The Cross of Sins

Fathom's Five #1

by Geoffrey Knight

Somewhere in the world is a statue so sinful that a secret sect of the Church wants it destroyed at any cost. Somewhere in the Turkish desert, in the streets of London, and in the depths of Venice, are the clues to find it. And, somewhere in the hearts of five sexy, daring, thrill-seeking gay men, is the courage and die-hard determination to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Meet Luca da Roma, an Italian model and expert in art, both ancient and modern; Dr Eden Santiago, Brazilian biologist, physician and genetic engineer; Shane Houston, a Texas cowboy and an expert in cartography; Will Hunter, a San Diego college student and football star, majoring in ancient history; and Jake Stone, an adventurer-for-hire from New York and the newest member of Professor Fathom's team of hot gay adventure seekers. Together, they are Fathom's Five, traveling the world, solving ancient mysteries, uncovering priceless treasures, and getting into hot, sticky and sexy situations, while thwarting danger at every turn! From Venice to Vienna, from Tuscany to Turkey, from the South Pacific to the seas off Sicily, join in the heroic adventures, hunky sex and hot, high-octane action of Fathom's Five.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Gay, Contemporary, Romance, Action

205 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2008

About the author

Geoffrey Knight is the author of more than 30 gay fiction novels, novellas and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense and gay comedies.

The heroes of Geoffrey's books love to spend their time jumping off the page, seeking lost treasures, unraveling mysteries or falling in love.

Geoffrey is the recipient of two Rainbow Awards including Best Mystery Winner and Best Overall Gay Fiction Runner-up. His work has been featured in several anthologies including Best Gay Erotica 2013, and he appeared as Guest of Honor at the inaugural Rainbow Con in Florida, 2014.

Geoffrey has worked in advertising, politics, journalism and event management, but nothing is as fun as telling stories. He lives with his partner, their young daughter and their small furry family in a rambling old house in North Queensland, Australia, where the paint is fraying and life is good.

You can find everything you need to know about Geoffrey and his books at— https://linktr.ee/authorgeoffreyknight

Reviews

[Marte - Thunderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read with Marco.

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED....

"...Gay Raiders of the Lost DaVinci Code in Uncharted territory Amongst Thieves on board the Black Pearl searching for the Dead Man's Chest with the Chrystal Skull Lost Statue without Die(ing) Hard..."

*****5 absurdly awesome OTT action packed stars*****

WHAT A RIDE! Totally over the top! Does it deserve 5 stars? Why the hell not? I fucking loved it!

Lemme tell you, I don't watch actionfilled adventure movies for their accuracy, alright! I watch Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean or play Uncharted 1-3 on my console, because they take me out of my ordinary dull world, launching me into an Over The Top adventure where I can emerge myself in sheer ridiculousness and nonsens while having a BLAST!

So, review an awesome adventure story, shall we?

Starring:
Luca da Roma, an Italian model and expert in art, both ancient and modern
Dr Eden Santiago, Brazilian biologist, physician and genetic engineer
Shane Houston, a Texas cowboy and an expert in cartography
Will Hunter, a San Diego college student and football star, majoring in ancient history
Jake Stone, an adventurer-for-hire from New York and the newest member of Professor Fathom's team of hot gay adventure seekers.


That's me btw... mmh-hmm *nods* I'm soo HOT. Yeah.
Alright then, it's not me, (click on your own risk...TMI and have nothing at all to do with this review)butI just bought a dress kinda like that, although in navyblue with white dots. Beautiful, but I HAD TO FUCKING RETURN IT, because my *beeeboobseeep* were to big for it! ARG!

Do you guys have any idea how lucky you are not having to deal with boobs on a daily basis??? Hmmm???

Ehm....well... Still, can you imagine have huge balls which stops you from zipping up and closing that button??? Huh? Yeah! That's right! You think about that for a second. *points finger sternly*

Pheeeeeew!! I feel so much BETTER!


Or the cold medicine anyway... woooohooo!
You couldn't help your self clicking that spoiler, did ya? Well I warned you! Btw, you should close this spoiler so it doesn't tarnish the rest of the review. Sowwy...

If that wasn't enough for you to get a move on and start reading this book you should GET A FUCKING MOVE ON AND START READING THIS AWESOME BOOK!!!

*cough*

...and read this list of ingredients for this book:
(not cronologically, and are kinda spoiler-ish, but you won't remember this looong list while you read the book anyway, because you will be sitting on the edge of your seat clutching your eReader trying to hang on while the story races on. Ha!)

a racing camel *weeeeeee*
a racing motocycle
a racing car
a racing speedboat
a dobbel dekker bus
a horny artist
people trapped in a room with rising water *gasp*
lots of lava
a burning house
a collapsing house
a drowning house
two broken stone tablets
gunshot wounds *ouch*
a creepy one-armed man *eeeek*
a tiny black Speedo *mmmm*
"magic" towels
an adrenaline shot straigth to the heart
crashing rocks
ancient artifacts
harpunes
car "surfing"
hiding in a closet
a sleezy Frenchman
a "nut"-crushing housemaid (Marco says "owww" btw, since...you know *whispers* I don't have any! LOL! Actually... dammit!
an ominous sea cave
a blind professor *did you see that?*
a hot "ride" on a professor's desk (not the blind one..) O_O
a British antique dealer
several burning men *wince*
more lava
exploding gas
a hawt shower scene *phew*
a book of codes
a Masquerade Ball
a heart monitor going haywire *wiggles eyebrows*
two old and angry Turkish women *help*
a traffic shootout
a two-faced charmer
misuse of a beautiful name *winks*
A Nathan Drake lookalike *sigh*
heartstopping moments
an unseen twist
a chocking discovery

and lots, lots more!

Just.Awesome!

This review was brought to you by:

Marco, his review and Marte.

"Nice moves, Marco, yeah! Wait... What are you doing?? No! Turn that camera off! Now!
*continues off camera*
"I know you're hot and edible, sweetie, but--- Ouch! Don't you poke me! You... Ow! *hahaha* Just...no! Don't... Ouch! *hahaha* Come back here you sexy, cardigan clad HoMoFo!" (reference here)
*voice fades to background*
"You just WAIT til I get my hands on you mister!"


No German or Norwegian were harmed in making this review.




I'm here all week...

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just barely a third of the way through this book and I must have rolled my eyes at least 500 million times. In fact, I'm pretty sure I now hold the world record for incredulity-induced eye-rolling.
I tried, really, really tried, to read this book in the spirit that it was written - sexy, adventurous fun - but my suspension of disbelief was rudely stabbed to death when that one generically sexy guy injects his own freaking heart with adrenaline after ingesting an unknown poison and then hijacks a camel. I want so badly to like this book, because who loves corny pseudo-archaeology more than me? But alas, I'm afraid my ocular muscles cannot take the strain.

[Jason Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like reading the plot to an Indiana Jones movie with sexy gay men in all the lead roles. The action was unbelievably over-the-top, just like the Indiana Jones movies but still very entertaining. The plot was well thought out and interesting, the characters were intriguing and varied, as was the sex. :)

The only problem with this book was its shoddy editing, but even with that mark against it, I still had to give it 5 stars.

[Nikyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Mackerel! What a freaking ride! *fans self*

I think the first thing you need to know is this is not a romance. There are romantic elements in the story but it's not a romance so if you go into this novel expecting a romance, you'll be sorely disappointed. What you will find is an adventure, a mystery that takes you on a wild ride leaving you on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next, what will the Fathom's Five get into and how will they get out of the trouble they inevitably create for themselves?!

One of the things I especially loved about this book was how you are slowly introduced to the characters one at a time. There's no overload of characters and information in the beginning. There's no confusion on who or what the MCs are because each of the five main characters are introduced in a way that suits their personalities and you learn about who they are while they are comfortably in their own elements. It was just amazing.

Each of the Fathom's Five are different. Jake is a brash New Yorker, Shane's the gentlemanly Texan, Luca is the charming Italian, Eden is the calming Brazilian doctor and Will is the bad boy Californian. They each have interesting characters that somehow compliment each others' characters. For some reason I found it all refreshing.

I found the adventures they all went on to be extremely fascinating. I fell so deep into this book I felt like I was actually living every little detail. It made my heart race when one of them (mostly Jake) teetered on the edge of death and then sighed with relief when they reached relative safety. Then went through more heart racing when they just got themselves into more danger! It was exhausting but at the same time I didn't want to stop reading. And, OMG, how my heart broke for Luca when he found out who the Holy Father was. Poor sweet Luca!!! [image error]

I devoured those pages faster than I thought possible. I was intrigued by every minor character introduced. They all have some type of purpose and eventually I have no doubt all will be revealed, too. I can't wait to read the rest of this series! Especially since it sounds like the mysterious Sam will be a major part of the next book, The Riddle of the Sands.

Absolutely recommended!!!! But be warned it leaves on a cliff-hanger!

ETA: And, the little short about Elsa at the end was so cute and funny but even with how short it was, it was action-packed!! And I loved getting a little more inside information about the boys in the 'Who Is?' section at the end. ;-)

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was idiotic.
Initially, I thought to myself: "It's supposed to be silly and unrealistic, that's the whole point", but eventually I was exasperated by the sheer idiocy of this book.
-There is no true investment with the characters - even though a good chunk of the beginning is not story, but rather character introductions.
-There are plenty of sex scenes. The scenarios read like porn rather than compelling erotica/romantica.
-Every nationality is a stereotype (apart from Americans).
-Good looking = gay

On the plus side, the action scenes in this adventure story was written with exquisite clarity - a rare feat. On the negative side, I didn't care. I was not invested in the outcome due to lack of investment with the characters - who were a cross between the Village People and Indiana Jones.

This was supposed to be a high tempo adventure extravaganza with gay sex. It was that - and yet totally boring.

[Heidi Cullinan]

A lot of people I respect and love enjoy this book very much, so clearly this is a matter of taste. I didn't finish this, so I won't rate, but this book just isn't my cup of tea. I never connected to anyone. Many, many points of view--not quite headhopping, I don't think, but as a reader I never grounded to anyone. I'm incredibly character-focused as a reader, and all I want to do is bond with someone and follow them around. But I never bonded, and I had a hard time keeping up with what was going on because of it.

That said, this is a very action-centered book. VERY action-centered. Concept-wise, I love it: a Clancy or Speilberg-style adventure full of gay men. I could probably watch the movie. But while the writing is perfect for the male adventure style, it's not something I can access as a reader.

[Nick Pageant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun. See the following awesome reviews:


Queen Marte


Prince Marco

[Elisa Rolle]

In the best James Bond or Indiana Jones tradition, the Fathom's Five are five handsome, skilled and clever gay men working for Professor Fathom as treasure hunters. Almost half the book is spent to introduce us to the five:

- Jake Stone, the newest member of the group, is a bit of a lone wolf; he is "for hire", means that if you pay him enough, he will find everything you want. Jake is not a bad man, he is only used to take care of himself, and only himself. His only Achilles' heel is young Sam, a street kid he shelters in his New York loft.

- 19 years old Will Hunter is the spoiled and neglected son of an American diplomat; he has everything he wants in life, but it's never enough. Will is young, friendly and careless and in this moment he has nothing and noone important in his life (well he is only 19 years old!) and so he can play like if life is a big game.

- Shane Houston is your classical western hero, hat and horse and all of it. Always ready for an adventure, he faces every new challenge full front, caring very less for his own safety, but as an old fashioned cowboy, you can always count on him when you are in trouble.

- Dr Eden Santiago is the high head levelled of their group; he seems always in control, always ready to face every events. The less playful of the group, he is probably the one that has less open endings in his life and so, for this reason, he is the more reliable of all of them. Everyone can count on Eden, and loving him will never being an hazard.

- Luca da Roma is the most beautiful of all of them, he is beautiful like an angel, and in fact he has a very special relationship with God. Luca is an orphan and he was raised by three nuns in a remote Italian convent. He doesn't know who were his parents, but, after all, he hasn't had a bad life. When he was still a teen he went in Rome and he became the muse of a lot of artists, on the canvas and on the sheet, and as they took from him inspiration, he drank from them the love for arts. But Luca seems never to be happy, he has quite a mourning attitude and he seems in searching of something that always slips from his hands.

The new quest for this five heroes is to track down an ancient holy cross, a Renaissance artwork who caused the death of his creator since it was framed as sacrilegious. To recover the artifact our heroes have to find two stone tables and an ancient book, the three pieces together will lead them to the treasure. But obviously they are not alone in this hunting party, and their enemies know well how to hit them where it hurts, and I'm not speaking of body parts.

The book is really good in mixing fun, sex and adventure, playing all around the World, from Tonga to Italy, from Turkey to England. Our heroes, when not running away from gunshots and explosions, are involved in sexy escapades along a swimming pool or in poshy five stars hotel. There is a bit of "naughty" talk during sex, but it's never too much to ruin the sophisticated feeling that permeates all the book, and, on the other hand, the fun and careless sex helps to balance the adventure part, so that even a less adventurous reader will find it enjoyable and interesting.

All five heroes are enough developed that the reader could care for them, but from my side, my favorite is Luca, maybe since he is Italian. I have no problem to say that I will look forward to the following book in this new exciting series.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934187313/?...

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I started this book not really knowing what to expect, but the entire story played out like some giant 3D movie in my head. The opening scene in the volcano had me gasping for breath from intense feelings of claustrophobia. Its full of action, suspense and smexiness! Its ends with a cliff-hanger so I will definitely be reading book two very soon.

Warning: I would not call this romance but there are definitely some tender moments. And there is sex.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pure entertainment. It's the first book of the series, but the main characters are introduced smoothly and we get to know them and indentify them and love them pretty soon. The book is plot driven and it's focused on the action, but each character has a little weakness that makes you want to know them better and read the following book. And they're very hot!

The action sequences were phenomenal and they kept me on edge. They were maybe a little bit over the top, but it's because the book is 100% adventure and it recalls the Indiana Jones movies, with chases and fightings and explosions and very bad guys.

The multiple point of views were maybe a little bit exhausting. I prefer books were the changes in the point of views follow a rhythm, and here sometimes it changes too abruptly. Apart from this, which is a personal preference, I really enjoyed this book, which was almost impossible to put down.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Kindle freebie 12/2/17

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello insanity! Holy crap that went everywhere and took you on the most insane ride ever Say hello to the gay, Indiana Jones and crew! You want over the top action this is the book for you. You want romance, maybe look elsewhere. There are some erotic elements, but this is an adventure story not a romantic one.

Meet the crew:

Luca da Roma: Can I call him the Italian Stallion just for the fun of it? He’s got a love of art and has been a model for artists and the like. He’s the smoothest of the group in my mind, but there’s a core of strength to him.

Dr. Eden Santiago: Latin lover himself. Sure he’s the nerdy scientist type but he’s Brazilian and you know he’s gorgeous. There’s a sweetness here and while he heads into the craziest scenarios just like everyone else the doctor you shall do no harm thing usually takes precedence. Normally more a lover than a fighter, but don’t piss him off, that’s not a good idea at all.

Shane Houston: Mmmmmm….may just be my favorite. He’s a Texas cowboy to the bone. Fabulous with animals and can ride anything that moves. He’s great with directions and finding things in the wide open spaces of the world. Don’t let that southern drawl fool you though, he can hang with the best of them.

Will Hunter: Mr. Adorable “I want to live dangerously” himself. The youngest on the team he’s studying archeology/ancient history in college while playing football, at least he is whenever he hasn’t gotten a call from the Professor. He likes to drive fast, love often, and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake.

Jake Stone: The newest, and somewhat reluctant, addition to the team. He’s an adventure for hire and seems to have the luck of the gods at getting out of sticky situations. He’s been around the world and back seeking out the world’s hidden treasures. The only attachment he has is to the street kid Sam who occasionally crashes at his place and he’s taken under his wing.

Finally there’s the head man himself Professor Fathom and his ballsy housekeeper Elsa: Together they keep the boyos in line as the Professor plots the next direction to send them in. They both adore their team, but willingly send them out to face the dangers their work requires. Blind though the Professor may be he can hold his own in most any situation and Elsa may seem like she’s all talk, but she’s got the heart of a warrior and will come to the defense of those she loves with all the fire of a mama bear.

Alright, so first of all, I’m in the film business, I understand the enjoyment of accepting the absurd and unbelievable in an action film because it makes it more entertaining. I’m the movie watcher that sits back and goes “Yeah! Blow shit up! Give me more explosions!” With that being said I normally don’t like to have to suspend my disbelief quite that far when I’m reading. Some reason it’s a lot harder to accept that the human body can walk away from some of the craziness it gets thrown through in an action film/book in the written form than in the visual. That being said, I tossed that all out the window after the first sequence here and just decided I needed to go with it and jumped on the wild ride. Sorry Mr. Knight, but if I hadn’t there were any number of times I would have been wanting to throw the book when unbelievable situation after unbelievable situation rolled across my pages. I find it hard to believe anyone can survive crawling into the bowels of a volcano, sailing down a lava chute with boiling lava gaining on you, then getting thrown into the ocean as the lava reigns down from above.

Ok so unbelievable action aside…this is one crazy ride from beginning to end. This is Indiana Jones, National Treasure, The Da Vinci Code, you name it all rolled into one. Of course having FIVE hot gay men to focus on certainly doesn’t detract from the picture. I’d like to think as the stories in the series progress that more real romance develops between certain characters (Luca and Will pretty please with a cherry on top!). But for now it’s an interesting artifact they’re chasing “The Cross of Sin, or The Naked Christ.” A beautifully sculpted depiction of Christ naked on the cross complete with it’s own crazy sect of the church hell bent on it’s destruction. I do so enjoy my evil twisty cults.

There’s plenty of running around getting in and out of over the top death defying scenarios to keep the most devout action/adventure fan happy. I do think this idea would work better on the screen than it does in book form though. There’s so much going on and the location and character jumps are not always clear. You’ll be following one situation and in the next paragraph you’re somewhere else entirely and it’s a little jarring. In an action film those kind of jump cuts can work and help build the frantic energy of it all. Reading it without some kind of chapter heading or something to indicate we’re switching was frustrating at times.

All in all I enjoyed myself with this read, and if I could figure out a way to get the action film market to accept the idea of five gay men as action hero’s I’d love to see this insanity on the big screen. :D

[Wendy❤Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, jam packed with a roller coaster ride of action/adventure! I loved this book. It was very different from what I expected. I agree with some of the other reviewers about the storyline being kind of an Indiana Jones stars in the Da Vinci Code premise. The author did a fantastic job of providing very vivid descriptions to make the action sequences come to life. I was hooked and had a hard time putting the book down. Some parts of the story are just a bit over the top, but no more so than what you would see in a movie of this type.

This is definitely not a romance novel. It’s really an awesome action/adventure story that happens to star five incredibly hot gay men in the leading roles as Fathom’s Five. I went into the book thinking there would be lots of sex going on between the main characters (Jake, Eden, Will, Luca and Shane). I was wrong. Most of the action takes place between a main character and a secondary character. One of the main characters doesn’t get any action at all and there’s only one scene between two of Fathom’s Five. I’m holding out hope that the sequels might bring more development in terms of the relationships among the Five other than being united in a cause, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

This book was picked for me in a reading challenge. It’s my first introduction to this author and I couldn’t be more thrilled for the discovery. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking a great action story that will keep you burning up the pages. Beyond this series, I’ll be checking out more work by this author!

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

A statue of Christ created by an artist who was tortured to death by a church still wanting to destroy it centuries later. Some cleverly hidden clues as to where it might be found. An intrepid team of young adventurers with a variety of skills – all of them gay, courageous, and determined to overcome any and all obstacles between them and the artwork they seek. Those are the ingredients of this breathtakingly suspenseful action-adventure that contains enough exotic settings (real and imagined), mysterious hints, and very hot physical encounters to make this an extremely exciting novel to read. Indiana Jones and Robert Langdon – eat your hearts out!


Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Fangtasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reviewed "The Curse of the Dragon God". That was the third book in a series and I, a series addict, immediately set about procuring the previous two books to read.

"The Cross of Sins", the first book in the "Fathom’s Five" series is as I said about "Curse of the Dragon God", a combination of James Bond, Indiana Jones and Charlie’s Angels, but featuring a cast of hunky (and hung) beautiful gay men.

This installment of the series, however, is way beyond what I expected. I started reading the book with expectations of action and adventures all over the world, with lots of hot gay sex to keep it interesting, lots of explosions and chases to get the adrenaline going. After all, the author said he was tired of watching action/adventure movies where the hero was always hot for and got the BBB (blonde, busty bimbo) in the end. He wanted his hero (or heroes, as this case may be) to always be hot for and get the HHH (hot, hunky hero) in the end. So that’s why he started writing what he wanted to read.

Well, TCS gave me all of the above and much, much more. The premise of the book is something that immediately brings "The DaVinci Code" to mind. A hidden icon that the Catholic Church wants to destroy and is willing to kill for! Yay! This sounds fun! But in this story, the icon is a crucifix, sculpted in marble, with a life-like rendering of a fully naked and anatomically precise Christ. A secret sect of the Catholic Church tortured and killed the artist for creating something that rendered Christ as a man. How dare the artist create something that might challenge humanity’s belief in the Divinity of the Son of God?

The author tackles some very controversial topics with this premise: Artistic freedom to depict religious icons; the right to be who you are and be accepted unequivocally and without judgment; fanaticism and criminal behavior justified by religious beliefs.

The one thing that is never questioned in this story is the right of each and every one of the main characters to be loved and cherished, regardless of their race, color, economic background or sexual orientation. I found it intellectually challenging to read and enjoy all the hijinks that seem inexhaustible from this author’s imagination and, at the same time, recognize the deeper meanings ingrained in the text. Ultimately, it is inspiring to see this genre, gay lit, growing by leaps and bounds.

On a lighter vein, both the author and I recommend reading the 2010 version of this book, published by Dare Empire. Believe me, it’s worth it. There’s a hilarious short story at the end plus a detailed bio of each one of the protagonist action heroes. It contains scenes that had been deleted from the originally published book and the editing is much better.

This is one hot, adventurous ride, enjoy!

[M'rella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Indiana Jones/Da Vinci Code it is not.
The book defies not only logic but also the laws of nature.
The writing style is not very impressive either.
Sorry, one star.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars? This feels a little like one of those movies that would be improved substantially by drinking. I thought this was going to be OTT and ridiculous in a fun way. Instead, it was OTT and ridiculous more in a dumb, porny way. I was expecting a cheesy, corny, action movie and this is more like a sleazy porn with car chases and fist fights. Bummer. It's been on my Kindle for years and I thought I'd finally give it a try and I think I just wasn't in the right mood for it. I think this is one where you have to be in the right mood and it could be really fun if you're ready to embrace the implausible and the constant bow-chicka-wow-wow atmosphere. I actually appreciate it more now that I've finished reading it and can ponder the amazing lack of reality. Some spectacularly stupid things happen and somehow none of our MCs die, or are even slowed down. There's so many impossible, wild things that happen where I just had to pause and marvel at the author's imagination. Just laugh and go with it. It goes a little like this: lengthy sex scene, car chase, lengthy sex scene, gun fight, lengthy sex scene, shoot some bad guys, lengthy sex scene, speedboats, and on and on in glamorous locales all over the world. Most of the MCs are introduced via a lengthy sex scene with a random person, which I found really awkward. The sex with random people at often-inappropriate times continues throughout. I'll note that this is not at all a romance, but there's an enormous amount of sex. It was way too much for me.

The writing is actually not bad and I don't think I would have finished it if it weren't. However, there's no character development, lots of plot holes, regular head-hopping, and the story is all over the place. There's also a big lack of background information. This had a lot of potential and could have been really awesome. I think the generic, cardboard characters let me down, as well as the inescapable focus on sex. I appreciate the exuberance and non-stop adventure, as well as the author's ability to fully embrace the implausible and throw logic out the window, but it didn't really land for me, sadly. Perhaps there was not enough alcohol in my system.

Now that I know what to expect, I can actually picture myself reading the next book if I was in the mood for a ridiculous, completely unrealistic, campy trope-fest with too many sex scenes and cardboard characters and endless nonsense. Hey, it could happen!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'm going 4.5 stars. I gotta be honest, the first 5% I was kind of in a WTF mode, but I loved this. It was fast-paced and full of action, full of hot guys with no commitments but plenty of sexin' (and it wasn't done in a way that made me want to gag). There was double crossing, death--some more gruesome and tragic than others.
Shane! Dude, I saw that shit coming a mile away. Hot guy shows up, gets you drinks and blows you in the pool--no one is that lucky--be suspicious! Very suspicious.

This book had some of everything. Was it realistic? Nope. But it was tons of fun and hot and I liked the characters and I will be continuing on with this series!

Loved all the little mini cliffys at the end...yup, you heard right folks, it didn't even piss me off! And that's saying something!

I think this is my crew

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't even bother summarizing the story, the other reviews have covered that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fun, clever and sexy adventure. I especially enjoyed reading about gay men who have no hangups about their sexuality...as a matter of fact they use it to their advantage.

This first book is clearly written with understanding that there would be many books to follow (thank GOD!). The characters are all likeable, some are given more background than the others but I have a feeling that as the series goes we'll learn more and more and each will have their moment to shine.

I had to put other books on hold and go right into the 2nd book Riddle of the Sands. I understand there is already a third book in the works.

Keep them coming!

[DeeNeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a rollercoaster adventure, non-stop whirlwind, on the edge of your seat action. Very Indiana Jones-ish and way over the top unbelievable, but that didn’t stop me at all. I couldn’t put the book down. Yes, I could find a few flaws, but it didn’t detract from the sheer entertainment.

There are five different MCs, so the POV and action switches a lot. The youngest is Will, a college student of history. The others are older about mid twenties. Luca specializes in art and religion. Eden the medical biologist. Shane the cowboy and Jake the new comer, who is the most like Indy. These five are the key mission-impossible group out to save the world, or what ever mission Dr. Fathom sets.

This book is not a romance story, but all about action and adventure. But don’t worry, there’s lots of hookups. And fair warning, it ends with a lead-in cliff hanger for the next book.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action and adventure all round!

[F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well unlike most others I didn't really enjoy this book. I found it choppy as it jumped from MC to MC and just too OTT in what the guys were able to do - dislocate their shoulder and then relocate it without fainting from pain, hold their breath underwater while rescuing people and said people just cough up water and be ok etc etc. The book just didn't interest me, I kept hoping it would get better but it didn't which is why it took over a week to read.

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a reviewer's quote on the cover of my edition: "gay raiders of the lost Da Vinci code". If what I've heard about the Da Vinci Code is right, then this is probably quite an apt description.

There is a lot of destruction happening in this book - buildings, boats, antiques - but the main and more troubling instance of it is that of the English language. The style is inelegant and clumsy, full of repetitions and slighly inaccurate use of words, as if the author only roughly knows what the words he uses mean. There is also an incredible number of glaring innacuracies, which the most cursory Google search could have avoided quite easily (example: Eurostar trains do not terminate at Victoria station, the Hotel Royal (misnamed in the book) is not located between the Danube and the Vienna's Gothic cathedral, etc).

Although this is the first book of a series, we learn very little of the back story of the protagonists and of how and why they got together in the first place.

Even if one is willing to suspend one's disbelief enough to espouse the rather far-fetched premise of the book, the plot is absolutely full of the most improbable and (physically) impossible incidents. It seems that Knight simply writes whatever comes through his head without really trying to visualise those imaginings and test them for verysimilitude (people blindly jumping off something and landing unscathed on a moving vehicle (twice), horses anthropomorphised to the point of understanding a request to fetch a rope and knowing what to do with it afterwards (I was almost expecting them to answer the character's questions to them, tbh), buildings getting up in flame to the point of collapse in under five minutes, etc). All those outlandish plot elements must be difficult to come by though because several of them are in fact recycled and used twice in the book under slightly differing guises.

Perhaps I should just brush swiftly over the few sex scenes. After all, this is also Knight's approach. It seems that for him, a sexual encounter can only consist of one and only one sex act, and that appears to be unrequited fellatio in almost all cases.

If all the above doesn't put you off, then the storyline is entertaining enough, although rather lacking in depth and anything other than incidently difficulty for the heroes as they move from one big action scene to another.

I wasn't expecting Shakespeare but just because it's fluff doesn't mean it has be badly done. Every few pages I was rolling my eyes in disbelief and even got a little angry as what in the end feels a little like disrespect for the reader. I don't think I'll be bothering with the 4 or 5 other books in the series though.

[ElaineY · Rating 5 out of 5]

My. What a rollercoaster ride this was. I sort of knew what I was in for when I bought Cross of Sins though I was uncertain whether it would be merely a gay Matthew Reilly - ie, no sex and/or romance. Well, CoS turned out to be exactly the type of adventure story I've waited to see written - action, adventure, SEX and (later on, I'm promised) romance!

It's over-the-top, unrealistic (the way an Indiana Jones movie is) and as long as you realize this and enjoy these escapist movies, you should love this first installment of the Fathom Five series which, the author told me, will have 7 books as at this point.

CoS is where we are introduced to Fathom's Five, similar to the way the A-Team movie gathers Col Hannibal's men together for a mission. I admit to a fondness for this type of introduction as it gives me a quick but informative look into the character - get the basics out of the way then plunge into the action.

Said action, in this installment, is to recover a lost statue of a naked Christ on the cross. A naked crucified Jesus is about the only realistic thing in this book but I enjoyed the breakneck speed as I was dragged along for the ride, I suppose the way Cameron Diaz was in Knight & Day (haven't seen the movie, just the trailer) but CoS's lure is the presence of five, hot, hunky men who wear their sexuality as easily and comfortably as an old pair of Levis. The sex is hot and erotic, without overpowering the sense that this is an action story, not erotica. Add the fact that the romance element (critical for this romance fan here) gets more evident in Riddle of the Sands (book 2) and, in the author's words, "very evident in The Curse of the Dragon God" (Book 3) I know I'm in for great treat with this series.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted on World of Diversity Fiction



A thoroughly enjoyable read it’s faced paced, full of adventure and mystery that kept me turning pages until the end. It’s the first book in a series and I can’t wait to read the rest. I read Scott Sapphire and the Emerald Orchid from this author and loved it I knew I had to get more from him if that’s the type of adventure stories he writes.

It’s very much like an Indiana Jones/Da Vinici Code type of adventure. There is an artifact that everyone wants and a secret sect of the Church that wants it destroyed. The action scenes are huge, maybe a bit over the top but so much fun to read. Geoffrey Knight’s awesome descriptions made me feel like I was watching a movie in my head, I could see everything clearly and got me thinking this would make a really great movie.

There are five very hot, very gorgeous main characters, a man that is like a father figure to them who is in control of the adventure and a very sweet housekeeper that keeps all the boys in line. We slowly get to learn a bit about all of them and for some this could get a bit confusing, it did for me at the beginning but it didn’t take long for me to get really involved in the story I didn’t find it a big issue. There is a brief description at the end of the story of all the main characters that I wish would have been at the beginning it would have made it easier to understand where everyone is coming from and the story move more quickly and smoothly.

So want a well written adventure, read this, looking for a romance you’re not going to find one here even though there is some romance between some of the characters it minimal. It’s a great change of pace and a lot of fun.

I recommend this to adventure junkies!

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride. Think Indiana Jones, James Bond and make it more of a wild time and gay. Anyway these 5 guys work for Professor Fathom finding lost objects of value and doing it for altruistic reasons. The loner fortune hunter Jake, the football player/student Will, the Brazilian Dr. Eden, the Italian model and art expert Luca and the Texas cowboy Shane. They go on a quest for the “Cross of Sins” while being pursued by a weird off-shoot of the Catholics who want to destroy it. It’s non-stop action from London to Ankara to Vienna to Venice and all points in between. It’s very much like James Bond in you just suspend belief and go with the flow and enjoy the ride. They get beat up, poisoned, shot, shot at, face boiling lava and come out of it unscathed and horny to boot. Anyway if you are looking for pure escapism without much of a touch of realism it’s the way to go. In fact sometimes it was almost overwhelming how much they endured it was hard to read. But it was a rollicking good time. You don’t go to see an Indiana Jones or James Bond movie for the high art. This is similar. I ordered the second one. It’s not really a romance per se although there is sex (not buckets of it but it’s pretty hot).

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoo... OK... the action never stopped and let me tell you, there were a few times I actually wished I was watching this on the BIG screen instead of reading it... and I don't even watch movies or TV!

While this book did NOT give us an MC/MC romantic relationship, as it were, it was still packed full of romance, emotions, and adventure! OK, yes there were some VERY unrealistic scenes and I question the ability for "cum" to fly that high or that far... but, seriously, this is fiction after all! *grin*

As for the story... it was great and as this is my first book by this author, I look forward to reading the other four books in this series... someday! ;p

The fact that there were few if any, grammatical errors made this a joy to read, not having to go back and figure out what word was missing or who was doing what was quite refreshing!

So if you can handle the sexcapades of five extremely attractive adrenaline junkies... this book is for you!!! 'D

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. I wanted to like this book after all I'm a big fan of action adventure stories. I figured there are certainly parts of Indiana Jones that are completely OTT so as long as that's what I'm expecting it will be okay - and it was for a little while. But the OTT just kept coming and coming. The things these five men were capable of doing were crazy and especially after they were VERY badly hurt. The way some of the scenes are described you can hardly believe that a couple of the characters could even be alive let alone be able to escape or fight back or any of the other crazy things they accomplished. It was also a bit disjointed for me they way the book jumped from one MC to the next. There's plenty of sex scenes among the various guys but this really isn't a romance in any way. It's an adventure story and if it hadn't of been so ridiculously far fetched I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. So for me I won't be reading anymore in this series.

[Jay Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want deep, meaningful relationships, intense internal conflict, catharsis or even 3-dimensional, true-to-life characters, this really fun adventure romp is not it. But it is fun reading with hot protagonists, crazy action, raw sexuality and a scandalous disregard for reality. It's the LGBT version of the A-Team with five hot guys instead of four.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

As my friend says "There are good ways to do that type of book" - but this ain't it. I liked the idea/plot, but the execution was not it. The book is extremely choppy and weakly strung together. The action sequences were depicted well but a little staid.