Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: The Stubborn Accomplice
SERIES: 13 Kingdoms #2
AUTHOR: H L Day
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 222 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2022
BLURB:
A missing artifact. A kingdom of secrets. Two men versus a multitude of magical beasts.
Jack and Sebastian are on the move once more. This time, to the frozen mountains of Askophai in search of a kingdom’s missing artifact. The journey alone would be perilous enough, but how are they supposed to find something that no one can describe? And what does the mysterious man who can make himself invisible have to do with any of it?
Jack has enough of Sebastian’s secrets to deal with, without taking on a whole kingdom’s. He and Sebastian might be together, but Jack still has his doubts about their long-term future. Assuming they have one that is, given Sebastian’s penchant for walking them headlong into danger at every opportunity.
One thing’s for certain, they’re going to need an awful lot of luck to succeed in this mission and return home safely.
The Stubborn Accomplice is an 85k sequel that features trolls, magical knights, an unwanted orc suitor, a wizard only too familiar to one of the main characters, and two men who really need to get better at talking about their feelings. If you enjoyed The Reluctant Companion buckle up for more banter, magic, and adventures in the continuation of the 13 kingdoms series.
REVIEW:
In this second installment of the 13 Kingdoms series, Jack and Sebastian may be together, but with communication being a work in progress and another quest on the horizon, plenty can still go wrong. And that’s before the addition of trolls and all sorts of magical things.
With a lucky religious artifact stolen, this story has more high adventures and information avoidance. Bass and Jack get closer in one respect, but it also becomes clearer that Bass is still hiding something that most readers will have already guessed. While staying true to the characters’ personalities and the world created, the author has provided a different, yet no less entertaining, landscape for Bass and Jack to bicker their way through.
I’m just going to say this at the start as there’s not an appropriate place later – I LOVE the cover of this book.
The story is told in the first person from the viewpoints of Sebastian and Jack via named chapters. I found the world-building easier to understand as it was essentially cold mountains containing Orc’s (so funny), trolls, and several other beings. Some were good, others were bad, and one was indifferent, but all were downright entertaining.
Sebastian is the loveable rogue who can’t help finding trouble. The danger scale is irrelevant – if Sebastian hasn’t encountered… whatever it is… it’s like a bright light to a moth. One minute he comes over as truly arrogant and entitled; the next, he can say or do something that will melt every cockle of your heart. He’s also a brave, talented individual.
Jack, the practical, steadying influence, finds his naturally uptight nature loosening under Sebastian’s companionship. At heart, he is a farmer who does what needs to be done, but finds adventures with Sebastian exciting.
As with book one, book two’s main story arc was wrapped up nicely. The series arc simmers in the background and emerges towards the end to lead into book three, which I can’t wait to read next.
RATING: 
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