Reviewing Shield Mate by Eressë.

   

Shield Mate (Chronicles of Ylandre #7) by Eressë  5*

BLURB: The respect of many pales beside the regard of one who matters above all else.
Ranael knew his obligations to family and society. As a scion of Ylandre’s most powerful House, he was destined for a life of service, albeit a privileged one. As the son of a wealthy fief-lord, he was supposed to bed or wed as befitted his station. With obedience to authority ingrained in him since childhood, Ranael hewed closely to what was expected of a royal-blooded aristocrat and a military officer. Thus, defiance of the strictures of his position never entered his mind. Until he came to covet Vaeren Henaz.

Vaeren did his duty to king and country despite attempts to put him in his place and keep him there. A survivor of neglect and frightful adversity before and after he fled the orphanage wherein he grew up, Vaeren refused to let his illegitimacy or lack of sufficient lineage stop him from fighting his way up the ranks of Ylandre’s hidebound army. Nor did he allow anything or anyone to trample on his dignity or his heart. Until he learned to love Ranael Mesare.

In the dual-gendered realm of Ylandre, two warriors of nigh irreconcilably dissimilar backgrounds battle their way through the vagaries of military conventions, social censure, and personal vendettas. All while struggling with an attraction that contravenes the traditions and expectations that shape life and love in the world of Aisen’s most powerful nation.


My Review: This series was my introduction to mpreg stories and it's still the best of it's kind for me. I love how the world building and story lines explain how and why men get pregnant and how caste is an important factor not gender. However through all 7 books (with a fair few more to come which delights me) the caste system is put under scrutiny and change. This particular story had me first wanting to smack Ranael upside his head, then hug him in comfort and, at the same time, like him, I fell in love with Vaeren. 
I don't want to give away to much above and beyond the blurb so I will just add that I loved meeting some of the old characters and seeing how their stories interacted with Ranael's and Vaeren's. If you like mpreg books or more especially Eressë's Chronicles of Ylandre then you are going to like this book. 

Reviewing Cross Purposes by Eressë

Cross Purposes (Chronicles of Ylandre #5) by Eressë 5*
BLURB: With love, the line between happiness and heartache is all too easy to cross.
One of Ylandre’s most prominent nobles, Keosqe Deilen may have had it all in terms of wealth, power and social rank. But in matters of the heart, he was impoverished. Such was the consequence of falling in unrequited love. Though he hides that love and his sorrow well, a few inevitably see through his masquerade.
Young Tristen Marante is quick to discern Keosqe’s pain. His blunt sympathy is a balm to Keosqe’s wounded heart as much as his beauty is an effective distraction from the noble’s hopeless yearning. But Tristen is a skittish would-be lover, whose reluctance to express his affection is as much an impediment as the lack of reciprocation from Keosqe’s first love had been. Whereas Keosqe seeks intimacy, Tristen shies from it, suspicious of the motives behind his pursuit and unwilling to yield his heart so easily or soon.
With such different perspectives toward lust and love, is it any wonder their path to a common goal is strewn with stumbling blocks and paved with false impressions?
My Review: This is the last in the series so far and I really hope the author brings out more of them. Like the previous stories in this series I was drawn in and felt every emotion alongside the MCs. Again the story runs parallel with the others for some of the time and the reader gets to read about them from the MCs point of view. The way the author tugs at the reader's heartstrings is very intense and there were many passages that had me near tears.

Reviewing Heartstrings by Eressë

Heartstrings (Chronicles of Ylandre #4) by Eressë 5*
BLURB: When all else comes to naught, a steadfast heart is the only thing that stands between hope and despair.
Scions of the most powerful House in Ylandre, Ashrian Mithani and Eiren Sarvan were more than just cousins. Lovers of long standing, theirs was a bond that would have been the envy of all were it not for one glaring flaw — Ashrian’s inability to commit himself wholeheartedly to Eiren. Despite the dismay of some and the derision of others, Eiren bore his inconstancy, displaying a loyalty Ashrian seemed incapable of returning. That is, until Ashrian crossed a line and the transgression proved one Eiren could not forgive.
In the wake of grief and remorse, Ashrian seeks to make amends and win Eiren back. But something stands in his way. Or rather someone. And the irony of it all is that Ashrian can neither hate nor help befriending the Deir who is his rival for the heart of Ylandre’s most beloved physician.
My Review: If you haven't noticed yet I am working my way through the Chronicles OF Ylandre by Eressë. Oh boy are they good, she has me feeling everything her MCs do and it is getting heart wrenching. In this latest book I was so angry with Ashrian for being such a fool and yet I also felt so sorry for him as he made so many avoidable mistakes. His growth throughout the story was wonderfully portrayed. Yet again this was a story with a parallel timeline to previous ones and it was lovely seeing the events of them as they occurred in this one. It gives the reader a chance to catch up on former MCs in such away so as not to distract from the main story.

Working my way through The Ylandre Chronicles

By Chance Met (Chronicles of Ylandre #3) by Eressë 5*
BLURB: A chance meeting heralds the convergence of two heretofore wildly divergent fates.
From the moment he laid eyes on the handsome Lord of Ilmaren, Naeth Orosse fell head over heels in infatuation with him. And after that first meeting in the middle of a tavern brawl in the dual-gendered realm of Ylandre, Reijir Arthanna did not forget the orphaned youth who came to his aid unasked. When fate brings them together anew, Reijir becomes Naeth’s guardian, which proves both blessing and bane when their mutual attraction is guilelessly nursed by one and distrustfully downplayed by the other.
Between attempting to ignore Naeth’s artless overtures and suppressing feelings he had long disavowed, Reijir has his hands full. But more than a title and duty were forced on this enigmatic cousin of Ylandre’s king. A less than benevolent past has left its imprint on Reijir who is as known for his cynical outlook on life as he is for his exotic features and proficiency between the sheets. Convincing him to risk his heart in love is a battle more experienced Deira than Naeth have waged and invariably lost.
Contains hermaphrodism and explicit homoerotic sexual encounters.
My Review: I am so immersed in the men of Ylandre that I can't wait to pick up the next book. This one had me grinning and crying and generally torn up by the hardships the relationship went through. I really felt for the MCs and was impressed by Eressë's ability to make them so different and interesting. One thing I really liked was how, just like in book two, the storyline ran parallel to book one, you also get to meet old characters from the previous books as they interact with the MCs of this one.

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold & Hallowed Bonds by Eresse

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga #15) by Lois McMaster Bujold 5*
BLURB: Book fifteen in the best-selling Vorkosigan series. This time the story moves away from Miles Vorkosigan, the protagonist of the earlier books, to his cousin, Captain Ivan Vorpatril.
Captain Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor’s life as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral, assigned to the planet Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system.
This content existence is shattered when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman, who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate. Ivan’s chivalrous nature takes over, and it seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril.
Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on the free-for-all planet of Jackson’s Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It’s a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage to the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej’s homeworld. But none of Tej’s formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan’s facade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch–up to and including making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm.
My Review: I have loved reading about the Vorkosigans ever since I discovered Lois Bujold's stories about them but, I was still a little apprehensive that this one wouldn't be as good as it was about a cousin not a Vorkosigan. I am glad to say I needn't have been. Not only was it as good as all her other Vorkosigans stories, it was Space Opera with great big dashes of humour and action added to the pot. I loved every word of it and it was lovely to read about Ivan without him being overshadowed by the larger than life Miles Vorkosigan.


Hallowed Bond (Chronicles of Ylandre #2) by Eressë 5*
BLURB: Time and circumstances may force true lovers apart but the tie that binds them can never be fully severed.
When Dylen Teris and Riodan Leyhar meet one harsh winter in the dual-gendered realm of Ylandre, neither expects the encounter to lead to a fast friendship and abiding love. For a chasm of vastly dissimilar social stations lies between them, and not all Deira could imagine, let alone accept, such a relationship.
Circumstances eventually separate them for what seems forever only to conspire to bring them together once more in the most unlikely of places—at the court of Rohyr Essendri, Ylandre’s powerful monarch. Complicating their situation is the attraction that still lingers between them, waiting to flare once more into love. But when one is unwilling to venture his heart again or wholly forgive its breaker, it may take a king’s interference to reunite these star-crossed lovers for good.
My Review: This is the second book in a series but it can (with a little bit of a push) be considered a stand alone. Most of the background needed to understand the world is there and as it runs parallel to the first one there is a lot of overlap in timeline story. However for the best understanding it should be read after Sacred Fate anyway. A lot of people mentioned betrayal and stuff but I ignored that and am glad I did. Without giving spoilers, I can understand where they were coming from about Rio but I understood him and his reasons. Plus the story would have lost half its emotional content without it. Personally I say if you enjoyed reading book one then read it with an open mind and enjoy this one too.

More audio books

Since the last update on my audio book addiction I have listened to two more books by Elizabeth Moon, namely:

Command Decision: Vatta's War, Book 4 by Elizabeth Moon Narrated by Cynthia Holloway Story 5 Narration 5
and
Victory Conditions: Vatta's War, Book 5 by Elizabeth Moon Narrated by Cynthia Holloway Story 5 Narration 5

I have also reread Sacred Fate by Eressë in preparation for reading the rest of the series that I have finally bought. Here is my original review:


Sacred Fate (Chronicles of Ylandre #1) by Eressë 5*
BLURB: In the dual-gendered realm of Ylandre, the great divide between the high-born True Bloods and the lower-ranked Half Bloods is deemed impassable by most. Rohyr Essendri dared to cross it when he took young Lassen Idana from his provincial town and made him his paramour. Lassen perforce learned how to navigate the intricate byways of life at court. What he never expected, however, was to fall in love with Rohyr, a most inadvisable and impractical thing to do when one’s lover is sovereign ruler of the land. But anything worth having is worth fighting for, both figuratively and, as Lassen discovers, literally speaking. Contains hermaphroditism and explicit homoerotic sexual encounters.
My Review: I really loved this story. It was sufficiently different than other fantasy stuff that it had me hooked from the start. I fell for both heroes and really lived the story with them. As I have mentioned many times before I love a book that is so well written it can move me to tears and this one did that more than once. I just want to say that anyone who loves a well written story with a depth of emotion and a clarity of world building needs to read this!

n.b. My opinion hasn't changed and I am currently feeling similarly about book 2 which I am half way through.