Losing Ground

Losing Ground by Sasha L. Miller

Age: Young Adult / Adult
Category: Romance, fantasy, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 3 stars

Rosie Thinks: This is only the second book I've read from Sasha L. Miller, but I'm really beginning to like her. Both books have been unique, including the storylines and the surroundings, and she's stayed away from the cliches of the m/m romance genre. HOORAY! Not much upsets me more than a story that I feel like I've read a thousand times before.

Losing Ground is set in a world like ours, yet different - it's modern, but it's broken up into territories which are owned by wizards or witches. There wasn't too much world-building past that, but since it wasn't an overly long or complicated story, it didn't need it. The magic is elemental, and the story is told from the POV of earth wizard Carter Bellwood. He is set to inherit the territory once his ailing mother passes, but his powers are comparatively quite weak and they are both struggling to rid their territory of the disease that is killing all plant life. When super-strong earth wizard Tai enters their territory, Carter thinks he's found the solution. But Tai is running from something and might not stick around, despite the friendship developing between the two men.

I guess you could class this as a 'slow romance', but I'd prefer to call it realistic. They become friends first, and it takes a while for Tai to lower his guard enough to let Carter in. It develops from there into a romance that was sweet and understated. The main action comes from the two men fighting the disease and Tai's past catching up to him, so it stayed interesting, suspenseful and intriguing throughout.

I felt like Miller did a great job at creating an urban fantasy world, but I would've liked to have seen a bit more romantic development between the two. It took a backseat to the action for most of it, and I think the story as a whole could've benefited from one or two extra scenes of just Tai and Carter, without the plot intruding. Other than that, it made for a lovely, easy read that didn't disappoint.