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Augarten #1
Equinox
Waking up with no memory is just the beginning of his troubles…
Not knowing who he is or how he ended up naked in a park in Vienna, Gabriel struggles to reclaim his past while still moving forward into an uncertain future. It isn't long before he realizes that not having an identity isn't the only thing that makes him different. Plants and people glow with magic all around him, and he's actually able to speak to his very own guardian angel—even though the angel won't tell him anything about who he really is.
As he tries to learn something about his prior life, Gabriel finds himself inexplicably drawn to two very different men: Solomon, the exorcist priest who found Gabriel and has been helping him try to remember who he once was; and Florian, an occultist coffee shop owner whose own tragic past allows him to accept Gabriel even without memories.
But without the foundation of a past, Gabriel worries the life he's building will crumble around him. As Gabriel's health begins to dwindle—and not even his angel can explain why—he scrambles to find answers before he's taken away from the happiness he's found and the men he loves.
Equinox is the first in the Augarten series and is an 88,000-word MMM romance with magical realism, an amnesiac willing to try just about anything to remember, a priest with unpriestly thoughts, and lots of espresso.
Not knowing who he is or how he ended up naked in a park in Vienna, Gabriel struggles to reclaim his past while still moving forward into an uncertain future. It isn't long before he realizes that not having an identity isn't the only thing that makes him different. Plants and people glow with magic all around him, and he's actually able to speak to his very own guardian angel—even though the angel won't tell him anything about who he really is.
As he tries to learn something about his prior life, Gabriel finds himself inexplicably drawn to two very different men: Solomon, the exorcist priest who found Gabriel and has been helping him try to remember who he once was; and Florian, an occultist coffee shop owner whose own tragic past allows him to accept Gabriel even without memories.
But without the foundation of a past, Gabriel worries the life he's building will crumble around him. As Gabriel's health begins to dwindle—and not even his angel can explain why—he scrambles to find answers before he's taken away from the happiness he's found and the men he loves.
Equinox is the first in the Augarten series and is an 88,000-word MMM romance with magical realism, an amnesiac willing to try just about anything to remember, a priest with unpriestly thoughts, and lots of espresso.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2019
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406 people want to read
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November 30, 2019DNF at 28%
I tried. The first sign that it will not be a great story was when I started the book. The year that events happen is 2025 in Vienna. So, why is there a man dressed in Victorian clothes on the cover? I hate when the cover does not match the contents of the book. I mean literally there are cravat, britches and high riding boots on him, and the book has regular things like cellphones, planes, trains, etc. That just upset me because, frankly speaking, I expected something else from the story.
Then I just got bored. The three characters who are supposed to be MCs have no chemistry, there is nothing going on except that one of the MCs Gabriel who has amnesia goes about his days doing chores and meditating. The whole magic and angels angle is not interesting to me since it ties heavily with religion. Meh. Not in the mood for that. Blurb should have been different as well as the cover. I am done. Sorry for this little rant.
I tried. The first sign that it will not be a great story was when I started the book. The year that events happen is 2025 in Vienna. So, why is there a man dressed in Victorian clothes on the cover? I hate when the cover does not match the contents of the book. I mean literally there are cravat, britches and high riding boots on him, and the book has regular things like cellphones, planes, trains, etc. That just upset me because, frankly speaking, I expected something else from the story.
Then I just got bored. The three characters who are supposed to be MCs have no chemistry, there is nothing going on except that one of the MCs Gabriel who has amnesia goes about his days doing chores and meditating. The whole magic and angels angle is not interesting to me since it ties heavily with religion. Meh. Not in the mood for that. Blurb should have been different as well as the cover. I am done. Sorry for this little rant.
May 7, 2021
*I received this book for free from Booksirens in exchange for an honest review. This did not impact my rating.
A summary of the books storyline: This is an LGBTQIA+ romance novel with some erotic MMM scenes sprinkled in. The book is from the view of Gabriel, who has woken up in Austria, naked, and with amnesia. He is found and helped by Solomon, a priest, and Florian, a coffee shop owner. There is a lot of spirituality and religion in the book, far more than the blurb made me expect, with the primary focus being on Catholicism.
I have so much to say about this book, and honestly not much of it is good... I will start with the positives:
Interesting world and plot (as long as you can glance over the filler but I'll talk about that later). The storyline was captivating enough that I completed the book, but due to all the bad points I honestly don't know if I would have finished it if it was much longer. I enjoyed the magic and energy aspect of the storyline, but it wasn't very fleshed out and I really don't believe that it added much, I would have liked to see more of a fantasy twist to make it work.
I enjoyed the glimpses into Austrian life, and the fact that it is set in a real city. I assume the landmarks and areas described are all real and accurate, and it made me want to visit Austria some day so that I can see the Augarten and surrounding area myself.
It was an easy read. I read it in about 5 hours, and I am usually a very slow reader. The language used was simple without being boring or childish, and it was easy to become immersed.
Now, on to the negatives.
The first chapter is full of strange uncertainty. What I mean by that is there are too many times when Gabriel does something out of pure instinct. This mostly stops after the first chapter, but it's just a lazy way of saying "Gabriel did something and I can't think of a good reason why, so instinct it is!"
The book is full of weird dialogue. People speak in weird, awkward ways, and they are incredibly dense while also randomly jumping to conclusions over things that make no sense. For example, Solomon takes Gabriel to the library the day after he first meets him. While they are in the library Solomon points to an occult book and looks uneasy (presumably because he is a priest...) but Gabriel's thoughts are something along the lines of "Could I really be possessed like Solomon is insinuating?" There are multiple cases of this happening! I'm not sure if the author decided to omit sections of the book that contained certain conversations, or if they just wanted to add something to the story but didn't know how to, so they just made Gabriel say it, but either way it's weird and confusing. Also, there are parts in the book where someone will tell Gabriel something, they will say it clearly and then reword it eight different times because he somehow can't understand what they mean, and then two chapters later he almost explodes because he is so surprised when he sees what was said to him. For example, when asks him on a date he repeatedly wonders "What did he mean?", then on the date they kiss. Then on their next date (or maybe their third) they sleep together. ONLY THEN DOES GABRIEL REALIZE THAT THE DATES WERE AS MORE THAN FRIENDS! And on top of all that he is still surprised when tells him that he wants to be his boyfriend..? Again, this happens multiple times during the book!
After a few chapters Gabriel practically abandons any interest in finding out about his past or curing his amnesia, because he becomes so invested in finding out what religion he is. Now, maybe this bothered me because I am not a religious person at all, but why tell the reader all about how he has no memory yet he can sense a lover in his arms while he sleeps, etc., etc., and then say "Actually, I don't care, I just want to know who to pray to." And while we're talking about the religion in this book, there is a lot of it. As in a three page long prayer in Chapter 3 kind of lot. I am not exaggerating.
