, is far from our reality. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this complex story wasn’t it. Colin and Alain are forging a deep love that incorporates their gravitas and their magical abilities. Colin’s Da and Father are good men who want what’s best for their son; they are willing to indulge him in everything but not fathering an heir. They are nervous about the age and maturity difference, as is Alain’s mother, but all are willing to go along for their child’s happiness. Alexandra reaps the reward of her prejudice, even as she believes to act in her grandson’s best interest. I was sad how things turned out for her, to be sure.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.

[Jason Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a sexy warlock!

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a world that feels very much like our actual reality, yet it is far different thanks to the existence of magic and male pregnancy, though the latter is extremely risky. Added to the setting in Sendorra – a small, fictional country in Southern Europe – the need for the main character to produce an heir, and family politics that are royally scr*wed up, it makes for exciting reading. Plus there is a very hot and somewhat mysterious gray witch who wants nothing to do with a prince, never mind all the entanglements of various kinds that come with a relationship to someone who is constantly in the public spotlight. The result is a read somewhere between a fairy tale, an action/adventure with several snags, and a complicated romance.


Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Kirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything. I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. Alain and Colin were magical perfection. Andrew was a wonderful ghost twin. Two wonderful, capable, loving, fun fathers. It was everything. The perfect match of fantasy, witchcraft, romance and deceit.

There was nothing but awesome spellbinding, magical whimsy in this book. So so good.

[M. L. Valard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This one grew on me a bit. The first three chapters in I had a small worry that this one might be a DNF for me. The connection between the two main characters happened so very quickly that I was genuinely worried there would be nothing interesting enough to hold my interest for the rest of the length. Additionally the story is told in a jumping first person POV that at first made everything feel rather flat to me.

I wasn't sure I liked Colin very much at first. He was spoiled and ungrateful, and it took me a bit to understand and warm up to him. Alain too, on first impression was arrogant and a bit insufferable, but as I continued reading several things happened. I got further insight into both the main characters and grew to like them more as I understood them. Their romance proved to move both more quickly and more slowly than I'd expected and I began to find it believable.

There was a bit more plot than I had expected and though there were a couple of steamy scenes the narrative did not get bogged down into nothing but a succession of sex scenes as I worried at first. (Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene, but if there's nothing else to the story it palls after a while). I cared about the plot, and I looked forward to seeing how it was resolved.

If I have some remaining negatives about this book that is one of them. A lot of things were not resolved. Now it's entirely possible that this is part of a series, in which case that makes perfect sense, but read as a standalone there are some minor exasperations. Still overall, even though there were a few things (like a first person narrative) that aren't particularly my thing, I did enjoy it. I read through it and I don't resent in the least doing so.

So overall I can give this one a solid three stars, for some interesting world building, an actual plot and a couple of characters who do manage to grow both individually and together throughout the story.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Having found the blend of fairy tale and modern aspects in Mickie B. Ashling’s short story Once Upon a Mattress to be fun and charming, I was excited to read "A Tangled Legacy" in the hopes of learning more about this world and its inhabitants in a full-length story. Unfortunately, I think 1.) my personal expectations were too high, and 2.) being a fan of paranormal/fantasy, I pay attention to and place a lot of importance on worldbuilding, and the lack of a solid foundation for a world can really inhibit my enjoyment, and 3.) Colin just rubbed me the wrong way and never grew or redeemed himself in my eyes.

From the characters to the worldbuilding, most of the elements felt a bit superficial and one-dimensional to me. Having POV shifts for every character should be a tool that gives them more depth, personality, development, etc., and if the POV shifts of secondary characters don’t do this, then they just seem unnecessary. For me, it’s a bit of a problem when the most interesting/fleshed out character is the bad-guy, and by “fleshed-out” I mean he’s a sociopath whose primary motivation is to rise above his humble beginnings and achieve power and status. Most of the characters, including the MCs, come across as a bit too arrogant and selfish to be more than tolerable. While Ashling probably wanted to portray Colin as a more sympathetic character, a young man struggling to come to terms with the responsibility he would not have if his older twin brother, Andrew, had survived, and wanting to have a bit more freedom to explore life outside of the constraints of constant scrutiny, he, unfortunately, comes across mostly as entitled, whiny, and dangerously impulsive.

Colin exemplifies one of the traits I find most irritating with many YA characters: he’s constantly shouting (literally) that he’s an adult and should be treated as such, yet fails to act like one or accept responsibility when his childish behavior or recklessness is called into question. One example (of many) is when his private security reports back to his fathers that Colin gave Alain a BJ in a public sauna. Colin fumes about the lack of privacy (overlooking the fact that he was lucky it was his men and not paparazzi who saw him), defends his actions because "[they] were horny", and ends the convo calling his fathers meddling jerks. Had there been more than one line in the book stating that Colin was “so fucking tired of being levelheaded and responsible” and any other indicators to see his responsible, levelheaded side to counteract him constantly slipping away from his guards (who are at risk for getting fired), acting rashly and blowing up at people when they question him or he doesn’t get his way, then he may not have seemed so much like an entitled brat.

