A Hex for Hunger: A Romantasy

The Rune Tithe, Book 2

By: Alistair Reeves

Narrated by: Harrison Knights

After five centuries, a loyal guard returns from the dead without the king he once served—and loved—to find the world and his place within it much changed.

Ambrose aka the Grim Wolf of Belgrave spent his life striving to be a hero—until he died a villain in the name of the medieval witch king he was passionately devoted to. Now, after hundreds of years, he's back from the dead without his beloved king. And the vow he once swore has him obligated to Emery Vale, a necromancer-in-training, who's tasked him with murdering his rival and nemesis.

But Ambrose has other plans. He hopes to bring the ruler of his kingdom—and his heart—back from the grave so they can finally enjoy the love they'd once yearned for. All he has to do first is kill one other person: Emery . . .

The more time Ambrose spends with his new master though, the more his hunger for Emery's blood is turning into a hunger for Emery. And as he continues to search for a way to resurrect the witch king, he might just discover their connection wasn't all that it seemed.

©2025 Alistair Reeves (P)2025 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

"Reeves's remarkably assured debut delivers a queer, witchy romp with deep feelings."—Publishers Weekly

"As comfy and satisfying as 'the taste of hot stew on a rainy night.'"—Kirkus Reviews

worth a listen

I liked the last book, and already looking forward to his next one. A Hex for Hunger is worth a listen.

Both satisfied and hungry for more!

For all of Alistair Reeves’s impeccable diction and writing I’m certain disappointment is not in their vocabulary- for this second installment of The Rune Tithe series is nothing short of a magnificent triumph! It should be noted that one can enjoy this story with or without being familiar with A Spell for Heartsickness- a welcome bonus for new readers if they somehow ended up with this title in their hands first! The characters and world building are beautifully crafted with solid grounding and fantastical depth. If you’re already reading reviews of this title, there is no doubt in my mind you’ll find this story as brilliant as I did!

The unexpected...romantic aspects. (totally welcome)

So well written. I don't want to give too much away, but their romantic relationship was not what I expected and I was soooo happy with it. The antagonists were great and I felt very fulfilled with the adventure.

Not as Good as the First Book

The book put me off from the start and I never quite recovered. The author had us believe something awful about MC2 and just left it there until nearly the end of the book. So it was hard for me to ever like him. And I just worried about the MC's decisions the whole time. He went through some truly awful stuff and I worried that all of his decisions in this book were fueled by trauma and lack of other options. Would have liked it better if the MC had had a chance to maybe deal with his past and find some sort of closure.

As for the narrator, he wasn't nearly as good as the first book's narrator. He only seems to have 2 or 3 male voices and 1 female voice that sounded a lot like the male voices. On the flip side, this guy was easier to understand. So he's got that going for him.