Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: A Love Like Fire (Previously known as ‘the Sorcerer’s Betrayal)
SERIES: Juxtan #1
AUTHOR: Tricia Owens
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 254 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2019
BLURB:
When the mercenary Caledon meets a young man named Hadrian, he falls instantly, hopelessly in love with him. Black-haired and silver-eyed, Hadrian is unlike any man Caledon has seen before. His uncertain responses to Caledon’s advances only make the mercenary more determined to pursue and win him.
But Hadrian is a mystery, and harbors untold secrets. He hails from an island inhabited by sorcerers and has come to Caledon’s city to recruit the mercenaries for a well-paying job offered by Hadrian’s father. Except the job is a lie. Hadrian is far more dangerous than his disposition suggests, and what he wants with Caledon and the mercenaries of Rhiad will forever change the land and set in motion a prophecy that will bind two men together in love, lust and hatred…until death.
This is a re-written, re-edited version of the title, The Sorcerer’s Betrayal.
REVIEW:
This was a ….tough story. Damn. Full of wizardry and magick. But the problem was, Hadrian’s father. He was selfish and greedy for power. Doing things magically that he shouldn’t be. Defying the Council. Lying to Hadrian about his own mother. Holding Hadrian back. Abusing him constantly to keep him in line so Hadrian never knew his own power. It was rough.
Hadrian was sent to Rhiad to round up mercenaries for his father. For a battle he was told. It was all lies, but at the time Hadrian didn’t know. While he was there, he met Caledon and starting falling for the man. The same was true of Caledon. But what neither knew was the mission Hadrian was on was false. And his father was going to burn the town to the ground. Hadrian refused to help his father, but his father tortured him for hours until he complied. Hadrian completely shut down. Was a robot of himself. When all was said and done, he finally saw the truth for what it was and he was going to get revenge. But the fact is, Hadrian doesn’t even know all of the truth. Just parts of it. And because of what Hadrian did with his father, Caledon has sworn revenge himself. So where does that leave them? Obviously no where because Hadrian’s father burnt it out of both of them. Took the innocence from them. Even with being a mercenary, Caledon was innocent in this and everything but anger and revenge was stripped from him. How they will recover is a mystery. And Hadrian has to find his father since he whipped his butt and the man is now in hiding.
I was so hoping Hadrian would see the light before everything came to pass. But he was so starved for love from a father who would never give it to him because of his own selfishness and greed. Hadrian just wanted love. Someone to touch him and hold him. But even that led to painful, bitter memories of another betrayal. He’s been lied to and betrayed his whole life and it breaks my heart that it had to come to him destroying something to find out what was really going on. He and Caledon were so good together in the short time they had. And now it’s broken. Hadrian knows it and Caledon vowed revenge on what was done to him and his friends. It broke my heart. I hate manipulative, evil people like that. It’s so not fair. I also had a hard time with how it ended. I will tell you, it’s a cliffhanger. Big time. I hate those. So I’m hoping in the next book it will all turn around.
It’s a good story, though. I really enjoyed it, even though I wanted to kill Hadrian’s father myself. And even with the cliffhanger, it’s a good set up for the next book.
RATING:
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