Review: A Stunning Debut
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 16, 2012
I. Love. This. Book!The Red King is a m/m love story set on the high seas. In the 1600s, Rory, also called Ruaidhri (the Red King), escapes from sexual bondage and slavery to create a new life as pirate and captain of the Taibhse ("Ghost"). Although now feared and respected, Rory shuns love, obsessed with taking revenge on the man, Jan de Wortt Maarten, who nearly destroyed him. When Rory's crew captures Andrew, a beautiful young man raised by cloistered holy men, Rory sees Andrew only as a potential weapon in his all-consuming quest for vengeance. But Andrew, although brought up to lead a simple life now lost to him, is no simpleton. What begins as mutual lust and self-interest slowly turns into something deeper, forcing Rory to decide which is more important: his long-awaited vengeance, or Andrew?What else can I say? This book satisfied me on every level. It's well-written, packed with accurate historical details and features a great supporting cast, not to mention a villain so evil, I wanted to kill him, bury him, dig him up and kill him again. But most of all, The Red King delivers two wonderful heroes: Rory, indomitable on the outside but broken on the inside, and Andrew, untutored in the ways of the world, yet emotionally fearless. Together they make an unforgettable couple. The Red King is filled with adventure, humor, angst, sex and most of all, romance. If you adore m/m romance as much as I do, give this book a try.