Splintered Mirror

by Morgan Hawke

Julian, valet and occasional bodyguard to a literal fairy tale prince, wants nothing more than to keep her job. However, that entails keeping anyone from finding out that she's female. Prince Alberic, tall, blond, gorgeous, and more than a little sadistic, is not only one of the very few people aware of Julian's secret, he fully intends to take advantage of it by making her his secret mistress -- whether Julian wants to be one or not.

Ordered by his father the King, Prince Alberic and Julian take off for Lyoness. and a Unicorn hunt to win a princess bride. However, not only are there two princesses instead of one--Rose Red and Snow White--there really is a Unicorn, and that unicorn intends to claim both princesses for his own.

To make things more interesting, there is one more contender for the hands of the two princesses and their a Black Sorcerer with a penchant for unleashing Monsters, and a deadly obsession. And adding more to the mix , Julian discovers her gender isn't the only thing she's been hiding all her life.

Genres: Fantasy, BDSM, Erotica, Fae, Enemies To Lovers, Paranormal, Romance

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Morgan Hawke has been writing erotic fiction since 1998. She has lived in seven states of the US and spent two years in England. She has been an auto mechanic, a security guard, a waitress, a groom in a horse-stable, in the military, a copywriter, a magazine editor, a professional tarot reader, a belly-dancer and a stripper. Her personal area of expertise is the strange and unusual.

Reviews

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY a new book from Ms. Hawke. Um, where's the rest of the book? *scowl*

In a world like ours, but different that it runs in magic and has Fae, unicorns and witches, Julian is a valet (slave) to Prince Alberic. Julian is a female dressed up as a male. It's never quite clear why she's been sold to the prince instead of her twin brother. Still, after years in his servitude, Prince Alberic finally decides he wants her cherry.

There is something about the way Ms. Hawke writes her alpha males that must make me wet and weak in the knee. Alberic is no knight in shining armor. He's a salacious sexist philander and yet I'm panting when he corners Julian. The way Ms. Hawke allows all her males to exude dominance while never mentioning BDSM is spectacular. Alberic plays D/s games all the time with Julian. He ups it now to sexual servitude. Yet not once is BDSM mentioned. This is how skillful Ms. Hawke can be.

Now, it's not just one male either. Master Corwin, Death's coachman is also quite riveting. Capturing a bride with a kiss? Wooing with deadly sensuality just hits my buttons in all the right places. I can't help but fantasize being at one or both of these men's mercy. Seriously, if Julian doesn't want them, I DO! Pick me! Pick me!

The world building is once again fantasy filled and so much fun. I want to learn more about these fae. I want to learn more about the King Fae. There must be more after this. Will there be another 3 year silence? Well, I consider it 5 because Lost Star came out in 2009. One can only hope Ms. Hawke starts turning out her panty drenching stories more frequently.

The characters in this story are what really make this so good. Julian is snarky and yet so innocent at times. The way Alberic plays her is delightful. Her stunning reveal is intriguing and hopefully another book will be devoted to learning more about her other nature as well as what Alberic ends up doing with her. Perhaps there will be a little story focused on Master Corwin and his brother? Will they find a bride? What about the King of Fae and the two princesses? Do we get anything there? Ms. Hawke creates fascinating characters that all deserve a story of their own. Here's hoping it will happen!

Recommended for fantasy lovers who love erotically charged alpha males getting their way.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't even the first time I'm reading this book. I just love everything about it - the plotline, the characters, the world... Julian and Alberic are a brilliant pair.

Actually, there is something I don't like about this book. HOW SHORT IT IS! I also wish we got just a little bit more resolution from the ending. But it was so good.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Am4u ❀ ~ AprilMarie4u ~ ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mix of genres including: fantasy, young/new adult, and erotica.


The story …

I really enjoyed this story. It’s just not what I was expecting.

Parts of the book seemed ya-ish to me because of the virginal innocence of the female m/c Julian & the dialogue. But it was all very fitting for the m/c’s ages, 18 & 19 years old.

The fantasy & fairytale parts of the story were awesome. I really loved the mixture in this world between human, non-humans, & the old classic fairytales.

If you’re looking for a book with a heavy erotica theme, I’d look elsewhere. This story is more plot and character focused with only a little bit of erotica.

The characters …

The main male m/c Alberic is a bit of a dick, but he was very amusing and quite funny.

One of my favorite sub-characters was Corwin. He is dark, mysterious, sneaky, and surprisingly a total sweetie.

The female m/c Julian had her moments where I really liked her, but in the end I felt kind of meh about her overall. I think it was partly because she didn’t seem to have a lot of depth or personality compared to Alberic & Corwin. There is an explanation for it though in the book, but it still made for just an okay character (imo).

The erotica …

There were things hinted at and implied, but there was actually only a few sex scenes overall. From reading some of the author’s older books, the sex scenes were not as detailed or long. It seemed toned down to me, but I think it was more appropriate to the ya/na feel of the story. The only warnings in regards to the sex content that I can think of is non-con to dub-con with forced seduction. BDSM elements bondage & slavery. Some other elements are implied, but don't actually happen.

Overall …

I’d recommend this to fantasy, fairytale, & ya/na lovers that like a little erotica thrown in.


Please note this book is not for minors. Recommended only for 18+ ages.

[Poison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I've been waiting for a new book my Morgan Hawke forever, but really, I read one of her shorter stories about 3 months ago, so it just feels that way.

Julian is the valet to Prince Alberic. She's pretending to be a man, because valets are all male, and her twin brother was Alberic's valet before his death. Julianna was taken back to the kingdom by Alberic and thus must take her brothers place. Or something.

The whole genderbending thing I didn't quite get, but whatever, it added a little tension, I guess.

Julian and her Prince then must undertake a mighty quest. To find a unicorn for the Princesses of a realm, in order to win their hand in marriage. Alberic, obviously, already loves Julian, while she has no idea what is going on in her head, and during the quest, stuff happens.

Suffice it to say, there is a lot happening in this novel, and I like the characters. Julianna is cute, a little odd, and harboring a secret even she doesn't know about, let alone the one she does know, Alberic is also interesting, and he wants to make Julianna his love slave, which is erotic enough on its own.

Finally, lets get to the sex. There are not in fact a lot of sex scenes, but what we do get is pretty steamy.

While I'd rather be reading another ISD novel, this one was pretty good.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say that I'm a sucker for romances, and I wasn't particularly intrigued by the romance presented, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy every damn minute of this. Batshit insane, ridiculous and over the top, entertainment at its finest.

Gabriella stiffened. “Poisoned? But I’m not cursed.”
The king set his ice blue eyes on Gabriella. “Haven’t you noticed? Your tears have turned black. You’ve been poisoned by the evil inherent in that curse.”
[...] “That’s just...makeup. My kohl eyeliner.”<\i>

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was yummy. Although I was expecting erotica, I'd tag it more as fantasy with dark erotic overtones. According to the author it's the beginning of a series and the next book is steamier. No idea if future books will focus on the same characters or not. Personally, I hope so.

Julian was Prince Alberic's childhood companion and now serves as his valet. Julian has a secret only the prince and the royal physician know, Julian is actually Juliette. Julian was sold to the prince as a child, but what keeps her with the arrogant sadistic prince is a loyalty earned when he saved her from a monster when they were children.

Now that they are both adults, Prince Alberic is ready to change the nature of their relationship, at least behind closed doors. Julian tries to resist, but she's always been taken by the prince's beauty....

Ignore my attempt at a blurb, there are preview chapters: http://www.darkerotica.net/Splintered...

I don't usually play the cast the role game, but should Jared Leto go blond, all he'd need would be some green contact lenses and he could go to town. He has a side to him that would gel with the arrogant sadistic prince. Think Bart. ;)

[April Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love love Morgan Hawke and her stories. I wish she wrote more. I love this story There isnt as much erotica as in her other stories but there is a such a story here between Julian who is the heroine and Prince Alberic the hero......this is a tale , sort of a fairy tale. You have to read it to understand why i say it is LIKE a fairy tale but not. There is humans, non humans, fairies, sprites, unicorns, etc, etc, etc.......all interwoven into this story. There is a great plot and Alberic is a such a devious man who is in lust/love with Julian.....

I highly recommend this story and the way the story ends, I believe there is going to be a book two in this world about Corwin who is a secondary character.

Overall this is another great story from MH.

[Julia Rittiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual plot was entertaining with the unicorn hunt and learning that Julian is actually a unicorn herself, overall the book was fairly dissapointing. The main character has some really unsettling mental conditioning regarding her situation as the prince's 'valet' (aka slave) and the sex is both uninspired and very much dubcon. No. You know what? Considering how many times she told him flat out NO she didn't want to have sex with him, it was outright non-con.
I know that this is not the only book to do this, but really, Alberic has no discernable redeeming features. Being rich and sexy don't count.
If you enjoy dub/non-con erotica with your fantasy and fairy tails you should enjoy this.
I just kept hoping she'd get away from him somehow.

[R *is for Relentless* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting erotic fantasy from Morgan Hawke. Not my favorite by this author in that it seemed a bit tame compared to other books. Unicorns, Death, witches, magic and some mysteries. Really enjoyed the story.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as some of her other books. There isn't very much sex in the book, and it's not interesting.

[Selenay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so hyped up for reading this book and now that I've finished it, I just feel - disappointed.

The premise and everything was so promising, but Alberic basically ruined it all for me. He had tiny moments where he seemed somewhat likeable, but all in all he is just a giant douche. The way he treats Julianna just doesn't sit well with me at all and the ending left a very sour aftertaste. The whole 'You have no idea how long I wanted you to be my lover' just made it worse. I mean, basically he just wanted to bang her and nothing else, right? At least that is how I perceive his character. He could have been at least a little nicer to her in the end. And I don't get how she can just get on with it as normal after what happened, seriously. Like she has no free will or anything. I mean, it's obvious that she loves him, even if she would probably never admit it, but ... argh.

Also, there was so much potential to expand! Alberic's mother was a fairy, but people don't seem to know or realize. Why is he so ashamed of being not entirely human? Who was that tinker? And who attacked Julianna's parents' house? So many unanswered questions, that I wanna tear my hair out!

Okay, that was enough ranting ... Just had to get that out after I just finished the book. Soooo unsatisfied!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unicorns and fae and monsters oon my

Loved this story could have done with it being a little longer. Would have liked to know how they got on once they got home

[james · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking fairy tail and updating them with an erotic twist

I loved the story with a pace that kept you intrigued and wanting to keep turning pages. Thank you for your work.