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The Red King
A man abused and discarded is left to rebuild himself with naught but vengeance in his heart. A youth cruelly torn from all he knew and loved is cast adrift with no hope for the future. What will happen when Fate thrusts them together?
He is known as Ruaidhri and his extraordinary strengths and stamina are said to be born of the Devil. His ferocity is matched solely by his ruthlessness. For seven years, he has sailed his ship the Taibhse with one goal in mind: to avenge the years of torment he suffered at the hands of a depraved Danish lord. He has one final plan to succeed, but he searches yet for the implement.
His family destroyed by violence and his body enslaved to a brutal master, Andrew’s future promises only misery. He is saved from this desolate fate by a pirate captain with fiery hair and an ultimatum; help him achieve his revenge and go free, or be sent to a horrific, painful death. As Andrew struggles with the choice of slave or assassin, he finds that all is not as it seems aboard the corsair’s ship.
Pain is tempered by pleasure and loss consumed by love in the flames stoked by
…The Red King.
Warning: this is an erotic m/m romance intended for mature audiences. It contains explicit sexual situations, frank language, torture, and non-graphic descriptions of abuse of a minor.
He is known as Ruaidhri and his extraordinary strengths and stamina are said to be born of the Devil. His ferocity is matched solely by his ruthlessness. For seven years, he has sailed his ship the Taibhse with one goal in mind: to avenge the years of torment he suffered at the hands of a depraved Danish lord. He has one final plan to succeed, but he searches yet for the implement.
His family destroyed by violence and his body enslaved to a brutal master, Andrew’s future promises only misery. He is saved from this desolate fate by a pirate captain with fiery hair and an ultimatum; help him achieve his revenge and go free, or be sent to a horrific, painful death. As Andrew struggles with the choice of slave or assassin, he finds that all is not as it seems aboard the corsair’s ship.
Pain is tempered by pleasure and loss consumed by love in the flames stoked by
…The Red King.
Warning: this is an erotic m/m romance intended for mature audiences. It contains explicit sexual situations, frank language, torture, and non-graphic descriptions of abuse of a minor.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2012
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766 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 18, 2014
Arg!! *waves sword and tweaks fake beard*
Before I begin, let me warn ye...there's both sweetness and darkness in this epic treat by Rosemary O'Malley. Declarations of love are made and licentious acts are made (even of the minor M/F variety - tis brief). There be mentions of child abuse and scenes of rape/torture/abuse, so if ye be soft of stomach, please exit via the plank! Tis not the story for ye!
Yawr har har!!!!
Rosemary O'Malley's debut novel tis an epic historical pirate tale that travels through and land on a quest for revenge. The sweet sea of love, the crashing tide of learning the depth's of oneself and murky waters of angst are all traveled with a fine tuned hand in this humble temporary pirate's opinion.
A fine tale with blood, guts, piss, vinegar, seduction, hurt, comfort, woe, damage, shit, lion sex (yes there be actual mating in the wild), battle, pillaging, true love and even a eunuch! Tis a pirate's tale split into two POV, young Scotsman Andrew, the young orphan raised by priests who's been captured and Rorik aka Rory aka Ruaidhri (pronounced Rou-ar-ree) aka the Red King!
Aye, the Irish, ginger haired young captain of the ship Taibhse is hell bent on thwarting the evil bastard Dane, Maarten, Rory's ex-master. Rory's childhood was a painful one, aye, one full or sorrow and pain. His crew helps rescues the seemingly timid, virgin Andrew who is not wordly but has a calming quality that calms people, pulls people to him. Could be a religious or a philosophical undertone, depends on who is reading this, ya savvy? I enjoy Andrew and his nuances/intricacies. A bashful, fainting flower, he is not. And he proves himself wondrously. More on him soon, aye?
I shall break down the things I enjoyed:
The story -A swashbuckler's delight
- Tis a long, well crafted one spanning sea and land, settings of Africa and Europe. I give it 4 stars some parts may seem drawn out but tis necessary for the entire portrait the author paints, ya ken?
The Red King -This ginger lover's wet dream found in a pirate
- The slave who turns into a master of his own rights, he is, he is! He's second to my #1 love of Captain Jack Sparrow. He's a mix of dark and light though his light was never recognized until he learned to see himself and his self worth through Andrew's eyes. Oh please, Ruaidhri is naughty and has tales to tell but when he falls...he falls hard and loves even harder. He defies so many things to hold onto that bit of happiness.
Even a little bit of:
I rooted for him to persevere and crush any insubordination. I was not disappointed in the Red King. He deserves the title. He has my 5 Stars.
Andrew -The little engine that could!
- Have I mentioned that though my little wolf, Andrew did not enter the story as a warrior he leaves as the bravest of the brave? I'm sure if Davy Jones himself came upon, little Andrew, he would smite with a few words and nary a weapon. He's martyr-ish but for this story it works. He gets 10 out of 5 stars!
The sacrifices made and angsty road traveled by Andrew...I love him even the more. The little non priest has teeth, he does. Grrr!!
“I am not your dove," he ground out, barely loud enough to hear. "I am a wolf.”
Do not underestimate him, arg!
The Secondary Characters J'adore a French pimp named Etienne and many more
- Etienne, the brawny, sweet giant of Malik and wordsmith that be Fleming any many others more (Privateer Ortega, brave Laurent...crewman Yousef) There was an ease with each character, I wanted to know their back story, I wanted to fight and laugh with them, live in their world.
Especially brothel owner and masterful pimp Etienne...
Aye, the mayhem he would cause would be divine and I ken he's deviousness. All secondary characters get 5 stars but Etienne, he shall get 6 or it'd be a sword to the gullet of naysayers! Argh!
Maarten -He's the villainous hostess with the mostest
- 5 stars- vile, repulsive, murdering, disgusting, evil, mad, fucking bonkers pedophile rapist and somehow I kept picturing Maarten like this, just a younger version:
(Yes, Vigo from Ghostbusters 2 as the blonde Dane villain) Do not think I don't ken the dark, mateys...I do. Maarten goes balls to the wall in the darkest of evils, tis makes him a better villain, it does.
Alas he was with us for a small time, though his grey shroud choked the first half before his appearance around 65%. He gets 5 Stars! I hate him and curse him down to Davy Jones' locker but I appreciate his evil for the purpose of the story.
Surprisingly, the story navigates itself towards the sweet promise of happieth of ever after...but there are some pain filled bumps along the way but worth it.
So how many stars to give thee, "The Red King"? Let me average out me stars...
More than 5, arg! For the purpose of this wizardry known as goodreads the highest I can gives is FIVE Stars!
So, I loved this book. Definitely in me top favorites for the year. So much so if everyone else dogs it:
All the way to me pirate lovin' soul, ya savvy?
Before I begin, let me warn ye...there's both sweetness and darkness in this epic treat by Rosemary O'Malley. Declarations of love are made and licentious acts are made (even of the minor M/F variety - tis brief). There be mentions of child abuse and scenes of rape/torture/abuse, so if ye be soft of stomach, please exit via the plank! Tis not the story for ye!
Yawr har har!!!!
Rosemary O'Malley's debut novel tis an epic historical pirate tale that travels through and land on a quest for revenge. The sweet sea of love, the crashing tide of learning the depth's of oneself and murky waters of angst are all traveled with a fine tuned hand in this humble temporary pirate's opinion.
A fine tale with blood, guts, piss, vinegar, seduction, hurt, comfort, woe, damage, shit, lion sex (yes there be actual mating in the wild), battle, pillaging, true love and even a eunuch! Tis a pirate's tale split into two POV, young Scotsman Andrew, the young orphan raised by priests who's been captured and Rorik aka Rory aka Ruaidhri (pronounced Rou-ar-ree) aka the Red King!
Aye, the Irish, ginger haired young captain of the ship Taibhse is hell bent on thwarting the evil bastard Dane, Maarten, Rory's ex-master. Rory's childhood was a painful one, aye, one full or sorrow and pain. His crew helps rescues the seemingly timid, virgin Andrew who is not wordly but has a calming quality that calms people, pulls people to him. Could be a religious or a philosophical undertone, depends on who is reading this, ya savvy? I enjoy Andrew and his nuances/intricacies. A bashful, fainting flower, he is not. And he proves himself wondrously. More on him soon, aye?
I shall break down the things I enjoyed:
The story -A swashbuckler's delight
- Tis a long, well crafted one spanning sea and land, settings of Africa and Europe. I give it 4 stars some parts may seem drawn out but tis necessary for the entire portrait the author paints, ya ken?
The Red King -This ginger lover's wet dream found in a pirate
- The slave who turns into a master of his own rights, he is, he is! He's second to my #1 love of Captain Jack Sparrow. He's a mix of dark and light though his light was never recognized until he learned to see himself and his self worth through Andrew's eyes. Oh please, Ruaidhri is naughty and has tales to tell but when he falls...he falls hard and loves even harder. He defies so many things to hold onto that bit of happiness.
Even a little bit of:
I rooted for him to persevere and crush any insubordination. I was not disappointed in the Red King. He deserves the title. He has my 5 Stars.
Andrew -The little engine that could!
- Have I mentioned that though my little wolf, Andrew did not enter the story as a warrior he leaves as the bravest of the brave? I'm sure if Davy Jones himself came upon, little Andrew, he would smite with a few words and nary a weapon. He's martyr-ish but for this story it works. He gets 10 out of 5 stars!
The sacrifices made and angsty road traveled by Andrew...I love him even the more. The little non priest has teeth, he does. Grrr!!
“I am not your dove," he ground out, barely loud enough to hear. "I am a wolf.”
Do not underestimate him, arg!
The Secondary Characters J'adore a French pimp named Etienne and many more
- Etienne, the brawny, sweet giant of Malik and wordsmith that be Fleming any many others more (Privateer Ortega, brave Laurent...crewman Yousef) There was an ease with each character, I wanted to know their back story, I wanted to fight and laugh with them, live in their world.
