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Soulless
A Man of Science
Nicholas Robinson is a chemist decades ahead of his time. Crippled by a riding accident and embittered by his injuries, he shuns the world, focusing on his laboratory and experiments. But when the sale of his country estate, Grantley, leads to an encounter with a vampire, Nicholas realizes there is more in heaven and earth than he ever dreamed possible.
A Creature of Darkness
Although three hundred years old, Bancroft Ulwin is young by supernatural standards. Enslaved by his cruel, deformed maker, Ban is forbidden from relations with mortal men unless it ends in death. But his liaison with Nicholas, expressly against his master’s wishes, soon expands beyond mere lust to something more.
A Love Predestined
Long ago while still mortal, Ban met Serafino, the only true love of his life. When death separated them, Ban accepted his role as an enemy of human kind. But as he comes to suspect Nicholas is Serafino reincarnated, Ban begins to question everything he once believed. Including his own damnation.
Nicholas Robinson is a chemist decades ahead of his time. Crippled by a riding accident and embittered by his injuries, he shuns the world, focusing on his laboratory and experiments. But when the sale of his country estate, Grantley, leads to an encounter with a vampire, Nicholas realizes there is more in heaven and earth than he ever dreamed possible.
A Creature of Darkness
Although three hundred years old, Bancroft Ulwin is young by supernatural standards. Enslaved by his cruel, deformed maker, Ban is forbidden from relations with mortal men unless it ends in death. But his liaison with Nicholas, expressly against his master’s wishes, soon expands beyond mere lust to something more.
A Love Predestined
Long ago while still mortal, Ban met Serafino, the only true love of his life. When death separated them, Ban accepted his role as an enemy of human kind. But as he comes to suspect Nicholas is Serafino reincarnated, Ban begins to question everything he once believed. Including his own damnation.
438 pages, ebook
First published July 28, 2013
34 people are currently reading
1284 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
August 20, 2013
*4.5 STARS which I just have to be round up*
Totally WOWED and utterly impressed... just exquisite! Sometimes, you pick up a book and begin to read and in the first few lines you realise you are in for a treat, I found myself wanting to absorb each and every word T.Baggins had so carefully, and what seemed to me lovingly laid out for us in this book… Soulless.
Soulless is a book on a whole other level… the writing is in the Old English formal style but it struck a chord with me and just made me want to sing I was so excited! It’s an intelligent read with so much going on, the descriptive prose… beautiful, evoking vivid imagery in my mind, some of it not pretty in the least… in fact its gory and painful to watch at times with an authentic historical feel to it… It felt like watching a high budget Hollywood movie, with a dark, eerie, haunting atmosphere… horrific, but with a refreshingly different take on the usual Vampire myth, with comical moments that I’m not even sure if they were supposed to be, but tickled me anyway and had me laughing… as well as the banter that both men seemed so fond of.
Even though my dark and depraved mind got a good and proper fix of blood and gore, with some tortuous scenes that even had my stomach turning, it’s not the main body of the book, it is a romance, and as it happens, one that spans lifetimes, a true love story and an emotional journey for our two MC’s Nicholas and Ban. It delves deep into the damaged souls of these two characters, both consumed by anger and resentment… full of self-loathing, they are starved of love and the human touch and compassion that goes with it and neither of them are particularly nice characters when we first meet them, with absolutely no concern as to how the world perceives them and even less for themselves.
Nicholas Robinson is a man of science, brilliant but cynical and disillusioned with life after a riding accident left him crippled, castrated and abandoned by a wife that could no longer bear to look at him never mind touch him. Now disgusted with his deformity and in constant pain from his injury his only solace comes from a bottle… and, what little satisfaction he gleans from his rude and antagonising behaviour, something he feels entitled to because of his disability and justifies it to himself.
Enter Bancroft Ulwin… one very HOT, tall, dark and handsome 300 plus year old Vampire, extremely dangerous, with an air of control and an arrogance that screams power but he is also a slave to a Master that controls his every move. Something that fills him with anger and disgust at his weakness. Ban is also consumed by guilt for the blood lust that overtakes him turning him into a monster that kills to survive… so for 300 years he has behaved like the soulless creature he perceives himself to be, knowing no different, having been cleverly manipulated by the evil SOB Sebastian who as an “old one” has far more power and quite frankly is just one evil sick fuck! We learn Bans past through flashbacks, moments of contemplation when we see the real Ban and the man he had once been… carefree, confident and cocky, a man who fell in love with a travelling Fire Eater and then saw his future destroyed at the hands of evil itself.
These two men are in turmoil, conflicted, yet we see them set aside their insecurities and trust what’s in their hearts. Nicholas against his better judgement sees Ban not as a soulless monster but a man who despite himself is more than the sum of his past and the master who made him. Ban had been controlled by fear of pain only now we see Ban in fear of his emotions… and in fear for someone else other than himself. Ban also doesn’t see a cripple or a man disfigured, to him Nicholas is beautiful and T. Baggins does an exceptional job of making the sex passionate, sensual and erotic, despite Nicholas’s deformity… and seeing Nichola's desire… bringing to life something inside him he thought had died and both of them realising they are worthy and see their love reciprocated was just beautiful.
This world T. Baggins has created had me fascinated and intrigued, I was as enthralled as one of Ban’s victims. With the vampires, witches and the wise, it was mystical… the reincarnation of Serafino in Nicholas, the man Ban had loved centuries before and how that love had never died had my heart fit to bursting. The secondary characters also had huge personalities of their own and they too brought the pages to life. My favourite though was Nicholas's Grandmother, one of the wise and a witch, a fountain of knowledge and a woman not to be messed with despite being in her eighties, I could gladly have pulled up a chair and sat listening to her.
So I have waxed lyrical and effused at just how wonderful this tale and Ms Baggins writing is and what a wondrous and fascinating journey it was… but, there was one thing that just didn’t sit right and that was Martha, as a character I loved her, she is funny, smart, fearless and protective of those she loves, even as a child of fourteen when we meet her… she is also asexual and what transpires at the end, didn’t make sense to me somehow!
Regardless this is EXCELLENT and a MUST READ!!!
Totally WOWED and utterly impressed... just exquisite! Sometimes, you pick up a book and begin to read and in the first few lines you realise you are in for a treat, I found myself wanting to absorb each and every word T.Baggins had so carefully, and what seemed to me lovingly laid out for us in this book… Soulless.
Soulless is a book on a whole other level… the writing is in the Old English formal style but it struck a chord with me and just made me want to sing I was so excited! It’s an intelligent read with so much going on, the descriptive prose… beautiful, evoking vivid imagery in my mind, some of it not pretty in the least… in fact its gory and painful to watch at times with an authentic historical feel to it… It felt like watching a high budget Hollywood movie, with a dark, eerie, haunting atmosphere… horrific, but with a refreshingly different take on the usual Vampire myth, with comical moments that I’m not even sure if they were supposed to be, but tickled me anyway and had me laughing… as well as the banter that both men seemed so fond of.
Even though my dark and depraved mind got a good and proper fix of blood and gore, with some tortuous scenes that even had my stomach turning, it’s not the main body of the book, it is a romance, and as it happens, one that spans lifetimes, a true love story and an emotional journey for our two MC’s Nicholas and Ban. It delves deep into the damaged souls of these two characters, both consumed by anger and resentment… full of self-loathing, they are starved of love and the human touch and compassion that goes with it and neither of them are particularly nice characters when we first meet them, with absolutely no concern as to how the world perceives them and even less for themselves.
Nicholas Robinson is a man of science, brilliant but cynical and disillusioned with life after a riding accident left him crippled, castrated and abandoned by a wife that could no longer bear to look at him never mind touch him. Now disgusted with his deformity and in constant pain from his injury his only solace comes from a bottle… and, what little satisfaction he gleans from his rude and antagonising behaviour, something he feels entitled to because of his disability and justifies it to himself.
His stomach twisted with fear, not a visceral terror of Ban but a far deeper terror of himself, what he might let himself feel, what he might let himself do. Ban's mouth slid down, tracing Nicholas's jawline with his tongue, and Nicholas moaned. He was lost. Yes, he was utterly lost, and the realisation was pure, piercing relief.
Enter Bancroft Ulwin… one very HOT, tall, dark and handsome 300 plus year old Vampire, extremely dangerous, with an air of control and an arrogance that screams power but he is also a slave to a Master that controls his every move. Something that fills him with anger and disgust at his weakness. Ban is also consumed by guilt for the blood lust that overtakes him turning him into a monster that kills to survive… so for 300 years he has behaved like the soulless creature he perceives himself to be, knowing no different, having been cleverly manipulated by the evil SOB Sebastian who as an “old one” has far more power and quite frankly is just one evil sick fuck! We learn Bans past through flashbacks, moments of contemplation when we see the real Ban and the man he had once been… carefree, confident and cocky, a man who fell in love with a travelling Fire Eater and then saw his future destroyed at the hands of evil itself.
Nicholas was a simmering beauty, all the hotter because of the rage and bitterness. Neither illness nor blade nor mischance could erase masculinity. And Ban knew from his time in the Eastern pleasure houses, a eunuch's mouth could fasten around a cock as avidly as a whole man's. What else mattered?
These two men are in turmoil, conflicted, yet we see them set aside their insecurities and trust what’s in their hearts. Nicholas against his better judgement sees Ban not as a soulless monster but a man who despite himself is more than the sum of his past and the master who made him. Ban had been controlled by fear of pain only now we see Ban in fear of his emotions… and in fear for someone else other than himself. Ban also doesn’t see a cripple or a man disfigured, to him Nicholas is beautiful and T. Baggins does an exceptional job of making the sex passionate, sensual and erotic, despite Nicholas’s deformity… and seeing Nichola's desire… bringing to life something inside him he thought had died and both of them realising they are worthy and see their love reciprocated was just beautiful.
"I could do this forever," Nicholas heard himself say. "I could starve to death, die of thirst, yet never stop kissing you. Never stop touching you."
This world T. Baggins has created had me fascinated and intrigued, I was as enthralled as one of Ban’s victims. With the vampires, witches and the wise, it was mystical… the reincarnation of Serafino in Nicholas, the man Ban had loved centuries before and how that love had never died had my heart fit to bursting. The secondary characters also had huge personalities of their own and they too brought the pages to life. My favourite though was Nicholas's Grandmother, one of the wise and a witch, a fountain of knowledge and a woman not to be messed with despite being in her eighties, I could gladly have pulled up a chair and sat listening to her.
So I have waxed lyrical and effused at just how wonderful this tale and Ms Baggins writing is and what a wondrous and fascinating journey it was… but, there was one thing that just didn’t sit right and that was Martha, as a character I loved her, she is funny, smart, fearless and protective of those she loves, even as a child of fourteen when we meet her… she is also asexual and what transpires at the end, didn’t make sense to me somehow!
Regardless this is EXCELLENT and a MUST READ!!!
