Strange Fortune

by Josh Lanyon

Valentine Strange, late of his Majesty's 21st Benhali Lancers, needs money. Happily, the wealthy Holy Orders of Harappu are desperate to retrieve the diadem of the Goddess Purya from an ancient temple deep in the mountainous jungle, an area Strange knows well from his days quelling rebellions. The pay is too good and the job seems too easy for Strange to refuse. But when Master Aleister Grimshaw, a dangerous witch from a traitorous lineage, joins the expedition, Strange begins to suspect that more is at stake than the retrieval of a mere relic. Grimshaw knows an ancient evil surrounds the diadem, the same evil once hunted him and still haunts his mind. However, experience has taught him to keep his suspicions to himself or risk being denounced as madman. Harried by curses, bandits and unnatural creatures, Strange and Grimshaw plunge onward. But when a demonic power wakes and the civilized world descends into revolution, their tenuous friendship is threatened as each man must face the destruction of the life he has known--Publisher's description.

• ISBN10: 193556000X
• ISBN13: 9781935560005
• Publish Date: 1 December 2009
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 19 February 2014
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Blind Eye Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Strange Fortune is a standalone fantasy with a significant M/M romance sideplot written by Josh Lanyon. Originally released in 2009, this reformat and re-release is 324 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

I am not a regular reader of romance, but I -am- a devotee of alternate worlds fantasies, and I was familiar with some of the author's previous work. I was also intrigued by the alternate Earth setting (based on India during the British Raj). It's a fantasy, so add some minor gods, old ones, a male witch, and a handsome cavalry officer, some artifacts of power, brooding political subterfuge, and stir well.

The author is adept at her craft; I never felt lost or that the pacing was too uneven. The story is told in alternating narrative around the two main characters. They're very different from one another; sensitive magician and brawny soldier of fortune. It is well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend it to fans of M/M fantasy romance and historical romance.

There are several love scenes but none are overtly explicit (I would catergorize them as R-rated). The dialogue is surprisingly well written. There are some elements of narcotic use, murder, claustrophobia triggers, mild (systemic) racism, and murder.

Four stars. Well written and definitely worth a look, especially for fans of the genre.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.