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Shadowmancer (Paladin Charm Book 1)
Devin Harnois, author
Marius Everhart is something even mages fear — a shadowmancer. His power marks him as cursed, a creature belonging to the Queen of Shadows. Marius escaped her realm with his memories corrupted and his sanity in tatters, managing to live a fragile, lonely existence at the edges of society.
Some might call Ayodele Sauveterre delusional. He prefers the term “optimistic”. With his homeland in danger from invasion, Ayodele will do anything to protect it, even recruit a shadowmancer. Marius’s incredible power and gentle nature make him a perfect addition to Paladin Charm, a new mage guild dedicated to helping rather than exploiting the non-magical populace. The fact that handsome Marius also warms Ayodele’s bed is a wonderful bonus.
With support from Ayodele and his new friends in the guild, Marius begins to heal. He’s also quickly falling for the alluring mage, but Ayodele struggles with what’s forming between them. Past experience left Ayodele flippant but guarded, and Marius’s open honesty unnerves him.
As they grow closer, Paladin Charm prepares for a battle with impossible odds. And in the darkness, the Queen of Shadows waits to reclaim Marius and drag him back into a nightmare.
Reviews
Harnois (Mages & Mechanisms) launches a romantic fantasy series with this promising if uneven novel. Jittery Marius Everhart is on the run from the Queen of Shadows, who kidnapped him, planted false memories, and gave him impressive abilities to control darkness. Most people fear shadowmancers like him, so Marius is surprised when wealthy, charismatic Ayodele Sauveterre invites him to join his mage guild, Paladin Charm. Tempest-controlling Ayodele already recruited four weaker mages to protect his small homeland of Aveyons from being overrun by Serpent Fang, the ruthless guild that Ayodele used to belong to. The members of Paladin Charm are divided on accepting Marius, as he has dangerous episodes when he cannot control his powers. As Marius attempts to prove himself, he and Ayodele begin an insatiable affair told in charged sex scenes. Paladin Charm prepares for the imminent invasion by Serpent Fang, struggling to convince the king and citizens of Aveyons that they are a different kind of guild and that not all magic is harmful. After a well-drawn epic battle, an oddly truncated conclusion may leave readers wondering what’s left for the sequels. This novel will appeal to readers looking for fast-paced fantasy with a dash of sexy romance. (BookLife)
