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Nicholi's Vengeance
Nicholi's world goes up in flames when soldiers invade his country, leaving chaos in their wake. Captured and enslaved in a foreign land, Nicholi struggles to cope with the nightmare of slavery and adapt to the terrifying and inexplicable world he is thrust into. He draws courage from a steadfast determination to get justice for his murdered family and—he hopes—peace to himself by finding and killing the man responsible for the destruction of his village. Yet, through it all, Nicholi's greatest enemy might not be foreign powers or enemy soldiers, or even in the self-serving machinations of his fellow slaves, but himself. (M/M+ - For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher's site.)
Novel (110,000 words)
Genre(s): Gay, Fantasy, Slavefic
Novel (110,000 words)
Genre(s): Gay, Fantasy, Slavefic
319 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2013
14 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jaken
31 books105 followersJ.A. Jaken has been writing homoerotic fiction for more than ten years. She got her start in the profession writing slash fanfiction, where she has published numerous stories under the pen-name Rushlight. Over the years she has written erotic short stories and novels in genres ranging from science fiction/fantasy to gothic horror to modern detective mysteries.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 14, 2014
One young man whose live is dramatically altered with the murder of his family and the razing of his village goes through a series of events powered only by his need for vengeance. Nicholi is a more than a bit back and forth in mood and intentions as he learns to accept his slavery.
Sure there's pony boys, piercing, whippings, and a never-ending queue of cocks to be serviced. Even though some of these events are harsh, the effect is blunted because the reader is always inside Nicholi's head and his mind wanders in circular arguments--even when you think he might be to preoccupied by what's happening to his physical body, you end up taking a little brain wander.
For my friends out there wondering, this is no Bloodraven. There is a sweetness to the story between harsh scenes there is succor for Nicholi.
Sure there's pony boys, piercing, whippings, and a never-ending queue of cocks to be serviced. Even though some of these events are harsh, the effect is blunted because the reader is always inside Nicholi's head and his mind wanders in circular arguments--even when you think he might be to preoccupied by what's happening to his physical body, you end up taking a little brain wander.
For my friends out there wondering, this is no Bloodraven. There is a sweetness to the story between harsh scenes there is succor for Nicholi.
Want to read
February 21, 2013OK could I be more excited!!! This one's blurb makes it sound similar to Bloodraven and now I cannot wait for it to be released! All of you DMC'ers - hope this is a good one!
dnf_did-not-finish
May 18, 2014DNF! Might re-attempt. Main character stepping all over my pet peeve.
I could not finish it. Stuck at 20%. The characters was pissing me off. That MC should be wearing a skirt. Oh gawd! his whining is particularly nerve-grating. Yes unfortunately this book has triggered one of my biggest pet peeve - whinny characters especially main characters.
I might try to pick it up again, one fine day, maybe, just maybe. It's not healthy to wish for those brutes that captured the MC earlier had cut his throat instead of letting him off.
March 7, 2013
Not the book for me, I guess...
You know there's a problem when you have a medieval-esque world with lube and super-advanced sex toys.
And antiseptics and piercings.
It basically just becomes a B-rated "historical" themed porno.
Which is, unfortunately, what happened with this one.
Nick's a fairly obviously a Mary Sue from fairly early on. I never really empathize with him and thus I don't really care what happens to them. Any real sense of vengeance was fleeting at best and seemed to dissipate completely after his first cocking.
A lot ends up happening to him/at him and while I get that there's only so much he can do, it's fairly annoying. There's no tension; just bad sex that reads more like going through the motions than anything.
I never really got a sense of Nicki (what kind of nickname for "Nicholi" is that? I'm sorry, but I just have something against it) - either his personality or his supposed anger.
DNF @ about 27%
I couldn't feel any deep emotions out of the characters and so I couldn't really evoke any deep emotions in me regarding this book. Although there might have been something akin to pity and disappointment.
I want to say there are scenes I liked but I can't recall one. There were some I thought were okay, but not I really liked, which makes me sad since I was kind of excited about this book.
*shrug. It might be that it's just not the book for me. Other people might like it.
You know there's a problem when you have a medieval-esque world with lube and super-advanced sex toys.
And antiseptics and piercings.
It basically just becomes a B-rated "historical" themed porno.
Which is, unfortunately, what happened with this one.
Nick's a fairly obviously a Mary Sue from fairly early on. I never really empathize with him and thus I don't really care what happens to them. Any real sense of vengeance was fleeting at best and seemed to dissipate completely after his first cocking.
A lot ends up happening to him/at him and while I get that there's only so much he can do, it's fairly annoying. There's no tension; just bad sex that reads more like going through the motions than anything.
I never really got a sense of Nicki (what kind of nickname for "Nicholi" is that? I'm sorry, but I just have something against it) - either his personality or his supposed anger.
DNF @ about 27%
I couldn't feel any deep emotions out of the characters and so I couldn't really evoke any deep emotions in me regarding this book. Although there might have been something akin to pity and disappointment.
I want to say there are scenes I liked but I can't recall one. There were some I thought were okay, but not I really liked, which makes me sad since I was kind of excited about this book.
*shrug. It might be that it's just not the book for me. Other people might like it.
January 15, 2016
I really enjoyed the story, there were some really sweet scenes and it held my interest throughout. However, things really didn't go the way I selfishly wanted them to to go! I thought Taric was a great character and I loved the first part of the book and his time with Nicholi, I then spent the rest of the book waiting for him to make an appearance and when he finally did turn up, I was disappointed.
November 14, 2013
On some level, I think I might recommend this book on its erotic content alone. The BDSM in here is wicked and lascivious; whips, chains, plugs, gangbangs, the whole nine yards, and yet it always feels really fresh and engaging instead of shallow and perfunctory. Bookmark those chapters, you'll want to revisit them!
But there's quite a lot more about "Nicholi's Vengeance" that I liked other than its sexy sexy sex, which actually surprised me a little because, on its surface, there's a lot going against it on my personal list of pet peeves. The whole "palace harem" setting is a little bland and prosaic at this point, if only because there's barely ever anything different about it from one book to the next. Double points off for the stock overused "big dark-skinned veteran slave" trope. The way that everything "resolves" -- if it could be called a resolution -- may be pretty unsatisfying. Moreover, there's nothing particularly memorable or notable about the narrative style in general.
But I quite liked the characters. Good guys, bad guys, sycophants, bullies, soldiers, performers, there's quite a host of fairly notable characters in this book and I felt satisfied by them all. In particular I was very fond of our protagonist, Nicki, and I think what ultimately made me so fond of him was that...well, he wasn't stupid. For all that he'd been forced into an awful situation by awful people, for all that his entire raison d'etre was to satisfy his fiery vendetta against his nemesis, in spite of all his anxiety and desperation, Nicki remains in control of his senses and rationale and is never that hotheaded or even particularly reckless about his lot, thereby never making anything far worse for himself. I can't tell you how sick to death I am of asinine slave boys who don't seem to have any filters whatsoever, act out emotionally in ways that are completely unhelpful to themselves, and can't rub two brain cells together to solve their own problems. Not so for Nicki. He's not exactly some ice-cold unfeeling robot without an impulsive bone in his body, but he's rational. Even when he's acting purely on emotion -- particularly near the climax of the story -- he nonetheless remains cognizant of his actions and the consequences thereof.
Yes, good, give that to me. Give me all the desperate hapless slave boys, abuse them and molest them over and over again, force them in way over their heads with little choice or agency about their lot...and make them cunning and levelheaded instead of frustratingly harebrained about it. That's all I want, any other pet peeves be damned!
The thing I will say against this book is that while it does great work getting me to root for Nicki, it unfortunately loses me quite a lot when it starts to get philosophical and profound about Nicki's situation, particularly what "slavery" and "freedom" actually means for him. Several times through the course of his story, Nicki wonders if slavery is merely a state of mind, a mere semantic construct that has no basis on your livelihood, that some slaves could actually be freer than free men, who might not be free after all.
I'll grant that it's an interesting thesis...except, Nicki comes to this line of thought after observing free prostitutes in the dingy back alleys of the city, and it's like...um, yeah, sure, of course some forms of slavery might not seem that bad when you compare and contrast it against the utter worst situations a free man might find himself in! But that doesn't make slavery better, all that means is someone else might possibly have it as bad as you! What if you compare yourself against a blacksmith or a fisherman or a carpenter, does your slavery still seem very free? The exchange reminded me of that quirky Doctor Who scene, where some bad guy asks the Doctor if slaves are truly slaves if they don't think they're slaves, to which the Doctor replies -- instantly, without hesitation, a bit exasperatedly -- "yes," yes of course they are. Part of the reason I considered the ending kinda unsatisfying is because
In any case, that doesn't take away from the sexy sex of this book, nor from its appealing character work, so all in all I'd still definitely recommend "Nicholi's Vengeance."
