4.5*++So, in this book we have Rory and Andrew along with a rich “supporting cast” of characters.I’m not a history buff and I couldn’t say if any historical elements were accurate or not, but I have to admit that’s not something that matters to me overmuch. And I would put this book on the fantasy shelf before the historical shelf anyway.It was a nice surprise and refreshing change of pace when Andrew – being the younger, smaller MC - turned out not to be the passive, submissive, fragile character I thought he’d be. He was extremely (maybe a little unbelievably) sage, strong-willed, and self-possessed for the tender age of 18, especially given his upbringing.Rory was yum. In my head he looked like Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series if you’re familiar with that – lol. In some ways it was he who was ultimately the more fragile of the two and I loved that.There are dark aspects to this book (without a doubt), but this was not as consistently dark as I’d been expecting. Most of the first two thirds of the book are actually reasonably drama-free and quite sweet. There is non-con (past and present day), and some dub-con. Myself, I like dub-con, but non-con can be a real button pusher for me (not in a good way) if it is portrayed as sexy or erotic so I tend to stay away from it. Here though, it is realistically brutal and awful.I enjoyed the heck out of this, and hope we get more from this author. 2.5 StarsThis book is not for the faint of heart!Ruaidhri ("Rory"), also known as The Red King, is a man bent on vengeance. He is determined to seek justice for the horrific ills he suffered as a youth. For the past seven years, Rory has captained the Taibhse with a fiercely loyal crew of like-minded sailors. Together, their lifes' mission is to destroy Maarten Jans de Worrt, the depraved Danish lord. Andrew is an orphan twice over. After witnessing the murders of the holy men who cared for him, he is kidnapped by slavers. Salvation comes in the form of Ruadidhri and his crew. Initially, Rory sees Andrew as a means to an end; a tool to use in assassinating Maarten. But as the two get to know each other, in and out of bed, a deep-seated love begins to bloom; one that changes everything, including the courses of their lives and those of the Taibhse.This book was alright. I really enjoyed many of the characters, especially Rory, Malik, and Etienne. Andrew was likeable enough. The world building was interesting and I liked watching Rory and Andrew's relationship develop. So why not a higher rating? First, the gratuitous violence. Torture and rape in this book abound, and graphically so. Not my cuppa. Second, it was really slow at times. The length could've been shortened. And lastly, though there was a lot of sex, the scenes were meh IMO.Bottom-line: a great debut novel but over-the-top graphic violence diminished my enjoyment.
