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Inheritance #6
Rites of Winter
The Wheel turns.
Laurence Riley is slowly recovering from the torture he endured. A short break in New York should give him the peace and quiet he craves. But then Quentin goes missing in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and Laurence can’t save him alone. He’s going to need help.
Snow falls.
Quentin d’Arcy is a man torn apart by truth. When he’s abducted to a world that he can’t possibly survive, his nightmares are suddenly the least of his problems. His only hope is a man who has been dead for three years—Laurence’s father, Eric Riley.
Death claims all.
Quentin is trapped in Otherworld. Gods are brawling in Midtown Manhattan. Laurence is on the clock and down to one he must fight to save the one he loves before Quentin destroys everything around him—or, worst of all, himself.
Rites of Winter is the sixth book in the Rainbow Award winning Inheritance series and contains mature themes and events which may be distressing to some readers.
Laurence Riley is slowly recovering from the torture he endured. A short break in New York should give him the peace and quiet he craves. But then Quentin goes missing in the worst blizzard the city has ever seen, and Laurence can’t save him alone. He’s going to need help.
Snow falls.
Quentin d’Arcy is a man torn apart by truth. When he’s abducted to a world that he can’t possibly survive, his nightmares are suddenly the least of his problems. His only hope is a man who has been dead for three years—Laurence’s father, Eric Riley.
Death claims all.
Quentin is trapped in Otherworld. Gods are brawling in Midtown Manhattan. Laurence is on the clock and down to one he must fight to save the one he loves before Quentin destroys everything around him—or, worst of all, himself.
Rites of Winter is the sixth book in the Rainbow Award winning Inheritance series and contains mature themes and events which may be distressing to some readers.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2018
22 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Faulkner
22 books288 followersAmelia Faulkner was born in Thame, Oxfordshire, and sprouted upward in short order. The ground around Thame is reasonably mucky, especially in the winter, and she can’t be blamed for wanting to get away from it.
Raised on a steady diet of Star Trek and Doctor Who, Amelia stood no chance in not becoming a grade-A geek. She has sat on the board of the British Fantasy Society, contributed fiction and fluff to various published roleplaying games, and written non-fiction for SciFiNow and SFX Magazines. For every positive there is an equal and opposite negative, and Amelia is forced to admit that she loves Wild Wild West.
In her spare time she enjoys travel, photography, walking her Corgi, and trying to convince her friends to replay the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game with all the Goblins decks.
Visit her website at http://ameliafaulkner.com!
Raised on a steady diet of Star Trek and Doctor Who, Amelia stood no chance in not becoming a grade-A geek. She has sat on the board of the British Fantasy Society, contributed fiction and fluff to various published roleplaying games, and written non-fiction for SciFiNow and SFX Magazines. For every positive there is an equal and opposite negative, and Amelia is forced to admit that she loves Wild Wild West.
In her spare time she enjoys travel, photography, walking her Corgi, and trying to convince her friends to replay the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game with all the Goblins decks.
Visit her website at http://ameliafaulkner.com!
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 6, 2018
This is the first book in a new "season" and it shows. (I didn't steal that line from Elena! She just got to her review first.) ;)
It was nice to pick up where the previous book ended, and to see Laurence and Quentin start to work on some of their issues. Quentin especially is messed up from the events of the previous book, but Laurence has his own hangups he needs to work out too. I really would've liked to see more emphasis made on their emotional and psychological trauma, but that was mostly skimmed over in favor of focusing on their sex life. Which is also important because of what Quentin was forced to remember in the last book, and I don't want to discount that. I'm happy none of that caused a backslide.
But look, I don't like D/s at all and this is getting very close to bordering on that and has been steadily going in that direction for awhile. I also have no idea what's supposed to be so sexy about mesh shirts. To me, they look like an overenthusiastic cat attacked someone's wardrobe. So none of this was working for me, and for it being such an important part of their relationship development it left me cold. Add onto that Laurence wondering when the hell he became so submissive and the theory I've been working with since the end of the second book, and this all gets unfortunately cringe-worthy. I could be totally off with my theory, but there is no way for me to know that at this point. All that combined means their sex scenes are the equivalent of dumping me into the Arctic Ocean.