But there's quite a lot more about "Nicholi's Vengeance" that I liked other than its sexy sexy sex, which actually surprised me a little because, on its surface, there's a lot going against it on my personal list of pet peeves. The whole "palace harem" setting is a little bland and prosaic at this point, if only because there's barely ever anything different about it from one book to the next. Double points off for the stock overused "big dark-skinned veteran slave" trope. The way that everything "resolves" -- if it could be called a resolution -- may be pretty unsatisfying. Moreover, there's nothing particularly memorable or notable about the narrative style in general.
But I quite liked the characters. Good guys, bad guys, sycophants, bullies, soldiers, performers, there's quite a host of fairly notable characters in this book and I felt satisfied by them all. In particular I was very fond of our protagonist, Nicki, and I think what ultimately made me so fond of him was that...well, he wasn't stupid. For all that he'd been forced into an awful situation by awful people, for all that his entire raison d'etre was to satisfy his fiery vendetta against his nemesis, in spite of all his anxiety and desperation, Nicki remains in control of his senses and rationale and is never that hotheaded or even particularly reckless about his lot, thereby never making anything far worse for himself. I can't tell you how sick to death I am of asinine slave boys who don't seem to have any filters whatsoever, act out emotionally in ways that are completely unhelpful to themselves, and can't rub two brain cells together to solve their own problems. Not so for Nicki. He's not exactly some ice-cold unfeeling robot without an impulsive bone in his body, but he's rational. Even when he's acting purely on emotion -- particularly near the climax of the story -- he nonetheless remains cognizant of his actions and the consequences thereof.
Yes, good, give that to me. Give me all the desperate hapless slave boys, abuse them and molest them over and over again, force them in way over their heads with little choice or agency about their lot...and make them cunning and levelheaded instead of frustratingly harebrained about it. That's all I want, any other pet peeves be damned!
The thing I will say against this book is that while it does great work getting me to root for Nicki, it unfortunately loses me quite a lot when it starts to get philosophical and profound about Nicki's situation, particularly what "slavery" and "freedom" actually means for him. Several times through the course of his story, Nicki wonders if slavery is merely a state of mind, a mere semantic construct that has no basis on your livelihood, that some slaves could actually be freer than free men, who might not be free after all.
I'll grant that it's an interesting thesis...except, Nicki comes to this line of thought after observing free prostitutes in the dingy back alleys of the city, and it's like...um, yeah, sure, of course some forms of slavery might not seem that bad when you compare and contrast it against the utter worst situations a free man might find himself in! But that doesn't make slavery better, all that means is someone else might possibly have it as bad as you! What if you compare yourself against a blacksmith or a fisherman or a carpenter, does your slavery still seem very free? The exchange reminded me of that quirky Doctor Who scene, where some bad guy asks the Doctor if slaves are truly slaves if they don't think they're slaves, to which the Doctor replies -- instantly, without hesitation, a bit exasperatedly -- "yes," yes of course they are. Part of the reason I considered the ending kinda unsatisfying is because
In any case, that doesn't take away from the sexy sex of this book, nor from its appealing character work, so all in all I'd still definitely recommend "Nicholi's Vengeance."
May 31, 2015
What the hell?
What the everloving fuck was that I just read?
I'm feeling tricked. TRICKED. Here I am, happily reading along, thinking I'm reading a clever deconstruction of the tired "reluctant slave with a kind master" trope, when the story suddenly turns around and slaps me in the face with some of that sweet 1984 wisdom.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
RAPE IS LOVE
So here's this guy, right. Age unspecified but I'm thinking late teens or younger (his siblings are said to be prepubescent and it's never inferred that he's that much older). Anyhow, war comes to town and our guy is thrust into slavery. Since he's the prettiest thing around, this means our hero is going to find himself the target of innumerable non-consensual cocks all aimed in his direction. Pretty standard, right?
What makes the following rapefest more interesting than most is the fact that our hero stays unbroken and secretly mad as hell all the way through it. When his half-assed escape plan lands him in even worse circumstances than before, things look kind of grim. But then! Lo and behold, for here's the Kind Master, coming to take our hero away from the bad guys and teach him all about the joys of submission and the Healing Cock!
To clarify, this is where I thought I was reading a deconstruction. Why would I even think that, you ask? Well, because the presentation made it pretty clear in my eyes that this particular Master was a creepy piece of shit who preyed on the weak in order to stroke his own ego.
So our hero is bought by this guy, the leader of a travelling circus, given food and clothes and much needed rest, and when the guy also wants him to get naked under the covers and nicely asks him to suck his cock, well, there's not really any room to refuse, is there?
