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King of Dublin
Twenty years after a deadly pandemic ravaged the world, Darragh Fergus Anluan and the people of his village have carved out a hard but simple life in the Irish countryside. But with winter comes sickness, and Darragh must travel to Dublin in search of medicine. What he finds there is a ruined city ruled by a madman, where scavenging is punishable by death . . . or conscription.
Ciaran Daly came to Ireland with aid and optimism, but instead was enslaved by the so-called King of Dublin. After months of abuse from the king and his men, he has no reason to believe this newcomer will be any different. Except Ciaran finds himself increasingly drawn to Darragh, whose brutish looks mask how sweet and gentle he really is.
The tenderness Darragh feels for the king’s treasured pet is treason, but it’s hardly the only betrayal brewing in this rotten kingdom. Rebellions and rival gangs threaten the king’s power, but not nearly as much as Darragh and Ciaran — whose only hope for freedom is the fall of the king.
Reader discrection advised.
Word 100,900; page 382
Ciaran Daly came to Ireland with aid and optimism, but instead was enslaved by the so-called King of Dublin. After months of abuse from the king and his men, he has no reason to believe this newcomer will be any different. Except Ciaran finds himself increasingly drawn to Darragh, whose brutish looks mask how sweet and gentle he really is.
The tenderness Darragh feels for the king’s treasured pet is treason, but it’s hardly the only betrayal brewing in this rotten kingdom. Rebellions and rival gangs threaten the king’s power, but not nearly as much as Darragh and Ciaran — whose only hope for freedom is the fall of the king.
Reader discrection advised.
Word 100,900; page 382
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 22, 2014
10 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Henry
103 books2,279 followersI like to tell stories. Mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters. They gotta work for it though. No free lunches on my watch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 29, 2015
Written February 24, 2014
3.5 Stars - a raw, horrible, cruel dystopia, yet captivating - the love will always win, right?
I was both thrilled and surprised then in January when I at last got an M/M romance to ARC read. A one I asked for and really wanted. ~ I've really enjoyed the books by Lisa Henry I read earlier. Heidi Belleau's writing is new for me.
Before I even started to read King of Dublin, I heard and saw some critical comments. Easy frightened as I am, it was therefore with both fear (for tough and rough scenes) and a little discouragement as I began to read this novel a couple of days ago.
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
Of course, this was pretty tough, rough, cold, hard and very cruel in parts. There were horrible rape scenes and a terrible use of every person who was weaker. ~ The beggining of the book was partially heartless, explicit and horrible to read and I actually hesitated, wondering if I wanted to read on. ~ But as the pages floated away, I also saw two nice men with strong emotions, genuine emotional attraction and a growing hot desire. But not just that, they also had an honorable courage and, from time to time, a willingness to try to change the situation.
Overall, a captivating, well-written and fast-paced story. A little thin on the romance but full of heat and in the end sweet tenderness. As well, a vision of horror, with a nasty cruel, but also fascinating world, of a dreaded future in anarchy. A future Ireland and Dublin without democratic government and without a functioning social structure. May it never happen!
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
King of Dublin takes place in an future dystopian world, fifthteen, or maybe twenty, years after an global epidemic. Dublin is now controlled by a senseless unstable former criminal. He is now the self-proclaimed so-called "King of Dublin". Or maybe all Ireland. A king who rules with terror and guerrilla-style army of hard men. King Boru's enslaved "Boy" is a young handsome blond man adorned with gold.
Ciaran Daly was a young man with high ideals and admirable dreams that came from the north to help the Irish and Dublin people in need. Instead he was captured and became King Boru's golden treasured slut and slave.
His name is now only "Boy". Ciaran is gone... ~ For months has he been ill treated, abused and raped. Both by the king himself, and sometimes even by the king's men. Hurt, depressed and scared - with a growing self-loathing - is Ciaran lacking more and more of his human dignity. He does what he is told to do, says what he has to say and just try to survive every single day....and night.
...Then arrives a big, tall, nice culchie from the Irish countryside. A man who sees the true man in Ciarian and not only the golden pet slave.
With winter comes sickness and Darragh Fearghal Anluan from Cúil Aodha, is in Dublin to get medicine for his friends at home. But Dublin is a ruined city ruled by a dangerous madman. A threatening king who promises Darragh medicine in exchange if he joins the kings guard for a few months.
Darragh's interest is immediately brought to the golden beautiful man. So beautiful but so unworthy treated and sad to see. Then one day they meet in the ruined old library...
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
Here and there, was this novel a very tough read (..to heartbreaking raw) for me. This gruesome rape culture made me upset and sad. Sometimes, I also had trouble understanding Ciaran's actions and feelings. I understand why he had become so hard and cold-hearted but I wished that he would have let up a little more warm feelings for Darragh bit earlier. Darragh, however, was a true old-fashioned hero - Wow, what a man.
I hated and really wanted to spit on that horrible, constant power-abusive Boru, the so-called "King of Dublin". Still, I felt confident that the tenderness and love that began to bloom between the two main characters would triumph in the end. Did it? Read and discover...
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
To sum up; A rough hard world where (thankefully) some good values still got a chance to win. King of Dublin is more of a "Dystopian novel", with a lot of cruelty, misery, suspense and thrilling parts, than a grand romantic "Romance", but still captivating. To that I also met two men, Darragh and Ciaran, I really cared for.
~ An quite okay and interesting read. I'm pleased! ~
I LIKE - ...in the end; Yes
~~~~~~~~~~~~
**ARC kindly provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. - January 2014**
King of Dublin, an about 350 pages novel, will be released February 24, 2014.
3.5 Stars - a raw, horrible, cruel dystopia, yet captivating - the love will always win, right?
I was both thrilled and surprised then in January when I at last got an M/M romance to ARC read. A one I asked for and really wanted. ~ I've really enjoyed the books by Lisa Henry I read earlier. Heidi Belleau's writing is new for me.
Before I even started to read King of Dublin, I heard and saw some critical comments. Easy frightened as I am, it was therefore with both fear (for tough and rough scenes) and a little discouragement as I began to read this novel a couple of days ago.
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
Of course, this was pretty tough, rough, cold, hard and very cruel in parts. There were horrible rape scenes and a terrible use of every person who was weaker. ~ The beggining of the book was partially heartless, explicit and horrible to read and I actually hesitated, wondering if I wanted to read on. ~ But as the pages floated away, I also saw two nice men with strong emotions, genuine emotional attraction and a growing hot desire. But not just that, they also had an honorable courage and, from time to time, a willingness to try to change the situation.
Overall, a captivating, well-written and fast-paced story. A little thin on the romance but full of heat and in the end sweet tenderness. As well, a vision of horror, with a nasty cruel, but also fascinating world, of a dreaded future in anarchy. A future Ireland and Dublin without democratic government and without a functioning social structure. May it never happen!
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
King of Dublin takes place in an future dystopian world, fifthteen, or maybe twenty, years after an global epidemic. Dublin is now controlled by a senseless unstable former criminal. He is now the self-proclaimed so-called "King of Dublin". Or maybe all Ireland. A king who rules with terror and guerrilla-style army of hard men. King Boru's enslaved "Boy" is a young handsome blond man adorned with gold.
Ciaran Daly was a young man with high ideals and admirable dreams that came from the north to help the Irish and Dublin people in need. Instead he was captured and became King Boru's golden treasured slut and slave.
His name is now only "Boy". Ciaran is gone... ~ For months has he been ill treated, abused and raped. Both by the king himself, and sometimes even by the king's men. Hurt, depressed and scared - with a growing self-loathing - is Ciaran lacking more and more of his human dignity. He does what he is told to do, says what he has to say and just try to survive every single day....and night.
...Then arrives a big, tall, nice culchie from the Irish countryside. A man who sees the true man in Ciarian and not only the golden pet slave.
‘Solid. Sensible. Safe. So safe.’
With winter comes sickness and Darragh Fearghal Anluan from Cúil Aodha, is in Dublin to get medicine for his friends at home. But Dublin is a ruined city ruled by a dangerous madman. A threatening king who promises Darragh medicine in exchange if he joins the kings guard for a few months.
Darragh's interest is immediately brought to the golden beautiful man. So beautiful but so unworthy treated and sad to see. Then one day they meet in the ruined old library...
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
Here and there, was this novel a very tough read (..to heartbreaking raw) for me. This gruesome rape culture made me upset and sad. Sometimes, I also had trouble understanding Ciaran's actions and feelings. I understand why he had become so hard and cold-hearted but I wished that he would have let up a little more warm feelings for Darragh bit earlier. Darragh, however, was a true old-fashioned hero - Wow, what a man.
I hated and really wanted to spit on that horrible, constant power-abusive Boru, the so-called "King of Dublin". Still, I felt confident that the tenderness and love that began to bloom between the two main characters would triumph in the end. Did it? Read and discover...
~**~**~**~**~**~**~
To sum up; A rough hard world where (thankefully) some good values still got a chance to win. King of Dublin is more of a "Dystopian novel", with a lot of cruelty, misery, suspense and thrilling parts, than a grand romantic "Romance", but still captivating. To that I also met two men, Darragh and Ciaran, I really cared for.
~ An quite okay and interesting read. I'm pleased! ~
I LIKE - ...in the end; Yes
~~~~~~~~~~~~
**ARC kindly provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. - January 2014**
King of Dublin, an about 350 pages novel, will be released February 24, 2014.
Read
December 4, 2013Hey, it's my first collaboration with Heidi Belleau!
It has three of my favourite things: sex, violence, and Irish boys.
I hope you guys like it!
It has three of my favourite things: sex, violence, and Irish boys.
I hope you guys like it!
Want to read
January 29, 2014The review that said, "Ugh, all the rape and torture" made me really want to read this.
December 31, 2013
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I have to say that this book was not quite what I expected it to be, and I enjoyed that. The characters were felt honest to me. I really felt for Ciaran. He had been such a naive idealist before he was captured it broke my heart to see what years of slavery had done to him. There were times I was frustrated by him, but I always understood the anger and the fear that drove his words, and actions. Looking from the outside he does this that might seem stupid, but smart, and rational decisions by such a damaged boy would not have made sense or been honest to the character.
I really enjoyed Darragh as a character. He is strong in such a caring manner while still being a flawed individual. He wasn't the typical alpha male that shows up to fix Ciaran. He isn't that sort of controlling guy who needs to own someone else. He isn't a saint either, and I liked the balance between his protective nature, and his kindness and compassion. I liked how that played out in the character's bond over the story. It felt like their relationship was on a much more even footing, and I appreciated that. Ciaran might have been in a bad place, but it didn't mean that he was totally broken. I liked that Ciaran was such a strong person, to have survived the years of abuse by such an unbalanced character.
The plot was strong, and I liked that the world and the people in it felt honest to the post disaster setting. It actually felt like a world in crisis to me, and only added to my enjoyment of the story. The secondary were a complex bunch, and added to the depth of the plot. I loved the intrigue, and snarl of alliances that comprised this book. Overall a really well developed story with strong characters that I really enjoyed.
I have to say that this book was not quite what I expected it to be, and I enjoyed that. The characters were felt honest to me. I really felt for Ciaran. He had been such a naive idealist before he was captured it broke my heart to see what years of slavery had done to him. There were times I was frustrated by him, but I always understood the anger and the fear that drove his words, and actions. Looking from the outside he does this that might seem stupid, but smart, and rational decisions by such a damaged boy would not have made sense or been honest to the character.
I really enjoyed Darragh as a character. He is strong in such a caring manner while still being a flawed individual. He wasn't the typical alpha male that shows up to fix Ciaran. He isn't that sort of controlling guy who needs to own someone else. He isn't a saint either, and I liked the balance between his protective nature, and his kindness and compassion. I liked how that played out in the character's bond over the story. It felt like their relationship was on a much more even footing, and I appreciated that. Ciaran might have been in a bad place, but it didn't mean that he was totally broken. I liked that Ciaran was such a strong person, to have survived the years of abuse by such an unbalanced character.
The plot was strong, and I liked that the world and the people in it felt honest to the post disaster setting. It actually felt like a world in crisis to me, and only added to my enjoyment of the story. The secondary were a complex bunch, and added to the depth of the plot. I loved the intrigue, and snarl of alliances that comprised this book. Overall a really well developed story with strong characters that I really enjoyed.
February 23, 2014
This is a difficult book to review for several reasons, but I'm going to give it a try. ;) One reason it is difficult to review is that the m/m fiction world, as diverse as it is, tends to be pigeonholed into being a subgenre of romance, even though some books don't really fit that mold. Other books are sort of shoehorned into that mold. I felt some of that with this book--which makes it difficult to review as a romance without taking into account that this story reads like two books.
Book one is straight up dystopian novel, and book two is a romance. The foundation for the romance was laid in book one, but it didn't really stray into "hey, this is a romance!" territory until book two. The tone between the parts of the book set in Dublin and the parts set in the countryside takes a distinct turn--and there may have been an intentional choice on the part of the authors: to show Dublin under mad king's rule as a morally bankrupt wasteland while outside, the world is just struggling to right itself again.
I really enjoyed the two main characters, especially Darragh. I found his transition from innocent to king's man to Ciaran's protector very touching, and I saw that same transition affect Ciaran's character development throughout the book. As should be done in a romance--the relationship changes both.
I've been trying to avoid reading reviews of this book, but several of them showed up in my GR feed, and the subject of rape and rape culture came up in one of those. I disagree with that reviewer that this is a novel that promotes rape culture. Rape culture exists both within and outside of fiction--it is pervasive, and it normalizes rape. Rape culture says rape is about sex, but rape is NEVER about sex. This book does not normalize rape. This book displays rape as a brutal, violent abuse of social and physical power. The rape in this book is not about sex--it is about power.
And that is important to understand when we throw around the words "rape culture." Rape culture is OUR culture, and it is the culture that says women and men can prevent rape by dressing a certain way or not jogging alone. Rape culture is present in fiction, in the thousands upon thousands of romances where one character says no and the other proceeds over their objection. Rape culture is present in romances where a character is too drunk to consent. Rape culture is present in romances where rape is portrayed as an act of simple sex or even love.
Rape culture says rape is about sex.
Rape is about power.
I know there's going to be disagreement there, but this is an important distinction.
As for the writing, it's no secret I'm a big fan of both authors individually. This is their first collaboration with each other, and I felt it was well-written, though very little was left to subtext. The imagery and emotion were intense and there was some clever foreshadowing. All in all a very solid venture from these ladies, and I hope to read more joint efforts from them in the future.
Book one is straight up dystopian novel, and book two is a romance. The foundation for the romance was laid in book one, but it didn't really stray into "hey, this is a romance!" territory until book two. The tone between the parts of the book set in Dublin and the parts set in the countryside takes a distinct turn--and there may have been an intentional choice on the part of the authors: to show Dublin under mad king's rule as a morally bankrupt wasteland while outside, the world is just struggling to right itself again.
I really enjoyed the two main characters, especially Darragh. I found his transition from innocent to king's man to Ciaran's protector very touching, and I saw that same transition affect Ciaran's character development throughout the book. As should be done in a romance--the relationship changes both.
I've been trying to avoid reading reviews of this book, but several of them showed up in my GR feed, and the subject of rape and rape culture came up in one of those. I disagree with that reviewer that this is a novel that promotes rape culture. Rape culture exists both within and outside of fiction--it is pervasive, and it normalizes rape. Rape culture says rape is about sex, but rape is NEVER about sex. This book does not normalize rape. This book displays rape as a brutal, violent abuse of social and physical power. The rape in this book is not about sex--it is about power.
And that is important to understand when we throw around the words "rape culture." Rape culture is OUR culture, and it is the culture that says women and men can prevent rape by dressing a certain way or not jogging alone. Rape culture is present in fiction, in the thousands upon thousands of romances where one character says no and the other proceeds over their objection. Rape culture is present in romances where a character is too drunk to consent. Rape culture is present in romances where rape is portrayed as an act of simple sex or even love.
Rape culture says rape is about sex.
Rape is about power.
I know there's going to be disagreement there, but this is an important distinction.
As for the writing, it's no secret I'm a big fan of both authors individually. This is their first collaboration with each other, and I felt it was well-written, though very little was left to subtext. The imagery and emotion were intense and there was some clever foreshadowing. All in all a very solid venture from these ladies, and I hope to read more joint efforts from them in the future.
February 9, 2014
Shoo shoo! Off my feed and out of my mind you go.:/
Our review can be found here.
Our review can be found here.
October 21, 2015
2.5 stars
If you are looking for an bleak dystopian read, the King of Dublin, set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Ireland, delivers. It is relentlessly dark and disturbing. Unfortunately, the title leaves me confused about the intention of it all… is it a horror story or a romance?
This is a Mad Max-ian kind of world where a crazy, rat-bastard slum thug proclaims himself king of the mountain. Boru holds total dominion. He leads a gang of fellow thugs who keep a stranglehold on the starving people of Dublin. Boru and his men control everything: storehouses of food and potable water, and gas-powered vehicles left over from when the lights went out almost two decades ago. He holds the focus of the story, he is the title character, the King of Dublin. The reader enters a long difficult journey with a madman who is evil simply for the sake of it. So… a horror story.
Boru holds the beautiful, golden-haired Ciaran as political hostage and his personal sex slave. He repeatedly rapes and humiliates Ciaran systematically stripping him of his humanity. Ciaran has learned to do whatever it takes to reduce the torture and survive. He has learned to lie, seduce, submit and manipulate, all the while suffering the shame of it. Reading on is to wonder what will become of him.
One day, Darragh, a seemingly simple country boy, stumbles into Boru’s enclave in search of meds for his people back home on the farm. Maybe Darragh will be the one to take pity on Ciaran, show him some kindness in the living hell his life has become. But Boru soon gets his hooks into Darragh too, holding his morality hostage, making him another pawn. How much of his soul will Darragh sell to get those much-needed meds and will this supercede Ciaran’s lure?
Boru is so awful that I become numb to him. Any power he had over me is reduced because he becomes a caricature, a cardboard boogie man. There are no shades of grey to him, no nuance, he’s completely corrupt, sadistic and evil. The story’s title further confuses because while much of the focus is on Boru, my guess is that the authors really meant this to be about Ciaran and Darragh.
This has the bones of a good love story, but it is weighted down with the steady degradation of it’s lead characters. Just when Ciaran and Darragh can find a moment with each other, they don’t know what to do with it, they have been so beaten down and traumatized. The few times hope is dangled in front of them, it is snatched away again. It’s exhausting and depressing.
It’s really Ciaran that keeps me reading. His character arc is the deepest and easiest to glom on to. It’s like watching a car wreck, seeing him struggle with his dilemma. I can’t look away, and I want him to rise out of the ashes. But I feel removed from any blossoming romance. I read for Ciaran’s sake and to see if Darragh can redeem himself, but the warmth is elusive.
Now, I can appreciate dark and edgy, but maybe the problem is in the expectation… is this a romance? Or is it a study of how easy selling your soul can become if you’re pushed hard enough. If you are looking for well written torture porn then this is for you, but if rape and physical violence are triggers (the blurb goes nowhere near covering it), you will want to proceed with caution.
For this and other great reviews, author interviews, and general fabulousness:
Want to read
July 23, 2016
January 11, 2014
This book was kind of a quandary for me. It is really well written but the subject matter was what kind of ruined the book for me. I feel like the more books we see out there with non-consent, dubious consent, rape, torture and sexual slavery, the more we are promoting rape culture as a whole. I believe that everyone has the right to the kinks that they like but there was little positive in this book. I came away from reading it wishing for more positive. I wanted to believe that something good could come out of all the pages I had just read. It felt very... off putting. There is so much rape culture in the story that it really ruined the little romance that was to be had. The other works from Heidi Belleau that I have read have been edgy and not always what I would call romance. I loved her book "Wallflower" but there were elements of rape in that as well. (It was brief and no where near as awful as the scenes you will have in King of Dublin.) I know- to each their own, but this book was just not for me. The long wait until the very very end for any positive after pages and pages of rape and torture was a bit much for me. There was too much that made me nauseous for not enough of a Happily Ever After reward, no matter how well written it was. I think that the things we read should leave us in a better place than we were in when we started. If you are into the dark and the angsty, this might be a good fit for you. I just caution that anyone reading pay attention to the Trigger Warnings on this one.
February 20, 2014
~ ~ ~
4 Powerful Stars
Per Riptide - Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:
dubious consent
explicit violence
non-consent
My Review:
Powerful. Brutal. Hopeful.
I had the very fortunate pleasure of beta reading this during it’s writing process. It gave me chills then and is still giving me chills now. It’s visual, visceral and vicious. Before you pick this one up know what you’re getting into. The brutality holds no bars. There’s very little sunshine and flowers here, but that doesn’t mean that intense hope and deep “real” love don’t develop. It’s that intensity that I found riveting.
THE CHARACTERS
Ciaran Daly (Boy) - Acutely intelligent and painfully naïve Ciaran finds himself surviving by his wits and his ass.
Darragh Fergus - Darragh, a gentle giant. Simple by nature, yet anything but stupid. He’s fiercely protective, possibly to his detriment and Ciaran’s.
The King of Dublin Evil. Heinous. Dictator.
THE STORY
Darragh knows survival.
He’s fought vicious animal attacks, watched disease take his loved ones and learned to build a community after the end of the world. But when he gets to Dublin he is completely unprepared for the brutal nature of man that he finds himself in the midst of.
Ciaran is living a nightmare as the treasured pet of the self-proclaimed King of Dublin. Only by keeping the evil king “entertained” does he survive. When Darragh becomes one of the king’s men it seems impossible that Ciaran would trust him with something so precious that it would be his demise.
THE WRITING
The strong, solid writing of Heidi Belleau combined with Lisa Henry’s vivid intensity absorbed me instantly. I got deep into this very quickly and then, like I said, I couldn’t shake it off. This held my interest even when I kind of wanted to look away. It’s easy to say that I’d read anything these two collaborate on.
Just know what you’re getting into here, and then if you decide this is for you…hang on. It’s big and terrible and messy and definitely hits all of your fears and hopes. And it’s going to get to you.
~ ~ ~
I would like to thank the authors and Riptide Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
~ ~ ~
Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
http://www.attentionisarbitrary.blogspot.com
4 Powerful Stars
Per Riptide - Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:
dubious consent
explicit violence
non-consent
My Review:
Powerful. Brutal. Hopeful.
Even if that hope is just out of reach.
I had the very fortunate pleasure of beta reading this during it’s writing process. It gave me chills then and is still giving me chills now. It’s visual, visceral and vicious. Before you pick this one up know what you’re getting into. The brutality holds no bars. There’s very little sunshine and flowers here, but that doesn’t mean that intense hope and deep “real” love don’t develop. It’s that intensity that I found riveting.
THE CHARACTERS
Ciaran Daly (Boy) - Acutely intelligent and painfully naïve Ciaran finds himself surviving by his wits and his ass.
Boy was a twisted knot of contradictions that Darragh didn’t even want to unravel. To understand him, Darragh thought, would be to understand this place. And to understand this place would be to be corrupted by it.
Darragh Fergus - Darragh, a gentle giant. Simple by nature, yet anything but stupid. He’s fiercely protective, possibly to his detriment and Ciaran’s.
The King of Dublin Evil. Heinous. Dictator.
THE STORY
Darragh knows survival.
He’s fought vicious animal attacks, watched disease take his loved ones and learned to build a community after the end of the world. But when he gets to Dublin he is completely unprepared for the brutal nature of man that he finds himself in the midst of.
Ciaran is living a nightmare as the treasured pet of the self-proclaimed King of Dublin. Only by keeping the evil king “entertained” does he survive. When Darragh becomes one of the king’s men it seems impossible that Ciaran would trust him with something so precious that it would be his demise.
THE WRITING
He was free, and this was perfect. If the world ended now—really ended, not this horrible limping half-death they were all trapped in—then Ciaran could die happy. And Darragh had given him that.
The strong, solid writing of Heidi Belleau combined with Lisa Henry’s vivid intensity absorbed me instantly. I got deep into this very quickly and then, like I said, I couldn’t shake it off. This held my interest even when I kind of wanted to look away. It’s easy to say that I’d read anything these two collaborate on.
Just know what you’re getting into here, and then if you decide this is for you…hang on. It’s big and terrible and messy and definitely hits all of your fears and hopes. And it’s going to get to you.
~ ~ ~
I would like to thank the authors and Riptide Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
~ ~ ~
Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
http://www.attentionisarbitrary.blogspot.com
February 19, 2014
3.5 Stars
A Very Dark World Desperate for Some Light... Review up on Prism Book Alliance
This was a mixed bag for me. I really struggled to figure out exactly why it missed the mark in some ways for me, and while in others, it was stellar.
The last third of the book is when I became fully invested and wanted more. The ending was fantastic. This is one those that could become a multi-volume universe.
I was provided an ARC by Riptide in exchange for my honest review.
A Very Dark World Desperate for Some Light... Review up on Prism Book Alliance
This was a mixed bag for me. I really struggled to figure out exactly why it missed the mark in some ways for me, and while in others, it was stellar.
The last third of the book is when I became fully invested and wanted more. The ending was fantastic. This is one those that could become a multi-volume universe.
I was provided an ARC by Riptide in exchange for my honest review.
Want to read
January 22, 2014A book with Irish characters? Wohoo!
February 26, 2014
A review by The Blogger Girls.
I was pretty excited about this one when it came across my radar. Although I’m not generally a fan of futuristic stories, this one just drew me in. It takes place twenty years in the future where the world has all but been destroyed. People are doing what they can to survive, mainly in different groups or factions, while the main city of Dublin is run by the very brutal King Boru who rules by force and brutality.
