Title: The Hunted and the Hind

Series: Lost in Time #3

Author: A. L. Lester

Publisher: JMS Books LLC

Release Date: 30 December 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male, Male/NB

Length: 40,000 words

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Non-binary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Historical, 1920s

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Synopsis

Inadvertently tumbling through the border after Fenn and then thrown into the middle of the internecine political disputes of their people, Sergeant Will Grant of the Metropolitan Police has spent three months in prison in the Underhalls of the Frem. When Fenn comes to free him and return him home through the border, he has very little time to work out what’s going on before the sudden appearance of Fenn’s missing younger sibling, Keren, throws Fenn for a loop.

Instead of returning them to London as planned, the trio step through the border to the Egyptian desert. Once they work out where they are, it’s a two week trip back to England with the possibility of pursuit both onboard ship and when they reach home.

Will the journey give Fenn and Will time to resolve the feelings they have been dancing around since the day they met? How will they keep Keren from recapture by the faction who tried to persuade Fenn they were dead? And has Will’s friend Alec forgiven Fenn for lying about their motives when they first traveled to London four months ago?

The Hunted and the Hind is the third and final book in the 1920s ‘Lost in Time’ trilogy. The books need to be read in order.

My Review

Note to self: When requesting an ARC copy of a book, make sure to read the entire blurb carefully. Yes, I did receive a free advance copy of this book, but I then had to purchase the first two books in the series because I got over-excited about the historical, time-travel, magic\paranormal theme and missed the last part that it wasn’t stand-alone. So, the author basically got two purchases from me in exchange for the free copy.

On to the review: Yes, the blurb is right, you need to read the series in order. Book one, Lost in Time sets up some of the major characters of the series. Alec Carter and Will Grant come home from WWI and re-join the police force at about the same time. “Lew” Taylor is from the future where he was “working” (magical term) on a magical border between worlds. His foster sister is also a “worker” who transports herself back in time while trying to use the magic to find her dream job. Lew follows her “working” after he realizes what she’s done and is also transported back in time, but to a different year. While he’s searching for her, he finds friends to help him along the way. When one of those friends get murdered, he’s introduced to Alec Carter and Will Grant who figure out that he’s lying about something that might be related to the murder. Their investigation reveals the truth about the magical border and the “creature” that was pulled across from the other side when either Lew or his sister traveled back in time. The magical occurrences come to be known as “The Peculiar” with the group and the police supervisors above Alec and Will. Lew, Alec, and Will work together to try to locate the creature to stop the killing spree it’s on.

In the second book, Shadows on the Border, we are introduced to Fenn who crosses the border (Their people call it the Shimmer) to capture the same creature that the others are also hunting. Fenn meets Will Grant first, and they become allies in their hunt for the creature. Will introduces Fenn to the others on his team. During Fenn’s stay with the group, it’s revealed that Fenn’s family (specifically the youngest sibling) is in danger if the creature is not caught and returned to the other side. The group finally captures the creature and Fenn works to push it back across the border, but Will is caught in the “working” and crosses over as well.

This leads us to the last book, The Hunted and the Hind, Will is imprisoned by Fenn’s people while Fenn works to free both Will and Fenn’s captured sibling Keren. Fenn’s society is undergoing a political battle that has created a dangerous situation for both Fenn and Keren. Fenn returns Will to his world on the other side of the border and brings Keren along to protect them. During this book, Alec and Lew are called in to assist the couple as they try to protect Keren from the wrath of one political faction from the other side.

Often, I dislike reading series books that are not stand-alone especially if they have cliff-hangerish endings so it would have driven me nuts trying to figure out what happened to Will in Book 2 until Book 3 was released. But since I acquired all of them at the same time, I was able to just keep reading, and it was well worth it. The multiple romance arcs are a slow build over the entire series. Alec and Lew are the first to get their relationship lined out. Will and Fenn develop their relationship over the last two books, mainly in this last book of the series.

I love the entire series, but the blurb tells me this is the last book in the series. I’m entirely disappointed if that’s the case because this storyline makes an awesome beginning for a continuing series of adventures for the entire cast of characters. Will, Alec, Lew, and Fenn work well together to thwart the enemy’s plans and to combat “The Peculiar” throughout the series. I’d be delighted to read any more books featuring these characters and future incidents of “The Peculiar.” Or maybe they get called to the other side to aid Fenn’s people with an incident? I hope my review puts a bug in the Author’s ear and encourages an exploration of additional scenarios for these characters.

