REVIEW: Peony Lanterns, by Patricia Correll

Title: Peony Lanterns

Author: Patricia Correll

Genre: GENRE

LGBTQ+ Category: IDENTITY

Publisher: Patricia Correll Publisher

Pages: 91

Reviewer: Melissa Brus, Paranormal Romance Guild

Get It On Amazon

About The Book

Mitsu has been Shiro’s personal servant and best friend since they were both six years old, and he’s been in love with him for nearly that long. While Shiro takes lovers of both sexes, the gulf between their social classes is so vast that Mitsu has never spoken his feelings aloud.

When Shiro meets the beautiful Lady Keiko, he’s instantly infatuated. His affection soon turns to obsession, and Mitsu resigns himself to a life of unrequited love.

But as Mitsu looks deeper into Keiko and her motives, he realizes that Shiro is in grave danger. He will need all his courage– and some help from a master of the occult– to save the life of the man he loves.

The Review

This is a really well done novella. The setting and characters are introduced in beautiful and lyrical language. The descriptions of feudal Japan are as subtle and beautiful as the culture itself. There is a graceful symmetry with the relationships between Mitsu and Shiro and with Keiko and Meiki.

As soon as you are invested in the story, what looks like a love triangle takes a fantastic turn. It is so easy to become invested in these characters. Even when it looks like all is lost, you keep turning the page to find out what happens next.

My only struggle in writing this review is picking a genre. It had so many fabulous elements of historical romance, fantasy, paranormal, and horror. And it is done really well in all of those areas.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novella. This was my first of Ms. Correll’s work, but it will not be my last. Fans of any of the elements in this story will be thrilled when they pick up this book.

The Reviewer

TEXT

In writing this bio I am taking a rare break from reading! I always have a book on hand just in case there is time to sneak in a chapter or two. As a military spouse and a mom of two boys, it is amazing how often I am hurrying up to wait. Luckily for me I don’t have a favorite genre so I get lots of fun authors to choose from. My education was in sociology and mental health counseling, so stories with strong character development are my favorites. Happily Ever After is the best part of romance for me because real life is hard enough.

The Paranormal Romance Guild was established in 2009 by 8 Indie Authors and one Reviewer to be a constant help for authors. You can be a free author member, submitting your work for review OR become a Premium Author Member for a small yearly fee and enjoy many extra services including Free Beta Reads, Author Giveaways and many others. Your reviews are posted on our 3 FB Sites, Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram. WE REVIEW ALL GENRES LGBTQ+ welcome.

Check out our website: https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/

FB: https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/

U Might Have Missed

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Two kingdoms. Two princes. One secret to break them, or to bind them. When a rowboat washes up on the riverbank, Prince Malires puts his kingdom’s security first. The dead man lying in the boat can’t answer many questions, but the seriously injured survivor might be able to give Malires some details about what happened in the hostile kingdom to the north. If, that is, the young man ever wakes up. Malires knows who the survivor is: Prince Aleric, youngest son of the King of Gerelen. He’s the most renowned warrior that Gerelen has ever known, and Malires has barely survived their previous encounters. Only his need to understand why Gerelen suddenly stopped communicating with the outside world keeps him from taking advantage of the situation and taking out this threat to his kingdom. It has nothing to do with the sudden discovery of how beautiful Aleric is. Unfortunately for Malires, when Aleric does awaken he has no memory of who he is or even of his own kingdom. The court physicians insist that Aleric’s memories must return naturally, or else they might be lost forever. While both men recognize the urgent need for answers, they cannot fight their attraction for one another. Aleric comes to feel just as defensive of Malires’ kingdom as he once did of his own. When the truth comes out, will love conquer all, or will misunderstanding and pride drive Aleric to a desperate undertaking?

Check This Out Too

Word Count: Click here to reveal24225 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Can shy, submissive Tristan become dominant enough to rid himself of a malevolent ghostly rival and find his happily ever after? When Tristan Lindsay takes a job cataloguing the library at Faversham Park, home of rock star Marcus Balen, he also accepts a role as companion to Balen's artist son, Garrick. Garrick is beautiful and talented. He's also demanding and infuriating. He uses Tristan as an unwilling model, shamelessly manipulating the shy boy's emotions to draw out his submissive tendencies. Drawn into the enigmatic artist's world, Tristan discovers a side of himself that he didn't realise existed. Although afraid of his own feelings, he learns to trust Garrick and falls deeply in love. But Garrick has a secret that could tear them apart. A ghostly rival objects to Tristan's presence in Garrick's life. As the spectre's malevolence increases, the young lovers must search for clues to the haunting and find a way to exorcise the jealous ghost. What they find leads them down a path that challenges the dynamics of their relationship. Will their love be strong enough to overcome its supernatural opposition, or will there be no happily ever after? Reader Advisory: This book contains references to homophobic hate crime and paranormal sexual assault. It also contains a hot, virginal librarian and the brooding, dominant artist who lusts after him…There are scenes of consensual D/s and dubious consent in relation to the characters switching roles.