The plot itself is well done and paced, and it was good to see more of Otherworld and see the various ways that fantasy and magic blend together in this world. I did think there was a little too much focus on the action at times, when it would've been nicer to see the emotional tolls some more. I'm not really sure what to make of Basil or Jon at this point, since they're not given much depth. They're interesting though and I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to the mix in the future.
There were a few missing words in this one, and one chapter's formatting was just wonky - but readable. I also don't remember Laurence being so excessive with the "baby" endearments in past books. I'm not one to quibble over that word like others are, but even I wanted to cast it into the fires of Mt. Doom after the third or fourth chapter.
It was nice to pick up where the previous book ended, and to see Laurence and Quentin start to work on some of their issues. Quentin especially is messed up from the events of the previous book, but Laurence has his own hangups he needs to work out too. I really would've liked to see more emphasis made on their emotional and psychological trauma, but that was mostly skimmed over in favor of focusing on their sex life. Which is also important because of what Quentin was forced to remember in the last book, and I don't want to discount that. I'm happy none of that caused a backslide.
But look, I don't like D/s at all and this is getting very close to bordering on that and has been steadily going in that direction for awhile. I also have no idea what's supposed to be so sexy about mesh shirts. To me, they look like an overenthusiastic cat attacked someone's wardrobe. So none of this was working for me, and for it being such an important part of their relationship development it left me cold. Add onto that Laurence wondering when the hell he became so submissive and the theory I've been working with since the end of the second book, and this all gets unfortunately cringe-worthy. I could be totally off with my theory, but there is no way for me to know that at this point. All that combined means their sex scenes are the equivalent of dumping me into the Arctic Ocean.
The plot itself is well done and paced, and it was good to see more of Otherworld and see the various ways that fantasy and magic blend together in this world. I did think there was a little too much focus on the action at times, when it would've been nicer to see the emotional tolls some more. I'm not really sure what to make of Basil or Jon at this point, since they're not given much depth. They're interesting though and I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to the mix in the future.
There were a few missing words in this one, and one chapter's formatting was just wonky - but readable. I also don't remember Laurence being so excessive with the "baby" endearments in past books. I'm not one to quibble over that word like others are, but even I wanted to cast it into the fires of Mt. Doom after the third or fourth chapter.
November 5, 2018
3.5 stars
First book of the second “season” and it shows. In many aspects, Rites of Winter felt like the beginning of a new cycle, with new settings and new secondary characters and this time Laurence and Quentin’s troubles seems to come from .
The writing is solid as usual, Quentin and Laurence’s relationship remains strong and, although the progress was almost imperceptible for such a long book, I enjoyed seeing them moving forward after the events of the last few books. The part of the plot regarding Quentin verged a little too much on high fantasy for my taste, but I like Quentin’s character enough that I enjoyed it nonetheless.
That’s for the good stuff, other aspects didn’t work quite as well.
For one thing, I didn’t like that
I also found a little weird that, after all he went through, Laurence was so ready to trust Basil and Jon (Ryan as well, and ) and disclose so much about himself. He didn’t have much of a choice when he needed help to find Quentin, but even before that.
That said, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Jon and Basil, it seems like they will make for an interesting addition to the cast of secondary characters.
In this book there’s also another secondary character that plays a big part,
All in all, this is a good start for the next round of Quentin and Laurence’s adventures and I’m looking forward to the next book, hoping to get more page time with Windsor. Who, by the way, learned a new word. And if you think that makes him more fit for polite company, think again.
First book of the second “season” and it shows. In many aspects, Rites of Winter felt like the beginning of a new cycle, with new settings and new secondary characters and this time Laurence and Quentin’s troubles seems to come from .
The writing is solid as usual, Quentin and Laurence’s relationship remains strong and, although the progress was almost imperceptible for such a long book, I enjoyed seeing them moving forward after the events of the last few books. The part of the plot regarding Quentin verged a little too much on high fantasy for my taste, but I like Quentin’s character enough that I enjoyed it nonetheless.
That’s for the good stuff, other aspects didn’t work quite as well.
For one thing, I didn’t like that
I also found a little weird that, after all he went through, Laurence was so ready to trust Basil and Jon (Ryan as well, and ) and disclose so much about himself. He didn’t have much of a choice when he needed help to find Quentin, but even before that.