Alain was the more likeable MC simply because his arrogance wasn’t just from family legacy and was more earned; moreover, he was a calming, logical reprieve from Colin’s impetuousness and almost constant complaining about something. Colin’s family doesn’t fare much better on the likeability scale either. Colin’s grandmother, the Dowager Princess Alexandra, is as self-absorbed and inflexible in wanting her own way as her grandson, and even Errol and Bash’s inclusion does them a disservice. For while they love their son, the major plotline, along with other occurrences, painfully illustrate how out of touch they are with Colin, how little they know about him and how close they aren’t. To be fair to his parents, though, Colin isn’t particularly forthcoming, and is (IMO) so engrossed by bemoaning and resenting his fate as the heir of the kingdom that he shuts them out and doesn’t use the primary resource for dealing with it—his father, Bash. Bash was also the sole heir, groomed to rule the kingdom and under pressure to reproduce, so if anyone would understand and be able to talk to Colin about it, it would be him. Instead, all you really get from Colin as a character is that he hates his responsibility and wishes Andrew hadn’t died so he could be the “spare” like he should have been. While there is some survivor’s guilt, whenever he talks about his dead brother, it’s in the context of how “it would have been so much easier if [Andrew had] lived”.

"A Tangled Legacy" takes place in world very similar to our own, with Sendorra, the kingdom Colin’s family rules, being a former principality of Spain, but the similarity became a detriment to the story. There were too many questions about the world for me to stay engaged, particularly since there was nothing really compelling about either MC. Magic exists, but its description and complexity are not really consistent throughout the book. For example, when Alain mentions he has been learning magic since he was a toddler, Colin asks how he didn’t do something like set the house on fire, and Alain basically replies that it isn’t that simple. Yet, Alain is seen starting fires, cleaning up messes, etc., with a flick of the wrist and only using incantations with major magical feats. Apparently, the world also has vampires and demons that can come instantly to a ghost’s aid. Additionally, male pregnancy in genetically intersex males (no transgender pregnancies, it seems) are a common enough occurrence that no one questions it, but Colin still deems it “unnatural” even though he is a product of it. The book also gives the impression that females in this world do not die in childbirth or have stillborn babies, because the way the characters talk about it, it seems like male pregnancy is the only one that can end in death. Given that there are approximately twenty-four-thousand stillbirths and over three-hundred-thousand childbirth deaths annually, this emphasis on the dangers of male childbirth only is notable. These elements may seem nitpicky, but when writing fantasy/PNR, one of the pitfalls of using a setting that is our world, with only a few magical tweaks, is that it’s much easier for the reader to be distracted by questions that may have gone unremarked on in a purely fantasy realm because of their real-world counterparts.

However, the book does stay true to its fairy-tale roots with 1.) Alain and Colin progressing quickly from locking eyes across a crowded room to falling in love, 2.) the lovers being willing to make a deal to be together, and 3.) learning the hard lesson that comes for trading your voice/soul/firstborn/etc., for love—that the cost for wishing on a star can be tragic. So, if you like young, brash men, coolly arrogant and logical men, some magic, penetrative sex being the symbolic consummation of love, and fairy-tale love/tragedy, this one’s for you.

Reviewed for The Novel Approach Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book right up my alley. Every plot point listed in the description was interesting, and relevant to my interests. The story itself was pretty good, with a few exceptions.
The male pregnancy found in the book isn't like what I was expecting, like as the result of a spell, or science experiment. Instead it's more complicated and something that can only be done on intersex individuals, not every willing male. Also, the rate of and depiction of intersex was confusing. This book treats it like basically a typical man with a womb. That's not really what I've come to understand intersex as, or that it is common enough that a father and son would both have the same condition in the same way. A better way of having male pregnancy would be to have the scientist character win his Nobel for male pregnancy, instead of dementia. Maybe magic will play into this aspect later on?
The magic was pretty ok, but the revelation that the main character also had magic was somewhat underwhelming. It seemed to be added much too late and almost as a side note. Why would you know that magic was real but forbid your family to practice it, especially considering the perillious situations royalty can get into? You let magic choose your spouse then forget it can be useful because Dad's not fond of it?
Overall, it was a fun read, despite some of the questions I had about it. It is pure fantasy, and moves the plot quickly. I definately would read the rest of the series, even if I do roll my eyes at the internal logic sometimes.

