The Prince's Boy: Volume One

The Prince's Boy #1

by Cecilia Tan

In a fantasy world where male/male lust fuels Night Magic, Prince Kenet lives a sheltered life. Isolated from the war that threatens the kingdom, he and his whipping boy Jorin are of age, but still sneak forbidden pleasures in their bed at night. When a dark mage tries to bespell Kenet into sexual submission, the prince and his boy are thrust into the world of intrigue, sex, and war.

Volume One of The Prince's Boy collects chapters 1 through 56 of this wildly popular gay erotic web serial by Cecilia Tan. Begun on July 29, 2009, chapters were posted weekly, following the adventures of Prince Kenet and his whipping boy, Jorin. Drawing on complex themes of dominance and submission, the need for secrecy in a world where homosexuality is not accepted, and the intertwining of sex with magic, Tan weaves a complex, sex-filled adventure that is part "Three Musketeers" and part "Claiming of Sleeping Beauty."

Cecilia Tan is “simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature,” according to Susie Bright. She is the author of many novels and short stories, editor of dozens of erotic short story anthologies, and the founder of Circlet Press. She was inducted into the Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame for GLBT writers in 2010. Her previous books include Black Feathers, White Flames, Edge Plays, The Siren and the Sword, The Velderet, The Hot Streak, and others.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, BDSM, LGBT, Abuse, Romance, Erotica

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2011

About the author

Susie Bright says, "Cecilia Tan is simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature." Since the publication of Telepaths Don't Need Safewords in 1992, she has been on the cutting edge of the erotic form, often combining elements of fantasy and science fiction in her work. She is also founder and editor of Circlet Press.

RT Book Reviews awarded her Career Achievement in Erotic Romance in 2015 and her novel Slow Surrender (Hachette/Forever, 2013) won the RT Reviewers Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence from GRW in 2013. She has been publishing Daron's Guitar Chronicles as a web serial since 2009 and her Secrets of a Rock Star series (Taking the Lead, Wild Licks, Hard Rhythm) is published by Hachette/Forever. In 2018 Tor Books will launch her urban fantasy/paranormal series, The Vanished Chronicles. In her other life, Cecilia is also the editor of the Baseball Research Journal and publications director for SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.

Reviews

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this.... chapter after chapter of some pretty heavy BDSM sex! Onto book 2...

[Td]

For Volumes 1 and 2.

I am taking the coward's way out. I have no idea how to rate this, so I will not. Very dark fantasy, very dark erotica, totally original. I didn't heed the warning Ms. Tan was nice enough to include in her introduction and started off strong, full steam ahead. That lasted for about the first half of Vol. 1 then I had to take more and more breaks simply because I was overwhelmed. I certainly wanted to know what happened and persevered...just at a much slower pace.

I want to include the author's introduction. I apologize ahead of time if I'm not allowed to do this. Please let me know and I will take it out.

Cecilia Tan: "I must give you a warning, dear reader, before you begin. No,not the warning about the intensity of the bondage and sadomasochism scenes herein, not about the dubious consent, eroticized violence, or situations of sexual jeopardy in these pages (though they are assuredly there). I must warn you that what you are about to read is a serial.

A serial? “How is that different from a novel?” you might well ask. It looks like a novel. It has chapters. It has an overarching fantasy plot that pits good versus evil. It is even a Romance with a capital R. Why isn't it a novel?

Well, common wisdom says a novel wouldn't have a sex scene in every chapter. That would be Too Much Sex for the reader, who would fall into fatigue--or worse, boredom. Sex should not be tedious! But The Prince's Boy was not written as a novel, with the sexy bits paced out here and there, but as a serial intended to be read one chapter per week. The serial began running on the Circlet Press website in July 2009 and wraps up in June 2011. My goal was to deliver a delicious meal each week to the hungry reader who had waited so patiently for it. I tried to get a sex scene into each chapter, or at the very least a torture or fight scene (and indeed, all these types of scenes somewhat blur together in this book).

Common wisdom says that trying to barrel headlong through such a work would be as unpleasant as overeating. Common wisdom, however, may not take into account readers who have built up their constitutions reading fan fiction serials and WIPs. I know I am not the only person who has stayed up all night reading a fanfic serial, chapter after chapter after chapter... and I know from comments on The Prince's Boy on circlet.com that many readers did just that with the online version.

So, if you have the legs for it, feel free to run the marathon that
is The Prince's Boy! The rest of you, please pace yourselves for maximum enjoyment of the pleasures herein."

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally written as a serial, the book is sometimes very wordy. That said, I found the story to be very entertaining. Loaded with intrigue, magic giving man on man sex and a well developed main characters. I liked the world building and the magic aspect of the story. The book does end on a cliffhanger so have book two on hand even though the price is kind of steep for what is primarily porn.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was originally written as an online instalment, though luckily for me I could read this volume all in one go. It is a fantastic story of a young boy who is taken from an orphanage to be the whipping boy for the Prince and bear his punishment. Over the years the two boys become inseparable and grow to love one another and look out for each other. However, they become separated and it's the story of them trying to make their way back to each other once again.

I would definitely recommend this book, though not if you shy away from BDSM or torture, as there is A LOT!

"What loyal subject would not be honoured to stand in his place and take his pain? Kenet is my protector, and I am his."

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd finish this or give it 4 stars but there it is!!!! 😆🤔🙄😍 This was a strange and interesting read and I totally NEED to see if there's a HEA for Prince Kenet and Jorin his soul mate!?!?!???? So on to Volume 2 book 2 😚

[M. Todd Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your taste in erotica includes science fiction or fantasy, you probably already know Cecilia Tan's work. This story, the first half of the epic (in several senses) erotic serial she began web-publishing about two years ago, is an intoxicating mix of sex, romance, magic, and political intrigue, with a few fight scenes thrown in. A pampered prince and his whipping boy, who bears the punishment for the prince's transgressions, are separated by a deep-laid plot just as their childhood attachment blossoms into an adult romance, and both young men must spend time with many other partners before they are reunited.

Prospective readers should be aware, however, that themes of dominance, submission, coercion, and consent are central to this story. Most of the sex scenes qualify as BDSM, and many of them are brutal and coercive even by the mores of the fantasy setting. If you don't like BDSM fiction, or if you like scenes in fiction as in life to be carefully negotiated, safeworded, and rounded off with cookies and a hot beverage, then The Prince's Boy will not be to your taste.

If you do like bondage, flogging, and dubious consent mixed in with your true love and heroic deeds, this story will satisfy. As Tan points out in her preface, it was written as a weekly serial, and thus every single chapter packs a hard erotic punch. In fact, you may find yourself in a bit of a daze while reading it. My only complaint, if I should call it that, is the almost complete absence of female characters; Tan can write strong female characters with sexual agency better than most, but here she has created a stringently masculine world of kings, soldiers, and magic that derives its power from the forbidden lust of man for man. I recommend it for the adventurous reader.

[Rabbitorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Prince's Boy" had me coming back for more every single week, eagerly awaiting the next installment of this tale. Of course, I would expect nothing less from writer Cecilia Tan given her long history of producing engaging and well-crafted erotic books and stories. She really outdid herself this time, though. As Jorin and Kenet alternate being the narrative voice for each chapter, I and the other online readers become more and more involved in their independent struggles to find each other and their adventures along the way. Tan's characters take us on an emotional journey as we see their world through their eyes. We feel their strength as well as their frustrations, their love and their lust. We come to care about characters we may have initially disliked because Tan makes them so real that they can change and be forgiven. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about love, sex, and power between men.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever read one of those books where the secondary characters are far more intriguing than the main characters? That's what I discovered in The Prince's Boy: Volume One. I'm a huge fan of Cecilia Tan, but this one just missed the mark. I just didn't care all that much about Jorin and Kenet and the endless sex and swallowing of semen got utterly repetitive. Granted, this was originally a serial story and yes, it reads like it. Usually I don't leave a multi-part story unfinished no matter how much I disliked the first part, but frankly, I just don't care enough to read part 2. The only good thing is that Ms. Tan is amazing when it comes to fantasy world-building.

[Hpstrangelove · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is of the on-line version (because I haven’t got my copy yet), which started posting in 2009 on Circlet Press. Today, two years and 96 chapters later, Cecilia Tan posted the Epilogue. All I can say is - what a ride!

This book hit all my kink buttons - it's not a story for the weak. I read quite a few m/m novels that end up boring me, with dull, repetitive sex scenes and no plot. This story has just the right amount of both. And the sex - it's difficult to describe. It’s all over the map, from tender to extremely rough and violent. With non-con, dub-con, and BDSM themes, this book won’t be for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a good fantasy tale wrapped around hot and steamy m/m sex, this is the book for you.

[Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling intensely erotic m/m fantasy novel. A guilty pleasure this one, prepare to be shocked! The Prince's boy is Jorin, chosen from an orphanage by Prince Kenet at age three to be his whipping boy.
'I let out a scream of pain and this one had nothing to do with my injuries or bruises. It was the pain of my heart being torn from my chest, the agony of knowing that tonight, for the first time in over fifteen years, he would not sleep in the circle of my arms.'

