Rating: 5🌈

I don’t know how I missed this one when it first came out but I’ve read it now and what a fantastic story.

The first of a duology for this couple, Sherwood’s is a tale of two soldiers from different countries who became everything to each other over the course of a war. At the end , they then have to find a way back together outside of established relationships roles from wartime. This is a simply amazing epic that encompasses a number of countries, tenuous post war political realities, cultural differences and conflicts, found families, and sexual awakenings.

And the reader is able to intimately explore all those elements through the experiences of the characters in the story, Shiirei General Sho Renjimantoro and Aart General Arman Brahms.

Sherwood chooses to open the novel with a prologue, which captures the moment at the end of a long devastating war that Ren agrees to leave his country of Shiirei behind to follow General and best friend Arman Brahms to his home and country. It’s a highly emotional scene, full of drama and history about the men and their lives.

Ren, who’s always been open about his sexuality, has never accepted for it in his own country. But within his own company of soldiers and that of Arman, he’s been able to be open about his preference for the company of men. That freedom and deep connection with Arman is forefront in his decision for leaving for Aart as well as the fact his Emperor can no longer employ his army.

Arman is more a subtle character than Ren. Ren’s voice is more prevalent here both as a character and for the reader as the main POV. Arman is a man of few words, Ren being his interpreter in the relationship for others, and often the talkative one in their dynamic.

Sherwood uses Arman’s language to convey his love for others and ease in their presence. It’s extremely effective and becomes even an integral aspect of his personality in the second book, Zone of Action.

But here it’s Arman’s journey to understanding his relationship with Ren, its evolving stages from deep friendship to deepest romantic love. Sherwood makes it believable without us being in on all the emotional mental work Arman goes through. It works because of the discussions had between Ren and Arman about his feelings for Ren, and that realness comes through beautifully.

Sherwood lays in the background and foundation for Aart’s reigning family and the other governing bodies to make plans that the war they just fought and won won’t be repeated.

There’s political intrigue, assaults, assassination attempts, and more. All woven into the story of the evolution of the deep relationship between Ren and Arman.

I couldn’t put this down. Fourth Point of Contact: The Warden and the General (Legends of Lobe den Herren #1) by A. J. Sherwood turned into a favorite of mine.

I highly recommend it to all readers of this genre and fans of this author if you haven’t discovered it already. It’s an absolute gem.

Legends of Lobe den Herren :

✓ Fourth Point of Contact: The Warden and the General #1

✓ Zone of Action #2

Buy Link:

Fourth Point of Contact (Legends of Lobe den Herren Book 1)

Blurb:

Ren’s fantasy wishlist includes:

A sexy lover (preferably of the male variety)

Peace inside of the palace

Possibly an onsen

His best friend never deployed again, and always beside him

It does not include:

Assassins inside of his palace

Far too many conspiracies

Being proposed to while hungover. In bed. By his straight best friend.

Arman Brahms falling in love with him is a fantasy Ren’s buried for over six years, so to have it come true seems unreal. He has questions. All the questions. Mainly because Arman is bad at using his words.

But the most important question?

Is the fantasy worth risking everything?

Tags:

Friends to lovers, GFY, Arman is the king of demisexual, Arman is absolutely done with this nonsense and lets people know it, no fainting damsels here, proposing is difficult, indecent proposal, Arman uses words, not too many, that’s what Ren is for, Ren’s up to rule twenty-five, Arman’s still violating three, five, and sixteen, too many potential conspiracies, too many assassination attempts, Ren would like less assassins please and thank you, being warden to a palace is not as much fun as it looks, Fourth Point of Contact doesn’t mean what you think, don’t mix alcohol with a teenage princess, accidental princess corruption, royal meddlers, fantasy world but no magic