Dana reviews the audio book of Treasure by Kim Fielding. (Self-published February 3, 2016, 116 pgs. Released on audio July 6, 2016. 4 hrs 5 mins. Narrated by Joel Leslie.) A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Julian Massey has always been sickly. When the young man’s parents send him to the seaside town of Urchin Cove to recuperate, he finds himself stranded in a tiny cabin with only the quirky local inhabitants for company. Then a storm blows through, and he finds an unexpected discovery washed up on the beach: an unconscious man.
After stealing a treasure, Kit Archer is taken prisoner by a ruthless pirate, Captain Booth. When a storm hits the pirate ship, Kit is able to escape, but not without serious injuries. Jules nurses him back to health, and friendship grows into desire. But Captain Booth is bound to come in search of his treasure and the man who stole it.
In a world with dragons, sprites, and wizards, it’s going to take more than a little magic for Jules and Kit to find lasting happiness together.
Buy links: Audible | Amazon | Add to Goodreads
The narration – This is a review of another book narrated by Joel Leslie. If you haven’t given any of the audios he’s narrated a try yet, I strongly recommend you do. He is a master of voices, always creating a different sound for the main characters as well as the secondary ones. He can also emote so well, only making my connection with the characters even stronger.
The story – It’s often hard to create a completely satisfying story in the amount of pages allowed to a novella. I think Kim Fielding did a pretty good job especially having to create an alternative world. The story seems like it is set a couple hundred years ago, but it is a fantasy story so it might be a different world altogether, someplace out of our time. There are dragons that pull carriages, and imps that beg to be fed, reminding me of pigeons or squirrels. I thought the setting was very interesting and I wish it could have been explored even more.
Kit is a pirate who washes up on shore in front of Julian’s cottage. I like Kit, he has a seductive personality and gives Julian an experience he never thought he would have. He also does seem to care about Julian a lot and is there for him when it really matters. Julian, though is the star of this book for me. He comes to Urchin Cove from the city where he has been withering away with sickness. He changes there and slowly finds his strength, physical and mental. He is brave, kind, and loyal. I like them together, but I didn’t really get to feel their chemistry as much as I would have liked.
All in all, it’s an enjoyable book. It’s sweet and sexy with bouts of adventure and magic. If you are looking for a quick listen, I’d highly recommend it.
8.5/10 Pots of Gold (85% Recommended) – Compares to 4.25/5 Stars
Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.
Kim’s novel Brute was the 2013 Rainbow Award Winner for Best Gay Fantasy and tied for fourth place for Best Gay Novel.
After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.
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