Review: Undisclosed Desires: hot, sultry, passionate
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2013
Undisclosed Desires is M. Peters' debut novel, a hybrid vamp/shifter, M/M romance, historical genre mash-up that works, it really does (but then I like genre-bending stuff). Set in the time of the Spanish Inquisition and the Golden Age of Castile, this story is rife with rich historical details, from the layout of the town to the vegetation, the climate, the clothing, the mannerisms, social interaction, the culture, the religion...If you love historicals, this one will put you in hog heaven from the get-go. But there's way more at work than the temptation of losing oneself in a time and place so very different from our own. Add in the paranormal elements, four characters you will either love or hate, or love-to-hate (and every other combination), and a wickedly torturous dance of passion that will leave you either breathless or groaning in dismay.Keith is the darkly dangerous, mysterious stranger, a Frenchman who is polite, keeps to himself, and safeguards his secrets with iron will. Javier is young, brash, charming, entitled, arrogant, and brutal (when measured against modern sensibilities). Ophelia is Javier's wife, desperately in love with her husband, so much so she tolerates his abuse, his passive-aggressive nature, his disdain. Amaroq is Keith's companion, confidant and guardian--and a deadly force to be reckoned with.Undisclosed Desires is an emotional ménage of staggering depth and unimagined consequences. The attraction Keith has for the brash Javier is immediate and all-consuming. Their initial encounter, the clash of swordplay and later the clash of flesh-on-flesh, ignites obsessive passion in Keith and an unholy attraction to things forbidden for Javier. The Spaniard must reconcile the vows he made to Ophelia against his growing need to seek out the strange man who compels his every waking thought.When Keith reveals his secret to Javier, he withholds a vital piece: what he shares with Amaroq. And that combination of natures makes for some very interesting personality twists in the Frenchman.The dance of passion unfolds with exquisite slowness, taunting and teasing and luring the reader in the same way it does the protagonists. Much like a sword fight, there's the parry and thrust, the dodge, aggression and defense, attack, counter-attack, drawing first blood.I bled for Ophelia, despised the arrogant Javier, admired the steadfastness of Amaroq and clutched my ample bosom in agony for Keith and the odd quirk of fate that made him what he was.Undisclosed Desires is a generous read and you will probably get to the point where you will simply sit down, shut out the modern world and go total immersion (as in up half the night finishing it).Usually after the string of positives, you'd expect an unequivocal five stars, but... alas, no because there's one little (big actually) thing that keeps this from being a top-tier story: POV head hopping that sometimes stops the story in its tracks early on. The issue smooths out later as one or another character takes center stage (and that's when you decide to hop on board that passion train and ride it to the end).For POV issues, I must downgrade this to FOUR STARS. But don't let that stop you. Some readers don't give a hoot and can follow along perfectly fine without donning an editor's cap.Undisclosed Desires is hot, sultry, and passionate (and keep a hanky close by, you'll need it).