Review: Squire

Title: Squire
Series: Indigo Knights
Author: Jet Mykles
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 7 September 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 165 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Rabin's looking to reinvent his band, Indigo Knights, when he arrives in Chicago. Working closely and living (temporarily) with Brent Rose, guitarist for the famous band Heaven Sent, things are looking up--especially when Rabin meets Izzy, Brent's cousin who is also sharing his house. Although Rabin isn't interested in men, there's something between him and Izzy that he just can't ignore, and it's not long before they're heating the sheets. Things are fine with their secret relationship until Rabin receives an offer that will take him half a continent away from Chicago--and from Izzy. It's his musical dream or Izzy, but which will triumph in the end?

Rabin is a character from the Heaven Sent series, having appeared in Genesis. I never quite got around to reading that one, so I'm not sure how much development he had there, but it struck me that much of the original ground laying must have been done there, as his character came across as already established by the first few pages of this story. If you've read Genesis, great, but if you're ignorant of that or Heaven Sent as a whole, it's a bit of a detriment.

That being said, I do like Rabin as more of his character is explored. He's down-to-earth and open-minded, fairly easy-going but not a pushover, and excited by new opportunities. I enjoyed him tooling around with Brent as much as I enjoyed him fooling around with Izzy; it was pleasant to see the different facets of his personality.

Izzy was a bit more of a cliché, and I never really grasped him as much more than a fairy stereotype. He was likable enough, but I never really felt that he had his own personality, or at least not enough of one to make a huge impression. He's sweet and seductive, just a bit generic.

Together, Rabin and Izzy were comfortable. Despite Izzy being Rabin's first male lover, the relationship was surprisingly without drama, slipping easily from Izzy's harmless flirting to their spending nights hooking up in hotel rooms. There was never much tension, which is unfortunate in my book; everything was instant (or very nearly) gratification. Even the reactions surrounding their separation were low-key, when just a hint more conflict would have been nice.

Most of the conflict came from the supporting cast, in particular the other original members of Indigo Knights. Even then, aside from some musical squabbling, most of it came in the form of raging homophobia, so over-the-top given the mildness of every other thing in the story as to be a little ridiculous.

Personally, I was also a bit dismayed that Brent and Hell were the couple carried over from Heaven Sent; they're my least favorite couple, and Hell is my least favorite character overall. Fortunately, though they (Brent, in particular) are central to the story, the time spent with them (Hell, in particular) isn't great.

The story itself is pretty predictable, especially if you're familiar with the author, and as comfortable as the characters themselves. You might know exactly what's going to happen between points A and B, but that doesn't make the journey any less pleasant. It's also set up much like Heaven Sent, with sequels (not yet written as of this posting) for each of the band members, so there will be plenty more time to spend in their world.

Although it's nothing earth-shattering, this is still an enjoyable read, perfect to devour during a long soak in the tub (and just short enough that you may still even have some hot water left at the end of it). I look forward to the release of the sequels to see how Rabin and Izzy are doing.