King Boru’s treasured pet (treasured in his eyes) is Ciaran, aka Boy, his slave and sex toy. He is very cruel to Ciaran, raping and offering him as rewards to his men leaving Ciaran a shell of a man; at least on the surface. Ciaran still has hopes and dreams of freedom and helping his people, but the persistent abuse is taking its toll.
Darragh is a big, sweet, naïve countryman who has left his village in order to find medicine for his dying family. He is found by Boru’s men and made a part of his Kingdom when the King promises Darragh the medicine he seeks. Darragh sees something in Ciaran, and although he wants to trust and believe in him, Ciaran’s behavior with the King leaves him questioning everything about Ciaran.
This story is told in two parts. Part 1 is the foundation and set up of the relationship between Darragh and Ciaran while under Boru’s thumb, while Part 2 focuses on the romance as the two traverse the countryside trying to get back home. A lot happens along the way, including the introduction of one of my favorite characters, a young man named Rabbit. I loved the voice of Rabbit and was really happy to see how things went where he was concerned.
There were times, mostly in the middle, where this felt a little drawn out, and I found things were a bit more exciting when Boru was in the picture, even though I wanted him to suffer and die through the entire story. Yes, there is rape and some violence, but it is true to the tone of the setting, if that makes sense. I loved watching the characters evolve as time went on, especially the transitions from Boy to Ciaran. Darragh also does quite a bit of growing, so I really just enjoyed them together. This is a dark story, but one full of hope. This was a pretty sold, well-developed story that shows these two authors are clearly on the right path working together, and I look forward to seeing something more from them in the future.
February 24, 2014
Ok, I like both these authors and I thought and Irish story might be interesting but this one just fell flat for me. Even if this is set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland I really didn't feel much of the country in this book. Yes there are Irish names and a little Gaelic thrown in but this could have really been anywhere. Then the reason for Ireland's demise is a little vague, a bad disease sometime in the past not to long ago wiped out a lot of people, but some countries are doing better. I just couldn't get a feel for the world dynamic except this little piece of it was bad and no one wanted to help. I really don't even want to get into how they still have gas, who is buying slaves, and if the population is so diminished shouldn't breeding/woman be a little more important than an all gay society.
As for the characters the King of Dublin, who the love story isn't about, seems pretty one dimensional. Crazy, paranoid, and cruel he acts more like a teenager than an adult. I have trouble believing he could actually control his little group of bandits or he could have gained power. He isn't a warrior, he isn't charismatic, and even if he controlled resources he doesn't personally deal with them making it unlikely he would maintain his power. His cruelty isn't very original mainly rape and having his men rape people, selling people, and Colosseum type killing games.
Ciaran's character is one of those character's I felt didn't make any sense. An idealist he taken and held captive. He doesn't fight Boru but lies flatters and manipulates him so he isn't killed or hurt worse. Yet as soon as he gets free he want to fight Boru and even tries to get back to Dublin. For someone that put up no fight when held captive and truly scared most of the time this seems like an odd choice. On top of that his constant mental gymnastics of how Darragh is to gentle/naive/stupid and Ciaran doesn't deserve him starts to grate.
Darragh felt like a hollow character to me. In the end I really can't say if he slow or naive or both but he just seemed like a doormat for everyone without any spirit or will of his own. He fixates on Ciaran and that's it. Not only that his original quest seems not to be too important to him considering he forgets about it pretty quick.
The two together do nothing for me they are constantly whining they don't deserve each other. Overall I just couldn't a great deal to like about this book.
As for the characters the King of Dublin, who the love story isn't about, seems pretty one dimensional. Crazy, paranoid, and cruel he acts more like a teenager than an adult. I have trouble believing he could actually control his little group of bandits or he could have gained power. He isn't a warrior, he isn't charismatic, and even if he controlled resources he doesn't personally deal with them making it unlikely he would maintain his power. His cruelty isn't very original mainly rape and having his men rape people, selling people, and Colosseum type killing games.
Ciaran's character is one of those character's I felt didn't make any sense. An idealist he taken and held captive. He doesn't fight Boru but lies flatters and manipulates him so he isn't killed or hurt worse. Yet as soon as he gets free he want to fight Boru and even tries to get back to Dublin. For someone that put up no fight when held captive and truly scared most of the time this seems like an odd choice. On top of that his constant mental gymnastics of how Darragh is to gentle/naive/stupid and Ciaran doesn't deserve him starts to grate.
Darragh felt like a hollow character to me. In the end I really can't say if he slow or naive or both but he just seemed like a doormat for everyone without any spirit or will of his own. He fixates on Ciaran and that's it. Not only that his original quest seems not to be too important to him considering he forgets about it pretty quick.
The two together do nothing for me they are constantly whining they don't deserve each other. Overall I just couldn't a great deal to like about this book.
July 29, 2015
Set in a future dystopian Irealand which is really exceptionally well portrayed. Speaking as someone who lives in present day (Northern) Ireland - it was great to find a book that used the geography and colloquialisms without ever falling into cliche. However, I struggled with rating King of Dublin because it has loads of really good elements but I found other aspects difficult to accept.
I loved the vortex of violence and madness (of Boru the self-proclaimed King of Dublin) of secrets and truth and the desperation to survive even in the bleakest of times.
What I found more difficult to grasp was the almost insta-love between main protagonists Darragh and Ciaran. I wondered whether in dire circumstance emotion would be heightened and I accept that perhaps it would, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between these guys. Certainly there is passion and emotional soul-searching, but I think maybe I wasn't enamoured by either of them sufficiently and couldn't really see the draw of these two very different men to each other. I just wasn't feeling it. Whilst their characters were well observed, Boru the King of Dublin felt more like a pantomime villain and side character instead of the man in the title of the book.
What finally tipped my rating downward was the almost rushed ending: whilst I struggled to grasp the love interest between Ciaran and Darragh it was impossible to suspend disbelief long enough to accept:
No fear. Just two men who cared about him deeply, and whom he cared for in return. Two men he’d been to hell with, and somehow they’d all survived. Warm. Alive.
Okay so one of those men is his lover, the second they had met barely 48 hours previously, and I do not care how traumatic the event I refuse to believe that you come to care 'deeply' in that time frame for anyone. Call me cynical, but that's just too much of a stretch.
The King of Dublin has much to recommend it and I enjoyed the read but I guess I was expecting the brilliance of Bliss a latter collaboration by these authors and it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
I loved the vortex of violence and madness (of Boru the self-proclaimed King of Dublin) of secrets and truth and the desperation to survive even in the bleakest of times.
What I found more difficult to grasp was the almost insta-love between main protagonists Darragh and Ciaran. I wondered whether in dire circumstance emotion would be heightened and I accept that perhaps it would, but I just didn't feel the chemistry between these guys. Certainly there is passion and emotional soul-searching, but I think maybe I wasn't enamoured by either of them sufficiently and couldn't really see the draw of these two very different men to each other. I just wasn't feeling it. Whilst their characters were well observed, Boru the King of Dublin felt more like a pantomime villain and side character instead of the man in the title of the book.
What finally tipped my rating downward was the almost rushed ending: whilst I struggled to grasp the love interest between Ciaran and Darragh it was impossible to suspend disbelief long enough to accept:
No fear. Just two men who cared about him deeply, and whom he cared for in return. Two men he’d been to hell with, and somehow they’d all survived. Warm. Alive.
Okay so one of those men is his lover, the second they had met barely 48 hours previously, and I do not care how traumatic the event I refuse to believe that you come to care 'deeply' in that time frame for anyone. Call me cynical, but that's just too much of a stretch.
The King of Dublin has much to recommend it and I enjoyed the read but I guess I was expecting the brilliance of Bliss a latter collaboration by these authors and it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
February 21, 2014
If dubious consent is not your thing, don't read this book. If violence and insanity are not your thing, don't read this book. If non-consensual sex is not your thing, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. There is a great story for those who can handle graphic content and enjoy dystopian stories, though. This pushed the very edge of my limits to read. It bugs the crap outta me though, when people who don't like that content drag down a book's rating, when they were warned! So, I'm warning again, like many other reviewers did as well. So if anyone reads it after I've recommended the story, and low-rates or complains, they look like the idiots... because seriously, if you want sunshine, rainbows popping out of twinks tushies, and a 24/7 baby love fest (and there's nothing wrong with that, if you like that stuff) then DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
There are two main characters, Ciaran and Darragh, both have extremely contrasting viewpoints, which is interesting because if they'd met before Ciaran had become an enslaved sex toy to be beaten and abused, they probably had similar tunnel vision views of the world. They're both naive, but have enough wits--and luck--to eventually escape the world they've become trapped in.
