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Neko #1
Tears of the Neko
A younger brother buys his brother, the Duke and heir to the throne, a surprising gift for his brother's birthday--a young, very skittish neko slave. But ,Damien has no use for a personal slave. But a bet with his two younger brothers has Damien keeping the boy at his side as a matter of pride. When attempts on his life begin, Damien discovers just how protective the cat-like human can be.
This is the story of a young neko who wasn't given the choice to become a slave. Having been captured by hunters who killed his parents and sell slaves illegally to the mines, Kayden grew up with the hunters torturing him into submission, until they finally sold him six years later to a slave market. It is here where the young neko is bought on a whim by a peer of the realm as a birthday gift--and his life begins to change.
This book contains m/m relationships and sex between men. There is also a scene of non-consent [rape]. Please do not read if any of these situations offend you.
This is the story of a young neko who wasn't given the choice to become a slave. Having been captured by hunters who killed his parents and sell slaves illegally to the mines, Kayden grew up with the hunters torturing him into submission, until they finally sold him six years later to a slave market. It is here where the young neko is bought on a whim by a peer of the realm as a birthday gift--and his life begins to change.
This book contains m/m relationships and sex between men. There is also a scene of non-consent [rape]. Please do not read if any of these situations offend you.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2015
22 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Ryan
7 books66 followersTaylor Ryan is the pen name under which I publish my M/M fiction, as I started out writing young adult fiction and have recently migrated genres. I have been writing M/M fiction since June 2014, and Tears of the Neko was my first published work in the M/M genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 6, 2018
OMG! This book!!
This book was hurt/comfort at its best. It made me feel all gooey inside. There were dark and angsty scenes, but the comfort outweighed the hurt.
In this story, slavery is an option and not forced. Slavery gives those who can’t take care of themselves the choice to be taken care of by a master. Forced slavery is outlawed. Unfortunately, there are those operating outside of the law.
Kayden is a neko who was illegally taken at the age of twelve and forced into a life of slavery. He is tormented and abused. His growth is stunted leaving him at only 5 feet tall, and he is left scarred.
Kayden is gifted to Damien a Duke in line to be the next King as a joke. That joke develops into a tender and loving relationship between a master and his little neko slave.
This book was hurt/comfort at its best. It made me feel all gooey inside. There were dark and angsty scenes, but the comfort outweighed the hurt.
In this story, slavery is an option and not forced. Slavery gives those who can’t take care of themselves the choice to be taken care of by a master. Forced slavery is outlawed. Unfortunately, there are those operating outside of the law.
Kayden is a neko who was illegally taken at the age of twelve and forced into a life of slavery. He is tormented and abused. His growth is stunted leaving him at only 5 feet tall, and he is left scarred.
Kayden is gifted to Damien a Duke in line to be the next King as a joke. That joke develops into a tender and loving relationship between a master and his little neko slave.
July 31, 2019
3 Stars
It was too slow and I expected it was a bit darker. I couldn’t feel the love between Damien and the Neko. Told in multiple POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Neko" series. I should say the last 30-35% was better. It’s semi-dark and some parts were reaaally sweet/cute. Overall, it was an okay read and hope you like it more than me!
It was too slow and I expected it was a bit darker. I couldn’t feel the love between Damien and the Neko. Told in multiple POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Neko" series. I should say the last 30-35% was better. It’s semi-dark and some parts were reaaally sweet/cute. Overall, it was an okay read and hope you like it more than me!
April 12, 2018
4.5 kitten stars!
Tears Of The Neko is the story of Kayden, he was capture by hunters and made into a neko salve. As a joke he ends up being gifted to the the duke and heir to the throne, Damien. Of course the future king doesn’t quiet know what to do with the skittish cat like human.
All the feels for this book! So sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, especially for Kayden. His past was Brutal. The slow burn relationship between Damien and Kayden was so good. Watching them both be leery of each other, but slowly become tender and sweet with each touch and kiss. Damien was so caring and patient with his kitten and once he realized what Kayden went through he became so protective of him.
Kayden was adorable I wanted to cuddle him! Loved how he slowly came out of his shell and with the love of not just Damien but the whole household who loved him too. Of course things are not easy for these two lovers with someone trying to kill Damien. But this unknown enemy didn’t count on a fierce neko who would do anything to protect his master.
I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in this series and seeing more of Damien and his kitten.♥️
“Muchas gracias mi querida lyn for this rec! This one hit the spot.” 💖
Tears Of The Neko is the story of Kayden, he was capture by hunters and made into a neko salve. As a joke he ends up being gifted to the the duke and heir to the throne, Damien. Of course the future king doesn’t quiet know what to do with the skittish cat like human.
All the feels for this book! So sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, especially for Kayden. His past was Brutal. The slow burn relationship between Damien and Kayden was so good. Watching them both be leery of each other, but slowly become tender and sweet with each touch and kiss. Damien was so caring and patient with his kitten and once he realized what Kayden went through he became so protective of him.
Kayden was adorable I wanted to cuddle him! Loved how he slowly came out of his shell and with the love of not just Damien but the whole household who loved him too. Of course things are not easy for these two lovers with someone trying to kill Damien. But this unknown enemy didn’t count on a fierce neko who would do anything to protect his master.
I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in this series and seeing more of Damien and his kitten.♥️
“Muchas gracias mi querida lyn for this rec! This one hit the spot.” 💖
October 4, 2018
This was ok-ish like I don’t hate it but I’m not exactly over the moon about it.
First, they took too long to kill off the villain. I was annoyed by him from a few pages in. It was clearly established that he was the bad guy so the rape scene felt unnecessary and just too much (hated it).
Still will check the sequel out though.
Seriously, it took damn long to get rid of that asshole called Roman 😩😩😩
First, they took too long to kill off the villain. I was annoyed by him from a few pages in. It was clearly established that he was the bad guy so the rape scene felt unnecessary and just too much (hated it).
Still will check the sequel out though.
Seriously, it took damn long to get rid of that asshole called Roman 😩😩😩
June 24, 2019
Re-read June 2019
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Lotd of hurt/comfort in this one. Even though I skimmed the bits with the throne/heir explanations.
Damien is the new heir to the throne, since his uncle, the king, didn’t have any children. He is only 25, but Damien seems to have forgotten how to be young and carefree, weighed down under his new responsibilities.
And that’s why his younger brother, Harrison, thinks it is a good idea to gift him with a slave. Slavery is voluntary in this world. And that’s why lots of poor people choose slavery, so they have a master to take care of them while they do their duties and try to be a good slave.
So when Harrison sees the little hybrid at the slave market, he thinks he is there voluntarily, despite him being in a cage. The little neko with the cat ears and the tail seems the perfect companion for his serious brother.
When Damien sees the gift his brother got him, he has no idea what to do with the little neko. Kayden looks small, underfed, and is so skittish he jumps at every sound.
But when Damien gets to know the little hybrid a bit more, he finds out exactly why Kayden is so skittish. And that brings out Damien’s protective instincts like nothing else…
This was just wonderful. Kayden was so sweet, and so hurt. He really needed Damien’s patience and his gentle touch. And Damien was perfect. He knew exactly how to coax Kayden out of his shell.
This book was filled with Kayden's hurt, but I was glad there were lots of comfort moments to balance out that hurt too. And there is hurt. So if you’re squeamish about these things, be warned.
I do have to admit there were a few spellings errors and some words missing. Also the years Kayden was with the hunters changed. First he was 12 when he was caught and spent 5 years there, then is was 6 years. It is implied Kayden is now 18.
But overall I really liked this one.
----------------------
Lotd of hurt/comfort in this one. Even though I skimmed the bits with the throne/heir explanations.
Damien is the new heir to the throne, since his uncle, the king, didn’t have any children. He is only 25, but Damien seems to have forgotten how to be young and carefree, weighed down under his new responsibilities.
And that’s why his younger brother, Harrison, thinks it is a good idea to gift him with a slave. Slavery is voluntary in this world. And that’s why lots of poor people choose slavery, so they have a master to take care of them while they do their duties and try to be a good slave.
So when Harrison sees the little hybrid at the slave market, he thinks he is there voluntarily, despite him being in a cage. The little neko with the cat ears and the tail seems the perfect companion for his serious brother.
When Damien sees the gift his brother got him, he has no idea what to do with the little neko. Kayden looks small, underfed, and is so skittish he jumps at every sound.
But when Damien gets to know the little hybrid a bit more, he finds out exactly why Kayden is so skittish. And that brings out Damien’s protective instincts like nothing else…
This was just wonderful. Kayden was so sweet, and so hurt. He really needed Damien’s patience and his gentle touch. And Damien was perfect. He knew exactly how to coax Kayden out of his shell.
This book was filled with Kayden's hurt, but I was glad there were lots of comfort moments to balance out that hurt too. And there is hurt. So if you’re squeamish about these things, be warned.
I do have to admit there were a few spellings errors and some words missing. Also the years Kayden was with the hunters changed. First he was 12 when he was caught and spent 5 years there, then is was 6 years. It is implied Kayden is now 18.
But overall I really liked this one.
April 30, 2018
What a wonderful read!!!
Damien and Kayden are great together!
Kayden is a young neko slave whom nobody wants to purchase. He's small, scared and mute. On the verge of being put down by the slave trader... :(
Luckily, Kayden is bought by a young Count as a prank gift for his brother's birthday. Damien, the Grand Duke, doesn't want a slave but reluctantly agrees to keep Kayden for a month - as a bet against his brothers, Harrison and Roman.
At the beginning Kayden is extremely skittish and withdrawn - Damien is big, loud, intimidating... But the truth is Damien is just very busy, overwhelmed by responsibilities (he's to be the king) and unacustomed to anybody's presence in his everyday life.
Soon, however, Damien warms to Kayden. He sees the neko's hidden, playful nature. He discovers Kayden's sad story. Coaxes Kayden to speak. And he himself begins to open up, let some joy and laughter into his organised and strict life.
The book is delightful! Kayden's sweet and loving nature, Damien's transition to a man who can laugh and be happy, the array of wonderful secondary characters: Harrison and Penelope, Ellis, Ysmenia and even Garin - I loved it all!
Of course, there is also a villain and he is awful! And there's this terrible scene when...
And then later...
A highly-recommended, 5-star read!
Damien and Kayden are great together!
Kayden is a young neko slave whom nobody wants to purchase. He's small, scared and mute. On the verge of being put down by the slave trader... :(
Luckily, Kayden is bought by a young Count as a prank gift for his brother's birthday. Damien, the Grand Duke, doesn't want a slave but reluctantly agrees to keep Kayden for a month - as a bet against his brothers, Harrison and Roman.
At the beginning Kayden is extremely skittish and withdrawn - Damien is big, loud, intimidating... But the truth is Damien is just very busy, overwhelmed by responsibilities (he's to be the king) and unacustomed to anybody's presence in his everyday life.
Soon, however, Damien warms to Kayden. He sees the neko's hidden, playful nature. He discovers Kayden's sad story. Coaxes Kayden to speak. And he himself begins to open up, let some joy and laughter into his organised and strict life.
The book is delightful! Kayden's sweet and loving nature, Damien's transition to a man who can laugh and be happy, the array of wonderful secondary characters: Harrison and Penelope, Ellis, Ysmenia and even Garin - I loved it all!
Of course, there is also a villain and he is awful! And there's this terrible scene when...
And then later...
A highly-recommended, 5-star read!
November 6, 2015
I have had a bit of a reading slump, and this put a smile back on my face.
Kayden is a young neko (cat and human hybrid) illegally hunted and placed into slavery. After enduring five years of emotional and physical abuse he is traded by his captors to a slave auctioneer.
Bought on a whim, as a birthday present for the Duke and heir to the throne Damien, Kayden's life begins to change.
Damien agrees to a bet that he will keep the exceptionally skittish and mostly mute slave as his companion for a month.
The two men bring out the best in each other. Meanwhile a dastardly plan is underway to take the throne, and Damien's life is under threat. Kayden and Damien must negotiate the dangers and ensure each other's safety.
I had some quibbles but book two Blood of the Neko already awaits, and perhaps it will have the outcome I am hoping for.
All in all this is a rather sweet romance with one quite explicit scene of non-consensual sex which if I am honest seemed gratuitous to the overall plot.
Damien and Kayden are an unlikely pairing and it was fun to watch their romance blossom as Kayden's confidence is slowly restored.
Kayden is a young neko (cat and human hybrid) illegally hunted and placed into slavery. After enduring five years of emotional and physical abuse he is traded by his captors to a slave auctioneer.
Bought on a whim, as a birthday present for the Duke and heir to the throne Damien, Kayden's life begins to change.
Damien agrees to a bet that he will keep the exceptionally skittish and mostly mute slave as his companion for a month.
The two men bring out the best in each other. Meanwhile a dastardly plan is underway to take the throne, and Damien's life is under threat. Kayden and Damien must negotiate the dangers and ensure each other's safety.
I had some quibbles but book two Blood of the Neko already awaits, and perhaps it will have the outcome I am hoping for.
All in all this is a rather sweet romance with one quite explicit scene of non-consensual sex which if I am honest seemed gratuitous to the overall plot.
Damien and Kayden are an unlikely pairing and it was fun to watch their romance blossom as Kayden's confidence is slowly restored.
May 6, 2018
This one got a lot better after the first 20 pages or so. I really had to push myself and I almost DNF'd this because the beginning writing is awkward, stilted and the author spends way too much time trying to make the idea of slavery palatable with little actual downside. For the vast majority we're lead to believe slaves are more like voluntary indentured servants on yearly contracts to benevolent masters that see their humanity and appreciate their work .... at least until they might be deemed unusable. Fortunately, she calmed down with the awkward name thing and the explanations and got down to the story.
Neko was cute but I saw him as so much of a cat and a child that I had a hard time with the sexualized relationship between him and Damian. Neko was constantly referred to as a boy or in some feline way, so it was hard to get past the visual of that even though they made sure he was barely 18, probably.
The bad guy was one dimensional, incompetent and clear from the beginning (intentionally) so there wasn't any real suspense there.
All in all, a good story but it glossed over a lot of the societal problems created with slavery and the damage to Neko psychologically. Damian could see the issues, but they are not addressed or really changed except to possibly make things worse for the older, less able slaves. Additionally, Neko wasn't "cured" over night, but it's still a "love and understanding" cures all book.
Neko was cute but I saw him as so much of a cat and a child that I had a hard time with the sexualized relationship between him and Damian. Neko was constantly referred to as a boy or in some feline way, so it was hard to get past the visual of that even though they made sure he was barely 18, probably.
The bad guy was one dimensional, incompetent and clear from the beginning (intentionally) so there wasn't any real suspense there.
All in all, a good story but it glossed over a lot of the societal problems created with slavery and the damage to Neko psychologically. Damian could see the issues, but they are not addressed or really changed except to possibly make things worse for the older, less able slaves. Additionally, Neko wasn't "cured" over night, but it's still a "love and understanding" cures all book.
December 10, 2018
4.75 Stars!
July 10, 2018
"That was the best part of the day--waking up with his boy in his arms."
This was a cute and pure read. If I reviewed it at the time I finished, I probably would give it 3 stars - however, if it weren't for the notes on kindle, this was a unmemorable. Unfortunately, I only got into it after about the 60% mark and wish it was beautiful all the way through. Fans of MM romance and Captive Prince would enjoy this read... (i hope)
This was a cute and pure read. If I reviewed it at the time I finished, I probably would give it 3 stars - however, if it weren't for the notes on kindle, this was a unmemorable. Unfortunately, I only got into it after about the 60% mark and wish it was beautiful all the way through. Fans of MM romance and Captive Prince would enjoy this read... (i hope)
September 6, 2015
So good
I was surprised by how much I really liked this book. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.
I was surprised by how much I really liked this book. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.
March 8, 2017
4 STARS This was a bit slow and quite dark but made for an unusual but interesting story
July 24, 2019
The writing style was just Okey but I did love the hurt/comfort here. It's my favorite trope so yeah.
September 14, 2015
First let me say I love this story. It was the first one by this author that I read and I have now read all of her work.
The characters are wonderful.
From the beginning you will fall in love with Kayden. With everything he has been through before the story starts, and everything he goes through during, you can’t help but want to gather him up and protect him from the big bad world around him.
Damien is lovely, but, he is so buried in his work that he doesn’t even really take notice of Kayden at first. There are points when I wanted to reach into the book and smack him round the back of the head.
Harrison is the typical little brother, however, I do think he sees more than others give him credit for.
And of course lastly you have Roman…well let’s just say he would be better minus certain parts of his anatomy and leave it at that, shall we??? I’ll let you come to your own conclusion about him when you read the story.
My favorite bit had to be Kayden playing with shaving cream, I could almost imagine it in my mind. I laughed so hard.
Overall a great story full of ups and downs.
The characters are wonderful.
From the beginning you will fall in love with Kayden. With everything he has been through before the story starts, and everything he goes through during, you can’t help but want to gather him up and protect him from the big bad world around him.
Damien is lovely, but, he is so buried in his work that he doesn’t even really take notice of Kayden at first. There are points when I wanted to reach into the book and smack him round the back of the head.
Harrison is the typical little brother, however, I do think he sees more than others give him credit for.
And of course lastly you have Roman…well let’s just say he would be better minus certain parts of his anatomy and leave it at that, shall we??? I’ll let you come to your own conclusion about him when you read the story.
My favorite bit had to be Kayden playing with shaving cream, I could almost imagine it in my mind. I laughed so hard.
