Saving Darknight

by Lou Sylvre

Fate and a dragon unite two men in a battle for love, magic, the march of time, and holiday joy.
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In a time of tall-masted ships and hand-made lives, a Guardian and a sailor find true love and their fates in each other. But romance, and a future together must wait, for duty calls. In a battle against dragons, can they seize victory in time to rescue the magic of Darknight and deliver holiday joy to a world that can no longer find its own way?
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All Reo Faramund plans for the evening is to take his son Pariso to the Festival of Lights in Sailor’s Cove, their home when they’re not out to sea on the tall-masted merchant ship, Mighty Hawk. Then, in less than a blink, the festival, the town, and the life he knows all vanish. When they find themselves high on a wintry mountain, Reo fears for their lives until an extraordinary stranger comes out of the night to offer help.

First Guardian Jael Kohlinor patrols high up on Mount Lucia’s flank, his sole purpose to make sure no Flatlanders find out about Lucia, a tiny country hidden in a fold of time where a dragon named Nicholas presides over a bloom of dragon eggs that yields gems and riches every Darknight solstice. Without the Darknight cache, Nicholas can’t deliver holiday wonders across time, and time itself will suffer the consequences. When Jael finds Reo and Pariso shocked and shivering in the winter cold on the night before Darknight, he contemplates wiping their memories and getting them off the mountain, which is what the need for secrecy dictates. But invisible bonds pull Jael toward Reo like fate, and defying all rules he takes the strangers in out of the cold.

Unknown to anyone on Mount Lucia, strange and greedy dragons are already winging toward Lucia with plans to steal Nicholas’s wealth. Jael and Reo might have a future, a family, a fated love, but only if they can first save Darknight.

Genres: M M Romance, LGBT, Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Published December 27, 2020

About the author

Lou Sylvre loves stories and likes to conjure them into books. When the stories are about love, the sweethearts on her pages are most often men who end up loving each other and likely saving each other from unspeakable danger. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, and cat-herder (with a dog). Her love of languages is no doubt a result of her interestingly mixed up heritage. Her over-the-top love of her rainbow-colored demi-tasse set cannot be adequately explained. She also loves music coffee, chocolate, and wild roses. As a writer, she works closely with lead cat assistant Boudreau St. Clair. Lou grew up in the Los Angeles area, where barefoot was always best for a kid. She now lives in the lush, rainy part of the Pacific Northwest, and hearing from a reader unfailingly brightens the dismal weather. Her email is louwrites@rainbowgate.com.

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https://www.instagram.com/sylvre/
(and she’s pretty sure she still has a tumblr account…)

Reviews

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this original take on a familiar legend. The world building is fabulous, and detailed, and the prose lyrical and rich, just what I’d expect from this author. The characters are well drawn, and I enjoyed reading about their journey to save not only Darknight, but their future together.

Jael, Reo, and their world pulled me into this story immediately and didn’t let go until the final page. As a side note, I love the graphic at the beginning of each chapter. It’s very cool, and helps to set the tone of the story, and also reflects its mythology. The prologue sets up the world build wonderfully well, and I was invested even before I needed to find out what happens to Jael and Reo.

The supporting cast fit perfectly into the story, and I especially liked Nicholas, and Ani, who is strong willed, and practical. Pariso is adorable in both forms.

I thought this was a fabulous take on the holiday season with an interesting story behind what really goes on at that time of year. I’m a huge fan of dragons, and I loved the idea of the Pale, and a realm hidden in time, storing energy, and what that means for the other realms. I liked the references to our world too, and the subtle social commentary about modern life. Although I did guess some of the story, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of it, but instead, added to it.

The final scene and flight of Reo’s new ship was perfect. I love the magic system of this world, and especially how it powers the ship.

I hope we haven’t seen the last of these characters, and their world as I very much enjoyed this lovely feel good story.

[Juniper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of things to like: dragons, magic, soulmates, and an excellent balance between romance and plot. Jael and Leo have a beautiful dynamic, and their story is bolstered even more by a strong cast of supporting characters. Sympathetic characters, interesting storyline, and true love all make for an enjoyable read, and if these things sound good to you, this one is worth checking out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Danial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragons,magic & flying ships - A great M/M fantasy romance

Jael first meets Reo on his guard rounds. While he was supposed to get Reo to walk away, he was unable to do so. Instead, helped Reo to get into the magical mountain his community lives in. Turns out they are soul mates and they have an important mission ahead. I enjoyed how the story focused more on the mission ahead rather than just the bond between Jael & Reo. I also enjoyed how the supporting characters had their own background and were important for the story and for their mission to succeed. I also enjoyed the way the story was written as there wasn't a moment that felt boring or bland to me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. Dragons and magic! I loved how Jael and Reo were soulmates! The story also included a fantastic group of secondary characters that were integral to the story and the mission to succeed! I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received.

[Mstay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different spin on Christmas magic

I enjoy a good story about Christmas magic. This story definitely delivered there. We get to here about different species and times in space.

[Stephanie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving the magic of Darknight and exploring the romance of fate.

Nothing like soulmates, Jael and Reo, who refused to walk away from one another and end up on a mission together. There was a good balance between their blossoming romance and the mission ahead.
If you enjoy a good fantasy novel filled with magic, dragons, and ships that fly- this would be a worthwhile read.

**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I've read written by Lou Sylvre; he has done a great job at writing a good book; I will definitely be reading more of his books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[MariF · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the writing and the settings but something was missing to make it a 5 star read for me.
I wasn't emotionally attached to either MC, maybe a bit to Pariso, He was cute.

[Lena Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

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