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Built for Pleasure
Retired military officer Malcolm Torvik runs a rehabilitation facility for malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. When WLF-6759—Wolf—arrives at Reboot Camp, the former battle cyborg presents problems Malcolm’s never faced before. Most pleasure cyborgs are sensation junkies, constantly high on the chemicals sex releases into their bloodstream, but Wolf’s faulty refit means it’s spent a decade suffering through unwanted encounters—and sometimes fighting back despite the consequences.
At first Wolf’s rebellion frustrates Malcolm even as Wolf’s undeniable physical perfection draws him. Then Wolf’s unexpected vulnerability and need open a whole new dynamic between them, and Malcolm finds himself feeling far too much for something that isn’t even human. Or is it? Could Homo sapiens technica be just as human as Malcolm is? And if it is, what’s Malcolm supposed to do about it? Malcolm’s been alone for so long…. Is it possible he’s found love with a cyborg? How far will he go to ensure Wolf’s freedom? Malcolm knows what he must do—for both of them—but it might cost him much more than his comfortable life.
At first Wolf’s rebellion frustrates Malcolm even as Wolf’s undeniable physical perfection draws him. Then Wolf’s unexpected vulnerability and need open a whole new dynamic between them, and Malcolm finds himself feeling far too much for something that isn’t even human. Or is it? Could Homo sapiens technica be just as human as Malcolm is? And if it is, what’s Malcolm supposed to do about it? Malcolm’s been alone for so long…. Is it possible he’s found love with a cyborg? How far will he go to ensure Wolf’s freedom? Malcolm knows what he must do—for both of them—but it might cost him much more than his comfortable life.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 14, 2016
4.5 stars – Because I’m such a fan of good science fiction, M/M romances set within a sci-fi story always pique my interest. My experiences, though, have been a mixed bag, leaning generally toward my being disappointed, usually because they tend to be missing my favorite part about good sci-fi: its ability to veil some real-life social or moral dilemma within an alternate reality as a commentary about our own. But I love science fiction, so when I read the blurb for Built for Pleasure, by Thursday Euclid, I had to give it a chance. And for a change, it was a chance worth taking.
Set at least a few centuries in the future, the novel centers around Malcolm Torvik, a retired military officer who runs a business for rehabilitating malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. They are designed to receive hits of euphoric drugs to encourage them to stay submissive when ordered to perform sexually, but this often results in these cyborgs becoming junkies, hence the rehab. The arrival of WLF-6759, “Wolf”, presents Malcolm with a problem he hasn’t seen before. Ten years ago, Wolf’s cybernetics were refitted to convert him from a physically imposing beast of a battle cyborg into a pleasure cyborg, who is, of course, still a monstrous specimen of masculine power. But it didn’t work as planned, resulting in Wolf suffering a decade of unwanted encounters and sometimes reverting to its original programming to fight back. Wolf’s physical perfection is the first thing that attracts Malcolm, but the unexpected realization that maybe Wolf—and all cyborgs, by extension—is closer to being human than he realized creates a dilemma he had never imagined. And if he’s going to do something to right society’s impression that cyborgs are not people but things to be owned like property, he’ll have to decide if he can risk the cost.
The concept of machines and artificial intelligence being or becoming human is certainly not new in science fiction. It’s a rather easy place, in fact, for sci-fi to make the social commentaries I mentioned at the start of this review. Perhaps the difference in Built for Pleasure is that the cyborgs in this story are, in fact, designated as a separate species of living beings, Homo sapiens technica. Originally created in a laboratory to be receptacles for mechanical enhancements to perform the dangerous tasks of terraforming and colonizing other planets, cyborgs are living beings designed to be servile and disposable. The rationalization, though, is that their enhancements make them too dangerous to be allowed any sort of freedom, so they are essentially mind-controlled slaves, in spite of the fact that cyborgs reproduce and are born the same way Homo sapiens sapiens are.
That means all the attendant moral dilemmas about slavery and otherness are present in this novel. Once I realized where the story was going, my immediate reaction was that it wasn’t going to be long enough to deal with them adequately, and to some degree, I was correct. But where it ends works for the purposes of it being a romance as opposed to being a full sci-fi story. It’s worth noting, though, that if the author so desired, the story in this novel could easily be adapted to something much longer. I was pleasantly surprised, in fact, that this relatively short novel reads very much like the first third or so of the first novel of an epic space-opera series. From a sci-fi junkie like me, take that as a great compliment.
Beside the science-fiction goodness, there are also many parallels between the process Wolf goes through in the story and those found in a coming-of-age story. And the author does just as good a job with this facet as the sci-fi storytelling. The romantic aspect was also often touching and thought-provoking, as is often the case in bildungsromans, because there is a great deal of awkwardness on Wolf’s part. Cyborgs are programmed to believe they are not people but objects, so they (and “real” humans) refer to other cyborgs with words like “it” and “something” instead of the personal pronouns afforded to humans. They are also not designed for social interactions, a fact that the author reminds us directly and indirectly throughout our time in Wolf’s head. Perhaps the one complaint I have about the novel is that its constraints (mainly where it ends) prevents this story line from coming to quite as satisfactory of a conclusion as most romances do. While I understand why the novel ends where it does (continuing would have forced the story to be MUCH longer), an epilogue would certainly have been appreciated.
Overall, Built for Pleasure, is a fascinating read about topics that get quite ugly if you think about them too much. And like all of my favorite science fiction, this is largely the point. Unlike some of the other sci-fi romances I have read, the balance between staying true to the needs of both genres is as good as I’ve come across so far. This one is definitely worth the read.
The author generously provided me a complimentary copy of Built for Pleasure in exchange for this fair and honest review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim | Facebook | Twitter
Set at least a few centuries in the future, the novel centers around Malcolm Torvik, a retired military officer who runs a business for rehabilitating malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. They are designed to receive hits of euphoric drugs to encourage them to stay submissive when ordered to perform sexually, but this often results in these cyborgs becoming junkies, hence the rehab. The arrival of WLF-6759, “Wolf”, presents Malcolm with a problem he hasn’t seen before. Ten years ago, Wolf’s cybernetics were refitted to convert him from a physically imposing beast of a battle cyborg into a pleasure cyborg, who is, of course, still a monstrous specimen of masculine power. But it didn’t work as planned, resulting in Wolf suffering a decade of unwanted encounters and sometimes reverting to its original programming to fight back. Wolf’s physical perfection is the first thing that attracts Malcolm, but the unexpected realization that maybe Wolf—and all cyborgs, by extension—is closer to being human than he realized creates a dilemma he had never imagined. And if he’s going to do something to right society’s impression that cyborgs are not people but things to be owned like property, he’ll have to decide if he can risk the cost.
The concept of machines and artificial intelligence being or becoming human is certainly not new in science fiction. It’s a rather easy place, in fact, for sci-fi to make the social commentaries I mentioned at the start of this review. Perhaps the difference in Built for Pleasure is that the cyborgs in this story are, in fact, designated as a separate species of living beings, Homo sapiens technica. Originally created in a laboratory to be receptacles for mechanical enhancements to perform the dangerous tasks of terraforming and colonizing other planets, cyborgs are living beings designed to be servile and disposable. The rationalization, though, is that their enhancements make them too dangerous to be allowed any sort of freedom, so they are essentially mind-controlled slaves, in spite of the fact that cyborgs reproduce and are born the same way Homo sapiens sapiens are.
That means all the attendant moral dilemmas about slavery and otherness are present in this novel. Once I realized where the story was going, my immediate reaction was that it wasn’t going to be long enough to deal with them adequately, and to some degree, I was correct. But where it ends works for the purposes of it being a romance as opposed to being a full sci-fi story. It’s worth noting, though, that if the author so desired, the story in this novel could easily be adapted to something much longer. I was pleasantly surprised, in fact, that this relatively short novel reads very much like the first third or so of the first novel of an epic space-opera series. From a sci-fi junkie like me, take that as a great compliment.
Beside the science-fiction goodness, there are also many parallels between the process Wolf goes through in the story and those found in a coming-of-age story. And the author does just as good a job with this facet as the sci-fi storytelling. The romantic aspect was also often touching and thought-provoking, as is often the case in bildungsromans, because there is a great deal of awkwardness on Wolf’s part. Cyborgs are programmed to believe they are not people but objects, so they (and “real” humans) refer to other cyborgs with words like “it” and “something” instead of the personal pronouns afforded to humans. They are also not designed for social interactions, a fact that the author reminds us directly and indirectly throughout our time in Wolf’s head. Perhaps the one complaint I have about the novel is that its constraints (mainly where it ends) prevents this story line from coming to quite as satisfactory of a conclusion as most romances do. While I understand why the novel ends where it does (continuing would have forced the story to be MUCH longer), an epilogue would certainly have been appreciated.
Overall, Built for Pleasure, is a fascinating read about topics that get quite ugly if you think about them too much. And like all of my favorite science fiction, this is largely the point. Unlike some of the other sci-fi romances I have read, the balance between staying true to the needs of both genres is as good as I’ve come across so far. This one is definitely worth the read.
The author generously provided me a complimentary copy of Built for Pleasure in exchange for this fair and honest review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim | Facebook | Twitter
November 23, 2016
‘Built for Pleasure’ is a spellbinding story about the thin line between humans of the far future, homo sapiens sapiens, and the cyborgs they have designed, homo sapiens technica. The galaxy has been settled, driven by powerful corporations who were the only entities with enough money to escape a dying Earth. But the fundamental need for “servants” that humankind has displayed over millennia still exists, and to avoid having human servants, they have come up with a new idea. Take those with “emotional and societal difficulties”, implant them with technology and software to make them behave submissively, use drugs to keep them docile, and wash your hands of having to feel bad – after all they are machines not worthy of human rights.
I have to say that the major flaw in this thinking was pretty obvious to me – but then, I was not raised in a society that has redefined what it means to be human, I never learned their preconceptions, and I did not absorb the “values” they hold. The flaw is this: the cyborgs start out as human babies but are then implanted with hard- and software to reprogram them – literally – into something else. The psychological and chemical pressures are not seen as immoral by those used to thinking that way, but I kept thinking of those poor kids that were “transformed” into possessions. Not many of the characters in this book would agree with me – at least not initially.
What changes the situation is an encounter between two men. Malcolm is a retired military officer, son of the CEO of one of the biggest corporations, and he rehabilitates malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. He sees himself much like a mechanic: find the problem, use his tools, and fix the fault. But then he encounters WLF-6759, and his worldview changes. This cyborg is self-aware and understands he has been abused by previous owners, he insists on being called Wolf rather than his designation, and he has the most unusual requests. Malcolm doesn’t know what to think at first, but over the days and weeks that follow, he begins to see there is much more to Wolf – and therefore potentially to all cyborgs – than he ever thought.
Wolf is a fascinating guy. He was designed as a battle cyborg, yet someone repurposed him as a pleasure cyborg when he was sixteen. The refit was not perfect, and as a result Wolf is much more self-aware than other cyborgs. His needs are different than those of a “standard model”, and while he does not think of himself as human (brainwashing did a good job preventing that), he does want to be his own person. One thing leads to another, and as Malcolm and Wolf get to know each other and start talking, they both change. It was fascinating to watch, and some of the consequences are as painful as they are liberating.
If you like stories that explore what it means to be human and how we are different from machines – or not, if you want to read about two men who learn that the truths and the values they have always accepted as absolute are not what they seem, and if you are looking for a read that is heartbreaking, suspenseful, intense, emotional, and very thought-provoking, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It may be set far in the future, but the need for dignity and freedom of the oppressed at its center are no different from what we can see happening to minorities right now.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
I have to say that the major flaw in this thinking was pretty obvious to me – but then, I was not raised in a society that has redefined what it means to be human, I never learned their preconceptions, and I did not absorb the “values” they hold. The flaw is this: the cyborgs start out as human babies but are then implanted with hard- and software to reprogram them – literally – into something else. The psychological and chemical pressures are not seen as immoral by those used to thinking that way, but I kept thinking of those poor kids that were “transformed” into possessions. Not many of the characters in this book would agree with me – at least not initially.
What changes the situation is an encounter between two men. Malcolm is a retired military officer, son of the CEO of one of the biggest corporations, and he rehabilitates malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs. He sees himself much like a mechanic: find the problem, use his tools, and fix the fault. But then he encounters WLF-6759, and his worldview changes. This cyborg is self-aware and understands he has been abused by previous owners, he insists on being called Wolf rather than his designation, and he has the most unusual requests. Malcolm doesn’t know what to think at first, but over the days and weeks that follow, he begins to see there is much more to Wolf – and therefore potentially to all cyborgs – than he ever thought.
Wolf is a fascinating guy. He was designed as a battle cyborg, yet someone repurposed him as a pleasure cyborg when he was sixteen. The refit was not perfect, and as a result Wolf is much more self-aware than other cyborgs. His needs are different than those of a “standard model”, and while he does not think of himself as human (brainwashing did a good job preventing that), he does want to be his own person. One thing leads to another, and as Malcolm and Wolf get to know each other and start talking, they both change. It was fascinating to watch, and some of the consequences are as painful as they are liberating.
If you like stories that explore what it means to be human and how we are different from machines – or not, if you want to read about two men who learn that the truths and the values they have always accepted as absolute are not what they seem, and if you are looking for a read that is heartbreaking, suspenseful, intense, emotional, and very thought-provoking, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It may be set far in the future, but the need for dignity and freedom of the oppressed at its center are no different from what we can see happening to minorities right now.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 14, 2016
I tend to be hit or miss with Euclid’s books and this selection fell right in the middle of that spectrum.
Premise of the book is Homo sapiens sapiens used cyborgs Homo sapiens technica to initially colonize the galaxy and terraform planets in anticipation of leaving a ravaged and devastated Earth. Cyborgs paved the way, then were built to take on the hazardous tasks, and ultimately, to serve humans as objects of pleasure.
Malcom “Mal” Torvik, black sheep of the Torvik family, ‘rehabilitates’ cyborgs. When the pleasure ‘borg WLF-6759 arrives in his shop after going on a rampage and killing 29 men, Mal discovers WLF is quite unlike any other cyborg to come through his shop. He is immediately drawn to the complex machine. WLF-6759 “Wolf” discovers hope in Mal, a human who might show him more than abuse, a human who might understand he’s more than the sum of his body parts. Mal and Wolf’s connection becomes enough to start a rebellion.
The exploration of cyborg or AI as having intelligence and feeling is not a new one. What made this interesting was the purposeful intention of keeping ‘borgs on a cocktail of drugs to suppress their human wetware. I had to chuckle – it felt a bit like Volkswagon covering up a cars true emissions. Wolf being able to overcome his drugs was explained via his faulty conversion from a military model to a pleasure model.
What I would like to have seen and I didn’t, was more interaction between Wolf and other cyborgs. Wolf doesn’t report to Mal or Althea (Mal’s mother) that he has met others like him either via the military training or the pleasure training. There are no covert meetings in hallways, no quiet talk at recharging stations, no muttered discontent at treatment.
The reader sees briefly through Mal’s eyes the objectivity of the pleasure ‘borgs and knows about the brief life of the military model, but we don’t see anything beyond that: no experimenting with lowering drug dosages, no indication that the cyborgs are ready for uplifting. This was especially so in Althea’s hidden base – where were the experimental ‘borgs? The initial test cases? Something beyond one remarkable subject out of hundreds of thousands of cyborgs to truly justify a full-blown rebellion?
On a technical note, and my scientific background is sneaking through here, I was surprised and annoyed that the binomial nomenclature was not italicized: Humans = Homo sapiens sapiens and cyborgs = Homo sapiens technica, or more accurately, if not being referenced during a discussion: Homo s. sapiens. My quirk.
Overall
A solid scifi story exploring machines having feelings, people repressing feeling their given, and standing up for what is right.
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
Premise of the book is Homo sapiens sapiens used cyborgs Homo sapiens technica to initially colonize the galaxy and terraform planets in anticipation of leaving a ravaged and devastated Earth. Cyborgs paved the way, then were built to take on the hazardous tasks, and ultimately, to serve humans as objects of pleasure.
Malcom “Mal” Torvik, black sheep of the Torvik family, ‘rehabilitates’ cyborgs. When the pleasure ‘borg WLF-6759 arrives in his shop after going on a rampage and killing 29 men, Mal discovers WLF is quite unlike any other cyborg to come through his shop. He is immediately drawn to the complex machine. WLF-6759 “Wolf” discovers hope in Mal, a human who might show him more than abuse, a human who might understand he’s more than the sum of his body parts. Mal and Wolf’s connection becomes enough to start a rebellion.
The exploration of cyborg or AI as having intelligence and feeling is not a new one. What made this interesting was the purposeful intention of keeping ‘borgs on a cocktail of drugs to suppress their human wetware. I had to chuckle – it felt a bit like Volkswagon covering up a cars true emissions. Wolf being able to overcome his drugs was explained via his faulty conversion from a military model to a pleasure model.
What I would like to have seen and I didn’t, was more interaction between Wolf and other cyborgs. Wolf doesn’t report to Mal or Althea (Mal’s mother) that he has met others like him either via the military training or the pleasure training. There are no covert meetings in hallways, no quiet talk at recharging stations, no muttered discontent at treatment.
The reader sees briefly through Mal’s eyes the objectivity of the pleasure ‘borgs and knows about the brief life of the military model, but we don’t see anything beyond that: no experimenting with lowering drug dosages, no indication that the cyborgs are ready for uplifting. This was especially so in Althea’s hidden base – where were the experimental ‘borgs? The initial test cases? Something beyond one remarkable subject out of hundreds of thousands of cyborgs to truly justify a full-blown rebellion?
On a technical note, and my scientific background is sneaking through here, I was surprised and annoyed that the binomial nomenclature was not italicized: Humans = Homo sapiens sapiens and cyborgs = Homo sapiens technica, or more accurately, if not being referenced during a discussion: Homo s. sapiens. My quirk.
Overall
A solid scifi story exploring machines having feelings, people repressing feeling their given, and standing up for what is right.
Review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!
December 4, 2016
4.5 stars
Wow, this turned out to be a lot more than its packaging suggested. I have to say that neither the title nor the (admittedly pretty) cover do the book justice.
The first half of the book is a human/cyborg story. The cyborg, Wolf, was built for military use but later reprogrammed into a sexbot. He’s sent to Malcolm for correction of behavioral issues. Attraction ensues. This was what I was expecting from the naked-torso cover, and it was very well done: sexy, touching, and engaging.
But the story is more than that, and the second half of the book explores a nascent cyborg emancipation movement and what that will mean for Wolf, Malcolm, and the society they live in. There were action scenes, good worldbuilding, well-drawn secondary characters, angst, and realistic consequences for the romance.
A welcome addition to the M/M scifi lists, and an engrossing read.
Recommended.
Wow, this turned out to be a lot more than its packaging suggested. I have to say that neither the title nor the (admittedly pretty) cover do the book justice.
The first half of the book is a human/cyborg story. The cyborg, Wolf, was built for military use but later reprogrammed into a sexbot. He’s sent to Malcolm for correction of behavioral issues. Attraction ensues. This was what I was expecting from the naked-torso cover, and it was very well done: sexy, touching, and engaging.
But the story is more than that, and the second half of the book explores a nascent cyborg emancipation movement and what that will mean for Wolf, Malcolm, and the society they live in. There were action scenes, good worldbuilding, well-drawn secondary characters, angst, and realistic consequences for the romance.
A welcome addition to the M/M scifi lists, and an engrossing read.
Recommended.
December 11, 2016
It's hard to find good MM SciFi - and this is a great one. Wolf and Mal are really great characters and the understanding that Wolf is more than machine really is touching and so very human with emotion for the reader. There is no dwelling on the very bad things - they are largely off stage -- but they are there and pack an impact. It flows fast - and really if this was contemporary it would be 4 stars but the SciFi world building, though somewhat sparse at times, propels this one forward to that 5th star. I'd love to read more in this world and I HAVE to know what happens!
June 22, 2017
Malcolm Torvik rehabilitates disobedient pleasure cyborgs for a living and is known for being one of the best. That's how he ends up with WLF-6759, a cyborg that was originally intended to be a military cyborg but was retrofitted to become a pleasure cyborg. WLF-6759 is known to be one of the most disobedient cyborgs out there - he's killed 29 Peacekeepers (military men) at one time, and he's been passed along through several different owners because many want him but no one can control him. The reformation of this cyborg is the biggest challenge in Malcolm's career, one that he initially looks forward to - until he starts to realize that maybe the cyborg (which goes by Wolf) is more than just a machine, a revolutionary and dangerous thought to have in this universe.
I purchased the ebook when it was first released, but I've been saving it for the right time. And apparently yesterday was the right time, because I devoured it in just a few hours. It was everything I wanted and hoped it would be!
I loved the character of Wolf. He'd been a pleasure cyborg (or, in reality, a sex slave) for almost a decade, but he had somehow managed to cultivate his humanity, even though nearly everyone in the world would argue that he doesn't have any in the first place, that he is just a machine. He's kind and compassionate, and he's somehow managed to keep himself sane through all of the abuse (physical, mental, and sexual). Fortunately, nearly all of his abuse happens off-page, although it is referenced more than once by him and Malcolm.
I also liked how Malcolm had to grow as well. He didn't go from thinking that cyborgs were mere machines into thinking that cyborgs were equal to "humans" (designated Homo sapiens sapiens in the book, versus the cyborgs being referred to as Homo sapiens technica). There was a long learning curve on his part, which I thought was more realistic.
Also, the feels. The glorious angsty feels. I could just roll around in them like a chinchilla in a dirt bath. Wolf was brutalized multiple times in the book - like I said, mostly off-page, although we saw the results of it - and he did whatever he had to do to survive as a sex slave (). Just when you thought things were going to get good for Wolf, something else would happen to mess everything up and, as a self-professed angst whore, I loved every second of it. ;)
This is billed as a romance, and there is a great romance here, but there are also a lot of other things going on - debates over what constitutes being human, for example. There is a lot of sci-fi in these pages, so if you aren't a big fan of it, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to you.
My only real complaint about this book is that there isn't MORE. I want this book to become a series, full of adventure and debate and hurt/comfort. I want to see the new world that Malcolm and Wolf are trying to create come to fruition. I would read a dozen books set in this universe! Maybe more. ;)
I purchased the ebook when it was first released, but I've been saving it for the right time. And apparently yesterday was the right time, because I devoured it in just a few hours. It was everything I wanted and hoped it would be!
I loved the character of Wolf. He'd been a pleasure cyborg (or, in reality, a sex slave) for almost a decade, but he had somehow managed to cultivate his humanity, even though nearly everyone in the world would argue that he doesn't have any in the first place, that he is just a machine. He's kind and compassionate, and he's somehow managed to keep himself sane through all of the abuse (physical, mental, and sexual). Fortunately, nearly all of his abuse happens off-page, although it is referenced more than once by him and Malcolm.
I also liked how Malcolm had to grow as well. He didn't go from thinking that cyborgs were mere machines into thinking that cyborgs were equal to "humans" (designated Homo sapiens sapiens in the book, versus the cyborgs being referred to as Homo sapiens technica). There was a long learning curve on his part, which I thought was more realistic.
Also, the feels. The glorious angsty feels. I could just roll around in them like a chinchilla in a dirt bath. Wolf was brutalized multiple times in the book - like I said, mostly off-page, although we saw the results of it - and he did whatever he had to do to survive as a sex slave (). Just when you thought things were going to get good for Wolf, something else would happen to mess everything up and, as a self-professed angst whore, I loved every second of it. ;)
This is billed as a romance, and there is a great romance here, but there are also a lot of other things going on - debates over what constitutes being human, for example. There is a lot of sci-fi in these pages, so if you aren't a big fan of it, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to you.
My only real complaint about this book is that there isn't MORE. I want this book to become a series, full of adventure and debate and hurt/comfort. I want to see the new world that Malcolm and Wolf are trying to create come to fruition. I would read a dozen books set in this universe! Maybe more. ;)
March 2, 2017
Disclosure: I adore Thursday personally and as a writing God.
Built for Pleasure is a wonderful read. The world he creates is fascinating and before I wrote this I was begging via Facebook for another book.
I love Wolf hard! The man is perfect... and Thursday has captured being caught between two worlds but member of none in heartbreaking perfection. The sex scenes are all kinds of delicious.
I highly recommend this book (& anything written by this author)
Built for Pleasure is a wonderful read. The world he creates is fascinating and before I wrote this I was begging via Facebook for another book.
I love Wolf hard! The man is perfect... and Thursday has captured being caught between two worlds but member of none in heartbreaking perfection. The sex scenes are all kinds of delicious.
I highly recommend this book (& anything written by this author)
November 22, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3 stars
My review of Built for Pleasure happens to coincide with my recent obsession with HBO’s Westworld, which made for a delightful irony. Both the book and the show do an excellent job of questioning what it means to be human and the terrible things we do to those we see as less than human. And as our dependence on technology grows and advances in robotics and AI are rapidly progressing, I think the questions are becoming something more than fodder for sci-fi novels. Built for Pleasure looks at a world in which cyborgs have evolved as an extension of humanity. They are born human, but require extensive mechanical and technological implants to survive. As a result, people have come to view them as slaves, conveniently forgetting they are simply another species of humanity.
When we meet Malcolm, he is not cruel, but he is far from enlightened. Wolf is just another project to be completed and when Malcolm realizes the depth of the cyborg’s intelligence and emotion, his reactions are believable, though not always admirable. Wolf was hard to know and part of this stems from pacing issues I’ll discuss later. But essentially he has no sense of self and we aren’t really given a chance to know who he is, which hampers the romantic aspect of the book.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
3 stars
My review of Built for Pleasure happens to coincide with my recent obsession with HBO’s Westworld, which made for a delightful irony. Both the book and the show do an excellent job of questioning what it means to be human and the terrible things we do to those we see as less than human. And as our dependence on technology grows and advances in robotics and AI are rapidly progressing, I think the questions are becoming something more than fodder for sci-fi novels. Built for Pleasure looks at a world in which cyborgs have evolved as an extension of humanity. They are born human, but require extensive mechanical and technological implants to survive. As a result, people have come to view them as slaves, conveniently forgetting they are simply another species of humanity.
When we meet Malcolm, he is not cruel, but he is far from enlightened. Wolf is just another project to be completed and when Malcolm realizes the depth of the cyborg’s intelligence and emotion, his reactions are believable, though not always admirable. Wolf was hard to know and part of this stems from pacing issues I’ll discuss later. But essentially he has no sense of self and we aren’t really given a chance to know who he is, which hampers the romantic aspect of the book.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
December 3, 2016
3.5 stars rounded up.
Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, and there were things about this story that I loved and others not so much.
Really enjoyed the set up and the first half of the book--was totally invested in their relationship up until their initial separation. I loved that Malcom was middle aged and that his mother, who was a key player in the story, was seventy! I love cyborgs and this brought up some interesting points about man and machine. The futuristic world building was adequate with just enough backstory thrown in. But the second half of the story grew uneven for me, some bits bogged down in too many words and repetition of thoughts, while other bits seemed to move too fast. Also for me the sex scenes after their reunion lacked the freshness and tenderness of those at the beginning and failed to keep me engaged and connected to the characters.
Overall, I recommend it for sci-fi fans! My first read by this author and look forward to try any future sci-fi genre stories.
Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, and there were things about this story that I loved and others not so much.
Really enjoyed the set up and the first half of the book--was totally invested in their relationship up until their initial separation. I loved that Malcom was middle aged and that his mother, who was a key player in the story, was seventy! I love cyborgs and this brought up some interesting points about man and machine. The futuristic world building was adequate with just enough backstory thrown in. But the second half of the story grew uneven for me, some bits bogged down in too many words and repetition of thoughts, while other bits seemed to move too fast. Also for me the sex scenes after their reunion lacked the freshness and tenderness of those at the beginning and failed to keep me engaged and connected to the characters.
Overall, I recommend it for sci-fi fans! My first read by this author and look forward to try any future sci-fi genre stories.
February 18, 2017
Book – Built for Pleasure
Author – Thursday Euclid
Star rating - ★★★☆☆ (3 ½)
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Nice.
POV – 3rd person, dual POV.
Would I read it again – Maybe.
Genre – LGBT, Romance, Science Fiction, Robot
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD*
*Warnings: Dub-con, Dom/sub elements, rape, emotional manipulation, mind control, drug use*
~
So, this is a tricky one. For one, I really loved the story and the characters. But, to tell you the issues I had with it that made it just a 3 ½ and not the 5 star it should have been, I have to ruin the ending for you. So, if you don't want the ending spoiled, I suggest you skip the part of my review below that is marked off with a massive spoiler warning. I've put it at the beginning so that you can skip past it if you want.
~
Let's start with the title and blurb. For me, the title is misleading. It's called “Built for Pleasure”, but that's just not true. Wolf, our cyborg, was actually built as a soldier then repurposed for pleasure. So right off, I'm feeling like the book is sort of misrepresenting itself.
Then we come to the blurb and things get even more screwy. According to the blurb, the big climax of the story should be the resolution of “How far will he go to ensure Wolf's freedom? Malcolm knows what he must do – for both of them – but it might cost him much more than his comfortable life.” Now, my issue is that this is ** SPOILER ** never resolved. Ever. At all. There's this huge battle that the book spends 50% leading up to and we NEVER find out the resolution to it. We don't find out if they win or lose. We don't see any fighting or anything. ** SPOILER **
Another thing that really bugged me was this quote, which suggested a little something that could have had a massive effect on the story, but was ignored once told and never even looked at again.
** SPOILER ** “they had all been human at birth, before the agonizing implantation process began.” Why was this never returned to? Why wasn't this used as a reminder, in the final war, that they weren't fighting cyborgs, but humans that other humans had turned into part-cyborg creatures, for their own gains? It could have been a really fantastic plot arc, but nothing ever came of it and that was truly disappointing. ** SPOILER **
I could stomach all of that if this was book 1 in a series or even just part 1 of a two book series. But it's not. There is no indication that this is the beginning of a longer story, so it can't be called a cliffhanger. It's an incomplete plot at worst and a major plot gap at the least. Whatever it amounts it, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth and nothing but frustration, after reading this great story.
For me, I could have happily done without the massive sex scene at the end of the book, if it meant dedicating much deserved time to the real fight that the whole book had been building up to. Instead, there was a whole lot of sex and then...nothing. Just, the end and we were left with this quote:
** SPOILER ** “He basked in it, untroubled that it might be cut short, that STAR might lose, that they all might die. Life had no guarantees, but it contained this wondrous feeling, this incredible lightness, and whatever came, they would face it together.” ** SPOILER **
Again, this would be fine it was leading into another book, but there's no indication of that. And for that, I can't think of this as a sci-fi, fantasy novel. I can only think of it as an erotic romance that lent more weight to the relationship than the massive story arc that took so long to build. So, although I loved the story (until that terrible ending) and the characters so much, I had to face the incredible disappointment of getting all the way through this book and finding out that nothing mattered more to the characters or the author than these two people getting together. Sure, as the reader, that's important, but I want plot over hot and will fall much more heavily in love with a good plot, well executed than a hot couple. That was what I fell in love with here and I was allowed to fall deeply, madly in love, only to be rejected and for the book to end up unable to fulfil the promises it made.
~
Leaving behind those issues for the moment, I want to talk about the overall story execution in other terms.
I wasn't keen on the story when it started. It didn't pick up for me until Wolf entered and became so intriguing. The reason was that the story began with your typical “weather opening”, though it was overdone and followed by an information packed history/planet description dump that made no sense. It could have, had it been placed elsewhere in the first chapter. Instead, we entered this new world in a state of confusion, trying to orientate ourselves in an unfamiliar landscape. Perhaps if it had been placed after we saw Malcolm standing waiting for a space transport ship, it might have made more sense within the flow, but it just felt disjointed and jarring. Too much information was given that we really didn't need and that could have been more seamlessly given.
There was also a big issue with the editing. Mostly, it was small punctuation problems, except for the one repeated issue of “homo sapiens sapiens” which really bugged me. There were only one or maybe two instances in the whole novel where “homo sapiens” was actually put in correctly. Every other instance was the double repeat of the last word. And if it had some sort of special meaning, in this futuristic world, then that wasn't explained. It simply came off as a possible full-document replace mistake that was overlooked during editing or never checked.
There are some really huge Dub-con elements, as well as Dom/sub elements, most of which made it supremely uncomfortable to read. Especially when I had to read Wolf's POV, while he was being raped under the influence of chemical mind control, with drugs that forced him to want and enjoy it. It was a huge trigger warning that I knew nothing about coming into the story. Though it isn't something I needed to be warned about, I know that it would definitely affect others, so I really wish there had been some warning other than the very tame and ambiguous “unwanted encounters” in the blurb.
Worse still, Wolf is put across as this cyborg victim of repeated rape, torture and sexual abuse by humans. Yet, he and Malcolm happily and freely talk like this during sex, which I find completely unrealistic. After being sexually abused, I don't imagine anyone (human or sentient cyborg) would actually willingly say these things, that would remind them so brutally of things that had been done to them in the past, with such violence.
“Tear me up.”
“Going to split you open.”
“He used Mal relentlessly, forcing his cock deep into Mal's yielding body, taking what he needed without hesitation or apology.”
No. I'm sorry, but these were seriously – like SERIOUSLY – uncomfortable to read, knowing what Wolf had suffered, and highly unlikely for any victim of sexual assault to actually say or think. I get that this was to further the Dom/sub element and show the “passion” or “humanity” or whatever of Wolf, but it was uncomfortable to the point of being disturbing. I cringed while reading the entire pages and pages of sex that followed.
~
Wolf was my favourite character, without a doubt. Often, I was struck by the realisation that Wolf – a cyborg – had more humanity in him than any other human in the story. In fact, the things I experienced in his POV just prove what a great writer the author is. It's just unfortunate that they didn't end the story. Saying that, this was one of the quotes that – although I'd already fallen for Wolf – really let me see into his soul and root for him as a human being, despite still calling himself “it”.
“There was the possibility Torvik would not require Wolf to perform sexual activities. It hoped that would prove true. It still ached from serving the crew of the transport vessel, and they had not adequately cleaned or maintained it on the long voyage.
Not that it truly mattered. Nothing could erase the stains it carried on the inside after a decade of service as a pleasure cyborg.
It would have been better to die a soldier.”
Keeping in mind that we later learn that Wolf was only 16 when all this started, I really can't express just how much his story emotionally affected me. Add on this next quote, and maybe you can see why I had some issues trusting the relationship that was to blossom between Wolf and Malcolm, who was always portrayed as such a hard-nosed, military man, until he suddenly did a flip to the sensitive, thoughtful man he became in the last half of the story. This is taken from one of the first real encounters between Wolf and Malcolm, which was probably why it took me about 40-50% to actually grow comfortable with Malcolm as a MC and a love interest for Wolf. Because, although this was his “job” and he didn't believe cyborgs were sentient, it was still difficult for me to reconcile Wolf and Malcolm falling in love when I knew this had happened:
“Wolf should not feel good, but it did. It wanted the pleasure to stop. This was not real. This was not how it really felt.
This hurt. Wolf knew it did. It was terrible and repugnant and forced, and Wolf did not want this, but it did, now, against its will and reason.”
~
Overall, there were some serious issues. I'm basing my rating off the fact that I loved it at the time and that I loved Wolf as a character, as well as the fantastic way the author wrote him. But the fact that it's only a 3 ½ rating is because I just can't ignore the issues: editing, incomplete plot, huge plot gaps and especially the dom/sub, dub-con elements and the dirty talk that made reading it so uncomfortable.
I also found it really difficult to remember or even imagine Wolf as a cyborg. I get that he was made human-like for the sake of the sex and being a pleasure slave and less intimidating, that he was very realistic and all that (except for his huge size). But there was no physical reminder of Wolf being a cyborg other than his pleasure-slave implants and his eye. The whole story read so much more like a Master/slave storyline than anything about cyborgs half the time that it made the romance aspect more realistic, but took away the awe we should have felt that Wolf was such a sentient being. In that respect, it was very iRobot-ish in that there was this one cyborg who just “was” a sentient creature, with thoughts, feelings and whatever, but at least in that the cyborg/robot looked the part.
Although the story made me cry and tear up in multiple places, I do take exception to the fact that there is NO ending. I spent almost the full story, but certainly 50%, waiting for the big revolution, the massive fight back against the Alliance and got nothing in return. There was a huge build up over nothing.
Sadly, though this story could so easily have been a 5 star read – even with the editing issues – the fact that it's left incomplete and was so uncomfortable to read (in terms of the dirty talk, not the general discomfort) made it impossible for me to give it the rating it should have had.
~
Favourite Quote
“Somebody. Wolf felt a fresh curl of happiness in its belly. Torvik called it a somebody, not a something.”
“Absolutely remarkable,” Mother said from behind Malcolm. “Now, let's get out of here and put some clothes on this nice young man. He's very pretty, but there are no occasions when a cock ring is considered the accepted or traditional attire.”
“I will endure.”
Author – Thursday Euclid
Star rating - ★★★☆☆ (3 ½)
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Nice.
POV – 3rd person, dual POV.
Would I read it again – Maybe.
Genre – LGBT, Romance, Science Fiction, Robot
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
*THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD*
*Warnings: Dub-con, Dom/sub elements, rape, emotional manipulation, mind control, drug use*
~
So, this is a tricky one. For one, I really loved the story and the characters. But, to tell you the issues I had with it that made it just a 3 ½ and not the 5 star it should have been, I have to ruin the ending for you. So, if you don't want the ending spoiled, I suggest you skip the part of my review below that is marked off with a massive spoiler warning. I've put it at the beginning so that you can skip past it if you want.
~
Let's start with the title and blurb. For me, the title is misleading. It's called “Built for Pleasure”, but that's just not true. Wolf, our cyborg, was actually built as a soldier then repurposed for pleasure. So right off, I'm feeling like the book is sort of misrepresenting itself.
Then we come to the blurb and things get even more screwy. According to the blurb, the big climax of the story should be the resolution of “How far will he go to ensure Wolf's freedom? Malcolm knows what he must do – for both of them – but it might cost him much more than his comfortable life.” Now, my issue is that this is ** SPOILER ** never resolved. Ever. At all. There's this huge battle that the book spends 50% leading up to and we NEVER find out the resolution to it. We don't find out if they win or lose. We don't see any fighting or anything. ** SPOILER **
Another thing that really bugged me was this quote, which suggested a little something that could have had a massive effect on the story, but was ignored once told and never even looked at again.
** SPOILER ** “they had all been human at birth, before the agonizing implantation process began.” Why was this never returned to? Why wasn't this used as a reminder, in the final war, that they weren't fighting cyborgs, but humans that other humans had turned into part-cyborg creatures, for their own gains? It could have been a really fantastic plot arc, but nothing ever came of it and that was truly disappointing. ** SPOILER **
I could stomach all of that if this was book 1 in a series or even just part 1 of a two book series. But it's not. There is no indication that this is the beginning of a longer story, so it can't be called a cliffhanger. It's an incomplete plot at worst and a major plot gap at the least. Whatever it amounts it, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth and nothing but frustration, after reading this great story.
For me, I could have happily done without the massive sex scene at the end of the book, if it meant dedicating much deserved time to the real fight that the whole book had been building up to. Instead, there was a whole lot of sex and then...nothing. Just, the end and we were left with this quote:
** SPOILER ** “He basked in it, untroubled that it might be cut short, that STAR might lose, that they all might die. Life had no guarantees, but it contained this wondrous feeling, this incredible lightness, and whatever came, they would face it together.” ** SPOILER **
Again, this would be fine it was leading into another book, but there's no indication of that. And for that, I can't think of this as a sci-fi, fantasy novel. I can only think of it as an erotic romance that lent more weight to the relationship than the massive story arc that took so long to build. So, although I loved the story (until that terrible ending) and the characters so much, I had to face the incredible disappointment of getting all the way through this book and finding out that nothing mattered more to the characters or the author than these two people getting together. Sure, as the reader, that's important, but I want plot over hot and will fall much more heavily in love with a good plot, well executed than a hot couple. That was what I fell in love with here and I was allowed to fall deeply, madly in love, only to be rejected and for the book to end up unable to fulfil the promises it made.
~
Leaving behind those issues for the moment, I want to talk about the overall story execution in other terms.
I wasn't keen on the story when it started. It didn't pick up for me until Wolf entered and became so intriguing. The reason was that the story began with your typical “weather opening”, though it was overdone and followed by an information packed history/planet description dump that made no sense. It could have, had it been placed elsewhere in the first chapter. Instead, we entered this new world in a state of confusion, trying to orientate ourselves in an unfamiliar landscape. Perhaps if it had been placed after we saw Malcolm standing waiting for a space transport ship, it might have made more sense within the flow, but it just felt disjointed and jarring. Too much information was given that we really didn't need and that could have been more seamlessly given.
There was also a big issue with the editing. Mostly, it was small punctuation problems, except for the one repeated issue of “homo sapiens sapiens” which really bugged me. There were only one or maybe two instances in the whole novel where “homo sapiens” was actually put in correctly. Every other instance was the double repeat of the last word. And if it had some sort of special meaning, in this futuristic world, then that wasn't explained. It simply came off as a possible full-document replace mistake that was overlooked during editing or never checked.
There are some really huge Dub-con elements, as well as Dom/sub elements, most of which made it supremely uncomfortable to read. Especially when I had to read Wolf's POV, while he was being raped under the influence of chemical mind control, with drugs that forced him to want and enjoy it. It was a huge trigger warning that I knew nothing about coming into the story. Though it isn't something I needed to be warned about, I know that it would definitely affect others, so I really wish there had been some warning other than the very tame and ambiguous “unwanted encounters” in the blurb.
Worse still, Wolf is put across as this cyborg victim of repeated rape, torture and sexual abuse by humans. Yet, he and Malcolm happily and freely talk like this during sex, which I find completely unrealistic. After being sexually abused, I don't imagine anyone (human or sentient cyborg) would actually willingly say these things, that would remind them so brutally of things that had been done to them in the past, with such violence.
“Tear me up.”
“Going to split you open.”
“He used Mal relentlessly, forcing his cock deep into Mal's yielding body, taking what he needed without hesitation or apology.”
No. I'm sorry, but these were seriously – like SERIOUSLY – uncomfortable to read, knowing what Wolf had suffered, and highly unlikely for any victim of sexual assault to actually say or think. I get that this was to further the Dom/sub element and show the “passion” or “humanity” or whatever of Wolf, but it was uncomfortable to the point of being disturbing. I cringed while reading the entire pages and pages of sex that followed.
~
Wolf was my favourite character, without a doubt. Often, I was struck by the realisation that Wolf – a cyborg – had more humanity in him than any other human in the story. In fact, the things I experienced in his POV just prove what a great writer the author is. It's just unfortunate that they didn't end the story. Saying that, this was one of the quotes that – although I'd already fallen for Wolf – really let me see into his soul and root for him as a human being, despite still calling himself “it”.
“There was the possibility Torvik would not require Wolf to perform sexual activities. It hoped that would prove true. It still ached from serving the crew of the transport vessel, and they had not adequately cleaned or maintained it on the long voyage.
Not that it truly mattered. Nothing could erase the stains it carried on the inside after a decade of service as a pleasure cyborg.
It would have been better to die a soldier.”
Keeping in mind that we later learn that Wolf was only 16 when all this started, I really can't express just how much his story emotionally affected me. Add on this next quote, and maybe you can see why I had some issues trusting the relationship that was to blossom between Wolf and Malcolm, who was always portrayed as such a hard-nosed, military man, until he suddenly did a flip to the sensitive, thoughtful man he became in the last half of the story. This is taken from one of the first real encounters between Wolf and Malcolm, which was probably why it took me about 40-50% to actually grow comfortable with Malcolm as a MC and a love interest for Wolf. Because, although this was his “job” and he didn't believe cyborgs were sentient, it was still difficult for me to reconcile Wolf and Malcolm falling in love when I knew this had happened:
“Wolf should not feel good, but it did. It wanted the pleasure to stop. This was not real. This was not how it really felt.
This hurt. Wolf knew it did. It was terrible and repugnant and forced, and Wolf did not want this, but it did, now, against its will and reason.”
~
Overall, there were some serious issues. I'm basing my rating off the fact that I loved it at the time and that I loved Wolf as a character, as well as the fantastic way the author wrote him. But the fact that it's only a 3 ½ rating is because I just can't ignore the issues: editing, incomplete plot, huge plot gaps and especially the dom/sub, dub-con elements and the dirty talk that made reading it so uncomfortable.
I also found it really difficult to remember or even imagine Wolf as a cyborg. I get that he was made human-like for the sake of the sex and being a pleasure slave and less intimidating, that he was very realistic and all that (except for his huge size). But there was no physical reminder of Wolf being a cyborg other than his pleasure-slave implants and his eye. The whole story read so much more like a Master/slave storyline than anything about cyborgs half the time that it made the romance aspect more realistic, but took away the awe we should have felt that Wolf was such a sentient being. In that respect, it was very iRobot-ish in that there was this one cyborg who just “was” a sentient creature, with thoughts, feelings and whatever, but at least in that the cyborg/robot looked the part.
Although the story made me cry and tear up in multiple places, I do take exception to the fact that there is NO ending. I spent almost the full story, but certainly 50%, waiting for the big revolution, the massive fight back against the Alliance and got nothing in return. There was a huge build up over nothing.
Sadly, though this story could so easily have been a 5 star read – even with the editing issues – the fact that it's left incomplete and was so uncomfortable to read (in terms of the dirty talk, not the general discomfort) made it impossible for me to give it the rating it should have had.
~
Favourite Quote
“Somebody. Wolf felt a fresh curl of happiness in its belly. Torvik called it a somebody, not a something.”
“Absolutely remarkable,” Mother said from behind Malcolm. “Now, let's get out of here and put some clothes on this nice young man. He's very pretty, but there are no occasions when a cock ring is considered the accepted or traditional attire.”
“I will endure.”
November 10, 2017
A hauntingly beautiful and poignant story, mired in a futuristic world drawn with loving care and a great flair for terse, evocative writing. Though the human protagonist evolves a good deal from the interesting and sensible yet cynical character he was at the beginning to become a truly layered great guy, something which is rare enough in sci-fi MM romances where the non-human love interest nigh constantly elicits all the attention of the writer, the lion's share of the emotion created by the novel goes to Wolf, the faulty android. I was deeply moved by his plight, and the one of his fellow cyborgs; at long last a writer of man-to-machine erotica has got the literary chops to give a POV to the android, and what a voice! This is one of the very few stories that evoked in me no wish to jot down marginal comments while I was going through it; nor did I spot any typo or rough turn of phrase. My two regrets were that Wolf was not allowed nearly enough room to make a running commentary on everything that befalls him once he enters Malcolm's shop (another, related niggle lays in the fact that his dealings with other androids are vanishingly small, so that we never get any insight into what they think of both the human society and their own worth) and that the use of pleasure-inducing drugs, along with sex machinery, to keep cyborgs complacent and tame, comes too close for my taste to being tantamount to bestowing on Homo sapiens technica a stamp of humanity that such a deeply prejucided society as the one described by Mrs Euclid would never willingly tolerate. I would therefore have expected quite another industrially produced mean of controlling, like emotion suppressant drugs, leaving sexual feelings and affect to be chemically induced on case-by-case basis as required by the human master of any given cybord. This would hardly, if at all, have spoiled the exceptionally lavish and well thought out world, while diminishing the rather uncomfortable amount of non-consensual use of creepy sexual substitutes on androids under rehabilitation that amounts for a large part of the first few chapters.
March 17, 2017
Built for Pleasure by Thursday Euclid is an amazing read. I loved the originality of this story, and the chemistry. I really could not put this one down and wanted more when it was done. I would love to see a series in this world. I think it would be amazing to read.
Malcolm he is a doctor of sorts for cyborgs. When they malfunction he is the one who repairs them. He lives and breaths his work. He doesn't really get along with his parents much. After all he is single, childless, and gay that pretty much is a no no for them.
He now gets to work on a cyborg that has murdered over 29 peacekeepers. Owned by 12 separate families. After each sale he grows even more violent.
Malcolm would have terminated him but he a buyer lined up for him. They wanted him to make this violent cyborg into a pleasure bot.
Malcolm has always been proud of the work he does and willingly accepts this new challenge.
What he is not prepared for is Wolf ( the cyborg's name) is full of resentment and anger. He also desperately wants to seduce Malcolm.
The more we get to know Wolf and Malcolm the more I knew they were meant for each other. Malcolm is the perfect person to teach Wolf kindness and love. Two things Wolf has never had in his life. They are both lonely but in different ways. Those ways blend together to make for an unforgettable story with tons of love and hot man love in it. Each man touches the other's heart in ways they never dreamed possible.
I liked this story a lot. The true romantic in me was in love with the characters and their journey from the get go. I also like the originality of the story line. I would love to see more in this world. I truly hope there is more. I would be in line to get it.
Shining Star Award and Five shooting Stars
Malcolm he is a doctor of sorts for cyborgs. When they malfunction he is the one who repairs them. He lives and breaths his work. He doesn't really get along with his parents much. After all he is single, childless, and gay that pretty much is a no no for them.
He now gets to work on a cyborg that has murdered over 29 peacekeepers. Owned by 12 separate families. After each sale he grows even more violent.
Malcolm would have terminated him but he a buyer lined up for him. They wanted him to make this violent cyborg into a pleasure bot.
Malcolm has always been proud of the work he does and willingly accepts this new challenge.
What he is not prepared for is Wolf ( the cyborg's name) is full of resentment and anger. He also desperately wants to seduce Malcolm.
The more we get to know Wolf and Malcolm the more I knew they were meant for each other. Malcolm is the perfect person to teach Wolf kindness and love. Two things Wolf has never had in his life. They are both lonely but in different ways. Those ways blend together to make for an unforgettable story with tons of love and hot man love in it. Each man touches the other's heart in ways they never dreamed possible.
I liked this story a lot. The true romantic in me was in love with the characters and their journey from the get go. I also like the originality of the story line. I would love to see more in this world. I truly hope there is more. I would be in line to get it.
Shining Star Award and Five shooting Stars
February 20, 2019
It took me 9 days to finish this 200 pages book!!! omfg. I have read books of well over 1,000 pages in way less than that.
This book was a DRAG to read and finish. I almost DNF it halfway in. I skimmed through it a lot, just enough to get the gist of it and it dint impress me. It was not what I expected. The romance came way too fast and out of nowhere considering Mal hasn’t had the even slightest feeling of compassion towards the androids in his entire life. I expected some more angst.
Wolf was just adorable. Ignoring the killing part.
This book was a DRAG to read and finish. I almost DNF it halfway in. I skimmed through it a lot, just enough to get the gist of it and it dint impress me. It was not what I expected. The romance came way too fast and out of nowhere considering Mal hasn’t had the even slightest feeling of compassion towards the androids in his entire life. I expected some more angst.
Wolf was just adorable. Ignoring the killing part.
March 24, 2019
Hmmm... where to start? Well there is some straight non-con committed by one of the MCs. And the other MC has definite Stockholm syndrome. And truth be told, for a story about the beginnings of a rebellion both of these characters were rather passive. The former military guy who starts out so gruff later behaves like a guy in his twenties, being whiney and spoiled. It really took me out of the story. And the cyborg doesn’t really have any growth at all.
December 3, 2017
2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Built for Pleasure Thursday Euclid
1) This was an engrossing and thought inducing tale from start to finish. The world building was first class and characterisation of Wolf in particular was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
2) This story gripped me from the beginning and I read it though in one go.
1) This was an engrossing and thought inducing tale from start to finish. The world building was first class and characterisation of Wolf in particular was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
2) This story gripped me from the beginning and I read it though in one go.
July 22, 2022
This was such a good book! The characters are complex and intelligent, and there were so many really good surprises and plot twists. I was very impressed, this is the first book I’ve read by this author; but it won’t be the last
Read
December 5, 2017*DNF*
(42%)
(42%)
March 19, 2023
Didn’t think this story would take such turn into serious stuff. Very meticulously delving into wat makes a human.
November 19, 2016
This book was different from what I was expecting. It could definitely be described as a sci-fi type book because it was definitely out of this world.
Malcom in my opinion does what everyone tells him is the right thing to do. He does not try to stand out from others. He is a loner and spends most of his time with cyborgs. Malcom spends his time rebooting or rehabilitating cyborgs that have been used up or are malfunctioning. All of the cyborgs that he works on are pleasure slaves and not of the masters take care of them so he has to reprogram them and rehabilitate them and then send them back good as new.
His newest cyborg is different from other pleasure slaves for many reasons. First of all this cyborg was a trained soldier turned pleasure Slave. This is unheard of but what is, is what is and there is nothing Malcom can do but his job. Soon Malcom discovers other anomalies about This cyborg. For one he calls himself Wolf and two even though Malcom has always believed that cyborgs are not human and have any feelings of their own, he is learning that he was wrong on that aspect also.
Malcom tries to view Wolf as another job but he keeps finding that hard to do. The more he gets to know him the more he finds he is attracted to Wolf. The more he wants Wolf
Malcom fights with himself and his growing feelings. But he has a job to do and no choice in returning Wolf to his owner even though he does not want too.
After Wolf is returned, things change and Malcoms mom comes up with a plan to rescue Wolf and she gets Malcom to help. From the moment this happens, things as they all know it are about to change. The question is, will Malcom be part of the change or will he stick to the way he has been living his life by strictly following the rules that he has always followed.
This was a very interesting read about how wrongs are righted and about people finally standing up for what they believe in even though it may against what is deemed right. I enjoyed reading about Wolf coming into his own and being able to think for himself and not follow what everyone else tells him what to do. I also enjoyed reading about how Malcom finally had his eye opening moment and realized what was right in front of his face the whole time.
The one thing I did not car for and was the reason I gave this book a four was the way it ended. I am hoping this is the beginning of a series because it left everything up in the air about how cyborgs would be treated and if the fight that began would end with them winning or not. Other than that it was a very interesting read.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Malcom in my opinion does what everyone tells him is the right thing to do. He does not try to stand out from others. He is a loner and spends most of his time with cyborgs. Malcom spends his time rebooting or rehabilitating cyborgs that have been used up or are malfunctioning. All of the cyborgs that he works on are pleasure slaves and not of the masters take care of them so he has to reprogram them and rehabilitate them and then send them back good as new.
His newest cyborg is different from other pleasure slaves for many reasons. First of all this cyborg was a trained soldier turned pleasure Slave. This is unheard of but what is, is what is and there is nothing Malcom can do but his job. Soon Malcom discovers other anomalies about This cyborg. For one he calls himself Wolf and two even though Malcom has always believed that cyborgs are not human and have any feelings of their own, he is learning that he was wrong on that aspect also.
Malcom tries to view Wolf as another job but he keeps finding that hard to do. The more he gets to know him the more he finds he is attracted to Wolf. The more he wants Wolf
Malcom fights with himself and his growing feelings. But he has a job to do and no choice in returning Wolf to his owner even though he does not want too.