Overall a great story full of ups and downs.
March 5, 2015
Kayden was so sweet and it was so easy to imagine his character with his cat-like habits as well as how scared he was. I wasn't sure about Harrison for a while, and Roman is a horrible brother and person in general. Damien grew on me as well, at first he seemed rather dispassionate but he and kayden melted my heart.
May 28, 2015
Simply Outstanding!
A very good book. Great characters, with a very good story line, with a very interesting twist on the institution of slavery. I've already purchased the next two books, and if you're reading this review, I highly recommend that you quickly buy all three! Excellent work, Taylor Ryan!!
A very good book. Great characters, with a very good story line, with a very interesting twist on the institution of slavery. I've already purchased the next two books, and if you're reading this review, I highly recommend that you quickly buy all three! Excellent work, Taylor Ryan!!
September 13, 2016
this story reminded me a lot of this manga called "Loveless".
there's Damien, kayden and Ellis (I liked Ellis <3 while reading I was like tell me more about him! I wanna know)
I just at the end I kept wondering and don't let me get started about when
Sorry for the spoilers I just couldn't.
there's Damien, kayden and Ellis (I liked Ellis <3 while reading I was like tell me more about him! I wanna know)
I just at the end I kept wondering and don't let me get started about when
Sorry for the spoilers I just couldn't.
October 25, 2016
I read this book ages ago but strangely never reviewed it for some reason. Anyways thought I would remedy that, I enjoyed this book a lot. The concept of the feline species of Neko I have not read anything like it so it was original which I liked. Kayden the little Neko has been abused and suffered from being an enforced and unwilling slave gets given to Damien as a sort of prank present. Neither Kayden or Damien will realise the inevitable train of events that will follow from this, attempted murder, and the brave little Neko who will protect the one person who has made him happy. Ahh! I just loved this book it just made we want to squeeze Kayden. I look forward to the next book.
March 9, 2015
I loved the slowly developing relationship between Kayden and Damien. This book had good intrigue and angst that kept me hanging on through the entire book. It was good to see a book written with plot and character development as the focus and not just a bunch of sex scenes.
May 1, 2017
I like the basic idea of the story and Kayden is one of the sweetest and most adorable characters I’ve ever read about, but even his cuteness wasn’t enough to compensate for the confusing narrative and immature characterization.
June 28, 2015
That was actually really great book. After ending it I actually feel like I read a fairy tale romance.
September 24, 2015
I originally read this story on FictionPress and loved it so much that I bought it for kindle. The story is great, the plot is very original and fast paced. I loved it. Great job Taylor!
January 9, 2019
4.5 stars
April 23, 2017
I was in the mood for some major hurt/comfort, which this certainly delivered. Kayden, the neko, has an ultra-awful and tragic background, so he’s a terrified mess when he’s bought as a birthday gift for Damien. Damien is weighed down by the stress of being the Duke and doesn’t want to deal with Kayden, but they are thrown together and…surely it’s no spoiler if I mention whether they get together? I mean, c’mon. And be prepared – they get pretty shmoopy (Damien in particular). The interesting thing about this story is that it isn’t about getting to the “I love you”; it’s about getting to the “I trust you.” I loved how that played out.
I’ll be honest, there are problems with the writing, such as missing words, the occasional misused word, and a third-person-omniscient POV that I'm not sure was intentional, as it was rather erratic. It's particularly bad at the beginning; either it improved or I stopped noticing it as much as it went on.
Harrison’s character doesn’t make a lot of sense early on. I can’t see why he’d think it was a good idea to buy Kayden for Damien – given what both Harrison and Damien supposedly think of slavery as it’s practiced in their society, he shouldn’t believe Damien would find it funny as a joke, and given Kayden’s extreme skittishness, Harrison couldn’t think Kayden would be a good companion.
The way slavery is practiced in the society was an interesting concept – it’s very accepted, and most “slaves” decide to become slaves as something much like a job; they can gain freedom rather easily as well. This made Kayden’s background even worse, since he truly was a slave in the way that we understand the word. I’d have like to have seen that disconnect explored more; maybe it’ll happen in the sequel.
I’d have preferred that there were fewer references to Kayden as “boy,” “kit” and “kitten,” largely because it really made it seem that everyone saw him as a child, which then makes the relationship with Damien creepy. However, it’s mentioned in the story that he’s eighteen (well…they think he is), so I kept that firmly in mind.
