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Something Wicked
A mysterious legacy. A magical journey. The worst guide in history!
Piers Adams never knew his parents or birthplace. All he wants from his mundane life is a better apartment and fewer working hours serving drinks at a club in Asheville, North Carolina. Sure, weirdness happens around him occasionally. Coincidences, right? He can’t possibly wish things into existence. After all, he’s only human.
Maybe.
It’s hard living down to a nickname like Wicked, but Prince Wycke Bertillian of the magical realm tries. He enjoys his lack of responsibilities until he’s coerced into a clandestine find an evil sorceress’s hidden son in the human realm.
A chance encounter awakens magical potential beyond what either realm has seen before. Barely managing his own life doesn’t qualify Wycke to guide a novice sorcerer with infinite magic and zero self-preservation skills. Unfortunately, it’s Wycke or nothing standing between Piers and those who’d take Piers’ magic for themselves—magic powerful enough to rule two realms.
Piers and Wycke had better get their act together. Their lives and the fate of the human and magical worlds rests in their highly incompetent hands.
Piers Adams never knew his parents or birthplace. All he wants from his mundane life is a better apartment and fewer working hours serving drinks at a club in Asheville, North Carolina. Sure, weirdness happens around him occasionally. Coincidences, right? He can’t possibly wish things into existence. After all, he’s only human.
Maybe.
It’s hard living down to a nickname like Wicked, but Prince Wycke Bertillian of the magical realm tries. He enjoys his lack of responsibilities until he’s coerced into a clandestine find an evil sorceress’s hidden son in the human realm.
A chance encounter awakens magical potential beyond what either realm has seen before. Barely managing his own life doesn’t qualify Wycke to guide a novice sorcerer with infinite magic and zero self-preservation skills. Unfortunately, it’s Wycke or nothing standing between Piers and those who’d take Piers’ magic for themselves—magic powerful enough to rule two realms.
Piers and Wycke had better get their act together. Their lives and the fate of the human and magical worlds rests in their highly incompetent hands.
588 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2022
150 people are currently reading
1129 people want to read
About the author
Eden Winters
88 books673 followersYou will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!
Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.
She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures, she has written over thirty gay romance novels, lost count of novellas and short stories, has won Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.
When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s cosplaying for children's charities or hanging out at the farm being a mother, grandmother, and vegetarian.
Her natural habitats are hardware stores and on the backs of motorcycles.
Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.
She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures, she has written over thirty gay romance novels, lost count of novellas and short stories, has won Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.
When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s cosplaying for children's charities or hanging out at the farm being a mother, grandmother, and vegetarian.
Her natural habitats are hardware stores and on the backs of motorcycles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 25, 2022
Boring as rain and almost as variegated as this element, Something Wicked let me down big time. I am unusually partial to high fantasy, so long as the universe building is solid, namely both detailed and believable, and the author made a gallant enough effort at fleshing out the main leads; it was not the case between those covers, cortesy of poor literary values and weak agency of the plot, clock, setting and character, whose net result is an obvious superficiliaty that robs the story of most of its value as entertainment. Either things happen too fast or they leisurely extend to many pages according to the whims of the character whose POV the chapter is written according to, instead of being proportionate to their respective importance within the plot; this would not be such a bad thing had the lenghty sections been put to good use to impart knowledge on the imaginary word most of the action takes place into, or to further the plot lines, or to establish the psychology of the characters. Thus the book opens on a long action scene, in medias res, that is so ineptly constructed that it takes forever for the reader to guess that the character through whose eyes we are seing the events as they unfold is the main villain (Lady Nyanda), and whose internal monologue has the misfortune of pushing disjointed writing so far that the main lines of what is happening can hardly be fathom (it is your generic assault on a castle that a powerful sorceress can neither defend nor flee, though the reasons behind both impossibilities are never made clear, and is therefore reduced to attempting some dark deeds). As for the universe building, we are told the barest minimals about its existence, laws, denizens and magic in the kind of dessicated language that betrays how little thought came into inventing this fantasy land; small wonder this is cliché and name-dropping galore (the elfs, the shifters, etc are invoked en masse, whence my use of the personal article). Short-scale contradictions of the most blatant type abound, as if the writer did not bother making up her mind on one version: Nyanda only injects part of her magic into her infant son Piers, whose father is the king the Lady favors, yet at least thrice we get told later that Piers will have the strongest magic ever; Wycke's magic is supposedly very strong even at 4 yet somehow it never made it on Nyanda's radar, despite the two of them living litterally next door; the guard that per the orders of Wycke' sister the princess escapes with baby Piers is first put on the scene as mere brawn, only to turn out a few pages later, and after a jarring temporal ellipsis of seven years, as a magic user competent enough to protect the young hero; and so on and so forth. It was only to be expected that the adult versions of both Piers and Wycke would barely amount to pathetic caricatures (a not-so-valliant princeling and an ill-at-ease, bumbling fool) catapulted into a story that develops without them making really an impact, plot-wise; so much so that their budding romance is the least weak arc in the entire book, despite how overcontrived and trope-heavy. I fought every step of the way the deadly boredom created by this superficial and clumsy romance poorly set in cardboard Fantasia.
May 1, 2022
2.5 stars
Had potential I think, but it felt way too long and and I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters.
Had potential I think, but it felt way too long and and I had trouble connecting to the story and the characters.
no
April 26, 2022Geralt, is that you?
May 27, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
The blurb on this one intrigued me and I was quick to pick it up. And though it had a bit of a slow start for me, things picked up and kept me engaged in the story. This is the story of two realms, of two men who don’t know how to use their magic, and about a decades-old battle that still rages in different ways.
I enjoyed the world building in this book. Winters has crafted an interesting narrative between the two realms, the way magic works, and how it affects the magical realm in particular. This is a long book, though, and there are lots of details. At times, especially in the beginning, I felt this bogged down the story some. I’m a fan of detailed world building, so ultimately I appreciated much of the backstory. However, with the way this book starts, I found myself wishing it moved faster.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
4 stars
The blurb on this one intrigued me and I was quick to pick it up. And though it had a bit of a slow start for me, things picked up and kept me engaged in the story. This is the story of two realms, of two men who don’t know how to use their magic, and about a decades-old battle that still rages in different ways.
I enjoyed the world building in this book. Winters has crafted an interesting narrative between the two realms, the way magic works, and how it affects the magical realm in particular. This is a long book, though, and there are lots of details. At times, especially in the beginning, I felt this bogged down the story some. I’m a fan of detailed world building, so ultimately I appreciated much of the backstory. However, with the way this book starts, I found myself wishing it moved faster.
Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.
July 2, 2022
Curses and connections
This seemed that it would be a simple book at first, a romance with some high fantasy mixed in. That is completely the wrong impression of this glorious book! An epic high fantasy with a detailed world of magic and royalty and complicated politics. There was tortured relationships, political hostages, scheming family members, and startling introductions to new worlds. While there was a romance happening with Piers and Wycke it was far from the focus as they also tried to figure out their magic, their place in the world, and even the basics of how to survive. It was complicated and detailed and absolutely stunning! A world I would delight in revisiting again and again!
This seemed that it would be a simple book at first, a romance with some high fantasy mixed in. That is completely the wrong impression of this glorious book! An epic high fantasy with a detailed world of magic and royalty and complicated politics. There was tortured relationships, political hostages, scheming family members, and startling introductions to new worlds. While there was a romance happening with Piers and Wycke it was far from the focus as they also tried to figure out their magic, their place in the world, and even the basics of how to survive. It was complicated and detailed and absolutely stunning! A world I would delight in revisiting again and again!
Read
February 23, 2022This book was a lot of fun to write, though also a bit stressful, as I tried to live up to the fantasy genre I adore. Yes, I was the kid staying up late into the night with a flashlight under the bedcovers, reading.
I'm currently working on a follow-up novel: Something Faire.
I'm currently working on a follow-up novel: Something Faire.
February 11, 2025
3.5 stars for the narration, 3 for the story
Something Wicked is best described as fantasy with romantic elements, a ‘missing heir’ story in which a powerful (and evil) sorceress, under attack and likely to be defeated, sends her baby son into the human realm in the care of a grizzled and faithful guard. A few years later, Pieravor Gimitri – now called Piers – and his protector, whom Piers calls his Uncle Lee – are parted when soldiers from the magical realm come for them and Lee sends Piers away for his safety. Piers bounces around the foster system until he ages out. Life hasn’t been too bad and if, sometimes, things seem to go his way fairly easily by simply wishing for them, well, that’s just good luck, right?
Prince Wycke Bertillian is your common-or-garden playboy prince; he sleeps with anything with a pulse, eschews responsibility and is happy to pursue a carefree, no strings existence. The only thing he cares about – besides himself – is his sister, Saris, who became Queen of Dhugach (where they now live) when she married King Broen after the battle in which the sorceress Nyvanda was captured. Wycke is no stranger to the human realm, frequently crossing back and forth – but he has to keep those visits secret, as he’s not supposed to be capable of the sort of magic required to make a portal. He’s hidden his magical ability since he was a boy, for fear of being stripped of his power by evil mages seeking to augment their own.
Saris sends Wycke to the human realm to see if he can find out what happened to the baby she helped Nyvanda to hide all those years ago. It will be like searching for a needle in a haystack – until the witch’s familiar, a snarky creature who usually takes cat-form called Chynne – tells Wycke he’s found the last known location of Pier’s protector, and that he’ll hand over the information, provided he gets to go along as well.
By the time Piers and Wycke meet, we’re about a quarter of the way through the book. They meet, they dance around each other for a bit, they shag and their magics bond – although neither of them knows who the other is or what has happened. There’s something about Piers, some kind of hiding spell that means whenever Wycke tries to work out why his name sounds familiar or that his icy blue eyes remind him of something it simply eludes him. It takes Chynne to spell it out, but even once Piers and Wycke know the truth, neither of them knows what to do next or what to expect.
They don’t have much time to figure it out though, because it turns out that those loyal to Nyvanda are after Piers, for reasons as yet unknown, and the he and Wycke, Saris, Chynne and their magical allies (among them an elf who owns a coffee shop, and a good-natured ogre named George) have to band together to save the magical world. Which would be so much easier if Piers or Wycke had the faintest idea how to actually use their magic.
There are a lot of moving parts in this story, but sadly, they don’t fit together to form a cohesive whole. It’s slow to start and there’s a lot of set up – the first dozen chapters (which, in audio, amounts to over three hours) are exposition – and the pacing is all over the place. Some things that should have been explained in more detail are glossed over, others are dragged on interminably, and the worldbuilding is sketchy to say the least. I didn’t understand why an immensely powerful sorceress wasn’t able to escape or prevent her castle being stormed; there’s no magical system to speak of – magic happens because it does – and for a book billed as a gay romance, there’s very little chemistry between Piers and Wycke, no real romantic development and just a hint of an HFN by the end.
And then there’s the narration. James Amherst is new-to-me and he does a lot of things very well indeed. His performance is well paced and expressive, he has a good range of character voices, the English accent he employs for the people of the magical realm is very good and consistent, and I loved his portrayal of George the friendly ogre. BUT. He has an incredibly irritating kind of sing-song intonation that drove me nuts and almost constantly mispronounces Piers as “Pierce”.
I suspect that part of the reason I found the book so hard to get into and focus on was because of that; when a narrator has a specific vocal ‘tick’ you can’t unhear, it makes it difficult to concentrate on what is being said rather than how it’s being said and I probably missed or didn’t completely understand certain plot points because the narration was so distracting.
Something Wicked has the bones of a good story, but it’s overlong and under-edited, the leads are bland and lack agency (almost everything they do is reactive – they’re never in control of the situation) and the ending is rushed and anticlimactic. I did find the narration a bit easier to listen to as time wore on, but I can’t say that I’ll be rushing to listen to Mr. Amherst again.
Something Wicked is best described as fantasy with romantic elements, a ‘missing heir’ story in which a powerful (and evil) sorceress, under attack and likely to be defeated, sends her baby son into the human realm in the care of a grizzled and faithful guard. A few years later, Pieravor Gimitri – now called Piers – and his protector, whom Piers calls his Uncle Lee – are parted when soldiers from the magical realm come for them and Lee sends Piers away for his safety. Piers bounces around the foster system until he ages out. Life hasn’t been too bad and if, sometimes, things seem to go his way fairly easily by simply wishing for them, well, that’s just good luck, right?
Prince Wycke Bertillian is your common-or-garden playboy prince; he sleeps with anything with a pulse, eschews responsibility and is happy to pursue a carefree, no strings existence. The only thing he cares about – besides himself – is his sister, Saris, who became Queen of Dhugach (where they now live) when she married King Broen after the battle in which the sorceress Nyvanda was captured. Wycke is no stranger to the human realm, frequently crossing back and forth – but he has to keep those visits secret, as he’s not supposed to be capable of the sort of magic required to make a portal. He’s hidden his magical ability since he was a boy, for fear of being stripped of his power by evil mages seeking to augment their own.
Saris sends Wycke to the human realm to see if he can find out what happened to the baby she helped Nyvanda to hide all those years ago. It will be like searching for a needle in a haystack – until the witch’s familiar, a snarky creature who usually takes cat-form called Chynne – tells Wycke he’s found the last known location of Pier’s protector, and that he’ll hand over the information, provided he gets to go along as well.
By the time Piers and Wycke meet, we’re about a quarter of the way through the book. They meet, they dance around each other for a bit, they shag and their magics bond – although neither of them knows who the other is or what has happened. There’s something about Piers, some kind of hiding spell that means whenever Wycke tries to work out why his name sounds familiar or that his icy blue eyes remind him of something it simply eludes him. It takes Chynne to spell it out, but even once Piers and Wycke know the truth, neither of them knows what to do next or what to expect.
They don’t have much time to figure it out though, because it turns out that those loyal to Nyvanda are after Piers, for reasons as yet unknown, and the he and Wycke, Saris, Chynne and their magical allies (among them an elf who owns a coffee shop, and a good-natured ogre named George) have to band together to save the magical world. Which would be so much easier if Piers or Wycke had the faintest idea how to actually use their magic.
There are a lot of moving parts in this story, but sadly, they don’t fit together to form a cohesive whole. It’s slow to start and there’s a lot of set up – the first dozen chapters (which, in audio, amounts to over three hours) are exposition – and the pacing is all over the place. Some things that should have been explained in more detail are glossed over, others are dragged on interminably, and the worldbuilding is sketchy to say the least. I didn’t understand why an immensely powerful sorceress wasn’t able to escape or prevent her castle being stormed; there’s no magical system to speak of – magic happens because it does – and for a book billed as a gay romance, there’s very little chemistry between Piers and Wycke, no real romantic development and just a hint of an HFN by the end.
And then there’s the narration. James Amherst is new-to-me and he does a lot of things very well indeed. His performance is well paced and expressive, he has a good range of character voices, the English accent he employs for the people of the magical realm is very good and consistent, and I loved his portrayal of George the friendly ogre. BUT. He has an incredibly irritating kind of sing-song intonation that drove me nuts and almost constantly mispronounces Piers as “Pierce”.
I suspect that part of the reason I found the book so hard to get into and focus on was because of that; when a narrator has a specific vocal ‘tick’ you can’t unhear, it makes it difficult to concentrate on what is being said rather than how it’s being said and I probably missed or didn’t completely understand certain plot points because the narration was so distracting.
Something Wicked has the bones of a good story, but it’s overlong and under-edited, the leads are bland and lack agency (almost everything they do is reactive – they’re never in control of the situation) and the ending is rushed and anticlimactic. I did find the narration a bit easier to listen to as time wore on, but I can’t say that I’ll be rushing to listen to Mr. Amherst again.
July 29, 2023
I really struggled with this book. I’ve been thinking about why I found it such a chore to read. I think it was trying to be humorous but just came off as obnoxious. None of the characters were appealing or even interesting, really. They were all kind of one dimensional. The book was also overlong with a lot of repetitive content and bursts of info-dumping. Then there’s the non-existent romance, it’s there, faintly and lacking any kind of chemistry, but I’m 100% sure that if there was no romantic subplot this book would have been the exact same. I get that fantasy is a tough genre to write because you’re attempting to make something entirely new, and I’m holding space for that here, but honestly not much about this book appealed to me.
October 2, 2022
Loved
This book was really good I liked that the romance became just background for much of the story to focus on other things. I loved the characters so much I especially loved Piers and Wycke they had a connection that just made them fit well together. I loved the other characters especially these Jess the spunky friend also Saris Wycke 's older sister I loved Chynne the familiar even the king was a really good character. The plot was really interesting it started after a tyrant was defeated moves to a baby being hidden away as well as a boys powers being suppressed it moves into a interesting story that progresses through the years to finally get to present day where things get interesting I loved this book and how it ended as well.
This book was really good I liked that the romance became just background for much of the story to focus on other things. I loved the characters so much I especially loved Piers and Wycke they had a connection that just made them fit well together. I loved the other characters especially these Jess the spunky friend also Saris Wycke 's older sister I loved Chynne the familiar even the king was a really good character. The plot was really interesting it started after a tyrant was defeated moves to a baby being hidden away as well as a boys powers being suppressed it moves into a interesting story that progresses through the years to finally get to present day where things get interesting I loved this book and how it ended as well.
April 24, 2022
I struggled to engage with this book. I think the biggest issue for me was that the main characters lacked agency. Almost everything they did was either done by accident or because they were forced to do it. 95% of the book was the main characters just reacting as best they could to what was going on rather than them taking control of a situation. This book also had very little of the romance I was expecting. All of this added up to something I don't prefer to read. I don't think I'll read book 2.
September 29, 2022
I had much love for the author's Lucky & Bo series of books. Not so sure about her foray into fantasy romance. There romance was there I guess but the fantasy world-building was touch and go. Everything started off well with an action-packed first chapter complete with menacing antagonist threatening eternal revenge. Unfortunately, much of that magical threat dissipated in the rest of the book and regrettably fizzled out altogether by book's end. I also struggled with the length of the read as well as a checkered plot pacing. It's also telling that my favorite character was a bad-ass familiar and not either of the MCs. Alas - 2.5 stars generously rounded up to 3.
November 28, 2022
M/M, hea, magic, modern world/magical realm, bonded mates, dual POV, KU
The story had a lot of twists and turns but so much of it felt like there should be a laugh track playing or someone gasping in shock. It didn't feel real. It felt fake and plastic. I did like the relationship between Wick and Piers but even that was inconsistent at times leaving me to wonder how their personalities were supposed to be because I was just getting mixed signals.
The last 20% of the book to me read like.. an outline instead of an actual story. The ending was anticlimactic and predictable.
The story had a lot of twists and turns but so much of it felt like there should be a laugh track playing or someone gasping in shock. It didn't feel real. It felt fake and plastic. I did like the relationship between Wick and Piers but even that was inconsistent at times leaving me to wonder how their personalities were supposed to be because I was just getting mixed signals.
The last 20% of the book to me read like.. an outline instead of an actual story. The ending was anticlimactic and predictable.
August 5, 2022
P
Nice book. The author writes very good action scenes. There were a few instances in which it was difficult to distinguish whose pov we were looking through. I had trouble feeling the connection between the two mains at times. Maybe because the characters weren't real solid on it either, but I didn't connect with their confusion either. The ending did leave me intrigued with continuing the series.
Nice book. The author writes very good action scenes. There were a few instances in which it was difficult to distinguish whose pov we were looking through. I had trouble feeling the connection between the two mains at times. Maybe because the characters weren't real solid on it either, but I didn't connect with their confusion either. The ending did leave me intrigued with continuing the series.
June 1, 2022
Loved this, would give it 6 stars if I could.
May 19, 2022
Wicked!
Aden Winters writes books that are like chocolates, you can’t just read one! Her characters are always well thought out and flawed, the sexual tension is off the charts, the storyline fun and believable in context. I eagerly await the next book! Highly Recommended
Aden Winters writes books that are like chocolates, you can’t just read one! Her characters are always well thought out and flawed, the sexual tension is off the charts, the storyline fun and believable in context. I eagerly await the next book! Highly Recommended
October 27, 2022
A rollicking good time; good vs evil, quirky vs bland and magical vs mundane. Loved the characters of Piers and Wylde and so many of the supporting characters. Great dialogue, loads of humour and HEA!
August 12, 2022
Wonderful!
This book was so different from the many novels I've read on Amazon prime. It was close to Lord of the Rings or the game of thrones. That is detailed as either but close. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
This book was so different from the many novels I've read on Amazon prime. It was close to Lord of the Rings or the game of thrones. That is detailed as either but close. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
July 26, 2022
A fun, entertaining afternoon read.
August 25, 2022
A wonderful story filled with lots of romance, hilarity and "ooh, please don't do that!". In this book, you will find fairies, elves, humans, humans-with-magic and many other mythical (in our realm) creatures.
May 10, 2025
Wicke likes giving people a reason to use his nickname Wicked. He has worked hard to earn it. Now His sister talks him into a mission to find the son of an evil sorceress that’s hidden in the human realm. He doesn’t expect what he finds.
Piers has no idea he has magical powers. Now he has to trust a man that claims to be a prince from another realm to save him.
Audio update.
The narration is exceptional. I especially loved Chinn
I loved this book. The characters are amazing, the story full of action and tons of twists. There is nail biting suspense. I couldn’t put it down.
If you love magic, familiars, feisty friends, stubborn sisters, action, suspense, humor and lots of twists this is for you!
Piers has no idea he has magical powers. Now he has to trust a man that claims to be a prince from another realm to save him.
Audio update.
The narration is exceptional. I especially loved Chinn
I loved this book. The characters are amazing, the story full of action and tons of twists. There is nail biting suspense. I couldn’t put it down.
If you love magic, familiars, feisty friends, stubborn sisters, action, suspense, humor and lots of twists this is for you!
February 9, 2025
great!
Some how I expected something darker but am actually happy it wasn’t. Not to say this was fluffy but there was humour, loyalty, and friendship among the danger, greed, betrayal, and death. I liked the way the relationship progressed as it’s different than many books of this genre.
Some how I expected something darker but am actually happy it wasn’t. Not to say this was fluffy but there was humour, loyalty, and friendship among the danger, greed, betrayal, and death. I liked the way the relationship progressed as it’s different than many books of this genre.
August 25, 2022
So we started the story in the past. Okay, there is often an epilogue kind of thing where we see how the circumstances came to be, or something is foreshadowed. And we were still in the past in the next chapter and the next... And a theme was established here. This book should have been half as long as it is. At most.
Then after 30% our two main characters meet at last. Lust at first sight of course. But to add insult to injury the book is not only unnecessary long, the length is filled with so many clichés it's tiring to even count them. Wycke can get anyone with a flick of his finger BUT Piers. The only living being who can say no to him. And what is Wycke's reaction? Oh no, is he even more in lust? Maybe a little bit in love FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE? Yepp, he holds the hand of someone FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, he want to spend time with someone out of bed FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, he likes to talk to someone FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE.... Do you see an emerging pattern here? Also what the fuck authors who write this thing? Okay I get that there are playboys out there, but even they were very young teenagers when they had crushes. So I'm quite sure it's not the first time in their lives...
Also Wycke who is supposed to be sooo wicked, it is even hist nickname. Because he sleeps around. While I don't find it an endearing quality, I'm quite sure most of the world doesn't think this is something to be judged for. Well, for a man. So yeah, what a bad, bad boy he must be.
I gave up at the halfway point. I just couldn't take Wyke feeling anything more for the first time while trying to get Piers into bed in the same tought and having to remind himself on every page that he has actually a job to do. While we know he is doing it, he doesn't.
I thought this is the first or second book that Eden Winters wrote, becuse there was a lot of potential and with a really good editor and some development in the writing department she could create something really awesome. But I see that I was wrong, she already has a lot of published books. And still no good editor. Shame.
Then after 30% our two main characters meet at last. Lust at first sight of course. But to add insult to injury the book is not only unnecessary long, the length is filled with so many clichés it's tiring to even count them. Wycke can get anyone with a flick of his finger BUT Piers. The only living being who can say no to him. And what is Wycke's reaction? Oh no, is he even more in lust? Maybe a little bit in love FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE? Yepp, he holds the hand of someone FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, he want to spend time with someone out of bed FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, he likes to talk to someone FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE.... Do you see an emerging pattern here? Also what the fuck authors who write this thing? Okay I get that there are playboys out there, but even they were very young teenagers when they had crushes. So I'm quite sure it's not the first time in their lives...
Also Wycke who is supposed to be sooo wicked, it is even hist nickname. Because he sleeps around. While I don't find it an endearing quality, I'm quite sure most of the world doesn't think this is something to be judged for. Well, for a man. So yeah, what a bad, bad boy he must be.
I gave up at the halfway point. I just couldn't take Wyke feeling anything more for the first time while trying to get Piers into bed in the same tought and having to remind himself on every page that he has actually a job to do. While we know he is doing it, he doesn't.
I thought this is the first or second book that Eden Winters wrote, becuse there was a lot of potential and with a really good editor and some development in the writing department she could create something really awesome. But I see that I was wrong, she already has a lot of published books. And still no good editor. Shame.
did-not-finish
May 3, 2022DNF at 52%
Neither the fantasy nor the romance warrants the length of this book.
The world building just does not support a +500 page book. There is a ton thrown into this fantasy world, but no actual world-building. Lots of aspects of the universe are mentioned, but almost no effort given to creating a coherent system for how all the species, races, kingdoms and realms interact. Worse, the rules that do exist seem to morph and flex in whatever way is convenient for the story. Also, the way characters interact and the powers and knowledge they have fluctuate wildly depending on convenience. There's just no consistent internal logic, and it really undermines the plot. Nothing feels urgent, meaningful or high-stakes.
