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The Adventures of Dragos and Holmes
Conan Doyle meets Fanny Hill
Sherlock Holmes and his dashing Romanian lover have a long, angsty, and passionate relationship which they can't seem to put behind them. Dragos has stalked off many times, tired of Holmes’s insistence upon sexual role playing in the bedroom, in which Dragos is expected to play the aggressor, most often a dashing pirate. Reluctantly agreeable at first, Dragos, who occasionally likes to cross-dress, ultimately doesn’t feel seen for who he really is. Pressure builds up and he sails off on another journey. But when his anger cools. he always returns to Holmes, usually bringing trouble with him.
In the midst of this passionate love affair, Dr. Watson often feels sidelined. He resents how the irresistible Dragos has inserted himself between the famous duo, turning it into an awkward triangle.
Sherlock Holmes and his dashing Romanian lover have a long, angsty, and passionate relationship which they can't seem to put behind them. Dragos has stalked off many times, tired of Holmes’s insistence upon sexual role playing in the bedroom, in which Dragos is expected to play the aggressor, most often a dashing pirate. Reluctantly agreeable at first, Dragos, who occasionally likes to cross-dress, ultimately doesn’t feel seen for who he really is. Pressure builds up and he sails off on another journey. But when his anger cools. he always returns to Holmes, usually bringing trouble with him.
In the midst of this passionate love affair, Dr. Watson often feels sidelined. He resents how the irresistible Dragos has inserted himself between the famous duo, turning it into an awkward triangle.
- GenresMystery
414 pages, Paperback
Published December 25, 2017
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Lorena Cassady
10 books503 followersLorena Cassady was born in Greenwich, Connecticut and now lives in Oaxaca, Mexico.
A former Zen Buddhist nun whose new book EVERY BUDDHA, SAME PRICE records her misadventures at Kim Son Monastery and Plum Village, France, 25 years ago. A spiritual travel book that well documents the ironies, pitfalls, joys and slapstick stumbles of life in the monastery.
https://amzn.to/2LOrjw0
Some publication credits: Articles, reviews, excerpts, and poetry in several journals, magazines, and anthologies, including Travelers' Tales, Bomb Magazine, In Celebration of the Muse, Smoke, East Bay Express and Santa Cruz Express. Previously published books are: Smoker , poetry (1983), Hair Suit, a picaresque memoir (1987). Her Perilous Journey, 2015 and 2018. Darkness and Light: Poetry, 2016. The Adventures of Dragos and Holmes, 2019.The Further Adventures of Dragos and Holmes, 2019
A former Zen Buddhist nun whose new book EVERY BUDDHA, SAME PRICE records her misadventures at Kim Son Monastery and Plum Village, France, 25 years ago. A spiritual travel book that well documents the ironies, pitfalls, joys and slapstick stumbles of life in the monastery.
https://amzn.to/2LOrjw0
Some publication credits: Articles, reviews, excerpts, and poetry in several journals, magazines, and anthologies, including Travelers' Tales, Bomb Magazine, In Celebration of the Muse, Smoke, East Bay Express and Santa Cruz Express. Previously published books are: Smoker , poetry (1983), Hair Suit, a picaresque memoir (1987). Her Perilous Journey, 2015 and 2018. Darkness and Light: Poetry, 2016. The Adventures of Dragos and Holmes, 2019.The Further Adventures of Dragos and Holmes, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
So, this was a very interesting story. It is very clearly a re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. It goes far beyond simply recreating a single case and spans a far greater number of details that Doyle covers in his stories. Cassady prepares the reader for this by comparing the storytelling to Downton Abbey. I can concur with this assessment. Thrown into the enticing give-and-take we see between Holmes and Dragos is an expansive cast of side characters who weave in and out of the myriad story lines in very interesting ways.
There are two notable female characters, Dragos’ cousin Anca and a side-character whose role developed into a full-fledged supporting character named Molly. These two, after a very long and winding ride through the story’s rather dense plot, end up having a bit of a romance—but it occurs later in the story, so I’m not sure if this is more along the lines of a dalliance or a true romance. What I most enjoyed about the Anca character was seeing her transform from a side character who sort of popped up in multiple scenes into one who subtly (but also sort of overtly) challenges gender norms. She’s introduced as a stunning beauty with long hair, but after killing a man and returning to her people in Romania, decides to chop off her hair and take on the dress of men (its unclear if this is a true preference switch or just for the sake of travel, but still). She’s also decided she’s interested in women as lovers and learns that she’s rather like Dragos in her approach to relationships (rather open).
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
So, this was a very interesting story. It is very clearly a re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. It goes far beyond simply recreating a single case and spans a far greater number of details that Doyle covers in his stories. Cassady prepares the reader for this by comparing the storytelling to Downton Abbey. I can concur with this assessment. Thrown into the enticing give-and-take we see between Holmes and Dragos is an expansive cast of side characters who weave in and out of the myriad story lines in very interesting ways.
There are two notable female characters, Dragos’ cousin Anca and a side-character whose role developed into a full-fledged supporting character named Molly. These two, after a very long and winding ride through the story’s rather dense plot, end up having a bit of a romance—but it occurs later in the story, so I’m not sure if this is more along the lines of a dalliance or a true romance. What I most enjoyed about the Anca character was seeing her transform from a side character who sort of popped up in multiple scenes into one who subtly (but also sort of overtly) challenges gender norms. She’s introduced as a stunning beauty with long hair, but after killing a man and returning to her people in Romania, decides to chop off her hair and take on the dress of men (its unclear if this is a true preference switch or just for the sake of travel, but still). She’s also decided she’s interested in women as lovers and learns that she’s rather like Dragos in her approach to relationships (rather open).
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
April 18, 2018
This is an extraordinary book. I went into it expecting a simple mystery and m/m romance - which I would have been very happy with, since I love Sherlock Holmes and I love Romanian noblemen and having both together was already more than I would have expected to find. But I quickly realised that this was a much more ambitious project than that.
There is a mystery, beginning with the murder of a young man working as a secretary, which comes to an unexpected crisis at the end of the book, making for a pleasing completion to the book's structure. Within this loose envelope is a story of Dragos' and Holmes' relationship from their meeting at Eton, their on-again off-again affair plagued by Holmes's repression and intellectualism and Dragos' impulsiveness and emotionalism, a mismatch of sexual needs pulling against a love that just won't let go. But there is also a story about how Dragos's father's crimes catch up with him and his family, leading to a very exciting rescue mission by Holmes and Watson which I particularly enjoyed.
It's a big, sprawling book that genuinely feels like a piece of history itself. It reminded me more of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone than a modern m/m romance. Or at least, if it is a gay romance it's one that hearkens back to the ambitious classics of the genre like Standish by Erastes. Something you can really get your teeth into.
A word of caution - this is the first of a series, and ends on a cliffhanger. I know that some people really hate that. I don't mind it myself, I like the assurance that there's still more to come.
There is a mystery, beginning with the murder of a young man working as a secretary, which comes to an unexpected crisis at the end of the book, making for a pleasing completion to the book's structure. Within this loose envelope is a story of Dragos' and Holmes' relationship from their meeting at Eton, their on-again off-again affair plagued by Holmes's repression and intellectualism and Dragos' impulsiveness and emotionalism, a mismatch of sexual needs pulling against a love that just won't let go. But there is also a story about how Dragos's father's crimes catch up with him and his family, leading to a very exciting rescue mission by Holmes and Watson which I particularly enjoyed.
It's a big, sprawling book that genuinely feels like a piece of history itself. It reminded me more of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone than a modern m/m romance. Or at least, if it is a gay romance it's one that hearkens back to the ambitious classics of the genre like Standish by Erastes. Something you can really get your teeth into.
A word of caution - this is the first of a series, and ends on a cliffhanger. I know that some people really hate that. I don't mind it myself, I like the assurance that there's still more to come.
October 14, 2018
Reviewed by Lori
Book provided by the author
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
I will never look at a Sherlock Holmes book the same ever again, and I mean that in the most positive way possible.
What an excellent book. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was afraid it was going to be boring, as other books featuring Holmes were to me — very slow and unentertaining. Whenever I think of the Victorian era, I always think of Freud, ladies wearing layers of clothes, and most people being repressed and stodgy.
I love that Holmes is gay in this book. I don’t know if he was ever portrayed gay in any other stories or not, but it fits with the repressed, intelligent persona that he has. He doesn’t understand his lover as he focuses on his own feelings. He’s not a bad person, he just never learned to think beyond himself and as such, it has damaged his relationship with Dragos. He’s also afraid to come out of the closest and doesn’t want anyone to know that he likes men. Unfortunately, Holmes still has that nasty drug problem, and I feel so sorry for him. That is another problem with his relationship with Dragos, as he’s concerned for him.
His lover Dragos is one hot man that is so sensitive, sensual, and seductive. I would fall at his feet, too. He loves to stick his nose up at polite society, and make his own rules while breaking society’s rules. He’s a hell raiser, a rabble rouser, a real rebel. He won’t walk away from a fight, but he loves to love, he isn’t ashamed of who he is, and while I wouldn’t say he’s loud and proud, I would say that he will flirt with whomever he wants to even if it raises a few eyebrows.
These two men are the exact opposite of each other and yet they can’t stay away from each other.
There are numerous secondary characters that really add flair, drama, comedy, and just plain old entertainment to this book. They were really necessary to bring the book alive and add excitement to the plot. I really liked Dr. Watson, as he’s just as stuffy and repressed as Holmes, but he’s funny and he doesn’t even know it.
I have to warn the reader that there is a cliff hanger at the end of this book, so if that isn’t the readers’ thing, I would wait for the next installment before starting this book. I so cannot wait for the next one to come out; I want to see what happens next. I hope the reader takes a chance on this book.
Book provided by the author
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
I will never look at a Sherlock Holmes book the same ever again, and I mean that in the most positive way possible.
What an excellent book. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was afraid it was going to be boring, as other books featuring Holmes were to me — very slow and unentertaining. Whenever I think of the Victorian era, I always think of Freud, ladies wearing layers of clothes, and most people being repressed and stodgy.
I love that Holmes is gay in this book. I don’t know if he was ever portrayed gay in any other stories or not, but it fits with the repressed, intelligent persona that he has. He doesn’t understand his lover as he focuses on his own feelings. He’s not a bad person, he just never learned to think beyond himself and as such, it has damaged his relationship with Dragos. He’s also afraid to come out of the closest and doesn’t want anyone to know that he likes men. Unfortunately, Holmes still has that nasty drug problem, and I feel so sorry for him. That is another problem with his relationship with Dragos, as he’s concerned for him.
His lover Dragos is one hot man that is so sensitive, sensual, and seductive. I would fall at his feet, too. He loves to stick his nose up at polite society, and make his own rules while breaking society’s rules. He’s a hell raiser, a rabble rouser, a real rebel. He won’t walk away from a fight, but he loves to love, he isn’t ashamed of who he is, and while I wouldn’t say he’s loud and proud, I would say that he will flirt with whomever he wants to even if it raises a few eyebrows.
These two men are the exact opposite of each other and yet they can’t stay away from each other.
There are numerous secondary characters that really add flair, drama, comedy, and just plain old entertainment to this book. They were really necessary to bring the book alive and add excitement to the plot. I really liked Dr. Watson, as he’s just as stuffy and repressed as Holmes, but he’s funny and he doesn’t even know it.
I have to warn the reader that there is a cliff hanger at the end of this book, so if that isn’t the readers’ thing, I would wait for the next installment before starting this book. I so cannot wait for the next one to come out; I want to see what happens next. I hope the reader takes a chance on this book.
May 23, 2018
The poem by Robert Burns at the beginning of episode 1 hooked me right away, short but not simple, a few lines that carried all the pain that tempestuous relationships can hold, promising everything the story of Dragos and Holmes offers.
The glimpse into the secret private life that the author has created for Holmes seems so real, as if it perhaps has always been there, hiding in the background. Dragos is a fascinating character. The more I got to know him, the more intriguing he became to me, and I found myself warming to this dark, mysterious Romanian. There can be no perfect characters, and Lorena Cassady has skillfully created both Holmes and Dragos as two people with their strengths and flaws, drawing the reader to them despite their faults. I found myself completely drawn to both Dragos and Holmes and their turbulent affair. From the very first chapter you can sense the tension between them.
Although both Dragos and Holmes at times did everything possible to drive the other away, their conflicts were real, based on the common human problems of a lack of clear communication or repressed feelings. Throughout the story I found myself wondering if, and hoping that, they would find a way to be together, for they are meant to be, the cold, analytical detective and the passionate, charismatic Romanian.
And there can be no story about Sherlock Holmes without adventures and mystery, which this book offers plentiful, sending Dragos and Holmes on a quest to solve a murder. I was happy to find the reliable Dr. Watson also playing an important role in this book, helping Holmes to save Dragos from a terrible past that threatens to catch up with him. Even minor characters are strong and leave a lasting impression, such as Dragos’s brave cousin Anca.
I am certainly looking forward to the next book. I simply must find out what happens to Dragos and Holmes!
The glimpse into the secret private life that the author has created for Holmes seems so real, as if it perhaps has always been there, hiding in the background. Dragos is a fascinating character. The more I got to know him, the more intriguing he became to me, and I found myself warming to this dark, mysterious Romanian. There can be no perfect characters, and Lorena Cassady has skillfully created both Holmes and Dragos as two people with their strengths and flaws, drawing the reader to them despite their faults. I found myself completely drawn to both Dragos and Holmes and their turbulent affair. From the very first chapter you can sense the tension between them.
Although both Dragos and Holmes at times did everything possible to drive the other away, their conflicts were real, based on the common human problems of a lack of clear communication or repressed feelings. Throughout the story I found myself wondering if, and hoping that, they would find a way to be together, for they are meant to be, the cold, analytical detective and the passionate, charismatic Romanian.
And there can be no story about Sherlock Holmes without adventures and mystery, which this book offers plentiful, sending Dragos and Holmes on a quest to solve a murder. I was happy to find the reliable Dr. Watson also playing an important role in this book, helping Holmes to save Dragos from a terrible past that threatens to catch up with him. Even minor characters are strong and leave a lasting impression, such as Dragos’s brave cousin Anca.
I am certainly looking forward to the next book. I simply must find out what happens to Dragos and Holmes!
January 2, 2018
A comedy this is not and I wouldn't call it a suspense story either, the mysteries are a small part but by far not the main topic of the story. That is definitely the destructive relationship between Dragos and Holmes. They love and hate each other. They can't live with or without the other. Their struggles and heartaches are very relatable, heartbreakingly so, their special circumstances, Holmes' theoretical genius, Dragos temperamental heart, how they clash and explode together, so often not in a good sense, that carries the story and keeps it entertaining and enthralling. The other characters are never one-dimensional, they have depth and flaws, each of them important for the main story and I really enjoyed the book, even though it was in parts very cruel and sometimes crass. It ended in a cliffhanger that was in more than one way nervewrecking and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!
March 16, 2018
An amazingly entertaining adventure with a rich use of language which is a joy to read. Holmes is a character but as you’ve never seen him before. In places this reminds me of Fielding’s Tom Jones in bawdiness, so not for the easily shocked.
May 5, 2018
I enjoyed reading Cassady’s book. She is a vivid story teller. The depths of her research were expressed with fine details of the period from administering ammonia salts to hearing Cezar belting out an old Romanian tavern song, Unde s Pistoalele. I’m ready for the sequel.
May 5, 2018
Cassady takes you on an evocative adventure. Many layers are woven together in an inventive story following Sherlock Holmes and Dragos, two very different men who entangle their lives with a cast of characters. She is a brilliant and gifted writer.
February 11, 2018
You can read my review of “The Adventures of Dragos and Holmes” at my web site.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews