Review of Rowan and Aldred by Lucie Fleury (Ambrosia 2)

Blurb

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.

My Review

This was my first book from this author and I found it entertaining. Since this is a second book, there were aspects to the world which was slightly confusing at first, but it didn’t deter me from enjoying the book.

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 godly and any human that gets a taste becomes hopelessly addicted. Hence the gods will severely punish anyone who distributes ambrosia. Except 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 punishment. He has sent Rowan’s friends elsewhere but Rowan being the leader is singled out for more punishment. Aldred also realises that Rowan feels an enormous amount of guilt for his actions which gives hope that he 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.

This is a really slow paced book, which focusses on characters more than plot. Usually, I don’t like books where bullies are redeemed, but Rowan’s redemption arc is very believeable. He was punished very severely by Aldred, but there’s nothing sexual about any of the punishments, so if you’re looking for something like that, 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 to the whole. But despite it, this is about Rowan and Aldred and their relationship and focus is never shifted away from them.

If you like slow paced, character centric, m/m romances, you may enjoy this one.

You can find the book here.