But none of those change the fact that I was swiping through my Kindle pages as fast as I could and totally eating it all up :-)
Edit: I just read this a second time and all the things I mentioned above bothered me just as much the second time around...but I'm upping the rating to five stars because I ate it up again and I'm sure that won't be the last time. But please, Ms. Ryan, run this by an editor -- this story shouldn't have to suffer from such basic editing mistakes.
I’ll be honest, there are problems with the writing, such as missing words, the occasional misused word, and a third-person-omniscient POV that I'm not sure was intentional, as it was rather erratic. It's particularly bad at the beginning; either it improved or I stopped noticing it as much as it went on.
Harrison’s character doesn’t make a lot of sense early on. I can’t see why he’d think it was a good idea to buy Kayden for Damien – given what both Harrison and Damien supposedly think of slavery as it’s practiced in their society, he shouldn’t believe Damien would find it funny as a joke, and given Kayden’s extreme skittishness, Harrison couldn’t think Kayden would be a good companion.
The way slavery is practiced in the society was an interesting concept – it’s very accepted, and most “slaves” decide to become slaves as something much like a job; they can gain freedom rather easily as well. This made Kayden’s background even worse, since he truly was a slave in the way that we understand the word. I’d have like to have seen that disconnect explored more; maybe it’ll happen in the sequel.
I’d have preferred that there were fewer references to Kayden as “boy,” “kit” and “kitten,” largely because it really made it seem that everyone saw him as a child, which then makes the relationship with Damien creepy. However, it’s mentioned in the story that he’s eighteen (well…they think he is), so I kept that firmly in mind.
But none of those change the fact that I was swiping through my Kindle pages as fast as I could and totally eating it all up :-)
Edit: I just read this a second time and all the things I mentioned above bothered me just as much the second time around...but I'm upping the rating to five stars because I ate it up again and I'm sure that won't be the last time. But please, Ms. Ryan, run this by an editor -- this story shouldn't have to suffer from such basic editing mistakes.
January 18, 2016
3.5 Very cute story about a neko, Kayden, and his master, Damien. Damien is the 25yr old Duke of Marsten, who was thrust in to the seat of power very suddenly, upon the death of his father. He is good to his two brothers, but the youngest, Harrison, is worried that hes's too serious, overworked and humorless. Enter Neko, whom Harrison purchases at the slave market as a gag gift for his brother. Neko is skittish, underfed and doesn't talk to anyone. Harrison figures that gifting Damien with his own personal slave will either his brother crazy as he is not a fan of servants fussing all over him. The middle brother, Roman, gets in on the joke but is problem from the very start...
Right! There are no real surprises here. The plot is pretty much spelled out (at times too much, especially regarding the attempts on Damien's life), but I guess the author wasn't going for a mystery. The beginning left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth as the author seemed to try to build a world where slavery was 'ok' and a 'choice'. It was presented as some kind of indentured labor, where slavery was preferable because many mixed breeds couldn't function as free people. Ok. The whole house slaves and field slaves bit got my back up a little. The mistreatment of Neko in the beginning set my teeth on edge, especially as people kept speaking ill of him and his worth, in his presence, like it was funny. I also had a problem with the fact that though the slave trader 'guessed' Neko was 18, the author kept harping on how small and thin Neko was, and everyone kept referring to him as a boy. So the book wasn't off to a great start with me....but it grew on me. As with any book where the main character has been abused, Nikko is extremely skittish and you will need patience to deal with his reactions to everyday things. Still, I loved the character and I loved how good Damien was to him. The secondary characters - household staff (especially the kitchen staff) and guards were great too, and it was good to see Neko blossom under Damien's love and attention. I'll definitely read the other books in the series to see what he and Damien get up to.
Right! There are no real surprises here. The plot is pretty much spelled out (at times too much, especially regarding the attempts on Damien's life), but I guess the author wasn't going for a mystery. The beginning left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth as the author seemed to try to build a world where slavery was 'ok' and a 'choice'. It was presented as some kind of indentured labor, where slavery was preferable because many mixed breeds couldn't function as free people. Ok. The whole house slaves and field slaves bit got my back up a little. The mistreatment of Neko in the beginning set my teeth on edge, especially as people kept speaking ill of him and his worth, in his presence, like it was funny. I also had a problem with the fact that though the slave trader 'guessed' Neko was 18, the author kept harping on how small and thin Neko was, and everyone kept referring to him as a boy. So the book wasn't off to a great start with me....but it grew on me. As with any book where the main character has been abused, Nikko is extremely skittish and you will need patience to deal with his reactions to everyday things. Still, I loved the character and I loved how good Damien was to him. The secondary characters - household staff (especially the kitchen staff) and guards were great too, and it was good to see Neko blossom under Damien's love and attention. I'll definitely read the other books in the series to see what he and Damien get up to.
August 26, 2018
Wow!
What a masterpiece! This book has it all. Everything l enjoy in one book. Cold master falling for a tiny, defenseless, and pretty young man he did not want and starting to care for and wanting to protect. Then neko showing he can go to all extremities to protect his master. Slave so pitiful and lovable that everyone gets deeply attached to him. Almost dying lover situation (with detailed feelings shown to readers), groveling master after misjudging or mistreating the neko (not enough imo, but still a lot), etc. This book is pure gold. There was no long and useless depressing situations or difficulties encountered. The years of captivities and bad treatment happened before the story started (thank God!). Every obstacle was solved pretty quickly. The author knew and added everything that mattered.
What a masterpiece! This book has it all. Everything l enjoy in one book. Cold master falling for a tiny, defenseless, and pretty young man he did not want and starting to care for and wanting to protect. Then neko showing he can go to all extremities to protect his master. Slave so pitiful and lovable that everyone gets deeply attached to him. Almost dying lover situation (with detailed feelings shown to readers), groveling master after misjudging or mistreating the neko (not enough imo, but still a lot), etc. This book is pure gold. There was no long and useless depressing situations or difficulties encountered. The years of captivities and bad treatment happened before the story started (thank God!). Every obstacle was solved pretty quickly. The author knew and added everything that mattered.
November 12, 2020
2020
I adore this book
2016
heart-breaking at times and I am not so sure if I really liked the submissive side but all in all it was a great read
I adore this book
2016
heart-breaking at times and I am not so sure if I really liked the submissive side but all in all it was a great read
February 3, 2022
Hi everyone, It's Christopher the reader here and the book we are here to talk about tonight is Tears of the Neko. This book is the first in the series. I read this book for the first time in February and it took me a day to finish reading. I am now going to talk about some of the books details. It was rated for readers aged 18 and up, and was first published on the 21st of February in 2015. It was told using 3rd person with it mainly following Harrison's, Kay's and Damien's point of view. The book had 23 chapters. All together the book had 439 kindle pages which also includes an epilogue at the end.
- I found the storyline interesting, I think that this book had good world building and place detail. I do think I would have liked it more if it had extra character detail. I really enjoyed this book a lot of it gave me BBC Merlin vibes which was and still is one of my favourite TV Shows to watch. I liked that this book included a few funny scenes I think it helped balance the book out a bit although I would have liked maybe a few more of though scenes. I liked that the book had some flashback's as I feel like it helped us know a bit more about Kay's past and more of what life was like for him.
There was this one scene in the book that made me feel really numb, I found it a bit challenging to read so I had to stop a few times. There were lots of parts in the book were it felt very believable. This book was written in a way where for me I felt like I was actually there, stuck in the room with the main character. When reading I did notice some mistakes with wording, It does feel like the book is in need of some editing. I felt like some information was also repeated. I would have liked if the book referenced Kay a bit differently within the story. I do think that the book didn't address much of the damage and efforts that Kay's character goes through near the end of the story, I do feel like this will be more addressed in the next few though. I would have also liked for the book to have mentioned at one point of the date of which it was set in as the time period was there was never really established.
- I liked Harrison's character, I loved how caring he was. I do wished that we could have had some more scenes with him in and I feel the same with the kitchen staff as well. I think that Kay has to be one of the most sweetest and most adorable characters I've ever read about. I really liked his character and I loved how he was slowly coming out of his shell a bit. I liked the slow burn relationship between Damien and Kayden, I thought that it was really sweet. I liked how caring and patient how Damien was so with him as we carry on reading.
- I do feel that the ending was a bit predictable. I plan to read the next book in the series soon, I want to buy book: 1.5 before I read the 2nd book. In the next few books I do hope that we get to read about taking on the hunters and put a stop to the things they are doing.
For each book that I read, I rate it out of 10, so for this I'm going to give it 9.4. Remember this was what I thought about the book personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
- I found the storyline interesting, I think that this book had good world building and place detail. I do think I would have liked it more if it had extra character detail. I really enjoyed this book a lot of it gave me BBC Merlin vibes which was and still is one of my favourite TV Shows to watch. I liked that this book included a few funny scenes I think it helped balance the book out a bit although I would have liked maybe a few more of though scenes. I liked that the book had some flashback's as I feel like it helped us know a bit more about Kay's past and more of what life was like for him.
