The Official Description: Once upon a time,
the fate of three men was decided in a world where it was forever Christmas.
A faerie forced to flee his homeland
Kaegan lives in fear of his vicious twin brother. Tormented and abused, his only option is to escape to the one place he knows he’ll be safe: Inverkillen, a haven of magic, eternal Christmas where he has the chance to live the life he craves. But leaving Faerieland means taking a huge risk.
A man searching for a second chance
Aiden’s world is broken. Life is a dark and wretched place—until a chance encounter with Kaegan gives him hope for a brighter future. But fate has never been Aiden’s friend. No sooner has Kaegan come into his life, than he’s gone. Aiden is resigned to loneliness, but after he makes a startling discovery, he takes a decision that could be the biggest gamble of his life.
An anguished soul ready to end it all
Pascal is afraid to love. He’s determined not to risk his heart when he knows everything can be snatched away in a single moment. A fateful meeting leads to a night of enchantment and passion, leaving Pascal hungry to know more about the mysterious Kaegan. But when morning comes, Kaegan is gone, leaving Pascal to follow the one clue he has to the beautiful stranger’s whereabouts.
Three men in search of a second chance, deep in a snowy wilderness. Will Christmas cast its magic to give them the greatest gift of all: their Happy Ever After?
Just the facts: M/M/M, fantasy, intense/triggering content, suspense
Three men raised in different worlds find each other by luck… fate and a bit of magic. – Kinzie Things
My thoughts bit: This story begins with a lot of tough stuff! I’m not a particularly sensitive reader but I would definitely have liked to know some of what was coming. If you find that some heavy or intense issues affect you, please read my warnings at the bottom of this review!
Now that’s out of the way… please don’t think that I didn’t enjoy this book, because I did! Each of the main characters had a lot of diversity when they were young, and it left them all scarred in a different way.
Kaegan is a lovely creature. In spite of his abusive brother and distant mother, he is a gentle soul who uses his magic to create beauty. I found it really difficult to read about the way that Kaegan’s brother was so abusive towards him. Because they are Faeries, it’s forbidden for Kaegan to use his magical power to hurt another of his kind. So, Kaegan puts up with his brother beating him and torturing him. It’s quite horrible to read and I really felt for him so kudos to the author for writing something with such emotion and intensity.
Aiden broke my heart. I cried reading about his childhood. He had an abusive mother who was a substance abuser. She was terrible to him. He grew up with nothing but a small stuffed dog and a snowglobe he found in a dumpster. I think the most touching thing was that he never stopped wanting to be loved… in spite of the fact that the people he had loved had done nothing but be cruel to him. He is still open to a future when he meets Kaegan at the art gallery and is charmed by him. He even agrees to meet him for a date… despite the abusive boyfriend he’s leaving behind him.
Pascal is probably suffering from depression when he meets Kaegan. They share a night of passion and for once, Pascal is curious about what more he could have. He’s been frightened of love and avoided connection with most people. It seems as though Pascal is lost and doesn’t really know how to love the people in his life.
Kaegan meets Pascal and Aiden on the same day but neither relationship takes hold despite the intensity of his feelings for each man. When they begin the search for one another there are many things standing in their way.
The use of magic in the book is quite beautiful. I loved that Kaegan created an entire town for himself full of all the things that he had loved in the human world. I also liked the way that the interests of the characters were very complimentary… the way that Pascal wanted to be an architect, Aiden was an artist… and Kaegan created with his magic.
I think that the novel could benefit from a bit more editing. That last third of the book seemed a bit drawn out. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) Child abuse and neglect, Avalanche, Family alienation, Sibling abuse, Physical assault resulting in blindness, Cheating in a relationship, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Disability shaming, Suicidal ideation, Mentions past attempted suicide, Incarceration, and confinement.
Readalikes: Other similar reads you might like:
- He Dreams Magic by Emme C. Taylor
- Hearts of Fire (Chevalier #1) by Kay Doherty
- The Musician and the Monster by Jenya Keefe
I received an ARC of A Faerie Story by Barbara Elsborg via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 