The Wolf and the Crown of Blood

Dancing on the knife’s edge of too much and not enough, this deliciously decadent erotic fantasy romance from May (the Falconer series) introduces some big ideas but doesn’t thoroughly delve into them. As a princess of the blood, Bryony Devaliant is one of the last remaining “anchors” holding down the ancient compact made by her ancestors and Alexios, God of Storms, to end the war between humans and gods. It is her duty to die every 14 days, her blood used to reinforce the shroud that separates the realm of the gods from the human world. When whispers of rebellion spread, Bryony loses Alexios’s protection and he sends one of his immortal assassins, Evander, also known as the Wolf, to dispatch her. A dance of deception, betrayal, and dark desire ensues. As their relationship grows from an adversarial waltz into an erotic connection, the rebellion—led by humans attempting to become gods themselves—largely fades into the background. The lush worldbuilding and carefully teased out character development both fascinate, but the emphasis on over-the-top kinky sex frequently supersedes both story and theme, leaving questions unanswered and implications unexplored. The result is undeniably spicy but occasionally frustrating. (Jan.)