The Bard and the Fairy Prince Tales from the Gemstone Kingdoms #3
Demons, Devils, Bisexual Romance, Gay Romance
Dreamspinner Press
Nov 29, 2022
Kindle
232
Amazon
When Prince Nemirac learns of his heritage, he vows to become the most powerful demon in history. But he can’t do it alone.
Feeling betrayed by his parents’ lies about his true lineage, Nemirac embarks on a quest to visit all five Gemstone Kingdoms and drain the stones of their power to ascend as a new being. But until he obtains that magic, he’s vulnerable.
Enter Janskoller the warrior bard.
Janskoller has just returned to the Gemstone Kingdoms, drawn by stories of broken curses and lands open for travel. He doesn’t expect a pretty young mage to hire him as a bodyguard, but it’s a good gig for a bard—lots of adventure to fuel his stories, and plenty of travel to spread his fame. Besides, Nemirac’s passion and obvious secrets intrigue him. But soon Janskoller realizes the peril of Nemirac’s goal—an end that puts the five kingdoms at risk and corrupts Nemirac into a darker, twisted version of the man Janskoller has come to care about. As the two grow closer, can Janskoller convince Nemirac to abandon his pursuit of power in favor of the deeper, more lasting magic of love?
Review by Jay Mountney
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
The Bard and the Fairy Prince does not have the same easily recognised fairy tale components and it has a great deal more explicit sexual content. It does, however, bring together the characters from books 1 and 2, and it is always good to know what happens to people after the novels that endeared them to the reader. Prince Nemirac is lessendearing, perhaps, than most, but the underlying theme is again redemption through love, and the prince’s quest is twisted away from disaster by his faithful bard and bodyguard. Janskoller is a character the reader can identify with and if he wants Nemirac then the reader will wish him success. The book ends, as is usual in this series, with the introduction of the possible main characters for a further tale from the gemstone kingdoms, one of whom is Prince Cullen, first met in book 2.
The series as a whole, so far, is interesting in its use of fairy tale themes to illustrate the redemption trope and to provide vibrant mm romance within a fantasy setting that builds a fascinating world with characters whose stories run through all the tales.