I just finished reading The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards. Urban Fantasy. First person PoV. M/M romance and very inclusive. Almost all sexualities, identities and ethnic background are in here. There is a 'found family' if you like that. This is the first arc of a nine book series. It's already planned, so apparently we won't have a Song of Ice and Fire thing happen.
Atlantis has fallen and has 'moved' to Nantucket. The main character, Rune, who along with his human bodyguard/companion, Brand, are the sole survivors of the fall of his father's Sun Court. A magical psychic link bound Rune and Brand as infants. Brand always knows where Rune is, and if he is in distress or danger. They cannot, however, read each other's minds.
After the fall of his father's court, Rune and Brand sought refuge with his father's friend, Lord Tower, who employs them. They do...'jobs' for him. Assignments. Jobs that require Rune's magic and Brand's expertise. This goes on for ten years and after that, the two move out on their own with a housekeeper named Queenie (who is not what she seems, but we don't know what she is yet) but they still work for the Tower from time to time. Rune and Brand's relationship is so much fun. Snarking, bantering, just like brothers. It's basically the heart of the books. Many people 'ship' them but I don't. I love this friendship. Queer Platonic relationships are a real thing (Klune had one in his Green Creek series). I hope it stays that way.
This universe names the cards after the Atlantean Courts, not vice versa.
One such job for Lord Tower is rescuing The Tower's godson, Addam St. Nicholas. Rune is actually the one who 'rescues' him and it's an inverse of rescuing the Princess. Addam is beautiful, noble and calls Rune 'Hero' and finds Rune attractive. Rune is smitten with Addam, but is unsure of the relationship for several reasons. One, he is demisexual, and the other is when his father's throne fell, he was a victim of SA. Descriptions are in the past and just enough detail to show how graphic it was, so be aware! After an initial intimate encounter (awkward, but consensual) Addam agrees to take things slow. Any scenes between the two of them are mostly non-sexual intimacy, such as kissing, cuddling, and fade to black. We know when they're by themselves, they're doing 'something' but we're not told exactly what it is they're doing. Brand calls it 'getting cozy.' This establishes the main 'trio' of the trilogy. Brand is okay with Addam, which was unusual because in the past he always chased Rune's suitors away, usually because he could tell they were up to no good, but he can sense that Addam is a good guy who will have Rune's best interest at heart. Over the course of the books, the three of them form their own unique bond.
I like to think of gritty, blunt, realistic Brand representing the way things are, and noble, altruistic Addam representing the way things should be!
As the series goes on, the trio accumulate a found family. It includes Aadam's younger brother Quin, whom he raised and is a prophet (and is Ace), Max, who was part of a trade, and three relatives of Rune's, The Dawncreek family, which consists Layne, who is gender fluid, Anna who has has powerful magic whom Rune designates as his heir, little Corbie who formed a magical bond with a prehistoric rhinoceros, (you read that correctly) and their Guardian, Corinne who was a companion to their late father and is now Anna's companion. The Dawncreek Family have Native American ancestry. Yay representation!
Oh, can't forget Ciaran. He's fabulous, and a good friend to Rune and his 'family'.
The magic system is interesting. Apparently, all Atlantians are magical, but some are more powerful than others. They can store magical spells in devices called sigils. The more sigils you have, the better and never lose them, because creating them is a lost art. However, they can be given away or taken by conquest.
Some want Rune, Brand and Addam in a poly relationship. I'm not against it, just really like the idea of an actual QP. Oh, apparently Brand is aro? Addam is poly?
There is a mystery box arc to the entire trilogy. Who caused the fall of the Sun Court and why was Rune assaulted? Over this trilogy, we get 'some' answers and hints and we learn Rune is an unreliable narrator.
It's also the first part of a nine book series. Read it. If you like urban fantasy, m/m romance, lots of representation, this is it.