And to jump back to the weird dialogue, why is everyone in the book so obsessed with Gabriel's height..? We are never told his height, just that he is taller than the average Austrian, and that's why everyone is so sure that he's not from Austria. (What?) At every opportunity we are told about how tall he is, and how everyone else is shorter than him, and how he will have to get his clothes made specially because he is so tall. At one point we are told that he is about a head taller than Florian. Assuming Florian is 5'10" (the average height of an Austrian man according to Google) that leaves Gabriel at around 6'4". That's tall, but not so tall that literally every person would be amazed and comment on it, and definitely not so tall that he would not be able to buy clothes... When he goes to be measured for a suit the seamstress even claims that he is so tall that she'll have to make new patterns just for him.
Also, the characters in this are strangely dramatic at times. Gabriel seems to be constantly "mortified" about the smallest, strangest things, yet being pinned down on a bench in the middle of a public park in broad daylight and straddled and kissed passionately by another man doesn't phase him in the slightest. Gabriel isn't the only dramatic offender in this book though, Florian is described as being friendly, chatty and sociable, yet he constantly overreacts and misunderstands people's intentions. While they are visiting the seamstresses, who Florian has known since he was in school about 25 years, we are given this response to Gabriel asking if he can pay off his new suit in monthly payments:
Why was he terrified? He has known them for over half his life, surely he knows they are joking. Surely he would know they were joking even if he didn't know them for very long. Or is Florian acquainted with some shady mafia-esque seamstresses running rampant in a Viennese city who have a lot of clientele who happen to be found floating in the river every few weeks? Another thing that bothered me was that on the next page Florian says that he has all of his clothes made by them. At one point in the book he tells Gabriel that he's having a busy day in the coffee shop and he needs cups washed, because if he runs out of cups he'll have to start giving people disposable cups which he usually charges more for. And if he does that without charging more then... He gets cut off but I assume he is insinuating that he will make very little money. So either Florian is using the most expensive disposable cups in the world, or his coffee shop makes very little profit. Either way he somehow has enough money to have all of his clothes custom made. Despite the fact that he is a regular human sized man, and not a big, hulking Viking of a man, and could therefore afford to buy clothes from a regular shop like a regular sized human.
And the weird dialogue continues toward the end of the book. When Gabriel gets a job binding books he meets his bosses son, Alfred, who works travelling the world on business for a multinational banking firm.
Thanks for that Alfred. We won't see you again in this book, but knowing that you love phones has added a lot to my reading experience.
And speaking of phones, no one except for Solomon seems to have a mobile phone? Despite it being 2025??? Also, no, there is literally no good reason for it being set in 2025 except for the author wanting something to have happened in 2015 and for this book to be set 10 years after that for some reason. There is no new technology, nothing that differs at all from 2021, so I really don't know why it is set a few years into the future.
I will also address the cover of the book. One would assume it is a historical romance, or at least that Gabriel is from the Victorian era, but no, it's just that the seamstresses make fancy historical looking suits for some reason.
And for a final rant, the sex scenes are strange. For the most part they are well written, but there is a bit too much focus on peeling back foreskins and thinking about someone having a "gorgeous cock" at parts.
And Gabriel's guardian angel is called Ian. Ian the angel.
Overall, I won't be reading any more of the authors books, but despite the rant I went on if a strong religious focus and flaky dialogue wouldn't bother you then I would actually recommend this book. I didn't enjoy it, but I think it was more just not my taste rather than being a terrible book.
A summary of the books storyline: This is an LGBTQIA+ romance novel with some erotic MMM scenes sprinkled in. The book is from the view of Gabriel, who has woken up in Austria, naked, and with amnesia. He is found and helped by Solomon, a priest, and Florian, a coffee shop owner. There is a lot of spirituality and religion in the book, far more than the blurb made me expect, with the primary focus being on Catholicism.
I have so much to say about this book, and honestly not much of it is good... I will start with the positives:
Interesting world and plot (as long as you can glance over the filler but I'll talk about that later). The storyline was captivating enough that I completed the book, but due to all the bad points I honestly don't know if I would have finished it if it was much longer. I enjoyed the magic and energy aspect of the storyline, but it wasn't very fleshed out and I really don't believe that it added much, I would have liked to see more of a fantasy twist to make it work.
I enjoyed the glimpses into Austrian life, and the fact that it is set in a real city. I assume the landmarks and areas described are all real and accurate, and it made me want to visit Austria some day so that I can see the Augarten and surrounding area myself.
It was an easy read. I read it in about 5 hours, and I am usually a very slow reader. The language used was simple without being boring or childish, and it was easy to become immersed.
Now, on to the negatives.
The first chapter is full of strange uncertainty. What I mean by that is there are too many times when Gabriel does something out of pure instinct. This mostly stops after the first chapter, but it's just a lazy way of saying "Gabriel did something and I can't think of a good reason why, so instinct it is!"
This was not a wild forest, nor had it ever been, if my instincts proved correct, though I did not know from whence such instincts came.
On instinct, I knew that if I could just get a view of the moon, I would feel more grounded.
Scanning the hulking oak, I wondered what it might be trying to tell me. Then I wondered why I thought an oak talking to me was normal.
The book is full of weird dialogue. People speak in weird, awkward ways, and they are incredibly dense while also randomly jumping to conclusions over things that make no sense. For example, Solomon takes Gabriel to the library the day after he first meets him. While they are in the library Solomon points to an occult book and looks uneasy (presumably because he is a priest...) but Gabriel's thoughts are something along the lines of "Could I really be possessed like Solomon is insinuating?" There are multiple cases of this happening! I'm not sure if the author decided to omit sections of the book that contained certain conversations, or if they just wanted to add something to the story but didn't know how to, so they just made Gabriel say it, but either way it's weird and confusing. Also, there are parts in the book where someone will tell Gabriel something, they will say it clearly and then reword it eight different times because he somehow can't understand what they mean, and then two chapters later he almost explodes because he is so surprised when he sees what was said to him. For example, when asks him on a date he repeatedly wonders "What did he mean?", then on the date they kiss. Then on their next date (or maybe their third) they sleep together. ONLY THEN DOES GABRIEL REALIZE THAT THE DATES WERE AS MORE THAN FRIENDS! And on top of all that he is still surprised when tells him that he wants to be his boyfriend..? Again, this happens multiple times during the book!
