Blood Brothers

by Michael Schiefelbein

"I'd be damned if I would ever worship their God of unconditional forgiveness. Mine was the Old Testament's God of justice-the God who had exposed the lascivious elders of Babylon plotting the ruin of Susannah, the God who fortified yound David against a giant Philistine. . . . They were flesh and blood, they prized their own worth, and asserted it, even to the point of bloodshed. What God brought out of their revenge for Israel or anyone else was not their concern. Who knows the mind of God? Man's business is to know his own mind, and he sins when he ignores its commands." -from Chapter Four In Madrid at the age of 7, Juan Ramon Fuertes witnesses the murder of his parents by two thugs supervised by his father's business partner, Martin Esteban. His identification of the murderers dismissed by the police, the boy vows to avenge his parents. Sustained by his lust for revenge, Juan Ramon endures years of abuse in a Spanish orphanage, where he follows the movements of Esteban in news reports, eventually noticing Esteban's beautiful and pious son, Bernardo. Later, when Bernardo begins training as a monk, Juan Ramon's plan Use the son to get the father. With cool calculation, Juan Ramon begins monastic training, finally entering Bernardo's monastery in Toledo as Father Juan Ramon. Sensing Bernardo's attraction to him, Juan Ramon seduces the young monk to gain access to Esteban. Gradually enthralling the devout, troubled Bernardo, Juan Ramon pursues the two thugs while planning Esteban's murder. But all his schemes for justice hit an unforeseen snag when the fierce avenger falls in love with his tortured protégé. Told from the points of view of both Juan Ramon and Bernardo, Blood Brothers explores the fascinating mixture of lust, love, spirituality, and revenge underlying the mutual seduction of a holy monk and his unholy brother. Michael Schiefelbein has lived in Italy and Washington, D.C., and now resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where he is a professor of writing and literature. He is also the author of Vampire Vow .

Genres: M M Romance, Gay

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Michael Schiefelbein, after spending ten years studying for the priesthood, graduated from the University of Maryland with a doctorate in English. He is a professor of writing and literature in Memphis, TN.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

n Madrid at the age of 7, Juan Ramon Fuertes witnesses the murder of his parents by two thugs supervised by his father's business partner, Martin Esteban. His identification of the murderers dismissed by the police, the boy vows to avenge his parents.

Sustained by his lust for revenge, Juan Ramon endures years of abuse in a Spanish orphanage, where he follows the movements of Esteban in news reports, eventually noticing Esteban's beautiful and pious son, Bernardo. Later, when Bernardo begins training as a monk, Juan Ramon's plan crystallizes: Use the son to get the father. With cool calculation, Juan Ramon begins monastic training, finally entering Bernardo's monastery in Toledo as Father Juan Ramon. Sensing Bernardo's attraction to him, Juan Ramon seduces the young monk to gain access to Esteban. Gradually enthralling the devout, troubled Bernardo, Juan Ramon pursues the two thugs while planning Esteban's murder.

But all his schemes for justice hit an unforeseen snag when the fierce avenger falls in love with his tortured protégé. Told from the points of view of both Juan Ramon and Bernardo, Blood Brothers explores the fascinating mixture of lust, love, spirituality, and revenge underlying the mutual seduction of a holy monk and his unholy brother.

I loved it and recommend any of this author's books which are rich in the continued debates of Christianity and being gay.

[Pamela Langhorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the title may suggest otherwise, Blood Brothers is not a sequel to Schiefelbein's excellent and controversial novel, Vampire Vow. Yeah, I know, I was disappointed, too. Especially considering that, once we get past the fact this is supposed to be yet another "taboo" subject, the story just doesn't stack up.

Whereas the first book was set in a long ago time, this second book is placed in a more contemporary European setting. Spain, to be exact. And though the author still maintains his you-are-there travelogue ability to recreate even the most remote side street and plaza, gone are the more Gothic aspects of the tale, not surprising considering the vampire theme of the first has been foregone. What it is, is a somewhat engrossing potboiler about a priest determined to avenge the brutal murder of his parents, by seducing the murderer's son, a pious monk, and destroying his family from the inside out. Racy stuff, but also a bit predictable at times.

And yet, maybe it's the fact that Schiefelbein continues to tweak the beard of Catholicism with his tales of revenge and debauchery within monastic walls, or maybe it's just that his characters are so well-drawn and his descriptions of their surroundings so evocative, that makes the book so hard to put down once begun. Whatever the reason, Blood Brothers is a good read. Just not as good as it could have been.

[Tania Rook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting, given I thought this was the play about the brothers split up at birth when the mother is convinced to sell one of them to the woman she cleans for. But it's still a very good Blood Brothers, all about steaming hot sex between monks linked in more ways than one of them expects. If you are a fan of raw passion and don't mind the Catholic church taking a bit of a hit to its reputation, this is a very satisfying revenge porn with actual sex.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a review of this book, and thought it would be quite interesting to read a book that combines so many atypical characteristics and taboos and themes for gay literature. At seven years old, Juan Ramon Fuertes watched his mother be raped and killed, saw his father shot dead, and is cast aside by the murderer, a man he can name and remember, but who has enough power to pass by the police. This boy grows, and plots revenge from the cold horrible orphanages he endures through adolescence.

He sees that the man who killed his parents has a son, a son entering a monastary to become a monk, and the plan for revenge begins. Juan Ramon will find a way to use the son to get to the father.

The story alternates between Juan Ramon and Bernardo, the son of the murderer, and is absolutely packed with sexual tension, erotic prose, and dark emotion. Juan Ramon can sense the attraction Bernardo has for him, and slowly realizes his own feelings for Bernardo are growing to be more than usery, but with so much blood on everyone's hands, is the innocent Bernardo doomed? Written with some deep theological internal debate in Bernardo's voice, and even darker violent anger in Juan Ramon's, the libidinous charge that saturates this novel is just nail-biting. Ultimately, where the end of the novel goes is a sharp shock, and the characters are definitely true to themselves, though not in a way you might think. Good for fans of thrillers of any sort, but definitely a solid choice for fans of the gay genre written at its most sensual.

Note the cover. Yum.

[Lyric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was kind of trashy compared to the author's first book. The characters were difficult to relate with and gangsters, rape and guns don't do it for me.

[criss calvary]

i just started...

[Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novel concerning two priests who fall in love.