After Wolf is returned, things change and Malcoms mom comes up with a plan to rescue Wolf and she gets Malcom to help. From the moment this happens, things as they all know it are about to change. The question is, will Malcom be part of the change or will he stick to the way he has been living his life by strictly following the rules that he has always followed.
This was a very interesting read about how wrongs are righted and about people finally standing up for what they believe in even though it may against what is deemed right. I enjoyed reading about Wolf coming into his own and being able to think for himself and not follow what everyone else tells him what to do. I also enjoyed reading about how Malcom finally had his eye opening moment and realized what was right in front of his face the whole time.
The one thing I did not car for and was the reason I gave this book a four was the way it ended. I am hoping this is the beginning of a series because it left everything up in the air about how cyborgs would be treated and if the fight that began would end with them winning or not. Other than that it was a very interesting read.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
December 5, 2016
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Malcolm Torvik, a retired military man, runs a rehab facility for malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs and he's the best at what he does. However, when a new cyborg arrives at the center to be recalibrated, all he thought he knew is put to the test by the gorgeous cyborg.
WLF-6759 or as it prefers to be called, Wolf, is a military issued cyborg that was rewired to become a pleasure cyborg and has been suffering the unwanted attentions of his owners for over 10 years. He was built for pleasure, but born to kill and he's done just that, too, rebelling after his past and current owner's abuse. He's drawn to Torvik, who treats him better than anyone has before, and they reached an agreement that brings them closer. While Torvik is attracted to Wolf, he refuses to give into the temptation of having sex with the cyborg, even if the idea of sending him back to his owner makes him nauseous. After all, Wolf is just a machine or is there more to him and other cyborgs?
I loved Wolf so much. He was capable of so much feeling and my heart broke for him so many times. I loved that he was so strong and that he stood up for himself when he had to, no matter how difficult it was for him. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Malcolm. I wanted to slap or strangle him so many times and even after his grand gesture in the end, I just couldn't warm up to him. Perhaps if there'd been more groveling or something, I don't know. I just wanted more of him apologizing to Wolf, I guess.
I really loved the way the author created this world and made it believable, which I know isn't an easy feat even if it's one of the main points in sci-fi fiction. I also loved Malcolm's mom and her allies at their vacation home, they all rocked and gave the plot the momentum it needed.
All in all, it was a great read! It was entertaining, fast-paced and kept me interested until the last page. Recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!
Malcolm Torvik, a retired military man, runs a rehab facility for malfunctioning pleasure cyborgs and he's the best at what he does. However, when a new cyborg arrives at the center to be recalibrated, all he thought he knew is put to the test by the gorgeous cyborg.
WLF-6759 or as it prefers to be called, Wolf, is a military issued cyborg that was rewired to become a pleasure cyborg and has been suffering the unwanted attentions of his owners for over 10 years. He was built for pleasure, but born to kill and he's done just that, too, rebelling after his past and current owner's abuse. He's drawn to Torvik, who treats him better than anyone has before, and they reached an agreement that brings them closer. While Torvik is attracted to Wolf, he refuses to give into the temptation of having sex with the cyborg, even if the idea of sending him back to his owner makes him nauseous. After all, Wolf is just a machine or is there more to him and other cyborgs?
I loved Wolf so much. He was capable of so much feeling and my heart broke for him so many times. I loved that he was so strong and that he stood up for himself when he had to, no matter how difficult it was for him. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Malcolm. I wanted to slap or strangle him so many times and even after his grand gesture in the end, I just couldn't warm up to him. Perhaps if there'd been more groveling or something, I don't know. I just wanted more of him apologizing to Wolf, I guess.
I really loved the way the author created this world and made it believable, which I know isn't an easy feat even if it's one of the main points in sci-fi fiction. I also loved Malcolm's mom and her allies at their vacation home, they all rocked and gave the plot the momentum it needed.
All in all, it was a great read! It was entertaining, fast-paced and kept me interested until the last page. Recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!
January 29, 2017
This is a story that I had a problem rating. I despised Malcolm from the very beginning and completely empathized with Wolf’s plight. A part of the issue was I couldn’t understand a society who would willingly take a people and draw a line about what was and wasn’t human. Malcolm had a superior attitude that grated. Even though his attitude changes as he comes to understand Wolf, I still held a sliver of dislike for Malcolm that I couldn’t get rid of.
Wolf on the other hand I wanted to steal away and then raid the cyborg “factories” and save them all. Revolution! I understand that both Malcom and Wolf were raised in cultures of warped right and wrongs but where was humanity’s compassion? Some of the scenarios of abused cyborgs that Malcom relayed horrified me. And seriously, if you have to drug something/someone in order to get them to accept “programming”… See, I just can’t let it go. And perhaps that was the author’s intent. To write in a social message that would get the reader thinking. In my case, that social message ruined my enjoyment of the romance.
Despite everything I hated about the culture, the world building was fantastic. The pictures drawn for me about the era and how people lived were very well done. It had many things I love to find in sci-fi reads, but in the end, this really wasn’t the romantic story I was hoping for.
Reviewed by Rachelle for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
Wolf on the other hand I wanted to steal away and then raid the cyborg “factories” and save them all. Revolution! I understand that both Malcom and Wolf were raised in cultures of warped right and wrongs but where was humanity’s compassion? Some of the scenarios of abused cyborgs that Malcom relayed horrified me. And seriously, if you have to drug something/someone in order to get them to accept “programming”… See, I just can’t let it go. And perhaps that was the author’s intent. To write in a social message that would get the reader thinking. In my case, that social message ruined my enjoyment of the romance.
Despite everything I hated about the culture, the world building was fantastic. The pictures drawn for me about the era and how people lived were very well done. It had many things I love to find in sci-fi reads, but in the end, this really wasn’t the romantic story I was hoping for.
Reviewed by Rachelle for Crystal's Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
December 3, 2016
I received a free copy to read and review for wicked reads review team.
I liked this book but felt it was a little slow to start.
Wolf is a cyborg who is not supposed to have any real feelings, however as Malcolm comes to discover this is not true.
Malcolm has been sent wolf to. "Fix" him as he is not behaving the way he is supposed to. Malcolm comes to realise there is something special about wolf.
The last 20% of the book was really good as that's where the action was, wolf wants equal rights for his kind, Malcolm can't turn his back on his military training. How will it all come together? You will have to read the book.
I liked this book but felt it was a little slow to start.
Wolf is a cyborg who is not supposed to have any real feelings, however as Malcolm comes to discover this is not true.
Malcolm has been sent wolf to. "Fix" him as he is not behaving the way he is supposed to. Malcolm comes to realise there is something special about wolf.
The last 20% of the book was really good as that's where the action was, wolf wants equal rights for his kind, Malcolm can't turn his back on his military training. How will it all come together? You will have to read the book.
November 22, 2016
Built for Pleasure is a solid romance between retired military officer Malcolm and former battle cyborg now pleasure cyborg, Wolf. In overall I found the plot a bit short. Ending was a bit rushed and didn't feel complete. I liked Wolf, his thoughts were interesting, while reading his cruel fate, I couldn't take him as a machine, he was as much human as he could get. I'm looking for more!
December 22, 2022
I have to be honest and admit I almost DNF’d this book and that’s saying a lot because I’ve only done that a handful of times. I’m really glad I didn’t and I’m especially glad the author took the story in the direction that she did.
I can also honestly say that Malcolm was NOT my favorite character. For me, Wolf made this book what it was.
I can also honestly say that Malcolm was NOT my favorite character. For me, Wolf made this book what it was.
October 28, 2016
Review to follow at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2016
Built for Pleasure
What a wonderful book. Well written with great character background and world building. This is not an instant love. The characters are hurt and flawed. The love it built on hard work. I do hope to see a book two.
What a wonderful book. Well written with great character background and world building. This is not an instant love. The characters are hurt and flawed. The love it built on hard work. I do hope to see a book two.
November 29, 2016
Android romance set in a good sci-fi world. There's a lot of sexual violence in the android's past that is handled very blase which could be triggering for some readers.
January 7, 2017
Review to be posted.
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