Especially brothel owner and masterful pimp Etienne...
Aye, the mayhem he would cause would be divine and I ken he's deviousness. All secondary characters get 5 stars but Etienne, he shall get 6 or it'd be a sword to the gullet of naysayers! Argh!
Maarten -He's the villainous hostess with the mostest
- 5 stars- vile, repulsive, murdering, disgusting, evil, mad, fucking bonkers pedophile rapist and somehow I kept picturing Maarten like this, just a younger version:
(Yes, Vigo from Ghostbusters 2 as the blonde Dane villain) Do not think I don't ken the dark, mateys...I do. Maarten goes balls to the wall in the darkest of evils, tis makes him a better villain, it does.
Alas he was with us for a small time, though his grey shroud choked the first half before his appearance around 65%. He gets 5 Stars! I hate him and curse him down to Davy Jones' locker but I appreciate his evil for the purpose of the story.
Surprisingly, the story navigates itself towards the sweet promise of happieth of ever after...but there are some pain filled bumps along the way but worth it.
So how many stars to give thee, "The Red King"? Let me average out me stars...
More than 5, arg! For the purpose of this wizardry known as goodreads the highest I can gives is FIVE Stars!
So, I loved this book. Definitely in me top favorites for the year. So much so if everyone else dogs it:
All the way to me pirate lovin' soul, ya savvy?
September 8, 2012
4.5 stars and some minor spoilers.
You know when you finish a book for the first time and you are so impressed by it that you immediately want to turn around and buy everything the author's written, only to find out that this is her first novel?
Yeah. I fucking hate that.
The Red King has an awesome sense of place, is adventurous, violent and sexy. The research gone into the the life of the pirates is well done and I couldn't pick out any inaccuracies (because apparently I'm like an expert on pirates or something).
Those with sensitive reading habits would do well to steer clear because the bloodshed is not held back here, and there are scenes of rape. The villian here is so disgusting and evil that you just want to wish him real so you can junk punch him with a machete.
There were times that it did border on sugary sweet, which was slightly jarring when blood was spilled, but Rory and Andrew's love was well earned and the author wisely chose not to always take the easy route with them. I enjoyed watching them grow, especially when Andrew didn't turn out to be a damsel in distress.
But TJ! you say. It sounds as if you love this book! You're gushing to the point that it sounds like you'd cut a hole in it and have a bone sesh with it! Why the asinine .5 reduction?
First and foremost, you are way gross for thinking that.
Second of all, the reason for the deduction is quite simple and no fault of the author's. It's strictly on me. When reading about pirates or buccaneers, WA Hoffman's Raised By Wolves series will ALWAYS take precedent and I will judge every historical novel of this type against that series. The RBW series is my all time favorite historical m/m series. But the simple fact that this book measured up well against RBW is a testament to the author. Well done.
You know when you finish a book for the first time and you are so impressed by it that you immediately want to turn around and buy everything the author's written, only to find out that this is her first novel?
Yeah. I fucking hate that.
The Red King has an awesome sense of place, is adventurous, violent and sexy. The research gone into the the life of the pirates is well done and I couldn't pick out any inaccuracies (because apparently I'm like an expert on pirates or something).
Those with sensitive reading habits would do well to steer clear because the bloodshed is not held back here, and there are scenes of rape. The villian here is so disgusting and evil that you just want to wish him real so you can junk punch him with a machete.
There were times that it did border on sugary sweet, which was slightly jarring when blood was spilled, but Rory and Andrew's love was well earned and the author wisely chose not to always take the easy route with them. I enjoyed watching them grow, especially when Andrew didn't turn out to be a damsel in distress.
But TJ! you say. It sounds as if you love this book! You're gushing to the point that it sounds like you'd cut a hole in it and have a bone sesh with it! Why the asinine .5 reduction?
First and foremost, you are way gross for thinking that.
Second of all, the reason for the deduction is quite simple and no fault of the author's. It's strictly on me. When reading about pirates or buccaneers, WA Hoffman's Raised By Wolves series will ALWAYS take precedent and I will judge every historical novel of this type against that series. The RBW series is my all time favorite historical m/m series. But the simple fact that this book measured up well against RBW is a testament to the author. Well done.
April 22, 2018
So because I’m reading a pirate book now it made me think of The Red King and the fact that I never posted a review for it on here. This book was so good, it brought me back to my days of reading Johanna Lindsey and all her pirate stuff. My romantic heart was in heaven.
READ IT!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.5
Oh Emm Gee guys, this was such an awesome read. I love when I go into book with little or no expectations and it causes a massive pants losing. The Red King made me all nostalgic of my preteen years when I started reading Johanna Lindsey. The ruthless pirate takes an innocent virgin captive *swoons* and they fall desperately in love (which by the way ruined me for any boy in high-school cus none of them were pirates 🤣)
I don't want to give too much away because I want you the readers to experience this one on your own. Andrew was raised in a monastery and was happy until pirates came and killed the only family he has ever known, takes him away, and then puts him chains. He's uncertain of what will happen to him and judging by the treatment he's received he knows it won't be good. But then rescue comes in the form of a giant of a man and his beautiful red haired captain Ruaidhri (translation Rory) the one they call The Red King.
Rory is more than his appearance. He has a shipped filled with men he personally rescued or has impacted their life in a positive way. He is both feared and loved, which means he is highly respected. When Andrew falls within his grasp, Rory knows he must use him for his ultimate plan. What he never expected was that Andrew would unlock his heart and leak all the hatred from his soul (Oh My Effing word! How freaking corny was that sentence).
The Red King is truly an awesome read, not without its faults but the epic setting and awesome characters totally make up for that. I'm a fan of a well written villain and Ms O'Malley delivers a spectacular one, the infamous Maarten is vile and I looked forward to when he would appear and get his dying on. As I said, the characters are spectacular and our MCs is everything to rave about. Rory seems like an unsympathetic character but as you get to know him, I am telling you "its gonna be mad love for the man". He's overcome so much from a young age, and in some ways he is broken man but he has a zest for life and it all comes out with Andrew. I am so glad Andrew was no damsel in distress, and though he did suffer a bit, his personality shined bright and I really enjoyed him.
The sex... well lets just say pants were lost. I found Andrew and Rory to be so sexy, and the author did a good thing by making me experience it from both ends (waggles eyebrows). I got lost in Andrew's discovering of lust, passion, and love. Which made it feel new fresh, like a thirteen year old getting her hands on some Johanna Lindsey pirate lovin 😜
Yeh, imagine saying this shit to a young priest like virgin 😳 Andrew's shock was my shock. 😵 Dead!
What I didn't enjoy is the long drawn out ending. It needed to be tighter and cleaner and it would have been perfect. Yeh, it had some editing problems but its not so huge that it takes from the reading. It was a stellar job by Rosemary O'Malley and I wait impatiently for a new book.
Should You Read It? YES!!! If you like sexy red headed men, out on the open sea, a vivid setting, and ever going action. Then The Red King is for you. Go get lost in Rory and Andrew's love it's quite a beautiful thing. Though do be aware, the writing is quite frank about rape and many forms of abuse but also don't let it be a deterrent. It's a quite simply a very romantic read
READ IT!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.5
Oh Emm Gee guys, this was such an awesome read. I love when I go into book with little or no expectations and it causes a massive pants losing. The Red King made me all nostalgic of my preteen years when I started reading Johanna Lindsey. The ruthless pirate takes an innocent virgin captive *swoons* and they fall desperately in love (which by the way ruined me for any boy in high-school cus none of them were pirates 🤣)
I don't want to give too much away because I want you the readers to experience this one on your own. Andrew was raised in a monastery and was happy until pirates came and killed the only family he has ever known, takes him away, and then puts him chains. He's uncertain of what will happen to him and judging by the treatment he's received he knows it won't be good. But then rescue comes in the form of a giant of a man and his beautiful red haired captain Ruaidhri (translation Rory) the one they call The Red King.
Rory is more than his appearance. He has a shipped filled with men he personally rescued or has impacted their life in a positive way. He is both feared and loved, which means he is highly respected. When Andrew falls within his grasp, Rory knows he must use him for his ultimate plan. What he never expected was that Andrew would unlock his heart and leak all the hatred from his soul (Oh My Effing word! How freaking corny was that sentence).
The Red King is truly an awesome read, not without its faults but the epic setting and awesome characters totally make up for that. I'm a fan of a well written villain and Ms O'Malley delivers a spectacular one, the infamous Maarten is vile and I looked forward to when he would appear and get his dying on. As I said, the characters are spectacular and our MCs is everything to rave about. Rory seems like an unsympathetic character but as you get to know him, I am telling you "its gonna be mad love for the man". He's overcome so much from a young age, and in some ways he is broken man but he has a zest for life and it all comes out with Andrew. I am so glad Andrew was no damsel in distress, and though he did suffer a bit, his personality shined bright and I really enjoyed him.
The sex... well lets just say pants were lost. I found Andrew and Rory to be so sexy, and the author did a good thing by making me experience it from both ends (waggles eyebrows). I got lost in Andrew's discovering of lust, passion, and love. Which made it feel new fresh, like a thirteen year old getting her hands on some Johanna Lindsey pirate lovin 😜
“What I want is to feel your sweet lips around my cock and see your rosy ass raised and ready for fucking”
Yeh, imagine saying this shit to a young priest like virgin 😳 Andrew's shock was my shock. 😵 Dead!
What I didn't enjoy is the long drawn out ending. It needed to be tighter and cleaner and it would have been perfect. Yeh, it had some editing problems but its not so huge that it takes from the reading. It was a stellar job by Rosemary O'Malley and I wait impatiently for a new book.