April 29, 2014
3.5 stars. Marketing lessons: when choosing a business name, or an author pseudonym for that matter, make sure it's memorable and fits with what you are trying to achieve. Well, Ms. T. Baggins certainly got 1 out of 2 right, didn't she? :D
If I can give my not so humble opinion though, I think it's a bit unfortunate that an author who writes books that demand to be taken seriously, opted for a name that I associate with penis pranks. That, in combination with the 2 hastily thrown together 'fried chicken' style torsos on the cover, made me anything but eager to give Soulless a shot. Luckily there's always the power of GRamazon and gushing friends... so here I am.
Talk about not judging a book by its cover! Soulless is very much a historical vampire story in the tradition of Anne Rice's work. Not that I've read anything else by Rice than Interview with the Vampire (and I did so a long time ago). But I do recall its gloomy atmosphere, sense of impending doom and thick plot. In Soulless too, these elements are present and preserved throughout the story. AND....its vampires are merciless, thirsty creatures who violently kill innocents and greedily drain them of their blood. The RELIEF, FOLKS! The relief after all those Maybelline lipstick abusing weaklings living on a diet of mice.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For Soulless had me at..*cough*...'castration'. You see, Nicholas Robinson, the lord of the manor Grantley, was trampled by a horse several years ago. The accident has turned the charismatic man into a bitter, divorced and limping eunuch. He hardly leaves his estate anymore.. so this is where the handsome Bancroft Ulwin visits him to make him an offer: not only does he wants Nicholas to sign over Grantley, he tries to seduce him in the process. Almost succeeds too, until he is being outed as a vampire and chased away.
Alas! To save an innocent girl's life, Nicholas is forced into making a deal with the undead creature after all... and finds that Ban wants all of him.
As if the fact that we have a MC who is also a eunuch isn’t interesting enough, this book is like one of those epic saga’s. In pleasantly formal British, the author takes you on an occultism filled adventure that – although there’s a whopping 280 pages – hardly loses steam. Even the flashbacks (often a dreadful affair) were manageable. Something else I really appreciated was that the romance wasn’t the only ingredient or spiraled into sappiness. And yet love is not only an integral part of Soulless, it’s the sole reason for the wheel of time to keep on turning and for throwing Nicholas and Ban together, life after life. So if Ban will be able to control his violent vampire urges...it will ultimately come down to this question: do these two men have a chance when fighting their enemy or will torture and death rip them apart once again?
I did have a few minor issues that I will mention anyway....
I felt that there was a little too much chatter-boxing going on between characters at times.. Instead, I would have preferred more fleshed-out MCs. Taking the grandness of the overall storyline into account, the love scenes should have gotten more attention too. They weren’t intense and descriptive enough for me. I guess I had expected an erotic cocktail of lust, blood, scents, danger and emotions. But I almost forgot there was a vampire involved in the sexing – not good! Finally, poor Martha: that was such an unfortunate spin to her story.
Still, a bloody good story. These vampires may not have fangs, Soulless definitely has bite!
If I can give my not so humble opinion though, I think it's a bit unfortunate that an author who writes books that demand to be taken seriously, opted for a name that I associate with penis pranks. That, in combination with the 2 hastily thrown together 'fried chicken' style torsos on the cover, made me anything but eager to give Soulless a shot. Luckily there's always the power of GRamazon and gushing friends... so here I am.
Talk about not judging a book by its cover! Soulless is very much a historical vampire story in the tradition of Anne Rice's work. Not that I've read anything else by Rice than Interview with the Vampire (and I did so a long time ago). But I do recall its gloomy atmosphere, sense of impending doom and thick plot. In Soulless too, these elements are present and preserved throughout the story. AND....its vampires are merciless, thirsty creatures who violently kill innocents and greedily drain them of their blood. The RELIEF, FOLKS! The relief after all those Maybelline lipstick abusing weaklings living on a diet of mice.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For Soulless had me at..*cough*...'castration'. You see, Nicholas Robinson, the lord of the manor Grantley, was trampled by a horse several years ago. The accident has turned the charismatic man into a bitter, divorced and limping eunuch. He hardly leaves his estate anymore.. so this is where the handsome Bancroft Ulwin visits him to make him an offer: not only does he wants Nicholas to sign over Grantley, he tries to seduce him in the process. Almost succeeds too, until he is being outed as a vampire and chased away.
Alas! To save an innocent girl's life, Nicholas is forced into making a deal with the undead creature after all... and finds that Ban wants all of him.
It meant nothing to Ban that the man was a eunuch. Nicholas was a simmering beauty, all the hotter because of his rage and bitterness. Neither illness nor blade nor mischance could erase masculinity.
As if the fact that we have a MC who is also a eunuch isn’t interesting enough, this book is like one of those epic saga’s. In pleasantly formal British, the author takes you on an occultism filled adventure that – although there’s a whopping 280 pages – hardly loses steam. Even the flashbacks (often a dreadful affair) were manageable. Something else I really appreciated was that the romance wasn’t the only ingredient or spiraled into sappiness. And yet love is not only an integral part of Soulless, it’s the sole reason for the wheel of time to keep on turning and for throwing Nicholas and Ban together, life after life. So if Ban will be able to control his violent vampire urges...it will ultimately come down to this question: do these two men have a chance when fighting their enemy or will torture and death rip them apart once again?
I did have a few minor issues that I will mention anyway....
I felt that there was a little too much chatter-boxing going on between characters at times.. Instead, I would have preferred more fleshed-out MCs. Taking the grandness of the overall storyline into account, the love scenes should have gotten more attention too. They weren’t intense and descriptive enough for me. I guess I had expected an erotic cocktail of lust, blood, scents, danger and emotions. But I almost forgot there was a vampire involved in the sexing – not good! Finally, poor Martha: that was such an unfortunate spin to her story.
Still, a bloody good story. These vampires may not have fangs, Soulless definitely has bite!
July 31, 2013
OMG, you guys. Remember when vampires were actually scary? And not pretty? Remember when they were properly creepy dead things? T. Baggins does!
Okay, so Ban is not ugly. Except when he's being tortured by his maker, Sebastian, who is ugly, because of a whole fire issue several centuries ago. But Ban is scary. Not as scary as Sebastian though, who made me read this book with the lights on. Sebastian is proper horror grotesque.
Sebastian is in town to try and buy a manor house, and Ban acts as his agent, since Sebastian is currently doing that whole gross animated-corpse thing while he heals from his burns. It's through this that Ban meets Nicholas, a man who, thanks to a nasty accident considers himself only half a man. I have to admit, at this point I figured Ban's smoking-hot-but-evil-sexiness would cure all Nicholas's injuries, but...gasp...it didn't! Certainly Nicholas isn't as incapacitated as even he thinks, but there is no magic fix.
And I should probably point out here that the torture scenes in this, and the death scenes, are...um...very detailed. Which I didn't mind, but that goes back to my love of horror. YMMV.
The historical setting was great, in all its smelly glory. I do love it when historical settings aren't made sterile. Guess what? In the past, people used chamberpots, and dogs pissed on the floor, and life was kind of filthy, by many of our modern standards. And that's all here!
Okay, so I liked the horror and the filth. What I also liked was the love story. Or love stories, since Ban's dead lover Serafino plays such an integral part, not only in influencing Ban's behaviour, but...well, you'll have to read it to find out.
I took a star off for the ending. While I liked how But I did enjoy the resolution of the love story, and the last lines were wonderful.
If you're sick of shiny, sterile, straight-out-of-a-fashion-magazine vampires, then this may just be the book for you.
But, talking of perfect half-clothed models, what's with this cover? It didn't say historical setting to me (in a thumbnail, that jacket really doesn't stand out), which meant I was pleasantly surprised. Anyone who doesn't like historical settings might be less impressed, though.
Okay, so Ban is not ugly. Except when he's being tortured by his maker, Sebastian, who is ugly, because of a whole fire issue several centuries ago. But Ban is scary. Not as scary as Sebastian though, who made me read this book with the lights on. Sebastian is proper horror grotesque.
Sebastian is in town to try and buy a manor house, and Ban acts as his agent, since Sebastian is currently doing that whole gross animated-corpse thing while he heals from his burns. It's through this that Ban meets Nicholas, a man who, thanks to a nasty accident considers himself only half a man. I have to admit, at this point I figured Ban's smoking-hot-but-evil-sexiness would cure all Nicholas's injuries, but...gasp...it didn't! Certainly Nicholas isn't as incapacitated as even he thinks, but there is no magic fix.
And I should probably point out here that the torture scenes in this, and the death scenes, are...um...very detailed. Which I didn't mind, but that goes back to my love of horror. YMMV.
The historical setting was great, in all its smelly glory. I do love it when historical settings aren't made sterile. Guess what? In the past, people used chamberpots, and dogs pissed on the floor, and life was kind of filthy, by many of our modern standards. And that's all here!
Okay, so I liked the horror and the filth. What I also liked was the love story. Or love stories, since Ban's dead lover Serafino plays such an integral part, not only in influencing Ban's behaviour, but...well, you'll have to read it to find out.
I took a star off for the ending. While I liked how But I did enjoy the resolution of the love story, and the last lines were wonderful.
If you're sick of shiny, sterile, straight-out-of-a-fashion-magazine vampires, then this may just be the book for you.
But, talking of perfect half-clothed models, what's with this cover? It didn't say historical setting to me (in a thumbnail, that jacket really doesn't stand out), which meant I was pleasantly surprised. Anyone who doesn't like historical settings might be less impressed, though.
Want to read
May 28, 2015HOLY CRAP! Everyone grab this because it is FREE today, 5/28/15!
July 17, 2014
Clever! And now I need some time before I review this.
ETA: Time to review, which I'll start off saying I received this copy from the author, as she wanted my honest opinion.
4.75* which easily rounds up to 5*
I'll put the niggles first, there were two minor anachronisms, which my inner editor isn't able to ignore entirely. They are the reason why it's just 4.75 and not 5 out of the box:
The monicker "kerosene" was coined ~1850 with its industrial invention and mass usage, 70 years later. The term "alpha" for anything but the more literal "the beginning", particularly for use in ranking, be it humans or animals, began being used only in the mid-20th-century.
I'm certain a specialist editor for historical content would have caught these. Else the book was clean, I found no typos or homonyms or other problems of the technical side and the author's prose, like so far every time, was easy, fluid, engaging and elegant. It's so nice being able to say this, because it's a relief and very rare.
Sooooo, with that to the meat! Be aware from here onwards there are MINOR SPOILERS (I spoiler-tagged the big one)!
~~~spoilershed~~~
I was enormously impressed by this book, and not a little envious.