[Mari Cardenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

A Tangled Legacy is book 1 in a fantasy series by Mickie B. Ashling and while it doesn't exactly end in a cliffhanger, there are several plot points that are left open and I hope will be resolved in subsequent installments.

The book is told from several perspectives, which is something I don't particularly care about, but it somehow works in this case, and it deals with mpreg, witches and warlocks and coven dynamics, along with giving some information regarding the principality Colin will eventually inherit.

All in all, it was an intriguing concept, and while there are a lot of details, I found myself riveted by this fascinating world and the storyline. I can't say I loved everyone, I found Alain to be too overbearing and I wanted to shake Colin's grandma and throat punch Drake, but I adored Colin and his parents and I'm eager to find out how some of the things that were sort of foreshadowed in this book will come into play later on.

Recommendable!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

[LOLA · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magical tale of Alain and Colin.
Colin is heir to the throne and secretly had some magic.
Then he meets Alain who is a witch and older.
The two together get into some fun times and some harsh times.
A grandmother who tries to help. Parents that are to confining.
All in all a great cast of characters.
The romance is good in this tale. There is one sex but not real descriptive. A lower heat novel. More drama than anything.
Mickie makes a good world here. Hope there is a book 2.

(Given a copy for an honest review) (Thanks) (NetGalley)

[Anise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never looked at the burb for this book. I loved this book and was lucky to receive an ARC. Witches, covens, gay royalty and dark magic. Colin and Alain are the main characters and I am in love. There is a ghost who Is an opposite of one of the main characters. Dark magic from a vindictive sociopath. Magic is the background for this story that is just beginning. There is a backstory that I pray she does in the next book. Thank you to one of my favorite authors for this opportunity. This is a must read.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really really hoping that there will be another book, to see Colin and Alain in the future and how they will handle the questions brought up.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A Tangled Legacy is very different from every other Mickie B. Ashling novel I've ever read. It's not just the magical/paranormal/fantasy aspects of the story, the relationship between Alain and Colin isn't her typical passionate connection either.

I'm not surprised that Colin sets his sights on Alain, and their initial hook-up is fun and sexy. I'm not thrilled with the way Alain's character handles their relationship once it's established, and I wish the final scene had been more descriptive. I'm choosing not to say more about that here, I don't want to spoil it for anyone who plans to read it.

The actual story is quite interesting and I wasn't sure which way Ms. Ashling was going to go. Identical twins, look-alike cousins, witches, and necromancers - well this is the first in a series, and there's a cliffhanger, though not a painful one.

This book was provided by NetGalley for the purpose of my unbiased review

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was kindly given the opportunity from NetGalley to read and Review A Tangled a Legacy, and all opinions are my own.

This book had a good premise and sounded really promising, but it didn’t really pay off for me. The romance felt so rushed and had no time to develop. There was no character development, and the plot felt super rushed and not well planned out. I also didn’t like the random POV that was added, like the main characters father and cousin, it felt super unnecessary. Overall this was a promising book, but it didn’t deliver, it felt very underdeveloped.

[Kazza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never did write a review. It's been a while since I read it and I can't find my written notes.

From my memory: A Tangled Legacy was not a bad book, some good ideas in this contemporary alt-reality tale. The magic and the family dynamic was interesting, including the (worry over the) mpreg aspect. But the MCs were too much for me. They were entitled, as is utterly conceivable from two powerful backgrounds, so I didn't gel with them, and that dampened my overall enthusiasm.

Middle of the road reading.

[Eva Müller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was misled by the blurb of this book. It looked like a contemporary romance where a major conflict is the fact that one of the characters is the heir to the throne who falls in love with another man and is now torn between his feelings and his duty to produce an heir. There was a mention of the love interest being a witch, but I did get the impression that it would be more contemporary than fantasy.

So, I was really taken aback when I encountered mpreg on page one. Colin’s father the king is gay, he got his husband pregnant who then gave birth to Colin. A little later it gets explained by the husband being intersex. So, in this world intersex apparently means that you look like a cis-man, but you can pregnant…but also impregnate someone else since we later learn that Colin is also intersex, but he had hoped to marry a woman and produce an heir with her. And the way the book talks about male pregnancies makes it sound like it is quite common. Which requires lots of people with that special ‘type’ of intersexuality. Sorry, but for me, that still reads like the old-fashioned fanfic ‘I don’t want a woman near my precious characters’ mpreg to me. The explanation is just a flimsy excuse to make it sound like something different.

Added to all this is a writing style that is just…bad. There’s a lot of telling and very little showing, and the story has three 1st person POV narrators: Colin (the 20-year-old crown prince), Alain (over 30, Nobel prize winner – yes really, powerful witch) and Colin’s biological father (consort in his 50s) and they all sound the same. Without the name of the narrator at the beginning of the chapter, I wouldn’t have been able to tell whose POV it was.

