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At His Throat, A Promise
In the slave city of Spire, Ellis has been discarded. His former master, a man who was supposed to teach him and take care of him, passed away, leaving Ellis alone and in danger of being taken to the Facility. Ellis is desperate to avoid that fate. He seeks a master to take him on, guiding him into adulthood as well as a profession. Ellis has had desire stolen from him--he's been trained to blush, to submit, to give in. He doesn't know how to cope with William, a man who wants the real Ellis.
William is a Master, a man born in a neighbor city that does not deal in slavery. He has had bad experiences with slaves in the past, but all that changes when he rescues Harte, a young slave whose abusive master had all but destroyed him. Together, they are content in their mutual roles, not looking for anything more. But when Ellis catches the eye of Harte, and by extension, William, their relationship changes in ways for which they are unprepared.
Harte is a born submissive, a young man who lives for his role. He's bratty but genuine. William, his master, is his entire life. Harte never expected to have room in his heart for another, but Ellis is beautiful and different and fills a place in his life that he hadn't known was empty.
If only Ellis could learn to ask for what he desired, what he needed, then maybe William and Harte could help him. But Ellis is trapped inside himself, insecure and afraid. To stay with William, he only has to ask...but that’s the one thing Ellis cannot do...
Gay / BDSM / Ménage (M/M/M) / Group Sex / Voyeurism / Exhibitionism / Public Places / Contains Material That May Be Considered "Dubious Consent"
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2011
15 people are currently reading
1488 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
June 21, 2014
Of course I could take this book apart piece by piece and point out all its snort-worthy elements, but honesty forces me to admit that this is probably a ‘Me Not You’ case all the way. Yup, I totally come in peace today.
..also because I’m not PMS’ing.
At His Throat, A Promise’s title, blurb and cover promised me a dark slave-fic set in a dystopian society. Instead I got a sappy ménage smutathon infused with occasional bouts of violence. Not too shabby, if that’s what you’re looking for. This book’s main characters are innocent, vulnerable boys that are at the mercy of whatever master ‘adopts’ them. They always risk being returned to a cabinet of horrors called The Facility when said master damages them, is bored with them or passes away. This also threatens to be MC Ellis’ fate if he can’t find a new master fast. You enter the story as he desperately tries finding one at a gathering. Luckily for him, before long he’s offered a temporary home by a sugary sweet boy with angelic looks called Harte and his master William.
What follows is a story that reads like free fiction that was once uploaded per chapter (and thus the writer felt the need to entertain with a dose of everything in each chapter and at some point loses track of where she was supposed to be going). The painfully childish slave-boys do whatever it takes to please William, who reluctantly punishes them in predictable ways when they don’t follow his, entirely logical, rules. Their days also revolve around having a fuckton of smutty sex with each other, with William and with other masters and their slaves. In the meantime, the plot wobbles on fueled by not only fluffy smex, but also by a steady flow of new characters, society’s structure threatening the happy three in various ways and soap opera-ish dramas.
I like my stories to offer a bit of a bite. I love me a clever plot. I enjoy intelligent characters. You know, the type that’s preferably one step ahead of me or at least has the capacity to be cunning, clever and, at the very least, has a memorable personality. Being in the head of young boys whose world solely revolves around being fucked by their loving master bores me. But when I let, while reading, my distracted mind wander to the plot itself, that’s funded on a society in which sex slavery is a given and young slaves are simultaneously their master’s apprentices, I found little to be excited about. The idea is that these sex slaves ultimately learn enough from their master to earn their freedom, exercise a profession and become masters themselves. Which is also why Ellis and Harte study for an hour each day — longer would probably interfere with their task of having their holes plugged — to become lawyers like William. I don’t think I need to explain why a social structure like this could never function in reality and will, quite frankly, only work as a fantasy if you manage to switch off your brain. It likely seemed like a mighty cool idea at 4 AM and after a bottle of absinthe though.
So! Read this if you’re in the mood for a simple and mostly sappy spun-out slave-fic, that stars child-like MCs and offers lots of smexing. I think Ellis’ angsty attempts to win Master William for him before he falls in the hands of a more brutal master or ends up in The Facility, can be quite enjoyable. As may the sweetness of these three growing fonder of each other be. Don’t pick As His Throat, A Promise up if you like being challenged and enjoy a well thought-out dystopia that’ll hold when you take away the sex.
..also because I’m not PMS’ing.
At His Throat, A Promise’s title, blurb and cover promised me a dark slave-fic set in a dystopian society. Instead I got a sappy ménage smutathon infused with occasional bouts of violence. Not too shabby, if that’s what you’re looking for. This book’s main characters are innocent, vulnerable boys that are at the mercy of whatever master ‘adopts’ them. They always risk being returned to a cabinet of horrors called The Facility when said master damages them, is bored with them or passes away. This also threatens to be MC Ellis’ fate if he can’t find a new master fast. You enter the story as he desperately tries finding one at a gathering. Luckily for him, before long he’s offered a temporary home by a sugary sweet boy with angelic looks called Harte and his master William.
What follows is a story that reads like free fiction that was once uploaded per chapter (and thus the writer felt the need to entertain with a dose of everything in each chapter and at some point loses track of where she was supposed to be going). The painfully childish slave-boys do whatever it takes to please William, who reluctantly punishes them in predictable ways when they don’t follow his, entirely logical, rules. Their days also revolve around having a fuckton of smutty sex with each other, with William and with other masters and their slaves. In the meantime, the plot wobbles on fueled by not only fluffy smex, but also by a steady flow of new characters, society’s structure threatening the happy three in various ways and soap opera-ish dramas.
I like my stories to offer a bit of a bite. I love me a clever plot. I enjoy intelligent characters. You know, the type that’s preferably one step ahead of me or at least has the capacity to be cunning, clever and, at the very least, has a memorable personality. Being in the head of young boys whose world solely revolves around being fucked by their loving master bores me. But when I let, while reading, my distracted mind wander to the plot itself, that’s funded on a society in which sex slavery is a given and young slaves are simultaneously their master’s apprentices, I found little to be excited about. The idea is that these sex slaves ultimately learn enough from their master to earn their freedom, exercise a profession and become masters themselves. Which is also why Ellis and Harte study for an hour each day — longer would probably interfere with their task of having their holes plugged — to become lawyers like William. I don’t think I need to explain why a social structure like this could never function in reality and will, quite frankly, only work as a fantasy if you manage to switch off your brain. It likely seemed like a mighty cool idea at 4 AM and after a bottle of absinthe though.
So! Read this if you’re in the mood for a simple and mostly sappy spun-out slave-fic, that stars child-like MCs and offers lots of smexing. I think Ellis’ angsty attempts to win Master William for him before he falls in the hands of a more brutal master or ends up in The Facility, can be quite enjoyable. As may the sweetness of these three growing fonder of each other be. Don’t pick As His Throat, A Promise up if you like being challenged and enjoy a well thought-out dystopia that’ll hold when you take away the sex.
January 19, 2012
I loved this book, and based on the huge similarity in motifs, plot, and writing style, I propose that Lilith Grey is maculategiraffe, author of the insanely amazing Slavebreakers series.
Think about it:
However, whatever other names Lilith Grey might or might not write under, she can write! This is a nice twist on the slave premise, and one rooted in actual history. Intelligent adolescents, at 16, can enter indentured servitude, whereby they are trained for a profession by a Master for four years: like an apprenticeship with really lousy working conditions. On conclusion they're prepared to become doctors, lawyers, etc, and after a few years can become slave owners themselves.
Of course, in practice, you can imagine exactly how well this kind of blanket power over another human turns out. The story is littered with despair and rape. Not everyone's stories end happily.
The writing is excellent; there are no long passages of exposition, so questions like "what exactly is The Facility?" take much of the book to be answered. The author assumes you are an intelligent, human being who can figure things out from clues, or adult enough to wait patiently to find out more. And this is a long book: 5876 locations on Kindle. Because Grey doesn't try to dilute the story by bringing in extraneous plot arcs, it gets heavy and in-depth in the exploration of slavery, through the focus of Ellis, who wants to serve, wants to be good, but is slowly being destroyed by the systematized abuse.
A book I really wanted to finish (stayed up til 4am and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer). I would only recommend to those who do enjoy dark-fics in the slave genre, but if that's you, then this is a excellent choice.
Think about it:
However, whatever other names Lilith Grey might or might not write under, she can write! This is a nice twist on the slave premise, and one rooted in actual history. Intelligent adolescents, at 16, can enter indentured servitude, whereby they are trained for a profession by a Master for four years: like an apprenticeship with really lousy working conditions. On conclusion they're prepared to become doctors, lawyers, etc, and after a few years can become slave owners themselves.
Of course, in practice, you can imagine exactly how well this kind of blanket power over another human turns out. The story is littered with despair and rape. Not everyone's stories end happily.
The writing is excellent; there are no long passages of exposition, so questions like "what exactly is The Facility?" take much of the book to be answered. The author assumes you are an intelligent, human being who can figure things out from clues, or adult enough to wait patiently to find out more. And this is a long book: 5876 locations on Kindle. Because Grey doesn't try to dilute the story by bringing in extraneous plot arcs, it gets heavy and in-depth in the exploration of slavery, through the focus of Ellis, who wants to serve, wants to be good, but is slowly being destroyed by the systematized abuse.
A book I really wanted to finish (stayed up til 4am and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer). I would only recommend to those who do enjoy dark-fics in the slave genre, but if that's you, then this is a excellent choice.
September 1, 2012
Spoilers.
This book should have bugged the shit out of me. The three main characters, specifically the two slaves, have sex with others than those in the triangle relationship. A few times, even. And they enjoy it.
That is my biggest fucking pet peeve.
But, for some reason, it didn't bother me here. Not TO much, anyway.
Why?
Because there is so much love between the three, Ellis, Harte, and William, that it's almost impossible to ignore. And there are specific reasons that these outside-the-relationship activities had to occur.
I've made no secret about my fondness for menages, especially when a newbie comes into an established relationship and experiences jealousy/hurt of the two partners who've been together and what they already share. It's a delicious ache that I can't seem to get over.
The BDSM is surprisingly mild, which is why I subtracted a star. From the blurb, and the way it was set up, I expected the scenes to be hardcore. And yes, HEA fans, there is one.
This book should have bugged the shit out of me. The three main characters, specifically the two slaves, have sex with others than those in the triangle relationship. A few times, even. And they enjoy it.
That is my biggest fucking pet peeve.
But, for some reason, it didn't bother me here. Not TO much, anyway.
Why?
Because there is so much love between the three, Ellis, Harte, and William, that it's almost impossible to ignore. And there are specific reasons that these outside-the-relationship activities had to occur.
I've made no secret about my fondness for menages, especially when a newbie comes into an established relationship and experiences jealousy/hurt of the two partners who've been together and what they already share. It's a delicious ache that I can't seem to get over.
The BDSM is surprisingly mild, which is why I subtracted a star. From the blurb, and the way it was set up, I expected the scenes to be hardcore. And yes, HEA fans, there is one.
June 9, 2012
* The rating is based on the first 30% of the book. I couldn't finish it.*
This one was not for me. And not because I don't like slave stories, I do. But I don't like sappy slave stories.
It's hard for me to understand the rules of the world if slaves are treated the way they were in the book. It gets even harder if the rules don't make sense. Slaves becoming masters? Really? How would that work, when they are programmed and conditioned to obey? How would that society function?
Also: I have trouble with mc's who are meant to be depicted as vulnerable, but come off as naive and childlike. And then fuck and get fucked non stop...
Slave stories are a difficult mix of drama, erotica and angst. Texas and That's What Brothers Do worked for me. This one didn't.
June 26, 2015
I ❤ me some slavefic! Especially of the M/M variety! I read a review on GR that proposed this author was also Maculategiraffe of The Slave Breakers fame. I would like to second that proposal. If they are not one in the same, then Ms. Gray was certainly influenced by Maculategiraffe. I will say as much as I enjoyed this & as sweet as Ellis is, I still have to rank The Slave Breakers (TSB) higher on the lovefest list.
Ellis finds himself adrift after his Master dies. In a last ditch effort to avoid being sent to The Facility he goes to The Lounge & runs into Harte. Harte is Williams' slave. He's also a slutty, pervy, bratty, adorable mess. Did I mention he's a handful who also happens to have William wrapped around his little finger? Naturally, when he begs him to bring Ellis home, he relents. Here's where I started to notice many similarities to TSB.
Slaves in Spire become slaves to learn a profession from his/her Master. Parents can put their children up for servitude or if the parents should die then the child would become a slave. Again, masters are for all intents & purposes within their rights to kill a slave, maybe not outright, but there's a lot of latitude given. However, if a slave isn't owned then his/her chances of becoming successful in a profession diminish greatly. It's against the law for masters to express even an inkling of amorous feelings towards their slaves. If caught doing so, their slaves are removed from them & their rights to own slaves become forfeit. Furthermore, Spire is basically a caste system in that if you don't become a slave you can never progress to becoming a Master which is also inextricably linked to white collar professions. So, those parents that choose to keep their children are relegated to blue collar status.
So, it's doubly important to Ellis to be an owned slave rather than a sponsored slave which is what's offered by William. I have to honest, I never really understood why William didn't just collar Ellis. It's abundantly clear that all of them are fond if not outright in love with one another so I had difficulty understanding why he need be sent to Master Jude in the first place. Who, it turns out, is abusive & cruel. There are a few other bumps along the way for this trio that keep the reading experience lively.
All told I enjoyed it. The boys are sweet in their submission to William. William is loving, doting, reassuring while simultaneously being strict, possessive & dominating. I very much enjoyed the triad dynamics & the angst. It's told exclusively from Ellis's POV. His journey is at times heart wrenching, at times bittersweet, at times horrid & at times uplifting but always insightful. Truly a well written book by Maculategiraffe erm... I mean Ms. Gray.
http://optimist.booklikes.com/post/55...-
Ellis finds himself adrift after his Master dies. In a last ditch effort to avoid being sent to The Facility he goes to The Lounge & runs into Harte. Harte is Williams' slave. He's also a slutty, pervy, bratty, adorable mess. Did I mention he's a handful who also happens to have William wrapped around his little finger? Naturally, when he begs him to bring Ellis home, he relents. Here's where I started to notice many similarities to TSB.
Slaves in Spire become slaves to learn a profession from his/her Master. Parents can put their children up for servitude or if the parents should die then the child would become a slave. Again, masters are for all intents & purposes within their rights to kill a slave, maybe not outright, but there's a lot of latitude given. However, if a slave isn't owned then his/her chances of becoming successful in a profession diminish greatly. It's against the law for masters to express even an inkling of amorous feelings towards their slaves. If caught doing so, their slaves are removed from them & their rights to own slaves become forfeit. Furthermore, Spire is basically a caste system in that if you don't become a slave you can never progress to becoming a Master which is also inextricably linked to white collar professions. So, those parents that choose to keep their children are relegated to blue collar status.
