Blood and Ash by Kate Aaron

*Contains Adult Content*

Release Date: 26/06/11

Publisher: Self-published/Smashwords/Amazon

Pages: Unknown

Target Audience: Adults

Genre: Fantasy/M-M Romance/Faerie

Synopsis: War is coming...

Ash has never left the palace. For seventeen years he has been kept close by his father and brother, bound by their vow to protect him. He has grown up safe, innocent, and lonely.

Now the fae Realm is under attack, and the witches have threatened Ash personally. To protect his younger brother, Skye has done something unthinkable. He has brought a vampire into the Realm.

Azrael owes Skye a great debt. He takes his position as Ash's guardian out of loyalty to his brother, but everything changes when he finds himself falling for the young prince: the first mortal he's loved in a thousand years.

With his enemies closing in, and the king slowly dying, can Skye trust Azrael to protect Ash while he prepares to defend the Realm? Will Azrael be able to control his feelings for Ash as he reconciles the demons from his past? And will Ash ever feel like he truly belongs anywhere?

'Blood & Ash' is the first book in the Lost Realm series.

My Review: I hadn't read any male/male romance or erotica before and I wasn't sure really what to expect. Honestly, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the bedroom scenes, maybe it just isn't my thing. That isn't against the author or against anything else either, just didn't appeal to me a lot. You may therefore be wondering why it got four out of five?  Simply put, the emotional romantic side coupled with the incredible Faerie/Vampire story was amazing!

I enjoyed reading about Azrael's past and about his developing relationship with Ash, despite the obstacles that they both have to overcome in order to get there and  it made a change seeing a male/male romantic relationship develop in such challenging circumstances. Among all the usual conventional romances out there, it really stands out.  As well as romance, there is no shortage of action, peril and danger as war is set to be unleashed on the Lost Realm, with Ash at the centre of the conflict. 

I think after reading this I will definitely read the sequel at some point simply to find out what happens next. There is so much potential for this series to take flight to greater heights and there's so much that could be explored in future books and so much I want to know about Ash's and Azrael's world. 

Finally, I have to admit I stumbled on this book by accident but clearly that's the best way to find some books, if you love your romance and your faerie or vampire tales, give this book a go! :-)