Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Bad Boy’s Bard
SERIES: Fae out of Water #3
AUTHOR: E.J. Russel
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 301 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2017
BLURB:
As far as rock star Gareth Kendrick, the last true bard in Faerie, is concerned, the only good Unseelie is . . . well . . . there’s no such thing. Two centuries ago, an Unseelie lord abducted Gareth’s human lover, Niall, and Gareth has neither forgotten nor forgiven.
Niall O’Tierney, half-human son of the Unseelie King, had never lost a wager until the day he swore to rid the Seelie court of its bard. That bet cost him everything: his freedom, his family—and his heart. When he’s suddenly face-to-face with Gareth at the ceremony to join the Seelie and Unseelie realms, Niall does the only thing inhumanly possible: he fakes amnesia. Not his finest hour, perhaps, but he never revealed his Unseelie heritage, and to tell the truth now would be to risk Gareth’s revulsion—far harder to bear than two hundred years of imprisonment.
Then a new threat to Gareth’s life arises, and he and Niall stage a mad escape into the Outer World, only to discover the fate of all fae resting on their shoulders. But before they can save the realm, they have to tackle something really tough: mending their own broken relationship.
REVIEW:
Please note: This is the third installment in the “Fae out of Water” trilogy. You really need to read the prior two to get the most out of Bad Boy’s Bard. But trust me when I say it will not be a hardship to read the others in this series first. They were fantastic.
I am not really sure what to say about this story to accurately convey how it made me feel. I have loved this series from word one. It was such a great fit for me and hit on so many things I love to read. Bad Boy’s Bard was no less perfect for me. I know that some people will read this one and get really upset because the entire story is based off “THE MISUNDERSTANDING” and totally could have been resolved with one conversation. But for me, there was just so much more that I was only mildly annoyed with the use of one of my normally hated devices.
That being said, this was another great addition to this series. This world has been growing and evolving from book one and in this story new facts were brought forth that we a joy to learn. I enjoyed the lore and history presented and really loved seeing all the accepted Faerie and Druid conventions get turned on their heads. Everything these people thought they knew was twisted and when the truth was finally revealed, some folks had some major adjusting to do. It was fantastic to read about.
And let me tell you, the truth made for some uncomfortable moments but also made for some seriously emotional moments. I was along for one hell of a ride and my emotions went from confusion to joy to anger back to confusion to sympathy to pain to all manner of things I was not expecting. Garrett and Niall were so multifaceted and multidimensional that I am sure I missed a good portion of their development and growth. Each man was so broken and each man needed to heal. On the surface things appeared to be “misunderstood” and they were, but there was just so much more! God I could talk about these men for days and never get to all the ways they impacted me.
This romance was one long in the making and it was not easy. From the get go it was doomed but in the end, things worked out. Oh man, the journey was ugly at some points, but I never stopped believing in their happy ending. I never once thought it shouldn’t or wouldn’t happen. My only concern was how it would end up and what its final shape would be. I was very glad it ended as it did. Perfect, yet still evolving.
I have seen no evidence that there are more books in this series, but this ending has left things open for more. I personally vote for more because there is so much more I want to know. I want to see this world remade and see it made whole. I want to see these men years down the road after they have been made stronger and their love has had time to mature. I highly recommend this series. I felt it was very well done and I loved every minute of my time spent with each couple.
RATING: 
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