Master of Hounds: Book 3 (AUDIOBOOK, LGBT)

Der dritte und letzte Teil hat mir nicht so gut gefallen. Keine Ahnung warum. Wahrscheinlich weil ich Decian gerne als König erlebt hätte.

RA Steffan did so good on this book! I loved it!!

My review is written voluntarily after listening to the audio version of this book.This is the third book in this trilogy and it picks up from where the second book left off, all the characters are familiar and need no introduction but in this book, the plot moves on as the attacks against the pagans intensify and Caius and Decian, his lover, have to make choices about their future.The riots in the city, are getting closer, and an attempt is made on the Emperor's life but the faction being blamed is innocent - who is behind the plot? Will Caius and Decian be able to work things out and be able to halt the plot? Will Decian accept his birthright or will he and Caius opt for a quiet life?Whilst I could provide you with most of the answers that would spoil a very good tale so listen to or read this one for yourself. It is the final book in this trilogy, but the way RA Steffen ended their story makes me think we will meet these two again - I wonder if I'm right.This book like the first is narrated by Cornell Collins who does a very good job with it.

It's always hard for me to encapsulate my thoughts for books at the end of a series, especially ones that cover such a huge world and story in a relatively short amount of time, but I will do my best.MASTER OF HOUNDS: BOOK 3 is *superb* finale to a by and large excellent fantasy romance trilogy. This one has all the excitement of political intrigue, upheaval, reluctant heroes, and the thrilling twists and danger of a coup d'etat that were set up in Book 1. It was almost everything I was hoping for, and more in some cases, leaving me breathless with nerves over how this would end for my beloved heroes Caius and Decian. As well as being so well-written I could hear the clang of blades and the clash of waves, this series has such a lovely, yet angsty romance I was day-dreaming about them in between reading this book.While the middle-ish part of the journey in this one could have been fleshed out, overall, Steffan did an amazing job cramming vivid scenes into an already overstuffed plot and sharply crafted world of magic, danger, and governmental structure, especially in so comparatively short a book/series.And detail, she did. That sharp, vivid scene-casting is something I seek in novels, and this one had in spades, from kissing in the dark, to defending one another in a cacophony of battle, to clinging on to rain-soaked ropes on the deck of a ship as a storm rages. These are the types of writing that will live in my memory forever and take me to far away places long after I’ve finished the book.My love for Caius only deepened with each book, his gruff ways twisting and reshaping as new ideas occurred to him and he turned them over in his mind until the only path forward was clearly in front of him. Caius is more of a strategist than he gives himself credit for, clever to the degree of a battle-hardened war veteran, fighting both his own country and complicated familial responsibilities for the person he loves, the needle for Decian ever dipping over Caius's fealty to his failing government.He's a beautiful, tired, selfless bear who won't stop until his last breath if it means serving the one he's loyal to. While I enjoy Celine and her partner, and I love Decian, I absolutely adore Caius, and his warming, loyal heart.With an ever expanding cast of characters, Book 3 took us on a true adventure and never slowed down until the epilogue. I was often nervous, frequently on the edge of my seat, and very breathless towards the end. There's such a beautiful world here with so many amazing characters.In the best way, this is a book not like other books in its genre. It's a thrilling series with *loads* of plot and just enough softness and warmth to make me willing to burn the whole world down for two characters and their thoroughly deserved HEA.In the end, I feel I can’t quite do this book/series justice with my words at the moment, but it was a wonderful, grungy, rough, thrilling ride that’s gonna stay with me. If you enjoy a good fantasy with some romance tugging the characters into directions they never thought they’d go, this is definitely a series that will satisfy. I loved it and hope to read/listen to more M/M books by R.A. Steffan soon.

The intensity of the political intrigue deepens in this trilogy’s final act. With all looking bleak, our heroes flee the city for tentative safety far from the Alyrion Empire before it implodes. Decian’s true identity only holds as much power as those around him give it, and too much is arrayed against him in the capital city. (Good thing he has no desire for even more power, especially since he has barely begun to be comfortable with his shapeshifting ability, the power he already has.)Abandoning the capital grates against every shred of Caius’ loyalty and honor regarding the empire he has served his entire life. He is a true, traditional fantasy hero at heart, but even he finally acknowledges that if he can’t be a hero for his empire, he can be one for his chosen family. One of the aspects I loved about this trilogy is that Caius is also an AGING hero. Even if he wasn’t still recovering from multiple injuries, he’s not as young as he once was. However, this doesn’t stop him from offering his assistance (and his very life) to defend his loved ones.In another twist on the traditional way this saga might have unfolded, Decian has no desire to embrace his secret identity until his rediscovered family urge him to be the figurehead of their cause. I enjoyed how the story unfolded, including the hidden army aspect of the proceedings, until everything going on disrupted the relationship between Decian and Caius. Both of them think they are doing what the other wants and their interactions during the leadup to the final conflict are gut-wrenching.(Side note: I haven’t really mentioned them in my previous reviews, but I adored the secondary characters of Seleene and Zumi. Not only do they portray additional aspects of diversity that Steffan seems to effortlessly weave into her stories, but in the end, they’re basically the only rational ones in the whole bunch. Not bad for a couple of **** workers I originally assumed to be background color but who become integral members of the cast.)Steffan does remind us that villains aren’t all one-dimensional when we eventually discover that we might have been wrong about who the real guilty party is behind the religious mayhem. The end of this book is not a straightforward result of actions taken by the characters, creating a tale as nontraditional as the cast. Sometimes the winning side has many shades of gray, and not everyone gets what they want.However, in an excellent final twist, Caius and Decian don’t quite get to ride off into the sunset together. The expected ending wasn’t quite the final conflict, and through the last pages, I even double-checked that this was the final installment of this series and Steffan didn’t have a book 4 waiting in the wings. She did have a final surprise, though, in how Caius’s life finally comes full circle. With another few references to the previous series in the last chapter, I was as satisfied with how this trilogy wrapped up as Decian and Caius probably are when their dreams are fulfilled (even if the road getting there was pretty rocky).