First important thing: THIS IS NOT AT ALL FLUFFY! No glittering, virginal vampires here like in Stefenie Meyer's books, no eternal cutesy teens or twens as in Buffy. Emphatically NO! You get bitter, harsh, sadistic monsters, and even the "good" ones have no conscience and would kill at the drop of a hat. You get fanatics to whom a human life is nothing, and Eros is back in the gore as well! This is as close to the best of the original tales as please. To me it felt like a cross of Dracula and Interview with the Vampire
The second thing a reader will have to know is that Nicholas is an eunuch, and one so brilliantly written that the sex scenes, especially the early ones, sent me for a while to the bunk, so to speak. They sizzled, and that's not something I say easily, as those who regularly read my reviews will know! T. Baggins has the gift of writing awkward, first-time, painful or chagrined sex with such a blatantly discomfort-hungry stare that it sets me on fire, and as I happen to know others like me, who enjoy torturous moments.
The torture, ah, the torture! T. Baggins knows how to write this, and it's darker than dark. I started drooling the moment I realised she would be making use of the indestructible paintoy, who would perforce put himself back together regardless how much he was hurt. And gloriously it was written realistically, quite unlike Bloodraven, which was both unemotional, telling more than showing, giving no insight into what was happening. Not so here! Some of the images the author conjures here were... wonderfully depraved and exciting! Horrific in the classic sense, taking me effortlessly back to the serious frissons I suffered as a child when watching horror movies too much for me.
The people were no less compelling. Lovely Nicholas, so broken, so devoid of hope, somber Bancroft, touching in his quest for his soul, yet icy cold else at times. Martha, who I loved dearly the first time I met her, a female so well-written as to not so easily be found in m/m. In fact all the females in this book where very real, written with such compassion, knowledge and goodwill, that they make this a completely different reading experience from the majority of m/m romances: wholesome, not angry at women, not misogynic. And Sebastian, well, Sebastian was frightening. Just as I would expect the villain to be. Frightening.
The tale itself is complicated, so a reader starting on this journey here should not expect to get the usual shallow romance fare. Don't skip what you may initially just think is exposition or background info! It's important you take it as what it is: a story taking place in several different eras! If you aren't willing to engage with a story which takes you through a few real twists and turns, then this book may not be for you. I was overjoyed to be intellectually challenged in an m/m romance, and that without it being pretentious.
Lastly, the spin on vampires here is not unheard of, but it comes together in a totally own and nicely working manner, which even explains some esoteric lore and conventions about the species. The author creates her own world of vampires, goes about it in a really clever way, especially how she juxtaposes it with Nicholas utter faith in science, and the showdown had me on the edge of my chair. For those in doubt, there's even a HEA/HFN, though I could also have done with a more bittersweet ending ()
This was a wonderful book to read: clever, twisted, horrific, deeply erotic, laden with torture of the mind and the body (though not drowned with it, a mistake so many authors make!) and a eunuch, damn, a wonderfully written eunuch!
Recced for anyone with my predilections! Not for the feeble of heart. This packs a real punch.
ETA: Time to review, which I'll start off saying I received this copy from the author, as she wanted my honest opinion.
4.75* which easily rounds up to 5*
I'll put the niggles first, there were two minor anachronisms, which my inner editor isn't able to ignore entirely. They are the reason why it's just 4.75 and not 5 out of the box:
The monicker "kerosene" was coined ~1850 with its industrial invention and mass usage, 70 years later. The term "alpha" for anything but the more literal "the beginning", particularly for use in ranking, be it humans or animals, began being used only in the mid-20th-century.
I'm certain a specialist editor for historical content would have caught these. Else the book was clean, I found no typos or homonyms or other problems of the technical side and the author's prose, like so far every time, was easy, fluid, engaging and elegant. It's so nice being able to say this, because it's a relief and very rare.
Sooooo, with that to the meat! Be aware from here onwards there are MINOR SPOILERS (I spoiler-tagged the big one)!
~~~spoilershed~~~
I was enormously impressed by this book, and not a little envious.
First important thing: THIS IS NOT AT ALL FLUFFY! No glittering, virginal vampires here like in Stefenie Meyer's books, no eternal cutesy teens or twens as in Buffy. Emphatically NO! You get bitter, harsh, sadistic monsters, and even the "good" ones have no conscience and would kill at the drop of a hat. You get fanatics to whom a human life is nothing, and Eros is back in the gore as well! This is as close to the best of the original tales as please. To me it felt like a cross of Dracula and Interview with the Vampire
The second thing a reader will have to know is that Nicholas is an eunuch, and one so brilliantly written that the sex scenes, especially the early ones, sent me for a while to the bunk, so to speak. They sizzled, and that's not something I say easily, as those who regularly read my reviews will know! T. Baggins has the gift of writing awkward, first-time, painful or chagrined sex with such a blatantly discomfort-hungry stare that it sets me on fire, and as I happen to know others like me, who enjoy torturous moments.
The torture, ah, the torture! T. Baggins knows how to write this, and it's darker than dark. I started drooling the moment I realised she would be making use of the indestructible paintoy, who would perforce put himself back together regardless how much he was hurt. And gloriously it was written realistically, quite unlike Bloodraven, which was both unemotional, telling more than showing, giving no insight into what was happening. Not so here! Some of the images the author conjures here were... wonderfully depraved and exciting! Horrific in the classic sense, taking me effortlessly back to the serious frissons I suffered as a child when watching horror movies too much for me.
The people were no less compelling. Lovely Nicholas, so broken, so devoid of hope, somber Bancroft, touching in his quest for his soul, yet icy cold else at times. Martha, who I loved dearly the first time I met her, a female so well-written as to not so easily be found in m/m. In fact all the females in this book where very real, written with such compassion, knowledge and goodwill, that they make this a completely different reading experience from the majority of m/m romances: wholesome, not angry at women, not misogynic. And Sebastian, well, Sebastian was frightening. Just as I would expect the villain to be. Frightening.
The tale itself is complicated, so a reader starting on this journey here should not expect to get the usual shallow romance fare. Don't skip what you may initially just think is exposition or background info! It's important you take it as what it is: a story taking place in several different eras! If you aren't willing to engage with a story which takes you through a few real twists and turns, then this book may not be for you. I was overjoyed to be intellectually challenged in an m/m romance, and that without it being pretentious.
Lastly, the spin on vampires here is not unheard of, but it comes together in a totally own and nicely working manner, which even explains some esoteric lore and conventions about the species. The author creates her own world of vampires, goes about it in a really clever way, especially how she juxtaposes it with Nicholas utter faith in science, and the showdown had me on the edge of my chair. For those in doubt, there's even a HEA/HFN, though I could also have done with a more bittersweet ending ()
This was a wonderful book to read: clever, twisted, horrific, deeply erotic, laden with torture of the mind and the body (though not drowned with it, a mistake so many authors make!) and a eunuch, damn, a wonderfully written eunuch!
Recced for anyone with my predilections! Not for the feeble of heart. This packs a real punch.
January 8, 2015
FIVE STARS for Outstanding Writing
I felt like I have just watched an amazing and beautifully crafted vampire blockbuster on the big screen. In fact, this is how I felt throughout my reading. It was like I am watching a movie instead of reading. The pace, tension and tone was perfect even for the big screen. How I wish it's a film.
The characters are alive, dynamic and very real to me. Nicholas, Bancroft, Grand-Mamma, Martha, Dr. Flowers and his nephew is living, breathing and walking this earth somewhere. That's an example how strong the characters' presence are in this book. So real they at times reminds me of people I know.
THE CHARACTERS:
The two MCs has such contrasting personality, the suave Bancroft aka Ban was so perfect on the outside yet flawed and weak on the inside, so very unlike beautiful Nicholas aka Nicky who's so damaged and flawed on the outside yet stronger than any immortal beings on the inside. Nicky was righteous and courageous while Ban was corrupted and cowardly. Why would I say so? It's because...
Ban is a rather selfish being and would only make exception for Nicky but no one else. Make no mistake that he is evil and care for no one but his Nicky.
Ban had often fantasized about taking a human pet. Keeping him bound hand and foot, bleeding him slow and making him last for days, even weeks.
- Evil yet I still find him so sensual and alluring. He's such a sexy monster. It's a girls-likes-bad-boys thing.
Another reason why I adore Ban is his dirty sex talk. He had it down to the pat.
"But I'm safe from you. I have nothing to offer."
Ulwin grinned, animal in the depths of his eyes. "Do you not? I see one warm, wet hole between red lips. Wouldn't you love to taste my cock? Welcome it with your tongue?"
Nicholas gasped. He was dreaming. Dreaming....
"After that, I'll put you on your belly." Ban's long, cool fingers played over Nicholas's hand in a delicate yet startlingly intimate fashion. "Grease my staff and plow between your cheeks. Tell me the truth. Has any man filled you?"
"No," Nicholas whispered.
"I'm quite large." Ban's mouth found Nicholas's ear, his tongue tracing the lobe wetly, obscenely.
"You'll scream before I'm done. Scream and pray for release."
Nicholas tried to order Ulwin out, to condemn such filth with every fiber of his being. Instead he lifted his chin. Awaiting the kiss he feared he couldn't deny, he shivered when Ulwin cupped his face with both hands.
"Mind you... I fear my backside will ache for hours to come."
Ban raised up on his elbow for a peek. "Ah. Yes. Cream trickling from delicate Italian pastry."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, if English law requires proof seed was transmitted, your arse condemns you."
"God damn you." Serafino started to rise.
"No, don't stir, I beg you." Ban held the mortal's shoulders as firmly as he dared. "It's lovely. The loveliest sight I've ever seen. In fact...."
- Ban's such a cheeky one and I like him all the more for it.
"No doubt. But did you enjoy that finger up your arse?"
Blushing, Nicholas kissed Ban again.
"Because I'm longing to press something up your arse. Long and stiff, yet gentle."
Oh, and Nicky can be a rather kinky one....
Transfixed, Nicholas had a sudden vision of himself: stripped to the waist, flesh cut in dozens of places, rivulets of blood decorating his cheeks, biceps, nipples. Offering himself as a feast, an unfolding banquet for all Ban's senses....
- Hhmm... I approved.
Sebastian the master and creator of Ban is a true sadist who achieves his sexual heights by inflicting untold pain and sufferings towards others especially his unfavored fledgling, Ban. To him, Ban is just a pretty face, a lowly peasant boy with inferior intelligence. A servant bound eternally to him to do his bidding and serves his needs.
The tortures Ban faced under his Master's tyranny was of unspeakable horror. Eventhough he would heal from the bodily wounds perfectly, his soul was forever wretched and corrupted by the fear and hatred towards his maker. It's a wonder how Ban could have survived for centuries together with his Master when to me, his existence was nothing short of hell-on-earth. A fire would have been a bless oblivion to end his misery.
Sometime in the wee hours, after the clock struck three, Ban managed to drag himself upstairs on hands and knees. After expending such effort, climbing into his bed seemed impossible, so he lay under it, curled into a ball. And there he slept, and did not sleep, and wept a little, keeping his hand pressed in his mouth to be certain no one heard.
- This was after his horrific punishment with the 'Phallus' which was in fact a thick oaken table leg used not to bash him with but to turn his innards to pulp. Sebastian is a very inventive bastard when it comes to torturing Ban.
There are two side characters which I liked very much. Both are strong willed woman and a tad eccentric. Grand-Mamma, Mrs. Parthenia Jane Robinson is such a fascinating and mysterious wise old woman. She is quick-witted and has a pretty sharp tongue. Somehow, she made me miss my late-grandmama which I loved dearly. Martha on the other hand is quite the little Einstein and a peculiar young woman. Sometimes the things she says makes me question if she has any social communication disorder like Asperger? Lol. Mind you, she does says the darnedest things.
"What do you mean by love? You mean, you want to stick your cock in me?" Martha asked.
THE VAMPIRES (the term used here was Vârkolak):
I have enjoyed reading this author's brand of vampires. They are superior, intimidating and evil, yet they are somewhat vulnerable and not entirely immortal or indestructible. Fire is their biggest weakness even the Sun failed to compete with - quite the opposite of Anne Rice's vampires.
Ms. Baggins' vampires has an interesting twist to its origins which differs much from Rice's vampires that has an ancient Egyptian root. I was pleasantly surprised by it. I would say it's a nice touch indeed.
Another point of interest is that Ms. Baggins' vamps does not have fangs. I am unsure if I like this missing attribute as I have always find them to be sexier with a set of keen pointed tooth and it is a defining characteristics of a vampire although they are some in other stories depicted without it too. I particularly like retractable ones. If you have watched Byzantium (2012) one of the latest vampire film, you would have noticed that the vampires in it lacks fangs too (I haven't watch it yet but knew of it). They uses retractable thumb-talon to pierce the victim's skin. Ban and his lot had to utilize a razor-sharp prongs to seal the deal. Somewhat troublesome isn't it? Not that elegant or erotic anymore. I still think Rice's vampires rocks! Their feeding was highly sensual and the vamps would telepathically bonds with their victims too. It's like a two-way exchange of intimate thoughts - very much like a bridge of memories between them.
THE STORY:
It took me a while to be immersed in the story. This might be me having to adjust and get comfortable with the olden days English tongue. Truthfully, I had only started to get interested and engaged when Ban took Nicky as his personal plaything or you can say... when things started to get hot, heavy and sweaty. Despite Nicky being ill-equipped, their lovemaking was still highly stimulating if not even more so. Ban's skillful lovemaking makes Nicky loose himself so wantonly. It was a beautiful sight to see Nicky melts in the embrace of Ban.
There are frequent exchange of intellectual debates on philosophies, theologies even the scientific aspect was discussed in the story making it all the more compelling to read. Even the plot itself was saturated by these theories.
The highly remarked upon tortures and rapes was not gratuitously inserted for the shock-value. It was appropriately handled and not as graphic as most think it was. The tortures was mostly shown after it has taken place or was fade to black soon. There wasn't detailed description of how the victim suffered during the ordeal.
I am not saying that these scenes are mild or weak as I most certainly do not underestimate a reader's power of imagination. With the right words and suggestions, a whole new terror could be created in our own mind to piece the whole scene together however gory we wanted it to be. Sometimes, I would prefer telling more than showing when it comes to such scenes as I love to experience it with my own over imaginative mind. I could fill in all those blanks flawlessly with much pleasure.
The plot was thick in this story yet it flowed smoothly thanks to the superb writing skill of Ms. Baggins. There's one key mystery throughout the story that would determine not only the fate of both MCs but the whole Maidenstone village as well. I am excited that my guess of what the 'Vessel' means isn't too far from its mark. Brilliant aren't I? I am certain the Vessel would keep readers guessing actively throughout the reading process.
There are a couple of flashbacks stories and it was handled very well too. I really enjoyed reading about Serafino and Arabella, Simon and Hob. I was horrified by what befell... It was the most disturbing event of all that had happened. Even Serafino's...
I am curious as to why so many readers objected to....
I really didn't expect Nicky to have that ending after his final confrontation with Sebastian. As I thought...
In the end, that unexpected ending works out pretty well too. I like Jean-Paul *winks* Such a succulent morsel *smacks lips*.
FINAL VERDICT:
I am ever so glad I decided to read this book despite the off-putting book cover. The cover was so uninspiring and boring and I especially disliked the look of that two male models. Blargh! They absolutely CANNOT represent the Bancroft and Nicholas in my heart or in the book.
If not for Syfy's enthusiasm over this book, I would have just missed this treasure due to my aversion towards that bookcover. Hence I shall kiss the ground Syfy walks on and follow her breadcrumbs diligently from now on. *wide grin*
I love the chemistry between Ban and Nicky, they are perfect together. How I enjoyed Ban's cheeky teasing of Nicky - I see it as a loving display of affection.
It has been such a long time since I last read a vampire book almost on par with my favorite author, Anne Rice's work. I am now thirsting for more of such stories. Maybe I should go re-read my beloved Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice just to calm this newly rekindled blood sucking craving of mine.
The book has a harmonious mixture of historical romance, horror, supernatural, thriller and mystery, creating a dark, chilling yet erotically spellbinding story that intoxicate the mind of the readers.
I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to all M/M readers especially those who adores the vampire folklore.
The accused bookcover:
September 26, 2013
OUTSTADING!
*Update
Any intelligent words I may have on the subject of Soulless are still stuck behind incoherent babble and heart explosions.
OUTSTANDING!
p.s.
I love this review... http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
*Update
Any intelligent words I may have on the subject of Soulless are still stuck behind incoherent babble and heart explosions.
OUTSTANDING!
p.s.
I love this review... http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
October 27, 2013
Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance
5 Stars!! A brilliant riveting read!!
Soulless is a fascinating, compelling, complex tale of a love that spans over time. This is an exceptionally well crafted story, rich in detail and characterization. With each turn of the page you will find yourself mesmerized by the story of Ban and Nicholas and immersed in paranormal/vampire book unlike any you’ve ever read before.
The title, Soulless, defies the content of the story, as it’s actually about soul mates, two people who are destined to be together. At every turn this story surprised me, so much of it unexpected, sometimes horrifying, but when the true nature of many of the characters is revealed, it becomes a beautiful tale about redemption, forgiveness and helping two people, who are bound to each other through time, reclaim the love they lost.
The shell of man that Nicholas becomes, broke my heart, and when Ban first comes into his life, I thought, how much more can this man endure?! But, I was wrong in my thinking, because Ban is what Nicholas needs to be that man once again. Not only does Ban have a soul, he has heart. He hates what he is and remembers when cruelty and brutality didn’t rule his life. Although immortal, his humanity still has a hold on him, and it’s what drives him to continue on.
At times the book turns viciously cruel, particularly when the story involves Sebastian, Ban’s maker and master. Sebastian is relentless in his quest to dominate Ban, often resorting to horrifying means to punish him and bend him to his will. This is not for the faint of heart, yet I found myself unable to look away. Somehow, I knew that the agonizingly painful, mortifying torture that Ban suffered through, would give him the strength to defy and defeat Sebastian. Oh Nicholas, what he does, he has no fear, because he knows when it all ends, it will be the beginning for him and the love of his life, no matter how long it takes!!
This is not a book that reads on the surface, it has layers and you have to peel them back to see where the story takes you. Not is all that it seems, especially when it comes to Ban’s character, don’t define him because of what he is, stay with it, and read to find out who he is. He will not only endear himself to you, his story will break your heart and you will fall in love with him.
Again, the ending, not what I expected, but as it played out, I found it very fitting. There is a happily ever after, because good things come to those who wait!!
*A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
April 20, 2024
Not sure what is left to say after Kynthos-the-Archer's Review.
All of the elements I love in a book are here. Although some characters seemed underdeveloped in the beginning, later on they do manage to come out and shine or show their true selves. I don't know if that was author's intent, but to me it was like opening a box within a box with a little surprise hidden away, I ended up enjoying it. The book is packed with action, plotting, murderous intentions, danger, cruelty and ...well - love, but not overly much so. Just the perfect amount :D
The book was also fascinating to me because at one point it morphed into sci-fi. This is not so-called "fantasy/sci-fi genre" that combines two distinctly different genres and usually ends up being one or another (unless you have unicorns piloting spaceships using fairy dust). This book managed to bring together perfectly a fantasy (as in paranormal activities and tarot cards) and real sci-fi (as in "Star Trek").
5 stars.
PS
One other book, one other author comes to mind when I think about vampires' possible origin - Reifu Rising by Becca Abbott. I favour that theory, too. Therefore
6 stars from me :)
All of the elements I love in a book are here. Although some characters seemed underdeveloped in the beginning, later on they do manage to come out and shine or show their true selves. I don't know if that was author's intent, but to me it was like opening a box within a box with a little surprise hidden away, I ended up enjoying it. The book is packed with action, plotting, murderous intentions, danger, cruelty and ...well - love, but not overly much so. Just the perfect amount :D
The book was also fascinating to me because at one point it morphed into sci-fi. This is not so-called "fantasy/sci-fi genre" that combines two distinctly different genres and usually ends up being one or another (unless you have unicorns piloting spaceships using fairy dust). This book managed to bring together perfectly a fantasy (as in paranormal activities and tarot cards) and real sci-fi (as in "Star Trek").
5 stars.
PS
One other book, one other author comes to mind when I think about vampires' possible origin - Reifu Rising by Becca Abbott. I favour that theory, too. Therefore
6 stars from me :)
August 23, 2013
Review written for Hearts on Fire Reviews - 4.5 stars
I will start by saying this is not your average paranormal. There have been so many wonderful reviews about this story, and while I agree with most, there was just something holding me back from that final half star. The writing is fabulous, in an old world style that takes a little getting used to but fits perfectly to give you a sense of the time.
This story is for when you have time to devote to really sinking your teeth into it. It creates a different world quite different from any I’ve read before. We first meet Nicholas, the crippled recluse of the manor, but it doesn’t take long for Bancroft (or Ban) to make his appearance. Nicholas is so damaged, physically and then mentally, as a result of dealing with that damage.
Ban is not the average vampire, though he is hot and mysterious. No sparkles or fluff here. Nicholas and his grandmother, though not knowing where it comes from, quickly realize Ban isn’t what he appears. He is after Nicholas’ manor for unknown reasons, and we quickly learn he is under pretty strict control of his evil master, Sebastian, which plays a pretty big part of the story. Sebastian is absolutely horrible to Ban, believing him a complete dunce, and taking everything out of Ban’s hide almost nightly in gruesome ways. Ban is also damaged, not so much from Sebastian’s treatment of him, though that is horrendous at the best of times, but in his need to feed and become somewhat of a monster in order to survive.
When Ban and Nicholas are together, it is never dull. When Ban makes Nicholas his plaything, it was wonderful to see how it affected each of them. Ban’s first love, Serafino, has resurrected as Nicholas. This plays such an important part to so many aspects of this story. Ban has loved Serafino for centuries and I really enjoyed the way this played out in the end.
So what was my problem? The writing, as I said was fabulous, stunning and vivid. But, for some reason, it took me a while for it to really hold my attention. However, if you are looking for a somewhat serious read of a refreshingly different paranormal, I urge you to give this a shot.
November 18, 2013
3.5 Stars
*Quite possibly a few mild spoilers ahead*
There are parts of this book that I loved: The original styling of Nicholas as the MC. A chemist and a cripple with no chance of ever getting it up again! Bloody brilliant character and I believed in his pain, guilt and grief - he was excellent! The writing, world building and atmosphere? Big tick!
Then there is a lot that I admired: The moral of the story, the whole meant-to-be soulmates thing wins over the romantic in me every single time. Sigh ...
I also admired the really bad guy here - what a villain! God damn that vamp was brutal and so totally wicked that he really gave me the freakin willies - God! I wish he could have been the love interest! LOL
Then there are the parts that I wish had gone my way - a darker way. Ha! yes! Darker please *cue evil laughter* I expected this to be darker whereby "The Creature Of Darkness" would be really really despicable and actually carry out those brutal threats when he first meets Nicholas because I am a sucker for watching the bad guy grovel and earn my love. Ban was just too ...nice for a vampire raised and moulded by someone like Serafino - oh I know , I know he was innately good and nothing's going to change that because good conquers evil and all that, but still ...that's not how I wanted it to go :)
Now that ending? Nuh-uh-oh-hell-no! That was unfreaking believable!!! I was NOT happy at all I HATE overly sappy endings like that make me remember the book for all the wrong reasons and not what I actually enjoyed. Sorry, I'm knocking a big fat star off for that alone. Urgh ...shudder.
Now this is a minority review because my reaction and my expectations are not normal ones. If you don't believe me have a look at this awesome joint review by the girls at Boys in our books
*Quite possibly a few mild spoilers ahead*
There are parts of this book that I loved: The original styling of Nicholas as the MC. A chemist and a cripple with no chance of ever getting it up again! Bloody brilliant character and I believed in his pain, guilt and grief - he was excellent! The writing, world building and atmosphere? Big tick!
Then there is a lot that I admired: The moral of the story, the whole meant-to-be soulmates thing wins over the romantic in me every single time. Sigh ...
I also admired the really bad guy here - what a villain! God damn that vamp was brutal and so totally wicked that he really gave me the freakin willies - God! I wish he could have been the love interest! LOL
Then there are the parts that I wish had gone my way - a darker way. Ha! yes! Darker please *cue evil laughter* I expected this to be darker whereby "The Creature Of Darkness" would be really really despicable and actually carry out those brutal threats when he first meets Nicholas because I am a sucker for watching the bad guy grovel and earn my love. Ban was just too ...nice for a vampire raised and moulded by someone like Serafino - oh I know , I know he was innately good and nothing's going to change that because good conquers evil and all that, but still ...that's not how I wanted it to go :)
Now that ending? Nuh-uh-oh-hell-no! That was unfreaking believable!!! I was NOT happy at all I HATE overly sappy endings like that make me remember the book for all the wrong reasons and not what I actually enjoyed. Sorry, I'm knocking a big fat star off for that alone. Urgh ...shudder.
Now this is a minority review because my reaction and my expectations are not normal ones. If you don't believe me have a look at this awesome joint review by the girls at Boys in our books
April 25, 2015
4.5 stars
This was so different from what you expect from a vampire romance. I can't say I have ever been disappointed by this author, though. Well done!
This was so different from what you expect from a vampire romance. I can't say I have ever been disappointed by this author, though. Well done!
October 7, 2013
Taking into account that I'm not a huge fan of historical novels, this turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining read!
In Soulless, set in the late 1700s, we meet Nicholas, a proud but damaged scientist, and owner of the sprawling English estate called Grantley. Ban Ulwin, a 300-year-old suave and sexy vamp, has set his sites on having Grantley for his own in order to appease his vampire master, Sebastian, an evil, cruel Old One. Sebastian, for his part, believes a mysterious "vessel" is buried somewhere on the estate.
There are many twists and turns in Soulless, and there some very compelling supporting characters. (I love that spunky Martha!)
I did struggle some at the start of the book, but once I got to about 15 percent, things moved along just fine. I'll admit I was more than a little distressed to discover one of the MCs was But it all works out, and by the end of the book, I'd accepted this detail.
As a reader, you do have to suspend belief while reading this one. We're dealing with vampires, after all. There's definitely angst and drama, but also a nice HFN/HEA. Very solid writing overall. I'll read more from this author, for sure.
3.75 stars, rounded up.
In Soulless, set in the late 1700s, we meet Nicholas, a proud but damaged scientist, and owner of the sprawling English estate called Grantley. Ban Ulwin, a 300-year-old suave and sexy vamp, has set his sites on having Grantley for his own in order to appease his vampire master, Sebastian, an evil, cruel Old One. Sebastian, for his part, believes a mysterious "vessel" is buried somewhere on the estate.
There are many twists and turns in Soulless, and there some very compelling supporting characters. (I love that spunky Martha!)
I did struggle some at the start of the book, but once I got to about 15 percent, things moved along just fine. I'll admit I was more than a little distressed to discover one of the MCs was But it all works out, and by the end of the book, I'd accepted this detail.
As a reader, you do have to suspend belief while reading this one. We're dealing with vampires, after all. There's definitely angst and drama, but also a nice HFN/HEA. Very solid writing overall. I'll read more from this author, for sure.
3.75 stars, rounded up.
April 17, 2017
4.5 stars I think. An epic gothic m/m vampire romance. Perhaps a little too much plot for me but totally compelling. T Baggins always delivers, her books all diverse and original creations.
Ban, a fifteenth century english peasant is converted to a vampire half-breed by the sadistic Sebastian, one of the old ones. 300 hundred years later, he is drawn to the crippled Lord of the Manor Nicholas. It unfolds that Nicholas is more than he seems..
'Giving himself up to the pleasure of Ban's kiss, Nicholas was unable to recall why he'd ever felt the slightest shame at this passion, merely because another male inspired it. Even in the Bible, King David's affection for Jonathan was unmistakable. Love between men happened. It happened, and it was nothing to despise or fear.'
Ban, a fifteenth century english peasant is converted to a vampire half-breed by the sadistic Sebastian, one of the old ones. 300 hundred years later, he is drawn to the crippled Lord of the Manor Nicholas. It unfolds that Nicholas is more than he seems..
'Giving himself up to the pleasure of Ban's kiss, Nicholas was unable to recall why he'd ever felt the slightest shame at this passion, merely because another male inspired it. Even in the Bible, King David's affection for Jonathan was unmistakable. Love between men happened. It happened, and it was nothing to despise or fear.'
September 19, 2013
***** Absolutely Phenomenal *****
I've been looking for such a book (a historical dark Gothic gay vampire novel!!!!) for a long time and maybe that's why, not so long ago, I re-read Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (out of frustration!). This classic has a very distinctive feel and resonance that I found again, in some way, in T. Baggins's novel.
"Soulless" is spellbinding, distressing, chilling but intoxicatingly erotic, this is a powerful and uncompromising tale of fascinating beauty, impressive depth ... a dark, dangerous and brutal tale of love and loss that took me completely by surprise!
Highly recommended! (';.;')
October 4, 2013
For some reason I just didn't like it :(
It's a very weird situation, because it was generally well-constructed, well-written, interesting setting, believable world, good female character, nice sadistic sexual violence, reintroduces genuinely creepy vampires, it's long, and it was good value for money. Somehow all these individual virtues trickled through my hands like water, and I couldn't grasp any actual enjoyment.
Perplexing.
It's a very weird situation, because it was generally well-constructed, well-written, interesting setting, believable world, good female character, nice sadistic sexual violence, reintroduces genuinely creepy vampires, it's long, and it was good value for money. Somehow all these individual virtues trickled through my hands like water, and I couldn't grasp any actual enjoyment.
Perplexing.
October 22, 2013
BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY!
2 x $25 Amazon gift cards
3 x Signed copies of Soulless
5 x ebooks of Soulless
Tandem review with my girl Sue....
Sheri: I can safely say this is one of the most brilliantly twisted books I've ever read...it also freaked me the hell out!
Sue: I absolutely agree Sheri. “Soulless” was beyond my expectations. Tell me, what were your “highs and lows”?
Sheri: Highs- My initial impression of Ban was near hatred, and before I knew it, I’d fallen for him. That is one of my favorite things...when an author flips my distaste to adoration. I was blown away by the writing….pristine and impeccable with meticulous detail. I found I had to pay close attention, but I never sensed confusion or felt as if I had gone astray from the story. Which is quite impressive due to the twists and turns the story takes. As layered as it was, I found myself surprised with the clarity. Lows- Tricky dialogue and the unexpected gore. I scare easily. It was freaky, intense and utterly exhausting.
Sue: Ha! Poor Sheri, you’re a scaredy cat… but I completely agree. Baggins has a great ability to bring us into a scene and experience everything as if we are present. Love, fear, gore and hatred.
My high - Everything. My low - when it finished. Alright that's not a fair disclosure of why this story (in my eyes) is so exceptional. The writing and with that, the presentation of Ban. How is a change of mood so evident from one paragraph to the next? I sat back a few times in awe of the writing. When it comes to lows, I have to say, the first 10-12 percent were hard for me to enjoy.
Sheri: Yep, I’m not ashamed to admit I hit the dictionary button more than once in the first few chapters. Neither MC are particularly lovable at first either. It takes a bit to suck you in, but once I was caught, I was enthralled.
Sue: Right again Shez. the MCs didn’t show their true selves until around 30 percent.
Sheri: So, do you have a favorite character?
Sue: Do you want the real list or the short list? They were all amazing characters but if I had to choose…. Martha and Ban.
Martha is a legend. She's free of the simpleton characteristics most supporting characters are drawn with. She's so fundamentally void of irrelevant fuss. She goes straight to the heart or bottom line. She's what I want to be when I grow up.
Ban is unwavering in his devotion to Nicholas. There’s a beautiful, gentle and sincere scene where Ban meets with Catherine (The Widow). It’s the first time we see his humility. His Soul.
What about you?
Sheri: Ahhh yes, my heart broke during that scene. I completely fell for a soulless bloodsucker and Nicholas grew on me as the tale was spun.
However, I found myself enjoying the secondary characters just as much as Ban and Nicky. Martha was incredibly sensible and the most composed character I’ve ever met. Initially I was crushed with her fate, but of course, she handled it better than I could have imagined. And I loved Grand-Mamma too. Her cards, her visions, her powers…wow.
Sue: While we’re at it (with characters) can I just say that Sebastian may be the most evil bastard I’ve read in a long time? He literally gave me the heebeegeebees. That alone is evidence of superb writing.
Sheri: Gah, I know, I know… a first class seat on a slide of molten lava would be too generous of a trip for him.
Sue: Shall we add a quote?
Sheri: Oooo, yes. Which one is your favorite?
Sue: Drum roll please:
“When Ban spilt his seed on me, then licked it away. That’s when I began thinking of myself as corrupt. Blissfully, blessedly, irredeemably corrupt.“
This was quite a turning point for our MCs but the “release” of tension was divine.
Sheri: That was a powerful moment indeed. Mine gave me shivers then and still does.
“Everything that makes me a man is inside me. No body part you cut from me, no dark magic you work against me, changes that. I am a man, Sebastian. You can steal my life, but you cannot steal my manhood.”
Sue: Great quote! So relevant to the story and it’s underlying message.
Sheri: Did you foresee the hidden twist? I was knocked on my ass, and then I was kicking it for missing the obvious clues!
Sue: Yeah, I saw the clues but that didn’t detract from the thrill.
Sheri: In my defense, it was the covering of my eyes during the scary parts that left me ‘clueless’.
Sue: You will forever be known as “Scaredy Cat Shez”.
Sheri: *snicker* I promise I didn’t sleep with the lights on...the second night.
Sue: Can I tell you my absolute favourite thing in the whole story?
Sheri: Please do….
Sue: The idea that love is centred on a person’s Soul - not the form in front of you. The essence of a person. That’s what I was left with.
Sheri: Perfect! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Sue: And lastly, in terms of fabulous endings - Soulless has it. The last paragraph, dear God the last paragraph was perfection for this story.
Sheri: Since we are wrapping it up- it was an unforgettable, chilling yet tender ride...thanks for taking it with me.
Sue: I’m so glad we got to experience this amazing book together. Let’s do it again soon xx
Sheri 4 stars
Sue 4.5 stars
If you dare...
follow the links to enter a bloody good giveaway
October 26, 2013
Superior in every way! Soulless was a real surprise to me and completely different from the vampire books I've read before. It's a dark Gothic vampire story packed with some really intense scary scenes, quite a bit of torture and a ton of angst. Essentially though it's a love story, one that's survived through centuries and is everlasting. I loved Ban and Nicholas's beautiful relationship, really enjoyed the backstories showing how Ban met Serafino and even quite liked Martha and I don't often like female characters in MM books. I'm sad I've finished and sort of hoping there could be a sequel! Wishful thinking I know.
"I could do this forever," Nicholas heard himself say. "I could starve to death, die of thirst, yet never stop kissing you. Never stop touching you."
"I could do this forever," Nicholas heard himself say. "I could starve to death, die of thirst, yet never stop kissing you. Never stop touching you."
October 27, 2013
Nicholas Robinson is a brilliant chemist who is temperamental and negative towards many aspects in life. He was injured in an accident that left him crippled and castrated, and to top it off, the doctor that was in charge of mending what he could of Nicholas after the accident took off with his wife after his wife was horrified by what had become of Nicholas after the accident. He believes he will be alone forever and never is to experience love again. He doesn't see how anyone could not be horrified looking at the damage done in the accident and he doesn't think he will ever believe he will be able to experience sexual gratification ever again after the accident due to how bad the injuries were and what the end result left him with.... which was not much.
Enter Bancroft Ulwin, he's under his evil Master, Sebastian's orders to try to convince Nicholas to sell Grantley. There is something hidden on that property that Sebastian wants, and Ban is out to do his bidding. Ban knows if he disobeys Sebastian, there are serious consequences.
There are other secondary characters that play a part in this story as well. There is Nicholas' grandmother and Martha, who is a strong, young girl that is like a student to Nicholas in the lab as well as a servant. Nicholas has taken her under his wing and would do anything for her.... even risk his own safety by giving himself to Ban to use however Ban sees fit to do so in exchange for Ban leaving Martha alone and not killing her.
Though they are together under unusual circumstances, Nicholas and Ban feel for each other and there is a definite attraction there. Ban discovers something about Nicholas and his grandmother's past that was definitely an interesting twist to the story.
I won't go into much more of the story since the synopsis gives you a really good feel for what the book is about and you really need to read the book to see what happens. I will tell you that there is one scene in particular that stands out as gruesome and it involves Sebastian torturing Ban. This book is a historical M/M romance that has rape, rape with inanimate objects, as well as a story that tells of a love that never dies.
I've read plenty of M/M genre books before, but this was my 1st book that I'd read that fell into the historical genre. It took me awhile to adapt to the story and connect with the characters, but the story was intriguing enough to make me keep reading to see what happened next. I honestly think Ban grew as a character throughout the story. I initially saw him as a villain in the way he acted and submitted to Sebastian despite the horrific things that had been done, but over time and as the bond between Ban and Nicholas grew, I think Ban developed into a better character. A few other characters grew to be better over time as well.
Why this is not a 5 star book for me:
While I am not a religious person, I do read books that speak about religion and have never had any issues with it before when it's not overused. This book to me went above and beyond what I'd read with any other book and overused religion references in my opinion. Like I said, I do read books that reference things, but there was literally times I needed to skim through some places because religion was so heavily talked about and that is just not something I like to have in a book myself in such large amounts, and regardless of why that religion was mentioned in greater detail than any other book I'd read before, it turned me off of the book a bit.
My other issue was the ending. While I was happy for Ban, there was a situation with Martha that had me confused. Honestly what had happened with her character from the beginning of the story to the epilogue was like completely opposite characters. She'd never been interested in sex, men or anything of that nature before, so for her life to have taken the course it did completely confused me and took away from her character a bit in my eyes. She was a totally different person when this happened. I really didn't understand the ending involving her at all and why her character took on the differences that it did.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes to read historical romances, paranormal books, as well as M/M genre. This book is not for the faint of heart and there are some parts that are quite disturbing, so I would consider that as well and if that is something you can handle, then I'd recommend giving this book a try.
ARC provided to our Smexy Bookaholics blog by author in exchange for an honest review for the Soulless Blog Tour hosted by Sinfully Sexy on Tour!
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September 9, 2013I'm not going to rate this one, because my ratings would be all over, depending on the aspect you're talking about. And a big part of the down-ratings would be because I'm not a fan of extreme violence in stories, unless it feels absolutely intrinsically necessary. This book contains on-page torture and rape and murder, not once but multiple times. To be sure the perpetrators are vampires, but it still passed my limits.
On the one hand, I want to applaud the author for making vampires scary and not cuddly. But the violence felt less driven by the breed and the plot, and more by the evil nature of the prime villain. It served to make Ban, the vampire MC, less evil by contrast while allowing him to be a killer, and that was a possible expiating purpose, but still went beyond my comfort zone. Others may not feel the same.
The plot had moments of unexpected turns, startling developments that kept me guessing and were bold rather than timid. The ending in particular I didn't see coming. And yet there were also moments of "wait, why didn't he..." that had me questioning. The characters were interesting, but I didn't connect with them emotionally. The book read fast, and smoothly, but as an intellectual and not heart-grabbing experience. So all in all, I'll leave this with comments but no stars. It may be a great read for some whose sensibilities are different from my own.
On the one hand, I want to applaud the author for making vampires scary and not cuddly. But the violence felt less driven by the breed and the plot, and more by the evil nature of the prime villain. It served to make Ban, the vampire MC, less evil by contrast while allowing him to be a killer, and that was a possible expiating purpose, but still went beyond my comfort zone. Others may not feel the same.
The plot had moments of unexpected turns, startling developments that kept me guessing and were bold rather than timid. The ending in particular I didn't see coming. And yet there were also moments of "wait, why didn't he..." that had me questioning. The characters were interesting, but I didn't connect with them emotionally. The book read fast, and smoothly, but as an intellectual and not heart-grabbing experience. So all in all, I'll leave this with comments but no stars. It may be a great read for some whose sensibilities are different from my own.
December 22, 2013
So freaking GOOD. Fantastic descriptions, amazing tension between the characters and the mood is so distinct I can hear the soundtrack for this book in my head!
Someone mentioned in their review that it could be a movie, and I SO agree. I loved the mystery going along the love story.
The mix of fantasy-sci-fi-historical is exquisite. It was all the more fun because of the historical setting.
There was an aspect of 'destined lovers' that I usually don't like, but it just goes to show that a good writer can make things work. The story's flashbacks were intense, touching, the historical setting so well described, yet not overwritten with too much detail.
I liked that the villain had his POV as well.
The whole set of side characters were well written, each one of them different and interesting.
The ending surprised me... and good! I read to be dazzled, surprised and kept on the edge of my seat. I expect from a fiction book what I expect from a movie or a good tv show.
And I loved that it was so long, it let me immerse myself in the story.
Oh! And I loved the torture, NOT because I'm a sadist and love reading about torture, but it fit the setting, making it milder wouldn't make sense with such a plot and characters. I cringed, but loved that the author didn't hold back.
Thank you T. Baggins for hours on hours of fun! :)
Someone mentioned in their review that it could be a movie, and I SO agree. I loved the mystery going along the love story.
The mix of fantasy-sci-fi-historical is exquisite. It was all the more fun because of the historical setting.
There was an aspect of 'destined lovers' that I usually don't like, but it just goes to show that a good writer can make things work. The story's flashbacks were intense, touching, the historical setting so well described, yet not overwritten with too much detail.
I liked that the villain had his POV as well.
The whole set of side characters were well written, each one of them different and interesting.
The ending surprised me... and good! I read to be dazzled, surprised and kept on the edge of my seat. I expect from a fiction book what I expect from a movie or a good tv show.
And I loved that it was so long, it let me immerse myself in the story.
Oh! And I loved the torture, NOT because I'm a sadist and love reading about torture, but it fit the setting, making it milder wouldn't make sense with such a plot and characters. I cringed, but loved that the author didn't hold back.
Thank you T. Baggins for hours on hours of fun! :)
November 24, 2013
Joint Review With Sheri aka "Scaredy Cat Shez"
Sheri: I can safely say this is one of the most brilliantly twisted books I've ever read...it also freaked me the hell out!
Sue: I absolutely agree Sheri. “Soulless” was beyond my expectations. Tell me, what were your “highs and lows”?
Sheri: Highs- My initial impression of Ban was near hatred, and before I knew it, I’d fallen for him. That is one of my favorite things...when an author flips my distaste to adoration. I was blown away by the writing….pristine and impeccable with meticulous detail. I found I had to pay close attention, but I never sensed confusion or felt as if I had gone astray from the story. Which is quite impressive due to the twists and turns the story takes. As layered as it was, I found myself surprised with the clarity. Lows- Tricky dialogue and the unexpected gore. I scare easily. It was freaky, intense and utterly exhausting.
Sue: Ha! Poor Sheri, you’re a scaredy cat… but I completely agree. Baggins has a great ability to bring us into a scene and experience everything as if we are present. Love, fear, gore and hatred.
My high - Everything. My low - when it finished. Alright that's not a fair disclosure of why this story (in my eyes) is so exceptional. The writing and with that, the presentation of Ban. How is a change of mood so evident from one paragraph to the next? I sat back a few times in awe of the writing. When it comes to lows, I have to say, the first 10-12 percent were hard for me to enjoy.
Sheri: Yep, I’m not ashamed to admit I hit the dictionary button more than once in the first few chapters. Neither MC are particularly lovable at first either. It takes a bit to suck you in, but once I was caught, I was enthralled.
Sue: Right again Shez. the MCs didn’t show their true selves until around 30 percent.
Sheri: So, do you have a favorite character?
Sue: Do you want the real list or the short list? They were all amazing characters but if I had to choose…. Martha and Ban.
Martha is a legend. She's free of the simpleton characteristics most supporting characters are drawn with. She's so fundamentally void of irrelevant fuss. She goes straight to the heart or bottom line. She's what I want to be when I grow up.
Ban is unwavering in his devotion to Nicholas. There’s a beautiful, gentle and sincere scene where Ban meets with Catherine (The Widow). It’s the first time we see his humility. His Soul.
What about you?
Sheri: Ahhh yes, my heart broke during that scene. I completely fell for a soulless bloodsucker and Nicholas grew on me as the tale was spun.
However, I found myself enjoying the secondary characters just as much as Ban and Nicky. Martha was incredibly sensible and the most composed character I’ve ever met. Initially I was crushed with her fate, but of course, she handled it better than I could have imagined. And I loved Grand-Mamma too. Her cards, her visions, her powers…wow.
Sue: While we’re at it (with characters) can I just say that Sebastian may be the most evil bastard I’ve read in a long time? He literally gave me the heebeegeebees. That alone is evidence of superb writing.
Sheri: Gah, I know, I know… a first class seat on a slide of molten lava would be too generous of a trip for him.
Sue: Shall we add a quote?
Sheri: Oooo, yes. Which one is your favorite?
Sue: Drum roll please:
“When Ban spilt his seed on me, then licked it away. That’s when I began thinking of myself as corrupt. Blissfully, blessedly, irredeemably corrupt.“
This was quite a turning point for our MCs but the “release” of tension was divine.
Sheri: That was a powerful moment indeed. Mine gave me shivers then and still does.
“Everything that makes me a man is inside me. No body part you cut from me, no dark magic you work against me, changes that. I am a man, Sebastian. You can steal my life, but you cannot steal my manhood.”
Sue: Great quote! So relevant to the story and it’s underlying message.
Sheri: Did you foresee the hidden twist? I was knocked on my ass, and then I was kicking it for missing the obvious clues!
Sue: Yeah, I saw the clues but that didn’t detract from the thrill.
Sheri: In my defense, it was the covering of my eyes during the scary parts that left me ‘clueless’.
Sue: You will forever be known as “Scaredy Cat Shez”.
Sheri: *snicker* I promise I didn’t sleep with the lights on...the second night.
Sue: Can I tell you my absolute favourite thing in the whole story?
Sheri: Please do….
Sue: The idea that love is centred on a person’s Soul - not the form in front of you. The essence of a person. That’s what I was left with.
Sheri: Perfect! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Sue: And lastly, in terms of fabulous endings - Soulless has it. The last paragraph, dear God the last paragraph was perfection for this story.
Sheri: Since we are wrapping it up- it was an unforgettable, chilling yet tender ride...thanks for taking it with me.
Sue: I’m so glad we got to experience this amazing book together. Let’s do it again soon xx
Sheri 4 stars
Sue 4.5 stars
If you dare...
follow the links to enter a bloody good giveaway
Sheri: I can safely say this is one of the most brilliantly twisted books I've ever read...it also freaked me the hell out!
Sue: I absolutely agree Sheri. “Soulless” was beyond my expectations. Tell me, what were your “highs and lows”?
Sheri: Highs- My initial impression of Ban was near hatred, and before I knew it, I’d fallen for him. That is one of my favorite things...when an author flips my distaste to adoration. I was blown away by the writing….pristine and impeccable with meticulous detail. I found I had to pay close attention, but I never sensed confusion or felt as if I had gone astray from the story. Which is quite impressive due to the twists and turns the story takes. As layered as it was, I found myself surprised with the clarity. Lows- Tricky dialogue and the unexpected gore. I scare easily. It was freaky, intense and utterly exhausting.
Sue: Ha! Poor Sheri, you’re a scaredy cat… but I completely agree. Baggins has a great ability to bring us into a scene and experience everything as if we are present. Love, fear, gore and hatred.
My high - Everything. My low - when it finished. Alright that's not a fair disclosure of why this story (in my eyes) is so exceptional. The writing and with that, the presentation of Ban. How is a change of mood so evident from one paragraph to the next? I sat back a few times in awe of the writing. When it comes to lows, I have to say, the first 10-12 percent were hard for me to enjoy.
Sheri: Yep, I’m not ashamed to admit I hit the dictionary button more than once in the first few chapters. Neither MC are particularly lovable at first either. It takes a bit to suck you in, but once I was caught, I was enthralled.
Sue: Right again Shez. the MCs didn’t show their true selves until around 30 percent.
Sheri: So, do you have a favorite character?
Sue: Do you want the real list or the short list? They were all amazing characters but if I had to choose…. Martha and Ban.
Martha is a legend. She's free of the simpleton characteristics most supporting characters are drawn with. She's so fundamentally void of irrelevant fuss. She goes straight to the heart or bottom line. She's what I want to be when I grow up.
Ban is unwavering in his devotion to Nicholas. There’s a beautiful, gentle and sincere scene where Ban meets with Catherine (The Widow). It’s the first time we see his humility. His Soul.
What about you?
Sheri: Ahhh yes, my heart broke during that scene. I completely fell for a soulless bloodsucker and Nicholas grew on me as the tale was spun.
However, I found myself enjoying the secondary characters just as much as Ban and Nicky. Martha was incredibly sensible and the most composed character I’ve ever met. Initially I was crushed with her fate, but of course, she handled it better than I could have imagined. And I loved Grand-Mamma too. Her cards, her visions, her powers…wow.
Sue: While we’re at it (with characters) can I just say that Sebastian may be the most evil bastard I’ve read in a long time? He literally gave me the heebeegeebees. That alone is evidence of superb writing.
Sheri: Gah, I know, I know… a first class seat on a slide of molten lava would be too generous of a trip for him.
Sue: Shall we add a quote?
Sheri: Oooo, yes. Which one is your favorite?
Sue: Drum roll please:
“When Ban spilt his seed on me, then licked it away. That’s when I began thinking of myself as corrupt. Blissfully, blessedly, irredeemably corrupt.“
This was quite a turning point for our MCs but the “release” of tension was divine.
Sheri: That was a powerful moment indeed. Mine gave me shivers then and still does.
“Everything that makes me a man is inside me. No body part you cut from me, no dark magic you work against me, changes that. I am a man, Sebastian. You can steal my life, but you cannot steal my manhood.”
Sue: Great quote! So relevant to the story and it’s underlying message.
Sheri: Did you foresee the hidden twist? I was knocked on my ass, and then I was kicking it for missing the obvious clues!
Sue: Yeah, I saw the clues but that didn’t detract from the thrill.
Sheri: In my defense, it was the covering of my eyes during the scary parts that left me ‘clueless’.
Sue: You will forever be known as “Scaredy Cat Shez”.
Sheri: *snicker* I promise I didn’t sleep with the lights on...the second night.
Sue: Can I tell you my absolute favourite thing in the whole story?
Sheri: Please do….
Sue: The idea that love is centred on a person’s Soul - not the form in front of you. The essence of a person. That’s what I was left with.
Sheri: Perfect! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Sue: And lastly, in terms of fabulous endings - Soulless has it. The last paragraph, dear God the last paragraph was perfection for this story.
Sheri: Since we are wrapping it up- it was an unforgettable, chilling yet tender ride...thanks for taking it with me.
Sue: I’m so glad we got to experience this amazing book together. Let’s do it again soon xx
Sheri 4 stars
Sue 4.5 stars
If you dare...
follow the links to enter a bloody good giveaway
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October 3, 2015
Update: 8/31
I really needed a day to process this book before reviewing.
Pacing: The book started off well, then it moved a little slowly but I think the author was trying to show how Nicholas's world view was so drastically altered. It was very cool to see a vampire book that has such serious theological/philosophical debate (well, any M/M book actually as this is rare). The discussing of Qi was wonderful, too. Although the setting is old England, the vampires had spent 60 years in China and had adopted some Eastern philosophy. This was integrated into their world view.
Plot: Very good and could hold up without being a romance.
Romance: At first, I didn't think it was going to be romantic at all. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to like Ban. But by halfway through, it became a beautiful love story.
Historical setting: The old time-y language is perfect and fabulous. Only a couple of times I was pulled out with what I thought were anachronisms but then I figured out I was wrong.
Characters: Really wonderful and unique characters. I could picture each one and knew who was speaking just from the words spoken usually. There were lots of strong, powerful, and not evil women.
Vampires: Back to old school kind of, with evil master vampires and the vamps they sire, and their human devotees. But of course, there is always some room for vamps to be good. :)
I have one nitpick. (What's a maybedog review without at least one nitpick?) Qi is pronounced "chee" and one character thought he said "key." The implication was that it was pronounced kee. (Qi is the best solitaire word. If you can get the Q on a double/triple word score and i's going both ways, mega points.)
HEA/HFN? (This second spoiler gives away part of the ending. Despite my dislike of the ending, I think it was more literary (good) than what I would have done so you will probably love it.
4.5 stars rounded down because of the mild slowness at the beginning and because I hated the ending.
I really needed a day to process this book before reviewing.
Pacing: The book started off well, then it moved a little slowly but I think the author was trying to show how Nicholas's world view was so drastically altered. It was very cool to see a vampire book that has such serious theological/philosophical debate (well, any M/M book actually as this is rare). The discussing of Qi was wonderful, too. Although the setting is old England, the vampires had spent 60 years in China and had adopted some Eastern philosophy. This was integrated into their world view.
Plot: Very good and could hold up without being a romance.
Romance: At first, I didn't think it was going to be romantic at all. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to like Ban. But by halfway through, it became a beautiful love story.
Historical setting: The old time-y language is perfect and fabulous. Only a couple of times I was pulled out with what I thought were anachronisms but then I figured out I was wrong.
Characters: Really wonderful and unique characters. I could picture each one and knew who was speaking just from the words spoken usually. There were lots of strong, powerful, and not evil women.
Vampires: Back to old school kind of, with evil master vampires and the vamps they sire, and their human devotees. But of course, there is always some room for vamps to be good. :)
I have one nitpick. (What's a maybedog review without at least one nitpick?) Qi is pronounced "chee" and one character thought he said "key." The implication was that it was pronounced kee. (Qi is the best solitaire word. If you can get the Q on a double/triple word score and i's going both ways, mega points.)
HEA/HFN? (This second spoiler gives away part of the ending. Despite my dislike of the ending, I think it was more literary (good) than what I would have done so you will probably love it.
4.5 stars rounded down because of the mild slowness at the beginning and because I hated the ending.
August 13, 2016
This was closer to 2.5 stars for me. I had a very strong reaction to this one, a stuttering, knee-jerk emotional reaction, and it wasn't positive. There was something so deranged and weirdly creepy and unpleasant about this book. The historical details were accurate, but the plot gave me whiplash; there was just so much here, what with the maiming and gore and vampires, I had a hard time making the transitions. I think I prefer slightly, um, cheerier books. Give me angst. Give me some drama. But redemption, damn it I need it, and I didn't get it here. Forget the HEA too; look elsewhere, because by my standards there was no HEA here. The whole thing was violent and twisted and gritty. I can see the appeal. It certainly did a number on my psyche, but I'm glad it's over.
December 4, 2013
This book is fantastic. 3.75ish stars.
The best part is the writing. The writing is so smart and so clever, you're really engaged most of the time.
I loved the gore, violence, the disturbing nature of this book. All of it. Some parts made me go "WHAT THE HELL" and I appreciate that. Some were totally gross and very uncomfortable, which added to the story. I wouldn't have changed a thing.
Some parts of this book just weren't for me, but saying that they didn't work in the book.. which they did. I lost interest sometimes. But that isn't to say it's the books/authors fault... it's probably just my short attention span.
I would definitely still recommend this though, if for nothing but the superb writing.
The best part is the writing. The writing is so smart and so clever, you're really engaged most of the time.
I loved the gore, violence, the disturbing nature of this book. All of it. Some parts made me go "WHAT THE HELL" and I appreciate that. Some were totally gross and very uncomfortable, which added to the story. I wouldn't have changed a thing.
Some parts of this book just weren't for me, but saying that they didn't work in the book.. which they did. I lost interest sometimes. But that isn't to say it's the books/authors fault... it's probably just my short attention span.
I would definitely still recommend this though, if for nothing but the superb writing.
October 26, 2013
3 1/2 - 4 Stars
Nicholas Robinson was crippled in a riding accident that also left him castrated. He had been married before his accident, but when that happened, his wife left him and ran away with his doctor. It left him bad tempered and hard to live around. He turned into a drunk and eccentric. He basically shut the world out. He focused on his laboratory and experiments. He was a brilliant chemist who was advanced in his work.
Bancroft Ulwin was a man who was made into a vampire at a young age by Sebastian. His maker was extremely cruel. Bancroft (Ban) endured some horrifying things while being a kept man at the hands of Sebastian. Bancroft was forbidden to have any type of relations with mortal men for an extended time or it would end in death. Sebastian was the cruel and heartless.
Bancroft was sent to acquire the country estate, Grantly that Nicholas owned. The attraction between Nicholas and Bancroft grew over time. Ban seemed to bring a side out in Nicholas that was long thought forgotten. Nicholas knew he shouldn't have feeling for a man, who was also a vampire, but he developed a bond and they seemed destined to be together. Bancroft had lost the love of his life years ago when he was still mortal. There was something about Nicholas that reminded him of his lost love, Serafino. Soon, he realized that Nicholas was the reincarnated soul of his former love, Serafino. Bancroft's affection for Nicholas got him into a lot of trouble with his maker Sebastian.
Sebastian was not a man to be crossed or betrayed. He was a cruel and very powerful vampire and his punishments were feared and for good reason. He was dangerous, disgusting and cruel and dolled out some horrific punishments to Ban.
The story had some interesting twists in it that I wouldn't have imagined which included Nicholas' grandmother. The story I felt was complex and at times because of being a historical romance, had me stumped with the language, but it all fit together. There definitely was some violence, horror, rape and rape with inanimate objects in it story. If you are faint of heart, I would not recommend it as a read for you.
I have to say that at the beginning I had a really hard time getting into the book. When I got to abut 40%, that is when things started picking up for me a bit more. I am not a religious person and to me there was so much religion in it, that it turned me off.
I also did not understand Martha going from being a young girl who was not interested in anything except for working with Nicholas in the lab to change and become part of the situation that happened at the end of the book, really stumped me.
I don't want to give the book away. If you like historical romance, vampires, don't mind religious aspects being brought into book and can stomach some pretty horrific things, then I would say give the book a try. You may end up really enjoying it.
ARC provided to our Smexy Bookaholics blog by the author in exchange for an honest review for the "Soulless" Blog Tour, hosted by Sinfully Sexy On Tour.
November 11, 2013
I wanted to love this book as much as a number of my Goodreads friends did, and for the first half of the book, I did. After around the 45-50% point mark, though, I thought the book was simply . . . fine. It strove to be, quite literally, a love story for the ages, but after a certain key incident occurred, neither my mind nor my heart were sufficiently engaged.
Nicholas is the lord of an English country manor who encounters Ban, a vampire, when he tries to acquire the manor house on behalf of his master, Sebastian. Even though Nicholas is a.) a eunuch, and b.) straight, he gives in to a powerful attraction that arises between him and Ban before realizing that he is a vampire and throws him out of the house. Soon thereafter, Nicholas finds himself in an impossible situation with Ban, and he bargains: in exchange for a very important gift, he will give Ban whatever he wants. And what Ban wants is him. But that works out to Nicholas' benefit, see, because he is so lonely, and is so tired of being rejected. When Ban makes love to him, Nicholas realizes that he craves what Ban is doing to him, and these scenes are actually very powerful.
In short order, these two start falling in love. But there is a rather interesting twist in this story that the author starts to share with us: . It adds a fascinating bit of destiny to the story, but that is quickly marred by a shocking event that makes me question how Nicholas could ever imagine himself in love with Ban, or at a minimum, how he could imagine himself being loyal to Ban. Nonetheless, after this event, the love and devotion between these two ratchet to the skies.
I wanted to believe in them because the ingredients were all there: destiny, love against the odds, love in the face of social disapproval, devotion overcoming death. All of it was present. The only thing missing was my heart. At some point, I just stopped caring. It was well-written, but I just lost interest. So, 4 stars for craft and an excellent first half, but after that key event in the middle of the book, it mostly left me cold.
Nicholas is the lord of an English country manor who encounters Ban, a vampire, when he tries to acquire the manor house on behalf of his master, Sebastian. Even though Nicholas is a.) a eunuch, and b.) straight, he gives in to a powerful attraction that arises between him and Ban before realizing that he is a vampire and throws him out of the house. Soon thereafter, Nicholas finds himself in an impossible situation with Ban, and he bargains: in exchange for a very important gift, he will give Ban whatever he wants. And what Ban wants is him. But that works out to Nicholas' benefit, see, because he is so lonely, and is so tired of being rejected. When Ban makes love to him, Nicholas realizes that he craves what Ban is doing to him, and these scenes are actually very powerful.
In short order, these two start falling in love. But there is a rather interesting twist in this story that the author starts to share with us: . It adds a fascinating bit of destiny to the story, but that is quickly marred by a shocking event that makes me question how Nicholas could ever imagine himself in love with Ban, or at a minimum, how he could imagine himself being loyal to Ban. Nonetheless, after this event, the love and devotion between these two ratchet to the skies.
I wanted to believe in them because the ingredients were all there: destiny, love against the odds, love in the face of social disapproval, devotion overcoming death. All of it was present. The only thing missing was my heart. At some point, I just stopped caring. It was well-written, but I just lost interest. So, 4 stars for craft and an excellent first half, but after that key event in the middle of the book, it mostly left me cold.
August 16, 2013
I'm prolly destined to rate anything T. Baggins (aka S.A. Reid) writes 5 stars or more. Fucking awesome is what this was. Much like the rest of her backlist.
Review to come. I'm all "What are words?" right now. Your fault, book.
Review to come. I'm all "What are words?" right now. Your fault, book.
August 14, 2013
This is not one of those light-weight frothy m/m romances; you know the sort - boy meets boy, they break up, they find each other and it ends in a sweet and rather implausible HEA. Soulless is hefty and solid and delicious.
A darkly erotic story with plenty of horror and a well thought out and intricate plot. It’s not a quick read, but hot damn it is bloody satisfying. Like biting into a steak after weeks of eating cheap burgers. My only quibble is that the cover gives the impression that this is yet another quickie-fix romance – but don’t let that mislead you.
This is one to read and read again. And again.
A darkly erotic story with plenty of horror and a well thought out and intricate plot. It’s not a quick read, but hot damn it is bloody satisfying. Like biting into a steak after weeks of eating cheap burgers. My only quibble is that the cover gives the impression that this is yet another quickie-fix romance – but don’t let that mislead you.
This is one to read and read again. And again.
October 26, 2013
Firstly, this book deserves multiple stars for the cover alone! It's covers like this that make me really sorry that I read from a Kindle and don't have the opportunity to admire hard copy! It may not necessarily evoke the darkness of the story but it sure is drool-worthy!
This is not your usual run of the mill paranormal romance. This is intriguing and captivating. The characters are fascinating and the plot unusual.
From the early chapters, the characters of Nicholas and Bancroft were totally engaging and their situation definitely interesting. The story also includes wonderful secondary characters, particularly Martha and Nicholas' grandmother.
Nicholas may have a position of status but a dreadful accident has left him physically incapacitated and living the sad life of someone believing they are destined to be alone and not enjoy the love of another and joy of physical intimacy. But for all his position and reclusiveness, Nicholas is a caring man, taking the servant girl Martha under his wing. He tutors her and more importantly protects her, putting her life before everything he owns and everything he is.
Bancroft is a murdering Vampire under the control of Sebastian who tortures him. Through flashbacks we learn of his human life, his loves and losses and the events that lead to his life with Sebastian. Ban is definitely a character who develops over the duration of the story, or at least my perception of him changed as I learnt more.
This is a historical tale with a real sense of the time and place, the formality of the language well in tune with the period. But it's essence is a horror story. There are evil characters (Sebastian is totally cringe worthy) with violence and torture and rape. Some of these aspects aren't for the faint-hearted. But there is also love - love that transcends time.
The story is a complex one with surprises and revelations with twists and the unexpected. Very unique!
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
This is not your usual run of the mill paranormal romance. This is intriguing and captivating. The characters are fascinating and the plot unusual.
From the early chapters, the characters of Nicholas and Bancroft were totally engaging and their situation definitely interesting. The story also includes wonderful secondary characters, particularly Martha and Nicholas' grandmother.
Nicholas may have a position of status but a dreadful accident has left him physically incapacitated and living the sad life of someone believing they are destined to be alone and not enjoy the love of another and joy of physical intimacy. But for all his position and reclusiveness, Nicholas is a caring man, taking the servant girl Martha under his wing. He tutors her and more importantly protects her, putting her life before everything he owns and everything he is.
Bancroft is a murdering Vampire under the control of Sebastian who tortures him. Through flashbacks we learn of his human life, his loves and losses and the events that lead to his life with Sebastian. Ban is definitely a character who develops over the duration of the story, or at least my perception of him changed as I learnt more.
This is a historical tale with a real sense of the time and place, the formality of the language well in tune with the period. But it's essence is a horror story. There are evil characters (Sebastian is totally cringe worthy) with violence and torture and rape. Some of these aspects aren't for the faint-hearted. But there is also love - love that transcends time.
The story is a complex one with surprises and revelations with twists and the unexpected. Very unique!
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
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