That said, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Jon and Basil, it seems like they will make for an interesting addition to the cast of secondary characters.
In this book there’s also another secondary character that plays a big part,
All in all, this is a good start for the next round of Quentin and Laurence’s adventures and I’m looking forward to the next book, hoping to get more page time with Windsor. Who, by the way, learned a new word. And if you think that makes him more fit for polite company, think again.
March 10, 2020
First book in the second season of Inheritance series. This book pick up after the last book of season 1. Laurence and Quentin are dealing with the aftermath of their confrontation with the Duke and its consequences, when, of course, everything goes to Hell.
So, it was an interesting starting point for the second season, the epilogue left opened a lot of possibilities. Let's see how they move on the next book.
So, it was an interesting starting point for the second season, the epilogue left opened a lot of possibilities. Let's see how they move on the next book.
August 24, 2022
*I received an ecopy of this book via Lucy Turns Pages. This has not influenced my review.*
Another great book!
The major arc of the first five books has somewhat come to a close, and this book sort of felt like a bit of a break. Not really for Laurence and Quentin since they still had to deal with a bunch of awful stuff, but the plot felt sort of self-contained, a chance to let some things settle before rushing too quickly into the next overarching thing. It brought some new characters/allies into Laurence and Quentin’s life, let the two of them grow a bit as they learned more about themselves, and helped their relationship grow stronger.
This one also felt like maybe the most action-packed book in the series yet. It didn’t have the same frantic sort of energy and fast pace of the previous book, just lots of battles, small and big, but with magic and powers and nightmare armor and fae and dead souls and whatnot to keep it interesting.
There were some touching moments too, both romance and family. Both main characters have really been through some stuff, and dealing with the trauma of it isn’t easy, but they have each other and others who love them.
I feel like Quentin has gotten more badass, though he wouldn’t see it that way. But the way he handled his whole situation, especially upon arriving at the castle, was so smooth and confident!
New characters Basil and John were fun and sweet, and I’d love to see more of them in future books.
We got to see more of the Otherworld—this time the land of the dead, which was interesting.
Overall, this was another great book in the series, Laurence and Quentin are great characters with a sweet (and sexy) relationship, and if you enjoyed the previous books, I think you’ll enjoy this too!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1-5 in A.K. Faulkner's Inheritance series. Anyone who likes psychic/telekinetic abilities, magic, sweet and strong m/m romance, slow-burn sex, and characters struggling with addiction and abuse trauma.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Another great book!
The major arc of the first five books has somewhat come to a close, and this book sort of felt like a bit of a break. Not really for Laurence and Quentin since they still had to deal with a bunch of awful stuff, but the plot felt sort of self-contained, a chance to let some things settle before rushing too quickly into the next overarching thing. It brought some new characters/allies into Laurence and Quentin’s life, let the two of them grow a bit as they learned more about themselves, and helped their relationship grow stronger.
This one also felt like maybe the most action-packed book in the series yet. It didn’t have the same frantic sort of energy and fast pace of the previous book, just lots of battles, small and big, but with magic and powers and nightmare armor and fae and dead souls and whatnot to keep it interesting.
There were some touching moments too, both romance and family. Both main characters have really been through some stuff, and dealing with the trauma of it isn’t easy, but they have each other and others who love them.
I feel like Quentin has gotten more badass, though he wouldn’t see it that way. But the way he handled his whole situation, especially upon arriving at the castle, was so smooth and confident!
New characters Basil and John were fun and sweet, and I’d love to see more of them in future books.
We got to see more of the Otherworld—this time the land of the dead, which was interesting.
Overall, this was another great book in the series, Laurence and Quentin are great characters with a sweet (and sexy) relationship, and if you enjoyed the previous books, I think you’ll enjoy this too!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1-5 in A.K. Faulkner's Inheritance series. Anyone who likes psychic/telekinetic abilities, magic, sweet and strong m/m romance, slow-burn sex, and characters struggling with addiction and abuse trauma.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
April 18, 2024
Incredible, as always!! Emotional and spicy and tense and some absolute top tier dad jokes 😆
I love the way the characters develop as real people. Trauma is not simply pushed aside, it's dealt with in a very, very real and sensitive way.
And there was a line very near the end that almost broke me 😭😭
So good! Onto the next!!
