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The House of Silence #3
Consort
On the surface, the business of the infamous House of Silence is obvious enough, but its carefully cultivated veneer of political neutrality is threatened when a lover from Master Charon's youth arrives with an urgent message from the queen, prompting jealousy from Reiji and putting the whole house on edge. The House's unique resources are called upon to investigate one of the local cabals which is overstepping its bounds, snatching up disproportionate amounts of territory and capital beyond its domain. When Tam goes missing, Charon and the boys are caught up in a web of intrigue, peril, and sensuality that may end up costing them their lives. (M/M)
406 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2014
3 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jaken
31 books105 followersJ.A. Jaken has been writing homoerotic fiction for more than ten years. She got her start in the profession writing slash fanfiction, where she has published numerous stories under the pen-name Rushlight. Over the years she has written erotic short stories and novels in genres ranging from science fiction/fantasy to gothic horror to modern detective mysteries.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 31, 2014
1.5 Stars, rounded up only for nostalgia’s sake.
Sadly, this book was a fail. I enjoyed the first two books, but Consort had zero character progression. It was predictable and a carbon copy of book 2. The only difference was that Tam was the center of the plot in this book. At first, the book seemed to be showing the possibility of a character-driven story through some of the new friendships developing.
Worst of all it was predictable and there was an excess of re-telling. I also hated that all the boys seemed to “sense” the impending doom for no apparent reason other than to cause drama.
My one star is for the very few Vincent and Aburon scenes.
I still recommend the first two books.
Sadly, this book was a fail. I enjoyed the first two books, but Consort had zero character progression. It was predictable and a carbon copy of book 2. The only difference was that Tam was the center of the plot in this book. At first, the book seemed to be showing the possibility of a character-driven story through some of the new friendships developing.
Worst of all it was predictable and there was an excess of re-telling. I also hated that all the boys seemed to “sense” the impending doom for no apparent reason other than to cause drama.
My one star is for the very few Vincent and Aburon scenes.
I still recommend the first two books.
April 27, 2014
3.5 stars
I have so been looking forward to this third book in the House of Silence series. I loved the first two. A story set in an exclusive male brothel with lots of hot guys who know just how to get their kink on? What’s not to like? But, that second book, Ricochet, is a hard act to follow— there was so much delicious mayhem in that one, so much great coming together of kinky sex, dark secrets, political intrigue, and nicely-paced action/adventure.
The title is interesting… I’m guessing it alludes to much of Consort being about Reiji Kendo, who is also featured on the book cover. He’s one of my favorites of the rent boys, mostly because he’s a punk-ass, street-urchin, martial-artist aficionado, and I like that about him. But, Reiji doesn’t get to kick nearly enough ass in this one to suit me. It’s mostly about his developing relationship with Charon. I like that, too, sure. Reiji as consort to the sexy, urbane, mysterious brothel owner… they make a very different kind of couple. But this rendering errs on the side of relationship angst versus ninja action and I just need more of that .
The story gets a very, very slow start, the first fifty percent of it is mostly telling how all our brothel-babes are safely back in the house after the excesses of book two. We get more recounting of who they are/ where they’re from/ what they’re about, etc. So, rehashing of stuff already covered in the first two books.
And, there’s a lot of ‘something-is-not-quite-right’ type dialogue. The lads are twitchy, they keep asking each other, ‘what’s wrong?’. We’re kept on tenterhooks waiting for all hell to break loose again.
About half-way in (say, whaaat?!!) we find out what’s up, but then… well, it’s nothing really new or momentous, in my opinion. I don’t think I’m spoilering anything by saying it’s all about those family gangs, the cabals, up to their dirty tricks with their crafty agents jostling for power. More of that.
Which is fine, but those dangerous cabals get short shrift in the story, the infighting just seems surface, and the action is very reminiscent of what we saw in book two. Maybe it’s due to my great expectations that I find myself underwhelmed and a little disappointed with Consort.
Recap/Reviews :
Book one Exodus; sets up the characters and world, and we got lots of luscious sex-play
Book two, Ricochet; some great action and mayhem; with gang infighting, and peril to the rent-boys and their brothel house. The tension builds.
Book three, Consort; is about how a brothel can be the nexus of sex and political intrigue; lots of kinky play between the rent-boys and their lecherous customers (warnings: knife, blood & needle play; sounding). Okay, here’s one I especially liked: a tie-em-up/tie-em-down scene with Tam and Monet, a new, very twisty customer…
“Poor, abused boy. I’m being so mean to you, aren’t I?”… Surprised by the suddenness of the penetration, Tam lifted his hips and gasped… “Please,” he said… his body was screaming at him for release now. He was starting to shake from it, like a junkie who couldn’t get his fix; he was such a shameless, brazen whore. “Please.”
Oh yeah, the bedroom action sizzles, but, sorry, the outside action kinda fizzles.
Kinky scenes = 4.5 stars
Action/adventure/intrigue = 2.5 stars
Final rating = 3.5 stars
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May 8, 2014
There's no kind way to say this, but the first half of this book was...a struggle to get through. I don't really like characters being impulsive or irrational and getting themselves, or others, into trouble through their impulsiveness and irrationality. I don't really like melodrama caused by characters just flat out being incapable of thinking an issue through to arrive at really obvious conclusions.
First on the list of frustrations was Tam, who's always been a sort of mischievous and precocious character, but in this book seems psychologically-compelled to break rules or get himself into trouble over some loyal gut inclinations to protect his "family"...or possibly just for shits and giggles to stave off boredom. He's not exactly some troublemaking brat, it's just that his character could be summed up by people saying "Don't do the thing" with him responding "I'm gonna do the thing." Yes, obviously, the usual literary rationale for characters behaving badly, to cause problems for themselves or others, is that there wouldn't be any story to tell if characters just did what they were supposed to do all the time without stirring any pots. That's fine, except that the stuff Tam does only ends up being very peripherally tied to the plot at all. I'm not sure if we were meant to find it charming for him to repeatedly break fundemantal house rules by invading various clients' privacies and messing with his friends' marks...on the one hand it makes Tam seem "spirited" and "adventurous," and on the other hand it just makes him seem like some irresponsible child who doesn't see how reckless actions have consequences and can't plan more than a half step ahead to avoid them (case in point, Tam gets bit in the ass -- mostly literally - every single time he breaks rules to do what he pleases in this story).
And then there's Reiji, who gets involved in this really transparent love triangle of sorts and just kind of spends the whole first half of this book being jealous or irritable or whiney, sometimes all three at the same time, projecting his frustrations at anyone within earshot. I hadn't even realized how little I care for jealousy-driven love triangles -- particularly when the narrator in question seems determined to just fume bitterly and ineffectually for the most part of said plot -- until I'd encountered it here in this book; I suppose I ought to be thankful that now I know to avoid such things in the future. Yes, it "makes sense" and is "in-character" for Reiji to act this way, in this situation. Still doesn't make it particularly enjoyable to experience. There's one moment where Charon says to Reiji, after the boy has said or done something particularly rude, "What's the matter? This isn't like you at all," and I didn't know whether to roll my eyes or laugh aloud. This isn't like him? Being an ornery prat has literally been the only thing that Reiji has done in the story up to that point! And my god, was it ever exhausting to read about.
Speaking of Charon? During my review of the first two books in this series, I'd criticized the character of Charon for being portrayed as some sort of faultless caring mentor when in fact he does consciously allow some very bad things to happen to his boys, in and out of the bedroom. This book almost takes it too far in the opposite direction, where Charon is just this giant fluffy softie whose heart melts into puddles at the merest pout from his incorrigible wards. There are many points here where it seems like Charon really should be stricter or impose much more serious repercussions -- or, hell, even any repercussions at all -- against any employees who step as far out of line as they do here, but his idea of discipline seems to be to just sigh and send them off to bed with a long-suffering expression.
Y'know those heist movies where we're told that the team is a well-oiled machine at the top of their field, but in fact we're shown that its members are so dysfunctional -- maybe someone's too much of a bleeding heart and another member's too much of a loose cannon and no one can agree on anything or follows any rules or plays anything safely -- that it's a wonder how any of them have survived to this point, much less earned any sort of proficient reputation for themselves? The beginning of this book reminds me of the, uh, male brothel version of that. I basically have a hard time imagining how this place even functions as a finely-tuned establishment considering how mischievous or volatile or trigger-happy its employees can be, and that its employer just basically allows these guys to run ramshackle however they like.
Now, all that being said? The second half of House of Silence: Escort is like a whole different book and more or less salvages the whole experience for me. Once the plot gets going, it really gets going at a headlong pace and doesn't let up for an moment. All the more irritating traits that these characters exhibited recede to the background while their more endearing qualities come to the fore; if you're at all invested in any of these characters then it's certainly worthwhile to see how they deal with the surprising threat that pops up in this story. And really, it's almost adorable that the motley crew of characters here seem like maladjusted powderkegs when things are actually quiet and peaceful at their house, whereas they come across more functional and compatible when the shit has hit the fan and everything is going terribly. Now if only this book had just a little bit less of the former and a little bit more of the latter...
