The Rule of Sebastian

by Shelter Somerset

Sebastian Harkin retreated to the Trappist monastery at Mt. Ouray, nestled high in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, to escape a past filled with heartache and pain. The arrival of young novice Brother Casey Galvan gives Sebastian hope for the future. But when the monks discover a handsome stranger freezing on their doorstep during a snowstorm, Sebastian, Casey, and their fellow monks find themselves ensnarled in jealousies and passions that eventually lead to murder.

Desperate to conceal the crime from outsiders, Mt. Ouray’s abbot, Father Paolo Cabral, asks Sebastian to help solve the mystery. With Casey assisting, Sebastian plunges deeper into the investigation. But working with Casey threatens Sebastian’s self-control until his desires erupt, along with the dreaded past he has tried so desperately to put behind him. As Sebastian closes in on the killer, Father Paolo intervenes—not just in Sebastian’s search for the truth but in his pursuit of Casey’s heart.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2012

About the author

Shelter Somerset's home base is Chicago, Illinois. He enjoys writing about the lives of people who live off the land, whether they be the Amish, nineteenth-century pioneers, or modern-day idealists seeking to live apart from the crowd. Shelter's fascination with the rustic, aesthetic lifestyle began as a child with family camping trips into the Blue Ridge Mountains. His “brand” is anything from historicals, mysteries, thrillers, and contemporaries, all with individualistic themes. When not back home in Illinois writing, Shelter continues to explore America's expansive backcountry and rural communities. His philosophy is best summed up by the actor John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

Shelter Somerset's novels are available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Somerse...

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started off strong, gets better. No weakening toward end like many books, this one gets tighter, interesting and writing explodes on page. I won't give way who but there's a sex scene toward the end that knocked my hose off. I definitely recommend for mystery and romantic buffs alike.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romantic crime story nicely told, with the unusual setting of a Trappist monastery.

I enjoyed the read and liked the story very much. The slow build up of the relationship between Brothers Casey and Sebastion was nicely done. You could feel the sexual tension between them both and in conflict with their natural desires and their vows. However, for me personally I felt there could have been a little more build up in suspense around the crime story and the ending was rather clunky even though I hadn't guessed. Therefore, this book gets a solid three for me.

[Trisha Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets 5 stars, but mostly for 1) The ending 2) The mystery. The romance was not huge in this book, to me it was more a mystery book with romance thrown in. All the same it was a very good and interesting book. Sebastian and Casey take ages to get together in this book, but I must admit there is chemistry there. I was gripped after the murder and even I got it wrong. I love when that happens because it add's to the feel of the story. I was glad they gave little insights to what the MC's lives were like before they joined the ministry. Great read :)

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. My only problem with the plot, and it was a very minor issue, was that the setting and the isolation seemed a bit contrived. Other than that the mystery had me guessing to the end, and I was still surpirsed when I finished reading.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmm. Not What I expected really. The writing was uneven – too much telling and some perplexing sentences that made me stop and re-read: Possible spoilers ahead so be warned.

‘Yes, I know. I was in my cell as well,’ Sebastian said, almost disgusted with himself for having failed to see the man.’
Almost disgusted??? One is either disgusted or not.

And he was circumcised which meant he’d most likely been born in the United States.
That’s a little presumptive isn’t it?

So often he’d fantasized seeing those bright eyes gaze down at him while he lay alone on his simple twin bed, in his cell that always smelled of old houses.
I know what the writer means there, but the structure of the sentence is all off to me.

Healthy enough to take dinner with them, he’d peer through the steam from his meal and, like an eight year old boy, absorb every grain of wood, every fluttering strand of hair poking from the older brothers’ balding scalps.
??? Absorb every grain of wood???

In typical acquiescence, JC allowed the father to hold them [his hands] and gaze into his palms.
- typical acquiescence – That simply doesn’t fit with JC’s behaviour.

Already, Sebastian tasted the detective skills ripening on his tongue.
No comment.

Years ago, police work had turned into a kaleidoscope of appearances.
??? Even after reading that several times, it still doesn’t make any sense at all to me. I refuse to say what my husband’s comment was ;)

But the pistol represented more than death. It signified a simultaneous beginning and end – orchestrated by a blind, autocratic brokering machine that possessed a godlike muscle.
I was rolling on the floor with laughter at that point.

There were pages of dull ‘telling’ all about the history of the monastery, info-dumps galore and very little suspense to keep me interested. I have to admit the sex scenes were well-written, but there was too much repetition of everyday events and I never felt ‘drawn into’ the story. The ending was too ‘pat’ for me and some of the ‘clues’ far too obvious and highlighted in the writing like a slap in the face with a wet fish ( the fact that JC knew how old he was, the over-stated ‘damage’ to the statue….)

Perhaps the thing that irked me most was the use of ‘JC’ as the name of the stranger. ?? Jesus Christ?? Far too twee for me.

One star. I didn’t like it. The idea was great, but it failed. I never got to feel any emotional interest in any of the characters, and the over-blown prose and info-dumps were a major let-down.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully constructed murder mystery, superior to some of the "mainstream" (as opposed to M/M) mysteries I've read over the past year. The romance is a bit tepid throughout most of the story, since it's mostly Brother Casey fretting about whether Brother Sebastian likes him and Brother Sebastian having more important things to worry about. Eventually the romance picks up, but I don't consider that the strong point of the novel. The murder mystery is well-constructed, with well-characterized "suspects" and an interesting backdrop. The author seems to have done considerable research on the workings of a Trappist monastery, which adds a lot to the feel of the novel, and the writing style was excellent.

[Madonna196 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I don't see what others apparently saw in this novel. I thought it was incredibly boring and the characters lackluster. But the major flaw in this novel is "tell rather than show." I finished it, but it was a long slog.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice mystery and romance. I was raised Catholic so the sex didn't bother me because I know it's true.

[Tamarrion Lash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Она у меня 9 лет висела в недочитанных, решила ее все-таки отметить дочитанной. По очень смутным воспоминаниям не впечатлило, но пусть будет хорошая оценка, надеюсь, у автора за эти годы все сложилось!

[Chris Jeffreys · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally, I can read a m/m romance novel in approximately a day and a half. "The Rule of Sebastian", although the same length as many novels, took several weeks to complete. I found myself becoming rapidly disinterested in the text after about 10 pages. The character development is overly done, insignificant elements are developed ad nauseum, and there is very little sexual tension to move the story forward in any way.

Briefly, here's a summary of the story. There is a monastery in the middle of the snow-covered Rockies. For five months of the year, the monastery is completely snow bound. An unknown stranger, named JC, shows up near the monastery and he is nearly frozen. The brothers in the monastery take him in, warm him up, and welcome him as a new member.

Ultimately, JC determines that he does not want to be part of the monastery, and decides to leave. Before he can leave, however, he is killed. The circumstances surrounding his death are supposed to be the driving force for the balance of the novel.

The brothers of the monastery contrive an elaborate scheme to store the dead body throughout the balance of the winter until they can figure out what to do with it.

One of the brothers, Sebastian, is a former Philadelphia police officer. He is asked by the leader of the monastery to do some investigation to determine which of the brothers had murdered JC. This appears to be a "juicy" plot twist; however, the story slogs along at the pace of the snail during his investigation. Ultimately, some conclusions are made concerning the stranger JC, his body is thrown into a ravine without reporting the murder to the authorities, and the brothers attempt to resume their normal activities.

From a m/m romance perspective, this book fails completely. From a murder mystery/detective novel view, this book is just too slow moving. Despite these conclusions, it is clear that the author is a capable writer. Unfortunately, the subject matter that he has selected for this particular book is simply not compelling.

I have read other works by this author, and it is clear that he has the ability to put together a good romance novel. This is simply not one of them. Overall, the author gets three stars for effort, but, the story itself is only worth 1.5 stars (rounded up to 2 for the goodreads' star chart).

[Notforyou · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a rare occasion, there's a book you come by that surprises, to the point it leaves you rather happy. This novel is certainly one of those times. I am used to mundane gay male romance lit, and muddle through them to enjoy the love and sex and happy endings. But this novel took my breath away. The writing was exquisite!! Quite the style that I devour, and I feel as if I found a rare gem in shelter Somerset. the only drawback would be the mystery toward the end. I felt that not enough info was given early on to allow the reader to solve the mystery of who the stranger was and why he'd come to the abbey. This was not a complete failure, since many hints were given about who might have committed the murder. I'm sure I will reread this novel in the future, and perhaps I missed something. But nonetheless what a joyride of wonderful prose and clean writing!

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. The beginning of the book drug by for me and at 30% I still wasn't sure who the main couple of this book was suppose to be. I didn't feel any romance or sexual tension out of Sebastian through most of the book. I also found it absurd that no one is concerned about the dead guy in the cooler and the cover up that is going on. It is almost laughable at the hide the body routine that this book goes through I also didn't enjoy the mystery being solve by an info dump at the end.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Majestically and exquisitely written novel. A penetrating and authoritative look inside a Trappist monastery, complete with sexual interludes and murder, while written in an intoxicating and rich style. I enjoyed being trapped with the Brothers in the dead of winter for 250 pages, and loved even more the near brilliant writing. The "reveal" might have been a bit clunky, but how else does one reveal a mystery? I want to read more of Shelter Somerset.

[Veenayraja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable murder mystery, perfect for cold winter day. I especially liked the frank discussion of gays in the catholic church and the romances between some of the monks. I also liked the unexpected POV of Father Paolo. The novel has a dark side to it, which for me added to the pleasure.

[S.x.x. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book tremendously. Great prose, interesting insight into homosexuality and the Catholic Church and the allure of gay men to enter the priesthood or monasteries. The mystery was less than the whole part, which was lifting the veil off a hidden lifestyle.

[Debbiedowner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: 4 stars
Romance: 3 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Recommended

[Kyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Willo Font · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad at all. SOrt of Monk the Detective.Not an erotic novel at all , but a mystery and detecvtive story.

[Smf · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what the writer is saying, the Catholic Church condemns homosexuality as a veiled means to draw gay men into their ranks? I can see how that works! Great read.

[Selma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wouldn't want to read about homosexuality and the Catholic church behind the high walls of a monastery--with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. Wonderful prose!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book.

I love this author. His books are amazing. I am so glad I found him. Highly recommended book. You will love it.

[Mexican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devilishly good prose so five solid stars.