A nice read, but there a reason I am not a fan on ménage. Not to mention that Kel and Ianis didn’t work for me, not with all that pent up anger Kel carried with him for so many years.

3.5 stars ( )

A murder mystery set in a fantasy world is at the center of act one of the ‘Forester Triad’ and it had my attention from the beginning. The main character, a cloud elf named Kelnaht, is a truth seeker, an elf tasked with examining the situation and figuring out who murdered an innocent young woman. As I followed him through the procedure, his examination of the evidence, and the gradual uncovering of clues, I found out more about him as well as the elf society. It turned out to be a fascinating trip on every level!

Kelnaht has his hands full not just with a murder case that seems to be impossible to solve, but also with his former lover, Ianys, who suddenly plays a role, and his own forbidden desires for the shunned forester elf, Taruif. The elf society Kelnaht lives in is very restrictive, and the more I discovered about all the things he is not supposed to do and how strict the elders are, the more I felt for him.

Ianys has history with Kelnaht, and it’s not a happy tale. Taruif is not allowed to speak to anyone, and when I found out why, my heart broke for him. He lives at the border of elf society and, as it turns out, Ianys is breaking the rules and has been having an affair with him. What a mess!

As an introduction to this trilogy, ‘Act One’ worked well for me. The three main players are interesting men who each have their own issues as well as a total muddle of a three-way relationship. I hope they will turn into a true triad at some point – and the title of the book seems to indicate that’s what will happen – but I am already sure that it will not be easy! I am equally sure that it will be an exciting, unusual journey full of obstacles and am looking forward to reading the next book.

If you like fantasy worlds full of elves with all kinds of “rules and regulations” keeping them from doing what their hearts desire, if you want to see the beginning of a complicated three-way relationship, and if you’re looking for a read that is both suspenseful and filled with magic, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )