Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Hardwood
SERIES: Poisonwood & Lyric, Book 3
AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 133 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2022
BLURB:
A playboy incubus in a pickle
A siren who’s lost his song
Malcolm McKittack’s life consists of the three Ps: pleasure, partying, and paranoia. Okay, maybe not usually the last one, but somebody’s been following him. He’s being hunted, doomed to be sacrificed on the altar of some old guy’s downstairs dysfunction, only no one believes him.
Kostas has never met anyone annoying as Malcolm Freaking McKittack. He comes into his club, acts like he owns the place, and worst of all, he looks good doing it. He’s trouble, and Kostas doesn’t need any. It doesn’t matter how the incubus makes eyes at him, he’s not interested.
When Kostas witnesses Malcolm being kidnapped, he knows he shouldn’t get involved—it’s probably some creepy demonic game. But playing the hero fits him like Malcolm’s bespoke suit, and it’ll take them both to stop a plot that threatens the whole supernatural world.
REVIEW:
Hardwood completes the three-book novella series, Poisonwood & Lyric, by writing duo Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes. Each of the three books focuses on one of the three sons of the philandering, selfish Elrith McKittack. Hardwood focuses on Malcolm McKittack, an incubus, and his love interest Kostas, a siren, with a cameo from Malcolm’s half-brother Declan, an incubus/nymph, and his mate Augustine, a dragon (both featured in book two, Wyrmwood).
The storyline in Hardwood is relatively straightforward: Malcolm is kidnapped by men looking to use his incubus nature to “entice” people into sexual activity with others against their will. Kostas initially spurns Malcolm, but when he sees Malcolm being kidnapped, he cannot stand by without doing something to help. When all efforts to enlist support, even from Elrith, fail, Kostas takes it upon himself to rescue Malcolm. The story plays out, showing Kostas rescuing and falling for Malcolm, and Malcolm blooming into a kinder, better person under Kostas’ love and care.
After reading Hardwood, it’s not hard to see the inherent question asked by these characters – Am I a monster? – and the common theme that provides an answer – Monstrosity is more about who you are than what you are. Malcolm acknowledges that he is considered a monster:
“[H]umans always called Malcolm a monster because of the body he’d been born in,
because he was an incubus…” – Malcolm
Because of how he’s viewed and treated, especially by his father, Malcolm is jaded and hostile, a self-proclaimed a@#hole. He’s isolated, alienated, bitter, and angry and has resigned himself to his fate of being useless, hated, and alone. Yet, despite acting like a nasty, ungrateful person who couldn’t care less about anyone other than himself, he reigns in his incubus powers, refusing to use them against others. Malcolm’s stubborn refusal to use his powers as intended and expected shows his discomfort over his incubus nature.
Similarly, Kostas recognizes that he is considered a monster:
“Sirens were dangerous. They killed people. It’d taken him a long time
to come to terms with what he was: a monster and a murderer.” – Kostas
But Kostas fights against his nature, trying to control it even though he knows he can’t completely overcome it. Like Declan in Wyrmwood, Kostas isolates himself to protect those around him. He runs as far away from the temptation to use his voice and incite violence as he can, leaving his family and the ocean that calls to him behind.
Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes juxtapose the actions of Malcolm and Kostas, “monsters” in body, with humans, considered the norm in society and superior over other species. Notably, we see it is Malcolm and Kostas, the “monsters”, that are self-aware and exert self-control. In contrast, the humans behind Malcolm’s kidnapping allow themselves to be consumed by base desires like greed and power, which turns them into the actual monsters:
“This was an actual monster. This was a creature who sold people, and shot people,
and didn’t give a damn about the swathe of destruction he left behind.”
– Malcolm, referring to his human kidnappers
Unfortunately, because of the format of the story – novella-length – there’s isn’t enough space to develop the relationship between Malcolm and Kostas to the extent needed to make their eventual coupling feel authentic. Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes provide a lot of material, but also left a lot of it on the cutting room floor. They didn’t give themselves room to dig into everything to the degree they could have if they used more words and pages.
I like where the relationship between Malcolm and Kostas started and really like where it ended. However, somewhere in the middle, Malcolm and Kostas transformed from enemies to forever-after loves, but I feel like I blinked and missed it. That being said, the HEA is a strong one that made me smile, although it still begs many questions about what Malcolm and Kostas’ lives look like going forward.
As usual, Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes deliver a creative context for the story told in Hardwood, with excellent world-building and a thoughtful, intriguing narrative. Like Wyrmwood before it, Hardwood is enjoyable and provocative with an impactful thematic message. It’s an overall enjoyable story that I recommend, and while it could have been more well-rounded, it still succeeds.
You don’t need to read Wyrmwood (or book one, Poisonwood, for that matter) before you read Hardwood. However, reading it back to back with Wyrmwood bolsters Hardwood’s story and subtext, even though the two stories are standalones. I think you’ll appreciate and enjoy Hardwood more when read that way.
RATING: 
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