First on the list of frustrations was Tam, who's always been a sort of mischievous and precocious character, but in this book seems psychologically-compelled to break rules or get himself into trouble over some loyal gut inclinations to protect his "family"...or possibly just for shits and giggles to stave off boredom. He's not exactly some troublemaking brat, it's just that his character could be summed up by people saying "Don't do the thing" with him responding "I'm gonna do the thing." Yes, obviously, the usual literary rationale for characters behaving badly, to cause problems for themselves or others, is that there wouldn't be any story to tell if characters just did what they were supposed to do all the time without stirring any pots. That's fine, except that the stuff Tam does only ends up being very peripherally tied to the plot at all. I'm not sure if we were meant to find it charming for him to repeatedly break fundemantal house rules by invading various clients' privacies and messing with his friends' marks...on the one hand it makes Tam seem "spirited" and "adventurous," and on the other hand it just makes him seem like some irresponsible child who doesn't see how reckless actions have consequences and can't plan more than a half step ahead to avoid them (case in point, Tam gets bit in the ass -- mostly literally - every single time he breaks rules to do what he pleases in this story).
And then there's Reiji, who gets involved in this really transparent love triangle of sorts and just kind of spends the whole first half of this book being jealous or irritable or whiney, sometimes all three at the same time, projecting his frustrations at anyone within earshot. I hadn't even realized how little I care for jealousy-driven love triangles -- particularly when the narrator in question seems determined to just fume bitterly and ineffectually for the most part of said plot -- until I'd encountered it here in this book; I suppose I ought to be thankful that now I know to avoid such things in the future. Yes, it "makes sense" and is "in-character" for Reiji to act this way, in this situation. Still doesn't make it particularly enjoyable to experience. There's one moment where Charon says to Reiji, after the boy has said or done something particularly rude, "What's the matter? This isn't like you at all," and I didn't know whether to roll my eyes or laugh aloud. This isn't like him? Being an ornery prat has literally been the only thing that Reiji has done in the story up to that point! And my god, was it ever exhausting to read about.
Speaking of Charon? During my review of the first two books in this series, I'd criticized the character of Charon for being portrayed as some sort of faultless caring mentor when in fact he does consciously allow some very bad things to happen to his boys, in and out of the bedroom. This book almost takes it too far in the opposite direction, where Charon is just this giant fluffy softie whose heart melts into puddles at the merest pout from his incorrigible wards. There are many points here where it seems like Charon really should be stricter or impose much more serious repercussions -- or, hell, even any repercussions at all -- against any employees who step as far out of line as they do here, but his idea of discipline seems to be to just sigh and send them off to bed with a long-suffering expression.
Y'know those heist movies where we're told that the team is a well-oiled machine at the top of their field, but in fact we're shown that its members are so dysfunctional -- maybe someone's too much of a bleeding heart and another member's too much of a loose cannon and no one can agree on anything or follows any rules or plays anything safely -- that it's a wonder how any of them have survived to this point, much less earned any sort of proficient reputation for themselves? The beginning of this book reminds me of the, uh, male brothel version of that. I basically have a hard time imagining how this place even functions as a finely-tuned establishment considering how mischievous or volatile or trigger-happy its employees can be, and that its employer just basically allows these guys to run ramshackle however they like.
Now, all that being said? The second half of House of Silence: Escort is like a whole different book and more or less salvages the whole experience for me. Once the plot gets going, it really gets going at a headlong pace and doesn't let up for an moment. All the more irritating traits that these characters exhibited recede to the background while their more endearing qualities come to the fore; if you're at all invested in any of these characters then it's certainly worthwhile to see how they deal with the surprising threat that pops up in this story. And really, it's almost adorable that the motley crew of characters here seem like maladjusted powderkegs when things are actually quiet and peaceful at their house, whereas they come across more functional and compatible when the shit has hit the fan and everything is going terribly. Now if only this book had just a little bit less of the former and a little bit more of the latter...
Want to read
November 15, 2013This book better be jam-packed with Aburon! :D
September 1, 2021
great series
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this ‘found family’. These books had a creative story and sexy action. Not unexpected as it is set in a bordello.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this ‘found family’. These books had a creative story and sexy action. Not unexpected as it is set in a bordello.
April 7, 2015
Suspense, political intrigue, kidnapping, staunch friendship, hot sex. What's not to like? Very well written erotic romance. I never did fully understand the world in which the characters lived, but the fact that the characters were all nicely developed glossed over my frustration. The biggest flaw for me, as an action junkie, is that the author is fairly clueless about writing an action scene. Unfortunately. Still, the series as a whole was wonderful and, in the end, quite satisfying. I look forward to more stories from the talented JA Jaken.
Warning: One dub-con BDSM scene (I skipped over it.)
Warning: One dub-con BDSM scene (I skipped over it.)
September 30, 2016
3.5 stars
Entertaining.
I would have rated it 4 stars if not for the last few chapters.
Entertaining.
I would have rated it 4 stars if not for the last few chapters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews