Review: A funny, sexy read in a world to be discovered
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 31, 2011
Kaz is the owner of Spice 'n' Solace, the best male brothel in the Galactic Alliance. He has been hiding his sexuality from his friends because, even if gay marriages are allowed and male prostitution is legal, there is a lingering homophobia in the society he lives in. Kaz was also beaten by his father when he was young because of his sexual preferences and although he has indulged in sex with men, it's always been as a top, because being on the receiving end is considered diminishing. But Kaz wishes to find a man he can submit to, a man with whom he can fully explore his sexuality.Jathan One-Moon is the man who holds the fate of mankind in his hands. He is the sole negotiator the Ankylos, the alien neighbours of humans, will accept to discuss the annual revision of the peace treaty with the humans. It's a stressful period for Jathan and he's used to release the stress with the beautiful escorts that S'n'S provides him.On the day of Jathan's arrival, the threat of a plague prevents Kaz's escorts to go outside the quarantined zone. Jathan is the best client and advertising for Kaz's business and Kaz can't afford to displease him. He decides to meet Jathan to find a different arrangement, but when the two meet the sparkles of attraction fly. Jathan thinks the beautiful Kaz is the escort and Kaz, enthralled by the sexy Jathan, decides to play along and hides the fact that he is not the escort, but the owner of the brothel.Their first encounter is very funny, because Jathan misreads Kaz's reluctance, shyness and clumsiness for a sexual play. In bed they complement each other. Their relationship is not a formal dom/sub relationship. Jathan is naturally bossy and Kaz plays along. Jathan realize that Kaz is something more than an escort and he's relaxed and playful when he is with him. The way they taunt each other is entertaining and exciting.The setting is interesting, but it's not thoroughly explored. The atmosphere of Jathan and Kaz's encounters is light, but the world they live in is much darker than what Kaz's casual remarks let transpire. I think the book could have had more depth if this darker edge had been kept until the end of the book (Addison's story is brief, but it was very important to give us an idea of the dangers of that world for gay men). Jathan's counterpart in the negotiations, R'kos, was a very fascinating character, especially because he seemed to have an affinity to Jathan. The concept of mate for the aliens needed to be explored, in my opinion.The main problem in this book is the ending. It's wrapped up too nicely and almost abruptly. I think the epilogue was useless. It gave a lot of information about Jathan and Kaz's life, but it didn't convey the warmth and sexiness that was so important in the previous parts of the book. I don't know if the author has the intention of writing a series set in this world and that's the reason why a few things were only sketched or left unexplained. The beginning of the book wasn't very smooth, probably because Kaz's friends are really annoying and there's a little bit of info dumping, but from the moment Kaz rescues Addison in an alley, we get to know him better and the pace of the story picks up.Maybe I'm overrating it a bit, but I enjoyed the story and the characters very much, even if I feel the execution left some of the potential of the story undeveloped. I'd recommend it as a funny, sexy read in a world to be discovered.Galley received via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.