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Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated Seducing the Sorcerer in Books

Oct 4, 2021

Seducing the Sorcerer

Lee Welch | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy

9.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Fenn is a homeless drunk that has no job is wondering around trying to find his next meal when he stumbles on a farm and asks if they need any jobs doing that is when his life takes a strange turn of events.

The style this book has been written is very detailed and interesting. It is so poetic and beautiful in some places and in others its a bit cut to the core say how it is and no more. I suppose its like the 2 main characters Fenn and Morgrim have actually written it.

I loved the story of the relationship growing between Fenn and Morgrim it certainly isn't for the faint hearted. It's rather steamy when it comes to the sex scenes in my opinion. Not a lot of violence but there doesn't need to be.

I love the way that both the main characters learn from each other, fenn is prepared to learn and listen about magic and where it comes from, Worple horses and their history, Morgrim learns how to trust, feel and let somebody in also how to be himself which when you find that someone you have a connection with is fantastic

I would really like to read more of this style and will definitely recommend it for reading

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated The Lessons We Learn in Books

May 21, 2022 (Updated May 21, 2022)

Betty Must Clear Her Friend

As winter reluctantly gives way to spring in March of 1943, Lee Tillotson’s father goes missing. Betty Ahern is surprised that her friend isn’t more concerned, but Lee keeps pointing out how much better his family’s life is without Mr. Tillotson around since the man had become a drunk. That comes back to haunt Lee when his father’s body turns up in the Buffalo River. The police are looking at Lee as a suspect, and Lee is clearly hiding something, even from Betty. Can Betty figure out what is going on?

Since Lee’s family situation has been a subplot in the first two books in this series, this book is able to jump right into the action. The result is a story that never waned. I was hooked from the first page and never wanted to put the book down. I enjoyed getting to see more of the supporting characters in this book, and the development that came with their expanded page time. Likewise, I enjoyed seeing some of the relationship growth from the previous book stick around. I hope it continues in future books. The writing helps pull us into the story, and the historical details are fantastic, as well. This is the strongest book in the series to date, and I can’t wait to visit Betty again.

Kudos

Bendy

Erin M. Leaf

6.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Straight guy (24M, photographer) tries to cheer up his straight best friend (24M, electrician) by...

Contemporary MM Romance Novella

Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Serious Sweet: Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in Books

May 13, 2017

Suspence, Point of view, plot (0 more)

Nothing (0 more)

This novel is a work of art, l I would expect nothing less from a Man Booker contender.

‘The trouble was, that Margaret Thatcher got her drunk.’

A.L. Kennedy is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, and comedian. Her most recent novel, Serious Sweet, 2016, was long listed for this year’s Man Booker prize. Prior to reading the novel, I read some reviews and was fascinated by their diversity, comments ranging from disappointing to outright marvellous. This told me that I was about to embark on a work of art, after all I would expect nothing less from a Man Booker contender.
The novel is set in the heart of contemporary London and follows its two main characters, John Sigurdsson and Meg Williams through a single day. John is a fickle character, who at 59-year of age, has recently divorced is adulterous wife, and his professional life is hanging in the balance. Working as a senior civil servant in Westminster, he is attempting to uncover some pretty immoral activity. John has a talent for letter writing, this, he finds, is a romantic way to connect to women, whilst otherwise remaining inconspicuous. This is how he meets Meg.
Meg Williams is a 45-year-old bankrupt accountant, now working in an animal shelter because, ‘people who’ve been damaged by people go and work with salvaged animals because the animals have also been damaged by people’ (128). Meg is a victim of sexual abuse from a previous partner, something that we only learn in smatterings throughout the novel. A struggling alcoholic, Meg is on the wagon then off the wagon and blames her more recent fall on Margaret Thatcher, ‘The trouble was that Margaret Thatcher got her drunk.’
While the novel itself can be read as a political satire, and political corruption is plentiful in the narrative, I feel it is simply a back-story. The real story is the unfolding of the human consciousness and the power of the mind. Kennedy shows the reader the power of will through the thoughts of each character, stripping them back to their rawest and purest selves, and showing real courage and hope.
When John and Meg eventually meet at the end of the novel, it is not without some supercharged emotional turmoil. Connecting initially through letter writing, however, allowed the characters to open up their inner thoughts and feelings and gave a platform to be open and honest without the restrictions of reality. This, I believe, is where hope is born in the story.
Watching these two characters evolve was a real delight for me and I feel that Kennedy did the novel justice. You can almost feel each character battle with their own heads while their consciousness’ begins to intertwine. And let us not forget those beautifully written vignettes between chapters. Kennedy has written a wonderful novel, and Serious Sweet, I believe was worthy of its Man Booker place.