After a few chapters Gabriel practically abandons any interest in finding out about his past or curing his amnesia, because he becomes so invested in finding out what religion he is. Now, maybe this bothered me because I am not a religious person at all, but why tell the reader all about how he has no memory yet he can sense a lover in his arms while he sleeps, etc., etc., and then say "Actually, I don't care, I just want to know who to pray to." And while we're talking about the religion in this book, there is a lot of it. As in a three page long prayer in Chapter 3 kind of lot. I am not exaggerating.
And to jump back to the weird dialogue, why is everyone in the book so obsessed with Gabriel's height..? We are never told his height, just that he is taller than the average Austrian, and that's why everyone is so sure that he's not from Austria. (What?) At every opportunity we are told about how tall he is, and how everyone else is shorter than him, and how he will have to get his clothes made specially because he is so tall. At one point we are told that he is about a head taller than Florian. Assuming Florian is 5'10" (the average height of an Austrian man according to Google) that leaves Gabriel at around 6'4". That's tall, but not so tall that literally every person would be amazed and comment on it, and definitely not so tall that he would not be able to buy clothes... When he goes to be measured for a suit the seamstress even claims that he is so tall that she'll have to make new patterns just for him.
I stepped in front of Florian and crowded him against a tree, shielding him from the wind with my back and superior height.
"Such a tall frame, I'll have to make new patterns, I think."
"Might as well play on his strength and make him the tallest and best-dressed man in Vienna"
I bent over , covering him with my longer body...
Also, the characters in this are strangely dramatic at times. Gabriel seems to be constantly "mortified" about the smallest, strangest things, yet being pinned down on a bench in the middle of a public park in broad daylight and straddled and kissed passionately by another man doesn't phase him in the slightest. Gabriel isn't the only dramatic offender in this book though, Florian is described as being friendly, chatty and sociable, yet he constantly overreacts and misunderstands people's intentions. While they are visiting the seamstresses, who Florian has known since he was in school about 25 years, we are given this response to Gabriel asking if he can pay off his new suit in monthly payments:
Abbe patted my arm. "We've known Florian since we were teenagers at Hauptschule. If you miss any of your payments, we'll just chase him down ourselves... And throw him in the canal. Let the power of the Danube serve as a warning."
Florian looked terrified. I rushed to assure them I would always be on time.
Why was he terrified? He has known them for over half his life, surely he knows they are joking. Surely he would know they were joking even if he didn't know them for very long. Or is Florian acquainted with some shady mafia-esque seamstresses running rampant in a Viennese city who have a lot of clientele who happen to be found floating in the river every few weeks? Another thing that bothered me was that on the next page Florian says that he has all of his clothes made by them. At one point in the book he tells Gabriel that he's having a busy day in the coffee shop and he needs cups washed, because if he runs out of cups he'll have to start giving people disposable cups which he usually charges more for. And if he does that without charging more then... He gets cut off but I assume he is insinuating that he will make very little money. So either Florian is using the most expensive disposable cups in the world, or his coffee shop makes very little profit. Either way he somehow has enough money to have all of his clothes custom made. Despite the fact that he is a regular human sized man, and not a big, hulking Viking of a man, and could therefore afford to buy clothes from a regular shop like a regular sized human.
And the weird dialogue continues toward the end of the book. When Gabriel gets a job binding books he meets his bosses son, Alfred, who works travelling the world on business for a multinational banking firm.
Alfred nodded at the walls lined with shelves. "So, do you like books?"
"I love books."
"Oh, good. I love cell phones."
Thanks for that Alfred. We won't see you again in this book, but knowing that you love phones has added a lot to my reading experience.
And speaking of phones, no one except for Solomon seems to have a mobile phone? Despite it being 2025??? Also, no, there is literally no good reason for it being set in 2025 except for the author wanting something to have happened in 2015 and for this book to be set 10 years after that for some reason. There is no new technology, nothing that differs at all from 2021, so I really don't know why it is set a few years into the future.
I will also address the cover of the book. One would assume it is a historical romance, or at least that Gabriel is from the Victorian era, but no, it's just that the seamstresses make fancy historical looking suits for some reason.
And for a final rant, the sex scenes are strange. For the most part they are well written, but there is a bit too much focus on peeling back foreskins and thinking about someone having a "gorgeous cock" at parts.
And Gabriel's guardian angel is called Ian. Ian the angel.
Overall, I won't be reading any more of the authors books, but despite the rant I went on if a strong religious focus and flaky dialogue wouldn't bother you then I would actually recommend this book. I didn't enjoy it, but I think it was more just not my taste rather than being a terrible book.
December 15, 2019
I don’t understand half of what’s going on in this book. Thank you, dear author, for making me feel slow! 😡 Various deities and spirits are all somehow involved in this cluster* and we are only given a vague idea of what their beef is with each other and the involved humans. There is a mention (or three) of a forever pissed off Archangel Michael, who has quite a dislike towards anyone and anything not of a Christian variety (guess his God is the only one, how fresh!). Christian angels, Welsh and Germain pagan gods, prayers, some random tailors highjacking a chapter, insane obsession with coffee and coffee cups, argh! 😖 There is so much clutter in this book, my head is still ringing.
The Cover: The cravat, the jacket, the boots, the whole 19th century getup is apparently in fashion in this universe’s year of 2025. The dude on the cover is not a mistake.
PS To be fair, I actually really liked the idea behind the plot, which does deserve a least 4 stars, but like I said, the writing style doesn’t agree with me.
The Cover: The cravat, the jacket, the boots, the whole 19th century getup is apparently in fashion in this universe’s year of 2025. The dude on the cover is not a mistake.
PS To be fair, I actually really liked the idea behind the plot, which does deserve a least 4 stars, but like I said, the writing style doesn’t agree with me.
November 28, 2019
So first off, it’s important to say that Godwyn’s writing is gorgeous. They’re very descriptive and you feel like you were placed right in Vienna. I was intrigued from the very first chapter. A man wakes up with zero memories completely naked in a magical forest? Sign me up. I also love love love magical realism/urban fantasy and I think Godwyn does a great job with it.
Now my main issue is very personal, and for most people won’t be a problem. I just found this book to be too religious. I’m not a religious or spiritual person, so that didn’t resonate with me. But, I think for most people that will just add another layer to the beauty that is this story
Now my main issue is very personal, and for most people won’t be a problem. I just found this book to be too religious. I’m not a religious or spiritual person, so that didn’t resonate with me. But, I think for most people that will just add another layer to the beauty that is this story
December 2, 2019
I'm always looking for new authors to read, so when I got the opportunity to read this book as an ARC I decided to take it to learn more about this series written by Charlie Godwyne. The book surprised me, not only because the story had a lot of twists and turns in every chapter, but also because in spite of them I got caught quickly in all the strange and weird situations. I'm not going to spoil the plot for you, but... Wow! Of course, this is also a MMM book, with some light taboo so you got a lot of hot scenes and some romance. A wonderful complex book, that is totally worth reading.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
January 25, 2021
Eh... it's not you, book, it's me. I'm too much of an atheist for all this religious babble - really, the moment the author threw in a 3 pages long Catholic prayer should have tipped me off that this was too heavy on that aspect for me. The romance didn't really work for me either, and as for the fantasy part - at some point, Gabriel was suddenly a tree and I didn't have the slightest clue what was going on anymore. The whole thing felt like the result of a Bible, a Vienna tourist guide and an instalovey romance novel having a threesome, probably under the influence of having smoked some rather questionable herbs. Just... really not for me.
June 28, 2020
"Equinox" is the first volume of "Augarten", a series written by Charlie Godwyne, which I really wanted to read because of its tempting universe that at the beginning I saw mostly as a fascinating puzzle to solve. Reading the story, I was able to slowly, piece by piece, put together the world of the series, but to a large extent its image was still full of holes. Probably because the construction of "Augarten" universe seems to be closely related to the events shown in "Equinox". Either way, the physical part of the universe of the series seems to somehow combine elements of the present with the past, which is a really interesting and fascinating concept. A similar, maybe even much clearly visible hybrid is the construction of the magical, spiritual part of the universe. Beliefs and rituals overlap, intermingle, giving life not only to magic, but also to forces and beings that do not belong to the material world. The world of the series is therefore very complex and is still waiting to be discovered.
Just like the universe of "Augarten", also the characters are a mystery to us, which we have to discover as we read not only "Equinox", but the whole series. I really liked the fact that in the novel the author builds M/M/M relationship, because thanks to this fact apart from the main character, we also get to know men who are slowly winning Gabriel's heart and are playing a very important role in his life. What's also important, each of these three characters is completely different, but no less fascinating, and each of them has a story to tell us. It is worth noting, however, that in spite of what we are used to, in "Equinox" the characters do not open up to us immediately, they are rather cautious about revealing what they are like and what happened to them in the past. It makes us get to know them slowly, step by step, and we still can't be sure that we already know everything or enough to say that we really know them. It's really interesting.
I have no doubt that the great advantage of "Equinox" is also the fact that due to the slow, gradual construction of the universe and characters, the novel often surprises us. We don't really know what can happen or what else will be revealed to us. The novel is so complex that almost any new information seems to be surprising and some of those surprises we do not even expect. "Equinox" is like a wild animal, which behavior we can not predict and it undoubtedly affects our growing interest in the presented story and the characters. As we learn this story, we become more and more drawn into this unexplored vortex called "Augarten", and thus become addicted to discovering this series.
As I've mentioned, "Equinox" is a surprising novel, but that's not all we can say about it. Its complexity and unpredictability mean that we can also describe it as splendidly ingenious. As for the presentation of the spiritual sphere of the universe of the series, it makes this novel truly magical, and sometimes even ethereal.
To sum up, "Equinox" is an incredibly interesting, surprising novel that, although develops slowly, is so unpredictable that it really keeps us in suspense from the beginning to the end. Believe me, you won't find another novel like this one, so read "Equinox" and see for yourself.
____________________
„Equinox” jest pierwszym tomem „Augarten”, serii autorstwa Charlie Godwyne, która zainteresowała mnie przede wszystkim swoim uniwersum, które na początku w dużej mierze było dla mnie fascynującą zagadką. W miarę czytania miałam możliwość powoli, kawałek po kawałku składać w całość świat serii, jednak w dużej mierze jego obraz nadal pełen był dziur. Prawdopodobnie dlatego, że budowa uniwersum „Augarten” wydaje się ściśle wiązać z przedstawianymi w „Equinox” wydarzeniami. Tak czy inaczej, fizyczna część uniwersum serii wydaje się w pewnym stopniu łączyć elementy teraźniejszości z przeszłością, co jest naprawdę interesującą i fascynującą koncepcją. Podobną, a może nawet o wiele wyraźniejszą hybrydę dostrzegamy w budowie magicznej, duchowej części uniwersum. Wierzenia i obrządki nakładają się na siebie, przenikają się dając życie nie tylko magii, ale także siłkom i istotom, które nie należą do materialnego świata. Świat serii jest więc bardzo złożony i wciąż czeka na odkrycie.
Podobnie jak uniwersum „Augarten”, także bohaterowie są dla nas zagadką, którą musimy dopiero odkryć w miarę czytania nie tylko „Equinox”, ale całej serii. Bardzo spodobał mi się fakt, że w powieści budowana jest relacja M/M/M, tym bardziej, że właśnie dzięki temu poza głównym bohaterem poznajemy bliżej także mężczyzn, którzy powoli zdobywają serce Gabriela i odgrywają w jego życiu bardzo ważną rolę. Co istotne, każdy z trójki czołowych bohaterów jest od siebie zupełnie różny, ale nie mniej fascynujący i każdy z nich ma nam do opowiedzenia jakąś historię. Warto jednak zauważyć, że na przekór temu, do czego nawykliśmy, w „Equinox” bohaterowie nie otwierają się przed nami od razu, są raczej ostrożni w zdradzaniu się z tym jacy są, co ich spotkało. To sprawia, że poznajemy ich powoli, krok po kroku i nadal nie możemy być pewni, czy wiemy już wszystko lub wystarczająco wiele, abyśmy mogli uznać, że naprawdę ich znamy. To naprawdę interesujące.
Nie mam najmniejszych wątpliwości, że za dużą zaletę „Equinox” możemy uznać również fakt, iż za sprawą wolnej, stopniowej budowy uniwersum oraz bohaterów, powieść często zaskakuje. Tak naprawdę nie wiemy, co może się wydarzyć, co zostanie przed nami odkryte. Powieść jest na tyle złożona, że niemal każda nowa informacja wydaje się być zaskakująca, a części z nich nawet się wcześniej nie domyślamy. „Equinox” jest jak dzikie zwierzę, którego zachowania nie możemy przewidzieć, co niewątpliwie wpływa na nasze rosnące zainteresowanie przedstawioną historią oraz bohaterami. W miarę jak poznajemy tę historię, wciągamy się coraz bardziej w ten niezbadany wir „Augarten” i tym samym uzależniamy się od odkrywania tej serii.
Jak wspomniałam, „Equinox” jest powieścią zaskakującą, to jednak nie wszystko, co możemy o niej powiedzieć. Jej złożoność i nieprzewidywalność sprawiają, że możemy określić ją również jako genialnie pomysłową. Z kolei przedstawienie sfery spirytualnej uniwersum serii czyni tę powieść naprawdę magiczną, a czasami nawet eteryczną.
Podsumowując, „Equinox” to niesamowicie interesująca, zaskakująca powieść, która wprawdzie rozwija się powoli, ale jest tak nieprzewidywalna, że naprawdę trzyma w napięciu od początku do końca. Drugiej takiej powieści nie znajdziecie. Sięgnijcie po „Equinox” i przekonajcie się o tym sami.
Just like the universe of "Augarten", also the characters are a mystery to us, which we have to discover as we read not only "Equinox", but the whole series. I really liked the fact that in the novel the author builds M/M/M relationship, because thanks to this fact apart from the main character, we also get to know men who are slowly winning Gabriel's heart and are playing a very important role in his life. What's also important, each of these three characters is completely different, but no less fascinating, and each of them has a story to tell us. It is worth noting, however, that in spite of what we are used to, in "Equinox" the characters do not open up to us immediately, they are rather cautious about revealing what they are like and what happened to them in the past. It makes us get to know them slowly, step by step, and we still can't be sure that we already know everything or enough to say that we really know them. It's really interesting.
I have no doubt that the great advantage of "Equinox" is also the fact that due to the slow, gradual construction of the universe and characters, the novel often surprises us. We don't really know what can happen or what else will be revealed to us. The novel is so complex that almost any new information seems to be surprising and some of those surprises we do not even expect. "Equinox" is like a wild animal, which behavior we can not predict and it undoubtedly affects our growing interest in the presented story and the characters. As we learn this story, we become more and more drawn into this unexplored vortex called "Augarten", and thus become addicted to discovering this series.
As I've mentioned, "Equinox" is a surprising novel, but that's not all we can say about it. Its complexity and unpredictability mean that we can also describe it as splendidly ingenious. As for the presentation of the spiritual sphere of the universe of the series, it makes this novel truly magical, and sometimes even ethereal.
To sum up, "Equinox" is an incredibly interesting, surprising novel that, although develops slowly, is so unpredictable that it really keeps us in suspense from the beginning to the end. Believe me, you won't find another novel like this one, so read "Equinox" and see for yourself.
____________________
„Equinox” jest pierwszym tomem „Augarten”, serii autorstwa Charlie Godwyne, która zainteresowała mnie przede wszystkim swoim uniwersum, które na początku w dużej mierze było dla mnie fascynującą zagadką. W miarę czytania miałam możliwość powoli, kawałek po kawałku składać w całość świat serii, jednak w dużej mierze jego obraz nadal pełen był dziur. Prawdopodobnie dlatego, że budowa uniwersum „Augarten” wydaje się ściśle wiązać z przedstawianymi w „Equinox” wydarzeniami. Tak czy inaczej, fizyczna część uniwersum serii wydaje się w pewnym stopniu łączyć elementy teraźniejszości z przeszłością, co jest naprawdę interesującą i fascynującą koncepcją. Podobną, a może nawet o wiele wyraźniejszą hybrydę dostrzegamy w budowie magicznej, duchowej części uniwersum. Wierzenia i obrządki nakładają się na siebie, przenikają się dając życie nie tylko magii, ale także siłkom i istotom, które nie należą do materialnego świata. Świat serii jest więc bardzo złożony i wciąż czeka na odkrycie.
Podobnie jak uniwersum „Augarten”, także bohaterowie są dla nas zagadką, którą musimy dopiero odkryć w miarę czytania nie tylko „Equinox”, ale całej serii. Bardzo spodobał mi się fakt, że w powieści budowana jest relacja M/M/M, tym bardziej, że właśnie dzięki temu poza głównym bohaterem poznajemy bliżej także mężczyzn, którzy powoli zdobywają serce Gabriela i odgrywają w jego życiu bardzo ważną rolę. Co istotne, każdy z trójki czołowych bohaterów jest od siebie zupełnie różny, ale nie mniej fascynujący i każdy z nich ma nam do opowiedzenia jakąś historię. Warto jednak zauważyć, że na przekór temu, do czego nawykliśmy, w „Equinox” bohaterowie nie otwierają się przed nami od razu, są raczej ostrożni w zdradzaniu się z tym jacy są, co ich spotkało. To sprawia, że poznajemy ich powoli, krok po kroku i nadal nie możemy być pewni, czy wiemy już wszystko lub wystarczająco wiele, abyśmy mogli uznać, że naprawdę ich znamy. To naprawdę interesujące.
Nie mam najmniejszych wątpliwości, że za dużą zaletę „Equinox” możemy uznać również fakt, iż za sprawą wolnej, stopniowej budowy uniwersum oraz bohaterów, powieść często zaskakuje. Tak naprawdę nie wiemy, co może się wydarzyć, co zostanie przed nami odkryte. Powieść jest na tyle złożona, że niemal każda nowa informacja wydaje się być zaskakująca, a części z nich nawet się wcześniej nie domyślamy. „Equinox” jest jak dzikie zwierzę, którego zachowania nie możemy przewidzieć, co niewątpliwie wpływa na nasze rosnące zainteresowanie przedstawioną historią oraz bohaterami. W miarę jak poznajemy tę historię, wciągamy się coraz bardziej w ten niezbadany wir „Augarten” i tym samym uzależniamy się od odkrywania tej serii.
Jak wspomniałam, „Equinox” jest powieścią zaskakującą, to jednak nie wszystko, co możemy o niej powiedzieć. Jej złożoność i nieprzewidywalność sprawiają, że możemy określić ją również jako genialnie pomysłową. Z kolei przedstawienie sfery spirytualnej uniwersum serii czyni tę powieść naprawdę magiczną, a czasami nawet eteryczną.
Podsumowując, „Equinox” to niesamowicie interesująca, zaskakująca powieść, która wprawdzie rozwija się powoli, ale jest tak nieprzewidywalna, że naprawdę trzyma w napięciu od początku do końca. Drugiej takiej powieści nie znajdziecie. Sięgnijcie po „Equinox” i przekonajcie się o tym sami.
November 27, 2019
Men, Archangels, Nature Spirits, and a Priest. What do they all have in common? A man only known as Gabriel. No memory, but desperately trying to recall his past, Gabriel is befriended by a priest, a coffee shop owner, and his own angel.
The only words I can come up with for this book is unusual, mind bending, and surprising spiritual. I started the book and left it three times to read something else but the story was running through the back of my mind and I had to go back to it. There will be two more books which I look forward to. I will probably reread this one before I start the second book.
I received an arc of this book.
The only words I can come up with for this book is unusual, mind bending, and surprising spiritual. I started the book and left it three times to read something else but the story was running through the back of my mind and I had to go back to it. There will be two more books which I look forward to. I will probably reread this one before I start the second book.
I received an arc of this book.
