This is a review of the The Necromancer’s Dance by SJ Himes.
This is book 1 in the Beacon Hill Sorcerer series. The review for book two
titled The Necromancer’s Dilemma will follow this one. Book 3 is yet to be
released. There are elements of male/male romance and male/male sexual
encounters in the book but it leans more towards being urban fantasy than it
does a romance novel. There are quite a few typos, spelling, and grammatical
errors in this book. This is usually a major pet peeve for me and I have been
known to abandon many books because of this reason. If there are too many errors,
it ruins the book for me. However, even though there are quite a few errors in
this one that could have been solved with better editing, I was able to look
past them and really get into this story.
Our story is set in the Beacon Hill area just outside of Massachusetts.
In the Necromancer’s Dance, we are introduced to a young man named Angelus
Salvatore (aka Angel). Angel is a very powerful necromancer and sorcerer. Angel
is one of the most powerful sorcerer’s in the country if not the world and is
the only necromancer in the Eastern coast of the United States. Angel became
well known because during an event known as the Blood Wars where vampires and
magical practioners were battling his whole family except his brother Issac was
wiped out. The vampires had some magical practioners that were working with
them to go after Angel’s family who were a very powerful magical family. Angel’s brother Issac is hiding in a panic
room at the time because he is just 13 years old during the Blood Wars. Angel
manages to concoct a spell to take out the vampires after his family but not
before they slaughter his whole family except Issac. Angel manages to save
Issac and is haunted by his role in the Blood Wars but this is where he earns
his reputation as the most powerful necromancer. Angel becomes Issac’s guardian
and raises his little brother. Once Issac is of age he moves out on his own
away from Angel. Angel lives a fairly
quiet existence teaching the magical arts with his friend and business partner
Milly years after the Blood Wars are over and is also frequently bailing his
little brother and his boyfriend Greg out of jail.
Angel is summoned by
a vampire named Simeon to come to vampire headquarters because the vampires are
holding his brother’s boyfriend Greg for breaking in to their headquarters. Simeon is a very high ranking vampire and is
one of two Elders that only answer to the master vampire of the city. As Angel is interviewing his brother’s lover
he realizes that he was under a compulsion spell to break into the home of the
master vampire of the city. The master of the city is named Constantine
Batiste. Angel is perplexed because the compulsion was set to allow his
brother’s lover to break in but he wasn’t given any further instructions about
what to do once he got in. Angel clears the room of all but the most powerful
vampires and performs a spell to free Greg from the compulsion once he
determines Greg doesn’t know what he was sent there to do. Once Greg is freed from the compulsion, Angel
passes out in the room where the vampires still are because he is exhausted
from the spell and a lack of sleep.
Angel is saved from hitting the floor by Simeon. Angel and
Simeon had met a few years previously after Angel had been attacked by a couple
of vampires in a bar and Simeon saved him then. Angel has an attraction to
Simeon but won’t act on it. Angel trusts Simeon enough to let him take care of
him. Simeon makes sure he takes Angel back to his own apartment. Angel wakes up
in his own bed with Simeon still beside him. Angel and Simeon begin to make out
a little bit until Angel is attacked by a demon. The demon has been sent there
to kill Angel. Angel and Simeon take the battle with the demon to the streets
outside. Simeon distracts the demon long enough that Angel can destroy the
runes that summoned the demon. Angel manages to send the demon back to his own realm
temporarily. He is worried about Simeon though because it Simeon was the one
fighting the demon and because it was almost dawn. Simeon disappears and Angel
narrowly avoids going to jail because of the damage the demon caused him to do.
He avoids jail though because it is ruled self-defense.
Angel goes to check up on Simeon and learns Simeon is
ok. Someone is out to get Angel and he
sets out on a quest to find out who it is with Simeon helping him. Simeon and Angel find consummate their
relationship along the way. Angel finds out that he is Simeon’s fated mate and
learns that a vampire only ever gets on mate in his/her lifetime. Simeon and
Angel eventually figure out who is behind the attacks on Angel and they take
him out. Angel ends up gaining apprentice sorcerer named Daniel that belongs to
one of the formerly most powerful magical families in the area and it is also
revealed that Daniel was just a child when the blood wars ended and that he has
not been trained to be a proper sorcerer. Angel has no hard feelings towards
Daniel and takes him in to teach him. Issac also moves home once his boyfriend
is murdered. Issac is a sorcerer as well and he can wield the element of fire.
Angel also gains a familiar that is a dragon that is named Eroch.
There is a lot I have left out of this review so you will have
to read the book to get the rest of the story. These are just the highlights.
My recommendation: Read this one. You will be glad you did.
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