Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Rari
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About The Book
Rowan is a bully. Always has been, always will be. After all, what better way to prevent people from hurting you, than hurting them first? But this time, he’s gone too far. The God of Justice has heard about his crimes, and now he must suffer the consequences…
Aldred, God of Justice and Retribution, is all too willing to take Rowan into his dungeon to deliver the sentence he rightly deserves. After all, punishing humans is his favorite pastime—he’ll take great pleasure in the careless, sadistic fun that Rowan’s incarceration offers him.
What he doesn’t expect is finding more. Because there’s something underneath Rowan’s spitefulness. Something he wants to find, care for and protect. However, if he acts on his urges, his ward will become permanently addicted to the ambrosia his body produces, altering Rowan’s life forever.
Set in a medieval fantasy world full of magic, conniving divinities and a newborn god gone rogue, follow the redemption story of one broken boy who gets his second chance at life, and a god who discovers his softer side. Can be read as a standalone. Check content warnings at the beginning before reading.
The Review
This was my first book from this author, and I found it entertaining. Since this is a second book in the series, there were aspects to the world which was slightly confusing at first, but it didn’t deter me from enjoying the story.
Rowan is a bully, and he and his cronies have been captured by the gods for the crime of forcing ambrosia on another human. Ambrosia is something godl,y and any human that gets a taste becomes hopelessly addicted. Hence the gods severely punish anyone who distributes it. Except that it shouldn’t have been possible for any human to get their hands on it, so they’re interested in knowing how Rowan and his friends got it.
Aldred is the god of justice and retribution, and is in charge of Rowan’s discipline. He has sent Rowan’s friends elsewhere, but as the leader, Rowan is singled out for more punishment. Aldred also realises that Rowan feels an enormous amount of guilt for his actions, which gives him hope that the human may yet be redeemed.
But even in the midst of that, Aldred and the other gods have to find the mysterious stranger who provided Rowan and his cronies with ambrosia. Aldred also has to fight the completely inappropriate feelings that he’s developing for Rowan.
The book takes its time with the development of the story, focusing on the characters more than plot. Usually, I don’t like books where bullies are redeemed, but Rowan’s redemption arc is very believeable. He is punished very severely by Aldred, but there’s nothing sexual about any of the punishments, so if you’re looking for BDSM, you may be disappointed. It does get pretty steamy once they get into a relationship, though.
The mystery of the person who is distributing ambrosia is a side plot, but adds a layer of intrigue. But mainly, this is the story of Rowan and Aldred and their relationship, and the focus is never shifted away from them.
If you like slow-burn, character centric m/m romances, you’ll enjoy this one.
The Reviewer
Rari is an author and editor writing under the name of Niranjan K. She is an avid reader of all things fantasy, and loves to discourse at length about her favourite books as well as shows. This blog is the space where she will be sharing her views and insights of the books, shows and movies that she likes.
