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gillianw's review against another edition
5.0
https://justloveromance.wordpress.com/2016/08/18/witches-of-london-lars-aleksandr-voinov/
Admittedly, I know next to nothing about paganism or Norse gods. I know the names Odin and Loki from movies and TV but not why people pray to them for help or guidance. So, this gorgeous book from Aleksandr Voinov was not only enlightening, it was beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable.
Lars is perfection. He’s hardworking, honest and loyal to the Norse gods he looks to for guidance on almost every matter. Raised by an unorthodox family, his knowledge of pop culture is practically nil but he can run a farm and work with his hands and makes a healthy living running his own home renovation business.
Rhys is a man reformed. After spending years working around the clock and chasing the almighty pound in London’s money markets, he suddenly finds himself jobless, alone and suffering from a potentially life-threatening illness. But that illness has brought him a certain amount of clarity and living (and dying) on his own terms has become paramount.
Watching the two men fall in love is wonderful. There is an immediate connection between the two of them, but it doesn’t feel premature or forced. Rather, it seems almost destined. Rhys has all but given up hope for a recovery, but Lars, with his gentleness, his honesty and his deeply held beliefs has other ideas and they involve invoking help from the gods to aid in Rhys’ recovery.
I am not a particularly religious person, but I find there is a simple beauty in the way Lars worships and how he lets that ground him, both physically and spiritually. I was fascinated, even charmed by his rituals and I loved the small group of witches that take him in and make him one of their own. Although they all have different practices, they meld quite beautifully together and I couldn’t help but think that this is what organized religion should really be about – respecting that each group approaches things differently, but that they all have one common goal: to be heard and understood by the Spirit or spirits they pray to.
Just putting out a little reassurance here; this book is not about preaching some sort of pagan gospel. Rather, it feels more magical than anything. I was fascinated by the whole thing, from the reliance on astrology, the use of tarot cards, the focus on grounding your spirit and your energy and the use of hypnotism to reach the gods. I was so intrigued that the romance between Lars and Rhys seemed almost like a bonus!
I have to say, that I didn’t expect such a tender book from this author and it was a most pleasant surprise. I’m hoping we will get Julian’s story next but really, a book featuring any of the group members would be great (although I’m still holding out for a Julian/Tim story. I think they’d be combustible in the best way). 4.5 stars
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Admittedly, I know next to nothing about paganism or Norse gods. I know the names Odin and Loki from movies and TV but not why people pray to them for help or guidance. So, this gorgeous book from Aleksandr Voinov was not only enlightening, it was beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable.
Lars is perfection. He’s hardworking, honest and loyal to the Norse gods he looks to for guidance on almost every matter. Raised by an unorthodox family, his knowledge of pop culture is practically nil but he can run a farm and work with his hands and makes a healthy living running his own home renovation business.
Rhys is a man reformed. After spending years working around the clock and chasing the almighty pound in London’s money markets, he suddenly finds himself jobless, alone and suffering from a potentially life-threatening illness. But that illness has brought him a certain amount of clarity and living (and dying) on his own terms has become paramount.
Watching the two men fall in love is wonderful. There is an immediate connection between the two of them, but it doesn’t feel premature or forced. Rather, it seems almost destined. Rhys has all but given up hope for a recovery, but Lars, with his gentleness, his honesty and his deeply held beliefs has other ideas and they involve invoking help from the gods to aid in Rhys’ recovery.
I am not a particularly religious person, but I find there is a simple beauty in the way Lars worships and how he lets that ground him, both physically and spiritually. I was fascinated, even charmed by his rituals and I loved the small group of witches that take him in and make him one of their own. Although they all have different practices, they meld quite beautifully together and I couldn’t help but think that this is what organized religion should really be about – respecting that each group approaches things differently, but that they all have one common goal: to be heard and understood by the Spirit or spirits they pray to.
Just putting out a little reassurance here; this book is not about preaching some sort of pagan gospel. Rather, it feels more magical than anything. I was fascinated by the whole thing, from the reliance on astrology, the use of tarot cards, the focus on grounding your spirit and your energy and the use of hypnotism to reach the gods. I was so intrigued that the romance between Lars and Rhys seemed almost like a bonus!