But they learn some horrible lessons along the way. I won't spoil the story, but damn! The scenes from Ciaran's POV are especially hard to get through. I needed the breaks of Darragh's simple, yet not stupid, mindset just to get a break.
The authors crafted a powerful story that will be very popular with their readers and fans. It will rub some people the wrong way, especially in certain parts, but I for one commend them for their writing. Especially for something written by two people, the writing is seamless, with clear imagery, and excellent world-building. The one thing I'd like to have better explained was the 'other side' where things weren't quite so bad. I think the contrast would have been more stark about the complete 180 Ciaran was forced to undergo mentally. However, that may be fodder for another story in the world, if this becomes a series.
There are two main characters, Ciaran and Darragh, both have extremely contrasting viewpoints, which is interesting because if they'd met before Ciaran had become an enslaved sex toy to be beaten and abused, they probably had similar tunnel vision views of the world. They're both naive, but have enough wits--and luck--to eventually escape the world they've become trapped in.
But they learn some horrible lessons along the way. I won't spoil the story, but damn! The scenes from Ciaran's POV are especially hard to get through. I needed the breaks of Darragh's simple, yet not stupid, mindset just to get a break.
The authors crafted a powerful story that will be very popular with their readers and fans. It will rub some people the wrong way, especially in certain parts, but I for one commend them for their writing. Especially for something written by two people, the writing is seamless, with clear imagery, and excellent world-building. The one thing I'd like to have better explained was the 'other side' where things weren't quite so bad. I think the contrast would have been more stark about the complete 180 Ciaran was forced to undergo mentally. However, that may be fodder for another story in the world, if this becomes a series.
February 28, 2014
5 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
...This story takes your breath away… literally. I picked it up and I was entranced by its beauty. Yes, of course it was dark and brutal. Yes, it made me cringe and it made me scared shitless at some points, it caused me agony from fear for the characters, it enraged and made me furious and most of the time I wanted to rip Boru’s heart and stomp on it. And good God it made me live this story with an intensity that had me panting and tearing up and taking deep breaths to cool myself. Never once did I feel the need to put it down though. From its first line, there wasn’t even a moment where I felt the storytelling drag. It kept me constantly on my toes, captive of every written word...
Read the entire review here:http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Thommie
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
...This story takes your breath away… literally. I picked it up and I was entranced by its beauty. Yes, of course it was dark and brutal. Yes, it made me cringe and it made me scared shitless at some points, it caused me agony from fear for the characters, it enraged and made me furious and most of the time I wanted to rip Boru’s heart and stomp on it. And good God it made me live this story with an intensity that had me panting and tearing up and taking deep breaths to cool myself. Never once did I feel the need to put it down though. From its first line, there wasn’t even a moment where I felt the storytelling drag. It kept me constantly on my toes, captive of every written word...
Read the entire review here:http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Thommie
February 11, 2014
Sadly, very disappointing...
You can read our review here
February 26, 2014
These two really know how to handle a dark and gritty storyline, and then leave you with tears as the finish comes. Dystopian fiction makes me think about the future, our future as humanity...and this book really pushed the limits. I loved it!!
July 16, 2017
Seriously dark and dirty but fantastic world building.
February 4, 2014
Very dark, but also sends a powerful message. Full review on booklikes and my blog.
March 14, 2014
Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-king-d...
This was a hard book to get through. I think it took me about five days of picking it up, putting it back down and taking regular breathers for me to finally finish it. The subject matter is what was difficult. I read the blurb and have read these authors before, so I had an idea of what I was getting into by picking it up, I just didn’t realize how difficult it would be to have such content set against such a bleak, depressing futuristic world. I’m not sure if I would even call this a romance, although there was a HEA ending for our main protagonists. There is non consensual sex, dubious consensual sex, torture and sexual slavery. If you have any triggers what so ever, this is not the book for you. If you are venturing into this type of dark erotica for the first time, this might scare you a bit.
The King of Dublin is set in a post apocalyptic, post-plague Ireland. After a virus wipes out most of the population the people left are still trying to figure out how to survive. Darragh Fergus travels to Dublin in the hopes that he can find medicine and bring it back to his village. What he encounters instead are a big group of bullying men who call themselves the King of Dublin’s guards. When he is brought back to the main compound he meets the supposed King. A mad, cruel, sadistic man who seems to have terrorized his way into power. And then he meets his Boy. Darragh is immediately pressed into service, forced to do the King’s bidding, and that means keeping the crazy, loony-toons little man happy. He will do pretty much anything to survive the hell that is Dublin and get the promised medicine back to his family, but that includes murder and rape and harassing a beaten down man who is already being tortured by everyone around him.
Boy, or Ciaran Daly, only traveled to Dublin in the hopes that he and his friends could do what their prominent families in the North refused to, help those in Dublin in need. They began their journey with food, water purification tablets and medicine. All of that was soon lost when their group was discovered by the King of Dublin, a man named Boru, and his men. Now Ciaran is the only one left and his life is nothing but time spent in chains, being degraded by every man around him and being forced to having his body used and abused repeatedly. He is called whore, and slut and bed-slave. He services not only the king, but anyone who the king offers him to. He is passed around, mouth raped, ass raped, and deprived of food and clothes. He says what ever Boru wants him too, does whatever he has to in order to live another day. Then he meets the newcomer named Darragh and he sees a small ray of sunshine.
Darragh arrives in Dublin a naïve, sheltered man, but is soon forced to become someone he never, ever thought he would. He is forced to do things to Ciaran that had me wondering how in the world he would not only forgive himself, but be forgiven. I will admit the first half of this book is so dark and violent that I really wondered how I would get through it. Ciaran is so beaten down both mentally and physically that I thought he could never allow himself to be saved, much less save him self. Despite the violence forced by Boru between them ,there are moments where Darragh and Ciaran connect. Sweet, sensual times where they reach for each other in spite of their surroundings and the threat of being caught, and in those moments I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But damn it, it was hard.
As the second part of the book begins, even with the same terrible backdrop, things do get easier to read. I think because there is a sense that Darragh will do anything to make sure Ciaran survives. If there is any hero in this book it’s him. Underneath his naivety and unschooled ways there lies the heart of a good man who falls in love with Ciaran and never sees him as everyone else does. He only sees the beautiful man who he wants to set free from a terrible life. He does everything he possibly can to do the right thing for Ciaran, even when he knows he will fight him on it. I wondered at Ciaran a few times, questioned his decisions, then decided that he was so defeated and traumatized that there was no rhyme or reason to some of his thoughts and actions. Boru is a true villain. So evil and despicable that I became kind of indifferent to him after a while, almost numb, then I started wondering how this crazy as shit little man even became the King of Dublin. And why hasn’t someone offed him already? No joke.
There is an underlying love story that was kind of remarkable beneath all the violence and bleakness. Just when you think Darragh and Ciaran won’t ever find their way to each other, and the trauma of everything they’ve been through will never allow them to break through their own horror and emotional pain, they have moments of gentleness and compassion. That is why I kept reading. Because I knew that there just had to be something good at the end. And there was. It was small, and this couple weren’t the most lovey-dovey, but they do find a measure of happiness and contentment as they look to what future they might have. Despite the horror and darkness that permeated almost every single thing in this story, there was a sense of hope at the end.
Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau have created a well written, but disturbing post-plague world where survival is the ultimate game and anything goes. If you are a fan of very dark erotica this just might be for you. Final Grade- C
Favorite Quote:
This was a hard book to get through. I think it took me about five days of picking it up, putting it back down and taking regular breathers for me to finally finish it. The subject matter is what was difficult. I read the blurb and have read these authors before, so I had an idea of what I was getting into by picking it up, I just didn’t realize how difficult it would be to have such content set against such a bleak, depressing futuristic world. I’m not sure if I would even call this a romance, although there was a HEA ending for our main protagonists. There is non consensual sex, dubious consensual sex, torture and sexual slavery. If you have any triggers what so ever, this is not the book for you. If you are venturing into this type of dark erotica for the first time, this might scare you a bit.
The King of Dublin is set in a post apocalyptic, post-plague Ireland. After a virus wipes out most of the population the people left are still trying to figure out how to survive. Darragh Fergus travels to Dublin in the hopes that he can find medicine and bring it back to his village. What he encounters instead are a big group of bullying men who call themselves the King of Dublin’s guards. When he is brought back to the main compound he meets the supposed King. A mad, cruel, sadistic man who seems to have terrorized his way into power. And then he meets his Boy. Darragh is immediately pressed into service, forced to do the King’s bidding, and that means keeping the crazy, loony-toons little man happy. He will do pretty much anything to survive the hell that is Dublin and get the promised medicine back to his family, but that includes murder and rape and harassing a beaten down man who is already being tortured by everyone around him.
