Lovers and Beloveds [NOOK Book]

Indie Book Review: Lovers and Beloveds

A while back an email popped up requesting I read Lovers and Beloveds for review. I checked the book out. It looked good. My initial impression was steampunk erotic fantasy. Right up my alley. It turns out my initial impressions of Lovers and Beloveds was off, but not in a bad way. It is a coming of age tale wrapped around a story of sexual domination (a story within the story writing technique is used to good effect) exploring how the one story furthers the other. It's a tale of a young man preparing for his eventual kinghood. It's set in a fantasy land with 1890's-1910ish technology level. The technology is just in the background. To call it steampunk would be similar to calling Sherlock Holmes steampunk; it's the right era, but to do so misses the point of steampunk. It is erotica: coming of age, realpolitik, intelligently crafted with layers and story lines beyond the sex, wrapped up in the sexual politics of what it means to be a man or a woman erotica. If you don't enjoy reading explicit sex or sexual violence, just put the book down. Assuming such reading does not bother you, go get a copy; you'll be well rewarded. Lovers and Beloveds uses erotic sex as a vehicle to explore the paths of power and the relationships of dominance and privilege. All things a boy needs to learn to become a man who will be king. The sex is well written, very hot, and it's easy to see why the main character, Temmin, finds himself aroused and dismayed by that arousal when seeing the main character of the inner story raped. I think calling this book fantasy might be a bit misleading. There is magic in this world, but it's use is minimal. My guess is that in later books in the series it will become important, but for the opening book it's just sort of there. This reads more like historical fiction than fantasy. Take out the few brief magic bits, and this could very easily be set in a fictionalized 1890's Colonial India or Hong Kong. Temmin reads as a genuine young man. He's spoiled but trying to be a good person. He can be self-absorbed and whiny, but he's an eighteen-year-old who just had his world turned upside down. He's earned his whininess, and there's something wrong with a person who isn't self absorbed when his entire reality shifts. The fact that he is annoying on occasion is entirely in character and should the annoying bits be removed, he wouldn't read true. The writing is tight. Scenes flow from one to the next with no major issues. If there were grammar errors, I didn't notice them. Dialog and voice may not be exceptional, but they were more than competent and worked with the characters. I never found myself thinking, "There's no way Temmin (or any other character) would say that!" There are bits where as a reader I found myself wondering why we were meeting certain characters and plot lines, but the quality of the rest of the story and knowing this is book one of a series makes me think they are the seeds of future plot points. The story within the story may have been a bit longer than strictly necessary, but that's my own personal taste (I tend to skim epic battle scenes), and for all I know in the next book the bits I thought were long may be vitally important. I look forward to seeing how Temmin will mature into his future.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A little history, a little fantasy,...

Lovers and Beloveds is the first of a series, An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom. When I received the book and read a little about it, I thought it was going to be a fantasy/steampunk kind of mix, and I was not even in the ball park! It is at it's core a fantasy novel, with an erotic theme. While the eroticism does play a major part in the story, there is so much more to it than that. The characters and the world in which they lived were equally well-developed and that balanced the eroticism, making the story very engrossing. While definately based in a fantasy world, the Temples in the novel echoed the Ancient Greek religions, and the nobles seemed almost Victorian. I really liked that mix of historical elements. I also loved the "story within a story" technique used to tell the stories of Temmin and that of his ancestor Warin.

Temmin wasn't always the most likeable character within the story, but he was very easy to relate to. A big part of the story is really a coming of age tale for him, both personally and in his destiny to be the future King. His struggle to grow up, to become a man and to know who and what he really was as a person was what kept me fully in the story. But the supporting characters were just as well thought out as he was, Teacher being my favorite, There is a lot of mystery about him and I hope we get more of him in future books in the story.

This is definately not a book for a younger crowd, or for those who don't like erotica, but for those on the fence about it, don't let the erotica put you off. That is a part of the story yes, but there is so much more to the story that is to be enjoyed. I will definately be reading future books in the series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Delicious.

I found this book by accident, but I have wanted to read something like this for so long! I often find myself disappointed by the fantasy genre, but I was surprised by the depth of the characters and the universe the author created. I like that Temmin, the protagonist, isn't completely likeable and a bit of a doof and I enjoyed the story told by the characters just as much. The sex scenes are well written.
My first book on the Nook and I devoured it in three days =D I want more!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

<3

I wish I could write a well thought-out review, but I'm just not that good at dissecting books. I'll just say that everything Keryl had to say is quite accurate and take the opportunity to beg the author for more. MORE PLEASE!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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