Turns out this guy used to have another slave who was also "rescued" from circumstances similar to our hero's. This poor abused fucker apparently fell in love with the sweet master out of undying gratitude and numerous sessions with the healing cock and then sadly fell off a horse and died. So Master-guy is out looking for a replacement to relive this little fantasy with when he stumbles on our hero. Oh yes! Here's another young, abused thing, ripe for the picking and cock-healing! But wait, Master-guy prefers his relationships to be "consensual!" That's why he'll ask nicely for his cock to be sucked, and not simply order it, even if there isn't actually a difference. Considering the slavery thing, and all. To put it simply, Master-guy wants a mutual relationship, except he doesn't, not really, because then he could just get a fucking boyfriend and not buy up abused slaves who can't tell him no because of the vast power differential.
Anyhow, I was feeling somewhat hopeful, because for a while it looked like our hero wasn't buying into this emotional manipulation shit. Which made Master-guy all kinds of confused, because why didn't our hero love him? The previous guy did, after all! There's a truly stomach-turning scene where Master-guy comes up with the theory that maybe what our hero truly wants is to be dominated and "feel owned", and that's why his gentle faux-boyfriend act hasn't worked so far. Uh... what the fuck? Isn't the problem that you bought yourself a slave and pretended you had a mutual relationship in the first place, you dumb fuck?
Yes, I'm mad. Because, what do you know, this wasn't a deconstruction after all. It's exactly as advertised. In the end our hero gets an incredible opportunity, but doesn't take it because he's learned how sweet it is to submit to his gentle master, and he'd rather stay with him, thank you very much. The guy could've gotten his freedom! Enough money to start his own life! Maybe rescue his sisters from slavery! Even the choice to keep fucking that bastard, if he wanted! But no. I could barely read the final chapter, I was too busy throwing up in my mouth. Fuck everything and fuck this book.
What the everloving fuck was that I just read?
I'm feeling tricked. TRICKED. Here I am, happily reading along, thinking I'm reading a clever deconstruction of the tired "reluctant slave with a kind master" trope, when the story suddenly turns around and slaps me in the face with some of that sweet 1984 wisdom.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
RAPE IS LOVE
So here's this guy, right. Age unspecified but I'm thinking late teens or younger (his siblings are said to be prepubescent and it's never inferred that he's that much older). Anyhow, war comes to town and our guy is thrust into slavery. Since he's the prettiest thing around, this means our hero is going to find himself the target of innumerable non-consensual cocks all aimed in his direction. Pretty standard, right?
What makes the following rapefest more interesting than most is the fact that our hero stays unbroken and secretly mad as hell all the way through it. When his half-assed escape plan lands him in even worse circumstances than before, things look kind of grim. But then! Lo and behold, for here's the Kind Master, coming to take our hero away from the bad guys and teach him all about the joys of submission and the Healing Cock!
To clarify, this is where I thought I was reading a deconstruction. Why would I even think that, you ask? Well, because the presentation made it pretty clear in my eyes that this particular Master was a creepy piece of shit who preyed on the weak in order to stroke his own ego.
So our hero is bought by this guy, the leader of a travelling circus, given food and clothes and much needed rest, and when the guy also wants him to get naked under the covers and nicely asks him to suck his cock, well, there's not really any room to refuse, is there?
Turns out this guy used to have another slave who was also "rescued" from circumstances similar to our hero's. This poor abused fucker apparently fell in love with the sweet master out of undying gratitude and numerous sessions with the healing cock and then sadly fell off a horse and died. So Master-guy is out looking for a replacement to relive this little fantasy with when he stumbles on our hero. Oh yes! Here's another young, abused thing, ripe for the picking and cock-healing! But wait, Master-guy prefers his relationships to be "consensual!" That's why he'll ask nicely for his cock to be sucked, and not simply order it, even if there isn't actually a difference. Considering the slavery thing, and all. To put it simply, Master-guy wants a mutual relationship, except he doesn't, not really, because then he could just get a fucking boyfriend and not buy up abused slaves who can't tell him no because of the vast power differential.
Anyhow, I was feeling somewhat hopeful, because for a while it looked like our hero wasn't buying into this emotional manipulation shit. Which made Master-guy all kinds of confused, because why didn't our hero love him? The previous guy did, after all! There's a truly stomach-turning scene where Master-guy comes up with the theory that maybe what our hero truly wants is to be dominated and "feel owned", and that's why his gentle faux-boyfriend act hasn't worked so far. Uh... what the fuck? Isn't the problem that you bought yourself a slave and pretended you had a mutual relationship in the first place, you dumb fuck?
Yes, I'm mad. Because, what do you know, this wasn't a deconstruction after all. It's exactly as advertised. In the end our hero gets an incredible opportunity, but doesn't take it because he's learned how sweet it is to submit to his gentle master, and he'd rather stay with him, thank you very much. The guy could've gotten his freedom! Enough money to start his own life! Maybe rescue his sisters from slavery! Even the choice to keep fucking that bastard, if he wanted! But no. I could barely read the final chapter, I was too busy throwing up in my mouth. Fuck everything and fuck this book.
May 16, 2014
firstly, I'm french, so sorry for the mistakes!
I read "Pathfinder" and it was OK.
but this book is worse than worse ... this is horrible from start to finish.
This book is not credible ...
spoiler:
The young man saw his family and his village burn; However, when the man who did it began to rape him, he get hard and cum!!! yeah!!!for someone who has seen everyone die, he is really quiet and feels no sorrow!
throughout the book, Nicholi is raped and beaten, betrayed by his friends ...
Everyone told him to accept his fate! it's frustrating!
Then he is sold to someone nicer, but this man does not hesitate to abuse him too! and when Nicholi is not in love with him, he is not happy! this man buys slaves to save them, but he puts them in his bed ... it's not love! but abuse of weakness, for me!
throughout the book Nicholi wants to avenge himself, and I can understand ... But when he has the opportunity, it does nothing! not even a cry, no insult, no shots ... but he speaks almost gently with the man responsible for the death of the whole village! and at the end, he returns with his new master, happy!
This book does not have any logic to me. This book is only suffering, sadism, and cruelty, perversion .. I suffered from beginning to end, and the end disappointed me! I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall!
if I could I would burn this book to ash ...
I read "Pathfinder" and it was OK.
but this book is worse than worse ... this is horrible from start to finish.
This book is not credible ...
spoiler:
The young man saw his family and his village burn; However, when the man who did it began to rape him, he get hard and cum!!! yeah!!!for someone who has seen everyone die, he is really quiet and feels no sorrow!
throughout the book, Nicholi is raped and beaten, betrayed by his friends ...
Everyone told him to accept his fate! it's frustrating!
Then he is sold to someone nicer, but this man does not hesitate to abuse him too! and when Nicholi is not in love with him, he is not happy! this man buys slaves to save them, but he puts them in his bed ... it's not love! but abuse of weakness, for me!
throughout the book Nicholi wants to avenge himself, and I can understand ... But when he has the opportunity, it does nothing! not even a cry, no insult, no shots ... but he speaks almost gently with the man responsible for the death of the whole village! and at the end, he returns with his new master, happy!
This book does not have any logic to me. This book is only suffering, sadism, and cruelty, perversion .. I suffered from beginning to end, and the end disappointed me! I wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall!
if I could I would burn this book to ash ...
January 26, 2015
M/M slave story, not for everyone. There's some pretty dark and graphic non-con sex scenes, but it gets the point across as to how hopeless Nicholi's future is. His desire for vengeance against the soldier responsible for killing his family and selling him into slavery is the only thing that keeps him going.
I can enjoy the occasionally well written m/m romance, but I much prefer something dark and angsty. This definitely delivered, almost getting a bit too depressing for me. I simply didn't see how Nicholi would be able to improve his situation. I don't like spoilers so won't say anything more than that the end was satisfying.
I can enjoy the occasionally well written m/m romance, but I much prefer something dark and angsty. This definitely delivered, almost getting a bit too depressing for me. I simply didn't see how Nicholi would be able to improve his situation. I don't like spoilers so won't say anything more than that the end was satisfying.
May 19, 2023
Ok, I am giving this book a try to complete a challenge I signed up for, but I am not optimistic where it comes to finishing it. Definitely need to pick my challenges with more care 😆
My first pet peeve: time period confusion. The cover and the beginning of the story are suggesting a medieval setting, but there is cigarette smoke and antiseptics 😐 What the heck?
DNF @ 60%. Enough is enough. 1.5 stars.
My first pet peeve: time period confusion. The cover and the beginning of the story are suggesting a medieval setting, but there is cigarette smoke and antiseptics 😐 What the heck?
DNF @ 60%. Enough is enough. 1.5 stars.
June 27, 2013
Ug. All I can say is that I wanted Niki to fall in love with Tarc dangit. And it's a LONG book until u finally meet who he does fall for but it doesn't go into deep romance there either.
oh well
oh well
July 9, 2013
Almost like two completely different books. The first half was essentially just erotica. A lot of fun. A slave fantasy with a man who clearly had mixed feeling about being a slave. Every chapter involved new and creative sexual situations.
The second half of the book was a romance, about dealing with the psychological implications of the enslavement and being able to move on afterwards.
Both parts were very good and not something I have seen before, although it reminded me somewhat of Neko, the first half was, if anything more mild and included more mutual pleasure while the second half was more connected and really explored the nature of slavery and freedom in an interesting if perhaps somewhat superficial manner. I thought it was, overall, a much better book.
The second half of the book was a romance, about dealing with the psychological implications of the enslavement and being able to move on afterwards.
Both parts were very good and not something I have seen before, although it reminded me somewhat of Neko, the first half was, if anything more mild and included more mutual pleasure while the second half was more connected and really explored the nature of slavery and freedom in an interesting if perhaps somewhat superficial manner. I thought it was, overall, a much better book.
March 30, 2013
4.5 stars
I'll admit, the only reason I didn't give this the full fifth star is because
I liked the story, immensely, and fell in love with Nicholi. The carnival was a dreamy comfort and I wished I were there, too.
I'll admit, the only reason I didn't give this the full fifth star is because
I liked the story, immensely, and fell in love with Nicholi. The carnival was a dreamy comfort and I wished I were there, too.
October 14, 2019
Its always good to read a slave story that doesn't try to soften the horrors of being owned. Nicholi's vengeance was that book for a torturous 80% of the read. That isn't to say it wasn't interesting, it was just incredibly hard to sit through all of the suffering Nichi endured. I found myself angry this entire read, waiting for the vengeance Nichi was fighting towards. It fell painfully short, however. The rage, shame, and fear is such a large part of this book I was surprised by the mellow ending. Normally I love a good HEA with a nice romance to go with it, but something about this book had me craving an explosive ending, something that fits with Nichi's passion and determination. And I never felt Nichi's relationships with any of his owners should have led to such a tame and anticlimactic end.
June 21, 2020
Nicholi’s Vengeance is an erotic hurt/comfort slavefic heavy on the noncon. It follows the story of young Nickie after his village is razed by an invading army and he is taken as a slave by the General of said army. From that point onward Nickie begins to plot out his eventual revenge against the man that killed his family and forced him into servitude, determined to live long enough to eventually kill him. Over the course of the story he is passed around from master to master, experiencing differing degrees of trauma and abuse at the hands of various cruel people. The continued survival of his will however and the eventual escape from bondage dominate the story despite all the trials that he endures, and it ends up being a rather emotional hurt/comfort story.
Read my full review on my blog: https://rosesbooks.home.blog/2019/09/...
Read my full review on my blog: https://rosesbooks.home.blog/2019/09/...
May 17, 2023
I'm reviewing the audio edition. Again this author made me feel the strong emotion that went into this story. Nicholi watches soldiers invade his country and kill his family. He survives but it taken as a slave for the prince. His life is hardly worth living in his point of view. All that keeps him surviving is wanting revenge on the man who led the invasion and deaths of his family. His path to finding this man again and his actions to get his revenge is a painful path both emotionally and physically. Nicoli faces many thoughts that also change his outlook. The one problem I had is it is mentioned that maybe not all of Nicholis’ family died yet he doesn’t do anything to find out if his sisters are alive. As always Dan Calley's narration is perfect. He brings characters to life.
March 19, 2020
All right
I am not opposed to having some bdsm in the books I read but I like more of a story to surround it. This is a story about Nicki, who was captured, made a slave and the suffering he went through as a result. It does have a hea ending, but I still like more of a plot leading the characters through the story. I found myself skimming through most of the sex scenes because there were so many and long. This book just wasn't for me. Still love the other books I've read of the author's and continue to look forward to her next book.
I am not opposed to having some bdsm in the books I read but I like more of a story to surround it. This is a story about Nicki, who was captured, made a slave and the suffering he went through as a result. It does have a hea ending, but I still like more of a plot leading the characters through the story. I found myself skimming through most of the sex scenes because there were so many and long. This book just wasn't for me. Still love the other books I've read of the author's and continue to look forward to her next book.
July 27, 2024
Okay le torture, okay le violenze (siamo in guerra, no?) okay gli stupri (sei uno schiavo, giusto?) ma che alla fine sto povero ragazzo torni da uno dei suoi innumerevoli stupratori (perché alla fine, il padrone del circo quello è, nonostante tutte le sue chiacchiere) e non colga al volo l'opportunità di essere libero e avere un sacco di soldi... beh, per me è assurdo.
Avrei quasi preferito che finisse con Taric.
Avrei quasi preferito che finisse con Taric.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2024
Fantastic story!!! Gay love triumphs.
This is the tale of a man torn from his homeland and forced into sexual slavery. Despite being abused, he stayed true to himself and never lost his spirit. Great character development. Realistic world building. Excellent dialog. I don’t want to give anything away but I will say the ending is a happy one. So look forward to reading more by this outstanding author.
This is the tale of a man torn from his homeland and forced into sexual slavery. Despite being abused, he stayed true to himself and never lost his spirit. Great character development. Realistic world building. Excellent dialog. I don’t want to give anything away but I will say the ending is a happy one. So look forward to reading more by this outstanding author.
dnf
January 16, 2025DNF by Chapter 12.
January 15, 2014
** I received this book through Goodreads First Reads. This in no way affects my review. **
I don’t think that I am the right person to judge this book because this was my first introduction into the BDSM gay erotica world. And since I have nothing to compare it to, I will stick to what I thought of it.
Right from the beginning on, I think I misjudged this book. The summary, the small prologue…everything suggest the great vengeance that Nicki is going to plot. But throughout the entire novel, I really missed that. I thought this book was going to be filled with a character driving so fiercely to revenge the death of his loved ones, but I completely missed that desire and fierce determination in Nicki. He felt really flat to me, and despite all the horrible things that happened to him, I could not sympathize with him. Yes he was rational and throughout everything he didn’t really lose himself, but I hardly cared for what happened to him. There were a lot more characters in this book way more interesting than him, and we got no back story on them. It felt like this book only touched the surface of what it could have been.
At first you would say that this book is shallow, but underneath it all there is a lot more going on. You have a young man trying to adapt to newly situations, to a new status while trying to remain himself. Several social statuses and what this means for a slave and despite everything the hope of somehow making the best out of the worst situation.
The book did feel like it was split into several parts. Nicki with Taric in the beginning, the three months at the palace with the prince, six months with Hendrik…maybe because the setting and the masters were so completely different, it felt like an entire different story to me, but nevertheless it still remained interesting.
This is a dark m/m slave story with a lot of graphical sex scenes. If you feel like you could stomach it? Then go for it.
I don’t think that I am the right person to judge this book because this was my first introduction into the BDSM gay erotica world. And since I have nothing to compare it to, I will stick to what I thought of it.
Right from the beginning on, I think I misjudged this book. The summary, the small prologue…everything suggest the great vengeance that Nicki is going to plot. But throughout the entire novel, I really missed that. I thought this book was going to be filled with a character driving so fiercely to revenge the death of his loved ones, but I completely missed that desire and fierce determination in Nicki. He felt really flat to me, and despite all the horrible things that happened to him, I could not sympathize with him. Yes he was rational and throughout everything he didn’t really lose himself, but I hardly cared for what happened to him. There were a lot more characters in this book way more interesting than him, and we got no back story on them. It felt like this book only touched the surface of what it could have been.
At first you would say that this book is shallow, but underneath it all there is a lot more going on. You have a young man trying to adapt to newly situations, to a new status while trying to remain himself. Several social statuses and what this means for a slave and despite everything the hope of somehow making the best out of the worst situation.
The book did feel like it was split into several parts. Nicki with Taric in the beginning, the three months at the palace with the prince, six months with Hendrik…maybe because the setting and the masters were so completely different, it felt like an entire different story to me, but nevertheless it still remained interesting.
This is a dark m/m slave story with a lot of graphical sex scenes. If you feel like you could stomach it? Then go for it.
May 1, 2015
I'm beginning to think this author just isn't for me. I've read of few of this stories and the same thing keeps cropping up and the is extended non-consent scenes. Non-consent isn't a turn off for me exactly but I want a reason and I don't want to to be scene after scene of it. The first part of this drags on with lots of non-con without anything to balance it out. It was depressing and combined with a very whiny MC not very appealing. Niki is a character that I never warmed to. He was whiny. and yes he had a reason to be whiny but he lacked anything else. There was no passion or drive to him. Every time something bad happened he would think he wanted to live but the rest of the time he just drifted. He was never satisfied with what he had. He was suppose to be this rebel that would never submit to slavery but that is all he ever did is submit. I never once felt any passion between any of the character or love. The only emotions seemed to be despair and a hatred that I never really felt from the character but was told often enough he was feeling it with no actions to back it up.
The other thing that bothered me was modern day references in this medieval book. Chewing gum? Antiseptic? Regular school for village people/peasant? And that is just some of them. Some things I could pass off but others were really obvious as not belonging to the time period.
This one of those books if you like this author you will probably like this book since it seems to be the same feel but other wise proceeded with caution.
The other thing that bothered me was modern day references in this medieval book. Chewing gum? Antiseptic? Regular school for village people/peasant? And that is just some of them. Some things I could pass off but others were really obvious as not belonging to the time period.
This one of those books if you like this author you will probably like this book since it seems to be the same feel but other wise proceeded with caution.
August 6, 2013
SlashReaders: I had a mixed response to this book, for a couple of reasons. First off, I think the author's note of intent about this book would have been better placed at the beginning. I understood the gist of what was trying to be done towards the end, but knowing that first would have colored how I read the rest. Second, I suppose in the end I enjoy the threat non consensual content more than full repeated scenes. That being said, the content was not badly handled. I wanted to feel like there was hope through the first part of the book, some sense that things were going to work out well and that wasn't really there. Which goes back to the authors note, and so in retrospect the goal in this novel was well accomplished.
So, as you can guess from the description of this book, it contains a lot of violence and non consensual sexual acts. Despite what I said above, not everything is like that. Friends are made along the way as well. In the end, I feel that I've really said most of what I felt above. Though I must add that I enjoyed the turn of events at the end of the novel. Jaken, twisted things around nicely.
So, as you can guess from the description of this book, it contains a lot of violence and non consensual sexual acts. Despite what I said above, not everything is like that. Friends are made along the way as well. In the end, I feel that I've really said most of what I felt above. Though I must add that I enjoyed the turn of events at the end of the novel. Jaken, twisted things around nicely.
January 21, 2017
I liked this story of a young man captured during a raid as his country is being conquered by a foreign king. He becomes a slave, a sex slave of first the commander who has captured him, then is sold to the youngest prince and later to a carnival fair owner, who becomes his salvation. During all of the pain, slavery and challenges he manages to stay sane and still hold on to himself as a person. There is lots of sex, forced and consensual, it makes you think of how you would cope yourself. If you're unable to deal with rape scenes, bdsm etc...this isn't the novel for you! Otherwise you may enjoy it.
June 21, 2013
4 stars for the beautiful prose.
2 stars for the characters. I just could not connect with any of them but Nedra. I really wanted to feel emotional for the characters but I just couldn't. In understand the author's reasoning for why Nicki was so withdrawn, but it just didn't work for me. It isn't J.A.Jaken's fault that I couldn't connect. But I just kept wanting to say to Nicki, "At least you aren't a slave from one of P.L Nunn's books. You have it downright cushy compared to them".
But again, that really isn't the author's fault now is it :P
2 stars for the characters. I just could not connect with any of them but Nedra. I really wanted to feel emotional for the characters but I just couldn't. In understand the author's reasoning for why Nicki was so withdrawn, but it just didn't work for me. It isn't J.A.Jaken's fault that I couldn't connect. But I just kept wanting to say to Nicki, "At least you aren't a slave from one of P.L Nunn's books. You have it downright cushy compared to them".
But again, that really isn't the author's fault now is it :P
September 30, 2015
Kinda a hard book to describe. Didn't really like it because the main MC was a TAD too whiny. Sure he had lots to complain about being forced into slavery and all but since you're in his head the whole time it's hard to get away from all of it. The harsher elements (none of which actually belong in this time period) are softened by the fact that Nick's brain just wanders while he's being forced to service a multitude of people.
This one just wasn't for me.
This one just wasn't for me.
April 5, 2015
For all he had to be put through, there was no real vengeance... I was a little sadened by it. The end was pretty unsatisfactory too he get to stay with a master who treat him well ok, but whom he does't love at all. There was some attraction to work between nicholi and taric. I would have liked it better if they fell in love with each other and had a happy ending this way. (~_~;) Too much pain for not finding nether true love nor real and bloody vengeance. *pout*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2017
★★★☆☆½ ~ 3.5 Stars
It got an extra half-star for all the varied sexin' but it took me all week to read. Just wasn't keeping my attention, Nicki was back and forth on his vengeance and when things were finally looking up for him, he couldn't appreciate it.
Check out those shelves, though!
It got an extra half-star for all the varied sexin' but it took me all week to read. Just wasn't keeping my attention, Nicki was back and forth on his vengeance and when things were finally looking up for him, he couldn't appreciate it.
Check out those shelves, though!
April 18, 2013
This was too much for me. I couldn't stomach all the rape and physical abuse Nicholi had to endure. I will definitely not be rereading this book.
March 30, 2017
This book had a lot of elements I usually love, but it just seemed that none of the pieces ever fit together for me.
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