June 16, 2020
I was so disappointed in this book. I forced myself to finish it because I really wanted it to get better. The characters were wooden, the scenes 2-dimensional, and sometimes it just didn't make sense. Some issues never got resolved. For example, why won't Michael talk to Ian? Were the "dreams" flashbacks, hallucinations, or something else?
Want to read
November 28, 2021🎁 Books 1 - 3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (7/29/2020)! 🎁
September 1, 2022
I loved this story so much. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
December 10, 2019
This is the first book in The Augarten Series. A wonderful but frustrating book it had some great writing, but it also left me with too many questions and not always sure what was going on. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters intriguing. The characters were developed and thought out. Gabriel, Solomon, and Florian are the MC’s of this book. A relationship between 3 people can be difficult to write so that it is believable and so that someone doesn’t feel left out. And in this book, I am unsure how I feel about these 3 men together. As romance wasn’t the main focus for this book, I think I will wait and see what the next book brings to decide. I can recommend this book as a worthwhile read. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.
December 8, 2019
This is less romance and more literary fiction but it was still an enjoyable read. This isn't a light read by any means. Not because it's dark but because it inspires deep thought. It's very cerebral and spiritual. Gabriel wakes up in a garden one night with no memory of who he is. A friendly priest helps him settle into his new life as a confused amnesiac in a foreign and mystical land. He soons falls in love with the land and it's people, particularly an expresso shop owner and the priest. They help defend him from supernatural forces that might demand more than he can give. I'd recommend this for those look for a deep read or one with lots of spirituality.
December 8, 2019
This was an intriguing, creative book that captured my attention immediately and kept me turning pages to find out more about Gabriel and what happened to him. Add in a priest, an occultist, and a guardian angel...yeah, I was fully engaged. I loved the magic and mystery. This was my first read from this author and the writing is beautiful and lyrical. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.
I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.
March 15, 2021
I will honestly say, that reading this book have felt all kinds of trippy.
The religions, the magic, angels, spirits and a man that may or may not be a man.
Half the time I was confused, the other half I was intrigued, specially with the men and their secrets.
I loved their relationship, the book left me with questions which I hope is answered in the next book. Because no matter how confusing it was I still wanted more in the end.
The religions, the magic, angels, spirits and a man that may or may not be a man.
Half the time I was confused, the other half I was intrigued, specially with the men and their secrets.
I loved their relationship, the book left me with questions which I hope is answered in the next book. Because no matter how confusing it was I still wanted more in the end.
December 8, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this fantastic, fascinating, intriguing, interesting, fresh, original, unique, amazing, fast paced, enthralling, poignant, action packed, unusual, definitely different, completely unexpected, and totally awesome start to a great new series. I was hooked from beginning to end, and I can't wait to see what happens next with this new-to-me author.
December 8, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Equinox. There are many twists and turns to this story and you will be kept on the edge of your seat. The writing is descriptive, interesting and well done. I will certainly be reading the next book in this series.
December 13, 2019
This was definitely an intriguing and interesting read for me. The world building along with the mix of the magic world and the real world was quite brilliant and kept me engrossed. The characters were quite unique and well developed, and the author gives you such a clear picture of them that makes you like them.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
December 8, 2019
Omg
It's not often that a first time author knocks me out as much as Charlie Godwyne did.
The world building that went into this was just wow. I mean the mix of real world and magic world and the combination of time periods and style was amazingly cohesive and flowed amazingly well.
Gabriel, Solomon, and Florian are such defined characters and you feel like you know them.
I am really hoping for more from them.
It's not often that a first time author knocks me out as much as Charlie Godwyne did.
The world building that went into this was just wow. I mean the mix of real world and magic world and the combination of time periods and style was amazingly cohesive and flowed amazingly well.
Gabriel, Solomon, and Florian are such defined characters and you feel like you know them.
I am really hoping for more from them.
December 8, 2019
This story is just awesome. There are so many turns and twists, and the author just knows how to suck you into it. It's a MMM book, and even more turns and twists. I like the world and the description of it. The author has done a well done job here as well as giving us some great characters.
December 2, 2019
Wow!!
With scenes written as beautifully as poetry this is a full read experience. Strong in spiritual beliefs with a complex story. Makes you wonder throughout who is Gabriel and why do Ian, Florian, and Solomon feel so strongly for him? I feel the story isn't done and there is more to learn. There were either a few editing issues or a language usage that was a bit confusing but it didn't detract from the story.
With scenes written as beautifully as poetry this is a full read experience. Strong in spiritual beliefs with a complex story. Makes you wonder throughout who is Gabriel and why do Ian, Florian, and Solomon feel so strongly for him? I feel the story isn't done and there is more to learn. There were either a few editing issues or a language usage that was a bit confusing but it didn't detract from the story.
March 3, 2021
I received this book through Voracious Readers, in exchange for an honest review.
When this book first showed up in my feed I was not sure if I wanted to read it.
As I read over what it was about, it drew me in and I found myself wanting to know more about the story, what was happening to Gabriel, would he figure out why he lost his memories?
When I first started the story I became a little caught up in the descriptions of the main character's surroundings and found it a little distracting from the story itself.
As I read on I was soon absorbed into the story, and the world the story was set in almost seemed like a character of its own. I loved the character's of Gabriel, Solomon and Florian, and their relationships with each other. They became more real as we learned some of their back stories and the things that shaped them into the people they are. I even liked Gabriel's Guardian Angel, although would have liked to know more about him.
This book was a good read, in a world beautifully described with character's you cannot help but care about. I am looking forward to reading more in this series, I really want to know what is going to happen next.
When this book first showed up in my feed I was not sure if I wanted to read it.
As I read over what it was about, it drew me in and I found myself wanting to know more about the story, what was happening to Gabriel, would he figure out why he lost his memories?
When I first started the story I became a little caught up in the descriptions of the main character's surroundings and found it a little distracting from the story itself.
As I read on I was soon absorbed into the story, and the world the story was set in almost seemed like a character of its own. I loved the character's of Gabriel, Solomon and Florian, and their relationships with each other. They became more real as we learned some of their back stories and the things that shaped them into the people they are. I even liked Gabriel's Guardian Angel, although would have liked to know more about him.
This book was a good read, in a world beautifully described with character's you cannot help but care about. I am looking forward to reading more in this series, I really want to know what is going to happen next.
March 5, 2021
I have never read anything like this. I did not know it was the first in a series when I picked it from Booksirens. I had ignored it for a while when it appeared on my list since I didn't think I would like the paranormal world.
Surprise! I really liked it! I loved the various spiritualities and how they came to light for the characters. Gabriel pulls us into his world, where he knows nothing, just like the reader knows nothing. The writing was lovely, describing situations and color and movement so beautifully. The odd situations somehow seemed believable.