The romance is also so easy it strains credulity and doesn't inspire any investment. The characters separate and come together kind of willy-nilly, without making you feel like they have good reasons to be apart and better reasons to come back together. It's just kind of weak flip-flopping that really only serves to increase page count. Plus, the author takes short cuts that just don't work. For example. Wicke and Piers go on a dinner date. Despite frequently visiting the human world (who needs internal consistency?), Wicke knows essentially nothing about human culture -- no TV, no movies, doesn't even know what Italian food is or recognize anything on the menu. Neither will talk about their background or family. After learning all this, the author writes "The dinner conversation went well after the initial awkwardness". Seriously, what are they talking about? It's just easy for the sake of convenience.
I mean, it's light. The romance is... nice. It's not particularly angsty. Chynne is pretty funny. And honestly, this would've been fine for a 250 page romance, but I'm just not interested in picking it back up again to find out what happens.
Neither the fantasy nor the romance warrants the length of this book.
The world building just does not support a +500 page book. There is a ton thrown into this fantasy world, but no actual world-building. Lots of aspects of the universe are mentioned, but almost no effort given to creating a coherent system for how all the species, races, kingdoms and realms interact. Worse, the rules that do exist seem to morph and flex in whatever way is convenient for the story. Also, the way characters interact and the powers and knowledge they have fluctuate wildly depending on convenience. There's just no consistent internal logic, and it really undermines the plot. Nothing feels urgent, meaningful or high-stakes.
The romance is also so easy it strains credulity and doesn't inspire any investment. The characters separate and come together kind of willy-nilly, without making you feel like they have good reasons to be apart and better reasons to come back together. It's just kind of weak flip-flopping that really only serves to increase page count. Plus, the author takes short cuts that just don't work. For example. Wicke and Piers go on a dinner date. Despite frequently visiting the human world (who needs internal consistency?), Wicke knows essentially nothing about human culture -- no TV, no movies, doesn't even know what Italian food is or recognize anything on the menu. Neither will talk about their background or family. After learning all this, the author writes "The dinner conversation went well after the initial awkwardness". Seriously, what are they talking about? It's just easy for the sake of convenience.
I mean, it's light. The romance is... nice. It's not particularly angsty. Chynne is pretty funny. And honestly, this would've been fine for a 250 page romance, but I'm just not interested in picking it back up again to find out what happens.
dnf-for-now-may-finish-later
August 23, 2022I’m only at 25% or page 130 in this book and it is 540 pages long!!!! I get that the first part of fantasy books is setting up the world but I’m unsure if I want to invest more time into this. I don’t need my books to be the steamiest of romances, but I also don’t want to read page after page of how many people one of the characters has slept with. Maybe this is something that’s starting to bother me more… not sure. I get that not every character is a virgin or has infrequent sex but all I can think about is the amount of unprotected sex that these characters have. I don’t know maybe I am finding something to nitpick. The last fantasy romance that I read was the Wed to the Barbarian duet by Kiera Andrews. Those books were amazing and I was hooked from the start. It might just be my mood and I may pick this book up when I am more in the mood to devote more time to a world building fantasy.
I do want to point out that the book has been pretty good up to this point. I loved uncle Lee and Chynne. I think that might be part of the issue. I am way more into the side characters than the main ones. I am just not in the mood for an almost 600 page book? I think sometimes I forget how long books can take to read when I read them on kindle format and cannot see the progression physically.
I do want to point out that the book has been pretty good up to this point. I loved uncle Lee and Chynne. I think that might be part of the issue. I am way more into the side characters than the main ones. I am just not in the mood for an almost 600 page book? I think sometimes I forget how long books can take to read when I read them on kindle format and cannot see the progression physically.
May 2, 2022
This book is very out of my regular comfort zone, but i’ve been trying new genres of books lately and i’ve really been into fantasy, and I always enjoy this author’s books so I thought that this one would be the perfect way for me to try more of this genre for me and turns out that I really enjoyed the experience.
I’m a really big fan of books that have a lot of scenes that seem a little pointless and that have a lot of descriptions that are maybe not the most needed, but that help set the vibe of the story. And I will admit that this book has a lot of scenes that were full of descriptions that maybe would be a little boring to read about for most, but I love that in books, so I loved it in this book. I just really like this type of writing so the writing style in this book really worked for me because of that.
I really enjoyed how much action there was in this book. I just kept wanting to read more and more of the book to see what would happen next, I was just so invested in this one.
I liked everything about this book. The plot was so much fun to read and I really enjoyed the romance too. It was very sweet and really complimented the plot well.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
I’m a really big fan of books that have a lot of scenes that seem a little pointless and that have a lot of descriptions that are maybe not the most needed, but that help set the vibe of the story. And I will admit that this book has a lot of scenes that were full of descriptions that maybe would be a little boring to read about for most, but I love that in books, so I loved it in this book. I just really like this type of writing so the writing style in this book really worked for me because of that.
I really enjoyed how much action there was in this book. I just kept wanting to read more and more of the book to see what would happen next, I was just so invested in this one.
I liked everything about this book. The plot was so much fun to read and I really enjoyed the romance too. It was very sweet and really complimented the plot well.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
April 24, 2022
Loved, loved, loved this book! This is fantasy romance at its finest. The world building was incredible, but the character development was just next level. This was the case with not only the main characters of Piers and Wycke, but the side characters as well. You really feel like you know them, and you can’t help but be invested. The character arcs of Piers and Wycke are especially satisfying as you see them grow and mature, both as a couple and individually. This book had all the fantasy elements I love with magic, sorcery, and even magical creatures. The author does a phenomenal job of tackling some dark themes while maintaining a sense of humor and a hopefulness that underpins the entire story. I was captivated by this story from the first page I read, and absolutely obsessed before the end of the first chapter. With a compelling storyline, captivating dialogue, and complex and fascinating characters, this novel keeps you engaged and thoroughly entertained from the first word to the last. I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough.
* I was given an ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review. All of my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
* I was given an ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review. All of my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
May 25, 2022
A full stand alone novel which was a nice change of pace since most urban fantasy/fantasy romance writers tend towards series. The story takes place starting in the "Magical Realm" and reaches into the mundane human realm as we follow refuges from the war who seek sanctuary there. The story is fairly long and complex (500+ pages) so it will keep you entertained. Now, I am not normally fond of "fated mate" stories, but this one is a nice exception. Early in the story, our two MC's can't fight the feeling and "hook up" and discover that their magic is very compatible. So much other stuff is happening however, it's not like they have time to even worry about what comes next until the worlds are saved. Yes, they fall into bed early, but that's the only sex scene. The rest of the adventure is a slow burn "getting to know you" even though the MC's already know that they are destined to be together. The characters are fairly likeable and EW does a good job in portraying how each is lonely in their own worlds and how coming together eases that loneliness, even if it's been through their own construct.
April 23, 2022
Like the author says on Goodreads - I was that child hiding under the covers with a book and a thorch-lite long after I should be asleep too. This book transported me to those times when I could get lost in magical worlds of kings, princes, mages and all the magical beings you can think of. This combination of urban and high fantasy is everything your inner child could wish for or dream of only with adult content. There's a feisty friend, snarky and sarcastic familiar (I absolutely adore Chynne), family found, lots of action and humor and a very well constructed plot. The author's interpretation of magical beings and worlds is original and very imaginative. Oh I forgot to mention - hot! You don't want to miss this one. There's a HEA ending, but I hear book two is coming our way soon and I can't wait. Highly recommended!
May 18, 2022
What happens when two hopelessly clueless sorcerors and a trash-talking familiar need to save the realm(s)? This book happens. Piers has toughed out life with only his friend Jess since losing his childhood guardian. When he starts seeing otherworldly creatures for what they are, and it's all the result of a wild night with a gorgeous guy, he gets more adventure then even he could dream up. Meanwhile, Prince Wycke has found himself having to actually be a prince, as opposed to the dashing scallywag he normally is. Mayhem ensues. This book is full of snarky banter, a wonderful cast of charcters, and plenty of fun. I'm secretly hoping for a sequel.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
April 26, 2022
A bit confused by this to be honest: it was a fantasy book that seemed to be a bit embarrassed to be a fantasy book?
The writing was great and some parts were a lot of fun but, as another reviewer wrote, the characters lacked agency. Too much soft magic (magic happens just because), no magic systems to speak of, a ton of set up at the beginning, lots of tropes that didn't really work or add anything to the story. I think this is the author's fist forray into fantasy and if that's the case she's done a bloody good job. But think it deserves a bit more editing to reach its full potential. A fun set up for future stories though.
The writing was great and some parts were a lot of fun but, as another reviewer wrote, the characters lacked agency. Too much soft magic (magic happens just because), no magic systems to speak of, a ton of set up at the beginning, lots of tropes that didn't really work or add anything to the story. I think this is the author's fist forray into fantasy and if that's the case she's done a bloody good job. But think it deserves a bit more editing to reach its full potential. A fun set up for future stories though.
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