His only wish is to bring comfort to all, but others recognize him for the pain his healing hands once caused.
Ryker Hayes is a licensed massage therapist, and a damn good one at that. It's a career he's passionate about, and all his plans for life are on track—until he winds up transported to the world of Werifesteria in the body of an infamous warlord, at least.
Now all he really wants to do is forget the misdeeds of his alter ego and retire to a life of anonymity with a couple interesting women as his new partners. Together they open the very first massage inn and spa in all the land and take on all the responsibilities that come with it. Turns out, it's a lot of work!
To reach his potential, he'll have to come to grips with the secrets of this mysterious world and the way its magic system functions. Can he find peace in the borderlands? Can he turn his Mastery of the Threads of Power into a fulfilling career as a masseur to the denizens of this fantasy world? And last, but certainly not least, how will he manage his increasigly complex relationships?
This poorly written schlock is not without a quirky charm This book has to be a joke. Isekai, slice of life? harem, chosen hero, sex scene way at the end. (satire?) -Serious Question- Have you seen Hot Fuzz (2007) the Simon Pegg police comedy that reunited most of the cast of Shaun of the Dead? If you've seen Hot Fuzz, and you can remember the Romeo & Juliet production then you will know what I mean when I say that a bad performance can ruin the best source material. This book was no Shakespeare but what the narrators did to it was exactly as in that movie. It is a tricky thing when 'reading' an audiobook to differentiate the written words from the performance of those words. I have heard some amazing deliveries of mediocre words. The narration of this book was so jarring that it made the writing seem worse. So how bad is the writing to begin with? It's about as good as the cover art. How does that make this book a joke? and where do the quirky charms come into it? -The MC is a chosen hero, sent by the daughter of the goddess to heal a war-torn world... With the Power of therapeutic Massage. Ya gotta admire the balls on Virgil Knightley for following through on a joke that might have made a short Monty Python skit. Anyway, other than the farcical premise this book has little to offer unless you are a conosur of amateurish writing and unedited first drafts.
At my request I received a copy of this audiobook in order to give a fair and unbiased review.
Genre: Isekai slice of life harem with monster girls. Running an inn with wellness and massage.
Power dynamics in harem: Girls competing for MC's affection. Strong willed but wants what is best for him. Explicit/adult material: Explicit, naughty and hot.
Summary: Ryker is a masseur and takes pride in his work. One day a satisfied customer transports him to a fantasy world humans, elves, dwarves and monsters. A world until recently at war, with tension still thick. Ryker discovers that the concept of massage is new to the world and decides to seize this opportunity to build a life around his skill and passion.
Narrators Voice diversity: The characters have memorable voices and the characters feel alive. Pacing and intonation: The storytelling was immersive and I was carried away to this world in a binge listen. Sex scenes: Naughty and fun. Well done. Reneé Nolen and Trevor Jordan does a great job at bringing the story to life. Overall: 5 / 5 stars.
The book’s strengths.
- The women have strong and distinct personalities. So much more than you often find in harem stories. - The flirtation and relationship development between the MC and his girls is really engaging. I am invested in the characters, their life and their journey. - It is fun. I was chuckling to myself many times throughout at a small play on words or reference. - The premise of going to a land where massages are unheard of and creating bliss and relief for everyone and building a life around that is great. - Great narration
The book’s weaknesses. - I am drawing a blank. I can't think of anything I hoped would be different.
This story was very interesting I like the way the author approached how the main character was transferred from his world into a new one it was a very interesting take on the type of story. The characters are well thought out they all have their own distinct personalities the way they interact with each other seems very realistic to my opinion I like the World building and the drama as well as the fun and an entertaining Parts as well. This story does have romance in it it's a slow-burn romance and the spicy scenes are done Tastefully and shows the culmination of the love between the main character and to the girls in his life. So far the story is very interesting and what's happening and there's elements of setup for more drama and more action in the future and I for one can hardly wait to read which direction the author takes the story.
A great, easy going slice of life story. Some heavy themes and a pretty brutal world, but those are background, set dressing in order to make a more interesting narrative. Would highly recommend to those who find most of this genre trite and samey with its immediate sex scenes and brutal psychotic main characters. The MC here's greatest trait is that he's just a good guy with magic hands. And there's real, legit buildup in the relationships!
I am a fan of Virgil. This book shows a wonderful progression in his writing and how he can go with wonderful tale about a world you want to know about, and characters you are genuinely interested in learning about. This was described to me as a sleeper hit and it truly is. Not as raunchy as previous works but no less interesting or lacking in content. If you want to start a series that has so much going and to look forward to I highly recommend this novel! Obi
Wasn't quite sure if I would like this story or not. But as I continued to read, I found the story and characters growing on me more and more and became invested in their tale. My only regret, as so often happens with a good story, is that it ended far to soon for my liking. I can only that there will be more books in this series in the future.
Fairly bad audiobook narration and the female characters were even more one dimensional than the protagonist. The slice of life stuff was mostly okay, the "relationship" stuff was often very cringey, or worse, unmemorable. Sometimes the book read too much like porn, especially the sex scene had the depth of a shallow male fantasy.
This is a good book. You shouldy read it. I like the story. The characters are fun. The book is a good read. i enjoyed it alot.. Download or buy it today. why not?
I really enjoyed this book, it is very well written and flows very nicely. Great characters cool concept for a story. Can't wait to start the next one.