Excerpt

“Can I ride the one over there, please, Will Grant?” Keren called across the yard, pointing at creature with a white stripe down it’s face that they’d become enamored of earlier.

Will Grant nodded and came across the courtyard toward them. “You may. That was my intention, anyway.” They looked at Fenn. “Do you have animals you ride in the Outlands?” they asked.

Fenn stroked Olive’s nose. “Not like these,” they said. “These are beautiful creatures. We sometimes ride the antacas we use for pack animals. Some people breed them for meat, too. They have horns and a very sharp spine. And are extremely bad tempered. They’re smaller than these, though. Bumpy.”

Will Grant leaned against the stable door next to Fenn, as Keren took themselves across the yard to quiz the horse-keeper. He rubbed at Olive’s ears absently. “You’re not bumpy, are you girl? No-one would dream of accusing you of such a dreadful thing!”

The horse shook its head and buffeted Will Grant’s stomach. He staggered a little against Fenn’s side and blew out a laugh. It was very strange to see them like this, out of their city clothes, in what Fenn assumed were special clothes for riding. The humans seemed to have a variety of different clothes for each task, rather than sensible clothing that would serve for most things. Here in private, both Fenn and Keren had donned the extra clothes made for them in Port Said, patterned more or less on their usual loose trousers and robes.

It was even stranger to see Will laugh like this. After the conversation with their parent this morning, Will had seemed to let go of a little of the tension that had gathered round them since this trip had been mooted. It was a nice look on them, Fenn decided. Underneath it all was the tension and sadness that was Will’s permanent signature. But a little of that had eased. Fenn wondered what it would take to ease the rest of it.

“Come on, then,” Will Grant said, straightening. “Let’s get Keren up and we can go out for a wander through the woods and down to the lake. And once we’re there we can try our kias out near the water. We’re lucky Mama has kept the stable going, with no-one but her here to ride.” He glanced around. “The men coming home needed the work.”

Fenn nodded. “Your parent is a good person,” they said, cautiously. “They reminded me of Ana. Very…,” they searched for an accurate, polite word.

Will Grant laughed. “Very, yes,” they said. Their eyes had softened. “I haven’t done right by her,” they said. “I’ve been too wrapped up in my own head. I should have come home before.”

“It doesn’t sound like you were ready,” Fenn replied. “Home is a difficult place to be, sometimes.”

Will Grant shook their head. “But still. She’s my mother and she lost all of us. Father died a few years before the war and she missed him dreadfully. It was a love match, I think. They spent a lot of time together, anyway.”

Both of them were leaning against the stable door now, talking quietly whilst they watched the bustle as the horse-keepers got animals out for them all to ride.

“Is that not always the case, here?” Fenn asked, curiously.

Will looked at them over Olive’s nose. “For Mama’s generation, not always. Sometimes, marrying well is more important than whether you have strong feelings for your potential partner. Making the marriage and producing children is the thing, you see.”

Fenn looked at him.

“Not for me,” they hastened to add. “Mama has given up trying to marry me off. She made it clear this morning that she has no expectations in that direction at all.” They hesitated. “She said, you are welcome to visit here, too. She knows that I…have feelings…for you.”

Fenn was silent for a moment. “I would be honored to visit them,” they said. “Whether or not you have feelings for me, Will Grant.” They felt the shiver of embarrassment in Will’s kias. Humans did not talk about this sort of thing, apparently. Probably because most of them didn’t have kias and had to articulate everything verbally. It was very graceless and left a lot of room for misunderstanding. How did people without any kias at all between them manage?

They gently opened the edges of their kias to Will Grant and allowed their own feelings to be felt. Admiration, friendship, desire, love. All of it. Will glanced over and smiled, clearly picking some of it up without even trying to reach back.

The two of them stood against the door in amicable silence until the chief horse-keeper called across the yard, “Ready, Mr William? I’ve got Peter tacked up for you, here!”

Will Grant started. “Coming, Ralph. Thank you.

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Meet the Author

Writer of queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense. Lives in the South West of England with Mr AL, two children, a badly behaved dachshund, a terrifying cat and some hens. Likes gardening but doesn't really have time or energy. Not musical. Doesn't much like telly. Non-binary. Chronically disabled. Has tedious fits.