I have to read the rest now! I think the confusion and lack of clarity are done to pull us into the story, to make us want to keep going to sort this out along with our characters.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
P.S. The cover photo has nothing to do with the book itself--you could do much better!
Surprise! I really liked it! I loved the various spiritualities and how they came to light for the characters. Gabriel pulls us into his world, where he knows nothing, just like the reader knows nothing. The writing was lovely, describing situations and color and movement so beautifully. The odd situations somehow seemed believable.
I have to read the rest now! I think the confusion and lack of clarity are done to pull us into the story, to make us want to keep going to sort this out along with our characters.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
P.S. The cover photo has nothing to do with the book itself--you could do much better!
March 9, 2021
This book was a hot mess of weird.
I’m going to start off with the most obvious issue I had and I worry that it’s going to completely overshadow all the other stuff but it’s the most glaring problem.
The cover art for these books liiiiiiiiiiiiiiie. I was so looking forward to some yummy gay Regency and the covers promised so much. Go look at that cover. Enlarge that image. Witness the brooding look, that silhouette in the distance holding his sword in a provocative manner. What do you glean from this image?
Do you glean 2025 Vienna? No? Me neither. Maybe it’s a time travel thing? Nope! There’s absolutely NO mention of the time period depicted in the cover art at all in this story. It is terribly disappointing. Like, why would the author set themselves up like that? Surely they anticipate people’s outrage over this false bill of goods? Did they think that their story would merit redemption?
Because it didn’t!
Now I will say this: I lived in Germany for a few years when I was a young adult and the dialog is authentic in how the German language is used. Having said that, it’s very different to how Americans talk. German is very direct and frank; to the point of bluntness. To translate it like this to English made all the characters in the story sound like Data from TNG. So it was especially odd when the main character, who has barely any personality, starts admiring another man’s derriere and, with no irony, calls it a “caboose.” The conversations in this book are bizarre. Two characters go back to an apartment to have some hanky-panky involving someone’s caboose (ha-chachacha) but you know one has to show the other around the apartment and mention that it used to be a part of the Jewish district before, well…y’know Alright! Sexy foreplay talk over! So are you a top or a bottom? Let’s get at it!
At least there are some sexy times, right? It’s tagged ménage for a reason after all. First, you have to wade through majorly boring parts of the story. The main character has amnesia so we are ushered around with him and the man that found him to go on bureaucratic errands: the police station to see if there’s a missing person’s report, the courthouse to get him proper immigrant documentation, a place where he can stay. This could all be a few sentences but it’s noooooooot. He volunteers a weekend at a fest and we are there the whooooooole time he’s manning a booth. Do you know what it’s like to sell a bunch of coffee to a bunch of tourists waiting for their buses? I do now! I’m sorry I complained so much about the linear-ness of A Discovery of Witches because this book was like hold my beerstein, bitte.
I’ve already written more than my high school teacher required for a basic book report and I HAVEN’T EVEN DISCUSSED THE BIZARRNESS THAT IS THIS PLOT! So it’s supposed to be a three way romance, right? But there’s this whole other plot about religion that’s woven into it. Like our main guy doesn’t know what religion he is so we go with him to a library to look it up. He has a guardian angel that talks to him but won’t actually tell him anything, plot-wise. There’s a goddess who maintains the garden he was found in but she can’t tell him what’s going on. The priest that found him won’t tell him what’s going on. Do you detect the pattern here? There’s a lot as a reader that you don’t know what is going on and it’s long, meandering, and religiously weird. There’s no real relationship build-up or angst. It’s just there. Hey we’re dating now. But I really like my best friend, too. Well life is short, oh he’s a virgin? Well, no swim lessons for him, let’s immediately throw him in the deep end, if you know what I mean! (ha-chachacha) (You guys! I totally forgot until now that at one point in the plot, the main character dissolves and has to be regrown by a tree for a month! It speaks to how bananas this story is that I forgot this part.)
Credit where credit is due: the main character’s origins are interesting. I liked that concept and it could have made a really interesting story on its own. Like, maybe this could have been a good contemporary lit book with less of the ménage element. And less of the bureaucratic errands and tree-growing. Alas.
So I already played myself and got this whole collection for free (and trust me you absolutely get what you pay for here) so of course I’m the idiot that is going to be reading them all. I have to see where this story goes. I can already tell it’s not the Regency era.
I’m going to start off with the most obvious issue I had and I worry that it’s going to completely overshadow all the other stuff but it’s the most glaring problem.
The cover art for these books liiiiiiiiiiiiiiie. I was so looking forward to some yummy gay Regency and the covers promised so much. Go look at that cover. Enlarge that image. Witness the brooding look, that silhouette in the distance holding his sword in a provocative manner. What do you glean from this image?
Do you glean 2025 Vienna? No? Me neither. Maybe it’s a time travel thing? Nope! There’s absolutely NO mention of the time period depicted in the cover art at all in this story. It is terribly disappointing. Like, why would the author set themselves up like that? Surely they anticipate people’s outrage over this false bill of goods? Did they think that their story would merit redemption?
Because it didn’t!
Now I will say this: I lived in Germany for a few years when I was a young adult and the dialog is authentic in how the German language is used. Having said that, it’s very different to how Americans talk. German is very direct and frank; to the point of bluntness. To translate it like this to English made all the characters in the story sound like Data from TNG. So it was especially odd when the main character, who has barely any personality, starts admiring another man’s derriere and, with no irony, calls it a “caboose.” The conversations in this book are bizarre. Two characters go back to an apartment to have some hanky-panky involving someone’s caboose (ha-chachacha) but you know one has to show the other around the apartment and mention that it used to be a part of the Jewish district before, well…y’know Alright! Sexy foreplay talk over! So are you a top or a bottom? Let’s get at it!
At least there are some sexy times, right? It’s tagged ménage for a reason after all. First, you have to wade through majorly boring parts of the story. The main character has amnesia so we are ushered around with him and the man that found him to go on bureaucratic errands: the police station to see if there’s a missing person’s report, the courthouse to get him proper immigrant documentation, a place where he can stay. This could all be a few sentences but it’s noooooooot. He volunteers a weekend at a fest and we are there the whooooooole time he’s manning a booth. Do you know what it’s like to sell a bunch of coffee to a bunch of tourists waiting for their buses? I do now! I’m sorry I complained so much about the linear-ness of A Discovery of Witches because this book was like hold my beerstein, bitte.
I’ve already written more than my high school teacher required for a basic book report and I HAVEN’T EVEN DISCUSSED THE BIZARRNESS THAT IS THIS PLOT! So it’s supposed to be a three way romance, right? But there’s this whole other plot about religion that’s woven into it. Like our main guy doesn’t know what religion he is so we go with him to a library to look it up. He has a guardian angel that talks to him but won’t actually tell him anything, plot-wise. There’s a goddess who maintains the garden he was found in but she can’t tell him what’s going on. The priest that found him won’t tell him what’s going on. Do you detect the pattern here? There’s a lot as a reader that you don’t know what is going on and it’s long, meandering, and religiously weird. There’s no real relationship build-up or angst. It’s just there. Hey we’re dating now. But I really like my best friend, too. Well life is short, oh he’s a virgin? Well, no swim lessons for him, let’s immediately throw him in the deep end, if you know what I mean! (ha-chachacha) (You guys! I totally forgot until now that at one point in the plot, the main character dissolves and has to be regrown by a tree for a month! It speaks to how bananas this story is that I forgot this part.)
Credit where credit is due: the main character’s origins are interesting. I liked that concept and it could have made a really interesting story on its own. Like, maybe this could have been a good contemporary lit book with less of the ménage element. And less of the bureaucratic errands and tree-growing. Alas.
So I already played myself and got this whole collection for free (and trust me you absolutely get what you pay for here) so of course I’m the idiot that is going to be reading them all. I have to see where this story goes. I can already tell it’s not the Regency era.
March 4, 2021
I received an advance review copy for free via booksirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was not like I thought it would be based on the description and is a story that is very hard to describe other than saying it is really three types of stories in one. This book is composed of a basic amnesia story, a spiritual exercise (exploring the interactions of multiple spiritual traditions), and a really really slow burn romance (which was navigated very sensitively including actually conversations between characters before any jumping into bed which is really rare in stories.) Over all I enjoyed this book even if it left me feeling someway and is really hard to explain.
This was not like I thought it would be based on the description and is a story that is very hard to describe other than saying it is really three types of stories in one. This book is composed of a basic amnesia story, a spiritual exercise (exploring the interactions of multiple spiritual traditions), and a really really slow burn romance (which was navigated very sensitively including actually conversations between characters before any jumping into bed which is really rare in stories.) Over all I enjoyed this book even if it left me feeling someway and is really hard to explain.
August 29, 2022
I finished this book yesterday and as I usually do I came to review it but I really had to let it sink in before I could. This is an incredibly different book, not in any weird way just that it’s set in the future and a man wakes up naked in a garden not knowing who he is. This could easily have been a very frustrating story to read because even by the end of it you still haven’t been given all the answers but it is so incredibly well written that I just had to keep reading (although I was happy to read that there are more books in this series). Even the smallest side characters in this book have stories behind them and there is not a two dimensional character anywhere. The plot is intriguing and different and you need to know that I read an average of one or two books a day so when I say that something is different I have a lot of books to compare it to. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. Sometimes I wish that I had an extra star that I could only give a few times a year. I would definitely be giving one to this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 8, 2022
Ok first review of 2022!!
I enjoyed this book more than expected. I love the spiritual stuff about it but what I loved the most was the connection between the 3 men. It was so refreshing to read about love between grown men that had it's drama, but it was beautiful and real. Of course not counting the "being made by a tree by an angel" or have amnesia. I will definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
I was given this book by Voracious Readers Only
Merged review:
Ok last review of 2021!!
I enjoyed this book more than expected. I love the spiritual stuff about it but what I loved the most was the connection between the 3 men. It was so refreshing to read about love between grown men that had it's drama, but it was beautiful and real. Of course not counting the "being made by a tree by an angel" or have amnesia. I will definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
I was given this book by Voracious Readers Only
I enjoyed this book more than expected. I love the spiritual stuff about it but what I loved the most was the connection between the 3 men. It was so refreshing to read about love between grown men that had it's drama, but it was beautiful and real. Of course not counting the "being made by a tree by an angel" or have amnesia. I will definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
I was given this book by Voracious Readers Only
Merged review:
Ok last review of 2021!!
I enjoyed this book more than expected. I love the spiritual stuff about it but what I loved the most was the connection between the 3 men. It was so refreshing to read about love between grown men that had it's drama, but it was beautiful and real. Of course not counting the "being made by a tree by an angel" or have amnesia. I will definitely continue reading the rest of this series.
I was given this book by Voracious Readers Only
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2022
A surreal journey begins…
I just finished Equinox which has been on my TBR list for a while, and I just slap myself since I should have read it sooner. This story is set in the future and has a fantasy element to it that draws the reader in and makes you ponder the elements of love across time, magic, angels and religion. The buildup for the reader is wonderful and I could picture Vienna and the Augarten gardens where Gabriel was found and where Solomon came for him and took him under his wing. I loved the titillating encounters with Florian and cheered on their relationship as it developed under Solomon’s watchful gaze. The elements of danger and the overall acceptance of love in any form has me reaching out for the second book of the series in my library to continue their journey with them. I know it won’t be all champagne and roses but when love is love I hope for miracles.
I just finished Equinox which has been on my TBR list for a while, and I just slap myself since I should have read it sooner. This story is set in the future and has a fantasy element to it that draws the reader in and makes you ponder the elements of love across time, magic, angels and religion. The buildup for the reader is wonderful and I could picture Vienna and the Augarten gardens where Gabriel was found and where Solomon came for him and took him under his wing. I loved the titillating encounters with Florian and cheered on their relationship as it developed under Solomon’s watchful gaze. The elements of danger and the overall acceptance of love in any form has me reaching out for the second book of the series in my library to continue their journey with them. I know it won’t be all champagne and roses but when love is love I hope for miracles.
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August 31, 2022This book was good, but super detailed and complex, to the point that at some points it was hard to keep track of things and remember everything as I read along. This story is so interesting and deep, with layers of religion, earth goddesses, angels, tree spirits…plus rebirth and magic thrown in. The relationship between Gabriel and Florián, then Solomon, is sweet and loving, if I read any of the other books in the series I hope there is a bit more focus on that now that the foundation of this world has been laid down. I’m undecided on whether to read the next book, not because this book wasn’t great, but I read for leisure for the most part and this book was really…meaty is the best word I can think of. I usually read a light snack, know what I mean?
October 5, 2021
The book is well written and the author sets a great world and describes Augarten in Vienna really well. I felt like I was really there seeing things through my eyes. The romance section of the book was good and well written also, but the bits I didn’t like was the religion side of it. It was confusing the way it was written and mixed with the metaphysical world it was a little far fetched.
The author loved to used big words to describe basic things and I am a well read person and even I had to look a few of those words up to see what they meant.
I received a ARC of this book and the review is my own opinion.
The author loved to used big words to describe basic things and I am a well read person and even I had to look a few of those words up to see what they meant.
I received a ARC of this book and the review is my own opinion.
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