It’s plain that the historic market has for years been flooded with loads of decisions for many who love Regency or Victorian England settings. And we’ve each actually learn (and loved) lots. Nonetheless, there’s a LOT of historical past to be explored exterior of nineteenth century England and having “uncommon historicals” for a TBR immediate gave us the prospect to discover. Fortunately, each of our picks have been principally profitable. Caz went for a m/m alternate world primarily based on Historical Greece, and Lynn determined to select up a Viking novel after going a number of years with out one. What are a few of your favourite historic settings?
Sword Dance by A.J. Demas
A.J. Demas’ Sword Dance is the primary e-book in a trilogy set in an imaginary/alternate historic world that reads quite like Historical Greece, so I believed it might be a superb match for this month’s “uncommon historic” immediate. There’s thriller and a slow-burn romance, a lot of wry humour and a perfectly realised setting to take pleasure in, along with some very poignant observations about trauma and grief, and discussions about energy and privilege, gender and intercourse – however none of it overwhelms the principle storyline or reads just like the writer ‘soapboxing’.
Damiskos Temnon was one in all Pheme’s most revered warriors, however his profession was ended by harm 5 years earlier, leaving him with a everlasting incapacity and scars that aren’t all seen ones. Now he works for the military in a really completely different capability, within the Quartermasters Workplace, and when the e-book opens, is on his method to the distant seaside villa of an previous good friend with a view to negotiating a provide contract. (For fish sauce of all issues!) It’s very clear this isn’t a job he significantly enjoys, nevertheless it’s a necessity if he’s to maintain physique and soul collectively and to proceed to ship cash to his dad and mom, who’re incapable of dwelling inside their means.
When Damiskos arrives, he finds Nione has company, a celebration of philosophers from Boukos, principally college students and former college students of Nione’s kinsman, Eurydemos, along with a service provider by the title of Aristokles Phoskos and his Zashian slave – a eunuch, Damiskos guesses, given his richly embellished clothes, and delicate, painted options. Damiskos finds the discourse of the scholars and philosophers distinctly distasteful in its blatant bigotry – removed from enlightened free-thinkers, this bunch reads like a bunch of white-supremacist homophobes in pursuance of their purpose of restoring Pheme to greatness. Damiskos has no time for them or their concepts, and might’t assist questioning simply what number of of their sneering remarks about “unnatural half-men” the slave is ready to perceive.
The subsequent day, when Damiskos encounters the slave – who he has discovered is named Pharastes, or Varazda in his personal language – he finds himself reassessing the sentiments of pity he’d had the earlier night. The person could also be enticingly stunning, however he’s prickly and defensive, responding to Damiskos’ try at dialog with thinly disguised rudeness, and Damiskos finds himself disliking him.
Most of their encounters over the following few days observe an analogous sample – Varazda misinterprets every part Damiskos says and his frosty response places Damiskos’ again up as a result of he’s simply attempting to assist. Varazda appears decided to maintain Damiskos at a distance – till Aristokles disappears in suspicious circumstances, and the 2 of them workforce as much as attempt to discover out what’s going on. Varazda explains that Aristokles was despatched to research Eurydemos and his college students following some anti-Zashian riots that passed off in Boukos a number of weeks earlier, and to retrieve some delicate paperwork that have been stolen from the Zashian embassy. Damiskos is shocked to study that Aristokles is a spy – he’d appeared far too inept (and it doesn’t take him lengthy to work out who the spy actually is!) – however as he places collectively among the issues he’s heard over the previous few days, he realises what’s happening. Of their fanatical need to Make Pheme Nice Once more (#sorrynotsorry!), the scholars wish to carry a few warfare with Zash. With Aristokles gone, Varazda suggests Damiskos ought to put concerning the story that he now owns Varazda so he has an excuse to stay on the villa, and let it’s believed they’re lovers, so no person will query their spending time collectively.
I loved every part about this e-book; the characters, the setting and the romance – though there’s no HEA right here, only a tentative HFN with the promise of extra. Regardless that the occasions of the story happen in round every week, there’s the particular really feel of a slow-burn, however I believe as a result of there’s a lot else happening, the romance appears to take its time – and that labored fairly effectively for me.
The 2 leads are beautifully characterised, opposites in nearly each means who one way or the other discover their excellent match. Damiskos – who’s the only real PoV character right here – is form and understanding with a pure air of authority, however he’s grieving the lack of the army life he’d cherished and been good at and remains to be coming to phrases with the traumatic occasion that brought about it. He’s world-weary and attempting to work out the place he suits in, however is set to be a superb and respectable particular person, irrespective of that life has floor him down. Watching him turn out to be fully smitten with Varazda and never even realising it at first is de facto candy, and I cherished seeing him fall simply that little bit extra below his spell each time they’re collectively.
Varazda is perceptive, good and mercurial, a former slave – now freed – and sword dancer with a three-year-old daughter again dwelling in Boukos. He presents himself with each masculine and female qualities and options, and talks to Damiskos about how he feels about it, generally feeling like a person, generally like a girl and the stability he will get from it. He’s a eunuch, however the writer makes it clear that being non-binary isn’t one thing Varazda has ‘turn out to be’ due to what was executed to him; he’s what and who he’s regardless of what’s (or isn’t) between his legs. The intercourse scenes are dealt with in a delicate method – being a slave means Varazda was typically used for intercourse, however being with Damiskos is his first expertise of selecting a lover for himself. Their attraction is sudden and outdoors each their expertise, however they discuss and there’s no foolish miscommunication; their uncertainties and hesitation are the results of who they’re and what they’ve been by means of, and their backstories are skilfully woven into the story. The writer does an incredible job of exhibiting us Varazda by means of Damiskos’ eyes, and I cherished attending to see the depth of his affection and take care of Varazda.
Sword Dance is an entertaining learn with nice characters, an attention-grabbing plot and a splendidly realised setting. I loved Damiskos and Varazda’s romance an incredible deal, and I’m undoubtedly going to be selecting up the following e-book within the sequence as quickly as I can.
Grade: B+ Sensuality: Heat
~ Caz Owens
Purchase it at Amazon
To Wed a Viking Warrior by Michelle Kinds
After I noticed this month’s TBR immediate, I instantly went wanting by means of my Harlequin Historicals. Harlequin is among the few publishers who reliably explores the world exterior of Regency society. I’d been toying with the thought of doing a Helen Kirkman reread for some time, so I undoubtedly had Vikings on the thoughts once I made my choose. Michelle Kinds is a Harlequin writer I’ve loved previously, so I selected To Wed a Viking Warrior.
It seems that this novel is third in a trilogy. Whereas the leads from the primary two books are talked about and make a number of appearances, this story stands by itself fairly effectively. The heroine, Elene, is the youngest of three daughters of a Mercian aeldorman. Her older sisters have married Vikings who settled on close by lands, and Elene’s father desires her married to somebody that can meet the approval of the Mercian king in order to cement the household’s maintain on its lands. Due to the politics in play, Elene’s father is susceptible to machinations of his steward, who leads him to a candidate that Elene loathes – and who has points, as one will see within the e-book.
Because the novel opens, Elene is fleeing. She is found by a neighboring lord, Hafual. Hafual can be a Viking, however has been within the make use of of the Mercian king. After having been widowed, Hafual merely desires to lift his younger son and admittedly, in any other case be left alone. He takes pity on Elene, although, and when he hears of her plight, he guarantees rescue.
At a banquet that night, Elene’s father does one thing even worse than anticipated. He doesn’t simply try to power a betrothal on her; he insists she be married without delay. Elene and Hafual convincingly declare that they’ve been trysting in secret and have pledged to at least one one other. And so, shock marriage ceremony!
It’s fairly a set-up and I’ll admit I had my doubts as I learn the opening chapters. Nonetheless, because the e-book moved alongside, I discovered myself getting drawn into it. A part of it was as a result of I might empathize with the characters. Elene’s father could seem tyrannical in some methods, however the e-book makes it clear that he each loves his daughter but in addition must safe the household’s future. And in that point, establishing a political marriage was fairly commonplace.
I additionally favored that Elene and Hafual truly talked to at least one one other and appeared to wish to study extra about one another. There’s chemistry between them, however in addition they appeared interested in each other. As an illustration, it’s well-known that Elene had been concerned with somebody earlier than Hafual. Not like some alphahole heroes I’ve seen, he doesn’t disgrace her for it. Nonetheless, he does get interested in what went on, whether or not she nonetheless has emotions for this man, and many others.. We additionally work out early on that Hafual’s marriage wasn’t fully completely happy, and among the dialogue of how he failed his first spouse will get very emotional.
Talking of emotional, anybody studying this could pay attention to some very massive triggers. All through the story, we hear about put up partum melancholy/psychosis, and references to previous loss of life and harm of kids. These scenes are going to be very disturbing for some readers, so I needed to make that warning. In some methods, these points are dealt with with sensitivity because it’s apparent that Elene cared concerning the mom who went by means of these items and is unhappy for what occurred. Nonetheless, there are additionally occasions by which this character’s sickness is described in ways in which make her sound like a monster. It’s most likely a plot level that will have made me go on this e-book if I’d identified it was there earlier than I acquired into the story.
Nonetheless, other than that and a considerably overly wordy setup to the story, I did find yourself having fun with Elene and Hafual’s story. If you will get previous a clunky opening chapter and deal with the triggery plot level talked about above, then I might give this a certified suggestion. There’s some candy romance and attention-grabbing historical past woven into this story, but in addition some problems with which readers needs to be conscious.
Grade: B- Sensuality: Heat
~ Lynn Spencer