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Lord of Hearth, Lord of Hollow
Culinary school is hard enough for Aimes Cully without mixing in an utterly underwhelming physical appearance—too small, too delicate, too red-haired, too freckled, too human—added with the inability to magically improve the food—still too human—and facing the too beautiful, too fae-looking Aleksi’s teases and taunts. When rumors surface that Aimes’s older brother’s success is a lie, Aimes is determined to prove them wrong and show that pure-blooded humans are the equal of anyone with mixed blood.
But things get worse after Aimes is caught in a faerie ring and transported to the fae hollow of Lord Keanewyeth Ordioral. As the attraction heats up, it becomes obvious that there’s something wrong in the magical home. A cursed creature appears, and everything becomes jumbled as the secrets of their lives collide into a painful concoction of Aimes’s past and Keanewyeth’s present. But if they can meld their talents, they might be able to save each other.
But things get worse after Aimes is caught in a faerie ring and transported to the fae hollow of Lord Keanewyeth Ordioral. As the attraction heats up, it becomes obvious that there’s something wrong in the magical home. A cursed creature appears, and everything becomes jumbled as the secrets of their lives collide into a painful concoction of Aimes’s past and Keanewyeth’s present. But if they can meld their talents, they might be able to save each other.
- GenresM M RomanceMagic
58 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2016
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
maybe-maybe
August 5, 2016That's one creepy cover my friends.
August 29, 2017
one word - caotic.
April 21, 2016
The idea of a “mere human” trying to make it through culinary school without the most important ability in this story’s world – magic – made me curious to read this novella. Mainly because anyone who tries to achieve things without having all the necessary tools, whatever they are, fascinates me. It’s like the underdog trying to win the race, and I am all about supporting the underdog. So Aimes, with his need to prove that he is a good chef even without being able to enhance his dishes magically, had my support before the story even started. Then I found out there are other factors that work against him, and I was glued to the pages.
Aimes lives in a world that admires the fae, and where most people have at least some fae blood running in their veins. Aimes doesn’t. He is a pure-blooded human and his peers despise him. But when they attack his older brother’s honor by saying that Markl wasn’t as successful as Aimes says, that he never made it to the palace, Aimes gets angry and determined to prove them wrong. It makes him desperate enough to attempt the retrieval of fae mushrooms for a particular dish – instead he ends up in a fae hollow, prisoner of Lord Keanewyeth Ordioral.
Lord Keane has been a prisoner in his hollow for centuries. There are certain rules he cannot break, but he is determined to protect Aimes anyway. Contrary to what Aimes and his cohorts believe, pure-blooded humans are rare and precious. Lord Keane is immediately attracted to Aimes’s beauty – but fights his feelings because he doesn’t want to get too closely involved and endanger Aimes. Lord Keane has very powerful enemies and when they come looking, it will take everything he has plus everything Aimes has plus their working together for them to survive. All while not breaking several fae rules that make it almost impossible for them to succeed. Very suspenseful!
If you like stories about humans struggling in a world filled with magic, if two men who might have never met but for the stubbornness of one of them to prove his worth, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, set in an imaginary world, and full of surprises, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Aimes lives in a world that admires the fae, and where most people have at least some fae blood running in their veins. Aimes doesn’t. He is a pure-blooded human and his peers despise him. But when they attack his older brother’s honor by saying that Markl wasn’t as successful as Aimes says, that he never made it to the palace, Aimes gets angry and determined to prove them wrong. It makes him desperate enough to attempt the retrieval of fae mushrooms for a particular dish – instead he ends up in a fae hollow, prisoner of Lord Keanewyeth Ordioral.
Lord Keane has been a prisoner in his hollow for centuries. There are certain rules he cannot break, but he is determined to protect Aimes anyway. Contrary to what Aimes and his cohorts believe, pure-blooded humans are rare and precious. Lord Keane is immediately attracted to Aimes’s beauty – but fights his feelings because he doesn’t want to get too closely involved and endanger Aimes. Lord Keane has very powerful enemies and when they come looking, it will take everything he has plus everything Aimes has plus their working together for them to survive. All while not breaking several fae rules that make it almost impossible for them to succeed. Very suspenseful!
If you like stories about humans struggling in a world filled with magic, if two men who might have never met but for the stubbornness of one of them to prove his worth, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, set in an imaginary world, and full of surprises, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
April 1, 2017
3.5* Review written for Love Bytes Reviews
While I’d normally recap a bit of the story before beginning my review, in this case the blurb gives a better overview than anything I could come up with…it says a great deal more than I would’ve, as well. With short stories it’s a fine line between giving just enough information and too much so I’d rather refrain from giving anything away. I loved the beginning of the story; it was a great set up for the everything else that happened to Aimes as a result of it and it gave just enough information about his character without overwhelming me with unnecessary extras. From there the author took the book in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all; honestly I though there’s be much more about Aimes in the cooking school or just seeing him cook in general but that was a minor part of the overall story.
Keane is one half what I expected from a typical arrogant Fae and one half complete surprise making for an interesting character. While you don’t actually get his story until near the very end of the book, there’s enough in the way of hints to understand some of what his life has been like. I did figure out a few things on my own before the they were revealed in the reading but that in no way detracted from the story itself. I liked how the story I got was so completely different than the one I’d been prepared to read though there were a few things I would’ve really liked to have seen. For one, I wish I’d been able to get more information on the world and fae in general as you only really get a glimpse at the overall structure. Also, some kind of…closure, I guess is the word, on the life Aimes left behind would’ve been nice, as well. Aside from those points, however, I found the world building interesting and I had no problem immersing myself into the story.
The ending can be looked at either a happy ever after or a happy for now depending on how you see things and I was content with where things left off with Aimes and Keane. There was also a nice sense of closure, especially since Aimes cooking was tied back in at the end. I liked the story and will probably read it again but it won’t be high on my list of books to revisit due to the lingering questions and the unfulfilled desire for more.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/04/2...
While I’d normally recap a bit of the story before beginning my review, in this case the blurb gives a better overview than anything I could come up with…it says a great deal more than I would’ve, as well. With short stories it’s a fine line between giving just enough information and too much so I’d rather refrain from giving anything away. I loved the beginning of the story; it was a great set up for the everything else that happened to Aimes as a result of it and it gave just enough information about his character without overwhelming me with unnecessary extras. From there the author took the book in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all; honestly I though there’s be much more about Aimes in the cooking school or just seeing him cook in general but that was a minor part of the overall story.
Keane is one half what I expected from a typical arrogant Fae and one half complete surprise making for an interesting character. While you don’t actually get his story until near the very end of the book, there’s enough in the way of hints to understand some of what his life has been like. I did figure out a few things on my own before the they were revealed in the reading but that in no way detracted from the story itself. I liked how the story I got was so completely different than the one I’d been prepared to read though there were a few things I would’ve really liked to have seen. For one, I wish I’d been able to get more information on the world and fae in general as you only really get a glimpse at the overall structure. Also, some kind of…closure, I guess is the word, on the life Aimes left behind would’ve been nice, as well. Aside from those points, however, I found the world building interesting and I had no problem immersing myself into the story.
The ending can be looked at either a happy ever after or a happy for now depending on how you see things and I was content with where things left off with Aimes and Keane. There was also a nice sense of closure, especially since Aimes cooking was tied back in at the end. I liked the story and will probably read it again but it won’t be high on my list of books to revisit due to the lingering questions and the unfulfilled desire for more.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/04/2...
April 19, 2016
New to me author Sera Kane managed to build quite a complicated fantasy world of fae and humans, full on with curses and magic spells, banishments into the EverDark and redemption based on will and love. To fit all of that into 52 pages was quite a feat and the story had promise for a longer novel but I have to say I did not quite enjoy reading this short.
The plot was quite overburdened. As a result, there was more telling than showing in a lot of parts and I became overwhelmed with information overload at some point, trying to keep up with who was who and what was happening. The heavy language of the fae did not help matters any, either.
”May thy form reflect more truly thy soul! Thou try me too far!”
Yeah, I couldn’t hack it with the thous and thys here, sorry. It made everything more convoluted than it already was and did not make the reading experience easier or more pleasant.
I would have been a little more forgiving of all of those things, but there was insta-lust/love and the one sex scene was completely fade-to-black. There were a couple of kisses on page and that’s about it.
So...I enjoy fantasy and I wasn’t expecting erotica or anything, but I was left wanting. Maybe some more investment into the characters than the history of the villains would have paid off more.
Perhaps look at other reviews before deciding on this one but I was not a very happy reader.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. See this review at Gay Book Reviews.
The plot was quite overburdened. As a result, there was more telling than showing in a lot of parts and I became overwhelmed with information overload at some point, trying to keep up with who was who and what was happening. The heavy language of the fae did not help matters any, either.
”May thy form reflect more truly thy soul! Thou try me too far!”
Yeah, I couldn’t hack it with the thous and thys here, sorry. It made everything more convoluted than it already was and did not make the reading experience easier or more pleasant.
I would have been a little more forgiving of all of those things, but there was insta-lust/love and the one sex scene was completely fade-to-black. There were a couple of kisses on page and that’s about it.
So...I enjoy fantasy and I wasn’t expecting erotica or anything, but I was left wanting. Maybe some more investment into the characters than the history of the villains would have paid off more.
Perhaps look at other reviews before deciding on this one but I was not a very happy reader.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. See this review at Gay Book Reviews.
June 12, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
This is a new to me author. A fantasy short sounded like a great way to see if I’m interested in reading more. The world building was fairly complex given the length. So much so that I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something the entire book. There was more telling than showing for sure. All of this left me disconnected from the characters and the story.
The book starts with Aimes being dared to pick magical mushrooms in the forest. He should say no but after being double dog dared he can’t say no. He’s captured sort of by Lord Keanewyth and has to pledge himself to the Fae for a year and a day or do something improbable to pay for his trespassing in the Lord’s Hollow. Aimes is pure human which is apparently rare in according Keanewyeth. The two have an attraction that Keanewyeth tries to fight because it’s wrong to lust for or force pleasure from a captive. He has no desire to be like his father.
I won’t go into all the twists and turns the burdened plot takes. It’s a lot for a short book and honestly I just didn’t grasp it all. Aimes had his charming moments. Keanewyeth has a good heart and played the martyred hero well. Their insta/love lust however didn’t really work for me which was another miss. To sum up this story it’s a fast paced fantasy short that lacked details I think I needed to fully enjoy it.
This is a new to me author. A fantasy short sounded like a great way to see if I’m interested in reading more. The world building was fairly complex given the length. So much so that I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something the entire book. There was more telling than showing for sure. All of this left me disconnected from the characters and the story.
The book starts with Aimes being dared to pick magical mushrooms in the forest. He should say no but after being double dog dared he can’t say no. He’s captured sort of by Lord Keanewyth and has to pledge himself to the Fae for a year and a day or do something improbable to pay for his trespassing in the Lord’s Hollow. Aimes is pure human which is apparently rare in according Keanewyeth. The two have an attraction that Keanewyeth tries to fight because it’s wrong to lust for or force pleasure from a captive. He has no desire to be like his father.
I won’t go into all the twists and turns the burdened plot takes. It’s a lot for a short book and honestly I just didn’t grasp it all. Aimes had his charming moments. Keanewyeth has a good heart and played the martyred hero well. Their insta/love lust however didn’t really work for me which was another miss. To sum up this story it’s a fast paced fantasy short that lacked details I think I needed to fully enjoy it.
April 20, 2016
Beware of the Fae! Seriously! Unless you’re Keane I feel like all the fae are horrible! Aimes is a human in a fae world. This novella was full of fantasy, excitement, sorrow, and bravery.
Curses are running rampant in this story and it seems so much sacrifice is needed to lift anything. Sera Kane didn’t pull any punches when it came to heartbreak. There’s loss in this story that left me with a lingering haunted feeling. Aimes and Keane are delightful, when they actually get a moment to just be. But the tornado of drama in such a short story hardly let you catch your breath.
Novellas are short and normally leave me feeling unsatisfied. But this one was action packed and though sad at times it was fulfilling.
It can easily be a full length novel as the author hints to amazing possibilities with characters, possible adventures, and magic of course.
I’d love to see more happen for these characters. All in all it’s a short and exciting read.
Curses are running rampant in this story and it seems so much sacrifice is needed to lift anything. Sera Kane didn’t pull any punches when it came to heartbreak. There’s loss in this story that left me with a lingering haunted feeling. Aimes and Keane are delightful, when they actually get a moment to just be. But the tornado of drama in such a short story hardly let you catch your breath.
Novellas are short and normally leave me feeling unsatisfied. But this one was action packed and though sad at times it was fulfilling.
It can easily be a full length novel as the author hints to amazing possibilities with characters, possible adventures, and magic of course.
I’d love to see more happen for these characters. All in all it’s a short and exciting read.
June 15, 2016
well written but I wish it was drawn out more, it felt like the first and last chapters of a good book. too short and really lacked heat, the characters went cold to hot in a few pages. I really wanted more but an ok read overall.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews