Pool of Dreams

By: Sam Burns, W.M. Fawkes

Narrated by: Michael Dean, Greg Boudreaux

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

A fae who betrayed his prince for a doomed passion.

Syren sacrificed the man he loved to spare humanity from the wrath of the fae. For three hundred years, he’s been stuck on the mortal plane, floating alone in his pool while his powers slipped away. The last fae in the realm, his only companion is a mysterious bird until Audric, King of Aranthe, comes to claim his sword—the instrument that caused the rift between Faerie and the human realm.

A bastard who should never have inherited the throne.

After centuries of peace, Faerie destroys the royal family of Aranthe in a single brutal strike, leaving only one behind—Audric, the king’s bastard son, who’s always been more warrior than noble. As the magic holding the fae out of Aranthe cracks, Audric strikes out on a quest to retrieve a weapon that can save humanity from the fae.

A desperate fight to thwart the bloodthirsty fae prince who wants to break them both.

Forced together by the magic of the sword that Audric needs but Syren cannot surrender, their bond is the only thing that can stop Faerie from breaking through into Aranthe and razing the kingdom to the ground.

Pool of Dreams is a high fantasy M/M romance featuring one snarky fae who’s got a marshmallow-soft center hidden behind his prickly attitude and pretty face, an overgrown knight turned king with a heart of gold (and buns of steel), and the cleverest bird you ever did see! Enjoy snark for days as these tall-and-taller lads share only one bed, fight back against the forces of evil, and find the cure for three centuries of touch-starvation.

This book includes depictions of violence and trauma, and the healing power of consensual...cuddling. It is intended for mature listeners.

©2022 Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes (P)2023 Podium Audio

among the best fae romances I've ever read

The narrators do an incredible job. Normally I dislike having 2 narrators because they do things too differently, but they're in sync the entire time and align on all the voices.

The story itself is enjoyable and solid. It has a slightly unique, refreshing take on fae. Rather than multiple of the same type, each type of fae seems to be just a single fae. This story stars Syren (the only siren?), the last fae in the human realm, and the newly crowned human king Audric as they prepare for the fae to infiltrate the human realm once more. They fall in love as they prepare for the inevitable battle, hoping to lock the fae away in the fae realm again. Syren is no fighter and has been alone for centuries, and Audric doesn't know how to be king but has promised to protect Syren if he helps humanity. A magic sword forces them to be together at all times.

Sometimes I dislike stories that revolve around royalty, but this story does a good job at making it tolerable, primarily because Audric was never meant to be king and had something like 50 people ahead of him in line for the throne. He was raised a common knight (which he recognizes as a privilege since knighthoods are bought). This makes him a much more ordinary man who cares for the people in authentic ways. He's progressive-minded and uses his new power to give common people access to opportunities previously only available to the wealthy. He's tender, surprisingly clever, and loyal.

The romance between Syren and Audric is tentative at first and then kicks off full steam ahead at a natural point (and very steamy it was!). Their confessions of love come later in the book but still somehow felt early since they'd only known each other for a brief time. I wanted more time with them. But since this is a standalone and not a series, I made peace with the pacing. The conclusion is deeply, deeply satisfying. I love that damn magic sword.

Sweet Story

Not what I had originnally thought it was going to be, it was better. Michael Dean and Greg Boudreaux were amazing!

Not bad, but dragged a bit

story was alright. turbulent emotions, dealing with trauma and learning to trust again, being open with people. but it tended to drag and, with the split narration style, had moments of doubled story that just dragged the story out more.

the two narrator choice was not a good one here. one had good volume and distinct voices for different characters, the other had more monotone narration that dipped into almost too quiet and made it hard to tell people apart. I'd have preferred it to be two people each covering certain people's voices for consistency if two narrators was absolutely required.

Fun Read

My first foray into fantasy romance, I enjoyed the story, characters, and voice acting. Some of the descriptors used by the author seemed repetitive, but a small gripe compared to the overall story. Definitely worth a read/ listen.

Fun and Compelling

I picked it up for the Fae subject and was pleasantly surprised at how fun the story was from start to finish! I'd read a sequel.

Beautiful story

I love anything Fae and this didn’t disappoint!! Beautiful romance, a bit of action, and a bit a lot steam tied together for an amazing story!! Michael Dean was great as always and super impressed with Greg Boudreaux and that accent!!! Well done!!

Lovely!

Two of the best narrators bring this beautiful fantasy romance to life. I really enjoyed the unique take on the Fae and human realms and getting to see each character’s growth and personalities blossoming was so rewarding and wonderful!

Interesting take on the Fae/Knight/Royalty trope

Not usually a fan of dual narrations, but things worked fairly well in this case. Enjoyed the snarkiness and banter, even when it was duspursed with moments of sadness. Good story and worth the credit.

Love magic and war

War started most of the royal people dead a illegitimate son to inherit the throne and all the people problems a Fay and magic sword to solve some

Thoroughly impressed

I loved everything about this book. Burns and Fawkes did a wonderful job with both the story and the characters. I was nervous about the choice to employ two narrators, but they worked very well together and I think it added to the experience, having two distinct voices for the two primary characters. I found it difficult to stop listening when I had to attend to my responsibilities. I really hope that they develop this into a series. The world they’ve created seems to have a lot of potential, and plenty of the characters would make interesting protagonists.