So, it's doubly important to Ellis to be an owned slave rather than a sponsored slave which is what's offered by William. I have to honest, I never really understood why William didn't just collar Ellis. It's abundantly clear that all of them are fond if not outright in love with one another so I had difficulty understanding why he need be sent to Master Jude in the first place. Who, it turns out, is abusive & cruel. There are a few other bumps along the way for this trio that keep the reading experience lively.
All told I enjoyed it. The boys are sweet in their submission to William. William is loving, doting, reassuring while simultaneously being strict, possessive & dominating. I very much enjoyed the triad dynamics & the angst. It's told exclusively from Ellis's POV. His journey is at times heart wrenching, at times bittersweet, at times horrid & at times uplifting but always insightful. Truly a well written book by Maculategiraffe erm... I mean Ms. Gray.
http://optimist.booklikes.com/post/55...-
December 25, 2011
As always when reading slave fiction I read it with the feeling that something is utterly wrong with the concept of a world where slavery is common and/or required.Give me a slave character who welcomes this concept - even craves it - and I`m in deep trouble...can`t help it.
That should explain my rating because this piece of slave fiction is truly outstanding - and disturbing.With some interesting twists in the slave department (some of them called into question - thanks for that!) it went from being cuddly-sweet to hard and tough and back again with many sex scenes of all variations,feelings like love,hope,desperation all over the place - at times very bleak (thanks for the word,Td!) and depressing...
500 pages long this shouldn`t be read in one piece - for the above mentioned reasons...IMO.I`m glad that it`s over...and that I`ve read it!
Blurb and publisher-warnings are accurate even when it doesn`t seem so at first...
That should explain my rating because this piece of slave fiction is truly outstanding - and disturbing.With some interesting twists in the slave department (some of them called into question - thanks for that!) it went from being cuddly-sweet to hard and tough and back again with many sex scenes of all variations,feelings like love,hope,desperation all over the place - at times very bleak (thanks for the word,Td!) and depressing...
500 pages long this shouldn`t be read in one piece - for the above mentioned reasons...IMO.I`m glad that it`s over...and that I`ve read it!
Blurb and publisher-warnings are accurate even when it doesn`t seem so at first...
February 15, 2013
This is the best slave fiction I've read since Andrew Ashling's A Dish Served Cold and the Slave Breakers series. Both of which set the bar for me. What sets them apart is that they are all character driven.
This story takes place in an alternate reality or perhaps in the future. It's an interesting premise, highly intelligent kids get turned over to "masters" at the age of 15 for 5 years of servitude. They become slaves who's primary focus is to learn their masters profession (doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc...) while serving them sexually. Less intelligent children remain with their parents and learn a trade. Once a slave has reached the age of 20 they enter the profession they've been trained for and can then take a slave of their own.
I loved the characters in this book and the relationship that develops over time. From the opening chapter I was invested in them and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Because something always does. You can never breathe a sigh of relief while reading this book but it's never exhausting either. The author did a great job of ramping up the drama while giving you periods of rest so I never got that "enough already" feeling. The epilogue was wonderful and left the door open for a sequel which this book just begs for. I hope it's something she's working on.
I really hope that my friends and fellow M/M Romance readers will not discount this book because it's been tagged as BDSM. It's not about that at all. Given the fact that it's about a slave society, of course there is dominance, submission and some discipline, some of it severe but never very graphic. What drives this story is the relationships which are broad and encompass more than just the main characters. Don't let that put you off either. There is no real concept of monogamy in this story but it's not set in our reality so you have to put aside your own ideals of what a relationship is or should be. There is a strong triad in this book and you quickly realize that they must each be present in the relationship for it to function as a whole. Sex outside the triad is just sex and doesn't touch what the three have with each other. Take a chance. Step outside your comfort zone. You might like it.
This story takes place in an alternate reality or perhaps in the future. It's an interesting premise, highly intelligent kids get turned over to "masters" at the age of 15 for 5 years of servitude. They become slaves who's primary focus is to learn their masters profession (doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc...) while serving them sexually. Less intelligent children remain with their parents and learn a trade. Once a slave has reached the age of 20 they enter the profession they've been trained for and can then take a slave of their own.
I loved the characters in this book and the relationship that develops over time. From the opening chapter I was invested in them and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Because something always does. You can never breathe a sigh of relief while reading this book but it's never exhausting either. The author did a great job of ramping up the drama while giving you periods of rest so I never got that "enough already" feeling. The epilogue was wonderful and left the door open for a sequel which this book just begs for. I hope it's something she's working on.
I really hope that my friends and fellow M/M Romance readers will not discount this book because it's been tagged as BDSM. It's not about that at all. Given the fact that it's about a slave society, of course there is dominance, submission and some discipline, some of it severe but never very graphic. What drives this story is the relationships which are broad and encompass more than just the main characters. Don't let that put you off either. There is no real concept of monogamy in this story but it's not set in our reality so you have to put aside your own ideals of what a relationship is or should be. There is a strong triad in this book and you quickly realize that they must each be present in the relationship for it to function as a whole. Sex outside the triad is just sex and doesn't touch what the three have with each other. Take a chance. Step outside your comfort zone. You might like it.
March 1, 2016
Just a quick note:
there is lace in this book =)
there is abuse and rape of a minor, however, behind the scenes.
there is abuse all over the place, as a matter of fact. Cause - slaves =)
there is death of minor characters.
there is an ending, that seems... rushed, for the lack of better word outside of spoiler tags, but I don't see how it could have been done differently without adding another 100-150 pages to the already long read.
and then...
there is formatting. UGH. I can easily take a star down just for that, because even at the end of the book multiple "IE"s (meant to be "I...") never failed to make me think of Microsoft and Internet Explorer, and that's just one tiny example of the wide variety of formatting problems within a book.
Ellis's point of view as a slave, his thoughts about being a slave and enjoying his servitude, feeling fulfilled, was amazing, imho, and redeemed many a flaw.
In the end, 4 stars.
there is lace in this book =)
there is abuse and rape of a minor, however, behind the scenes.
there is abuse all over the place, as a matter of fact. Cause - slaves =)
there is death of minor characters.
there is an ending, that seems... rushed, for the lack of better word outside of spoiler tags, but I don't see how it could have been done differently without adding another 100-150 pages to the already long read.
and then...
there is formatting. UGH. I can easily take a star down just for that, because even at the end of the book multiple "IE"s (meant to be "I...") never failed to make me think of Microsoft and Internet Explorer, and that's just one tiny example of the wide variety of formatting problems within a book.
Ellis's point of view as a slave, his thoughts about being a slave and enjoying his servitude, feeling fulfilled, was amazing, imho, and redeemed many a flaw.
In the end, 4 stars.
August 29, 2012
Alternate world where schooling and interning has been incorprated into a form of sexual servitude. Essentially, any white collar job requires apprenticeship and is entered upon at age 16 after passing qualifying intelligence tests. AT HIS THROAT addresses the gaps and shortfalls in the construct while taking us on Ellis' journey encompassing it all from destitute, to loved, abused, and almost everything in between.
It is a good story. Unfortunately, the ebook I purchased had some formatting errors which were disruptive and a few proofing errors. Overall, the story was engaging enough that it was well worth the effort to ignore it. I had one main gripe with the story where I growled at the plot point; I know it was necessary to advance the story, but I disagreed with it for consistency reasons for the characters.
Harte and Ellis balance each other beautifully and William approaches perfection in his mastering of the two--sure he's not perfect, but he is for them.
It is a good story. Unfortunately, the ebook I purchased had some formatting errors which were disruptive and a few proofing errors. Overall, the story was engaging enough that it was well worth the effort to ignore it. I had one main gripe with the story where I growled at the plot point; I know it was necessary to advance the story, but I disagreed with it for consistency reasons for the characters.
Harte and Ellis balance each other beautifully and William approaches perfection in his mastering of the two--sure he's not perfect, but he is for them.
August 10, 2013
When I first read the name of this book, I thought it would be about vampires. That is what drew me in. When I then looked at the book, the premise sounded good and I thought I would give it a go. I am very glad that I did.
The story was not as dark as some others that I have read, but this story did capture my attention and kept it. All three of the male main characters were well written and I enjoyed spending time with them.
Parts of this world were not quite clear enough for my liking, but this little problem didn't take away much of my enjoyment. I would of liked to know more about how slavery became a part of this world. Another thing that bothered me was how little learning these slaves actually did to become the professional that they became.
Although this was not a perfect story, it was one that I enjoyed, and I will keep this author in mind as I would give her another go.
The story was not as dark as some others that I have read, but this story did capture my attention and kept it. All three of the male main characters were well written and I enjoyed spending time with them.
Parts of this world were not quite clear enough for my liking, but this little problem didn't take away much of my enjoyment. I would of liked to know more about how slavery became a part of this world. Another thing that bothered me was how little learning these slaves actually did to become the professional that they became.
Although this was not a perfect story, it was one that I enjoyed, and I will keep this author in mind as I would give her another go.
January 31, 2012
I personally thought that was a horrible book. I don't mind under-age characters having sex with each other in YA novels but reading about the severe abuse of 14 and 17-year old kids made me feel like I had to throw up and I found almost every character in the book to be either completely despicable (including William) or sadly misguided.
I really hate the term "dubious consent". Let's make no bones about it. It's rape and mindless cruelty we're talking about here. The frequency, length and the details in those scenes made me think that they were meant to titillate and that is just plain sick.
I really hate the term "dubious consent". Let's make no bones about it. It's rape and mindless cruelty we're talking about here. The frequency, length and the details in those scenes made me think that they were meant to titillate and that is just plain sick.
December 25, 2011
I've been beating my head against the wall trying to come up with something halfway decent to write about this book. Sorry, it's not going to happen. Too many things going around in my head that I would want to mention and it would turn into one big spoiler. Thankfully the blurb and the warnings are extremely accurate. I don't feel the need to add anything else except that I loved it.
October 3, 2015
Anyone who skims through my bookshelves will know that I have an interest in slavefic and especially the M/M variety! I was keen to read At His Throat, A Promise since it came highly recommended by friends on GR whose opinion I value.
Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me, I found the protagonist Ellis too juvenile and the fact that he was constantly craving sex with his new friend Harte and their master William was underwhelming to say the least.
I didn't find the plot compelling or the characters sufficiently interesting, and a smutty sexfest is not really all that gripping for me. I prefer a bit more substance to my dystopian reads or something with intelligent plotting or subterfuge.
The world building where sex slavery was an essential rite of passage - a form of apprenticeship - seemed unlikely especially when lives and wellbeing were at stake and the contracts only temporary (until the boys attained the profession of their master, eventually becoming masters themselves). I found it difficult to suspend disbelief. I suspect I read this mostly with a grimace as I found the story generally not to my taste. Once I put the book down I could not find the inclination to pick it up again, the writing style just did not engage me.
At His Throat, A Promise was neither as dark or as challenging as I hoped. It just was filled with angsty teenage sex, a trifle dull, and not what I hoped for.
Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me, I found the protagonist Ellis too juvenile and the fact that he was constantly craving sex with his new friend Harte and their master William was underwhelming to say the least.
I didn't find the plot compelling or the characters sufficiently interesting, and a smutty sexfest is not really all that gripping for me. I prefer a bit more substance to my dystopian reads or something with intelligent plotting or subterfuge.
The world building where sex slavery was an essential rite of passage - a form of apprenticeship - seemed unlikely especially when lives and wellbeing were at stake and the contracts only temporary (until the boys attained the profession of their master, eventually becoming masters themselves). I found it difficult to suspend disbelief. I suspect I read this mostly with a grimace as I found the story generally not to my taste. Once I put the book down I could not find the inclination to pick it up again, the writing style just did not engage me.
At His Throat, A Promise was neither as dark or as challenging as I hoped. It just was filled with angsty teenage sex, a trifle dull, and not what I hoped for.
February 4, 2012
Oooohhh...I liked this author! I loved her style. This was an awesome read. I will have to sit on this one for a more thorough review. I highly recommend it!
January 1, 2016
DNF 75%
One of the characters pissed me off. I felt the need to tell him. At length. ;)
June 18, 2017
I'd give this book 2 stars just to have 1 star for myself as reward for finishing this. Reason why I'm rating this so low is because I could not connect with the characters at all. I made several attempts to understand the world and the actions of the players but to no avail. And the second half of the book seemed to me to be violence just for the sake of violence.
If only I could have managed to emotionally connect and put myself in the character's shoes, I might have liked this. The story has a good plot and enough characters to make it diverse but I went through it remotely and without any passion towards the story or the characters, I can't give it more than 1 star.
If only I could have managed to emotionally connect and put myself in the character's shoes, I might have liked this. The story has a good plot and enough characters to make it diverse but I went through it remotely and without any passion towards the story or the characters, I can't give it more than 1 star.
October 10, 2013
Warning: There may be a lot of capital letters in this review.
I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about this book. It drew me in right from the beginning, the prose was excellent and Ellis won me over right away. I also liked Harte almost instantly, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to William. I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book, watching Ellis discover himself as a person instead of as an object. I loved seeing the way he completed Harte and William's relationship, and made them a better couple and better partners for each other.
That second quarter of the book though... man, I wanted to scream at someone, mostly William. SO FRUSTRATING!!! Maybe I'm expecting too much out of my fictional characters, and obviously conflict had to come from somewhere besides inside Ellis, but I really just wanted William and Harte to effing ASK ELLIS. OMG clearly Ellis needs things said very explicitly, and William and Harte were so smart about everything else, I was so mad at them for not figuring it out. SO MAD.
And then the third quarter came around. And I HATED IT. Hated, HATED, HATED it. I just can't deal with bad things happening in books, unless it's at the beginning... and this was 3/4 of the way through! It was awful. I'm starving right now, because I couldn't let myself put the book down while all the characters were in such awful places, and as a result I completely skipped breakfast and lunch. Thanks, book.
So, I finally made it to the last quarter. And things started to look up again. And that was almost WORSE because I just knew something else horrible was going to happen before it was over and I just COULDN'T TAKE THE STRESS ANYMORE! And I was right, and it did. Ugh. But then Ellis had a chance to be his own person, and they all ended up together, which we knew was gonna happen because it's a romance novel. THANK GOD.
So, in the end, despite lots of sections of HATRED I suppose I actually liked it. The underage, menage, slavery thing was TOTALLY outside my comfort zone. I honestly have no idea why I even thought it would be a good idea to read this book in the first place. But to whoever pointed it out to me in the first place - thank you. And to Breann who picked it for me to read, finally - thank you. It was an experience.
I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about this book. It drew me in right from the beginning, the prose was excellent and Ellis won me over right away. I also liked Harte almost instantly, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to William. I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book, watching Ellis discover himself as a person instead of as an object. I loved seeing the way he completed Harte and William's relationship, and made them a better couple and better partners for each other.
That second quarter of the book though... man, I wanted to scream at someone, mostly William. SO FRUSTRATING!!! Maybe I'm expecting too much out of my fictional characters, and obviously conflict had to come from somewhere besides inside Ellis, but I really just wanted William and Harte to effing ASK ELLIS. OMG clearly Ellis needs things said very explicitly, and William and Harte were so smart about everything else, I was so mad at them for not figuring it out. SO MAD.
And then the third quarter came around. And I HATED IT. Hated, HATED, HATED it. I just can't deal with bad things happening in books, unless it's at the beginning... and this was 3/4 of the way through! It was awful. I'm starving right now, because I couldn't let myself put the book down while all the characters were in such awful places, and as a result I completely skipped breakfast and lunch. Thanks, book.
So, I finally made it to the last quarter. And things started to look up again. And that was almost WORSE because I just knew something else horrible was going to happen before it was over and I just COULDN'T TAKE THE STRESS ANYMORE! And I was right, and it did. Ugh. But then Ellis had a chance to be his own person, and they all ended up together, which we knew was gonna happen because it's a romance novel. THANK GOD.
So, in the end, despite lots of sections of HATRED I suppose I actually liked it. The underage, menage, slavery thing was TOTALLY outside my comfort zone. I honestly have no idea why I even thought it would be a good idea to read this book in the first place. But to whoever pointed it out to me in the first place - thank you. And to Breann who picked it for me to read, finally - thank you. It was an experience.
September 7, 2012
originally here-
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
A few words of warning ~ This book takes place in a world where intelligent children are forced into slavery from age 16 to 20, to learn their master’s trade, but are also used sexually by their masters. Many parts are hard to read, as there is non-con/dub-con, sometimes involving underage children.
That said, At His Throat, a Promise is extremely well-written. The characters all have complete, yet not overwhelming, backstories that lend credence to their actions. Their life stories are doled out at appropriate times during the book, neatly avoiding the information dump so many authors use. The build of both characters and plot is almost flawless.
I did have a few issues with William, who is the ‘nice’ master of the book, but… if he’s so nice, why is he still making his slaves have sex with him? Why does he punish his slaves? And most importantly, why does he have slaves at all? But that was me reading as though At His Throat, A Promise takes place in a world with our morals, and once I put myself into their mindset, these actions make sense.
Ellis is a bit of a snitching brat, but he has his reasons, and his actions are understandable when read contextually. Similarly, Harte has his moments of being irritating, but when you learn of his life before he met Ellis his personality makes complete sense.
There are some spelling/grammatical errors, usually a source of abject vexation, but I was so caught up in the well-planned plot that these mistakes hardly registered.
My suggestion? Suspend your reality, hide your moral compass, and read on. This book is worth it.
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
A few words of warning ~ This book takes place in a world where intelligent children are forced into slavery from age 16 to 20, to learn their master’s trade, but are also used sexually by their masters. Many parts are hard to read, as there is non-con/dub-con, sometimes involving underage children.
That said, At His Throat, a Promise is extremely well-written. The characters all have complete, yet not overwhelming, backstories that lend credence to their actions. Their life stories are doled out at appropriate times during the book, neatly avoiding the information dump so many authors use. The build of both characters and plot is almost flawless.
I did have a few issues with William, who is the ‘nice’ master of the book, but… if he’s so nice, why is he still making his slaves have sex with him? Why does he punish his slaves? And most importantly, why does he have slaves at all? But that was me reading as though At His Throat, A Promise takes place in a world with our morals, and once I put myself into their mindset, these actions make sense.
Ellis is a bit of a snitching brat, but he has his reasons, and his actions are understandable when read contextually. Similarly, Harte has his moments of being irritating, but when you learn of his life before he met Ellis his personality makes complete sense.
There are some spelling/grammatical errors, usually a source of abject vexation, but I was so caught up in the well-planned plot that these mistakes hardly registered.
My suggestion? Suspend your reality, hide your moral compass, and read on. This book is worth it.
June 1, 2012
Very good - reminiscent of some other slave books such as Slavebreakers. It had some meat to it, with 570 pages. It lost a star for me as it was repetitive in some spots.
September 3, 2014
The world-building made no sense whatsoever. And the book was too long.
But, I enjoyed it, so all's good.)
But, I enjoyed it, so all's good.)
October 25, 2013
Incredibly interesting take on the slave genre, but even more enthralling characters. I couldn’t put this down last night, and thus stayed up WAY to late reading determined to finish. A lot of length to this one, but definitely worth the read.
Ellis’ master has died. Now he is at wits end with only a week to find a new master or he will be sent to the Facility. A master is supposed to teach and take care of you. Prepare you during your younger years for the job you will take on in the future. Ellis has a plan, one that might be a little daring, but if he’s going to find himself a master it’s the only way. Showing up in the club at night, without a collar or a sponsor he knows could be dangerous, but it’s the only way left to put himself in front of other masters. Still he didn’t expect to be so energetically mauled by another submissive, and a collared one at that.
Harte is safe and secure in his masters’ feelings for him. So he might be a little more outspoken and energetic than most slaves are usually allowed to be, but he knows he’s adored. Ok, fine…he’s a brat, but a good hearted brat and when he sees the beautiful unclaimed slave his protective instincts are stirred. After joining Ellis on the dance floor Harte finds he really enjoys the other man’s company. When Harte sees Ellis being forcibly by another master, he just can’t help but intervene.
William is a Master. He may not have been born in Spire, but in choosing to practice law there he’s fallen under their master/slave laws. He never expected to take a slave himself though. Harte, well Harte was just irresistible. William finds it hard to deny him anything. When Harte’s innocent eyes appeal to him to intervene and save this new slave, well William finds himself unable to do anything else. Now he finds himself with a second temporary slave.
What a complicated little triad. Having everything told through Ellis’ eyes kept a nice fluid streamlined plot and really kept you hooked into these characters. I identified with the insecurities Ellis was dealing with. He had no idea where he stood in his new world and was constantly struggling to find his balance. Not wanting to trust too deeply when the rug could be pulled out from under his feet at any moment. Everything about living with William and Harte was outside the realm of his normal understanding. It just wasn’t the way things were done in the world that he grew up in. Ellis couldn’t feel safe trusting it, no matter how much he wanted too.
The world building here was really good as long as you take the premise at face value. There isn’t a lot of explaining about the history of how this strange system developed in the first place. To train the professional people of their fair city they are sold into slavery somewhere between the ages of 14 and 16. Until they are 20 these boys and girls live with and are available to their masters in any way those masters deem fit. In exchange they are to be taught the profession of their master and thus the next generation is trained. Of course there are no rules to protect the slaves while in their tutelage.
This was my problem with the world I guess. I mean if you are training the intelligencia of your world, not the blue collars, one would think you would have many laws in place to protect those who would be the future generations. Even if you accept the idea of slavery as payment for the training received the complete lack of protection available was a little far-fetched for me. It doesn’t detract much from the story for me, but I did feel like I had to kinda set this little fallacy to the side and get over it.
Now I absolutely adored Harte, Ellis, and William! There was such a connection between these three and I loved watching them try to find their balance. I completely understood where Ellis’ insecurities came from and why he would push to find another master to train under when he found himself falling for William and Harte. Harts may just be the most adorable twink/pushy bottom ever! His boundless energy was just infections. William’s dual nature as a jealous dominant and uncertainty in owning slaves in the first place made him a very interesting complex man.
The emotions in this book were complicated and heart wrenching. The story drew you in and took you for a ride. And of course as one would expect from good erotica there was a LOT of very hot sex. If you’re looking for something fantastically different and are ok with the slave/BDSM genre I say you should definitely give this one a try. Solid 4.5 stars for me. So glad I picked this one up!
Ellis’ master has died. Now he is at wits end with only a week to find a new master or he will be sent to the Facility. A master is supposed to teach and take care of you. Prepare you during your younger years for the job you will take on in the future. Ellis has a plan, one that might be a little daring, but if he’s going to find himself a master it’s the only way. Showing up in the club at night, without a collar or a sponsor he knows could be dangerous, but it’s the only way left to put himself in front of other masters. Still he didn’t expect to be so energetically mauled by another submissive, and a collared one at that.
Harte is safe and secure in his masters’ feelings for him. So he might be a little more outspoken and energetic than most slaves are usually allowed to be, but he knows he’s adored. Ok, fine…he’s a brat, but a good hearted brat and when he sees the beautiful unclaimed slave his protective instincts are stirred. After joining Ellis on the dance floor Harte finds he really enjoys the other man’s company. When Harte sees Ellis being forcibly by another master, he just can’t help but intervene.
William is a Master. He may not have been born in Spire, but in choosing to practice law there he’s fallen under their master/slave laws. He never expected to take a slave himself though. Harte, well Harte was just irresistible. William finds it hard to deny him anything. When Harte’s innocent eyes appeal to him to intervene and save this new slave, well William finds himself unable to do anything else. Now he finds himself with a second temporary slave.
What a complicated little triad. Having everything told through Ellis’ eyes kept a nice fluid streamlined plot and really kept you hooked into these characters. I identified with the insecurities Ellis was dealing with. He had no idea where he stood in his new world and was constantly struggling to find his balance. Not wanting to trust too deeply when the rug could be pulled out from under his feet at any moment. Everything about living with William and Harte was outside the realm of his normal understanding. It just wasn’t the way things were done in the world that he grew up in. Ellis couldn’t feel safe trusting it, no matter how much he wanted too.
The world building here was really good as long as you take the premise at face value. There isn’t a lot of explaining about the history of how this strange system developed in the first place. To train the professional people of their fair city they are sold into slavery somewhere between the ages of 14 and 16. Until they are 20 these boys and girls live with and are available to their masters in any way those masters deem fit. In exchange they are to be taught the profession of their master and thus the next generation is trained. Of course there are no rules to protect the slaves while in their tutelage.
This was my problem with the world I guess. I mean if you are training the intelligencia of your world, not the blue collars, one would think you would have many laws in place to protect those who would be the future generations. Even if you accept the idea of slavery as payment for the training received the complete lack of protection available was a little far-fetched for me. It doesn’t detract much from the story for me, but I did feel like I had to kinda set this little fallacy to the side and get over it.
Now I absolutely adored Harte, Ellis, and William! There was such a connection between these three and I loved watching them try to find their balance. I completely understood where Ellis’ insecurities came from and why he would push to find another master to train under when he found himself falling for William and Harte. Harts may just be the most adorable twink/pushy bottom ever! His boundless energy was just infections. William’s dual nature as a jealous dominant and uncertainty in owning slaves in the first place made him a very interesting complex man.
The emotions in this book were complicated and heart wrenching. The story drew you in and took you for a ride. And of course as one would expect from good erotica there was a LOT of very hot sex. If you’re looking for something fantastically different and are ok with the slave/BDSM genre I say you should definitely give this one a try. Solid 4.5 stars for me. So glad I picked this one up!
March 16, 2015
I don't like MM 'slave-fiction'. Don't get me wrong, I'm able to enjoy it, but I don't like it. Institutionalized slavery is an affront to my egalitarian little heart and so these stories often make me very angry. Heaven knows why I keep reading them. My experience of slave stories in MM fiction has been that slavery is often romanticized and almost always sexualized, and this book is no exception. That said, the stories often also deal with the horrors of slavery and I feel that this book has done both fairly well; shown the plight of slaves, as it were, as well as catering to the fantasy of perfect submission. It's a very empathetic insight into slave mentality; and this made me uncomfortable, because I don't want people to be okay with being institutional slaves
Overall, it's a well-written, often insightful, and super-sexy novel and I might have given it 5 stars but for a few niggles. Firstly, the concept of sexual slavery as professional internship doesn't make any real sense, but then again lots of things don't make sense, so I'll let it slide. I do wish, though, that there was some explanation as to how that sort of slavery came to be. Secondly, I hated that the slaves were essentially children, well teenagers, but still; it makes feel dirty (not in a good way) to read about minors in non-consensual sexual situations. Call me a prude, but some things just shouldn't be used as erotic fodder. And thirdly, the eleventh-hour scrabble for a plot was a bit forced. But, yes, I'll say it again, while I enjoyed this book, I just couldn't like it.
Overall, it's a well-written, often insightful, and super-sexy novel and I might have given it 5 stars but for a few niggles. Firstly, the concept of sexual slavery as professional internship doesn't make any real sense, but then again lots of things don't make sense, so I'll let it slide. I do wish, though, that there was some explanation as to how that sort of slavery came to be. Secondly, I hated that the slaves were essentially children, well teenagers, but still; it makes feel dirty (not in a good way) to read about minors in non-consensual sexual situations. Call me a prude, but some things just shouldn't be used as erotic fodder. And thirdly, the eleventh-hour scrabble for a plot was a bit forced. But, yes, I'll say it again, while I enjoyed this book, I just couldn't like it.
March 25, 2013
Extremely well-done, but genuinely disturbing. Hard to find anything to criticize here: the characters are rich and fully-drawn with actual flaws, not romance-novel pretend flaws. The generous length gives the author plenty of time to explore her themes, but it never drags--quite the opposite. I couldn't put it down, but I was also majorly on edge and anxious for most of the second half. It's one of those books where you feel that something can go seriously wrong for the characters--it doesn't feel like a romance much of the time. And the disturbing elements pushed right up to my limits--I found some parts quite hard to read, as much for the psychological anguish as the physical pain--and the above mentioned anxiety. I don't think I've read its equal in the exploration of sexual slavery. All in all, I highly recommend but pay attention to the content warnings.
July 5, 2017
This book is actually out of print but someone was kind enough to gift me a copy to read.
The protagonist in this book is Ellis, a young slave whose master has recently died and left him without protection in a society where every slave needs an owner. Upon reaching majority at the age of 20, some slaves become masters themselves with slaves of their own and others learn a profession and end up as members of the working class (people who are not masters or slaves but sort of an invisible middleclass of the society). Ellis is looking for a new master and he is accosted at a club by another slave, Harte who convinces his Master William to take Ellis on after a confrontation. What follows is an achingly beautiful and difficult story of Ellis, Harte and William finding love in a society that actively discourages it.
This is an incredibly difficult book to read. The slaves have no agency, they are completely at the mercy of their masters - who may be kind and generous or who might be cruel and vicious, short of actual murder, there is nothing a master is not allowed to do with or to the slaves they own. We see the events entirely from Ellis's point of view, some of the horrors depicted are his own, others are told to him by people he meets - there's a lot of graphic violence here (sexual and otherwise). There's also a lot of sex, and those parts are done exceptionally well - some of the best sex scenes I've certainly read in a while.
Ellis is a conflict, on one hand he desperately wants to be the perfect slave but he's so not built to be that way. He is smart and resourceful but at the same time, terribly naive in many things. He wants to be owned, wants someone to love and cherish him above all others but does not think he is worthy of such treatment at all. So he actively sabotages his own happiness because he thinks his only worth is at being the perfect slave. But when he lets go and follows his heart instead it's beautiful.
