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M/M Romance Reviews by Maybedog

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Honesty and Artifice
S.H. Allan
Closure
S.H. Allan
Cuddling
G.S. Wiley, Rowan McAllister, Dawn Douglas, Stephen Osborne, Anna Martin, Elizabella Gold, K. Lynn, Eva Clancy, Rhidian Brenig Jones, Anna Butler, Caitlin Ricci, S.H. Allan, Rob Rosen, River Clair, Nico Jaye, A.C. Valentine
Shadow City - Diana Pharaoh Francis I love this series and am frustrated that this was published this year and I probably have to wait months for the next one. 

But that’s not the worse part. This was really sad in parts—if you’re a crier, prepare to weep. Parts were absolutely heartbreaking.

But I did love the story. Lots of action, peril, passion and other intense emotions, totally up my alley. I just didn’t like that Alexander and Max were separated through most of the story. Peril is best when the romantic partners are trying to save and/or crying over one another. But this allowed for more relationship-building with other members of the coven and that was good.

Both parts were interesting. For a while I actually preferred Alexander’s story as there was more angst. That’s the one where a Fury is being born. At first the fact that it’s made of a woman’s anger and betrayal seemed sexist, and it bothered me, but the reality is that that kind of thing steeped in lore from more than one mythological tradition and the rest of the book is not sexist in any other way. Max is the strongest of all, and most respected. Both men and women are witches. Both men and women are Blades. There’s only one mage--the really powerful magical practitioners--but he’s an asshole so that kind of makes up for it. I don’t hate him the way the characters do. He’s an ass but there’s something redeeming there.

The book isn’t sexist but still acknowledges sexism. At one point, Holt (the mage) tells Alexander that Alexander should be trying to get his sister away from a brewing battle but Alexander says, “I am her brother, not her keeper. She is a powerful smoke witch. If she wants to risk herself, that is her choice. You will notice she’s not trying to stop me from risking myself. Can I do any less for her?” (Pg 253)

There are two creatures that are possibly powerful mages, or more likely gods or demigods, but Max is able to take one in a fight. The other she is tasked with saving. Here the two are talking after Max steps up to the first in order to protect the second:
(This describes Ilanion as a witch but later he is described otherwise.)
“What is she?” Ilanion asked Scooter, respect coloring his voice.
“She is Max.”
The answer frustrated the winged witch. “What is a Max?”
“Max is … unique. And she is about to kill you.” Pg115

The second has no doubts about her abilities.

Like the others in this series, this volume also marks significant changes for Horngate in both good and bad ways. While some plot devices are predictable, there are also twists that were a surprise. The ending was a cliffhanger, of course, but it didn’t relate to the plot of this one, just something that happened during it.

There were a couple of very minor problems I noticed that were inconsequential. But there are two good things I want to point out. First, Max actually had to pee! They actually had her go into a bathroom and pee, and it wasn’t relevant to the plot at all. It’s so unusual in fiction. There were a couple minor things: at one point she goes somewhere without shoes and then suddenly has them.

The last great thing? Dogs. Yes, canines. More than one. I won’t tell you more, but it made me happy.