Should You Read It? YES!!! If you like sexy red headed men, out on the open sea, a vivid setting, and ever going action. Then The Red King is for you. Go get lost in Rory and Andrew's love it's quite a beautiful thing. Though do be aware, the writing is quite frank about rape and many forms of abuse but also don't let it be a deterrent. It's a quite simply a very romantic read
September 14, 2012
I made a big mistake going in to this book: I had it in my head it was a darker book than it is. I was looking forward to non-con and dub-con galore. However, this is not that kind of book. It's instead an incredibly sweet and tender story about true love reclaiming a wounded heart. Therefore in itself it's probably a fabulous book for most readers: it just wasn't what I wanted (or was expecting) to read, and I didn't find the writing good enough to pull me in despite my false preconceptions.
I got bored from 30%, and I skimmed through 36% to 65%. It was fine, it just didn't grab me. Intent to ravish, falling in love against will, dark past, only you can touch the real me, yadda yadda yadda.
At 65% the dark bit started and the dark bit was so good!! Swoony good. I wanted more and more and more. I enjoyed Maarten enormously: a really good bad guy always makes for a good story. However this section is so teensy! 580 locations out of 5424, so just a smidgeon over 10% of the book.
After the dark bit there's endless hurt-comfort tropey stuff: Oh how will I come to terms with the horrors I have committed, argh I suck, power of love will redeem me, yadda yadda. I did read all this, but it was almost against my will and I did not enjoy it. The final ending was right out of a Disney film.
So sadly I did not love the book. The dark bit I give four stars. The end I give one star. On the whole I'd actually average it out to a 2: I found this book OK. I wouldn't recommend it, but it wasn't a bad book, and I didn't actively dislike it.
I am the only person not to love it, so it's almost certainly me, not the book.
I got bored from 30%, and I skimmed through 36% to 65%. It was fine, it just didn't grab me. Intent to ravish, falling in love against will, dark past, only you can touch the real me, yadda yadda yadda.
At 65% the dark bit started and the dark bit was so good!! Swoony good. I wanted more and more and more. I enjoyed Maarten enormously: a really good bad guy always makes for a good story. However this section is so teensy! 580 locations out of 5424, so just a smidgeon over 10% of the book.
After the dark bit there's endless hurt-comfort tropey stuff: Oh how will I come to terms with the horrors I have committed, argh I suck, power of love will redeem me, yadda yadda. I did read all this, but it was almost against my will and I did not enjoy it. The final ending was right out of a Disney film.
So sadly I did not love the book. The dark bit I give four stars. The end I give one star. On the whole I'd actually average it out to a 2: I found this book OK. I wouldn't recommend it, but it wasn't a bad book, and I didn't actively dislike it.
I am the only person not to love it, so it's almost certainly me, not the book.
September 29, 2012
4.5 stars. This book is very intense and very dark in places. There is torture and rape, slavery, and sadism. The relationship between the MC's is loving and intense, and yet even they at times exorcise their demons with sex that is rough to the point of pain. The book is well written and the setting feels very authentic. Events of the real world are only a minimal part of the book however. The setting is one of sailing ships and swords, focused down to the actions of a few individuals, so that this book would probably work as well for lovers of sword-fantasy as those who like historicals.
The intensity of this story pulled me in and I read straight through. At times, though, the degree of pain in the background and lives of every character was almost too much. I'm not sure I will reread this, even though both Andrew and Rory were characters I loved and would like to spend more time with.
The intensity of this story pulled me in and I read straight through. At times, though, the degree of pain in the background and lives of every character was almost too much. I'm not sure I will reread this, even though both Andrew and Rory were characters I loved and would like to spend more time with.
December 6, 2012
It's rough, it needs some editing but this is a book so good you can overlook all that. These characters are alive, brilliantly colorful, and believable. I loved every minute of this adventure and look forward to reading more by this author.
February 18, 2014
★★★★☆½
Couldn't put it down - stayed up late last night reading it, then up early reading.
Andrew is kidnapped off a missionary mission and ends up with Rorik - The Red King, so named because of his fiery, red hair. Virginal, innocent Andrew attracts all kinds of licentious attention. Rorik was kidnapped as a child and kept by a monster for thirteen long years until he angered Maarten who imprisoned him and he was ultimately able to escape.
For the last seven years, Rorik has planned his revenge but his plans are at a standstill - until he meets Andrew who is just the kind of sweetmeat Maarten likes. He sets on using Andrew but along the way, falls for Andrew and he has to make new plans.
Andrew endures some heart-breaking torture - check my tags, if these are no-goes for you, don't read the book.
An adventure-packed, smexy, angsty read. This is apparently the author's first novel and I'm very impressed.
Couldn't put it down - stayed up late last night reading it, then up early reading.
Andrew is kidnapped off a missionary mission and ends up with Rorik - The Red King, so named because of his fiery, red hair. Virginal, innocent Andrew attracts all kinds of licentious attention. Rorik was kidnapped as a child and kept by a monster for thirteen long years until he angered Maarten who imprisoned him and he was ultimately able to escape.
For the last seven years, Rorik has planned his revenge but his plans are at a standstill - until he meets Andrew who is just the kind of sweetmeat Maarten likes. He sets on using Andrew but along the way, falls for Andrew and he has to make new plans.
Andrew endures some heart-breaking torture - check my tags, if these are no-goes for you, don't read the book.
An adventure-packed, smexy, angsty read. This is apparently the author's first novel and I'm very impressed.
September 7, 2012
Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/
I received this book from the author to read and review and have to say that the 723 pages was a little off putting. Turns out that this is Ms O'Malley's first novel and it was great. Ruaidhri is a pirate captain called the Red King because of his long, flowing red hair. He and his men work the north African coast taking contracts and swashbuckling their way all over. Ruaidhi has his mind and heart bent on only one thing though and that is vengeance. He wants Maarten Van de Wort dead and will use anything and anyone to get it done. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that a 10 year old Rory, Ruaidhri, was stolen by Maarten and raped, tortured and made to do some heart scarring things. Now a grown man, Ruaidhri lives to kill Maarten. Andrew is a Scottish orphan who had been raised in a monastery. Eighteen years old, innocent and beautiful he is rescued from a burning ship where he was being held captive. Malik, one of Ruaidhri's men makes a mad dash below the burning decks and saves young Andrew from certain death. Once aboard the pirate ship, Andrew heals and insists on helping with the work. He becomes the favorite of the crew and butts heads with Ruaidhri more than once on moral and personal issues. The sheer innocence and beauty that is Andrew makes him a pawn in the revenge plan being hatched by Ruaidhri. As time passes though a great attraction forms between the Red King and Andrew that may just kill everyone. This was a wonderfully written story of lust, passion and a love that passes every barrier a man can put up. It takes place somewhere during the Spanish Inquisition though the date is really not important. What makes this story outstanding is the absolutely wonderful characters and the wealth of strong emotions that Ms O'Malley has created. Every man on the pirate ship is damaged in some way yet their unwavering devotion and love of Ruaidhri binds them together into a cohesive unit. Truly they are a band of misfits each with his own story. The dichotomy between Andrew and Rory and their eventual coming together was masterfully written and definitely does not read like a first novel. I found the way that the rough edges that both Andrew and Rory had were used perfectly to smooth down and bring out the best in each man. This story was driven by the love that the that I developed toward each character and the strong disgust and hatred that is fostered toward Maarten. There is a good deal of violent rape and torture in this book which is necessary to the story so if the subjects are offensive to you or you can't read it, this book may not be for you. Maarten was a man that found pleasure only in the pain he could inflict on others and was a merciless and depraved being. Don't be put off by the length of this story because you will devour each page and want more. The eventual HEA is well worth the emotions that were wrung from me. I cannot recommend this exceptional love story strongly enough. It is not your typical sweet, sappy love story. You need to read this book. My thanks for the memorable ride Ms O'Malley.
I received this book from the author to read and review and have to say that the 723 pages was a little off putting. Turns out that this is Ms O'Malley's first novel and it was great. Ruaidhri is a pirate captain called the Red King because of his long, flowing red hair. He and his men work the north African coast taking contracts and swashbuckling their way all over. Ruaidhi has his mind and heart bent on only one thing though and that is vengeance. He wants Maarten Van de Wort dead and will use anything and anyone to get it done. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that a 10 year old Rory, Ruaidhri, was stolen by Maarten and raped, tortured and made to do some heart scarring things. Now a grown man, Ruaidhri lives to kill Maarten. Andrew is a Scottish orphan who had been raised in a monastery. Eighteen years old, innocent and beautiful he is rescued from a burning ship where he was being held captive. Malik, one of Ruaidhri's men makes a mad dash below the burning decks and saves young Andrew from certain death. Once aboard the pirate ship, Andrew heals and insists on helping with the work. He becomes the favorite of the crew and butts heads with Ruaidhri more than once on moral and personal issues. The sheer innocence and beauty that is Andrew makes him a pawn in the revenge plan being hatched by Ruaidhri. As time passes though a great attraction forms between the Red King and Andrew that may just kill everyone. This was a wonderfully written story of lust, passion and a love that passes every barrier a man can put up. It takes place somewhere during the Spanish Inquisition though the date is really not important. What makes this story outstanding is the absolutely wonderful characters and the wealth of strong emotions that Ms O'Malley has created. Every man on the pirate ship is damaged in some way yet their unwavering devotion and love of Ruaidhri binds them together into a cohesive unit. Truly they are a band of misfits each with his own story. The dichotomy between Andrew and Rory and their eventual coming together was masterfully written and definitely does not read like a first novel. I found the way that the rough edges that both Andrew and Rory had were used perfectly to smooth down and bring out the best in each man. This story was driven by the love that the that I developed toward each character and the strong disgust and hatred that is fostered toward Maarten. There is a good deal of violent rape and torture in this book which is necessary to the story so if the subjects are offensive to you or you can't read it, this book may not be for you. Maarten was a man that found pleasure only in the pain he could inflict on others and was a merciless and depraved being. Don't be put off by the length of this story because you will devour each page and want more. The eventual HEA is well worth the emotions that were wrung from me. I cannot recommend this exceptional love story strongly enough. It is not your typical sweet, sappy love story. You need to read this book. My thanks for the memorable ride Ms O'Malley.
February 18, 2013
This was a delicious combination of chin hands and porn. Kind of like the literary equivalent of someone quoting Shakespeare to you while they take you from behind, holding your hair for leverage and roughly slamming away. You want to go "awww shucks" and "fuck yeah" all at the same time.
This was an intense, comparatively long read about Rory, his campaign for vengeance against his childhood tormentor and all around jackass, Maarten, and his salvation of and by the beautiful Andrew.
O'Malley created a vivid world and such compelling characters that as long as the read was, it didn't feel dragging at all. The MCs had chemistry in spades, the dialogues felt authentic, and the supporting characters were each realized that you could tell one from another.
This is the author's first solo writing work, and it was brilliant, romantic, and sexy. Can't wait for what she dishes out next.
This was an intense, comparatively long read about Rory, his campaign for vengeance against his childhood tormentor and all around jackass, Maarten, and his salvation of and by the beautiful Andrew.
O'Malley created a vivid world and such compelling characters that as long as the read was, it didn't feel dragging at all. The MCs had chemistry in spades, the dialogues felt authentic, and the supporting characters were each realized that you could tell one from another.
This is the author's first solo writing work, and it was brilliant, romantic, and sexy. Can't wait for what she dishes out next.
October 7, 2013
A very solid historical/pirate adventure story about a pirate captain who plots revenge against a madmen who had tortured him. He intercepts a ship and rescues a young man who was being sent to the madmen as a “prize”, and he realizes that maybe he has the last piece for his plan to work. (Little does he realize how important this piece would become to him.)
I really like historical adventure stories, especially the pirate variety, so for the most part, I enjoyed this book. The MCs were engaging, the side characters were both colorful and fleshed out, the dialogue was good, and the settings felt very vibrant and real, whether it was on the ship at sea, or at a small village on the coast of Africa. The writing was very smooth, and I appreciated how effortlessly the author included details to make all the settings feel very real.
The developing romance between Rory (the pirate captain) and Andrew (the rescued captive) was sweet, thrilling, and romantic.
It’s a long story though, at over 120,000 words, and I felt the pacing dip from about 30% to close to 60%. There was some nice relationship development here, as well as plentiful sexy times, but it definitely felt slower for about 100 pages.
The guy that Rory wants to kill is a terrible villain, and there is some awful violence in the third quarter. At first, it was tempered because the MC walks into it “willingly” but soon that changes because the guy is terrible, and there is violence and non-con. I really dislike non-con, and I wasn’t sure of the level that was going to be here, but there is some on-page, and it was heavy and unpleasant, which kind of wrecked my reading, to be honest.
If you’re fine with some non-con, you will probably be fine. If you really dislike it or have a hard time with it, then that section might be too much for you. It was really upsetting and stressful for me.
Everything ends very well though, so don’t worry.
If you’re okay with some heavier violence/non-con, and you enjoy historicals, then I would definitely recommend you check this out. It’s a long romantic adventure where you follow the characters from the high seas to the deserts to evil fortresses. There is a sweeping love story in there, and one that ends very satisfyingly.
I really like historical adventure stories, especially the pirate variety, so for the most part, I enjoyed this book. The MCs were engaging, the side characters were both colorful and fleshed out, the dialogue was good, and the settings felt very vibrant and real, whether it was on the ship at sea, or at a small village on the coast of Africa. The writing was very smooth, and I appreciated how effortlessly the author included details to make all the settings feel very real.
The developing romance between Rory (the pirate captain) and Andrew (the rescued captive) was sweet, thrilling, and romantic.
It’s a long story though, at over 120,000 words, and I felt the pacing dip from about 30% to close to 60%. There was some nice relationship development here, as well as plentiful sexy times, but it definitely felt slower for about 100 pages.
The guy that Rory wants to kill is a terrible villain, and there is some awful violence in the third quarter. At first, it was tempered because the MC walks into it “willingly” but soon that changes because the guy is terrible, and there is violence and non-con. I really dislike non-con, and I wasn’t sure of the level that was going to be here, but there is some on-page, and it was heavy and unpleasant, which kind of wrecked my reading, to be honest.
If you’re fine with some non-con, you will probably be fine. If you really dislike it or have a hard time with it, then that section might be too much for you. It was really upsetting and stressful for me.
Everything ends very well though, so don’t worry.
If you’re okay with some heavier violence/non-con, and you enjoy historicals, then I would definitely recommend you check this out. It’s a long romantic adventure where you follow the characters from the high seas to the deserts to evil fortresses. There is a sweeping love story in there, and one that ends very satisfyingly.
July 10, 2013
Nothing I write about this book will ever do it justice!.
An epic adventure, set in North Africa and Western Europe, and the surrounding seas, at a time when pirates were commissioned by wealthy benefactors to kidnap the innocent, plunder villages, intercept other pirates, and bring back treasures.
This is the story of the romance between a supernaturally gifted, red-haired, Irish pirate (Rory aka Ruaidhri aka the Red King), and a beautiful, monastery-raised Scotsman (Andrew aka Coinin).....and their revenge against a sadistic nobleman.
It's an amazing story of loss of innocence, obsession, madness, revenge, tragedy, forgiveness, redemption, love and adoration. The story has an expansive, cinematic, film-like feel to it. At times, it was an amazingly beautiful love story, and at other times, it was a gut-wrenching and horrifying story of torture and murder.
The MCs spectacular journey to HEA was so captivating, I did not want their story to end….despite a couple of annoying typos!
An epic adventure, set in North Africa and Western Europe, and the surrounding seas, at a time when pirates were commissioned by wealthy benefactors to kidnap the innocent, plunder villages, intercept other pirates, and bring back treasures.
This is the story of the romance between a supernaturally gifted, red-haired, Irish pirate (Rory aka Ruaidhri aka the Red King), and a beautiful, monastery-raised Scotsman (Andrew aka Coinin).....and their revenge against a sadistic nobleman.
It's an amazing story of loss of innocence, obsession, madness, revenge, tragedy, forgiveness, redemption, love and adoration. The story has an expansive, cinematic, film-like feel to it. At times, it was an amazingly beautiful love story, and at other times, it was a gut-wrenching and horrifying story of torture and murder.
The MCs spectacular journey to HEA was so captivating, I did not want their story to end….despite a couple of annoying typos!
December 23, 2012
The problem with these long, drawn out books is the culminating scenes are rarely payoff enough for the slow dramatic buildup.
Not the case here. At all.
For instance; Every moment leading up to the reunion between Rory, Maarten, and Andrew has reason and purpose. Soak it in, let it fill you up, then *wham* ultimate satisfaction!
Then there's the issue of gratuitous dropping of wisdom when religion is part of the package. In this case? Never gratuitous, always perfect in timing, pitch. Lots of merit, in my opinion.
So high sea adventure with all sorts of pirates and captives. Good guys, bad guys, evil guys, FANTASTIC! Epic battles on land as well, some horrific hand to hand. A bloody, gory few places.
Beautifully done. Amazing characters throughout...
This one will stay with me a long time, and then? I will read it again!
p.s.
Not the case here. At all.
For instance; Every moment leading up to the reunion between Rory, Maarten, and Andrew has reason and purpose. Soak it in, let it fill you up, then *wham* ultimate satisfaction!
Then there's the issue of gratuitous dropping of wisdom when religion is part of the package. In this case? Never gratuitous, always perfect in timing, pitch. Lots of merit, in my opinion.
So high sea adventure with all sorts of pirates and captives. Good guys, bad guys, evil guys, FANTASTIC! Epic battles on land as well, some horrific hand to hand. A bloody, gory few places.
Beautifully done. Amazing characters throughout...
This one will stay with me a long time, and then? I will read it again!
p.s.
September 9, 2012
I do love a good Pirate book every once in a while and this one certainly didn't disappoint!!! I enjoyed it immensely and even shed a few tears here and there which doesn't happen very often :)
I would highly recommend it!
I would highly recommend it!
September 4, 2012
Oh DAYUM, this is a terrific book. I'm tempted to go with the 5 stars....and I may do that eventually. This is a solid 4.5 without any doubt, but I may have to raise it to 5. Over all the 415 romance books I've rated so far, I've only handed out 5-star ratings to 7 books...and boy, I'm tempted to add this one to the list. I'll have to think about it awhile, and I'll have to reread this too. I'm looking forward to the reread. :-)
The Red King really wasn't what I expected it to be. And that's a good thing. Please, for heaven's sake don't pay too much attention to the book blurb -- you could easily be led astray in your expectations, as I was. I don't want to reveal too much about the book, 'cause not knowing what's coming up next is half the fun, but I will say that this is a wild ride in the best traditions of Captain Blood or The Sea-Hawk -- if those had been written in times when authors could be more candid about subjects like homosexual relationships, and if Sabatini cared as much about people in love as Ms. O'Malley obviously does.
Yes, I do have some minor quibbles about the book -- but, really, the overall reading experience overrides any quibbling I might want to do. My enthusiasm for this book built gradually over about the first third of the story, and by about the half way mark I was cheering it on full steam ahead. The book repeatedly surprised me, again and again -- first in NOT being the "fainting virgin mastered by the domineering pirate" tale that I expected it to be, second in giving so much strength to both main characters, third in doing such a good job of presenting meaningful emotion in all the characters (both primary and secondary) without lapsing into "let's all stand around and talk about our emotions" territory, fourth with the unexpectedly high quality of the writing (nothing personal, Rosemary, but I don't know ya and I didn't expect you to be such a darned good writer!), fifth with the exciting ups and downs of the plot, and....well...I'm sure there's lots more I could gush about, but I'm probably boring you by now.
One caveat: if you are sensitive to rape scenes, stay away. This book does not pull its punches while a MC is being mistreated. But if you want excitement, love, suffering, and Good Triumphing Over Evil, read this book!
disclaimer:I received a free copy of this text from the author, but I was under no obligation to review it. I have now purchased this book for myself, because an author this good deserves to be supported! Vote with your wallet!
The Red King really wasn't what I expected it to be. And that's a good thing. Please, for heaven's sake don't pay too much attention to the book blurb -- you could easily be led astray in your expectations, as I was. I don't want to reveal too much about the book, 'cause not knowing what's coming up next is half the fun, but I will say that this is a wild ride in the best traditions of Captain Blood or The Sea-Hawk -- if those had been written in times when authors could be more candid about subjects like homosexual relationships, and if Sabatini cared as much about people in love as Ms. O'Malley obviously does.
Yes, I do have some minor quibbles about the book -- but, really, the overall reading experience overrides any quibbling I might want to do. My enthusiasm for this book built gradually over about the first third of the story, and by about the half way mark I was cheering it on full steam ahead. The book repeatedly surprised me, again and again -- first in NOT being the "fainting virgin mastered by the domineering pirate" tale that I expected it to be, second in giving so much strength to both main characters, third in doing such a good job of presenting meaningful emotion in all the characters (both primary and secondary) without lapsing into "let's all stand around and talk about our emotions" territory, fourth with the unexpectedly high quality of the writing (nothing personal, Rosemary, but I don't know ya and I didn't expect you to be such a darned good writer!), fifth with the exciting ups and downs of the plot, and....well...I'm sure there's lots more I could gush about, but I'm probably boring you by now.
One caveat: if you are sensitive to rape scenes, stay away. This book does not pull its punches while a MC is being mistreated. But if you want excitement, love, suffering, and Good Triumphing Over Evil, read this book!
disclaimer:
December 21, 2014
DNF-ing at 60%, applying math, rounding up and marking as "read".
I get it that Rory suffered abuse and betrayal.
I get it that he was a lowly slave.
He and the author told us that many many times. So many times, in fact, that I am sick and tired of it.
I haven't seen him being a pirate, though both the author and Rory insist on it.
I haven't seen him defending the fishermen villages, though both the author and Rory insist on it. Again. I don't get it why the village he visited with Andrew is short of worshipping him.
What I do see is an angry and bitter man, who is using an innocent soul, manipulating Andrew, turning the boy he "loves" into a whore and coercing him to commit murder in the name of justice. Get your own revenge, with your own bloody hands, Rory.
I really hate the guy.
One star.
~~~*
I just have to add:
This is another book with too many words. I am clueless as to why some of the people and adventures are even in it, they carry no purpose at all. The book is packed, so to speak, with the proverbial guns that never get a chance to fire. Most of it is meaningless and tiresome.
I was promised more action and angst somewhere later in the book. Maybe I am too impatient, but I can't possibly enjoy a book that can only hold my interest in the beginning - 10%, somewhere later - 8%, and maybe another 6% closer to the end. It's absurd.
I get it that Rory suffered abuse and betrayal.
I get it that he was a lowly slave.
He and the author told us that many many times. So many times, in fact, that I am sick and tired of it.
I haven't seen him being a pirate, though both the author and Rory insist on it.
I haven't seen him defending the fishermen villages, though both the author and Rory insist on it. Again. I don't get it why the village he visited with Andrew is short of worshipping him.
What I do see is an angry and bitter man, who is using an innocent soul, manipulating Andrew, turning the boy he "loves" into a whore and coercing him to commit murder in the name of justice. Get your own revenge, with your own bloody hands, Rory.
I really hate the guy.
One star.
~~~*
I just have to add:
This is another book with too many words. I am clueless as to why some of the people and adventures are even in it, they carry no purpose at all. The book is packed, so to speak, with the proverbial guns that never get a chance to fire. Most of it is meaningless and tiresome.
I was promised more action and angst somewhere later in the book. Maybe I am too impatient, but I can't possibly enjoy a book that can only hold my interest in the beginning - 10%, somewhere later - 8%, and maybe another 6% closer to the end. It's absurd.
November 9, 2012
Hard to believe this is a first novel. Full of vivid descriptions, lively action, and arrgh-- clever pirates, The Red King is a rollicking romantic nautical adventure. One pirate, bent on revenge, finds redemption in an innocent young man bound for slavery. Although full of humor and action, this novel takes a very dark turn at some points. I am impressed with the author's willingness to explore the depths of human evil, greed, and madness--even in the main characters. Both MCs are very appealing, and it's fascinating when they are less than ideal examples of humanity. Their conflictedness gives them surprising depth for a pirate novel.
Not to worry, though. The Red King is a pirate novel through and through, full of lovable pirates, exotic locations, and hoards of treasure, with a sweet love story. I loved reading about the various types of ships and their capabilities. Lots of.good nautical detail, without being overwhelming. A good read, you'll love the main characters and a few of the fairly stock sidekicks. The villain is exceptionally warped, and he is somehow always present; a driving force of evil. Recommended!
Not to worry, though. The Red King is a pirate novel through and through, full of lovable pirates, exotic locations, and hoards of treasure, with a sweet love story. I loved reading about the various types of ships and their capabilities. Lots of.good nautical detail, without being overwhelming. A good read, you'll love the main characters and a few of the fairly stock sidekicks. The villain is exceptionally warped, and he is somehow always present; a driving force of evil. Recommended!
March 18, 2013
This book was phenomenal! Using my thesaurus, I will also add: extraordinary, impressive, outstanding, incredible and exceptional.
In very simple terms, it's the story of Rory, the Red King, a man utterly set on revenge to Maarten, a greedy, self-serving, sadistic, evil man who captured Rory when he was only 10 years old and kept him as a sexual slave for 13 years. The only reason Rory didn't die is that Maarten sent him away, starved, beaten and chained in the hold of a slave ship from which Rory ultimately managed to escape. Andrew, a young man traveling with a group of priests on a holy pilgrimage is enslaved and chained in the hold of another pirate ship which happens to be raided by Rory's crew. When he realizes that Andrew was being escorted to Maarten, Rory sees his chance to exact revenge.
The story is complex, well-written, dark, erotic and there's nail-biting suspense in the last third of the book. It is just so amazing to me that this book is the author's first published work. I want more, please! I can't go into detail on this story, it's just too intense for a few simple paragraphs, but if you are in doubt, just read it. It will be well worth your time.
In very simple terms, it's the story of Rory, the Red King, a man utterly set on revenge to Maarten, a greedy, self-serving, sadistic, evil man who captured Rory when he was only 10 years old and kept him as a sexual slave for 13 years. The only reason Rory didn't die is that Maarten sent him away, starved, beaten and chained in the hold of a slave ship from which Rory ultimately managed to escape. Andrew, a young man traveling with a group of priests on a holy pilgrimage is enslaved and chained in the hold of another pirate ship which happens to be raided by Rory's crew. When he realizes that Andrew was being escorted to Maarten, Rory sees his chance to exact revenge.
The story is complex, well-written, dark, erotic and there's nail-biting suspense in the last third of the book. It is just so amazing to me that this book is the author's first published work. I want more, please! I can't go into detail on this story, it's just too intense for a few simple paragraphs, but if you are in doubt, just read it. It will be well worth your time.
April 19, 2013
Lame story, lame characters, lame historical setting, lame sex. Did I mention how lame I thought this was?
September 20, 2012
Could not put it down, finished it in a day. This is bad, because I would like to still be reading it. It was a faithful representative of the "Captain Blood" genre and others of that ilk, all of which she mentions in her blurb. Even Kathleen Woodiwiss, for goodness sake! Rory and Andrew really get put through the wringer, everything happens to them individually and together, I'm amazed they can be happy! But just forget all that and enjoy it for what it is, a wonderful adventure-romance. The ensemble cast kind of reminds me of the Casablanca cast of characters, lots of interesting people, & some with questionable motivations.
There is torture, but it was not too intense for my delicate sensibilities - even so, I almost cracked going through it with Andrew.
As always, I do have to quibble with the copyediting, lots of usage errors & nonwords. Not too distracting to have to put down though.
There is torture, but it was not too intense for my delicate sensibilities - even so, I almost cracked going through it with Andrew.
As always, I do have to quibble with the copyediting, lots of usage errors & nonwords. Not too distracting to have to put down though.
November 8, 2012
2.5 stars
Unfortunately I couldn't get into this story at all. I never connected with the characters so I found myself mostly uninterested in what happened to them and in their relationship in general. I found the first part to be too slow and a little boring. When the villain enters the picture, the pace gets faster, but I couldn't fully enjoy this part of the book either because some things just didn't ring believable to me and the villain seemed to me a little too over the top.
The part I liked the best was the very last one, but it's not enough for me to say I liked the book.
Maybe it's the fact I had to read the story in bits and pieces, a little at a time, because of real life keeping me busy. I do wonder if maybe, read in one of two settings, I could have immersed myself into this universe better and so enjoyed it more.
Unfortunately I couldn't get into this story at all. I never connected with the characters so I found myself mostly uninterested in what happened to them and in their relationship in general. I found the first part to be too slow and a little boring. When the villain enters the picture, the pace gets faster, but I couldn't fully enjoy this part of the book either because some things just didn't ring believable to me and the villain seemed to me a little too over the top.
The part I liked the best was the very last one, but it's not enough for me to say I liked the book.
Maybe it's the fact I had to read the story in bits and pieces, a little at a time, because of real life keeping me busy. I do wonder if maybe, read in one of two settings, I could have immersed myself into this universe better and so enjoyed it more.
January 16, 2014
So. I'm massively disappointed by this one. I put this off for a long time thinking it'll be so good it'll send me into depression when I'm done and leave me with the productivity of an Artic pineapple farm*.
Alas.
I found the book overly descriptive to the point of tediousness. As I pointed out in my status update, every overturned rock needed a paragraph to describe the exact angle in which it reflected the sun. The book was only 350 or so pages, but it's so wordy that it easily feels like a thousand.
Worse is that despite its descriptiveness, I was left with very little impression of their surroundings. Half the time I had literally no idea where on God's green Earth they are (nor do I care, because the narrative gives me no reason to care). There's also the fact that despite its wordiness, it conveys very little of the atmosphere or the general feel of the place. It describes rooms as such: that it has a cushion here and a pile of rags there and a hearth. But what kind of place is it? Is it a threadbare rug in a cold hut with a hearth that looks like it was last used a century ago? Bugger me if I know.
I know, I know. I sound like I'm contradicting myself by demanding more description. I'm not. I'm demanding more quality description. You don't get anything out of a description that sounds like an IKEA shopping list, even if you describe it so thoroughly that I can draw you an interior design scheme for it.
Then there's my complaint with the characters, which are really too shallow for so wordy a work. The two main characters are defined so much by their past and pain (a complaint I seem to be making frequently, it seems) that there's no actual personality in them once you remove their past. Angsty pasts do not a character make. I talk myself sore about this all the time but again: it doesn't matter if you write them a history all the way back to their stone age ancestry, it's still not personality.
//rageragerage//
Once you take away their pasts this is what the main characters are reduced to:
-Gorgeous kid everyone wants to coddle
-Ginger Jack Sparrow
And the secondary characters... Well, despite them appearing all over, all the time, they barely have any personality to describe them. You can reduce most of them to sentences like 'Wants to coddle MC' and 'Bad guy gone good'.
The interaction between the two MCs fell flat too, because all Malley did was repeat the sex and give you countless little sneak peeks into their time together that doesn't actually add anything or deepen their relationship. It reads like an extract from someone's diary - today we had sex and swam a lot - but it didn't develop their feels. Nobody understood anybody more because of it, or discovered a new aspect of themselves, or obtained a new aspiration, or even waxed philosophical about life in general. What's it all then? Yeah, you heard me the first time: filler.
Overall, it's a work that needs an editor to rip into it, cut out all the extra bits that don't add or mean anything. It's an okay job for a maiden effort, and it's certainly a cut above a rehash of Shifter and Mate (#48000). If you're the sort to have the patience to read every word and enjoy a fluffy, romantic pirate romp... This one will cater to your needs.
* This expectation comes from the fact that she co-authored S.A. Reid's Manhandled and the fact that reader reviews were largely positive and Goodreads likened it to Reid's work, though I now suspect the latter was because of the co-authored book.
Alas.
I found the book overly descriptive to the point of tediousness. As I pointed out in my status update, every overturned rock needed a paragraph to describe the exact angle in which it reflected the sun. The book was only 350 or so pages, but it's so wordy that it easily feels like a thousand.
Worse is that despite its descriptiveness, I was left with very little impression of their surroundings. Half the time I had literally no idea where on God's green Earth they are (nor do I care, because the narrative gives me no reason to care). There's also the fact that despite its wordiness, it conveys very little of the atmosphere or the general feel of the place. It describes rooms as such: that it has a cushion here and a pile of rags there and a hearth. But what kind of place is it? Is it a threadbare rug in a cold hut with a hearth that looks like it was last used a century ago? Bugger me if I know.
I know, I know. I sound like I'm contradicting myself by demanding more description. I'm not. I'm demanding more quality description. You don't get anything out of a description that sounds like an IKEA shopping list, even if you describe it so thoroughly that I can draw you an interior design scheme for it.
Then there's my complaint with the characters, which are really too shallow for so wordy a work. The two main characters are defined so much by their past and pain (a complaint I seem to be making frequently, it seems) that there's no actual personality in them once you remove their past. Angsty pasts do not a character make. I talk myself sore about this all the time but again: it doesn't matter if you write them a history all the way back to their stone age ancestry, it's still not personality.
//rageragerage//
Once you take away their pasts this is what the main characters are reduced to:
-Gorgeous kid everyone wants to coddle
-Ginger Jack Sparrow
And the secondary characters... Well, despite them appearing all over, all the time, they barely have any personality to describe them. You can reduce most of them to sentences like 'Wants to coddle MC' and 'Bad guy gone good'.
The interaction between the two MCs fell flat too, because all Malley did was repeat the sex and give you countless little sneak peeks into their time together that doesn't actually add anything or deepen their relationship. It reads like an extract from someone's diary - today we had sex and swam a lot - but it didn't develop their feels. Nobody understood anybody more because of it, or discovered a new aspect of themselves, or obtained a new aspiration, or even waxed philosophical about life in general. What's it all then? Yeah, you heard me the first time: filler.
Overall, it's a work that needs an editor to rip into it, cut out all the extra bits that don't add or mean anything. It's an okay job for a maiden effort, and it's certainly a cut above a rehash of Shifter and Mate (#48000). If you're the sort to have the patience to read every word and enjoy a fluffy, romantic pirate romp... This one will cater to your needs.
* This expectation comes from the fact that she co-authored S.A. Reid's Manhandled and the fact that reader reviews were largely positive and Goodreads likened it to Reid's work, though I now suspect the latter was because of the co-authored book.
September 22, 2013
Synopsis:
A man abused and discarded is left to rebuild himself with naught but vengeance in his heart. A youth cruelly torn from all he knew and loved is cast adrift with no hope for the future. What will happen when Fate thrusts them together?
He is known as Ruaidhri and his extraordinary strengths and stamina are said to be born of the Devil. His ferocity is matched solely by his ruthlessness. For seven years, he has sailed his ship the Taibhse with one goal in mind: to avenge the years of torment he suffered at the hands of a depraved Danish lord. He has one final plan to succeed, but he searches yet for the implement.
His family destroyed by violence and his body enslaved to a brutal master, Andrew’s future promises only misery. He is saved from this desolate fate by a pirate captain with fiery hair and an ultimatum; help him achieve his revenge and go free, or be sent to a horrific, painful death. As Andrew struggles with the choice of slave or assassin, he finds that all is not as it seems aboard the corsair’s ship.
Pain is tempered by pleasure and loss consumed by love in the flames stoked by
…The Red King.
Warning: this is an erotic m/m romance intended for mature audiences. It contains explicit sexual situations, frank language, torture, and non-graphic descriptions of abuse of a minor.
My Thoughts:
I ended up enjoying this book a lot. There were some points where it seemed to drag for me and I had to stop and read two other books before I could come back to this one. Once I did, though and got to the part where Andrew goes to fulfill the mission all on his own, things picked up for me again and I was sucked back in.
I did like the book starts right off with what happened to Andrew, not long after he was first taken. I was terrified for him from the start when it became apparent that one asshole wanted to rape him. I was glad someone intervened on his behalf. Next thing you know, he's on another ship against his will apparently to be used as the lynchpin in someone's vengeance plan.
It didn't take long for him to fall under the captain of this new ship's spell or vice versa. That was odd to me, at first. But then, I started to enjoy their times together. Especially when Andrew became quite the little seducer. I liked that he was able to get Rory to become a better man. That he was able to get Rory to open up and become more thoughtful of others. Andrew was truly a remarkable person. Even when he was pissed at Rory, he held his own and he learns fast. I really enjoyed him. I liked Rory a lot as well. What a passionate guy. He made some mistakes early on with Andrew, but he got better as time went on and became incredibly sweet where Andrew is concerned.
Things kind of waned for me in the middle of the book until . Things definitely pick up there. And get a bit darker as well. Andrew really goes through so much during this time. He nearly becomes broken by the end, but holds true to the little wolf nickname Rory and his crew give him. I was so proud of him in that moment.
After this, comes a time of healing and it wasn't easy. Something Andrew had done during his time with Maarten causes him to withdraw. It took a little while, but he rallied and made it back. Things end well and happily for our heroes and I was happy for them. This was a really nice standalone book. I'd probably read it again someday.
A man abused and discarded is left to rebuild himself with naught but vengeance in his heart. A youth cruelly torn from all he knew and loved is cast adrift with no hope for the future. What will happen when Fate thrusts them together?
He is known as Ruaidhri and his extraordinary strengths and stamina are said to be born of the Devil. His ferocity is matched solely by his ruthlessness. For seven years, he has sailed his ship the Taibhse with one goal in mind: to avenge the years of torment he suffered at the hands of a depraved Danish lord. He has one final plan to succeed, but he searches yet for the implement.
His family destroyed by violence and his body enslaved to a brutal master, Andrew’s future promises only misery. He is saved from this desolate fate by a pirate captain with fiery hair and an ultimatum; help him achieve his revenge and go free, or be sent to a horrific, painful death. As Andrew struggles with the choice of slave or assassin, he finds that all is not as it seems aboard the corsair’s ship.
Pain is tempered by pleasure and loss consumed by love in the flames stoked by
…The Red King.
Warning: this is an erotic m/m romance intended for mature audiences. It contains explicit sexual situations, frank language, torture, and non-graphic descriptions of abuse of a minor.
My Thoughts:
I ended up enjoying this book a lot. There were some points where it seemed to drag for me and I had to stop and read two other books before I could come back to this one. Once I did, though and got to the part where Andrew goes to fulfill the mission all on his own, things picked up for me again and I was sucked back in.
I did like the book starts right off with what happened to Andrew, not long after he was first taken. I was terrified for him from the start when it became apparent that one asshole wanted to rape him. I was glad someone intervened on his behalf. Next thing you know, he's on another ship against his will apparently to be used as the lynchpin in someone's vengeance plan.
