Product Description

Kade has been a slave for too long. When he passes to yet another owner in a game of chance, he goes without a fight. He's still as proud as he ever was as a warrior of his people, but he has no hope left in him. Or so he thinks. Surial doesn't keep slaves. He's not a native of Azize, the land where he serves out his banishment from his family. He doesn't believe in their customs. So when Kade comes to him on a bet, he's not sure what to do with the big, quiet man. Kade goes to work in the stables, and soon an uneasy friendship begins to grow between the unwilling slave and the unlikely master. Even Surial's servants disapprove of the relationship, but Kade and Surial have more to worry about that a few raised eyebrows. In a world where magic exists in the everyday, Surial and Kade have to face their own fears, their own dreams, and a danger that might well overtake both of them. Sean Michael builds a world full of amazing characters and places in Windbrothers, where the fragile friendship of two men is tested and tried again and again, until ultimately, they find something more precious than anything either of them has ever dreamed of.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #750025 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
CB Potts, author of the Rockhounds series, writes: Love comes in unexpected guises, and in Windbrothers Sean Michael shows us all of them. A sweeping, epic, fantasy tale, it takes but a few pages before one is caught up in the tale of Surial, a man with a secret -- a secret strong enough to banish him from his homeland. He has loyal companions in his isolation: Rowan, bodyguard and advisor, and the dark horse Mon'keur, too temperamental to be approached by anyone. That is until Surial finds himself the unwilling owner of Kade, a slave with a few secrets of his own. Enthralling storytelling, rich with atmosphere and detail, Windbrothers is a grand adventure. Two worlds collide -- Surial's pain and Kade's - -qualitatively different yet at the core very similar -- as the pair strive to find common ground. When a threat to one becomes a threat to both, it's almost too much to bear. Sean Michael may be one of the most versatile authors working in the genre today. He doesn't disappoint with this latest offering -- not to be missed.

Customer Reviews

Windbrothers
Surial Banshinaree was banished by his father and sent to the land of Azize. A hot desert land in which he looks after the family's business concerns. He is unhappy, with few friends and a dislike for the ways of his adopted home. One day at the dog races, he inadvertently wins a slave, Kade. Despite Surial's dislike for the practice of slavery, he can't send Kade to be sold and be mistreated again, so he keeps the man.

Kade, who was a warrior of his tribe, begins working in Surial's stables, caring for the horses and vacillating between the hope for freedom and sinking into the despair of slavery. Surial and Kade slowly form a friendship of sorts, despite their differing stations and cultures. Will their friendship sustain them when dark forces conspire against Surial?

Windbrothers is an incredibly difficult book to describe. When I first began reading the story, I had a hard time getting into the fantasy world Sean Michael constructed. Some of the unfamiliar words and titles were confusing, and I had trouble keeping track of some of the rarely mentioned characters. Once I was able to immerse myself, though, I discovered it was well worth the effort. This book was far from a traditional romance, yet I enjoyed it immensely. Both Surial and Kade are very well drawn characters. They each had richly drawn histories and cultures, especially Kade. Despite their differences, the two men shared longing for their families and homes, and strong senses of honor. Their growing emotional connection was beautiful to read, and their friendship sustained them through many trials.

Overall, Windbrothers was a lovely story with good world building, fantastic characterization, and a great deal of emotion. The summary I gave doesn't even scratch the surface of the detailed plot of the book. The twists and turns of the story kept me interested all the way to the end. I do have to include a couple of disclaimers to this review, however. While I enjoyed this story very much, it is not like most of Sean Michael's other work. Anyone expecting a lot of hot sex will be disappointed. There is no consummation--not even a kiss! There is, however, an emotional connection and the possibility of more in a future installment of what seems likely to be a series. The other issue I noticed was the violence in the story. There are some fairly graphic scenes with the villain that may bother some readers. Although they clearly established the sheer evilness of the villain, a couple of them were a bit much. Still, don't let those minor issues stop you from reading this story. I hope Mr. Michael is working on a sequel because I can't wait to see what happens next!

Cassie reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A Good Adventure Story
Since this is a Sean Michael story, since it is about two men, since Sean Michael only writes M/M stories, since I have read many of them and I know Sean Michael can write about M/M romance and gay BDSM, futuristic, vampires etc., and since they set the character of Surial as preferring men over women, of course, I expected something of the same in this story. I was disappointed. This is really an an unfolding of a gradual relationship between two men who develop a deep respect and an emotional bond for each other. Each fills the need of the other. Be forewarned that there is not even a kiss, nor any hint of a deeper gay relationship developed. I thought there would be and kept reading waiting for it to happen.
Although I loved Kade and Surial and all of the characters in this rich, and wonderful story of two men who would die for each other...I would not have purchased the book if I had known it was really an adventure story.
To be fair, I couldn't put the book down..but I don't know if I was reading for the story - or for the story to develop a physical relationship between Kade and Surial.

Starts slow, gets interesting and then wanders
The story starts slowly and as a bit repetitive in its themes, but gets fairly interesting around the middle and then seems to wander in a new direction but never quite gets back the depth of detail and focus again. I look forward to the second book, to see how the writer matures. The Gay subtext is muted and not overpowering and seems almost non existant at times.