There are some truly hateful characters in this book, it's rare to see the villain of the story depicted in such unforgiving light - there are absolutely no redeeming features in him (I don't want to spoil this so no name given!). But there is also the most amazingly wonderful and adorable character in Harte. As his name suggests, this boy is literally all heart - he loves with all his being and there is absolutely no limits to what he'll do for those he loves. We are told Harte suffered sexual abuse at a very young age but that has not stopped him from owning his sexuality and he is not ashamed of wanting sex - this snippet is a wonderful analogy:
"It’s just really amazing that, after what you’ve been through, you still... want sex."
"That’s like saying that if you ate a certain kind of food and got sick that you’d never eat anything again. Just because it hurt you once doesn’t mean it always will. The only thing you can do is try not to eat that bad kind of food again."
The supporting cast is wonderful, I was delighted with Alex and Alastair but Fen and Caleb just stole my heart with their adorableness. This is a romance story at heart, so we do get a happy ending - it's just the road there that is filled with a lot of anguish and heartbreak. But in my mind, it's worth it.
But I will reiterate, this is very dark, contains significant graphic violence (sexual, physical and mental) so truly, do not attempt to read this book if any of that makes you uncomfortable.
Oh and as this book is not available to buy anywhere, if you want to read it then PM me and I will gift you the ebook copy - since someone was kind enough to gift me one too.
The protagonist in this book is Ellis, a young slave whose master has recently died and left him without protection in a society where every slave needs an owner. Upon reaching majority at the age of 20, some slaves become masters themselves with slaves of their own and others learn a profession and end up as members of the working class (people who are not masters or slaves but sort of an invisible middleclass of the society). Ellis is looking for a new master and he is accosted at a club by another slave, Harte who convinces his Master William to take Ellis on after a confrontation. What follows is an achingly beautiful and difficult story of Ellis, Harte and William finding love in a society that actively discourages it.
This is an incredibly difficult book to read. The slaves have no agency, they are completely at the mercy of their masters - who may be kind and generous or who might be cruel and vicious, short of actual murder, there is nothing a master is not allowed to do with or to the slaves they own. We see the events entirely from Ellis's point of view, some of the horrors depicted are his own, others are told to him by people he meets - there's a lot of graphic violence here (sexual and otherwise). There's also a lot of sex, and those parts are done exceptionally well - some of the best sex scenes I've certainly read in a while.
Ellis is a conflict, on one hand he desperately wants to be the perfect slave but he's so not built to be that way. He is smart and resourceful but at the same time, terribly naive in many things. He wants to be owned, wants someone to love and cherish him above all others but does not think he is worthy of such treatment at all. So he actively sabotages his own happiness because he thinks his only worth is at being the perfect slave. But when he lets go and follows his heart instead it's beautiful.
There are some truly hateful characters in this book, it's rare to see the villain of the story depicted in such unforgiving light - there are absolutely no redeeming features in him (I don't want to spoil this so no name given!). But there is also the most amazingly wonderful and adorable character in Harte. As his name suggests, this boy is literally all heart - he loves with all his being and there is absolutely no limits to what he'll do for those he loves. We are told Harte suffered sexual abuse at a very young age but that has not stopped him from owning his sexuality and he is not ashamed of wanting sex - this snippet is a wonderful analogy:
"It’s just really amazing that, after what you’ve been through, you still... want sex."
"That’s like saying that if you ate a certain kind of food and got sick that you’d never eat anything again. Just because it hurt you once doesn’t mean it always will. The only thing you can do is try not to eat that bad kind of food again."
The supporting cast is wonderful, I was delighted with Alex and Alastair but Fen and Caleb just stole my heart with their adorableness. This is a romance story at heart, so we do get a happy ending - it's just the road there that is filled with a lot of anguish and heartbreak. But in my mind, it's worth it.
But I will reiterate, this is very dark, contains significant graphic violence (sexual, physical and mental) so truly, do not attempt to read this book if any of that makes you uncomfortable.
Oh and as this book is not available to buy anywhere, if you want to read it then PM me and I will gift you the ebook copy - since someone was kind enough to gift me one too.
November 21, 2012
Difficult to read, but a gem of a story
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 9/10
PROS:
- The setting is intriguing: futuristic, but not so obviously foreign that I *realized* it was futuristic until well into the story. There are a few subtle hints early on that the society is not the contemporary society with which I’m familiar, and I wanted to know more about how the world of the story functioned, particularly the Master/slave relationships.
- This book puts forth some insightful ideas regarding power exchange relationships--ideas that aren’t often discussed and that (in my experience) come from real-life knowledge of the way such relationships often work.
- The connection between William, Harte, and Ellis forms slowly and is the sort that seems utterly unbreakable by the end of the story.
- Harte is adorable. Bouncy and happy and unapologetic about his actions and his role in life. I liked him from the start, but what sealed my affection for him was the way he opens his heart so quickly to poor Ellis.
- Ellis is an excellent portrayal of a switch. He is submissive at times--and revels in his submission--but other times, he has a dominant spark as well.
CONS:
- There’s a long section of the book that I found very painful to read: Ellis is raped, beaten repeatedly, and subjected to ongoing emotional abuse. It lasts for almost 900 Kindle locations, which translates roughly into 180 Kindle pages. The pain of reading it is compounded by Ellis’s thoughts that he deserves it all.
- (This point goes hand-in-hand with the one above, but I feel that it needs extra emphasis.) If you have a difficult time with non-consensual sex scenes, you might want to steer clear of this book. There are numerous brutal sex scenes, some related in a fair amount of detail.Here’s a quote that should give you an idea of the overall treatment of sex in the world of the story: “There really was no such thing as rape when you’re a slave. Or maybe… there was nothing that wasn’t rape.”
Overall comments: The angst level in this is fairly high. Ellis is incredibly happy with William and Harte, but he knows the situation isn’t permanent,so he’s constantly seeing and experiencing things he wants but can’t have. There are also references to what is essentially rape of underage boys, one as young as 13. That said, I enjoyed the book very much. There are parts that are simply beautiful--so beautiful that I can see myself purchasing the paperback in order to read the good chapters and more easily skip over the bad.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 9/10
PROS:
- The setting is intriguing: futuristic, but not so obviously foreign that I *realized* it was futuristic until well into the story. There are a few subtle hints early on that the society is not the contemporary society with which I’m familiar, and I wanted to know more about how the world of the story functioned, particularly the Master/slave relationships.
- This book puts forth some insightful ideas regarding power exchange relationships--ideas that aren’t often discussed and that (in my experience) come from real-life knowledge of the way such relationships often work.
- The connection between William, Harte, and Ellis forms slowly and is the sort that seems utterly unbreakable by the end of the story.
- Harte is adorable. Bouncy and happy and unapologetic about his actions and his role in life. I liked him from the start, but what sealed my affection for him was the way he opens his heart so quickly to poor Ellis.
- Ellis is an excellent portrayal of a switch. He is submissive at times--and revels in his submission--but other times, he has a dominant spark as well.
CONS:
- There’s a long section of the book that I found very painful to read: Ellis is raped, beaten repeatedly, and subjected to ongoing emotional abuse. It lasts for almost 900 Kindle locations, which translates roughly into 180 Kindle pages. The pain of reading it is compounded by Ellis’s thoughts that he deserves it all.
