Lotus in the Wild [NOOK Book]

Don't Miss This Read

Originally posted at: www.whippedcream2.blogspot.com ***** Finding one's heart's desire is difficult at the best of times; finding it in someone who is your opposite in every way except sexual drive poses extra challenges.

For everyone who was concerned about Wulgar's happiness at the end of Bee Among the Clover, this sequel is welcome and necessary. While we have the classic rough-hewn Alpha paired with a beautiful submissive half his size, a pairing so familiar in M/M fiction, the reader is given so much more than the usual. This is a tale of reaching across vast cultural divides, of adaptation and compromise, and of a determined love that refuses to bend to societal expectations.

The historical aspects of the novel, as with the previous installment, are a large part of the novel's strengths. Wulfgar is everything a thane of his time should be: hard, fierce, demanding, generous with those who serve him well, and protective of what is his. While Norse/Germanic cultures at the time didn't exactly condone male/male relationships, they didn't necessarily censure them either. The shame in Norse culture was not in the act but in being the one who was taken. No free man would allow another male to use him willingly and the act of male rape was sometimes used to humiliate the conquered. With that said, a man of Wulgar's rank could certainly have male bed slaves if he chose, since it would be quite clear to everyone who was topping whom. That his only son doesn't approve is a different matter, part jealousy and part anger at seeing his father, as Gaeric sees it, manipulated by his slaves.

Kintaro is one of the most charming characters I've ever come across. He's a whole person, so unlike most subs in m/m stories. Proud and often vain, he glories in who he is and what he's been trained to do. No simple sex slave, he has the body of a gymnast and a sharp mind, his training running parallel to a geisha's rather than a mere bed toy with all of the aesthetic qualities of grace and cultured skills one would expect. Though he has lived a privileged, spoiled life, and some of the misunderstandings he has with Wulfgar due to language barriers and cultural expectations become epic battles of wills, he truly does want to please his handsome thane and only wants the best for him. His efforts to adapt, to adjust to his new surroundings and still remain himself are wonderful to watch and he slowly unfolds to the reader as a young man of deep feeling and a compassionate heart much larger than his small frame.

Because the immersion in history is so well done and because the struggle of cultural divide is so fascinating, I found myself disappointed in the ending. While I do understand that Wulfgar needs some closure and perhaps a little shove in the right direction, the way the ending is handled felt too contrived to me. Magical interference in a world full of very real dangers seemed unnecessary and a more believable resolution certainly should have been possible.

With that said, the closing scene is lovely and I found the story as a whole more enjoyable than the previous one. With sympathy and an intuitive feel for the times, the authors have breathed life into two of the most memorable characters in historical fiction. What could have been clichéd portrayals have been painted instead as fully realized people, each with their own strengths and blind spots.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wulfgar is not happy with the choices for bed partners he is fac

Wulfgar is not happy with the choices for bed partners he is facing since he freed his slave Roman and his thrall Aron six months ago. Hoping to change that situation he visits the slave auction in Londinium when he goes to replenish his supplies during one of his twice yearly visits. When Wulfgar sets eyes on Kintaro he finds a slave he has to have no matter the cost.

Kintaro is from the Far East and is very proud of his status of slave and greatly enjoys his duties as such. He is used to being pampered and spoiled for his efforts as he was the slave of an official in his homeland. Kintaro is different from any other slave that Wulfgar has ever had before.

Life gets interesting when Kintaro’s pride, Wulfgar’s passion and Wulfgar’s son, Gaeric’s temper all collide. Wulfgar may not know much about matters of the heart but he knows that Kintaro is more to him than any other slave before Kintaro.



This is wonderfully written story that is sure to please many readers. The characters are fun to read about and to see how they figure out the many obstacles that are standing in their way to finding happiness. The path that the characters take to find their happiness is very twisted as they have to work to figure out what they want and then how to get it. With misunderstanding to work through the reader gets emotionally invested in seeing the characters get their happy ever after. While the ending is a little abrupt the story is still very good and will have the reader eagerly turning the pages just to see what will happen next. This one can be read as a stand alone but is greatly enriched with reading it with the first story, Bee in the Clovers.

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