Review: A sweet love story in a classic fantasy
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
The Chosen follows the adventures of Prince Severin, a spoiled and somewhat moody hero who has a sense of being incomplete because his father does not approve of him. His big problem is that he is not attracted to women, and yet, when his father is killed and he becomes king, he must marry and produce an heir to the throne. He is already half in love with the beautiful young male slave he purchased on a trip to Oscia, a neighboring country, in order to set him free. The former slave, Havyn, has accepted an apprenticeship to Ildar, the court magician, and is already showing signs of having great ability in the ways of magic.When Severin is promised to the princess of Oscia, in order to avoid war, he sets out with Ildar and Havyn on a quest which has the usual ups and downs of a fantasy tale. He encounters the magical race of Aldari, finds that his betrothed has eloped with a commoner, and when he finds her, she has many secrets to reveal about the true identify of Havyn.The story is enjoyable, and the character of Havyn is endearing, as was Ildar and the female bodyguard who saves the day in an unlikely manner. Prince Severin was initially unlikeable, as I don't care for petulance in grown men, but he gradually matured as his love for Havyn grew. None of the characters were particularly deep or thoughtful, but in this type of story, that may not be a problem. The sex scenes were a bit by the book, and the language was workmanlike. I noticed many places where some judicious editing would have helped, and there were a few typos and misspellings.Despite the relative explicitness of the sex, I considered this romance more on the "sweet" than the "erotic" side. I did appreciate a world where same sex couplings were considered normal and pair bonding was celebrated by the population.