A wife capable of standing up to them would be a good alternative, but they don't get that either. They damned well need a good mother, but don't find one. I'd have liked at least one woman with wisdom and maturity who would engender their full respect. This is probably true to the era, but it grates a bit. Although in turn, one has to have great sympathy for the fact that all the men, including Gaston and Will, see the women as more tools or burdens than people in their own right. This book is full of women, most of whom are unfortunately not wholly sympathetic characters. I just found the directions of that change to be sometimes irritating. But there was no doubt that, unless they sank into obscurity among the rest of the Brethren, this would change.

Until now, the men have lived in an isolated world where they were allowed the freedom of their relationship. This could have been the most fascinating part. This one is about family and society, about losing that harbor of two-men-together-and-okay. Too much discussion and searching for ever-extended metaphors, too many swings from love to madness and back, too many choices made for murky reasons that complicated an already sticky situation.Īs part of the series, the events in this book will clearly drive the conclusion. The interactions between Will and Gaston sometimes felt a bit like.

This book was my least favorite in the series. Part Three in the Raised By Wolves extended novel.

Treasure by W.A. Hoffman