I have to say, that I didn’t expect such a tender book from this author and it was a most pleasant surprise. I’m hoping we will get Julian’s story next but really, a book featuring any of the group members would be great (although I’m still holding out for a Julian/Tim story. I think they’d be combustible in the best way). 4.5 stars
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
This is not some super/paranormal fantasy with magic and unreal creatures but quite the philosophical look on different practices of faith, interwoven very nicely with a lovely contemporary romance.
Lars is your average bloke, trying to find a community to belong to, a place to practice his paganism without rebuke or ridicule. He’s busy with his business renovating houses, playing on his strengths as a builder and a nurturer and is basically the epitome of a gentle giant who wouldn’t mind finding that special someone to love. When Lars lands a big job from the stunning Rhys, he does hope a little that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t misread that spark of interest he saw in the gorgeous man’s eyes.
In turn, Rhys is somewhat on a new lease in life. He’s not necessarily fatalistic but he is realistic with his current predicament, and he’s not going to say no to the bright light and unbelievable wonder that Lars is. These two connect wonderfully and easily, and their interactions and intimate dance were all very sexy and swoony.
This is no doubt full of spirituality and looks at various forms of non-Christian religion. I’m not gonna lie. These aspects are abundant and detailed and though it doesn’t garner a lot of interest personally, it never came off preachy to me which I greatly appreciated.
At its core though, this is all about Lars and Rhys and their beautiful journey. Both these characters were really really likeable (Lars especially) and though there was no flash and bang, there is a nice touch of twisty angsty that is short lived but plausible. Throw in a seriously romantic happy ending that induced a few tears out of my cold heart, all of which provided that much appreciated happy sigh of contentment and satisfaction!
This is not some super/paranormal fantasy with magic and unreal creatures but quite the philosophical look on different practices of faith, interwoven very nicely with a lovely contemporary romance.
Lars is your average bloke, trying to find a community to belong to, a place to practice his paganism without rebuke or ridicule. He’s busy with his business renovating houses, playing on his strengths as a builder and a nurturer and is basically the epitome of a gentle giant who wouldn’t mind finding that special someone to love. When Lars lands a big job from the stunning Rhys, he does hope a little that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t misread that spark of interest he saw in the gorgeous man’s eyes.
In turn, Rhys is somewhat on a new lease in life. He’s not necessarily fatalistic but he is realistic with his current predicament, and he’s not going to say no to the bright light and unbelievable wonder that Lars is. These two connect wonderfully and easily, and their interactions and intimate dance were all very sexy and swoony.
This is no doubt full of spirituality and looks at various forms of non-Christian religion. I’m not gonna lie. These aspects are abundant and detailed and though it doesn’t garner a lot of interest personally, it never came off preachy to me which I greatly appreciated.
At its core though, this is all about Lars and Rhys and their beautiful journey. Both these characters were really really likeable (Lars especially) and though there was no flash and bang, there is a nice touch of twisty angsty that is short lived but plausible. Throw in a seriously romantic happy ending that induced a few tears out of my cold heart, all of which provided that much appreciated happy sigh of contentment and satisfaction!
louloureadsbooks's review
4.0
I've read this book several times and really enjoyed it. I saw it had come out on Audible and thought it would be a nice easy listen.
Unfortunately I struggled with the narration. Several times I found it hard to distinguish the main characters, when they were in conversation together.
Lars' friends, with the exception of Lee, all had the same accents to my ears. A bit of variety here would have brought more life into the group and the story.
I'll read the book again at some point because I like the mix of the mundane and magical but I won't be bothering with the audiobook again.
Unfortunately I struggled with the narration. Several times I found it hard to distinguish the main characters, when they were in conversation together.
Lars' friends, with the exception of Lee, all had the same accents to my ears. A bit of variety here would have brought more life into the group and the story.
I'll read the book again at some point because I like the mix of the mundane and magical but I won't be bothering with the audiobook again.
tashas_books's review
2.0
Not really what I was expecting, and I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I was expecting something more along the lines of a modern version of KJ Charles’ Magpie Lord. This was more religious/spiritual than magical (guess I should have read more of the reviews first).
