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1st out of 108 books
—
188 voters
Truth in the Dark
by
Amy Lane (Goodreads Author)
""I am not beautiful..."" Knife's entire existence has been as twisted as his flesh and his face. The only thing beautiful in his life is his sister. When Gwennie is obliged to turn a suitor down because she fears to leave her brother to the brutality of their village, Knife is desperate for anything to ensure her happiness. Her suitor's cousin offers him a way out, but it...more
ebook, 1st Edition, 186 pages
Published
June 16th 2010
by Dreamspinner Press LLC
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As a story model for romance, Eros and Psyche is hard to beat. There's a reason that Beauty & the Beast succeeds so completely when it's presented in a new incarnation whether its Cocteau or Disney.
First things first, Amy Lane is a haunting, subtle, skilled writer who refuses to settle for easy solutions. Every book she's written carries pain and secrecy thumping inside its ribs like a dark heart. Faced with the "update a fairytale" challenge, she's not going to settle for a facile approach....more
First things first, Amy Lane is a haunting, subtle, skilled writer who refuses to settle for easy solutions. Every book she's written carries pain and secrecy thumping inside its ribs like a dark heart. Faced with the "update a fairytale" challenge, she's not going to settle for a facile approach....more
34 likes · like · see review
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I'm not a fan of fairy tales in general, so I hesitated a lot before I read it. What a shame. (I should really stop doing this, I often let a book hang out in my TBR for stupid reasons!)
The dialogues are captivating, the story is moving to tears, very funny sometimes ...
Naef is endearing in his self-pity, but my preference goes to Aerie-Smith (a really weird name lol) whom I found very noble. That's what Nael needed and he found it.
Thank you Amy Lane for making me spend such a good time.
The dialogues are captivating, the story is moving to tears, very funny sometimes ...
Naef is endearing in his self-pity, but my preference goes to Aerie-Smith (a really weird name lol) whom I found very noble. That's what Nael needed and he found it.
Thank you Amy Lane for making me spend such a good time.
18 likes · like · see review
Quick description about this book:
Love... this book is a Fairy Tale about LOVE
Naef is a tortured soul and body. Born with a disability and a "repulsive" body he don't know how to be kind. He love his sister and his mother, and his world is his work, as a woodcraft. When he is working with his knives and doing art with wood he can express all the beauty he would like to see in his life. Only he will be the narrator, and don't fool yourself thinking that is a "fairy-tale" where the narrator talk w...more
Love... this book is a Fairy Tale about LOVE
Naef is a tortured soul and body. Born with a disability and a "repulsive" body he don't know how to be kind. He love his sister and his mother, and his world is his work, as a woodcraft. When he is working with his knives and doing art with wood he can express all the beauty he would like to see in his life. Only he will be the narrator, and don't fool yourself thinking that is a "fairy-tale" where the narrator talk w...more
and use a very colorful vocabulary to show that 
. He is kind, powerful and aristocratic... the exact contrary of Naef.
12 likes · like · see review
2.5 stars
A very unusual take on one of my favourite fairytales Beauty and Beast sadly it didn't quite live up to expectations. I struggled to feel a connection or affection for Knife or Aerie. Despite being an emotional and highly charged story I was strangely unaffected for most of it, there were a few sad moments here and there but not enough for me to say this was brilliant. I could go on but I won't as I seem to be in the minority with this one.
A very unusual take on one of my favourite fairytales Beauty and Beast sadly it didn't quite live up to expectations. I struggled to feel a connection or affection for Knife or Aerie. Despite being an emotional and highly charged story I was strangely unaffected for most of it, there were a few sad moments here and there but not enough for me to say this was brilliant. I could go on but I won't as I seem to be in the minority with this one.
9 likes · like · see review
A truly remarkable and heart warming book about the power of love. Naef, a young misshapen man with a bitter attitude, leaves his home to spend a year as the companion to Aerie-Smith, a cursed man with the body of a lion. Naef does this unselfish act in the hopes of giving his sister a chance at true love. Aerie-Smith's island is under a curse placed by the fae that has turned all of the inhabitants into animals who are slowly losing their humanity. Naef discovers that the curse has somehow wor...more
5 likes · like · see review
This is a tough one for me to come to grips with. It was a "pick it for me" choice from the m/m romance group, and turned out to be a challenge indeed. Overall, in the end, I liked it, but maybe not for the obvious reasons.
I really liked the snappy, snarky dialogue. I also liked how the plot was set up, and the twist at the end. I thought that was close enough to the original story, yet different enough to make it separate and new. And the acceptance of Naef and his condition by Aerie-Smith was...more
I really liked the snappy, snarky dialogue. I also liked how the plot was set up, and the twist at the end. I thought that was close enough to the original story, yet different enough to make it separate and new. And the acceptance of Naef and his condition by Aerie-Smith was...more
5 likes · like · see review
In a small coastal town on the Archipelago, Naef was born. Club footed, awkward, pained and shunned, he was nonetheless loved and cherished by his sister Gwen and his mother. Gwen was his protector, companion and confidant. He could at least feel normal with her.
Then, when he was but twelve, the young men of the village, in the way such boys will do, attacked and violated Naef. In that moment, the young man decided there must be no value to him. So he started to become as twisted and pained insi...more
Then, when he was but twelve, the young men of the village, in the way such boys will do, attacked and violated Naef. In that moment, the young man decided there must be no value to him. So he started to become as twisted and pained insi...more
5 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Naef was born with a club foot and due to that has a twisted spine, badly scarred skin and is picked on by everyone in the village. However despite his horrific childhood he is an amazing wood carver and his sister's suitor has some influence in getting Naef (Knife he prefers to be called) a "job" as a companion for his cousin for a year. Although Naef's not thrilled, he wants his sister to have a real life and he figures being with a lion/man won't be any worse than his life. Aerie-Smith lives...more
There are good books and great books and then there are books you can read again and again and never get tired of, books that grab you, suck you in and make you fly. This is one of them.
Naef is an ugly clubfooted cripple,despised by everyone but his mother and sister. Living in a twisted body has left him bitter and disillusioned, and so he's beyond wary when a stranger appears on his native island, claiming he wants to hire Naef as a "companion for a year with a regrettable task at the end". I...more
Naef is an ugly clubfooted cripple,despised by everyone but his mother and sister. Living in a twisted body has left him bitter and disillusioned, and so he's beyond wary when a stranger appears on his native island, claiming he wants to hire Naef as a "companion for a year with a regrettable task at the end". I...more
10 likes · like · see review
This was my first time reading a book by Amy Lane. It won't be my last. Beautiful prose and swift flow. The way the author paints her characters without bogging down the story with lengthy description is amazing. Each character is fully fleshed out, unique, and flawed. What more could a reader ask for besides a romantic ending? I definitely will be reading more by Amy Lane.
This is a beautiful love story between two not so beautiful-looking people. A fantasy MM fairytale with a moral.
Naef (aka Knife) is a deformed but talented woodworker. He is constantly in pain and is understandably bitter. Aerie-Smith (coolest name ever!) is a nobleman with a pure heart and a mission to remove a curse from his island. He hires Naef for a year.
As they approach Aerie-Smith's island, something unexpected happens to Naef. Like a person who loses a lot of weight quickly but still ha...more
Naef (aka Knife) is a deformed but talented woodworker. He is constantly in pain and is understandably bitter. Aerie-Smith (coolest name ever!) is a nobleman with a pure heart and a mission to remove a curse from his island. He hires Naef for a year.
As they approach Aerie-Smith's island, something unexpected happens to Naef. Like a person who loses a lot of weight quickly but still ha...more
Beauty and the Beast retelling with some plot twists. I liked the book a lot. I haven't read books with such strong message for ages. So for plot and characters, and especially for the ending I'm giving full 5 stars.
Here we've got Naef, ugly young man, who agreed to be a companion for a man named Aerie-Smith (sooo weird name!), who looks like lion. Aerie is cursed by elf, and all his servants are cursed with him. All of them turned to animals. When Naef came to the Aerie's island, he became cur...more
Here we've got Naef, ugly young man, who agreed to be a companion for a man named Aerie-Smith (sooo weird name!), who looks like lion. Aerie is cursed by elf, and all his servants are cursed with him. All of them turned to animals. When Naef came to the Aerie's island, he became cur...more
If you took Beauty and the Beast and
Abarat
, and threw them in a m/m soft-core porn blender, you’d end up with something like this book – a beautiful (though flawed in places), emotionally honest tale of the transformative power of sacrifice, self-acceptance, and love.
Theme song: “Rabbit Heart,” Florence + the Machine
I thought Truth in the Dark was a very creative twist on a classic story, in which there was not one, but two, ‘Beasts’… sort of. Remember that line in the prologue of the Disney...more
Theme song: “Rabbit Heart,” Florence + the Machine
I thought Truth in the Dark was a very creative twist on a classic story, in which there was not one, but two, ‘Beasts’… sort of. Remember that line in the prologue of the Disney...more
3 likes · like · see review
I can't even begin to express how beautiful this story really is. I find that my words would cheapen such a grand masterpiece. I will let the words of this novel speak for itself because Amy Lane is a goddess and her epic romances are her children. Masterfully written and a pleasure to read, Lane has woven a tale that will take your breath away. Truth in the Dark will surely have you moved. In essence, it tells of a true love story that is timeless. Knife and Aerie-Smith kinda reminds me of the...more
Jul 02, 2012
Alie38
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
m/m fantasy romance
Recommended to Alie38 by:
GR FRIENDS
WOW! I started TRUTH IN THE DARK this morning and could not stop reading until I finished. It is rare that I am so captivated and moved by a story that it leaves me an emotional puddle of mush. I was weeping by the time I read the last word. Amy Lane has written a beautiful and haunting story that is similar to the classic fairy tale of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST....yet it is so much more. This book is no Disney children's story. It deals with the injustices and harm people can inflict on those unfort...more
Terrible. I started this book because it was recommended to me as a m/m retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche, which is one of my favourite Greek myths. I finished it only because I wanted to see just how bad a book could be and apparently still get a publishing contract. Truth in the Dark didn't work for me on pretty much any level: characterisation, dialogue, prose, internal world building logic, plotting. Why Naef and Aerie-Smith (yes, that's one of the protagonist's names) even like one...more
Another novella length book. I don't think I was meant for them. I want full-length novels, dammit, even for my smut!
But that had nothing to do with my rating, so I'll keep this brief. I didn't take to the main character, I didn't like any of the character's names (Naef? Aerie-Smith?), and I didn't much care for the overtones of bestiality. I also didn't like that the story kind of glossed over there being any issues with homosexuality being an issue, though with this being a fantasy maybe it ju...more
But that had nothing to do with my rating, so I'll keep this brief. I didn't take to the main character, I didn't like any of the character's names (Naef? Aerie-Smith?), and I didn't much care for the overtones of bestiality. I also didn't like that the story kind of glossed over there being any issues with homosexuality being an issue, though with this being a fantasy maybe it ju...more
Overall I liked it, didn't love it. The end was the biggest redeeming feature in that it was the not a 'perfectly' happy ending, but a warm-hearted realistic one (view spoiler) . For an easy, get-off read--it had it's pluses, but for me it lacked. It was too much sex and romance based (yeah, I KNOW I like romance, but I like it in combination with other plot lines, LOL) -- I think there needed to be more of the fantasy and a touch...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is a story of Beauty, Aerie-Smith and the Beast, Naef.
Cursed by the Faire folk for a kiss, Aerie-Smith must atone for his indiscretion in order to free his people’s affliction of living as animals. He finds what he believes is a pure soul in Naef who may help lift the curse.
Naef has lived his entire life in a twisted and mangled body and a life full of torment and hatred. Despite what he believes is a grotesque body, his mother and sister only see him as beautiful and have always loved and...more
Cursed by the Faire folk for a kiss, Aerie-Smith must atone for his indiscretion in order to free his people’s affliction of living as animals. He finds what he believes is a pure soul in Naef who may help lift the curse.
Naef has lived his entire life in a twisted and mangled body and a life full of torment and hatred. Despite what he believes is a grotesque body, his mother and sister only see him as beautiful and have always loved and...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
`Truth in the Dark' is a Dreamspinner e-book by Amy Lane. It is a very different type of M/M erotica and *utterly* brilliant.
Naef was born `crooked'. He has a club foot, twisted spine, too-big teeth and walks with a limp. In his little fishing village he grew up tormented and teased, abused and violated by the villagers. His only saviours were his mother and sister. Naef grew up despising himself, and throughout his life he has refused to look in a mirror.
One day his beautiful and tender-hearted...more
Naef was born `crooked'. He has a club foot, twisted spine, too-big teeth and walks with a limp. In his little fishing village he grew up tormented and teased, abused and violated by the villagers. His only saviours were his mother and sister. Naef grew up despising himself, and throughout his life he has refused to look in a mirror.
One day his beautiful and tender-hearted...more
Amy Lane is fast becoming one of my favorite writers in the m/m romance genre. This novella, a unique twist upon the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, demonstrates some of the reasons why.
Truth in the Dark is an atypical romance in many ways, the most significant being that one of the main characters is ugly and misshapen in body and soul at the outset of the story. The putative beast character--Aerie-Smith (and isn't that a fantastic name!)--is the beauty in this tale, if a sad one carrying a he...more
Truth in the Dark is an atypical romance in many ways, the most significant being that one of the main characters is ugly and misshapen in body and soul at the outset of the story. The putative beast character--Aerie-Smith (and isn't that a fantastic name!)--is the beauty in this tale, if a sad one carrying a he...more
Truth in the Dark is one of my favorite stories of the year. Lane takes the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and makes a story that is moving, emotional, funny, raunchy, and filled with all the expected life lessons. It’s also terribly romantic, which suits the soft spot in my heart for these types of stories. While the story likely never would have worked as a contemporary, keeping the magical atmosphere lets readers suspend all disbelief and sink into the core of why everyone loves fair...more
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Beauty & the Beast was, and remains to this day, my favourite Disney film. Since I could read I've searched for adaptations, changes, takes on, allusions of, the essence that is that story.
I've read so many awful ones, and a few gems that are damn near close to perfection. 'Truth in the Dark' is not quite perfection but it is haunting, intelligent, heartbreaking and about learning to love yourself and be loved, appearances be damned.
Naef/Knife is crippled, pockmarked and damaged. Though hi...more
I've read so many awful ones, and a few gems that are damn near close to perfection. 'Truth in the Dark' is not quite perfection but it is haunting, intelligent, heartbreaking and about learning to love yourself and be loved, appearances be damned.
Naef/Knife is crippled, pockmarked and damaged. Though hi...more
1 like · like · see review
I've always been a sucker for fantasy and romance, so this book, a retelling of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story, was a wonderful find. It is an extraordinarily well-crafted tale, and a poignant romance with a real message about the meaning of beauty and of love. Excellent, poetic narration worthy of a fairy tale, lots of beautiful angst and very sexy love scenes. A must-read, in my book! And I will read it - again and again and again!
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW (view spoiler)...more
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW (view spoiler)...more
This the first Amy Lane book I've read and all I can say is Wow!
Just... wow. I'm almost speechless with admiration for this book. It's a beautiful fairy tale romance, and yet it's so much more.
Amy's writing is poetic and beautiful and it often makes you stop and reread the last few sentences because they're just so good you can't leave them, even though you want to see what happens next.
As for the characters: I loved Knife; such a tortured soul with a huge number of onion layers to peel away bef...more
Just... wow. I'm almost speechless with admiration for this book. It's a beautiful fairy tale romance, and yet it's so much more.
Amy's writing is poetic and beautiful and it often makes you stop and reread the last few sentences because they're just so good you can't leave them, even though you want to see what happens next.
As for the characters: I loved Knife; such a tortured soul with a huge number of onion layers to peel away bef...more
Wow, OK. I'm completely in awe.
This is a story I never expected to enjoy. That may sound odd but I picked it up on a whim and thought 'oh what the hell, I've read some tripe in my time this can't be so bad'. Instead I was blown away by the characterization, the easy descriptive passages that painted the scenes and the dark inner struggles portrayed in what is really a lesson for us all.
It was a delightful dance through a fairytale of bittersweet tears - and believe me I shed a few. Much of my r...more
This is a story I never expected to enjoy. That may sound odd but I picked it up on a whim and thought 'oh what the hell, I've read some tripe in my time this can't be so bad'. Instead I was blown away by the characterization, the easy descriptive passages that painted the scenes and the dark inner struggles portrayed in what is really a lesson for us all.
It was a delightful dance through a fairytale of bittersweet tears - and believe me I shed a few. Much of my r...more
"Did you think you were the only one who closed his eyes and felt truth in the dark?"
What makes a person beautiful? Is it what the eye sees and relays to the mind? Or is it what the heart knows to be truth, even in the darkest of night? Amy Lane views truths with her heart, and in turn teaches us that love is the only beauty that matters.
Naef (whom I as well refuse to call Knife) was born with a twisted body leading to circumstances that eventually twisted his heart and soul. Twisted, but not b...more
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This book is like an adaption of Beauty and the Beast…wherein the Beauty for the most part looks more like Quasimodo. It is a beautiful story about seeing people for who they really are, and how little looks matter when it comes to true love. I enjoyed the most part of it just fine, but I really loved the last quarter of the book! And I cried…a lot. It was very moving!
Naef, or Knife as he prefers to be called, has never been beautiful. He’s got a bad knee and a crooked spine, and his face has de...more
Naef, or Knife as he prefers to be called, has never been beautiful. He’s got a bad knee and a crooked spine, and his face has de...more
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Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail u...more
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“You cannot take a person's humanity and then retain your own”
—
20 people liked it
“Sex was lovely. Sex was sublime. Sex was flesh and cock and suck and fuck and come. This night sex was starlight. Sex was oxygen. Sex was us, and we were beautiful, beautiful and perfect in each other's arms.”
—
10 people liked it
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