Genre: Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
When Perfection Collides With Chaos, Sparks Fly
Crispin Eladrin, desk fae at the Office of the Lost, could find a needle in ten haystacks. His desk is so neat it would make an accountant blush, and he’s never failed to complete a recovery mission. He has no idea how adorable he is, especially when he’s at his most annoyingly officious.
Enter utterly chaotic Leopold Lane. His life is a masterclass in disastrous events–and it’s about to get worse. He’s the latest thing that Crispin has been sent to retrieve, but when they meet, sparks fly. Literally. And now they must find their way back before someone—or something—enchants them, eats them, or stomps them to death.
Neither knows why the Office of the Lost is so hell-bent on acquiring Leo, but they’re determined to survive long enough to find out–and to see if opposites really do attract.
The Review
Crispin Eladrin Moss‘caladin has an orderly life, and lives alone in a tree bole with his pet squirrel Minkis. His mother, Cerillia Ailedrin Moss’caladin, is Queen of the Fae. There’s also Aspin Vellain Moss’caladin, his brother, who’s a hunter/warrior type. He and Crispin don’t have much in common, which leads to a bad mistake Crispin made when he was a child.
Crispin is a fae, and now works as a curator for the Office of the Lost (OotL) and has the highest perfecality score in the office. His supervisor, Bidulla Kronk, is an actual ogre, and she can be pretty nasty. After lobbing a handful of insults at poor Crispin, Kronk has a new mission for him. The Oracle itself has asked for him. He is to go on a mission to Earth and bring back a man named Leopold Lane. Crispin doesn’t much like Earth and really doesn’t want to go, but she leaves him no choice, even though there are other more experienced curators. He hopes he can get Leopold and get back home quickly.
Leopold has had a sad life. He lost both his parents in a strange camel attack. He was adopted, and his paperwork was lost. Then he was sent into foster care, until he was old enough to be on his own. His foster homes were, good but none had the means to keep him. He has no skills or money and is very much an introvert and he lives chaotically, so why does the Oracle think he is so important? He doesn’t want to be kidnapped – he likes his ramshackle apartment in Sacramento and just wants to stay there.
When he finds him and is about to take him back to the OotL, something goes terribly wrong. Thea, Crispin’s phone/portal, is acting up and can’t return them to the Hall of Mirrors, and they end up on Vlotho instead. Things get really wacky when they find themselves changed into a piwati, an endemic sentient species in Vlotho.
Trying to find a way back to OotL they meet a series of interesting characters – Fromlith Flokrion the giant, Juzir and Qylzryd Wolfsword, and many others. Someone is trying to keep Leo and Crispin apart, and doing so will cause great danger. Through it all, will Leo and Crispin find a way to make a very special connection, and realize that opposites just might attract?
Coatsworth and Fielding have cowritten a brilliant new fantasy with Office of the Lost, the first book in the “Chaos and Order” series, an action-packed, fast-paced tale about two men that are total opposites. Crispin is very neat and organized and works hard to maintain his perfecality score, but there are times when his self-confidence is low. He comes from a very powerful family, and Crispin doesn’t feel deserving of them because of the mistake he made in the past.
Leopold is self-reliant and loves his freedom, but his life is wildly chaotic. His upbringing was the opposite of Crispin’s, but he stays strong. He also has a wonderful sense of humor, even as an introvert.
I highly recommend Office of the Lost – it’s filled with wonderful weirdness, fantasy, surprises, romance and fun. There’s also a lot of nostalgia for old music and TV sitcoms. This outstanding collaboration between J. Scott Coatsworth and Kim Fielding brings out the creative sides of both authors, from the fantastical plot to the characters to creatures that inhabit it.
What will Coatsworth and Fielding deliver next for Crispin and Leo?
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