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this story as much as I'd hoped to, given its fantasy theme.
I found myself getting more and more dragged down by the storyline of the prince's interactions with the sorcerer, Seroi. It all just got very dismal and while I expected the author to resolve it, it wasn't happening soon enough to my mind. I wanted the story to go on to something different, something more, and not just focussing on the sexual abuse. I appreciate it might have been setting up the plot for later scenes, but there was just too much of it to make the story enjoyable for me.
I do like my stories, especially fantasy types, to show some light between the clouds, some hope for the future. I couldn't see that here, so I gave up reading at about 30%.
I know plenty of other folk have enjoyed the story, but it didn't fit my needs at the time I read it.
I have to say that it was well edited and Ms Tan's writing is professional, so no gripes there. Which made my experience even sadder, but you can't like all the books you think you will.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just LOVED Cecilia Tan's "The Prince's Boy". I'd never read an online installment story before and was pleasantly surprised at how much I looked forward to Wednesdays every week for my M/M fix. Cecilia Tan's talent and proclivities shown through with a delicious glitter of romance, magic, harshness and down right sexiness. Each character brought something tasty and special to the buffet and with men like Jorin, Kenet, Roichal and Marksin, Kan and the Night Riders it is an all you can eat buffet. Cecilia seamlessly had Jorin and Kenet toss the narration back and forth so you came to root and sigh in pleasure at their successes, all while worrying over the trials as they became mountains. I look forward to buying the book so I can revisit the kingdom of Tres over and over.

[Girlnextdoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about two boys who love each other so much, they have to fuck literally everybody else in the kingdom before they can lovingly hate-fuck each other...which doesn’t happen until the very end of the last book. Gratuitous sex, which isn’t bad, except for the part where apparently you can magically travel by ass-raping people...like in mid act...which created such a disturbingly funny visual for me, I just couldn’t mentally engage in this book after that. Oh, and I’ll probably never look at milk the same way again either.

[Aruslovesspring · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Only got though 25%.
I should have read other reviews first. This was not for me.

[Deviant Divas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prince's Boy, by Cecelia Tan, was an interesting, provocative, and delightfully erotic story of Prince Kenet and his whipping boy, the orphan boy named Jorin. The tale takes us on the journey of two young men and the purity of their love for each other in a world that would never accept them openly as lovers. Ms. Tan created a rich environment for us to follow along dangerous twists and turns of Court intrigue, sorcery, and the brutality war.

As Kenet nears his coming of age ceremony, the High Mage Seroi begins training him in ways that shock and surprise him. Sworn to secrecy on the rituals, he becomes withdrawn from his secret lover. Meanwhile, Jorin is being groomed to replace Kenet's faithful guard, who excels in the training he receives. The boys are torn apart one evening when the King, allows Seroi to whip Jorin within an inch of his life for an infraction of Kenet's training. Jorin is sent away from the castle and his true love…will they ever find each other again?

Written originally as an online serial, the story is cleverly interwoven with steamy sex and bondage, dominance and submission, as well as a tender love story. My only fault was that the ending was to abrupt and did not tie the story line together sufficiently. It is a good thing the book will be continued. Fans of male/male stories will find this an enjoyable read.
Reviewed by Sorchani
4 Divas

[Elfflame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this story since Cecilia Tan began to post it, so when I found a link to it the other day and remembered it was finally finished, I started reading. By the time I'd gotten a couple chapters in, I was kicking myself for not reading sooner, but also glad I'd waited until Tan had finished posting it, because some of the cliffhangers were enough to have me biting my nails. If and when I get the chance, I will definitely be sending money her way to encourage her to write more like this, because I loved it.

I read both volumes straight through in about three days, give or take, and I couldn't stop reading, even when I was supposed to be working on my own story.

The world itself is rich and well thought-out, and the characters are extremely well-written. Each has their own voice, and their own journey that adds to the overall story quite well.

The two main characters, Kenet and Jorin, make you feel for them and empathize with them in such a way that no matter what happens, you want them to succeed.

I definitely need to read this again sometime, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys m/m fiction and fantasy worlds.

[Xander · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that i liked it for the most part, But really? Sex EVERY chapter? I know its part of the story and all but after a while i was just skipping it it got so monotonous. And i didnt really get the whole part at the end where Jorin is made a sex slave and has to be trained.. Why exactly does he have to be trained just to be released? If they were so worried about Kenet being out there you would think that they would have broken the spell, then released the bond like they are going to anyway and just gone to look for him. It just seems like another excuse to have sex every damn chapter. Anyway. Like i said, i like the story, i would just like a little more story in my story. Maybe i'll get that in volume 2.

On another note, i got this on audio book format and i just have to say the narrator is amazing. Most of the narrators ive heard who do gay erotica sound terrible for the most part. I think dreamspinner should find this guy and snatch him up cause the guys they use suck, and not in a good way. Ok, enough rant now.

