Agency of Extraordinary Mates: Taboo

What do you do when you discover something about yourself that is not only unexpected, but is also profoundly life altering? How does it affect you and those around you? Is it possible that some good can come out of the change of understanding you have with regards to yourself? These are questions that Talcor and Knight of Stephanie Burke's Agency of Extraordinary Mates: Taboo are bound to be asking themselves.

Talcor, the First Son of the House of Aggression and an Elemental Fae warrior, comes from a lineage that is steeped in tradition. His wings have come in, signaling sexual maturity, and he's fantasized about the act with his mate-to-be, Falon. Both families have done everything but stand on their heads to get Talcor to bed his fiancé. However, Talcor can't perform with his fiancé; he's just discovered he may be straight. This presents a problem for Talcor because the traditional gay and lesbian relationships are what have kept his people alive. In fear of what his family will think and upset over the possibility of losing his fiancé, Tal decides he needs to get laid by a man, thus proving to everyone, once and for all, that he is gay.

When Knight Sayburn is passed over for promotion at Schuster and Bitters Investments because people believe she is gay, Knight quits. She knows that no matter how emphatically she denies being gay, no one will believe her. However, because her boss doesn't want her to make a rash decision, he convinces her to accept his, "once in a lifetime, find your mate and live happily ever after, vacation." While relaxing on Chimera Island, she is to suppose to discover herself; whether she is gay or straight.

Stephanie Burke's Agency of Extraordinary Mates: Taboo is a humorous story. Despite the serious subject matter, the emotional upheavals and the reverse sexual preferences, Ms. Burke has managed to include some humorous situations by adding a were-bee, as well as some succubae characters.

Talcor and Knight's discovery of what they believe to be their true sexual preferences are worth reading about. Both are confused and suffering extreme mental anguish. They don't know if their life is over as they know it, but they do know they need to discover what they want out of life. Many of us deal with similar feelings and/or choices in our search to discover who we are. It is because of this very need or desire that I was able to identify with Knight and Talcor so easily.

The only real question I felt was left unanswered is why Talcor's peoples' lives' depended upon their males being gay and their females being lesbians. I feel Stephanie Burke's Agency of Extraordinary Mates: Taboo, would have been a better story if an explanation had been provided to the reader as to the reason for this.

Reviewed by: Lady Amethyst