Review: The Knife of Narcissus VI & VII by Carolyne Chand

The cargo Lucius has smuggled into Rome for his brother-in-law Aulus is enough wealth to power an army, bringing them both to the attention of the imperial family. Now Lucius stands in a precarious position between two dangerous princes, poised to be either a favored courtier or an inconvenience marked for disposal—and forced to navigate his way through the same sexual intrigues Aulus has hinted that Trio, the man Lucius loves, has joined.

Trio is still a Gordian Knot Lucius intends to cut open. Knowing now that Trio is caught in more than an unmanly, un-Roman love for a friend, Lucius sets out with him and their two attendants on the search to find Velleia’s missing slave.

In the remoteness of the Campanian countryside, under looming, smoke-shrouded Mount Vesuvius that commands the skyline, Lucius intends to devote himself to refueling the flame he knows still burns between him and Trio. Nothing will stand in the way...except perhaps Arpalycus, the handsome and tempting slave who has become for Lucius much more than servant, far more than confidante.

Lucius Sentius, along with most people in the city of Rome, assumed that the debauched days of Nero were long behind them. He was wrong.

Swept into the sexual games of powerful men, he has had to navigate intrigues, lies, and rumour on his path to status and respectability. Torn between reputation and love, ambition and obligation, his heart still lies somewhere not at all respectable: a very un-Roman love for his very Roman friend Trio, the sort of relationship that only the most powerful—or the most ignored—may have.

In the course of a summer Lucius has gone from curious innocent to devoted worshipper of Venus, following both his heart and other instincts. But his dedication to the goddess stands between him and what he truly hopes to win. In the remoteness of the Campanian countryside, Lucius tries to refuel the flame between Trio and himself.

He is no longer the person who fell in love. But neither is Trio...

Includes a preview of the sequel novella: Saturnalia.


What is it about human nature that inclines us to reflect back to the beginning when we reach the end? That's where I find myself at the end of this saga.

Did I enjoy it?

Overall, yes. I think Ms. Chand wove her story together well. I loved Lucius and that love only grew as the series progressed. He's randy as all get out, has a heart of gold and he's generous to a fault. He's also intelligent and shrewd. 

I also love Rome especially ancient Rome and Ms. Chand seems to have done her research. She paid attention to the details and I even learned a couple things along the way and I like Ms. Chand's writing style; it's descriptive and evocative.


Was there anything I didn't like?

The ending. Well… let me clarify. It's not that I "didn't like" it per se. I was disappointed by Lucius' decision. I don't think it was the right decision for him, but I will say it ends ambiguously. I'll let you translate that for yourself.

Also… *side mouths* it could've used more… 

I am just saying.

It's my understanding that the whole thing is to be released as one book which makes this seven part series thing an odd marketing strategy to my mind, but it also made the story a bit disjointed. Then again, the storyline that I'm interested in may not be the same for all. What I'm trying to say in a nutshell is, I think the story will flow better as a whole rather than seven pieces.

How was the sex?

Copious. Lucius is a devotee of Venus and he worships often with fervor and a fair number of partners to whom he's quite generous. He's also very enthusiastic which ratcheted up the heat level.

Would I read something else by this author?

Depends. I'd read other things in this theater particularly anything having to do with Lucius. I'm not certain I'd be interested in any of the other characters. Unless they were gladiators. That's a whole different ballgame there.

How would you rate it?

I'm in between 3 and 4 Hearts, so I'll settle for 3.5 Hearts for the entire experience.

I would like to thank the author for providing me with an ARC of the series in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read more on Goodreads.

Review: Looking After Joey by David Pratt

From the author of Bob the Book comes a funny, fast-paced, touching tale of love, laughter, family of choice and fabulousness! Wouldn't it be great if a character from a porn movie stepped right out of your TV, into your life? Well, be careful what you wish for. Because that's how Calvin and Peachy end up looking after Joey. Then Peachy decides to make Joey the center of in a social-climbing scheme that will take them all from Chelsea to Park Avenue to Fire Island and will entangle a rogues' gallery of eccentric Manhattanites, including portly, perspiring publicist Bunce van den Troell; theatrical investor Sir Desmond Norma; studly thespian Clive Tidwell-Smidgin; and evil lubricant king Fred Pflester and his mysterious nephew, Jeffrey. Tender, wise, witty and utterly deranged, Looking After Joey will make you wish you, too, had a porn character sitting at your kitchen table, pointing at the toast and asking, "What's this called again?"

I had to cogitate on this one once I finished. There were so many things I liked and appreciated, but just enough things that felt extraneous that diluted the story. It’s a really interesting premise and reading between the lines makes you think about relationships of all forms, self-awareness, self-doubt and perceptions of those around us. I was expecting a light hearted misadventure and really got so much more. There were definitely funny moments, as well as some of the most memorable characters I’ve read. But, there is an underlying sense of despair from Calvin that runs throughout the book.

Calvin is not as young as he once was and he is lonely. Very, very lonely. He has his best friend Peachy, as mentioned above, one of the most memorable characters, but that isn’t the same as having someone to love and to love you through life. Honestly, I’m still not sure how I feel about Calvin. I think I liked him, he definitely frustrated me. I think he’s very much a “real” person rather than a character and I have to respect the fact that he isn’t a stereotype, he’s a real man.

This conversation between Calvin and Peachy summed them up quite well:

“Peachy, why are we single?”

“Because,” Peachy said, “you are pessimistic and self-loathing and I am a cunt.”

“You’re not a cunt, Peachy.” Calvin said. “You’re too hard on yourself. You’re just a major league bitch.”

“Are you sure?”

