Fangirl Moment: Review: At His Throat, A Promise by Lilith Grey

In the slave city of Spire, Ellis has been discarded. His former master, a man who was supposed to teach him and take care of him, passed away, leaving Ellis alone and in danger of being taken to the Facility. Ellis is desperate to avoid that fate. He seeks a master to take him on, guiding him into adulthood as well as a profession. Ellis has had desire stolen from him—he’s been trained to blush, to submit, to give in. He doesn’t know how to cope with William, a man who wants the real Ellis.

William is a Master, a man born in a neighbour city that does not deal in slavery. He has had bad experiences with slaves in the past, but all that changes when he rescues Harte, a young slave whose abusive master had all but destroyed him. Together, they are content in their mutual roles, not looking for anything more. But when Ellis catches the eye of Harte, and by extension, William, their relationship changes in ways for which they are unprepared.

Harte is a born submissive, a young man who lives for his role. He’s bratty but genuine. William, his master, is his entire life. Harte never expected to have room in his heart for another, but Ellis is beautiful and different and fills a place in his life that he hadn’t known was empty.

If only Ellis could learn to ask for what he desired, what he needed, then maybe William and Harte could help him. But Ellis is trapped inside himself, insecure and afraid. To stay with William, he only has to ask...but that’s the one thing Ellis cannot do...






First: I love slave fic.
Second: I love sweet slave boys.
Third: I love a master who tends to his slave boys.

So, this book and I?

I don’t know what it is about these slave stories but, gawd, they get to me. They make me have all sorts of feels. The idea of having to rely on someone so completely, having no choices be your own is fascinating to me. On the other hand, being in such control over someone else’s well-being is equally as fascinating. There’s always such a complex relationship and I just wanna get all up in the angst. Dip it in chocolate and rub it all over myself.

Ellis. Sweet Ellis. His master has just died and is now looking for a new one. If he can’t find someone to take him in he gets sent back to the Facility where unowned slaves are kept. Ellis finds Harte - another slave - and they hit it off pretty quickly. Harte convinces his Master, William, to sponsor Ellis and to help him find a permanent master. William, who can’t deny Harte anything, sponsors Ellis and takes him home. But, William never intends to have a second slave so the plan is to find someone for Ellis. Harte is enough for William and is all he wants. He is a submissive to the core. Yeah, he can be a pain, speaks out of turn, can throw a little fit, but he thrives in submitting to his Master. It’s obvious to Ellis from the beginning that Harte and William have a deep connection with one another and don’t have the typical master/slave relationship. Unlike Harte, Ellis isn’t a natural at this and really has to work at it, but he desperately wants to. He wants so badly to be wanted.

I loved these three. Ellis was so stubborn. He was obviously wanted by both William and Harte. If he just spoke up when asked he could have avoided a lot of his struggles. Ah well, that’s just who he was. He would do anything to just be a good boy, even if it meant leaving William and Harte.

I especially loved Harte. He was such an adorable, slutty little thing. He was very open with his emotions and just a sweet character. Oh, William. Their Master. What slave boy wouldn’t love William? He is basically the most perfectest master ever. There was so much chemistry between all of them. Whether it was all three of them or just two of them, their relationship felt real.

This pushed all the right buttons for me... loving master, slave boys(!), complex characters with an equally complex relationship, angst and some of my favorite kinks.