[Fritz42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Colin is a prince, next in line for the crown of Sendorra, who somewhat resents his position in life, thinking in part that he is not worthy of it. After a breakup with his childhood friend, he decides to explore another aspect of his sexuality and goes to a gay bar. While there, he sees Alain, and there is an immediate attraction between the two of them. Alain is an award-winning scientist, who is also a powerful witch. He is 13 years senior to Colin, but that doesn't stop him to succumbing to their mutual attraction and Colin's tenacity. Things start to get complicated when family histories and feuds spill over to their relationship.

I really enjoyed the world building in this story, combining royalty and witches. Colin and Alain were interesting characters, who developed into less egocentric characters by the end of the book. Some of the secondary characters made me want to choke them. (I'm looking at you, Granny.) The ending was intense and left a few loose threads. I'm just hoping that the next book in the series will be out somewhat soon.

[Nicole Diskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this story as an ARC thanks to Net Galley and Nine Star Press!
A Tangled Legacy is the sweet, steamy, and Magical love story of Colin the reluctant heir apparent and Alain a similarly reluctant wizard. I Loved the love I loved the way that their relationship progressed and how they helped each other grow and become their best selves in the mist of their budding romance! this was a wonderful quick and a refreshingly heartwarming tale of magic, love, and family! Great Job Mickie B. Ashling!!

[Sharon Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC in return for an honest review.
A really enjoyed this story even though it was a long way out a my comfort zone. I'm not into mpreg, fantasy or fairy tales but I try to read something other than murder mysteries and thrillers occasionally. I'm so glad that I made the effort.
I love the way in which Michele writes and I have endless respect for her imagination. Her books are always well edited and thought out.
I really enjoyed the story and I wanted nothing less than a happily ever after for our heroes.
There is a prequel to this story called 'Once Upon a Mattress' which can be found in the anthology called 'Once Upon a Rainbow.'
Highly recommended.

[T-Bone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the concept was interesting, although the storyline dragged a little. I was also very confused by the ending, not having realized that it was the first book (of two???). It was not obvious, so I was surprised when I hit the end and had no resolution.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book introduces the reader to Colin… he’s young, stubborn, exploring his sexuality and he’s also Prince Colin of Sendorra. His parents, Prince Sebastian and Duke Errol of Maitland have raised him to be the Heir. The problem is that Colin knows his twin, Andrew should have been the heir. Had Andrew survived their birth, Colin’s life would have been very different.

Colin is a wonderful character. As much as he is fighting against his destiny… he’s also trying to embrace change. He has recently split from his fiance and misses her. But, he’s pondering his sexuality and runs into Alain at a nightclub. He’s rescued from an embarrassing drunk encounter by his security detail but finds his thoughts lingering on Alain. What Colin doesn’t know about Alain is that he’s a powerful grey witch. What Alain doesn’t know about Colin is that he too has magic in his blood. I’m sure you can see how this will be delightfully tricky.

I loved the way Colin and Alain’s relationship progressed. There’s a thirteen year age gap between them, but it many ways it’s irrelevant. They find commonality in their backgrounds, both born into a potential role they have conflicted feelings about. They become lovers quickly, and the speed didn’t bother me. The characterization of Colin read truthfully to me as though he was raised in a type of isolation. His expectations of life were influenced by the way he was raised. He’s been sheltered by his two fathers and hasn’t lived the life of an average young man.

Alain is intriguing. He’s a skilled witch and his many talents are slowly revealed throughout the first book in this series. I have a feeling more will be revealed in the new installment.

When a cousin of Colin’s is engaged to begin tutoring him in magic, things get much more complicated. Drake resembles Colin and agrees to take his place so Colin and Alain can slip away undetected for a holiday. While Colin is away Drake gets up to all kinds of foul deeds AS Colin!

I loved the twisty intrigue in the first book – not all of which I’m willing to give away! The mystery of it all unrolls slowly and I enjoyed the pacing! There’s longstanding bad blood between the two families and it makes for some interesting plot twists!

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recieved from Netgalley. Colin is expected to start raising a family, but a breakup with his childhood girlfriend throws everything planned away. One rebellious night leads to him meeting Alain, a grey witch. Didn’t like the grandma and Drake was pretty pathetic. I like how there’s two relationships. Favourite characters were Andrew and Isabelle. Colin has plenty of room for growing up, whilst Alain’s obsession with everything could be his undoing. Pretty fast paced, a little sad but enjoyable.

[Sadie Forsythe]

DNF 33%

I received this from Netgalley and really hoped to like it. But I found it rushed and there were just too many POVs. I find myself reluctant to pick it back up again. So, I'm just going to DNF it.