A mini-review of a paranormal romance with a favorite narrator, submitted by Caz.
Narrated by J.F. Harding
After Cassius Corbin’s mother was murdered by fellow witches, he learned an invaluable lesson: death comes for us all—even Necromancers. Six years later, enrolling at Tennebrose University with vengeance on his mind, the last thing he expects is to come face to face with Graeme Hewitt, the son of his mother’s killer. As much as Cassius tries to avoid the naive weather witch, fate has other plans.
In spite of their families’ ongoing feud, they’re forced to work together if they have any hope of passing their required class. But as late nights and stolen moments turn to something more, a rash of demonic murders plagues the university. If they don’t get to the bottom of it, they could both be next.
MALUM DISCORDIAE is a dark academia, paranormal MM romance about witches, Necromancers, and a blood feud that has lasted centuries. It features plenty of steam, a lot of snark, and the pile of bodies you’d expect in a magical Romeo + Juliet retelling—except this one has a happy ending.
I’m not normally one for stories in which the protagonists are college age, so I will confess that I picked up Malum Discordiae simply because J.F. Harding’s name was on the cover! I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the story, but this is one of those times when taking a chance on something worked out; the book isn’t perfect – there are some pacing and plot issues – but all in all (and thanks to the excellent narration), I enjoyed it.
Cassius Corbin and Graeme Hewitt have no idea of each other’s identity when they hook up at a party – but as soon as they find out the truth, they both look set to continue the centuries-long feud between their families, despite the intense attraction that zings between them whenever they cross paths. This is enemies-to-lovers with some real bite, and Cassius and Graeme don’t hold back on the nasty insults and jibes (or just plain wanting to kill each other). Needless to say, neither of them is pleased when their botany professor instructs them to work together on their central project – but it’s not long before they’ve got more to worry about than passing a required class. A series of murders on campus leads Cassius and Graeme to discover that a demon has been summoned and is likely being controlled by a powerful witch – and they’re going to have to set aside their differences for real if they’re to banish the demon and prevent more deaths.
I liked the world the author has created, I liked the writing and the complexity of the plot, but the pacing drags in places, and while I like a good enemies-to-lovers romance, this one felt like an enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-to … you get the idea. I liked the push and pull between Cassius and Graeme, but there are too many backwards steps as they go from starting to like each other to snarling at each other again until they finally, finally admit to the truth of their feelings for one another. (It does make for some great hate sex, though ;)) My other major quibble is with the ending; after a climactic action scene and big reveal, the follow-through is rushed and described rather than played out on the page, and the same thing is true of the epilogue, where another plotline is tied up and we’re told rather than shown what happens in the aftermath.
J.F. Harding delivers an outstanding performance that brings this story vividly to life, expertly conveying the growling, snarky emnity between Cassius and Graeme (while at the same time making it clear they really just want to rip each other’s clothes off!), and providing distinct character voices for the secondary cast. I can’t think of a single thing I disliked (other than the pronunciation of “Graeme” as “Gram”) – the pacing is spot on, the emotional content of the story is strongly portrayed and the big set pieces are exciting and full of tension.
Malum Discordiae was an enjoyable and entertaining listen that is (thankfully) unlike most of the other NA romances I’ve read or listened to – it has an actual plot and isn’t full of manufactured angst or endless, dumb navel gazing – and the fabulous narration made it easy to become caught up in the story. If J.F. Harding narrates the rest of the series, I’ll be here for it.
Caz
Buy Malum Discordiae by Ashlyn Drewek on Amazon
I’m tempted by this one after reading your excellent review even though I’m not generally a fan of any kind of paranormal. But, like you, I really love JF Harding’s work so I’ll add to my wish list.
I’ve been reading and listening to a lot more books in different sub-genres over the last few years because so much Contemporary romance is so dull and repetitive. There is some really good m/m PNR/Fantasy out there – Megan Maslow’s books are good and her audios have excellent narrators, and I’m just writing up a review for a fabulous WW1 set paranormal. Yes, there’s dross there, too, but I’ll keep on looking for the good stuff!