I love the way the characters develop as real people. Trauma is not simply pushed aside, it's dealt with in a very, very real and sensitive way.
And there was a line very near the end that almost broke me 😭😭
So good! Onto the next!!
January 22, 2019
Love this series. Great to see Quentin finding himself. Looking forward to seeing what task the men have to face next.
5 stars
5 stars
December 7, 2019
I reread this before reading the new book in the series, and it improved with rereading.
Good solid stuff. Consistent with previous work in the series. Recommend.
Good solid stuff. Consistent with previous work in the series. Recommend.
November 2, 2018
New Beginnings and Ancient Enemies
This book has seemed to be a long time coming and it did not disappoint.
Following on from the heavy trauma of Page of Tricks, Rites of Winter in places felt almost like a light read, if such a term could be used to describe a story in which one MC is snatched away to the land of the Dead and given an impossible task to accomplish in order to win his freedom, whilst the other must recruit the aid of a mage and a child of the God of the Dead in order to save him.
Rites of Winter is written with a lighter touch, though, than its predecessors. I haven't checked the word count but it felt shorter somehow. That may be down to the pace, which never lets up from the moment Laurence and Quen arrive in New York.
Quentin is still battling his personal demons and in this installment we finally see how much of a struggle this must have been for him. Unleashed from his quiet self-control Quentin briefly allows his rage to blaze unchecked for a time, and it takes all Laurence's love and skill to bring him back down. That battle is at the heart of the story and it's conclusion left me both anxious and anticipating what might come in the future for these two.
Rites of Winter takes an interesting departure from the other stories in that much of it us set in Annwn, the Otherworld land of the Dead. This lends a kind of fairytale feel to the storytelling that was absent from the books in the first part of this epic series. The setting and supporting cast are like characters from folklore and so it feels almost like high fantasy rather than urban. I didn't dislike that, but it was interesting to see Amelia's very contemporary characters play out in that traditional fantasy setting.
I also loved that Laurence's Dad plays a big part in this story. Eric is fabulous and I do hope we see him again in the stories to come.
Rites of Winter feels like a beginning though. Again the epilogue drops hints of an arch manipulator behind the scenes, whom we never see. It would appear that Laurence and Quentin's troubles are only just beginning.
I can't wait for part seven.
This book has seemed to be a long time coming and it did not disappoint.
Following on from the heavy trauma of Page of Tricks, Rites of Winter in places felt almost like a light read, if such a term could be used to describe a story in which one MC is snatched away to the land of the Dead and given an impossible task to accomplish in order to win his freedom, whilst the other must recruit the aid of a mage and a child of the God of the Dead in order to save him.
Rites of Winter is written with a lighter touch, though, than its predecessors. I haven't checked the word count but it felt shorter somehow. That may be down to the pace, which never lets up from the moment Laurence and Quen arrive in New York.
Quentin is still battling his personal demons and in this installment we finally see how much of a struggle this must have been for him. Unleashed from his quiet self-control Quentin briefly allows his rage to blaze unchecked for a time, and it takes all Laurence's love and skill to bring him back down. That battle is at the heart of the story and it's conclusion left me both anxious and anticipating what might come in the future for these two.
Rites of Winter takes an interesting departure from the other stories in that much of it us set in Annwn, the Otherworld land of the Dead. This lends a kind of fairytale feel to the storytelling that was absent from the books in the first part of this epic series. The setting and supporting cast are like characters from folklore and so it feels almost like high fantasy rather than urban. I didn't dislike that, but it was interesting to see Amelia's very contemporary characters play out in that traditional fantasy setting.
I also loved that Laurence's Dad plays a big part in this story. Eric is fabulous and I do hope we see him again in the stories to come.
Rites of Winter feels like a beginning though. Again the epilogue drops hints of an arch manipulator behind the scenes, whom we never see. It would appear that Laurence and Quentin's troubles are only just beginning.
I can't wait for part seven.
August 16, 2020
This begins a new arc on this series... maybe. Quentin and Laurence are slowly working with their issues and having a good time in New York until Quentin gets eaten for a ginormous black dog. Even after that and up until the point that Quentin's gets dark, the story has a playfulness to it that wasn't present before.