My biggest gripe is about the characters and their relationship. Lars was a fairly well-developed character, but Rhys wasn’t, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two.
In conclusion, I was disappointed.
My biggest gripe is about the characters and their relationship. Lars was a fairly well-developed character, but Rhys wasn’t, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two.
In conclusion, I was disappointed.
zarco_j's review
3.0
Hmm the cover gets 4 stars but the book only gets 3 so it's a 3.5 average. How I wish I could give half starts on Goodreads... maybe they should implement this in the future.
I'm not usually a reader of M/M but I enjoyed this, there was just something missing from this and I think it was the pagan/witchcraft aspect of the story.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what though!
Would I read the next in the series... Maybe? Actually the honest answer should be I don't know.
I'm not usually a reader of M/M but I enjoyed this, there was just something missing from this and I think it was the pagan/witchcraft aspect of the story.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what though!
Would I read the next in the series... Maybe? Actually the honest answer should be I don't know.
jayfr's review
3.0
Hmm the cover gets 4 stars but the book only gets 3 so it's a 3.5 average. How I wish I could give half starts on Goodreads... maybe they should implement this in the future.
I'm not usually a reader of M/M but I enjoyed this, there was just something missing from this and I think it was the pagan/witchcraft aspect of the story.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what though!
Would I read the next in the series... Maybe? Actually the honest answer should be I don't know.
I'm not usually a reader of M/M but I enjoyed this, there was just something missing from this and I think it was the pagan/witchcraft aspect of the story.
It's hard to put my finger on exactly what though!
Would I read the next in the series... Maybe? Actually the honest answer should be I don't know.
myzanm's review
3.0
This was definitely different.
I had a serious problem getting into the story and I really struggled through the first third of the book. The rest of the book went smoother.
There was a bit of ranting in the beginning and things occasionally got a bit patronizing. I think that was part of my struggles with this book. Not because of my devote christian beliefs, but rather the tone rubbed me the wrong way.
The book was in no way a bad book. I have a tendency to get stuck in a mind set and it is hard to turn that around. In this case the tone bothered me in the beginning and I just couldn't let go of that even though both the story and tone changed.
I had a serious problem getting into the story and I really struggled through the first third of the book. The rest of the book went smoother.
There was a bit of ranting in the beginning and things occasionally got a bit patronizing. I think that was part of my struggles with this book. Not because of my devote christian beliefs, but rather the tone rubbed me the wrong way.
The book was in no way a bad book. I have a tendency to get stuck in a mind set and it is hard to turn that around. In this case the tone bothered me in the beginning and I just couldn't let go of that even though both the story and tone changed.
blupblup's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jreason's review against another edition
3.0
I was really eager to read this book when I saw it pop up on my good reads. Whilst it wasn't the most disappointing book I've ever read, it wasn't the best either. I have never classified myself as a follower of any of what are considered Pagan Religions but I have always held an interest in knowing and learning about them (mainly wicca). I am torn between being a believer, and a non believer, if I believed in any deities it would be those from the Pagan Religious groups. Whilst I have never had much of a interest in the Norse Panthenon it is something I plan to learn about one day.
But sadly even due to my interest in them, I couldn't get into this story. I found the writing style a bit dodgy, it flows well but it seems to flow well for spoken conversation not written reading. Normally this isn't a problem but at parts I had trouble understanding and had to reread it multiple times. There where parts of the story where the author relied massively on subtext, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.
But sadly even due to my interest in them, I couldn't get into this story. I found the writing style a bit dodgy, it flows well but it seems to flow well for spoken conversation not written reading. Normally this isn't a problem but at parts I had trouble understanding and had to reread it multiple times. There where parts of the story where the author relied massively on subtext, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened.
Spoiler
Also the ending was a bit obvious. In this particular story I would have preferred not to have a HEA.zzoomzzoom's review against another edition
3.0
it was cute, didn't feel as much as a connection to the character or the main themes of pageantry as most of it felt rather dull. however my favorite scenes are the ones of Lars and Julien and their sessions, this is where the writing is on a whole different class of stunning and the depictions of all elements are at it's best.