What fun!

This sci-fi book about an arranged marriage has an outrageous premice and very endearing characters. Jainan and Kiem are so well fleshed-out that I was ready to overlook the fact that I couldn't fathom why two men would be forced into a diplomatic arranged marriage, since arranged marriages are usually meant to produce offsprings. But you know what? It took barely a chapter for the banter and alchemy to convince me it was still a good idea. True, the total lack of communication in the first half of the book almost made me pull my own hair, but it's so satisfying to see the relationship evolve, and evolve healthily.

I'm not a fan of romance but this one was pleasant. It did start as insta-love, but took a long time to develop from there so it didn't feel that rushed.

Rep: brown queer MCs, diverse & queer characters.