Stitches Tales from the Gemstone Kingdoms #2
Fantasy Romance, Gay Romance
Dreamspinner Press
April 19, 2022
Kindle
240
Amazon
STITCHES bOOK #2
Created by the alchemist Braxton, Levi was “born” fully grown and spends his early days learning about the monster-filled kingdom he calls home.
Even though he is just a construct pieced together from cloned parts, Levi longs to fit in with his mythical neighbors, but more than that, he wishes he could say two words to the Shadow King without stuttering.
Ashmedai has been king of what was once the Amethyst Kingdom since it was cursed a thousand years ago. Only he and Braxton know what truly happened the night of the curse, and Ash’s secret makes walking among his beloved people painful, so he rarely leaves his castle. However, with Festival Day approaching, Ash wouldn’t mind going out more often... if it means seeing more of Levi.
Ash wishes he deserved the longing looks from those strangely familiar violet eyes. He knows no one could love him after learning the truth of the curse. But if anyone can change his mind, it is the sweetly stitched young man who looks at him like he hung the moon.
Review by Jay Mountney
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Stitches takes the reader into the Shadow Kingdom which turns out to be the Amethyst one. Stitches is a ‘construct’ who believes he is simply something his ‘master’ made but as his love for King Ashmedai grows so does his knowledge of his past. There are echoes of the themes in Pinocchio and Pygmalion and perhaps of Sleeping Beauty since the kingdom is surrounded by a forest wall, thrown up by a curse. Within that wall, the people, who can’t escape, have various forms, both weird and wonderful. The small world is beautifully described in great detail. Ashmedai is a flawed character, redeemed in the end by Stitches, or Levi. After the climax of the story the curse is broken and the pair set out for the wedding of Jack and Reardon from book 1. I liked the fairy tale references and the well developed cast of interesting characters. During the celebrations in the city following the lifting of the curse, we get a final chapter which introduces Janskoller, a bard, and Nemeric, a prince, who are the main protagonists for the third book.