ARC Review: Gabriel's City by Laylah Hunter

Gabriel's City
by Laylah Hunter
Published by Riptide Publishing
Ebook (received from publisher via NetGalley, thank you!)
NA/Adult, LGBT, fantasy, romance

For spoiled young aristocrat Colin Harwood, the port city of Casmile is a buffet of easy pleasures. But when he steps into a pub brawl to help a dangerously outnumbered young man, he is drawn into the seedy underbelly of the city the young man calls home.

Gabriel is a cutpurse and a knife for hire, practically an urban legend. His vision of Casmile is touched by a strange combination of faith and madness, driven by fairytale logic and a capacity for love that he often must suppress to survive. He’s always worked alone, but when a dashing dragon who calls himself Colin saves him in a bar fight, he pulls Colin into his world.

Gabriel’s city is nothing like the refined, socialite existence that bored Colin senseless. Colin finds adventure and excitement there—and maybe even love. But with his layers of finery stripped away, nothing remains to protect him from poverty or danger—except Gabriel. So he must choose: go back to the civilized young man he once was, or fly free as Gabriel’s dragon.

Publication November 17th.

 

Let me praise the writing up to the sky. Hunter's writing was magical and it really took me from my reading place and introduced me the city of Casmile where everything seemed so much more exciting. There was no finery or socialite as Gabriel introduced Colin - or as he said, his Drake - to darker side of Casmile: the dark, gloomy streets. It was magical as Hunter's writing descriped everything yet so detailed but not boring at all. Also, she really knew her characters and I felt so lucky to witness how they both grew as a person and how much they taught to each other.

Technically Gabriel's City was a street thug romance. However, Hunter's writing, the plot and characters itself (mainly Colin and Gabriel) made the story seem so much more. It wasn't simply street thug romance as Colin learned that the priviledged life he had wasn't everything there was and while Gabriel learned some compassion and kindness from Colin. They made each other better in their own ways and it wasn't forced at all. Many times in romance genre it feels forced - there's a man and woman or man and man and they fall in love and things happen. Hunter did it differently. She told a story about two young men - whose life couldn't be more different, whose personalities were different. Practically everything in them was different from each other. During the story the romance aspect seemed to be more like a backround as it was there but it didn't consume the story and it's characters itself.

And Gabriel. Oh my, he's a character that stole my heart practically right away. Some could say he's a nutcase. I'd say he's edgy, interesting, spontanius, unpredictable, marvellous, nothing like I've ever had pleasure to meet. Gabriel's not good, per say, no - he's a street thug: he steals, lies and he's even killed. He's not even sorry for it. He might not sound good or anything like that and even while he's not, you just have to love him. If not because who he is, then because how he treats Colin. Gabriel's gentle and kind towards Colin and they keep each other safe and sound, well, as sade as you can be on Casmile's streets. He's not good but he's not heartless basteads either. Flawed human being, that's what Gabriel is.

Exceptional story with a magical writing and heart stealing characters. They won't give your heart back and eventually, you don't even want it back. Gabriel's City is a stunning story, don't miss it! I highly recommend it.

 

5 of 5 stars.

Gabriel's City on Goodreads.