THE DOMINION by Gaylene Froese 

Fiction, Paranormal, LGBTQ, 

4****

Blurb: The Pacific Northwest border town of the Dominion is soaked in magic. Full moons are a bloody spectacle, local restaurants have unicorn on the menu, and a dragon once burned down City Hall. The excitement makes the Dominion a beacon to tourists… but many of them never make it home. Travel writer Innis Stuart and his photographer, Karsten Roth, are visiting the Dominion to explore its dangers and offer a warning to overconfident tourists. Unfortunately, they may be among that number. Their local guide is an old friend to Innis, but he’s not acting like himself. Why does he seem to be working with the biggest crime boss in town? And why did both Innis and Karsten feel such a strong compulsion to enter the Dominion in the first place? It turns out that what they don’t know about the Dominion can hurt them, but it’s not as dangerous as what they don’t know about themselves.Come along for a tour of the city known as “the most magical place on Earth”… and don’t forget to buy travel insurance.  

Thoughts: I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started reading this. First of all, there are multiple first person points of view — both Innis and Karsten —well delineated by section headings so you know who is who. The story reads kind of like a travel guide, and kind of like two guys telling you what happened. Which is what they’re doing. You’re getting the story from Innis’s point of view, then Karsten’s. And it’s paranormal and just… weird. I wasn’t sure I liked it… and yet, I couldn’t stop reading. 

Innis is a travel writer and Karsten is a photographer. They get together to go to Dominion, a city in the Pacific Northwest straddling the US and Canada. Magic has come to the world, but not all of it is a good thing. And the Dominion is the worst of the worst. All sorts of crazy things happen there. Even though they’re with an old friend of Innis’s to guide them, things do go wrong for them. 

I liked how the romance aspect between Innis and Karsten was downplayed. It was there, but not in your face. All bedroom action is behind closed doors but in the end, you know they’re there for each other and the feelings are real. Nicely done.

Recommended, especially if you want something a little—no, a lot different but with a good ending that satisfies.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”