There were traitors, a massive threat to the kingdom, and plenty of people working to promote their own agenda. The non-romantic plot was well structured. The romance is paced really well, so that they get to know and trust each other while never forgetting that the kingdom is in danger. I was rooting for them the whole way through. They came from different places, had different opinions, and had different life experiences, but they fit together well. Both were great characters in their own rights. The instant attraction between Saris and Roland got the romance moving right from the start, while their respective positions kept them at odds. The characters and their situation were so compelling. That could be because I didn’t want to put the book down. I actually enjoyed the short length, because I finished reading in record time. The book is probably closer to a novella in length, but the plot moved at such a good pace that it doesn’t feel like anything has been left out. I was looking for a high fantasy gay romance, and it delivered. Of course, he’ll have to get through tomorrow first…when he must bargain with the hated royals who have persecuted him all his life. Maybe he could go on a second date with this person. Sairis finds his defenses melting in spite of his best efforts. He’s shocked when a dazzling mountain of a man is not intimidated in the slightest. Sairis is confident in his ability to intimidate anyone who comes too close. He tells himself that he’ll just watch-see what ordinary people enjoy every day. Sairis knows he’s doing something foolish by visiting a tavern the evening before his meeting with the royals-a tavern that caters to men of certain tastes.

He’s frightened, although he doesn’t want to admit it. He knows that he will have to bargain for his life tomorrow. Sairis is a necromancer with a price on his head. He figures he’ll need something to look forward to tomorrow, since he must spend the day in council with his family’s sworn enemy-a necromancer whom his sister has rashly invited to consult about the war. Roland exerts all his knightly charm and is rewarded by the promise of a second date. The man clearly has his secrets, but so does Roland, and their unexpected chemistry makes him feel alive for the first time in months. He does not expect to find a fascinating scholar from out of town-a lonely young man with beautiful eyes and an obvious longing to be touched, buried beneath a prickly demeanor.

Roland expects to enjoy some anonymity and perhaps flirt with a few strangers for old time’s sake.

It’s the place where he kissed a man for the first time, the place where he used to carouse with the lover he buried on a battlefield. He sneaks out to his favorite tavern for nostalgia’s sake. Prince Roland comes home from the war to bury his father and see his sister on the throne. It’s a classic fairytale: Knight meets necromancer.

The Capital by A.H. Lee