- (This point goes hand-in-hand with the one above, but I feel that it needs extra emphasis.) If you have a difficult time with non-consensual sex scenes, you might want to steer clear of this book. There are numerous brutal sex scenes, some related in a fair amount of detail.Here’s a quote that should give you an idea of the overall treatment of sex in the world of the story: “There really was no such thing as rape when you’re a slave. Or maybe… there was nothing that wasn’t rape.”
Overall comments: The angst level in this is fairly high. Ellis is incredibly happy with William and Harte, but he knows the situation isn’t permanent,so he’s constantly seeing and experiencing things he wants but can’t have. There are also references to what is essentially rape of underage boys, one as young as 13. That said, I enjoyed the book very much. There are parts that are simply beautiful--so beautiful that I can see myself purchasing the paperback in order to read the good chapters and more easily skip over the bad.
March 2, 2016
Spoiler Ahead
This book was picked for me in the M/M group pick it for me challenge and I must say that my picker got it just right. Ellis has been discarded. His former master, a man who was supposed to teach him and take care of him, passed away, leaving Ellis alone and in danger of being taken to the Facility. Ellis is desperate to avoid that fate. He seeks a master to take him on, guiding him into adulthood as well as a profession. Ellis has had desire stolen from him—he’s been trained to blush, to submit, to give in. He doesn’t know how to cope with William, a man who wants the real Ellis. William is a Master, a man born in a neighboring city that does not deal in slavery. He has had bad experiences with slaves in the past, but all that changes when he rescues Harte, a young slave whose abusive master had all but destroyed him. This was a really good book in it you get to witness Ellis go through insecurities as he learns to with a new master and Harte who doesn't act like a normal slave. The sex scenes were really good. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. This was my first time reading this author but not my last. I am looking forward to reading more of this author work.
February 7, 2013
Powerful MMM love story between two slaves and their Master. Not for the faint-hearted…has non-con and taboo.
Teenagers Ellis and Harte were both given up into slavery by their families. William (Harte's Master) and Harte meet Ellis at a club. Harte's instant attraction to Ellis, results in Ellis being taken home by Harte and his Master - with the intention of finding Ellis a permanent Master. Harte and William have an atypical slave/master relationship.
Ellis and Harte are polar opposites. Ellis is a perfectionist, full of self doubt and self loathing, desperate to please and to "be owned". Harte is a beautiful, sexual "free spirit", who says what he really feels and is loved by (almost) everyone. William is an enigma, we know he is a lawyer, that Harte is his first slave and that he is older than Ellis and Harte. William is an inexperienced but earnest Master.
This is the story of how the three (William - Ellis - Harte) end up together and get their HEA.
Borrowed from Bree Cheese for the Bookie Nookie 2013 Scavenger Hunt
Teenagers Ellis and Harte were both given up into slavery by their families. William (Harte's Master) and Harte meet Ellis at a club. Harte's instant attraction to Ellis, results in Ellis being taken home by Harte and his Master - with the intention of finding Ellis a permanent Master. Harte and William have an atypical slave/master relationship.
Ellis and Harte are polar opposites. Ellis is a perfectionist, full of self doubt and self loathing, desperate to please and to "be owned". Harte is a beautiful, sexual "free spirit", who says what he really feels and is loved by (almost) everyone. William is an enigma, we know he is a lawyer, that Harte is his first slave and that he is older than Ellis and Harte. William is an inexperienced but earnest Master.
This is the story of how the three (William - Ellis - Harte) end up together and get their HEA.
Borrowed from Bree Cheese for the Bookie Nookie 2013 Scavenger Hunt
November 2, 2012
This reminded me very much of the Slavebreakers series, though it was different in many aspects. It takes a little bit to get used to it being a different world where children are sent to be slaves in order to gain an education. Looking past that, there are very likeable characters at play here. Ellis is wonderful, and it is difficult not to feel for his plight. He goes through so many heartbreaking situations and endures so much at the hands of horrible masters, with the alternative being the horrors that exist at the Facility, where masterless slaves are sent. Many of the slaves he comes into contact with throughout this story have endured much of the same, if not worse, horrors. It is truly hard to imagine. The plus side here is William and Harte, who show Ellis that he can expect more for himself and make all he has suffered worth it in the end.
This is a long story that seems a little drawn out in places, but well worth it, if this is the kind of story you are looking for.
This is a long story that seems a little drawn out in places, but well worth it, if this is the kind of story you are looking for.
April 21, 2012
You know that moment when you pick up a story by accident and you fall irrevocably in love with it? That is me with At his throat a promise. Granted I didn't really read the whole blurb I just hit purchase and gave it a try.
At times I was certain this author was trying to kill me! I could feel the pressure in the chest and loss of oxygen for the angst. This story has an amazingly incredible amount of angst. And it is absolutely perfect. I RARELY get the chance to rate a book a 5, but there's nothing I would change or improve here.
What I thought would be a story of Masters and Sirs morphed into so much more. This isn't the typical story this is truly character driven erotic romance. The are twists, turns, well developed characters and plot!!! So much plot it's a healthy healthy dose of romance and yet it does have the smut that we love. But overall this is an amazing drama that anyone mildly interested d/s or slave stories must read!
Loved every page even when it made me cry, sigh and laugh.
Great story!!!
At times I was certain this author was trying to kill me! I could feel the pressure in the chest and loss of oxygen for the angst. This story has an amazingly incredible amount of angst. And it is absolutely perfect. I RARELY get the chance to rate a book a 5, but there's nothing I would change or improve here.
What I thought would be a story of Masters and Sirs morphed into so much more. This isn't the typical story this is truly character driven erotic romance. The are twists, turns, well developed characters and plot!!! So much plot it's a healthy healthy dose of romance and yet it does have the smut that we love. But overall this is an amazing drama that anyone mildly interested d/s or slave stories must read!
Loved every page even when it made me cry, sigh and laugh.
Great story!!!
July 8, 2020
Security of a collar, danger of a lock
Dystopian slave fiction, BDSM D/s m-m-m menage romance
Dominant and submissive learn to trust
4.5 stars
Set in a world where serving as a (sexual) slave is required as an apprenticeship to enter a profession, the author explores sexual submission and domination amidst legalized sadism and control. I personally very much enjoyed this coming-of-age story. It centered on the emotional struggles of a young, submissive (but switchable) man learning to trust a caring Dominant and a vivacious, abused submissive. Readers who like to explore the emotional side of Domination/submission, including the need for a sub to be truthful and to trust, and for the Dom to learn the needs and take responsibility for a sub, are most likely to appreciate this story. The emotions of the Dominant and sub in this fictionalized and somewhat sadistic "shadow" of a BDSM world ring more true to me than most conventional "I'm going to control/bind/be rough/hurt you now" BDSM erotica.
Dystopian slave fiction, BDSM D/s m-m-m menage romance
Dominant and submissive learn to trust
4.5 stars
Set in a world where serving as a (sexual) slave is required as an apprenticeship to enter a profession, the author explores sexual submission and domination amidst legalized sadism and control. I personally very much enjoyed this coming-of-age story. It centered on the emotional struggles of a young, submissive (but switchable) man learning to trust a caring Dominant and a vivacious, abused submissive. Readers who like to explore the emotional side of Domination/submission, including the need for a sub to be truthful and to trust, and for the Dom to learn the needs and take responsibility for a sub, are most likely to appreciate this story. The emotions of the Dominant and sub in this fictionalized and somewhat sadistic "shadow" of a BDSM world ring more true to me than most conventional "I'm going to control/bind/be rough/hurt you now" BDSM erotica.
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