Damned If You Don’t

by Hairann

All Erabus ever wanted was to stay out of his brother’s way, to let him become king after their father, and spend his life hunting in the forest outside the kingdom. That all changes when he uncovers the plot to kill his father. Erabus will do whatever it takes to save him, even forming an alliance with a strange ally named Xicuz—an incredibly gorgeous satyr he met in the forest.

If things aren’t complicated enough, Erabus soon finds himself tangled up in a deal with a devil that puts the lives of the people closest to him in danger. He learns that sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and makes a deal of his own—one that will save the love of his life, but forfeit half of his own to do so.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT

ebook

Published October 12, 2020

Reviews

[Squish The Boi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I’ll start with what I liked about this book:
1. the characters. I found it very easy to get attached to both of the main men, Erabus and Xicuz, and they were both very charming to read. Even the side characters and the main villain, Jydral, were well developed. Stories with good characters and good development are easy to get invested in
2. The world and world building. It’s a fascinating world with lots of intriguing details (such as how a lot do human women go to live with the satyrs). While being interesting, it’s also easy to understand without becoming too complicated to follow in a single story. The differences in lifestyle between the humans and satyrs were easy to understand, therefore adding a definable divide between the cultures
3. The relationship. I like that it’s built on mutual trust and understanding, not to mention the obvious extreme love they have for each other
4. The changing perspectives. It was nice to be able to see the events of the story taking place through different people eyes, as well as get to know them better via their inner monologues. The perspective switches were easily to tell, which is great

What I didn’t like:
Sometimes the writing just didn’t feel that great. Often there were unnecessary sentences or phrases, that just take the reader out of the moment. A lot of instances of “telling not showing” occurred. A lot of those were unnecessary as it was already insinuated or could have been in a clever way.
There were times where it would have sounded a lot nicer if certain words had been changed. For example, the word “smirk” and it’s variants are used 62 times in the book, often certain times in one passage. It gets very frustrating to read when only one word is being used. A variety of words makes the book more interesting and more sophisticated.
I do wish the relationship had been based on more than just physical attraction at first, and sometimes the romantic scenes felt unnecessary, as the characters were in a situation where sex should really be the last thing on their minds.
There were also some grammatical errors, but I assume those will be fixed up

TLDR: a very enjoyable read, even despite the problems I have with the writing :) I look forward to reading more from this author


*copy provided in advance in exchange for a review

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly sweet story for the synopsis given. I suppose, given that the plot is centered around murder and regicide, I expected something a lot more angsty and dramatic. However, the fact that the two protagonists are so likeable and loving in their relationship makes this story a lot more wholesome and cute than one might first expect. This is not a negative. In terms of queer romance it is a welcome treat. Yet, Damned If You Don't is not without fault.
There is a slight build-up of a history of antagonism between the two races presented. Though currently at peace, the satyrs and the humans do not seem like they interact much, and that peace also seems relatively new. Despite this, Xicuz and Erabus are immediately trusting of one another, which is counterintuitive. That coupled with the fact that both characters mention that homosexuality is not common with their people, yet sexual advances by Xicuz are answered without hesitation. I think that this book could have benefitted greatly by slowing the romantic pace down a bit. It would have made the characters' behavior less at odds with the world building

[Bretton Coppedge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a one of those fated soul mate love across time stories that makes you wish that magic is real. Its setting is pretty high fantasy, even though there are only humans, satyrs and bargaining devils, so be prepared for difficult to pronounce names. I personally thought that Xicuz and Erabus were awesome names but it did take a while to get used to them when reading.

The story starts off high paced with the soul mates first meeting and it goes at a high pace from there. The story definitely has a heavy dose of instant lust(and love) because both characters believe that they are the only gay people in existence. So if you're a fan of that trope I think you'll like this story.

The without giving too many spoilers, the villain is certainly villainous and you'll feel for Erabus as he struggles to overcome him. That is where I felt the most emotions while reading. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

[RACHEL REED · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erabus has no intention of becoming king or taking over the throne, he'd rater leave it to his brother and stay out of his way.
All he wants is to live a peaceful life hunting outside the Kingdom.
But fate doesn't let you choose your destiny, and before he knows it he is embroiled in more than he bargained for.
Soon he is joining forces with a gorgeous satyr and making a deal that will cost him his life.

I absolutely love the world building. The characters were well fleshed out and the writing style appealed to me.
Overall, this was such a magical journey of courage, trust and falling in love.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the premise of the story is a good one with great world building, the characters are solid and interesting, and the plot is fast paced, there was something missing in the story. The characters, Erabus and Xicuz, although they should be enemies, are strongly attracted to one another near the beginning of the story. There is a lot of narrative in this book, a lot of telling the reader what is going on without experiencing for myself, so more times than not, I was pulled from the scene because it became bogged down with information. With more character development and romance in this book, I would have enjoyed it more.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damned if You Don't will captivate you from page one. I absolutely fell in love with Erabus and Xicuz from the moment they met. Despite the animosity between their people, they start off with friendly banter, and a bit more trust than I was expecting. More sweet than thrilling, this story will captivate you nonetheless. I do wish I could've spent a little more time exploring their world and getting to know them better, but that's just because I was sad to leave them all behind.

[Joscelyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully intriguing storyline with highly engaging characters, Erabus and Xicuz were fantastic. I enjoyed the soulmate aspect of their story, hard to pronounce names aside I found the book to be very entertaining. All in all an enjoyable read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! The characters and the world building were wonderful, and the bad guy paid in the end. The sweet twist at the end made me tear up, I love the thought of always finding our soulmate in every lifetime.

[Coltostallion · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the characters and plot were interesting, I found it hard to get into the story. There's a story tale feel to the writing at some points, but at others, it's more penny dreadful. It was just hard for me to really get into.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deeply romantic and fantastical story of two souls in love and who are bound through a destiny forged in a strife between their kingdoms.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book, loved the character interaction and the story was strong and engaging. Will read more from this writer!!