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In Pain and Blood: MM Bi-awakening Fantasy (Spellster and the Hound) Kindle Edition
Dylan's life in the spellster tower has everything he should want: magical knowledge, safety from the King's Hounds and frequent clandestine affairs with women. All at the cost of his freedom. So when the chance to leave the tower—even as a leashed weapon for the King's Army—arises, he seizes it.
When his first scouting mission goes awry, Dylan is left alone in a hostile world with the tower a distant beacon of safety. Only the flirtatious Tracker, an elven man whose very presence awakens Dylan's long-repressed desire, can help him return to his old life before the crown discovers his unleashed status.
But the risk of being branded a deserter may be the least of his concerns as whispers of an armed presence in the North threatens his home. Dylan must rely on Tracker to protect him even as everything he thought he knew begins to unravel around them.
~~~
In Pain and Blood is the first in a four-book dark fantasy series. Told in third person with a dual POV, it contains the beginnings of a slow-burn mage/mage-hunter romance as well as an MM bi-awakening, spicy scenes, queer representation, violence, gore and explicit adult themes.
*This second edition shares the 2017 storyline with In Love and Death and has additional content from Tracker's pov.*- Print length738 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateSeptember 15, 2022
- File size4.2 MB
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See full series- Kindle Price:$12.97By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
- Kindle Price:$18.96By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 4 books.
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From the Publisher


Product details
- ASIN : B09CPH7KNV
- Publisher : Thardrandian Publications
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : September 15, 2022
- Edition : 2nd
- Language : English
- File size : 4.2 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 738 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Part of series : Spellster and the Hound
- Best Sellers Rank: #758,182 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,058 in LGBTQ+ Fantasy (Books)
- #3,365 in Bisexual Romance
- #4,061 in LGBTQ+ Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Aldrea Alien is a multi-award-winning, USA Today Bestselling Author of lgbt & fantasy romance.
Hailing from New Zealand, she lives with a menagerie of animals, most of whom are convinced they're just as human as the next person. Especially the cats! By day, they wrangle the family. By night, they write.
You can check out Aldrea's website here:
www.aldreaalien.com
Join her mailing list here:
books.aldreaalien.com/newsletter
Or join her Facebook Group:
www.facebook.com/groups/aldreaaliensreaders
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2024Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseDylan has to be my favorite, although it is a hard choice between him and Tracker. All characters are well rounded and it's easy to escape into this complex, rich world of Demarn. I'm not good at reviews because I might accidentally spoil things, but just know if you like slow burn, bi awakening, complex characters, angst, and the pursuit of hope amid darkness, I highly recommend this
- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022Format: KindleVerified PurchaseDylan has lived his whole life in the Trickster Tower. He is provided with everything he needs to be happy except freedom. So, when he gets a chance to leave, he takes it and joins the Army. That is when it all goes wrong. He meets Tracker when his first mission goes awry. Now he is pulled in several directions and finds his pull to Tracker could be the strongest. The world building is fantastic but does slow things down at times but you do need that background. Tracker was incredible with his protectiveness of Dylan while Dylan was a bit naïve, appropriate considering his background. Books two should be just as amazing.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2025Format: KindleThis is an amazing, sweeping story in the Spellster Universe. Be sure to read Tracking Trouble first for maximum enjoyment. In this book, Dylan competes for the privilege of joining the army as a leashed spellster. Tracker complete a few other missions and then, sensing a strong magic, picks up the trail of Dylan. Many things happen in this story that I don't want mention to spoil it for the reader. In this book, the romance between Dylan and Tracker finally gets a start. It ends in a cliffhanger of sorts, with more to the story coming in the last book. I enjoyed the complex world-building, the interconnected stories, the mysteries, and the passion. This is a long book and the length allowed me to really immerse myself; I didn't grow bored for a moment.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2022Format: KindleDylan is a spellster. Cloistered in a keep, having no say in the path his life was to take. A magical being used in a war that had stretched for way to many years. Tracker, a hound, charged with tracking errant or unwilling spellsters and returning them to servitude.
This was a long, very intricate book. I never felt lost even with the overload of information. Although at times it felt that parts of the story was just unnecessary filler. Specifically when to much time was spent on supporting characters that I felt really didn’t have that much impact on the story. Well developed main characters. Dylan was a surprisingly sympathetic character. Even though I felt that his acceptance of his lot in life was was very easily given. Tracker for all his bluster was very marshmallowy inside which I really liked.
An epic good guy versus bad guy type of tale. Elements of Sci-Fi and fantasy in equal measure. I enjoyed it a lot.
Contained M/F, F/F, M/M.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2022Format: KindleI enjoyed Dylan and Tracker’s story the first time around and more story from Tracker's POV just made it even better. The fantastic world building really pulled me in, it was easy to lose track of time as these character's adventure unfolded. A series opener that already has me ready for more.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
- Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2022Format: KindleI love this book so much! Dylan is such a precious character and seeing him leave his sheltered world and come into his own is great. He tries so hard to do the "right" thing. Even when he's unsure what that is exactly.
Tracker is...I love him so much. He's unapologetic about who and what he is and though he has a tragic past he's figured out how to make himself better because of it.
This book has a lot of magic, a lot of violence, and a lot of danger. It's a magical tale that will transport you to another world. It leaves you wanting more because there's a lot of story to tell still, but it's brilliantly done.
I read the original and while I miss one of the most pivotal scenes from that book, the rewrite and added POV from Tracker were very much needed. I cannot wait to see how the second half of the book develops from here.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2022Format: KindleThis is the story of Dylan and Tracker. It is the first book in the fantasy series called Spellcaster and the Hound. Please read the trigger warnings. The story is well thought out and planned with absolutely amazing main and secondary characters. It is intricate with lots of action that keeps you riveted to the story. Cannot wait for the next one, and not just because it ends in a little bit of a cliffhanger. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an Arc and I am happily reviewing it voluntarily.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2022Format: KindleDylan and Tracker’s story is one that takes time to unfold– the burn is slow and catches deeply; the world building is thoughtful, intricate, and detailed. This is the kind of story that takes it’s time, and while occasionally I struggled with the pace of the narrative, for the most part it felt rewarding, for both story and characters. All in all, a really interesting read.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Top reviews from other countries
- SueReviewed in Canada on September 28, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific fantasy story
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis book by Aldrea Alien is billed as an MM Bi-awakening Fantasy. The awakening is a small part of the story and it’s much more an interesting fantasy till near the end of this first volume. I enjoyed the characters and the story but the star of this book for me is definitely the world building. Dylan is the character who we follow through the story as he leaves the tower where most magical people live in his country. It’s a well established fantasy trope to follow a young man through an adventure with us learning about the world as he does but Ms. Alien does a terrific job of writing a fresh take on this idea.
This book is a rewrite and I never read the original but I do think that it could have been cut down a bit more. There were times when my attention wandered which usually doesn’t happen with an adventure book. The other (small) problem I had was the title of the book. Yes there is pain and blood but this seems to me to be an unnecessarily gruesome title. I like the subtitle Spellster an the Hound much better and I think it represents the story better. I definitely hope that other books in this series will also be rewritten as I am interested in finding out what happens to these characters and in this world.