[WMD]

DNF
Love in a brutal world. Like seriously brutal, not for titillation of any character or this reader. Couldn't get far into it.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review is for me to gather my thoughts for my Deviant Diva review. The author note explaining this is a serial story, not a novel made me concerned. The book started out a bit slow for me. About 1/3 of the way through it, I was wondering if I could even finish this story. It seemed rather boring. I pressed on a bit longer and the story finally started to pick up. I'm not ashamed to say this was when sexual molestation and violation of the prince occurred which sparked my interest.

This two volume story hints at an insidious plot to control the royal family. Who is really the enemy? Is it the enemy within? Mostly, this is an erotic story of two boys who are separated and love each other in a manner which is forbidden. There are some BDSM themes in here for the kinky - nothing too extreme. I eagerly anticipate volume two.

[Ayanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, in a weirdly incongruous way. I can't quite tell if I love it or hate it. It is, however, well-written and interestingly developed.

It did kind of annoy me, though, that while Jorin's being trained by the Sergetten dude is feeling all this pain and w/e, Kenet's off with his happy little menage with the general dude and the Marks dude (lol I don't exactly remember their names...) and the worst he seems to suffer from is missing Jorin in and indirect sort of way. Makes it seem like Jorin got the short end of the stick...not that he doesn't have it already, seeing as he was the whipping boy, but still...

Ends with a cliffy, aka it just cuts off with a "see ya in the next volume!" which is kind of annoying, but effective, I guess?

[Deja Dei]

Okay, this is just not my thing, and it s personal and not to do with the writing, so I won't rate. I will just never understand how someone can hurt and degrade someone they claim to love or allow them to be hurt and degraded. This did not help me to understand, and honestly, I just started getting pissed off, feeling like if you love someone you should want to protect him and make him happy. I don't like unequal relationships at all, and I know this is a personal preference, so I gave it a try, did not enjoy it AT ALL, though others may. Hence no rating. I should have known better, but others may enjoy this.

[Free_dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5stars

Okay, so this is essentially porn: Twosomes, threesomes, orgies, anal, oral, frotting, BDSM,... If you don't like your MCs having sex with other people, stay away from this book.
It was hot, but it lacked plot. I didn't always understand the MCs' motivations, tbh. The slightly sloppy editing didn't exactly help things either.
I think it was worth the 99 Cents I paid for it. I am interested in reading part 2, but I probably won't, because it's too expensive. I would've bought it if it was another 99 Cents, though....

[Leah Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I followed this one as the web serial and I'm telling you, there were times when I counted the days until the next installment. The emotion and connection between the boys, one a prince and one his whipping boy, is fraught with emotion, joy, and grief. The power dynamic, often so different than what you'd expect, is fabulous. It's intense gay erotic BDSM and I know that's what you're looking for or you wouldn't be on this page. Just do it. No one has to know. It's totally worth it.

[Keegan Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Ms. Tan tells a good story and the world that she created was mind-blowing. The overall plot was good. Although I'm an erotica writer myself, there were too many sex scenes. When "milk" is spilled in every single chapter, I felt as if I were covered in it. Now, I understand that this was written in stand-alone chapters originally, but it was too much, and I am no prude ... trust me. Ms. Tan's style is original with some hints of Marian Zimmer Bradley.

[Maiko-chan [|] · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I've read of this so far has been pretty good, but it's been a few years since I started it and quite a while since I last picked it up.

Edit: 10/18/14
Dropped at 19%.
It really has been so long since I've even looked at the contents of this story and somewhere along the way I just lost interest. So my status is now going to dropped and my rating applies only to the first 19% I have read, which is the first 25 chapters.

[Dee Wy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this wasn't quite what I was expecting. There are many reviews saying how hot the book is, but I found it was more about quantity. I don't think I've ever read a book that 90% of the story is based on sex and more sex, often for gaining power. I would have liked a bit more world building, rather than just the politics of Kings, Mages and their wars. I'm on the fence about reading the next book.

[Suburbancowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, epic fantasy told in two volumes. Written as a serial, so there is a ton of smuttiness - which I totally love and can plow through like a book and not get tired of it. I am trashy like that.

Plus, this was such a good story, well written, intriguing, and kept me enthralled all the way to the end of book 2. These are not short books, but I think I read them in 3 or 4 days.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I really didn't expect much of a story. But I was pleasantly surprised that this book actually had a pretty good story interspersed with some pretty hot sex/bdsm scenes. The story had some pretty good twists and turns and wasn't predictable. The characters were surprisingly well realized. I really liked it and will read volume 2 in order to find out what happens.

[Leah Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story... but after a while I skipped over half the sex scenes, not because they weren't well written. There were just so many that the story was getting lost to me. The author does tell us at the beginning to expect this so I can't complain too much!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but somewhat slow. Looks at the issue of being dominant when one's inclination is toward submission and vice versa. The whipping boy concept was interesting, too