Boy, or Ciaran Daly, only traveled to Dublin in the hopes that he and his friends could do what their prominent families in the North refused to, help those in Dublin in need. They began their journey with food, water purification tablets and medicine. All of that was soon lost when their group was discovered by the King of Dublin, a man named Boru, and his men. Now Ciaran is the only one left and his life is nothing but time spent in chains, being degraded by every man around him and being forced to having his body used and abused repeatedly. He is called whore, and slut and bed-slave. He services not only the king, but anyone who the king offers him to. He is passed around, mouth raped, ass raped, and deprived of food and clothes. He says what ever Boru wants him too, does whatever he has to in order to live another day. Then he meets the newcomer named Darragh and he sees a small ray of sunshine.
Dublin was a violent, twisted place, a ruined city at war, and at last, Darragh waded right into it. Became a part of it. Finished the transformation he’d begun last night.
Darragh arrives in Dublin a naïve, sheltered man, but is soon forced to become someone he never, ever thought he would. He is forced to do things to Ciaran that had me wondering how in the world he would not only forgive himself, but be forgiven. I will admit the first half of this book is so dark and violent that I really wondered how I would get through it. Ciaran is so beaten down both mentally and physically that I thought he could never allow himself to be saved, much less save him self. Despite the violence forced by Boru between them ,there are moments where Darragh and Ciaran connect. Sweet, sensual times where they reach for each other in spite of their surroundings and the threat of being caught, and in those moments I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But damn it, it was hard.
As the second part of the book begins, even with the same terrible backdrop, things do get easier to read. I think because there is a sense that Darragh will do anything to make sure Ciaran survives. If there is any hero in this book it’s him. Underneath his naivety and unschooled ways there lies the heart of a good man who falls in love with Ciaran and never sees him as everyone else does. He only sees the beautiful man who he wants to set free from a terrible life. He does everything he possibly can to do the right thing for Ciaran, even when he knows he will fight him on it. I wondered at Ciaran a few times, questioned his decisions, then decided that he was so defeated and traumatized that there was no rhyme or reason to some of his thoughts and actions. Boru is a true villain. So evil and despicable that I became kind of indifferent to him after a while, almost numb, then I started wondering how this crazy as shit little man even became the King of Dublin. And why hasn’t someone offed him already? No joke.
There is an underlying love story that was kind of remarkable beneath all the violence and bleakness. Just when you think Darragh and Ciaran won’t ever find their way to each other, and the trauma of everything they’ve been through will never allow them to break through their own horror and emotional pain, they have moments of gentleness and compassion. That is why I kept reading. Because I knew that there just had to be something good at the end. And there was. It was small, and this couple weren’t the most lovey-dovey, but they do find a measure of happiness and contentment as they look to what future they might have. Despite the horror and darkness that permeated almost every single thing in this story, there was a sense of hope at the end.
Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau have created a well written, but disturbing post-plague world where survival is the ultimate game and anything goes. If you are a fan of very dark erotica this just might be for you. Final Grade- C
Favorite Quote:
“The things we do in this place, they’re not the sum of us.
July 29, 2016
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have not received compensation for this review, it's freely given.
This book is set in dystopian world where millions of people have died from a pandemic, the economy has crashed, & the world has become somewhat primitive again. Dublin, Ireland is now ruled by a psychotic self-proclaimed king.
Darragh travels to Dublin seeking medicine to help his village survive another winter where he's detained by the King's men. He's coerced into service of the King with the promise that medicine will be provided before winter arrives.
Ciaran is the King's Treasure, his golden Boy. He's much used & abused by the King, his body given as boons to the King's men for jobs well done. He's drawn to Darragh, but knows that any interactions they have alone are dangerous. But that doesn't keep him from sampling Darragh's gentleness & strength.
All hell breaks loose for the pair when they're found out. They're both sentenced to die by execution if Darragh survives the gladiator-type games the King has forced him to compete in. Ciaran will be executed regardless. His only choice is whether or not the King makes it quick.
The games are interrupted by a rebellion & Darragh injures the King before taking off with Ciaran. While on the lam, the pair develop a bond.
This is a dark story, but the underlying message is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope for love, hope for healing. I definitely recommend it.
This book is set in dystopian world where millions of people have died from a pandemic, the economy has crashed, & the world has become somewhat primitive again. Dublin, Ireland is now ruled by a psychotic self-proclaimed king.
Darragh travels to Dublin seeking medicine to help his village survive another winter where he's detained by the King's men. He's coerced into service of the King with the promise that medicine will be provided before winter arrives.
Ciaran is the King's Treasure, his golden Boy. He's much used & abused by the King, his body given as boons to the King's men for jobs well done. He's drawn to Darragh, but knows that any interactions they have alone are dangerous. But that doesn't keep him from sampling Darragh's gentleness & strength.
All hell breaks loose for the pair when they're found out. They're both sentenced to die by execution if Darragh survives the gladiator-type games the King has forced him to compete in. Ciaran will be executed regardless. His only choice is whether or not the King makes it quick.
The games are interrupted by a rebellion & Darragh injures the King before taking off with Ciaran. While on the lam, the pair develop a bond.
This is a dark story, but the underlying message is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope for love, hope for healing. I definitely recommend it.
December 21, 2014
This was pretty uncomfortable for the first few chapters, but once I got into it I just stayed up all night and finished it, around 5:30 eyes were so blurry, I actually went to my office twisted a 28" dell into portrait so I had 1/2" type? so I became pretty committed to finishing this book,
Pretty tired guess I will need to write a few notes later
Pretty tired guess I will need to write a few notes later
May 27, 2018
4.0 Stars
Oooh, boy. This one was rough.
Not the writing; that was really good, really evocative. It was the content. Well, the first half of the content.
If you like non-con this will be right up your alley. Luckily, the story takes place in a dystopian future Ireland and as such I was able to compartmentalize it or else I'm not sure I'd have gotten through that first half. But it's a totally believable future, one where a mysterious plague wipes out a huge swath of civilization, and a country that was (at the time it was written?) already struggling to keep up financially...focused in a city where the selfish, self-centered toadies abound. Thugs and toughs who rule the streets and maintain access to all of the resources at the whim of a brutal, delusional, self-appointed "king" who they bend over backward to kiss the ass of. So, when they are recognized for their support, they are granted "boons" and typically what they request is the use of the king's "Boy."
The Boy, Ciaran (who is actually in his 20s), came to Dublin with high hopes of helping out the survivors with additional aid and supplies, but his entire volunteer contingent was wiped out, their supplies confiscated, and Ciaran enslaved to the sexual whims of the king. I think what bothered me more than just his subjugation was that he had these lofty goals to actually DO something rather than to sit in luxury in Belfast, the son of a refugee Irish government leader, living on the largess of other countries' assistance but not actually DOING anything to help the people who they left behind, or those who exist in refugee camps across the border. His idealism is a little naive, but fuck, that's the kind of thing we want in our heroes; to see them being brutalized for daring to try was just heart-breaking.
And then we have Darragh, a simple innocent guy who got caught up with this gang of rapists, thieves and killers by accident; he'd only come to Dublin hoping to scavenge for medicine he thought would keep more of the kids back in his village from dying over-winter and ended up one of Ciaran's rapists, against his own will...and Darragh, a virgin, who despite trying to justify his abuse with how he perceived Ciaran's own complicity, his lack of rebellion, his seeming acceptance and revelation in being the king's kept boy, ended up falling in love with Ciaran (after he realized that Ciaran's behavior was basically self-preservation).
We learn a lot about each of these guys and I think that also made the book hard to read. They seemed like average kids, the kind all of us know...but what they are forced to endure? Gah, it seems a likely outcome of a global pandemic or war and I hope, if the future does devolve into this kind of anarchy, that I don't survive to see it.
So, the characterization was amazing, the events horrific and believable...but there were some things that I wish had been better detailed. Like the pandemic. Given the MCs were young when the catastrophe occurred we get their POV and it reads like they aren't sure of the specifics of what caused it. I can understand that from Darragh as he grew up without formal education and no parents (as did most of the village) but Ciaran was well-educated as the son of a politician, and his only refuge, his only real "escape" from his daily/hourly torture was to submerge himself in the plethora of books no one else was bothering to read. I thought, if anything, HE would have elaborated on the cause of all that death. But no. (And OMG the thought of all those books, moldering, rotting or crumbling to dust made me cry a bit. #priorities)
Also, this takes place in Dublin...but it feels like it could have been anywhere. Literally any relatively big city. Well, the places (monuments, streets, buildings etc.) and people names are distinctly Irish, but that's about it. I wish there had been more to connect the story to the setting than just TELLING us that's where it takes place.
Finally, the mood/tone shift from the first half of the book to the second was a bit incongruous. Don't get me wrong, I was happy the raping and beating was (mostly) over. And in a way, the stark difference kind of highlighted just HOW different things were outside of the city. At first I was horrified that Ciaran would even WANT to go back; I understood his reluctance to return to his father, to become a puppet or living martyr that would actually do nothing to help the citizens of Ireland but WOULD make him have to relive all the terrible things he suffered. I thought he was an idiot to run back to the city though. Seriously? Why risk it? Why not just head ANYWHERE else?
And then it it hit me: Ciaran was still Ciaran. He was still a bit idealistic, a bit naive, a bit of a hero...that despite everything he suffered at the hands of that sadistic bastard king, Ciaran wasn't broken. I kind of loved that. (Still thought him an idiot, though.)
I read some reviews where the readers questioned his willingness to hop on Darragh's dick even after all the abuse and that was probably the one thing that didn't faze me; people react differently to trauma and Ciaran chose to deal with his by re-claiming his sexuality. Those men took from him by force; what they did was about POWER, NOT SEX. Ciaran CHOSE to have sex with Darragh that time in the library. He was exerting his own authority over his body, and I can totally see why that would be important to someone who absolutely had no agency otherwise. (That he also turned sex into a way of manipulating Darragh was a bit disappointing, but I can see why he'd leverage the one resource he had in that way if he thought it was all he had to offer.)
As you can tell I feel that this was definitely Ciaran's book. But there was some nice development for Darragh as well. I appreciate his desperate need to get Ciaran back to safety, back to his father, to fulfill the promise he made to their rescuers...but mostly as a salve to his own conscience. He knows he did wrong, even if he too was forced into it, and knows that his uncharitable early opinion of Ciaran was ridiculously off-base, and he wants to make up for those transgressions. Of course, getting some of the needed medicine he'd come to the city for in the first place would be a blessing and he's hoping for that reward, too...even though Ciaran is dead set against going back. It takes some time, but Darragh finally realizes that he can't make Ciaran go and that trying to force him back makes him no better - in at least one way - than those that imprisoned Ciaran in Dublin.
So, yeah, this review is all over the place because my thoughts are all over the place. Sorry? Anywhoo, I knew what I signed up for in reading this because JFC it's Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau; just like they do to their MCs, they're always gonna put the reader through the ringer in some way...and I kinda love them for it.
Oooh, boy. This one was rough.
Not the writing; that was really good, really evocative. It was the content. Well, the first half of the content.
If you like non-con this will be right up your alley. Luckily, the story takes place in a dystopian future Ireland and as such I was able to compartmentalize it or else I'm not sure I'd have gotten through that first half. But it's a totally believable future, one where a mysterious plague wipes out a huge swath of civilization, and a country that was (at the time it was written?) already struggling to keep up financially...focused in a city where the selfish, self-centered toadies abound. Thugs and toughs who rule the streets and maintain access to all of the resources at the whim of a brutal, delusional, self-appointed "king" who they bend over backward to kiss the ass of. So, when they are recognized for their support, they are granted "boons" and typically what they request is the use of the king's "Boy."
The Boy, Ciaran (who is actually in his 20s), came to Dublin with high hopes of helping out the survivors with additional aid and supplies, but his entire volunteer contingent was wiped out, their supplies confiscated, and Ciaran enslaved to the sexual whims of the king. I think what bothered me more than just his subjugation was that he had these lofty goals to actually DO something rather than to sit in luxury in Belfast, the son of a refugee Irish government leader, living on the largess of other countries' assistance but not actually DOING anything to help the people who they left behind, or those who exist in refugee camps across the border. His idealism is a little naive, but fuck, that's the kind of thing we want in our heroes; to see them being brutalized for daring to try was just heart-breaking.
And then we have Darragh, a simple innocent guy who got caught up with this gang of rapists, thieves and killers by accident; he'd only come to Dublin hoping to scavenge for medicine he thought would keep more of the kids back in his village from dying over-winter and ended up one of Ciaran's rapists, against his own will...and Darragh, a virgin, who despite trying to justify his abuse with how he perceived Ciaran's own complicity, his lack of rebellion, his seeming acceptance and revelation in being the king's kept boy, ended up falling in love with Ciaran (after he realized that Ciaran's behavior was basically self-preservation).
We learn a lot about each of these guys and I think that also made the book hard to read. They seemed like average kids, the kind all of us know...but what they are forced to endure? Gah, it seems a likely outcome of a global pandemic or war and I hope, if the future does devolve into this kind of anarchy, that I don't survive to see it.
So, the characterization was amazing, the events horrific and believable...but there were some things that I wish had been better detailed. Like the pandemic. Given the MCs were young when the catastrophe occurred we get their POV and it reads like they aren't sure of the specifics of what caused it. I can understand that from Darragh as he grew up without formal education and no parents (as did most of the village) but Ciaran was well-educated as the son of a politician, and his only refuge, his only real "escape" from his daily/hourly torture was to submerge himself in the plethora of books no one else was bothering to read. I thought, if anything, HE would have elaborated on the cause of all that death. But no. (And OMG the thought of all those books, moldering, rotting or crumbling to dust made me cry a bit. #priorities)
Also, this takes place in Dublin...but it feels like it could have been anywhere. Literally any relatively big city. Well, the places (monuments, streets, buildings etc.) and people names are distinctly Irish, but that's about it. I wish there had been more to connect the story to the setting than just TELLING us that's where it takes place.
Finally, the mood/tone shift from the first half of the book to the second was a bit incongruous. Don't get me wrong, I was happy the raping and beating was (mostly) over. And in a way, the stark difference kind of highlighted just HOW different things were outside of the city. At first I was horrified that Ciaran would even WANT to go back; I understood his reluctance to return to his father, to become a puppet or living martyr that would actually do nothing to help the citizens of Ireland but WOULD make him have to relive all the terrible things he suffered. I thought he was an idiot to run back to the city though. Seriously? Why risk it? Why not just head ANYWHERE else?
And then it it hit me: Ciaran was still Ciaran. He was still a bit idealistic, a bit naive, a bit of a hero...that despite everything he suffered at the hands of that sadistic bastard king, Ciaran wasn't broken. I kind of loved that. (Still thought him an idiot, though.)
I read some reviews where the readers questioned his willingness to hop on Darragh's dick even after all the abuse and that was probably the one thing that didn't faze me; people react differently to trauma and Ciaran chose to deal with his by re-claiming his sexuality. Those men took from him by force; what they did was about POWER, NOT SEX. Ciaran CHOSE to have sex with Darragh that time in the library. He was exerting his own authority over his body, and I can totally see why that would be important to someone who absolutely had no agency otherwise. (That he also turned sex into a way of manipulating Darragh was a bit disappointing, but I can see why he'd leverage the one resource he had in that way if he thought it was all he had to offer.)
As you can tell I feel that this was definitely Ciaran's book. But there was some nice development for Darragh as well. I appreciate his desperate need to get Ciaran back to safety, back to his father, to fulfill the promise he made to their rescuers...but mostly as a salve to his own conscience. He knows he did wrong, even if he too was forced into it, and knows that his uncharitable early opinion of Ciaran was ridiculously off-base, and he wants to make up for those transgressions. Of course, getting some of the needed medicine he'd come to the city for in the first place would be a blessing and he's hoping for that reward, too...even though Ciaran is dead set against going back. It takes some time, but Darragh finally realizes that he can't make Ciaran go and that trying to force him back makes him no better - in at least one way - than those that imprisoned Ciaran in Dublin.
So, yeah, this review is all over the place because my thoughts are all over the place. Sorry? Anywhoo, I knew what I signed up for in reading this because JFC it's Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau; just like they do to their MCs, they're always gonna put the reader through the ringer in some way...and I kinda love them for it.
August 9, 2017
This was brutal - though I expected nothing less. I was very happy with the ending and could see a sequel happening to tie off some ends.
February 15, 2014
I received a free uncorrected copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Despite being almost 400 pages long, I read KING OF DUBLIN in about a night, staying up until five in the morning to finish the book. This novel is dark and gritty and I needed to finish it fast. This book contains hardcore themes like sexual slavery, rape, dub-con, gang rape, humiliation, public sex, loss of virginity, death and graphic violence.
KING OF DUBLIN is set in a apocalyptic Ireland where there is little or no government to speak of. Darragh comes to Dublin to help aide his fellow villagers of Cork but finds that the former capital of Ireland is run by a mad criminal who calls himself the King of Dublin. To keep himself alive and with the promise of the medicine he needs, Darragh becomes one of the King's loyal men, patrolling the borders and keeping the remaining Irish in fear and control of the King. Darragh meets Ciaran and they instantly have an attraction for each other. Only problem is that Ciaran is the King's boy, his person sex slave. But getting close and falling in love can be dangerous under the watchful eye of the King.
The book is set up in two books. Why this is done except that one author did each section, I have no clue. It seems so unneeded. Especially since the story picked up from where it left off from book one and the POV didn't change.
There is a lot of sex in this novel. A LOT. Most of it however, is dub-con or rape. Honestly there is like two or three consensual sex scenes in the entire book. If you are looking for a hot sexy m/m romance, sorry this really isn't it.
Something I thought that is cool is the amount Irish and Gaelic slang there is. I had to look the majority of it up but it was really cool to learn.
The book itself seems clunky. The plot and character structure need work. I felt like I never, even at the end at the novel, got a hold of Darragh or Ciaran, especially Ciaran. I never felt a connection. However, if I had to pick a book boyfriend for KING OF DUBLIN, it would be Darragh. He hit a few of my buttons. I could enjoy him as a book boyfriend because of the relationship between Darragh and Ciaran. Yes, I do think the plot and characters need work, but still enjoyed it.
Despite being almost 400 pages long, I read KING OF DUBLIN in about a night, staying up until five in the morning to finish the book. This novel is dark and gritty and I needed to finish it fast. This book contains hardcore themes like sexual slavery, rape, dub-con, gang rape, humiliation, public sex, loss of virginity, death and graphic violence.
KING OF DUBLIN is set in a apocalyptic Ireland where there is little or no government to speak of. Darragh comes to Dublin to help aide his fellow villagers of Cork but finds that the former capital of Ireland is run by a mad criminal who calls himself the King of Dublin. To keep himself alive and with the promise of the medicine he needs, Darragh becomes one of the King's loyal men, patrolling the borders and keeping the remaining Irish in fear and control of the King. Darragh meets Ciaran and they instantly have an attraction for each other. Only problem is that Ciaran is the King's boy, his person sex slave. But getting close and falling in love can be dangerous under the watchful eye of the King.
The book is set up in two books. Why this is done except that one author did each section, I have no clue. It seems so unneeded. Especially since the story picked up from where it left off from book one and the POV didn't change.
There is a lot of sex in this novel. A LOT. Most of it however, is dub-con or rape. Honestly there is like two or three consensual sex scenes in the entire book. If you are looking for a hot sexy m/m romance, sorry this really isn't it.
Something I thought that is cool is the amount Irish and Gaelic slang there is. I had to look the majority of it up but it was really cool to learn.
The book itself seems clunky. The plot and character structure need work. I felt like I never, even at the end at the novel, got a hold of Darragh or Ciaran, especially Ciaran. I never felt a connection. However, if I had to pick a book boyfriend for KING OF DUBLIN, it would be Darragh. He hit a few of my buttons. I could enjoy him as a book boyfriend because of the relationship between Darragh and Ciaran. Yes, I do think the plot and characters need work, but still enjoyed it.
March 3, 2014
This review was originally published over at Reading Speculative Queer Romance.
It's been a long time since a novel emotionally gutted me like King of Dublin. It's dark, it's bleak, and you are definitely advised to read the associated warnings on the publisher's site.
The novel opens with survivor of the pandemic, Darragh, who has until this point struggled to carve out existence in his small home village with a few other survivors somewhere in the south of Ireland near Cork. But he's left his village on a mission to Dublin. The villagers need medicine to prevent a deadly illness which kills some of them each winter. However, upon entering Dublin, he falls into a hell from which he may never return.
The other hero of this novel is Ciaran Daly. He's been trapped inside the hell that is Dublin for about a year before Darragh arrives. He is also living his own personal hell being abused by the king and his men. Ciaran's situation, his previous optimism, and his down right stubbornness to survive are all painfully drawn and gut wrenching.
The setting is superb and it feels so real.
King of Dublin moved me intensely. Heidi Belleau and Lisa Henry do such an amazing job of painting Darragh and Ciaran as complex people, who are fundamentally trying to survive and trying to be good - two things which often come into conflict. It was emotionally intense to watch these two souls navigate such a dreadful situation.
The finale, however, was worth it. All of Darragh and Ciaran's mistakes, all the ways in which they've hurt and loved each other. Without giving it away, you simply must read it.
This has easily been one of the stand out new releases of this year, for me. King of Dublin is stunning and haunting.
Please do read the trigger warnings on the website before plunging in.
It's been a long time since a novel emotionally gutted me like King of Dublin. It's dark, it's bleak, and you are definitely advised to read the associated warnings on the publisher's site.
The novel opens with survivor of the pandemic, Darragh, who has until this point struggled to carve out existence in his small home village with a few other survivors somewhere in the south of Ireland near Cork. But he's left his village on a mission to Dublin. The villagers need medicine to prevent a deadly illness which kills some of them each winter. However, upon entering Dublin, he falls into a hell from which he may never return.
The other hero of this novel is Ciaran Daly. He's been trapped inside the hell that is Dublin for about a year before Darragh arrives. He is also living his own personal hell being abused by the king and his men. Ciaran's situation, his previous optimism, and his down right stubbornness to survive are all painfully drawn and gut wrenching.
The setting is superb and it feels so real.
King of Dublin moved me intensely. Heidi Belleau and Lisa Henry do such an amazing job of painting Darragh and Ciaran as complex people, who are fundamentally trying to survive and trying to be good - two things which often come into conflict. It was emotionally intense to watch these two souls navigate such a dreadful situation.
The finale, however, was worth it. All of Darragh and Ciaran's mistakes, all the ways in which they've hurt and loved each other. Without giving it away, you simply must read it.
This has easily been one of the stand out new releases of this year, for me. King of Dublin is stunning and haunting.
Please do read the trigger warnings on the website before plunging in.
April 12, 2014
I was so excited for this book - the summary looks fantastic and so, SO interesting! It had all the makings of a story I'd love: m/m romance, apocalyptic, a twisted king... but it just failed to deliver. Don't get me wrong, I read the whole thing. The writing flowed well and so did all the conversation, but the it was incredibly slow. It dragged on for ages and I just got bored. The plot was straightforward, but I think I would've found it a lot more interesting and engaging if the character development was better. Darragh and Ciaran were both so 2D and their characters were told more than shown. Ciaran was constantly referred to as smart, though I think idealistic idiot would be a better description (I'm sorry, that was harsh, I just got very angry when, ah, did that very idealistic/pig-headed thing). And I was sick to death of Darragh being called a 'dumb culchie' - could they think of no other synonym? I was hoping it would go away eventually, but Ciaran KEPT referring to him by that! It was strange. And weird.
And also, what was up with that random flashback to 13 months before? That was absolutely useless and was really the tipping point to me getting a bit cranky with this story. It didn't tell me anything and I already knew everything that had gone on - why was it there?!
Anyway, my overall thoughts are: it has the bare bones of a great book, but missed the mark.
And also, what was up with that random flashback to 13 months before? That was absolutely useless and was really the tipping point to me getting a bit cranky with this story. It didn't tell me anything and I already knew everything that had gone on - why was it there?!
Anyway, my overall thoughts are: it has the bare bones of a great book, but missed the mark.
October 10, 2014
I really don't have to think twice about giving this five stars. I could barely put it down and it was truly an emotional rollercoaster for me - that ended with me wearing a silly, happy smile. I would have hugged and kissed my kindle if I wasn't so paranoid about getting smudges on the screen. ;P
That being said, the story was perfect for me, but certainly not for everyone. It's very dark and cruel at times, and there's a lot of non-con going on that will make you shudder and squirm (at least it made me shudder and squirm and go 'nonononono'). There are also other tear-jerking, heart-breaking moments. Like I said: emotional rollercoaster. But in a good way.
I loved the characters, especially the main characters. They were very three-dimensional and the romance in this book is certainly no insta-love. There's lots of ups and downs before the boys get their happy ending
That being said, the story was perfect for me, but certainly not for everyone. It's very dark and cruel at times, and there's a lot of non-con going on that will make you shudder and squirm (at least it made me shudder and squirm and go 'nonononono'). There are also other tear-jerking, heart-breaking moments. Like I said: emotional rollercoaster. But in a good way.
I loved the characters, especially the main characters. They were very three-dimensional and the romance in this book is certainly no insta-love. There's lots of ups and downs before the boys get their happy ending
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