There was this one scene in the book that made me feel really numb, I found it a bit challenging to read so I had to stop a few times. There were lots of parts in the book were it felt very believable. This book was written in a way where for me I felt like I was actually there, stuck in the room with the main character. When reading I did notice some mistakes with wording, It does feel like the book is in need of some editing. I felt like some information was also repeated. I would have liked if the book referenced Kay a bit differently within the story. I do think that the book didn't address much of the damage and efforts that Kay's character goes through near the end of the story, I do feel like this will be more addressed in the next few though. I would have also liked for the book to have mentioned at one point of the date of which it was set in as the time period was there was never really established.
- I liked Harrison's character, I loved how caring he was. I do wished that we could have had some more scenes with him in and I feel the same with the kitchen staff as well. I think that Kay has to be one of the most sweetest and most adorable characters I've ever read about. I really liked his character and I loved how he was slowly coming out of his shell a bit. I liked the slow burn relationship between Damien and Kayden, I thought that it was really sweet. I liked how caring and patient how Damien was so with him as we carry on reading.
- I do feel that the ending was a bit predictable. I plan to read the next book in the series soon, I want to buy book: 1.5 before I read the 2nd book. In the next few books I do hope that we get to read about taking on the hunters and put a stop to the things they are doing.
For each book that I read, I rate it out of 10, so for this I'm going to give it 9.4. Remember this was what I thought about the book personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
March 30, 2020
This book was sweet, light and maybe a good hungover book after a heavy read.
I usually don’t like Slave/Master dynamic outside the bedroom—too much unequal power exchange, could turn so easily problematic, a bit humiliating sometimes—but this one didn’t bother me in the slightest.
Kayden and Daimen’s relationship wasn’t...normal per se, but the social construct around them was different so it didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with their relationship. Daimen was nobility (an heir to the crown) while Kayden was a slave who was forced and abused into this life.
In a logical aspect, they didn’t have anything in common, and their relationship is illogical BUT THEY ARE SO GODDAMN CUTE.
Honestly okay, a part of me didn’t even want them to be together-together. For some reason Kayden seemed childish despite him being 18, and Daimen seemed so old even tho he’s 25. The thing about their relationship it was more about romance.
It was an odd mix of hurt-comfort book, and their exchange was pure fluff from the beginning of the book. Daimen was emotional constipated alpha type, and Kayden was a meekly tiny submissive, they just worked so well without clashing or humiliating. The attention Daimen gives Kayden, and the way Kayden just like basks in it, it was all
Pure feellllss honestly for me it was enough even without sex part, and even their sex was more cute than steamy.
But beside all that, that’s all that was for the book; just cute. The characters were super one-dimensional, the plot was soooooo predictable if not downright obvious, the character development wasn’t all that banging either.
Nevertheless, it was enjoyable and sweet and I’ll probably be reading the next book.
I usually don’t like Slave/Master dynamic outside the bedroom—too much unequal power exchange, could turn so easily problematic, a bit humiliating sometimes—but this one didn’t bother me in the slightest.
Kayden and Daimen’s relationship wasn’t...normal per se, but the social construct around them was different so it didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with their relationship. Daimen was nobility (an heir to the crown) while Kayden was a slave who was forced and abused into this life.
In a logical aspect, they didn’t have anything in common, and their relationship is illogical BUT THEY ARE SO GODDAMN CUTE.
Honestly okay, a part of me didn’t even want them to be together-together. For some reason Kayden seemed childish despite him being 18, and Daimen seemed so old even tho he’s 25. The thing about their relationship it was more about romance.
It was an odd mix of hurt-comfort book, and their exchange was pure fluff from the beginning of the book. Daimen was emotional constipated alpha type, and Kayden was a meekly tiny submissive, they just worked so well without clashing or humiliating. The attention Daimen gives Kayden, and the way Kayden just like basks in it, it was all
Pure feellllss honestly for me it was enough even without sex part, and even their sex was more cute than steamy.
But beside all that, that’s all that was for the book; just cute. The characters were super one-dimensional, the plot was soooooo predictable if not downright obvious, the character development wasn’t all that banging either.
Nevertheless, it was enjoyable and sweet and I’ll probably be reading the next book.
July 12, 2015
Not really my thing.... Was bored within first 30 pages. I just don't like it when side characters have more depth than the main one.
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