Reviewed by Heather C
Title: A King Undone
Author: Cooper Davis
Series: Noble Pleasures #1
Heroes: King Arend Tollemach/Julian
Genre: MM Historical Romance
Length: 254 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Available at: Samhain Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Sometimes you have to risk everything, to follow your heart…
Noble Pleasures, Book 1
In a world where gentlemen openly court and marry fellow noblemen, the threat of scandal still lurks behind every velvet drape for kings and princes. Such has been the fate for King Arend Tollemach, forced to sacrifice his heart on the altar of regal duty.
Now that his wife is dead and his royal obligations are at an end, he’s ready to take an unthinkable risk. King Arend seeks a concubine from Temple Sapphor, a secretive, gated world where he will finally shed his virginity—as least as it pertains to making love to a man.
Julian never thought he’d spend ten years on the temple shelf, passed over again and again. Just when he despairs of ever finding placement in a nobleman’s bed, Arend walks into the temple. A lonely eyed, beautiful king who could easily steal his heart.
Arend discovers he has no problem opening his bed to the exquisite concubine. The problem lies in finding the key to his long-shuttered heart.
Review:
A King Undone, is a historical romance set in a world where it is perfectly acceptable for a man to marry another man…unless he is the king and expected to produce an heir.
For years, King Arend has sacrificed his happiness for his kingdom. Now, at age 41, Arend is ready to take on a concubine and visits the exclusive Temple Sapphor to make his selection. There, Arend immediately encounters Julian. Julian was stolen from his life and put up on a shelf at Temple for Sapphor for the last ten years, but for the next twelve months…he’s all Arend’s!
I loved so many things about this story!
Slow Burn: Going in, I expected it to have page after page of sex, sex, and more sex. But it didn’t! Yes, there was A LOT of talking and thinking about sex, but Arend wanted to court Julian and get to know him first. Plus, he was very afraid and nervous about taking that next step beyond kissing with another man. This is something Arend has desired for a very long time, and what if it isn’t perfect? What if he can’t be the man he desires to be? What does Arend want?
Arend’s eyes closed on a pained wince, and he grunted, “Take control of this.” Another grunt, a groan, a pleading whimper. “You command this, our moment. I am asking you, please, take charge of me and our intimacies. Take command of me.”
Characters: There were so many wonderful characters through out this book, not only the man characters, but the secondary ones as well. From Alistair, Arend’s “portly” spinster secretary who is like his brother, to Jim, Arend’s valet who seems to know everything. And even the crummy Mallon who I wanted to stab in the eye!
HFN: The closer and closer I was getting near the end, the more and more I started to freak out and worry that the story would feel unfinished. Arend and Julian’s contract was for Julian to remain with Arend for a year, and by the end it had only been a few days and I wanted to see the WHOLE year with them together. Then I found out that their story WILL continue in the next book of the series. Yay! I totally want to read more of Arend and Julian because they have awesome chemistry and have so much more to discover about each other.
World: I couldn’t quite get a grasp on the world, that’s why I’m giving this book 4.5 stars instead of 5. Of course it was some sort of alternate history, but there seemed to be some slight fantasy influences they never really amounted to anything. I’m hoping this aspect will be further explored and developed in the next book.
Overall Impression: I Loved It
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
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