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2nd out of 250 books
—
636 voters
The Violet and the Tom
by
Eve Ocotillo (Goodreads Author)
In what might have been the middle ages, had neither Alexander the Great nor Jesus the prophet died young, the Greek State is a powerful economic force in southern Europe, and slavery is a profitable and well-entrenched social institution. Nygell, a Lord of the Northern Isles, is given the gift of a Grecian slave by the King. Nygell wants no such responsibility.
A homoeroti...more
A homoeroti...more
ebook, 295 pages
Published
2009
by FictionPress.com
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Freaking...FANTASTIC!!! Why, oh why, isn't this published???
I picked this online story with the intention of reading a chapter here and there when I needed a break from something else, maybe stretch it out over a couple of weeks, no hurry whatsoever. Yeah, OK. It completely ruled my day, kept clicking chapter after chapter until it was devoured. Slave-fic, institutionalized slavery, BDSM, but so much more. If these are themes that attract your attention, I think you are in for a treat. If not, i...more
I picked this online story with the intention of reading a chapter here and there when I needed a break from something else, maybe stretch it out over a couple of weeks, no hurry whatsoever. Yeah, OK. It completely ruled my day, kept clicking chapter after chapter until it was devoured. Slave-fic, institutionalized slavery, BDSM, but so much more. If these are themes that attract your attention, I think you are in for a treat. If not, i...more
How is this book not published?? HOW???
This is the story is Sylvan and Nygell...Sylvan is an eronomos, a slave trained in erotic and sensual arts. His owner goes bankrupt and he is sold at auction. The king buys Sylvan for his son Nygell in the hopes that the slave can help improve Nygell's dark moods...Problem is Nygell DOES NOT want a slave and lets Sylvan know that from the beginning...and for a man whose existence revolves around pleasing his master, life for Sylvan becomes quite lonely and...more
This is the story is Sylvan and Nygell...Sylvan is an eronomos, a slave trained in erotic and sensual arts. His owner goes bankrupt and he is sold at auction. The king buys Sylvan for his son Nygell in the hopes that the slave can help improve Nygell's dark moods...Problem is Nygell DOES NOT want a slave and lets Sylvan know that from the beginning...and for a man whose existence revolves around pleasing his master, life for Sylvan becomes quite lonely and...more
19 likes · like · see review
Guys, remember that BDSM quiz I took the other day? The one that told me I was only 36% sadist? I dare not take it again...
Not because I wanted to slap the narrator of The Violet and the Tom, slave boy Sylvan, silly for a good 150 pages and then some... No, I came to the sudden realization that there's something spectacularly erotic about a beautiful man who is handed to you on a silver platter and is yours to bruise, to brand and to make him come undone.
Maybe it's a good thing that I only rece...more
Not because I wanted to slap the narrator of The Violet and the Tom, slave boy Sylvan, silly for a good 150 pages and then some... No, I came to the sudden realization that there's something spectacularly erotic about a beautiful man who is handed to you on a silver platter and is yours to bruise, to brand and to make him come undone.
Maybe it's a good thing that I only rece...more
18 likes · like · see review
Beautiful, emotional historical story about a slave and his master. Not your typical master-slave story, however, which makes for some wonderful story surprises. Has a slow build but there is an obvious purpose to it and it fits when you figure out what is going on with the characters. Really, really good book. Well done and I can't believe it's free. Has strong BDSM themes so if you're not comfortable with that, this isn't the book for you.
Jan 05, 2013
Heather K (dentist in my spare time)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
free,
fantasy,
great-chemistry,
kink,
loved-it,
m-m,
romance,
sex-sex-and-more-sex,
hot-hot-hot,
favorites-2012,
online-book
**Rating re-write!**
I have read this book a few times by now. It is my go-to book when I want to read something really kinky and special in the M/M fantasy realm. By now, I have read many BDSM books, M/M and M/F, and this one stands out to me. Eve Ocotillo just does a brilliant job of showing the dynamics of a BDSM relationship. She manages to capture every desire that the characters have in a way the feels charged and emotional, not rote like some BDSM relationships I have read about. This book...more
I have read this book a few times by now. It is my go-to book when I want to read something really kinky and special in the M/M fantasy realm. By now, I have read many BDSM books, M/M and M/F, and this one stands out to me. Eve Ocotillo just does a brilliant job of showing the dynamics of a BDSM relationship. She manages to capture every desire that the characters have in a way the feels charged and emotional, not rote like some BDSM relationships I have read about. This book...more
7 likes · like · see review
It could have been just another "slave falls in love with oblivious master," but it isn't. Fully developed characters change both their feelings and their relative positions as the story develops. Very engaging story and very well written. My only question is why the author hasn't made it available for sale as an ebook. I'd gladly pay for it, and I'm sure many other lovers of m/m slave fantasy would be happy to have a personal copy.
Sylvan is an eromenos, a slave taught in the art of love since early childhood. When his master goes bankrupt, Sylvan -together with all of the master's other possessions- gets sold. He can't believe his luck when it turns out it's the King himself who has acquired him. On top of that he's given to the King's son, the handsome and powerful Lord Nygell. But the Lord is silent and gruff, even becomes angered when Sylvan tries to serve him. And soon the desperate Sylvan finds there is nothing he ca...more
9 likes · like · see review
3.5
The Violet and the Tom, a well-written slave/master story with a subversive twist, can probably give some of the more popular published books in this sub-genre a run for their money. What's more, I was hard pressed to find grammatical errors/typos, a problem that understandably besets most freebies.
Set in an ancient alternate universe with institutionalized slavery, it revolves around Sylvan, a high-end slave who has been brought up and trained since childhood to serve/please a master in com...more
The Violet and the Tom, a well-written slave/master story with a subversive twist, can probably give some of the more popular published books in this sub-genre a run for their money. What's more, I was hard pressed to find grammatical errors/typos, a problem that understandably besets most freebies.
Set in an ancient alternate universe with institutionalized slavery, it revolves around Sylvan, a high-end slave who has been brought up and trained since childhood to serve/please a master in com...more
8 likes · like · see review
I cannot leave a long review--although this story certainly deserves one!! It is an amazing tale of a slave and his master--and how in reality we are, when truly in love, slaves to each other--giving of ourselves so completely until all lines between owned and owner are blurred!
This was an AMAZING story!
This was an AMAZING story!
3 likes · like · see review
Hmm...what to say?
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
I've been going through a phase the past few weeks where I've been scouring online for any good free fiction to read, and this was one of the ones that I found that I did more than glance at. By the time I'd finished the second chapter, I was hooked. The author's grasp of characters and setting are amazing, and she really makes you care about these characters.
Slyvan and his master are both very unique characters. Finding m/m fiction is difficult enough. Finding m/m fiction with true BDSM element...more
Slyvan and his master are both very unique characters. Finding m/m fiction is difficult enough. Finding m/m fiction with true BDSM element...more
I hate when the ending of a book lets you down. I loved this story, but the ending was oh so very meh. Dagnabbit!
He is born and bred a sexual slave, designed by his teachers to please by submitting and servicing in every way imaginable. When his first ownership ends he is bought by the king and given as a gift to the King’s illegitimate son, Nygell. Nygell wants no part in owning a slave and practically denounces him from the beginning, leaving behind a deeply sorrowed and unaccomplished slave....more
He is born and bred a sexual slave, designed by his teachers to please by submitting and servicing in every way imaginable. When his first ownership ends he is bought by the king and given as a gift to the King’s illegitimate son, Nygell. Nygell wants no part in owning a slave and practically denounces him from the beginning, leaving behind a deeply sorrowed and unaccomplished slave....more
1 like · like · see review
4.5
This was like drowning and not wanting to come up for air. I felt like edaciously consuming every word, precious little that I understood, until I was heady. I don’t know if it is right to say this, but I found the style poetic and beautifully collaborated with it’s historical theme. I WISH / CRAVE I could write like this. For me it was one of those titles that I wanted to smack myself on the head for not reading it earlier. I literally adored the author’s style and choice of words and in var...more
This was like drowning and not wanting to come up for air. I felt like edaciously consuming every word, precious little that I understood, until I was heady. I don’t know if it is right to say this, but I found the style poetic and beautifully collaborated with it’s historical theme. I WISH / CRAVE I could write like this. For me it was one of those titles that I wanted to smack myself on the head for not reading it earlier. I literally adored the author’s style and choice of words and in var...more
1 like · like · see review
Excellent! What a beautifully written story, with well-drawn characters, setting, and plot. This is heads and shoulders above 70% of the books I buy, and to think it is a free read! I truly hope a publisher realizes that they need to beg the author for the right to publish this.
I was truly impressed with the way the author was able to walk me through this story, getting me past things I normally don't care for. In fact, I nearly walked away in the first chapter after finding out that the Lord w...more
I was truly impressed with the way the author was able to walk me through this story, getting me past things I normally don't care for. In fact, I nearly walked away in the first chapter after finding out that the Lord w...more
I have read 'The Violet and the Tom' twice so far, and I've no doubt I'll do so again.
It is satisfyingly long; the world-building is excellent and the characters very well fleshed out.
Sylvan is an Eromenos; a professionally-trained pleasure slave with a talent in submission. His previous, generally abusive master dies (or becomes bankrupt, not quite sure on this plot point) and Sylvan is sold as part of the man's estate. The king buys him as a gift for his brother, Lord Nygell.
Nygell is revealed...more
It is satisfyingly long; the world-building is excellent and the characters very well fleshed out.
Sylvan is an Eromenos; a professionally-trained pleasure slave with a talent in submission. His previous, generally abusive master dies (or becomes bankrupt, not quite sure on this plot point) and Sylvan is sold as part of the man's estate. The king buys him as a gift for his brother, Lord Nygell.
Nygell is revealed...more
While some of the content of this book made me a little uncomfortable, I am glad I toughed it out. The author's prose is beautiful, and her descriptions quite lovely at times. The world was interesting and fleshed out well, though I cringed at the way the slaves were treated, especially when it happened on page. I am not an expert, but I would say this has some pretty serious bdsm. However, it really is worth getting through it.
Nygell and Sylvan are fantastic characters, both broken in their own...more
Nygell and Sylvan are fantastic characters, both broken in their own...more
Wow. This was so well-written. Very few proofing errors, and obviously re-written and reworked with loving care. BDSM isn't really my thing, actually, though I read a lot of it in my quest for good m/m--and I can certainly enjoy it in context. This story was just so good that the BDSM was integral and organic and inescapable.
I'm going to try to find some concrete things to say, now. First, the writing was beautiful--it flowed really well, never getting in the way. There was never a time I though...more
I'm going to try to find some concrete things to say, now. First, the writing was beautiful--it flowed really well, never getting in the way. There was never a time I though...more
I liked the story, don't get me wrong, and I read it in one fell swoop. I would also recommend it to anyone interested in master/slave and BDSM subject matters (especially if you don't want cookie-cutter characters but an interesting twist).
I just felt at times that there could have been more subtlety in the characters, the plot, the twists, the motivations and the emotional and physical drive, and perhaps more 'adventure' towards the end. At some places I would have liked to see the story go in...more
I just felt at times that there could have been more subtlety in the characters, the plot, the twists, the motivations and the emotional and physical drive, and perhaps more 'adventure' towards the end. At some places I would have liked to see the story go in...more
6 likes · like · see review
Gorgeous and unexpectedly nuanced story of a sex slave who falls in love with his master. At the low-low-price of free, this is the sort of fiction that should make money-charging erotica authors quake in their boots.
Of course the whole thing is fantasy - this gorgeous sex slave is gifted to an unwilling, painfully noble warrior prince and they fall in love - but for all that the story is a complex, often heartwrenching meditation on power, slavery, domination and submission.
The romance builds...more
Of course the whole thing is fantasy - this gorgeous sex slave is gifted to an unwilling, painfully noble warrior prince and they fall in love - but for all that the story is a complex, often heartwrenching meditation on power, slavery, domination and submission.
The romance builds...more
3 likes · like · see review
Feb 04, 2012
SueM
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
m-m,
royalty,
prisoner-slave,
bdsm,
free-online-fiction,
ipad-stanza,
favorites,
fantasy,
historical-romance
An excellent M/M romance which I have trouble categorizing. It clearly could be set in the middle ages, while it also may be purely fantasy. Add a solid dose of BDSM, a dash of politics, and you end up with this story.
Usually, I'm not a fan of BDSM yet this is one of less than a handful of novels that I have read, where I felt the BDSM was integral to the story and to the characters. It totally suited the psychology of the character, and indeed, I could easily understand that the domination, in...more
Usually, I'm not a fan of BDSM yet this is one of less than a handful of novels that I have read, where I felt the BDSM was integral to the story and to the characters. It totally suited the psychology of the character, and indeed, I could easily understand that the domination, in...more
4 likes · like · see review
I really had heard a lot about this book and mostly good too, but when I read this book I found myself missing witty dialogue between the two main characters. Although as the book progresses it does improve but not in a way that is strong. (view spoiler)...more
For the story, I'd say 3 stars, but for the way it's written, 4. This is a book where the 1st person narrative works really, really well. It gives just the right sort of intimate memoir style, with hints of "this happened quite some time ago". It also makes for a much more slowly paced story. There are no overly dramatic events, no need to bite your fingernails as you read and no need for anguished concerns that someone will die (considering the time period, you could expect characters to easily...more
This was surprisingly good. I liked the characters and the dynamic between them, and even though BDSM isn't really my brand of kink (view spoiler).
The only thing that stopped me from truly enjoying it was that it took me entirely too long get a real feel for where and when I was. I have a very vivid imagination when reading, and when I'm really immersed in a book I can see an...more
The only thing that stopped me from truly enjoying it was that it took me entirely too long get a real feel for where and when I was. I have a very vivid imagination when reading, and when I'm really immersed in a book I can see an...more
This is an excellent book and beautifully written, definitely the best BDSM-themed book I've read (although admittedly that isn't a large selection.) But also just plain one of the best m/m romance books I've read. There isn't an unnecessary word in here. The background is sketched out in a way that feels complete without being intrusive or over-explained. Every scene moves the characters forward through the complex maze of their changing relationships. The different elements of how these two me...more
10 likes · like · see review
Mmmmmmm. An extremely engaging and often subtle book. There were times when I wanted to slap either one or both of the MCs -- but, to Ocotillo's extreme credit, the author did not ignore or whitewash most of those instances. Instead, she used those situations to explore her themes of the psychological and physical manifestations of slavery and submission, and let her characters learn and grow from their misconceptions and mistakes.
"I did try. I can say that for myself. And though I berated mysel...more
"I did try. I can say that for myself. And though I berated mysel...more
I loved this book!
What a refreshing, original, take on slave/master. I just can't explain how happy and content I am with it! The story was well written and I found myself completely enthralled, never once emerging from it. The author captured all the subtlety and I felt like I was really in Sylvan's head. All of his thoughts and interactions with Nigel were so realistic to me. Have i said I am really impressed with the writing?
So often in books I read, characters react and adapt too quickly. Th...more
What a refreshing, original, take on slave/master. I just can't explain how happy and content I am with it! The story was well written and I found myself completely enthralled, never once emerging from it. The author captured all the subtlety and I felt like I was really in Sylvan's head. All of his thoughts and interactions with Nigel were so realistic to me. Have i said I am really impressed with the writing?
So often in books I read, characters react and adapt too quickly. Th...more
I loved this book from the first page. I had no desire to put it down, it wasn't until my eyes started to cross and I physically could not read another word that I would.
I normally don't much care for BDSM (ropes, whips, etc.) but this story told of BDSM in a different way that it was not "ugly" and "harsh" to me.......it was just well beautiful.
I could not put into words as to why I loved this book so much, just...I just did. The way the author writes...again beautiful.
I loved Kaje Harper's r...more
I normally don't much care for BDSM (ropes, whips, etc.) but this story told of BDSM in a different way that it was not "ugly" and "harsh" to me.......it was just well beautiful.
I could not put into words as to why I loved this book so much, just...I just did. The way the author writes...again beautiful.
I loved Kaje Harper's r...more
Normally I'm not such a fan of stories with the roll reversal but this was wonderfully done. Surprised it isn't published, very well written and a good length.
If I had paid for this I would have been very pleased, it would have been money well spent. It was that good...don't want to give anything away, but if you've gotten this far I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Pretty light overall, nothing hardcore and there were opportunities to push things wayyyy further but the author kept it sweet and romantic....more
If I had paid for this I would have been very pleased, it would have been money well spent. It was that good...don't want to give anything away, but if you've gotten this far I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Pretty light overall, nothing hardcore and there were opportunities to push things wayyyy further but the author kept it sweet and romantic....more
I read this book free of charge online, and that is a beautiful gift. So, I am giving four stars. This author writes descriptively in the first person using a somewhat historical style. It is truly creative and I am impressed that the persona is pulled off so well that the story reads easily and with humor/personality. You feel like this darling twink of an erotic slave is having tea and chatting with you. It is endearing and personal. This is a charming story that takes place in something of an...more
10.3.13
Currently reading this. I just hope that it continues to be as wonderful as it promises. So many books seem to consist of little more than '123,lube' on the first meeting with every other word being the'f' word. This however, is tender,thoughtful and utterly erotic. Beautifully, beautifully written.
My only fear is that, as such a high standard has already been set,it might not continue to be this good.(which is why I am only giving it 4 stars at the moment. I hate being disappointed!)
Ont...more
Currently reading this. I just hope that it continues to be as wonderful as it promises. So many books seem to consist of little more than '123,lube' on the first meeting with every other word being the'f' word. This however, is tender,thoughtful and utterly erotic. Beautifully, beautifully written.
My only fear is that, as such a high standard has already been set,it might not continue to be this good.(which is why I am only giving it 4 stars at the moment. I hate being disappointed!)
Ont...more
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In the mundane world, Eve Ocotillo plays a scientist. She escapes from the grind by conjuring tough and conflicted men and then throwing them at each other in romantic and not-so-romantic situations. Her stories range from alternate history to contemporary to science fiction and are influenced by her interest in diverse social issues, her fascination with the natural environment, and her fundament...more
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Jun 27, 2011 06:52am
Jun 27, 2011 08:57am