Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: Black Snow
AUTHOR: EAB
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 501 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 07, 2016
BLURB:
Prince Brier Snow has lived in the shadow of King Snow’s exalted memory. However, his fate changes when he nears his majority and Lirend’s steward queen attempts to dethrone him by exploiting an obscure requirement in the late king’s will: a yearlong sabbatical.
Brier travels to the desolate land of Aire to train under the Ceve guild, scorned refugees of war, including their guarded leader, Roland. Brier’s skillful master unlocks hidden potential, and what begins as a dutiful bond turns into ill-fated affection. When Brier returns to the capital, he’s carrying proof of his indiscretions with Roland—and his condition grows more apparent with each passing day. An affair with the huntsman is a scandal Brier’s enemies can use against him, but the birth of an heir is a burden even Brier is not sure he can bear.
Roland Archer, a man with a murky past, is skeptical of the contract to train the prince but willing to do anything for the guild’s freedom. Despite his best intentions, he is smitten by Lirend’s future king. Roland has resigned himself to solitude, but fate has other plans—for him, for Brier, and for Lirend’s oppressed subjects. Can Roland help Brier face a power-hungry queen and a country torn asunder? Either they will bring equality to a land that desperately needs it, or they’ll be thwarted by cunning enemies and an illusory curse.
REVIEW:
This is an extremely long story, not just by page count, but it takes a long time for a number of things to eventuate. Which makes sense considering **minor spoiler** one of the men becomes pregnant. I realize some readers love MPreg so if it’s for you, grab a copy of this story. However if it’s not then you’ll probably be best to pass. Me, had I known it had such content, including breastfeeding and lactation play, I would’ve given it a wide berth – no pun intended.
I enjoyed the prologue, Brier’s nurse maid’s retelling of the story of Snow White. Moving forward the story of the Thenians and Aurelians is interesting and one has to wonder for a longtime how, or if, it’s even possible for the two main characters to have a happy ever after. Their relationship is tested time and time again. Quentin causes havoc more than once.
Around the 75% mark, accusations of treason are thrown around and loyalties are tested. I actually found Braedon’s meltdown rather childish considering how many times Roland had declared his love. Speaking of Braedon, most characters have more than one title so it makes it feel like there’s a bigger cast than there actually is.
People who enjoy lengthy, high fantasy, suspenseful, romantic, mpreg stories, with interesting characters, and an evil stepmother, will more than likely enjoy this story.
RATING: 
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