Title: The Pleasure Hound
Series: The Pleasure Hound, Book 1
Author: Ines Johnson
Genre: Dystopian, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: December 9, 2014 by Heartspell Media, LLC
Five hundred years after mankind ravaged the earth, women grasped the reins of the planet and set the world aright.
Chanyn grew up in isolation in the ruins of the Great Destruction. All her life she’s wanted to find her one true love. When she encounters the dashing Lord Dain, with his kind eyes and pure heart, she believes her dreams of love are finally coming true. Until she meets with the roadblock that is her betrothed’s bondmate.
In a world where men outnumber women ten to one, Khial never thought he’d have to contend with a woman entering his bond. He gave his heart to Dain when they were just boys and has been by his side every day in sickness and health. These days it's mostly in sickness as Dain’s health deteriorates. Though his attraction to Chanyn increases with every encounter, Khial can’t help but resent the young woman who comes into his love story to play the hero, but marriage to her may be the only way to save the man he loves.
To prepare Chanyn for her union with the two males, Lord Dain hires a Pleasure Hound, an ancient order of monks tasked with instructing new husbands, who have little to no contact with women, in the art of female pleasure. Years ago a scandal left the Temple of the Pleasure Hounds near destitute. The young monk responsible for the scandal is given a chance to redeem himself and the temple when he is called upon to train the bonded triad in the orgasmic arts. What starts as a simple ritual soon turns carnal when the monk’s heart begins to yearn for Chanyn, and hers for his.
Reviewed By: J9
I love dystopian romance so this book’s blurb caught my attention right away. The world building was very good as we see a post-apocalyptic world where men destroyed the earth and killed most of humanity. Now women rule the world and are just as corrupt as men. Readers are introduced to the world by Chanyn, who is just as much an outsider as readers. This is very well done so there isn’t an information dump, just exploring the world through Chanyn’s eyes.
Where this novella fails for me is on the romance level. Dain and Khial, his bodyguard/childhood best friend/lover, find Chanyn living away from their city and Chanyn is intrigued by the men, as they are her. Dain and Khial already have an intense relationship and we get glimpses of how they became a couple but it feels like Chanyn is disrupting their dynamic. When Chanyn, Dain, and Khial agree to get married, Dain hires a sex monk to “train” Chanyn and this adds another sexual (romantic?) dynamic into the short novella. If all that weren’t enough, the ending is a major cliff-hanger so none of the romances have any conclusion. Yes, I admit this may be all tied up nicely in future installments but I’m reviewing Part One and it wasn’t satisfying for this romance-lover.
So the big question is, will I read Part Two or future installments? I’m not sure…maybe? The world building was so good and the eroticism well done (for readers who read both het and gay romance in the same book). This may entice me to read future installments…maybe.
J9’s Rating:
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