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REVIEW: When I First Saw Red – Kasia Bacon

When I First Saw Red - Kasia Bacon - Soldiers and Mercenaries

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy

LGBTQ+ Category: Gay

Reviewer: Aethena, Paranormal Romance Guild

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About The Book

RED:
Lázhien’s human. A common Imperial soldier. And my soulmate.
How could fate get it so wrong?
The demon in me craves this bond with every shred of his being. He pushes me to accept it. 
This time I won’t yield to his demands.

LÁZHIEN:
Red’s a lust demon, a whore and a stuck-up snob.
The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Pain in the arse. And he hates my guts.
I’d be an idiot to pursue him. Yet something about him compels me to make him mine.

When I First Saw Red is a complete and standalone short novel with an HEA ending, featuring a couple of reluctant fated soulmates—a demon and a human—trying and failing to defy destiny.

The Review

Kasia Bacon has constructed a vibrant and captivating universe for the Soldiers and Mercenaries series. When I First Saw Red Is the second book in the series, but it reads very well as a standalone or as an introduction to The Order Universe.

The main characters, Ōkkanô and Lázhien, each have personal histories that challenge their ability to develop a close relationship with one another. Told from the perspective of both Ōkkanô and Lázhien, this dual narrative is filled with internal dialogue that clearly conveys their unique personalities and differing perspectives on life. The intitial antagonism they both feel towards one another adds an element of tension to the sensual interactions between these fated soulmates who are drawn together despite their attempts to fight the bond that connects them.  

The melodious names and vivid descriptions of the world in which Ōkkanô and Lázhien reside reflect the author’s impressive linguistic skills and paint a fascinating picture of The Order Universe. The glossary included in the book is a lovely resource for learning more about the fantasy world and the characters who exist within it.

If you have a free afternoon and you are looking for a sensual fantasy story about fated mates with disparate personalities, this is an excellent choice.  Fair warning, though, you probably won’t want to stop with just one book because Kasia Bacon’s stories are addictive.  Fortunately, there are other stories to catch up on while we wait for another book in the Soldiers and Mercenaries series.  

Five stars.

The Reviewer

Lives in the Pacific Northwest and vacations in the desert as often as possible. She is allergic to garlic, sleeps during the day whenever possible, and breaks out in an allergic rash when exposed to excessive sunlight. She has a degree in engineering, works at a comic book store, and goes for long bike rides at night during the full moon because of the sun allergy. Aethena was forced to switch to mostly e-books and audio books when the last floor to ceiling bookcase started to overflow. She is on her fifth e-reader, and is contemplating using her engineering degree to design an e-reader that can withstand her capacity for destruction. 

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