I don’t remember how I ended up with a copy of Consort of Fire. I might have received a copy directly from the publisher (Montlake). I might have seen it in a bookstore. I might have bought it on Amazon. I honestly have no idea, because I feel like I’ve had it for a million years.
So when my podcast co-host mentioned that we should read a romantasy book for our next When In Romance book club, my eye was immediately drawn to Consort of Fire on my shelf. I offered it up as an option, and it made sense for book club for multiple reasons: it was backlist, so folks should be able to find copies at bookstores and libraries; it was short which is not a common thing for fantasy, even romance; it was queer AF (though we wouldn’t find out just how queer until we each dug in); and it was by a lesser-known romantasy name in a world being overtaken by SJM and Rebecca Yarros.
And then? And then! I picked this bitch up and started reading.
Sachielle and Zanya have come from [The Capitol] (I don’t actually remember what it’s called) to join the household of The Dragon. Sachi has basically been betrothed to him, and will act as consort to the immortal. Zanya, her handmaiden, has come to be her protector and companion. And Ash? Ash just wants to endure another consort who thinks he’s evil and carry on with his endless life.
But of course, there’s a big secret that Sachi is keeping: she’s been sent not just to be Ash’s consort, but his murderer. And if she doesn’t kill him, she’ll die. Zanya has been charged with doing it for her, should she fail. Basically, Ash needs to die. But Sachi immediately likes him, and grows to care for him dearly, even as she keeps Zanya on as a lover. And Ash knows the best way to get Sachi to open up to him is to get Zanya to do so as well.
I am not explaining this well, but basically, by the end of the book, the banging goes three ways. As does the romance. It’s precious, and lovely, and everyone in this universe is ridiculously queer. It’s fantastic.
(Even if one of our listeners brought it to our attention that she calls Zanya Lasagne and now it’s completely stuck. Whoops.)
I’m looking forward to the upcoming release of Queen of Dreams, which will bring us back to this trio again. And I was happy to discover that after that one, Donna and Bree will be continuing to build out this world. (Because the other gods are just as interesting!)