A review by katertot
His Sacred Incantations by Scarlett Gale

4.0

The second book is SPICY. The author does a great job incorporating informed consent, negotiating scenes, and showing incredibly tender aftercare. This is absolutely femdom for the femme gaze. There is sadism, gentle domming, and sex that isn't particularly kinky but really passionate and loving. Minor spoiler for a particular sex act:

Spoiler

There is a pegging scene! It was done really well and also very hot.

It feels like a real dynamic. The times when the characters describe their feelings and desires about submission and domination are fleshed out and actually very sweet. There's a good amount of spice but it doesn't detract from the story.

The story is also really good. The plot isn't super fast, but the climax of the action kept me up way too late. The characters are diverse - different races, genders, and sexual identities. The author herself is queer and her wife is a trans woman, so it is done in a really natural way with no character feeling like a token. One of the threads that runs through both books is the importance and closeness of found family.

My only critique is that it is a little heavy handed at times with the metaphors & critique of organized religion. It didn't bother me enough to remove a star, but there were times I thought "Ok, I get it!"

I wish I could find more fantasy romance in this style!