I grabbed A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick on a whim on Kobo Plus. It was available as an audiobook, it was queer, and it looked fun! Sometimes that doesn’t work out for me. This time, it really really did.
Two potion shops, one heated rivalry…until hate bubbles over into something else.
Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best—and only—potions in the city.
Until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.
Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…
The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.
The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.
A Rival Most Vial is a cozy fantasy, rivals-to-lovers romance in the vein of Legends and Lattes. (Blurb by author)
Content notes: fire, injuries, child abuse, child neglect, sexual content, emotional abuse, violence
This is probably one of the truest enemies to lovers romances I’ve ever read. The love interests literally get into a fist fight at one point. I didn’t think I would like that extreme of a dynamic, but I really did. Probably because I absolutely loved Ambrose, Eli and the whole rest of the team.
I would personally fist fight people (if you’ve read it, you can guess who) for Ambrose Beake. This man deserves so much more love than he received from the people who should have taken care of him most. I’m also thrilled that over the course of the book, he learns to see and start to accept the love he does get from everyone around him. It’s something everyone needs, even (ESPECIALLY) those who think they’re best left alone.
Eli and I are soul siblings, ngl. I love him. Hopping from career to career, sure that this next one is going to be The Thing That Sticks is something my resume and I are very familiar with, as are the family’s reactions. I want all the best things for him and I think adventuring and it’s constantly changing everything will be fun for him.
If you’re looking for found family, this is a great place to start. The entire group of queer business owners on the street is fantastic, and I cannot wait to read more about them in the ALREADY RELEASED SEQUEL! I haven’t read it yet, but I’m hoping to early next year! I have it on good authority that Ashwick’s other series is also excellent, so go check it out!
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