Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Holding onto Light
AUTHOR: Lucien Grey
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 150 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2021
BLURB:
Two strangers running from their dark pasts find redemption in each other.
Harry, a former army doctor, lives in isolation after the devastating war between Rasacara and the Empire came to a bloody and violent conclusion. His lonely life is disrupted by a young, beautiful man surrounded by secrets and suspicion, who would likely destroy Harry if he knew who he was.
Kit, former member of the witch army’s Blue Crows, now on the run from his former master, must keep his identity a secret as his enemy is closing in and Harry, the gruff, mysterious woodsman, is all that stands between him and the man who wants him dead.
Forced together by Kit’s injuries, the two lonely men find comfort in each other, both scarred by the darkness of their pasts, but when Kit’s enemy catches up with him, they are forced to fight, revealing to each other the evils both of them have committed, and testing the strength of their new, fledgling love.
REVIEW:
Harry, the gruff woodsman, is used to living on his own, in peace and quiet. He only visits the local port town to administer doctoral aid. However, when an injured Kit turns up on his doorstep, claiming his carriage broke and the horses took off – despite his raised suspicions – the doctor in him won’t turn him away. The fact that Kit is also gorgeous has nothing to do with his decision!!! When others come looking, past experiences come into play, further aiding Harry’s decision to shelter a man obviously keeping secrets. Then again, Kit isn’t the only one with secrets. Harry has his own dark past.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Harry and Kit. I found a couple of typos that wouldn’t have come up on autocorrect, but other than that, it is technically sound. One aspect that shines about this story is the superb imagery. Memories of war are a significant factor, and the author doesn’t hold back on the brutal, horrific imagery associated with battle, death, and destruction. In some respects, it feels wrong to describe it as super, but it was good that the words on the page made me shudder and served as a reminder that nothing about war is pretty. It is bloody, fearful, and emotional. Some scenes made me openly cry.
With the war in the past – at the forefront are memories and the budding love story between Harry and Kit. Kit may look like a gangly waif, but he is a man with talent, and as the story progresses, he shines. There is immediate attraction and lust between the men, but anything more takes time to develop.
Magic is also a key factor, not in the Matilda way, but in the death and destruction way. The Crow army was one made of Witches, and they’re not out to play tiddlywinks or keep the peace. Within the ranks, there are also forces at work that features heavily in memories, but you’ll have to read the novel to satisfy any curiosity.
I found Holding onto Light a brutal yet engaging story full of emotion with two men, finding an alternative life outside the army, but in hiding, who help each other find the light.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Read More » […]