Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Smoking Teacup Books

Genre:  Gay Romance

Tags: Fantasy, Alt-Universe, Dragon and Human. **TW: Touches very briefly on Suicide Ideation

Length: 227 Pages 

Reviewer: Kaz

Purchase At: amazon

Blurb:

Most people run from beasts, not to them…

Aster didn’t put much thought into his escape. All he knew when he ran up that mountain—straight into the lair of a grumpy dragon knight with a huge grudge against his family—was that he couldn’t submit to an arranged marriage. It never occurred to him that a snowstorm would strand him there. Or that he’d give in to years of longing and beg for the monster’s forbidden touch. But it happened. All of it…

Corin wasn’t trying to be a hero—especially not Aster’s hero. He couldn’t very well let him die, though. So he protected him. Which might have been considered noble…if he hadn’t also fallen into bed with him. Over and over again. But the cost of keeping Aster is far more than Corin’s willing to pay. Corin will eventually be forced to let him go—even if it destroys him.

When Aster’s problems follow him up the mountain—literally—he realizes running is no longer an option. The only question now is whether Corin will fight for him, or burn their potential happily ever after to the ground…

This spicy, steamy, M/M paranormal fantasy romance features a pair of star-crossed opposites, a little forced proximity (with only one bed), some silliness involving a lack of pants at unexpected moments, and plenty of dirty talk.

This series does not contain mpreg. There’s a brief occurrence of self-destructive ideation in this book, but no action is taken. HEA guaranteed!

Review: 

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve read a book or written a review. Not because I don’t want to read or review but because I’ve been sick. I feel right about coming back on an Eliot Grayson book because I love EG’s writing.  Corin and the Courtier was released last year but I finally got to read it this year. I don’t know how often I will read and review, I’m mostly listening to audiobooks, and right now reviews are hard for me, but I hope to gradually get back into it.

This is really typical Grayson –

As an extreme cover lover – this cover is awesome. ^^

There can be one self-deprecating character and one grumbly but good hearted character in Grayson’s books  and that’s the case here. Eh, Corin is a bit of a dick face in the beginning but you know he’s defensive barriers are up, up, up but he shall overcome! Aster thinks he’s unworthy but buys a clue and some moxie as the book progresses.

It was mostly on the sweet side but with a deeper undercurrent – both Corin and Aster have to hurdle relationship betrayal. Belinda, Aster’s sister and Corin’s ex, had… well, shat upon Corin so Corin had to get past that family of origin roadblock. And Corin had been betrayed and humiliated by his ex fiancée so he thinks zip about himself as relationship material. Yet we all know that this pair are the romantic leads so they have to get past their triggers.

Aster might look like Belinda and he might have come here for reasons that made Corin want to throw him out the window. But he was so young, so alone, and trying so hard to be brave.

It made me laugh when it was supposed to – the trumpet thing… yeah, I liked that. But the letter, the letter from a secret, jealous secondary character, that cracked me the hell up.

It was sexy, a big cock and the admiring of said cock, getting their horizontal cha cha on – character doubts and all – are not limited to this writer but are definitely a Grayson thing that they do well.

But maybe that was because of the terrifyingly large cock Aster had felt pressing first into his belly, when they were standing, and then into his hip. Could Corin have…a tree branch in his trousers, or something? Or a broom handle? Except that was too thick to be a broom handle.

Then there’s the name of Corin’s sword. Hint——->

(…) he saw the base of Corin’s cock between his thighs, massively thick and with a faint green shimmer of scales, and everything went all swimmy.

It also has desperate sex. Some “ravaging.”

“Take me,” Corin whispered into Aster’s mouth. “All of me.” He rocked deeper, less gently this time, giving Aster another couple of inches, already more than enough to satisfy a human. Corin didn’t want to satisfy him. He wanted to ravage him.

The world building is good. It absolutely gives the reader a sense of a different place and a different time, including lovely prose that sets the scene.

The editing was first class as is always the case with this writer’s books.

Why I keep reading Eliot Grayson – Corin and Aster made me get behind them and cheer for them. I categorically need that in all things fiction.

Overall:

Corin and the Courtier is the second book in the Beautiful Beasts series but you don’t need to have read Deven and the Dragon to read or enjoy this book. It stands alone. It’s fun, it’s sexy – it’s got knotting, dragon knotting – and it’s easy reading. If you like fantasy and gay romance combined with good writing, this is a winner.

ETA: Oooh, I noticed that this is coming out in audiobook on April 16th with the brilliant Greg Boudreaux narrating – a perfect match! –  so naturally I just pre-ordered it.