But! I truly don't enjoy D/s. At all. And this seems to be going steadily in that direction. so what should have been a momentous step in these men's relationship left me absolutely cold and quite disappointed, to be honest. And there is also the fact that, even as I still categorize the book as urban fantasy, it has a feel of high fantasy to it that I didn't enjoy. .
I still enjoyed seeing Quentin interact with Laurence's dad, Eric. And that Laurence had the chance to spend time with his dad, and obtain some closure.
I also enjoyed the new secondary characters; Jon and Basil have potential as characters and I hope we will see more of them.
All in all the story was entertaining and, as always, solidly written so I will keep reading soon, as there is a new threat looming in the epilogue, and I want to know what will happen.
But! I truly don't enjoy D/s. At all. And this seems to be going steadily in that direction. so what should have been a momentous step in these men's relationship left me absolutely cold and quite disappointed, to be honest. And there is also the fact that, even as I still categorize the book as urban fantasy, it has a feel of high fantasy to it that I didn't enjoy. .
I still enjoyed seeing Quentin interact with Laurence's dad, Eric. And that Laurence had the chance to spend time with his dad, and obtain some closure.
I also enjoyed the new secondary characters; Jon and Basil have potential as characters and I hope we will see more of them.
All in all the story was entertaining and, as always, solidly written so I will keep reading soon, as there is a new threat looming in the epilogue, and I want to know what will happen.
March 29, 2019
Excellent installment
I hated book 4, and was still so pissed about it that it ruined book 5 for me but this one makes up for it!
Admittedly I was afraid this was going to be like the previous two so it took me a bit to get into it. I kept closing the book afraid she was going to ruin it all, but once I got going it was an amazing ride.
I kept thinking what an amazing imagination this author has. It’s really so good and I’m so glad I pushed through.
Highly recommended!!
I hated book 4, and was still so pissed about it that it ruined book 5 for me but this one makes up for it!
Admittedly I was afraid this was going to be like the previous two so it took me a bit to get into it. I kept closing the book afraid she was going to ruin it all, but once I got going it was an amazing ride.
I kept thinking what an amazing imagination this author has. It’s really so good and I’m so glad I pushed through.
Highly recommended!!
October 29, 2018
I didn't think the author could top the previous books in this series but I was, thankfully, wrong. Start to finish, I was unable to put it down. So much action, emotion, pain and, in the end, rejoicing was a roller coaster ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
October 30, 2018
I will never not LOVE this story, this world, and these characters. I always finish the books in this series too fast! Would highly recommend this whole series to fans of books that have well-developed mythologies, because this is one of the best!
April 1, 2019
Loved the last 70% of this. The first part was a bit too much focus on sex for me, even though I can see why it was a necessary prerequisite for what happens later in the story. Nothing at all wrong with the writing, and an excellent instalment in the series.
October 31, 2018
Beautifully written, with lots of imagination and love for deatails. Many twists and turns which are not predictable.
But, I'm sorry, this book was a bit too much on the fantasy side for my taste.
But, I'm sorry, this book was a bit too much on the fantasy side for my taste.
November 6, 2018
This series continues to be one of my favorites! I can't wait until the next installment.
December 27, 2020
I loved this book! It was perfect. In the best way: it reminded me of The Dresden Files. I shall not expand on why, because they would lead to spoilers.
June 6, 2023
I really liked it.
April 29, 2024
Enjoyable story that is well written with likeable characters and good world building. The narration is very good as well.
October 11, 2024
AAAAHHHHHHHHH*
* i liked it very much
* i liked it very much
June 19, 2020
Another excellent story
The story takes a bit of a different sort of twist this time around by taking Quentin. Laurence meets another magic user and a child of Arwan much as he is a child of Herne. The story is exciting and spellbinding wondering what's going to happen next. I can hardly wait to read what the author has in store for them during the next adventure. I too am waiting for the hand binding ceremony of marriage between these two. Their love 💘runs deep and true.
The story takes a bit of a different sort of twist this time around by taking Quentin. Laurence meets another magic user and a child of Arwan much as he is a child of Herne. The story is exciting and spellbinding wondering what's going to happen next. I can hardly wait to read what the author has in store for them during the next adventure. I too am waiting for the hand binding ceremony of marriage between these two. Their love 💘runs deep and true.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews