Review: Beautiful language and sweet romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2014
I received a review copy of this book via Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.STUNG is set in an alternate Victorian era--one where there has been a plague that turned humans to zombies. In this world, debtors have been rounded up and sent to work camps in order to pay off their debts.Victor isn't a debtor, he's a singer. One who made a pass at his patron and has been sent to the Honeyhill work camp as a punishment. Victor is immediately intrigued by the frank looks he receives from the camp's chief security officer, Mr. Crunch. Crunch isn't the actual name for this behemoth, but it is the sound made when Crunch cuts down zombies with his machete.Crunch could avail himself of any of the prisoners on the work camp, but he's not interested in rape. Something about the pretty Victor really turns his head however. He believes if he makes a special effort to keep Victor safe the man may reciprocate with some affection.In fact, both men are harboring secrets other than their sexuality. Upon his arrival, Victor falls in with a group of captives planning an escape attempt. Meanwhile, Crunch is an operative, a soldier in the Humanist army who want to take down the work camp.After a few secret trysts, suspicions are raised. Sharpe, a former inmate turned guard, begins spying on Crunch to see if there are any activities he can unearth to topple Crunch's authority. He even brutalizes Victor in order to get cooperation, to no avail.A botched escape attempt infuriates Crunch, who not only must rescue Victor from the zombies outside the camp, he must now punish the man for whom he has affection. Who could have guessed that their alliance would be he necessary ingredient to take down the work camp for the Humanists?I really enjoyed the world-building here. And the Zombie garden with the zombified bees was truly creepy. The interactions between Crunch and Victor were brief, but powerful. I kinda felt like they took too many risks, however. That seemed a bit unrealistic, considering the homophobia of the period.It was a solid, interesting read, however. The language was beautiful and evocative. I could almost smell the sweet-rot of the apiary.