Book Review: Keltair’s Ride by Wolfen M
Media Type: Ebook
Title: Keltair’s Ride
* Series: Hunt for the Shadowmakers #1
Author: Wolfen M.
Publisher: Crying Wolf Studio
Pages: Kindle; Second Edition; 98
Release Date: March 14, 2017
Source: Author
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Genre: Erotica – M/M
HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Readers who enjoy Fantasy mixed with M/M Erotica!
Follow the late-12th-century adventures of sidhe thief Keltair and his púca companion, Dulaine, as they hunt for the Shadowmakers, magic rings that can bring shadows to life — with potentially disastrous consequences. And, well, the pair may just indulge in a romantic conquest or thirty along the way. After all, few (be they male or female) are immune to Keltair’s charms — sometimes to Dulaine’s annoyance. The pair are aided in their work by Farrell (innkeeper, Captain of the Guard, and head of the local Thieves Guild in their hometown), as well as by Farrell’s wife, Eibhleann, a woman with a fair amount of magical talent ….
In this particular erotic novella, Keltair (who hopes this mission will lead to a ménage à quatre), Dulaine, and Farrell are hired to help a man retrieve a family heirloom — but certain aspects of the job may not be quite what they’ve been led to believe. Will Keltair’s libido land them in hot water?
Before I even start this review, I need to give some love to the author of this book. Wolfen has not only been extremely patient with me while I read this book, but also while I took some time off from blogging and spaced out on reviewing it. So, if you’re looking at this review and noticing that I don’t often post reviews of Erotica, you’re right! I read all kinds of books though, and I want to make this blog more varied. So here’s that start.
Keltair’s Ride caught my eye because of the mesh between Fantasy elements and a mainly M/M erotic novella. I’m a sucker for anything Fantasy based at the best of times, but what drew me even further into this was the fact that it was set in Middle Ages Ireland. As soon as I saw that Dulaine was a púca, and that Keltair was half-sidhe, I was officially sold. I’m fascinated by that whole mythology and I couldn’t wait to see how this all tied in. What can I say? I’m hopelessly in love with roguish characters, and even more so with characters who use their charms wisely.
Which, as expected, our titular character fully embodies. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see the full effect of his charming personality, as we’re more told how persuasive he can be rather than shown, but I was still sold on his character almost instantly. The bond between him and Dulaine was evident from the start, and I only grew to love the two of them more the further I got into the story. I would have loved even more interaction between just these two, and I’m hoping that’s coming. As it stands, the ending had me a bit teary eyed anyway. The whole crew gets stuck in the middle of something they weren’t expecting, and it allows all of them to shine. I was hooked, and it made me power through to the end.
In terms of steam factor, I can safely tell you that this book is actually not too over the top. There are definitely some descriptive scenes, but there’s also a lot of love flowing underneath it all even at these times. It just feels like a natural part of the story, and I appreciated that because it allows the Fantasy aspect of this to continue to be front and center. That’s not to say that Keltair isn’t a cheeky little character with quite the libido, because he most definitely is. It’s just a nice balance that I wasn’t expecting.
I would love to see more character development, and hopefully more vivid personalities, in the next installment of this story! This has set the series up with great bones, and all I want is just a little more meat on those bones! I want more charismatic Kelatir, more intriguing Dulaine, and even more gruff and lovable Farrell. I honestly can’t wait!
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
