The Water Thief by Jane Kindred (M/M romance)

This is a review of The Water Thief by Jane Kindred. This is a male/male romance so if that isn't your cup of tea you will want to skip this one. This isn't your typical male/male romance. This story is very unique and is heavy on the fantasy element. I did have an issue with this story though. The relationship between the two main characters is between first cousins and incestuous relationships are just not my cup of tea. If you can put that aside though this is actually a good book and the story is very suspenseful and will hold your attention.

It tells the story of a young Lord named Sebastien Swift that is falsely imprisoned in a mental hospital for the murder of his twin sister. Sebastien spends many years in this asylum (9 years if I remember right) with no knowledge of what happened when his sister drowned other than being told that he murdered her. In his heart, he knows he didn't murder her. One night his dead sister comes to him and helps him escape from the asylum and leads him to safety. Sebastien later learns that he would be dead if it weren't for his sister because the wing of the asylum he was in collapsed during a bad storm.

Sebastien is led to the home of a man named Sven that teaches him how to survive on his own.  Sebastien learns that his cousin Macsen is posing as him. Sven comes up with the idea that Sebastien should pose as his dead sister and try to find out what happened to his sister and also to be able to claim his rightful inheritance.  So Sebastien poses as his dead twin August. The deception is eventually exposed to Macsen and Sebastien and Macsen find out that they both know each other's true identities but decide to keep up the ruse. Sebastien finds out from Macsen that Emrys, (Macsen's father) is siphoning off his magical energy. Emrys has evil plans for the energy he is siphoning off of the real Sebastien but I won't reveal those.

Macsen and Sebastien flee the realm after an unfortunate event where they are caught in bed together by Emrys. In the new realm they flee too they slip and sign their real names and this allows Emrys to discover where they are. When Macsen returns to the realm they fled from he is eventaully beaten very severely by his father. Macsen also destroys the magical energy stores that his father siphoned off of Sebastien. His father beats him severely with a fireplace poker and ends up breaking his leg.

Meanwhile, he has his men capture Sebastien in the new realm where he is and once again locks him in an insane asylum where he keeps hi drugged so he can siphon off his magical energy for his own plans. Sebastien is almost convinced by the doctors in the asylum that everything has just been a figment of his imagination, but he refuses to give up the belief that Macsen is real and decides to keep that information to himself. Sebastien is rescused from the asylum after his sister and her friends fake his death. They manage to help him rediscover who he is and help him establish a new identity and a new life for himself.

Sebastien believes that Macsen doesn't want him and that is why he never came back but he doesn't know that Macsen believes he is dead.  After a series of events in which Emrys dies, Macsen returns to new realm to settle his father's business affairs and he does settle them but he is also reunited with Sebastien.

I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My recommendation: If you can get past the incestuous relationship between the main characters this one is worth reading