This was a really fun book and felt very fresh and original.
Mouse, our hero, is a scoundrel with a heart of gold. He’s a thief who only robs from the rich to help keep his father out of trouble. He takes on a high risk high paying job to rescue a foreign noble who’s been unjustly imprisoned.
Mouse has a couple of no strings attached flings with other men as he’s preparing for the job, which added to the gritty atmosphere and gave us a look at our hero as a mature, sexually liberated man, a refreshing change from the nearly virginal wholesome leads we too often see.
Mouse delightfully subverts tropes by being sexually dominant (aks top) despite being a smaller man. Far far too often we see all bottoms are small guys while all tops are big strapping manly men, so this change is refreshing and interesting. It’s also refreshing to see a small wiry man as a bit of a sex symbol.
The noble that Mouse is set to rescue, Garron, proves to be a complex man in his own right, muscular and handsome, he’s still gentle and sensitive, which complicates Mouse’s job of getting them both out safely. Sparks fly quickly between them and their relationship develops briskly but it felt natural and didn’t intrude on the action.
There’s a really tense and gripping journey through the castle where Garron was imprisoned. At heart the book is a prison break, just set in a quasi-middle ages castle. Mouse is quick witted and ruthless, with many costume changes, subterfuge and no shortage of violence in his pursuit of their freedom.
After a tightly plotted beginning and middle the ending felt a bit rushed but it’s a small complaint out of a delightful adventure. I look forward to more from the author and hope we haven’t seen the last of Lord Mouse.
Joel Leslie, one of the best narrators out there, elevates the reading to a performance and breathes life into the characters.