Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Hour of the Lotus
General Sho Iwata is devastated when the man he secretly loves, Prince Narita, is struck with a mysterious illness. Iwata’s current lover, Hiroshi, is well aware of the general’s unrequited passion. But that isn’t his biggest problem. His sister is Narita’s favorite consort, but Hiroshi believes she has been replaced by an imposter. When they discover the true cause of the illness, they will have to battle an ancient spirit and survive.

Fox Hunter
Lord General Iwata Sho sets out in search of the mysterious Fox Hunter. When he finds his former lover, Hiroshi, he discovers a changed man, scarred inside and out and consumed by vengeance. Together with Narita’s grown son Daigo, Iwata and Hiroshi pursue the malicious spirit as it leaves bloodshed in its wake. Iwata worries about what will become of Hiroshi when the fox is defeated—if Hiroshi’s revenge doesn’t kill him first.

I absolutely love historical Japanese novels, especially when there’s an element of typical Japanese mythology. So when I read about this book, I just had to have it. I have to admit, I totally didn’t realize that this book was actually two stories until I read the blurb again just now. It didn’t feel like two separate stories when reading. One definitely doesn’t work without the other, so it’s a good thing that it comes as a package.

 Late Summer, Early Spring by Patricia Correll had so much potential: Two samurai, a mysterious demon and a reunion after decades apart. And it definitely was intriguing. I was constantly wondering what was happening to the poor prince. And when the demon did finally show up, it was a very creepy revelation and I was glued to my Kindle to find out what happens next.

The relationship between Hiroshi and Iwata fell a little short over all. I am aware that DSP titles aren’t supposed to focus on the romance, which is usually fine by me, but here I really felt that the author could have easily made the relationship feel more real without taking anything away from the main plot, if only she’d decided to let the actions speak for them. I don’t expect major declarations of never ending love from two samurai warriors, but Ms. Correl could have shown more of the physical intimacy. Simple touches and kisses would have gone a long way to making me really feel the connection between the two.

The biggest downfall of “Late Summer, Early Spring” was the length, or rather the lack thereof. The fantasy and the relationship fell short because of that. I’m convinced the author could have easily filled twice as many pages and the story wouldn’t have lost any of its suspense. More details would have been nice overall.

Still, I really liked what was there. Lots of suspense and an intriguing plot with interesting characters. This could have been a truly amazing book, if only it had had more space for details. A real shame.

Cover Art by Anne Cain. I really quite like the cover. It’s unique and fits the book well. It looks a little like it could be an antique Japanese painting.

Sales Links: DSP Publications |  Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 168 pages
Published July 14th 2015 by DSP Publications
Hour of the Lotus published by Dreamspinner Press, May 2013.