Anhaga

A light fantasy with a bit of romance. Aramin Decourcey (Min) is a young thief-for-hire who grew up in a brothel and now looks after a street urchin he rescued named Harry. Harry gets himself into trouble courting a nobleman's daughter and ends up with a curse - a curse that will only be removed once Min brings back the nobleman's grandson who is refusing to come home from a nearby town, Anhaga. The only problem is Anhaga is thought to be cursed itself, overtaken nightly by the king of the fae. Because Min is so fond of Harry he agrees and they both set off for Anhaga. Once they get there, however, both the grandson and Anhaga aren't what they seem.

The plot itself isn't as planned out as it could be but it was a fun read with both romance and action. Min and Harry are likeable characters in that they are both loveable rogues. There isn't as much sex as expected being from a gay romance publisher and it takes a backseat to the fantasy element. A large chunk of the book is explaining the different classes and powers of magicians (hedgewitch < Wizard < Sorcerers, etc.), what's with all the iron, and how Anhaga became believed to be cursed, visited by a fae lord every night. The dialogue is well written and heavy on the snark and the characters don't feel flat, though the relationships (and random incest) don't fit as well as they should in a book categorized as romance. If you're into the onslaught of YA romance fantasy that's been hitting the shelves, you're sure to enjoy this one just as much.

3.5 stars. Min is a classic scoundrel who discovers his conscience and steals the reader's heart from the first scene. But the romance didn't work for me at all. Kaz may be more than he seems on the surface, but he's still a very young man, a virgin and at Min's mercy for most of the book. Min doesn't really have a choice about kidnapping Kaz and bringing him back to his family if he wants to save his nephew Harry from a death curse, but Kaz falling in love with his captor while wearing an iron collar to prevent him from using his magic was more sad than romantic to me. The age difference is never clearly stated but it feels significant, and having an MC refer to his prospective lover as “that impossible boy” and “sweeting” never works for me. (YMMV if you don't mind the age/power differential.)

Which is a shame, because Lisa Henry sure can write. Min's personality jumps off the page, and Henry can craft a scene that wraps together humor, horror and poignancy. She's created an interesting fantasy world in which there are various levels of Gifted individuals with magical powers, but everyone fears the dangerous mysterious fae, and homosexuality is fully accepted (Min is charged with bringing Kaz back so he can wed his uncle - the fact that it's incest is horrifying but the fact that it's a man is NBD). I wouldn't mind reading another book set in this world, but I'd prefer one with a different set of MCs.