Review: Captivating
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 29, 2013
If you think Rider Jacobs's `Legion' is just another erotic m/m fiction with heavy touches of BDSM with angels and demons in the lead role, then you've got another think coming. Jacobs has written something that is so palpably sensual, yet so anchored with a powerful emotional gravitas that I'm leaning toward `literary achievement of the year' here. It is a delicious, heady mix of Christian and pagan mythologies, thrown into a bubbling, raging hotpot of desire and rebellion.`Legion', as you may glean from the title, is about the plight of angels who are saddled somehow with very human emotions. Legion, an angel who rules several so-called realms, hates vulnerabilities, and so he carries himself with his guard always up. He doesn't like foolish human emotions like love and affection, and takes pride in staying away from these weaknesses. But one day, summoned by a former angel-turned-human named Nico, Legion finds himself inexplicably drawn to him--he's attracted to Nico so much that Legion sets out to find out why and how Nico was banished from the realm of the immortals and ended up as a sex slave. But there's the rub: Nico used to be the lover of Legion's father, the uber-ruler named Dante. And Legion's actions may just put him in a difficult, impossible situation that threatens to take everything from him. Would he still follow his heart?Author Jacobs painstakingly fleshes out the back-story for each character in the novel, and he does so through the kind of writing that keeps you enthralled with every page. While I gather that this is the author's first book, obviously he's a highly talented, seasoned writer who expertly knows his way around complex story arcs and in ensuring that, with all things considered, the book will emotionally resonate with readers--Nico's dilemma, for example, and the internal conflict Legion endures as he deals with his growing attraction. Moreover, Jacobs does not soak the novel up with all blood and gore and sex--he deftly uses humor, if the dark kind, in all the right places throughout the book, like little breathers that allow the reader to sit back and regroup.Overall, fans of erotic m/m fiction, specifically those who appreciate the BDSM category, will absolutely love this book. It pulses with a warm vitality that makes it such a compelling read. Highly recommended!