It didn't take long for him to fall under the captain of this new ship's spell or vice versa. That was odd to me, at first. But then, I started to enjoy their times together. Especially when Andrew became quite the little seducer. I liked that he was able to get Rory to become a better man. That he was able to get Rory to open up and become more thoughtful of others. Andrew was truly a remarkable person. Even when he was pissed at Rory, he held his own and he learns fast. I really enjoyed him. I liked Rory a lot as well. What a passionate guy. He made some mistakes early on with Andrew, but he got better as time went on and became incredibly sweet where Andrew is concerned.
Things kind of waned for me in the middle of the book until . Things definitely pick up there. And get a bit darker as well. Andrew really goes through so much during this time. He nearly becomes broken by the end, but holds true to the little wolf nickname Rory and his crew give him. I was so proud of him in that moment.
After this, comes a time of healing and it wasn't easy. Something Andrew had done during his time with Maarten causes him to withdraw. It took a little while, but he rallied and made it back. Things end well and happily for our heroes and I was happy for them. This was a really nice standalone book. I'd probably read it again someday.
August 12, 2013
2.5 Stars
This book is not for the faint of heart!
Ruaidhri ("Rory"), also known as The Red King, is a man bent on vengeance. He is determined to seek justice for the horrific ills he suffered as a youth. For the past seven years, Rory has captained the Taibhse with a fiercely loyal crew of like-minded sailors. Together, their lifes' mission is to destroy Maarten Jans de Worrt, the depraved Danish lord. Andrew is an orphan twice over. After witnessing the murders of the holy men who cared for him, he is kidnapped by slavers. Salvation comes in the form of Ruadidhri and his crew. Initially, Rory sees Andrew as a means to an end; a tool to use in assassinating Maarten. But as the two get to know each other, in and out of bed, a deep-seated love begins to bloom; one that changes everything, including the courses of their lives and those of the Taibhse.
This book was alright. I really enjoyed many of the characters, especially Rory, Malik, and Etienne. Andrew was likeable enough. The world building was interesting and I liked watching Rory and Andrew's relationship develop. So why not a higher rating? First, the gratuitous violence. Torture and rape in this book abound, and graphically so. Not my cuppa. Second, it was really slow at times. The length could've been shortened. And lastly, though there was a lot of sex, the scenes were meh IMO.
Bottom-line: a great debut novel but over-the-top graphic violence diminished my enjoyment.
This book is not for the faint of heart!
Ruaidhri ("Rory"), also known as The Red King, is a man bent on vengeance. He is determined to seek justice for the horrific ills he suffered as a youth. For the past seven years, Rory has captained the Taibhse with a fiercely loyal crew of like-minded sailors. Together, their lifes' mission is to destroy Maarten Jans de Worrt, the depraved Danish lord. Andrew is an orphan twice over. After witnessing the murders of the holy men who cared for him, he is kidnapped by slavers. Salvation comes in the form of Ruadidhri and his crew. Initially, Rory sees Andrew as a means to an end; a tool to use in assassinating Maarten. But as the two get to know each other, in and out of bed, a deep-seated love begins to bloom; one that changes everything, including the courses of their lives and those of the Taibhse.
This book was alright. I really enjoyed many of the characters, especially Rory, Malik, and Etienne. Andrew was likeable enough. The world building was interesting and I liked watching Rory and Andrew's relationship develop. So why not a higher rating? First, the gratuitous violence. Torture and rape in this book abound, and graphically so. Not my cuppa. Second, it was really slow at times. The length could've been shortened. And lastly, though there was a lot of sex, the scenes were meh IMO.
Bottom-line: a great debut novel but over-the-top graphic violence diminished my enjoyment.
August 14, 2016
Spoiler Ahead This was a really good book that I read for a challenge. Rory, also called Ruaidhri "The Red King" escaped from sexual bondage and slavery to create a new life as pirate and captain of the Taibhse ("Ghost"). Although now feared and respected, Rory shuns love, obsessed with taking revenge on the man, Jan de Wortt Maarten, who nearly destroyed him. So when Rory's crew captures Andrew, a beautiful young man raised by holy men Rory sees Andrew as a potential weapon in his quest for vengeance. But Andrew brought up to lead a simple life that is now lost to him, is no simpleton. What begins as mutual lust and self-interest slowly turns into something deeper, forcing Rory to decide which is more important his long-awaited vengeance, or Andrew. Rory is so broken on the inside because of what was done to him. I don't normally read a lot of high seas type books but this was a really good book this was my first time reading this author but not my last. The sex scenes were hot as hell. The book also had a lot of violence in it and I really liked both of the MC's in this book. The book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. If you like reading m/m historical pirates mixed in with a love story than I recommend that you read this book.
August 14, 2013
4.5 stars
This is a very good book. Just short of amazing for me. After being held captive as a sex slave for 13 years Rory (31yo) is now the captain of his own ship. He also seeks revenge from his captor and torturer Maarten. As part of these he keeps intercepting Maarten's raiding ships and liberating his victims. This is how he comes to meet Andrew (18yo). Andrew is the sole survivor of a raiding on his ship which was taking him ad his brethren of monks to a new country. Rory thinks Andrew is the perfect tool to carry on his plan to kill Maarten.
At first Andrew comes off as this beautiful, virginal, hard to resist young man. But he turns out to be this very wise and strong man who helps Rory finally overcome his years of abuse.
There's a lot of pirate action on this story: several raids, fights and more. But please beware of graphic depictions of child abuse, rape and torture.
This is a very good book. Just short of amazing for me. After being held captive as a sex slave for 13 years Rory (31yo) is now the captain of his own ship. He also seeks revenge from his captor and torturer Maarten. As part of these he keeps intercepting Maarten's raiding ships and liberating his victims. This is how he comes to meet Andrew (18yo). Andrew is the sole survivor of a raiding on his ship which was taking him ad his brethren of monks to a new country. Rory thinks Andrew is the perfect tool to carry on his plan to kill Maarten.
At first Andrew comes off as this beautiful, virginal, hard to resist young man. But he turns out to be this very wise and strong man who helps Rory finally overcome his years of abuse.
There's a lot of pirate action on this story: several raids, fights and more. But please beware of graphic depictions of child abuse, rape and torture.
August 27, 2022
DNF @ 44%
I'm absolutely gutted about having to DNF this. This story had so much going for it, with the attention to historical detail being amazing and the book being filled with wonderful side characters who I adored. I sobbed when early in the story, despite not having known the character for very long.
The author had been influenced by Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood and it was wonderful that she took the good parts of that story and used them to create Rory's interesting backstory but it was even more wonderful that she addressed the criticisms I had with Captain Blood. Specifically, I hated the disrespect Sabatini demonstrated towards black characters, black slavery (as opposed to white slavery) and the non-European cultures that the white MCs encountered in the 1600s. In direct contrast, addressing these shortcomings is exactly what I enjoyed most about this story. The way the author incorporated the various Mediterranean cultures (specifically focusing on Algeria and Tunisia) was amazing and by far, my favorite characters were the POCs who had various relationships with Rory and Andrew, as well as Esme, a hard working lady who was also a temperamental camel.
I even loved Andrew, which was my initial concern with the story. I dislike age gaps, especially when the younger character is a teenager. Fortunately, Andrew was mature, intelligent and an all-round wonderful character, despite only being 18 years old.
Overall, the points I listed above were so positive that I would have happily ignored the minor issues I had with the story and just enjoyed it as a piece of historical fiction and Andrew's journey. Unfortunately, there was one major stumbling block, which was Andrew and Rory's romance. It started out making me uncomfortable, then I got mad and I finally ended up in WTF territory where I was so creeped out by what was happening that I had to stop reading.
Rory was captured and forced into sex slavery when he was 10 years old (FYI - the book graphically describes Rory being raped as a child, which other readers may want to be aware of). He was kept by his master/abuser for 13 years and the experience left him extremely traumatized. He's haunted not just by the abuse he suffered but by the complex relationship that he had with his master over the years. The entire book revolves around Rory hunting the abuser across the Mediterranean and crafting his revenge plan. All of this was fine. In fact, I loved how complex Rory was as a character and everything about his past was really interesting. However, I eventually realized that Rory isn't in the right mental headspace to be in a romantic relationship with anybody, never mind somebody as young and naïve as Andrew.
My first issue is how Rory and Andrew came to be together. I was worried that the story would be a captor-captive situation (which isn't my cup of tea) so I was very glad that the story starts with Andrew's pilgrimage ship being attacked, Andrew being kidnapped and then Rory's crew rescuing him. Andrew instantly loves life on Rory's ship, he gets along with the crew, he enjoys earning his keep and the others respect him. So that was all great...except it turns out that Rory only rescued Andrew because he wants to use him in his revenge plan. He wants Andrew to learn how to fight, then allow himself to be captured and seduced by the abuser and then murder him.
I had huge problems with this scenario. First - Rory being perfectly willing to push Andrew into the type of abuse he had lived through all for the sake of his own revenge spoke volumes about where Rory's priorities were. I understood why Andrew's wellbeing, safety etc weren't his top priority, but it wasn't nice to witness. Second - it was cowardly for Rory to craft a plan that would put an innocent person in harms way and force that innocent person to do horrible things, all for the sake of achieving Rory's revenge. There were plenty of other ways that Rory could find and kill the abuser, which didn't involve harming others. Third - Rory's ulterior motive for rescuing Andrew completely soured the rescue. While their situation isn't a straight-forward captor-captive one, since Andrew could refuse to do the plan and leave the crew, I felt Andrew's compliance was pretty much guaranteed due to him being naïve and having fallen for Rory so fast. The fact that Rory recognized that Andrew's agreement had troubling aspects to it but he ignored all of this added to my annoyance.
Then Rory made things much worse by acting like a rapey/entitled/gross romance hero from those 80s and 90s historical romances. He graciously allows Andrew to recover from his captivity injuries for a few days and pats himself on the back for not ravishing Andrew right away. But then they have sex, because of course they do. From then on, Rory is constantly thinking about sex. Unlike the rest of the crew, who seemed to actually respect and like Andrew and form real bonds with him, Rory treats Andrew like a walking sex doll. He constantly wants to shove Andrew onto any available surface and fuck him. If Andrew isn't in the mood for whatever reason, Rory will either keep pushing him until he agrees or Rory will give Andrew a day off and congratulate himself for being such a patient and respectful man before going back to pressuring Andrew. All of this is grossness that I don't want in a romance.
Then we headed towards WTF territory, where I couldn't believe what I was reading.
First - Rory listens to an old friend, who comes up with an absolutely ridiculous plan for 'proving' Andrew's loyalty or something like that... Rory was so focused on his stupid plan and making sure Andrew was the right tool to use that he thought causing Andrew such pain was worth it. He does apologize later and Andrew quickly forgives him because Rory is such a Poor Damaged Soul but I never felt Rory actually regretted what he'd done. It felt more like he regretted allowing his friend to talk him into that stupid plan because it made Rory look like a moron.
Second - I got seriously creeped out when the author kept having Rory focus very heavily on how his 'relationship' with Rory mirrored the abuser's 'relationship' with Rory. I'm already not into age gaps with teenage characters, but having the older character draw direct parallels between his romance with his young lover with his experience being sexually abused as a child was something I didn't need or want. Rory went on and on about how incredibly young Andrew was (with Rory constantly picturing his young self in Andrew's place) and how his attraction to Andrew is so similar to the abuser's attraction to Rory. In fact, Rory is shocked that he's even more rough and violent with Andrew during sex than the abuser was with Rory. Andrew tries to 'make things better' by reassuring Rory that the very rough sex is fine, as long as Andrew gets a bit of pleasure out of it.
The whole thing made me want to throw up. I don't understand what the author was going for. Why was she pushing so damn hard to equate the legal romance between her two MCs to pedophilic abuse? I would have been fine with it if Rory had difficulties with the age gap due to his past and if Andrew was the aggressor between the two of them. But the author's approach didn't work for me and I ended up being so repulsed by what I was reading that I had to stop. It's a shame because like I said, the historical aspects and the side characters were amazing.
I'm absolutely gutted about having to DNF this. This story had so much going for it, with the attention to historical detail being amazing and the book being filled with wonderful side characters who I adored. I sobbed when early in the story, despite not having known the character for very long.
The author had been influenced by Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood and it was wonderful that she took the good parts of that story and used them to create Rory's interesting backstory but it was even more wonderful that she addressed the criticisms I had with Captain Blood. Specifically, I hated the disrespect Sabatini demonstrated towards black characters, black slavery (as opposed to white slavery) and the non-European cultures that the white MCs encountered in the 1600s. In direct contrast, addressing these shortcomings is exactly what I enjoyed most about this story. The way the author incorporated the various Mediterranean cultures (specifically focusing on Algeria and Tunisia) was amazing and by far, my favorite characters were the POCs who had various relationships with Rory and Andrew, as well as Esme, a hard working lady who was also a temperamental camel.
I even loved Andrew, which was my initial concern with the story. I dislike age gaps, especially when the younger character is a teenager. Fortunately, Andrew was mature, intelligent and an all-round wonderful character, despite only being 18 years old.
Overall, the points I listed above were so positive that I would have happily ignored the minor issues I had with the story and just enjoyed it as a piece of historical fiction and Andrew's journey. Unfortunately, there was one major stumbling block, which was Andrew and Rory's romance. It started out making me uncomfortable, then I got mad and I finally ended up in WTF territory where I was so creeped out by what was happening that I had to stop reading.
Rory was captured and forced into sex slavery when he was 10 years old (FYI - the book graphically describes Rory being raped as a child, which other readers may want to be aware of). He was kept by his master/abuser for 13 years and the experience left him extremely traumatized. He's haunted not just by the abuse he suffered but by the complex relationship that he had with his master over the years. The entire book revolves around Rory hunting the abuser across the Mediterranean and crafting his revenge plan. All of this was fine. In fact, I loved how complex Rory was as a character and everything about his past was really interesting. However, I eventually realized that Rory isn't in the right mental headspace to be in a romantic relationship with anybody, never mind somebody as young and naïve as Andrew.
My first issue is how Rory and Andrew came to be together. I was worried that the story would be a captor-captive situation (which isn't my cup of tea) so I was very glad that the story starts with Andrew's pilgrimage ship being attacked, Andrew being kidnapped and then Rory's crew rescuing him. Andrew instantly loves life on Rory's ship, he gets along with the crew, he enjoys earning his keep and the others respect him. So that was all great...except it turns out that Rory only rescued Andrew because he wants to use him in his revenge plan. He wants Andrew to learn how to fight, then allow himself to be captured and seduced by the abuser and then murder him.
I had huge problems with this scenario. First - Rory being perfectly willing to push Andrew into the type of abuse he had lived through all for the sake of his own revenge spoke volumes about where Rory's priorities were. I understood why Andrew's wellbeing, safety etc weren't his top priority, but it wasn't nice to witness. Second - it was cowardly for Rory to craft a plan that would put an innocent person in harms way and force that innocent person to do horrible things, all for the sake of achieving Rory's revenge. There were plenty of other ways that Rory could find and kill the abuser, which didn't involve harming others. Third - Rory's ulterior motive for rescuing Andrew completely soured the rescue. While their situation isn't a straight-forward captor-captive one, since Andrew could refuse to do the plan and leave the crew, I felt Andrew's compliance was pretty much guaranteed due to him being naïve and having fallen for Rory so fast. The fact that Rory recognized that Andrew's agreement had troubling aspects to it but he ignored all of this added to my annoyance.
Then Rory made things much worse by acting like a rapey/entitled/gross romance hero from those 80s and 90s historical romances. He graciously allows Andrew to recover from his captivity injuries for a few days and pats himself on the back for not ravishing Andrew right away. But then they have sex, because of course they do. From then on, Rory is constantly thinking about sex. Unlike the rest of the crew, who seemed to actually respect and like Andrew and form real bonds with him, Rory treats Andrew like a walking sex doll. He constantly wants to shove Andrew onto any available surface and fuck him. If Andrew isn't in the mood for whatever reason, Rory will either keep pushing him until he agrees or Rory will give Andrew a day off and congratulate himself for being such a patient and respectful man before going back to pressuring Andrew. All of this is grossness that I don't want in a romance.
Then we headed towards WTF territory, where I couldn't believe what I was reading.
First - Rory listens to an old friend, who comes up with an absolutely ridiculous plan for 'proving' Andrew's loyalty or something like that... Rory was so focused on his stupid plan and making sure Andrew was the right tool to use that he thought causing Andrew such pain was worth it. He does apologize later and Andrew quickly forgives him because Rory is such a Poor Damaged Soul but I never felt Rory actually regretted what he'd done. It felt more like he regretted allowing his friend to talk him into that stupid plan because it made Rory look like a moron.
Second - I got seriously creeped out when the author kept having Rory focus very heavily on how his 'relationship' with Rory mirrored the abuser's 'relationship' with Rory. I'm already not into age gaps with teenage characters, but having the older character draw direct parallels between his romance with his young lover with his experience being sexually abused as a child was something I didn't need or want. Rory went on and on about how incredibly young Andrew was (with Rory constantly picturing his young self in Andrew's place) and how his attraction to Andrew is so similar to the abuser's attraction to Rory. In fact, Rory is shocked that he's even more rough and violent with Andrew during sex than the abuser was with Rory. Andrew tries to 'make things better' by reassuring Rory that the very rough sex is fine, as long as Andrew gets a bit of pleasure out of it.
The whole thing made me want to throw up. I don't understand what the author was going for. Why was she pushing so damn hard to equate the legal romance between her two MCs to pedophilic abuse? I would have been fine with it if Rory had difficulties with the age gap due to his past and if Andrew was the aggressor between the two of them. But the author's approach didn't work for me and I ended up being so repulsed by what I was reading that I had to stop. It's a shame because like I said, the historical aspects and the side characters were amazing.
January 30, 2013
This book was so highly rated I was a bit wary getting into it. I've been burned before by books that everyone else loved, and burned badly. I was pleasantly surprised in The Red King. I found both of the main characters to be engaging, and the supporting cast and world a ton of fun. I wouldn't exactly say that I "loved" this book- I found parts of it far too frustrating for that. Instead I would call it deeply satisfying in a way that few books I read truly are. Everything that I wanted to happen, happened. Every depth of emotion that I didn't even know I wanted to plumb, was plumbed. I will most certainly be looking forward to any future work from this author!
September 8, 2012
Full on, intense pirate-y goodness. Read it almost in one day.
Great main characters with lots to love about both of them, in very different ways. We just need to see how these boys react with the people they come in contact with, to know these boys care about others.
Their relationship develops quickly, but because Rory has an agenda and Andrew is alone & unhappy, it doesn't seem unexpected or unreal. There was humour as well, which I really appreciate. But there was also angst and drama, so they had to do a bit of fighting to get happy.
Great first novel.
Great main characters with lots to love about both of them, in very different ways. We just need to see how these boys react with the people they come in contact with, to know these boys care about others.
Their relationship develops quickly, but because Rory has an agenda and Andrew is alone & unhappy, it doesn't seem unexpected or unreal. There was humour as well, which I really appreciate. But there was also angst and drama, so they had to do a bit of fighting to get happy.
Great first novel.
December 10, 2012
Wow. I know, what a review. Not at all my time of book but soooo very good. I felt like I was living in the times right there with them. And painful, like gut achingly painful. A pirate love story. A harsh, brutal, violent love story but a love story none the less. Oh and the smexing was fantastic. And hot and ....I don't have the right words. Just read it!
April 11, 2013
Not for the faint of heart - but a very good story with themes of redemption, overcoming past abuses, and of course, true love conquering all! I loved this read and look forward to future works from Ms. O'Malley.
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