“But not a cunt. What happened to the ‘fetching’ one from a few weeks ago?”

“He fetched someone else. There was a little dalliance which you were away. He was the one who thought I was, well, ‘overbearing’ was the word he used.”

“You’re a lot of woman,” said Calvin. “Some men can’t handle it.”

“You’re not just saying that?"

So, basically these two are feeling their expiration dates fast approaching on their marketability and the looming specter of loneliness is throughout the book.

When Joey enters their world, through a truly magical porn portal, they have a lot to deal with. Joey becomes more than just a project and a ticket to give an old nemesis a come-uppance as time goes on. Granted, the majority of the book is preparing Joey for his debut at the party of the year, but slowly priorities shift and the two who are supposed to know the most, Calvin and Peachy, learn from the one who knows the least, poor confuzzled Joey. I liked Joey once he started to acclimate to the “real world” and once he got to know some more people. Mainly Doug of course, Doug ran a close second to my Peachy for favorite characters. These guys may not have been a traditional family, but they became a family of sorts and that part I liked very much.

But, there were so many other things going on it pulled my focus away from where this little dysfunctional group was going and growing. The obsession with the party was too much. I get that it was what Calvin considered his “last stand” but a LOT of time and energy went into trying to make a point to a man who probably wouldn’t care. Secondly, the endless streams of cultural references, pop, gay and otherwise. I understand these things are important to them, but, it was a case of, and pardon me while a quote a little Syndrome to you “when everyone is super, no one will be”. Again, it was just too much, the impact was lost in the flood of name dropping. The references I didn’t get I wasn’t even interested in looking up at that point. And finally, Calvin’s trip to Spain, it was a side trip that didn’t give Calvin enough of an epiphany of any sort to justify being away from the other characters for that long.

Overall, I liked the meat and potatoes of the story, the characters and where they ended up. The other stuff just diluted the important points and people for me. I loved the unique plotline and appreciated reading something unique, the book is definitely that and definitely worth reading. Personally, I’m a “less is more” person so a little more focus would have made it even better to me as the characters had great depth and didn’t need the extras to make them memorable.

For more info on this book, check it out on Goodreads!

*** a copy of this book was provided for an honest review ***

Review: Born under a Blue Moon by Laura S. Fox

Ay’len and Ma’ki have been in love since they were children, but, as they grow up, they realize that their love can never be. Ay’len, although a boy, was raised together with his sisters, to learn women’s ways, far away from all the dangers boys to become men had to face. Destined to become the tribe’s next healer, his gentle soul is also destined to protect the village. Being born under a blue moon, he is considered lucky, but his luck and happiness are not his, as he must belong to the entire tribe. He needs to remain pure, away from temptations of the flesh, so he must quash the love he feels for Ma’ki and dedicate himself to a selfless existence. 

Ma’ki is a hunter and the tribe chieftain’s first born. His purpose is to carry his bloodline, by marrying and fathering children. Yet, as years go by, his love for Ay’len grows stronger. To his family’s distress, he refuses to take a wife, despite knowing that Ay’len could never be his. 

But not all tribesmen see Ay’len with good eyes and danger has a way of finding him. His androgynous appearance provokes confusion and lust, and a moment arrives when a man decides to challenge the tribe’s rules and make Ay’len his wife. Without protection, the healer is left to be devoured by a beast of a man and his lewd desires. When Ma’ki discovers that his one true love is bound to another, he realizes his entire life has been a lie. 

When rules are broken, and gods are scorned, will true love survive?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's got a mystical Native American vibe that I've not experienced since Mustang Hill by Rolf. I know quite a few people will be put off by the warning tags. I wasn't. Actually, I was anticipating something harsher than what I got. It does happen on the page, but is wasn't Bloodraven level and it's short-lived.

I don't want to go off on a huge tangent here and, in all honesty, while I was reading it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment, but since I've finished it I can't stop thinking about how the tribe made the decision to raise Ay'len female. I find this very interesting. Ay'len even asks his mother at one point as a child if he was male or female and her response was that he was "lucky". He dresses as a woman and feels more comfortable being with the women rather than hunting and gathering with the men. All of which I'm fine with, but I sure would like to know how or why the tribe decided this was the course of action to take. Perhaps it's a foregone conclusion in their culture for someone born under a blue moon.

Ay'len was born under the blue moon and chosen early on to become the next healer. His androgyny makes many distrustful and others downright ugly to him, yet somehow he maintains his benevolence. His mother says he was "made for love". Apropos. He's gentle, kind, unselfish and altruistic and he's always been in love with Ma'ki.

Ma'ki is set to be the next chieftain. His duty is to ensure his bloodline continues yet he refuses to marry and becomes increasingly bitter from denying himself his heart's desire. Ma'ki is kind of a neanderthal but I liked him. He's gruff and plain spoken and once he decides he's had enough of hiding his feelings for Ay'len, nobody is stopping him from taking Ay'len as his wife. NOBODY! YA HEAR?

The love these two have for each other is palpable and it is repeatedly tested. More than one sociopath tries to destroy Ay'len and Ma'ki. It's a beautiful love story of devotion through adversity, but it's also hopeful.

What this book does desperately need is an edit. The prose is… odd. Verb tenses are used incorrectly, words are left out, and sometimes it seems like perspectives change randomly. At times I wasn't sure if it was purposeful maybe to make the characters seem more authentic? I'm not sure, but it was jarring and jerked me out of the story more than once. 

I'm intrigued by this author and her ability to weave a tale. It's more romance than overtly explicit non-con, but enjoyable.

I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Find more info on Goodreads and BookLikes.