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Arcanium #4
Ringmaster
He’s the master of the ring, but he cannot master her.
Kitty has been part of Arcanium as Pretty Kitty the Bearded Lady for over fifteen years, taking care of the circus’ inhabitants—both human and demon—when the curtains close.
But she’s kept a dark secret from the rest, one that she shares with the sadistic demon known only as the Ringmaster. Though it would be a stretch to call the arrangement he and Kitty share tender, the Ringmaster finds himself curiously drawn to the kind but dark heart of Arcanium.
When Kitty convinces a long-time lover of hers from outside Arcanium to join the circus—Victor, a sweet, handsome, charming man in love with every square inch of hair on Kitty’s body—the secret between Kitty and the Ringmaster not only risks coming to light, but the strange relationship itself threatens to crumble and throw Arcanium into chaos.
Reader Advisory: This book contains horror-related violence and gore, assault and threats of sexual violence, a rough D/s relationship, sex with a well-endowed demon, multiple partners, bondage, sadomasochism (including an intense biting moment), fisting, mild breathplay, and both BDSM and non-BDSM whipping.
General Release Date: 8th September 2015
Kitty has been part of Arcanium as Pretty Kitty the Bearded Lady for over fifteen years, taking care of the circus’ inhabitants—both human and demon—when the curtains close.
But she’s kept a dark secret from the rest, one that she shares with the sadistic demon known only as the Ringmaster. Though it would be a stretch to call the arrangement he and Kitty share tender, the Ringmaster finds himself curiously drawn to the kind but dark heart of Arcanium.
When Kitty convinces a long-time lover of hers from outside Arcanium to join the circus—Victor, a sweet, handsome, charming man in love with every square inch of hair on Kitty’s body—the secret between Kitty and the Ringmaster not only risks coming to light, but the strange relationship itself threatens to crumble and throw Arcanium into chaos.
Reader Advisory: This book contains horror-related violence and gore, assault and threats of sexual violence, a rough D/s relationship, sex with a well-endowed demon, multiple partners, bondage, sadomasochism (including an intense biting moment), fisting, mild breathplay, and both BDSM and non-BDSM whipping.
General Release Date: 8th September 2015
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2015
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 16, 2015
What is it about dark side that draws us? What is the lure of the forbidden, the attraction of the taboo, the terrible, irresistible appeal of cruel power and evil shadows? If I could answer this question, I could explain the unrelenting fascination of Aurelia T. Evans’ demon circus Arcanium.
Ringmaster is the fourth book in this erotic horror series, and, in my opinion, the best so far. This is the first novel where the focus character is one of Arcanium’s true Oddities—not a human cursed into the circus through his or her own unfortunate wishes, but someone born a freak and living with that destiny.
Kitty, a real-life bearded woman, has been part of Arcanium for nearly two decades. A victim of some genetic aberration, she has fast growing hair all over her body. After years of shaving, plucking, trying every strategy to hide her abnormality, she finally realized the futility of these endeavors. She joined the circus, where she could live comfortably among other societal outcasts.
Kitty has embraced her freakishness. She works miracles with her flowing tresses, artistically braids her beard, and shows off her voluptuous, hairy body to the astonished and embarrassed crowds who stroll along Arcanium’s Oddity Row.
Through Kitty, Ms. Evans explores society’s attitudes toward people who are obviously “different”. From little kids who stare without self-consciousness, to men attracted to the novelty of sex with a bearded woman, to violent bigots who actively attack Kitty and Arcanium’s other Oddities, the world is full of so-called “normal” people who really don’t know how to deal with “freaks”. All of the Arcanium books have considered these issues, but Ringmaster looks at them more closely. The book helps the reader understand the world from a well-adjusted freak’s point of view. Kitty doesn’t want to give up her special qualities. In fact, she has deliberately used up all her wishes, in order to avoid the temptation to wish her hair away.
As a voluntary who deliberately entered the circus, Kitty has more freedom than those whose wishes have been turned against them by the enigmatic jinn Bell Madoc, the master and creator of Arcanium. In particular, she’s free to leave the circus bounds and have sexual encounters with people from the outside world. In Ringmaster, she discovers that her long-time though occasional lover Victor is dying from a congenital disease. To save his life, she offers him the chance to join Arcanium and be cured.
Victor’s decision to become one of Bell’s Oddities in return for a second chance at life upsets the emotional balance in Arcanium. Jealousy, lust and violence flare, in some cases triggered by the denizens of the circus, in others by ignorant and biased individuals from outside the iron gates. Crimes are committed. Punishments are inflicted. Be prepared for gore and death, as well as sex so rough it feels like battle. This is Arcanium.
Kitty has appeared as a secondary character in all the previous novels of the series. One has the impression of a woman almost unbelievably healthy from an emotional perspective, mature and balanced, especially compared to most of the other circus members. She’s warm, generous, a sort of mother figure who has the informal role of helping newcomers to the circus adapt to the constraints and consolations of life in Arcanium. She’s very sure of her identity as the sexy, furry Kitty Cat. She’s honest about her desires, while never leading her lovers to expect more than she can give.
One wonders how someone so seemingly normal can survive in the twisted environment of Bell’s circus. In Ringmaster, however, we finally get to see the darkness she keeps hidden.
++++++++
He slapped her ass and her thighs as he finger-fucked her, speeding up his thrusts until she was arching her back each time, the partition pressing against her pubic bone in painful but delicious pressure.
“Damn you!” he shouted. He yanked his hand out of her and shook it. A few drops of her juices hit her back. “Damn you into my hell, woman. Don’t you know that I would have you like this on my dining room table, three pairs of anguish inside you, one in your rectum, one in your cunt and the other in your pretty little mouth? I would shave every inch of you so that you couldn’t have a single pretty hair on your vain body, everything beautiful about you stripped away until you were nothing. I would flog this skin”—he smoothed his hands over her back and cupped her sides where her ribs met her breasts—“with tails that ended in glass to gouge you into a mess of bloody meat, but it wouldn’t kill you. Oh no. There’s no death where I would take you. And take you. And take you. And take you until you were raw and bleeding and too broken to scream, so I would have my other slaves scream for you, because that is music to my ears, Katharine. Do you understand?”
He grabbed her braid above her hands, which pulled on her head and neck and on her wrists. She cried out, her mouth dropping open. When he lifted her up, her breasts hung heavy beneath her, and her nipples brushed the wood in agonizing tickles. All balance and control were lost. He had her helpless in his grip.
“I’m not going to take you with the magic making it easy,” the Ringmaster said in her ear. “Tell me not to.”
“No,” she gasped.
“That’s right,” he said, jerking her braid again. “Tell me not to.”
“No,” she whispered. She turned to peer up at him. He smoldered with hellfire black not just in his eyes but everywhere on his face, in his posture, in the tension of his muscles, everywhere. “Don’t stop.”
++++
Kitty consorts with the cruelest and most vicious demon in Arcanium. Something draws them together, into bloody, painful, violent conflagrations of lust (like the one above). Indeed, their paradoxical complementarity goes beyond mere lust. It’s deeper, darker, far more hypnotic. One hesitates to call to call it love, but the connection binds them to one another at least as tightly.
The scenes between Kitty and the Ringmaster eclipsed everything else in this novel, for me. (I’m a bit uncomfortable admitting this. What, after all, does that say about me?) They left me stunned, crushed, and unbelievably aroused. Although I applaud an author who can create this kind of effect, I worry about what Ms. Evans’ can do for an encore. Once you’ve gone over to the dark side, human sex, even human love, seems pale and weak by comparison.
Ringmaster is the fourth book in this erotic horror series, and, in my opinion, the best so far. This is the first novel where the focus character is one of Arcanium’s true Oddities—not a human cursed into the circus through his or her own unfortunate wishes, but someone born a freak and living with that destiny.
Kitty, a real-life bearded woman, has been part of Arcanium for nearly two decades. A victim of some genetic aberration, she has fast growing hair all over her body. After years of shaving, plucking, trying every strategy to hide her abnormality, she finally realized the futility of these endeavors. She joined the circus, where she could live comfortably among other societal outcasts.
Kitty has embraced her freakishness. She works miracles with her flowing tresses, artistically braids her beard, and shows off her voluptuous, hairy body to the astonished and embarrassed crowds who stroll along Arcanium’s Oddity Row.
Through Kitty, Ms. Evans explores society’s attitudes toward people who are obviously “different”. From little kids who stare without self-consciousness, to men attracted to the novelty of sex with a bearded woman, to violent bigots who actively attack Kitty and Arcanium’s other Oddities, the world is full of so-called “normal” people who really don’t know how to deal with “freaks”. All of the Arcanium books have considered these issues, but Ringmaster looks at them more closely. The book helps the reader understand the world from a well-adjusted freak’s point of view. Kitty doesn’t want to give up her special qualities. In fact, she has deliberately used up all her wishes, in order to avoid the temptation to wish her hair away.
As a voluntary who deliberately entered the circus, Kitty has more freedom than those whose wishes have been turned against them by the enigmatic jinn Bell Madoc, the master and creator of Arcanium. In particular, she’s free to leave the circus bounds and have sexual encounters with people from the outside world. In Ringmaster, she discovers that her long-time though occasional lover Victor is dying from a congenital disease. To save his life, she offers him the chance to join Arcanium and be cured.
Victor’s decision to become one of Bell’s Oddities in return for a second chance at life upsets the emotional balance in Arcanium. Jealousy, lust and violence flare, in some cases triggered by the denizens of the circus, in others by ignorant and biased individuals from outside the iron gates. Crimes are committed. Punishments are inflicted. Be prepared for gore and death, as well as sex so rough it feels like battle. This is Arcanium.
Kitty has appeared as a secondary character in all the previous novels of the series. One has the impression of a woman almost unbelievably healthy from an emotional perspective, mature and balanced, especially compared to most of the other circus members. She’s warm, generous, a sort of mother figure who has the informal role of helping newcomers to the circus adapt to the constraints and consolations of life in Arcanium. She’s very sure of her identity as the sexy, furry Kitty Cat. She’s honest about her desires, while never leading her lovers to expect more than she can give.
One wonders how someone so seemingly normal can survive in the twisted environment of Bell’s circus. In Ringmaster, however, we finally get to see the darkness she keeps hidden.
++++++++
He slapped her ass and her thighs as he finger-fucked her, speeding up his thrusts until she was arching her back each time, the partition pressing against her pubic bone in painful but delicious pressure.
“Damn you!” he shouted. He yanked his hand out of her and shook it. A few drops of her juices hit her back. “Damn you into my hell, woman. Don’t you know that I would have you like this on my dining room table, three pairs of anguish inside you, one in your rectum, one in your cunt and the other in your pretty little mouth? I would shave every inch of you so that you couldn’t have a single pretty hair on your vain body, everything beautiful about you stripped away until you were nothing. I would flog this skin”—he smoothed his hands over her back and cupped her sides where her ribs met her breasts—“with tails that ended in glass to gouge you into a mess of bloody meat, but it wouldn’t kill you. Oh no. There’s no death where I would take you. And take you. And take you. And take you until you were raw and bleeding and too broken to scream, so I would have my other slaves scream for you, because that is music to my ears, Katharine. Do you understand?”
He grabbed her braid above her hands, which pulled on her head and neck and on her wrists. She cried out, her mouth dropping open. When he lifted her up, her breasts hung heavy beneath her, and her nipples brushed the wood in agonizing tickles. All balance and control were lost. He had her helpless in his grip.
“I’m not going to take you with the magic making it easy,” the Ringmaster said in her ear. “Tell me not to.”
“No,” she gasped.
“That’s right,” he said, jerking her braid again. “Tell me not to.”
“No,” she whispered. She turned to peer up at him. He smoldered with hellfire black not just in his eyes but everywhere on his face, in his posture, in the tension of his muscles, everywhere. “Don’t stop.”
++++
Kitty consorts with the cruelest and most vicious demon in Arcanium. Something draws them together, into bloody, painful, violent conflagrations of lust (like the one above). Indeed, their paradoxical complementarity goes beyond mere lust. It’s deeper, darker, far more hypnotic. One hesitates to call to call it love, but the connection binds them to one another at least as tightly.
The scenes between Kitty and the Ringmaster eclipsed everything else in this novel, for me. (I’m a bit uncomfortable admitting this. What, after all, does that say about me?) They left me stunned, crushed, and unbelievably aroused. Although I applaud an author who can create this kind of effect, I worry about what Ms. Evans’ can do for an encore. Once you’ve gone over to the dark side, human sex, even human love, seems pale and weak by comparison.
July 4, 2017
With this one, I hit pay dirt. The Arcanium series is an UF/PNR story arc with a dark edge of kink. Each book is about the crumbled, cutting pieces that make up our fears and doubts. Within a magical circus run by a deviant Jinn, humans and creatures of the dark find a haven within the cage they fear the most.
Arcanium is one of the few series where I jumped around at will. Aurelia T. Evans is a new author in my library. I enjoy the way she created a story with a blending of genres rather than trying to stick to one or two. She has great ideas, interesting execution and a romantic heart. The writing voice isn't consistent from book to book. Her fascination with the inner depths of people is quite clear. Her strength lies in the characters she made and the actions that they take. It's not her vague settings or ambiguous outline of the characters looks.
I am sure that I would not have enjoyed this story as much as I did if I didn't read Fortune (Book 1) & Aerial (Book 3) first. The blurb for Aerial is what drew my attention to Arcanium. Reading Fortune is what established my interest in the series and characters. In Ringmaster, all the things I like about the series came together in a way that made absolute sense.
My favorite characters are Bell, Ringmaster and Maya. Kitty takes center stage in this book and she's the heart of the circus in many ways. It's like the secondary character given the floor to narrate a tale about a chaos demon and how he falls in love. I love it.
It was kind of strange to have a pulpit rant about people being assholes in the middle of a scene of passion. If you have that much time to think those kinds of thoughts in the middle of sex, you're not doing it right.
Coffee. You'll see what I mean. Totally romantic.
When you are claimed, the one taken has also laid claim. It's a rather beautiful balance.
Arcanium is one of the few series where I jumped around at will. Aurelia T. Evans is a new author in my library. I enjoy the way she created a story with a blending of genres rather than trying to stick to one or two. She has great ideas, interesting execution and a romantic heart. The writing voice isn't consistent from book to book. Her fascination with the inner depths of people is quite clear. Her strength lies in the characters she made and the actions that they take. It's not her vague settings or ambiguous outline of the characters looks.
I am sure that I would not have enjoyed this story as much as I did if I didn't read Fortune (Book 1) & Aerial (Book 3) first. The blurb for Aerial is what drew my attention to Arcanium. Reading Fortune is what established my interest in the series and characters. In Ringmaster, all the things I like about the series came together in a way that made absolute sense.
My favorite characters are Bell, Ringmaster and Maya. Kitty takes center stage in this book and she's the heart of the circus in many ways. It's like the secondary character given the floor to narrate a tale about a chaos demon and how he falls in love. I love it.
It was kind of strange to have a pulpit rant about people being assholes in the middle of a scene of passion. If you have that much time to think those kinds of thoughts in the middle of sex, you're not doing it right.
Coffee. You'll see what I mean. Totally romantic.
When you are claimed, the one taken has also laid claim. It's a rather beautiful balance.
September 10, 2015
*I received a free copy to read & review for Wicked Reads Review Team*
I really, really want to visit the Arcanium Circus. I feel like I know these characters and, of course, Kitty is my favorite. I was very excited to have a story featuring her as a main character!
The beginning of this story was relatively slow moving, but not boring in the least bit.
We get to meet one of Kitty's off-site suitor, Victor. Steaminess ensues, and we get to see a little into Kitty's persona and the abuse she's been dealt. Where Kitty has been living with a (I hate to call it:) Disability that the world can see, Victor has also been dealing with a chronic, terminal condition. They're able to connect on this point. Kitty may've invited Victor to Arcanium....and Victor might have considered her proposal - but you really need to read to find out what May or May Not have happened ;)
The Ringmaster also has prominent place in this story, but again I'm not going to give it away. I will say that he's Dark, Dangerous, insanely Demonic (go figure). If you've been following this series - you NEED to reed this installment. That's all I can say.
Overall, this installment of the Arcanium series was an awesome look into two well-known characters. We're treated to some humorous banter, very erotic scenes both tame and super Dark (bdsm laced), and just a touch of romance.
I really, really want to visit the Arcanium Circus. I feel like I know these characters and, of course, Kitty is my favorite. I was very excited to have a story featuring her as a main character!
The beginning of this story was relatively slow moving, but not boring in the least bit.
We get to meet one of Kitty's off-site suitor, Victor. Steaminess ensues, and we get to see a little into Kitty's persona and the abuse she's been dealt. Where Kitty has been living with a (I hate to call it:) Disability that the world can see, Victor has also been dealing with a chronic, terminal condition. They're able to connect on this point. Kitty may've invited Victor to Arcanium....and Victor might have considered her proposal - but you really need to read to find out what May or May Not have happened ;)
The Ringmaster also has prominent place in this story, but again I'm not going to give it away. I will say that he's Dark, Dangerous, insanely Demonic (go figure). If you've been following this series - you NEED to reed this installment. That's all I can say.
Overall, this installment of the Arcanium series was an awesome look into two well-known characters. We're treated to some humorous banter, very erotic scenes both tame and super Dark (bdsm laced), and just a touch of romance.
September 6, 2015
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I don't have to say that I love this series. If you follow my reviews, you'd know that I've been reviewed this series on the blog since book 2. That doesn't mean I haven't read the first book because I did, and that is still my favorite installment. However, this fourth book, Ringmaster, is a very close second.
I've always been a little scared of the Ringmaster, and I've always liked Kitty, the bearded lady. That's probably why I really liked this book. It gave me a deeper knowledge of their characters. I mean, the Ringmaster still scares the hell out of me, but I think I understand him better after this book, and I like him better now too.
Of course, this series wouldn't be this series at all if the sex scenes weren't out of this world. Once again, Ms. Evans brings us a surreal experience in paranormal erotica that has infusions of horror, contemporary, and BDSM. I don't even know how to categorize this book because it feels like it has every genre on it. I think one of the reasons why I love Arcanium is because I haven't really encounteres a book or a series as dark and as compelling as this one, and that really appeals to me big time.
I don't have to say that I love this series. If you follow my reviews, you'd know that I've been reviewed this series on the blog since book 2. That doesn't mean I haven't read the first book because I did, and that is still my favorite installment. However, this fourth book, Ringmaster, is a very close second.
I've always been a little scared of the Ringmaster, and I've always liked Kitty, the bearded lady. That's probably why I really liked this book. It gave me a deeper knowledge of their characters. I mean, the Ringmaster still scares the hell out of me, but I think I understand him better after this book, and I like him better now too.
Of course, this series wouldn't be this series at all if the sex scenes weren't out of this world. Once again, Ms. Evans brings us a surreal experience in paranormal erotica that has infusions of horror, contemporary, and BDSM. I don't even know how to categorize this book because it feels like it has every genre on it. I think one of the reasons why I love Arcanium is because I haven't really encounteres a book or a series as dark and as compelling as this one, and that really appeals to me big time.
October 10, 2016
“I would lay nations to waste for you,” the Ringmaster moaned against her mouth between his kisses. “I would present you with the bloody hearts of all your enemies.”
I have undoubtedly enjoyed all of the Arcanium series, each for its own reasons.
This one...this one was so deliciously unexpected and stunning in its capacity for mind fuckery mixed with whimsy. Utterly captivating! The author is a Mistress in her own right commanding the reader to watch, think, feel, and dream, as She commands.
September 6, 2015
Ringmaster is the 4th book in this series, but is a standalone. With this book, Ms. Evans has found a permanent fan of the series. Kitty is the unashamedly pretty bearded lady of Arcanium. She loves sex, men, and is fiercely devoted to Arcanium. When she brings in Victor to join the circus, things become slightly more complicated as she also has a thing with the perverse Ringmaster.
Between Victor's humanity, Kitty's caring attitude and loyalty, and Ringmaster's sadistic and vicious nature, this story reels you in. I don't think my eyes have ever been so wide, they didn't close until the last page. While this may be in the paranormal category, even with the vividness of the writing, you don't realize these characters aren't real. This book is ruthless in its eroticism and heartfelt in its storyline.
This is a series everyone who enjoys erotica should read, it pushes the limits and boundaries and makes you come back for more.
Between Victor's humanity, Kitty's caring attitude and loyalty, and Ringmaster's sadistic and vicious nature, this story reels you in. I don't think my eyes have ever been so wide, they didn't close until the last page. While this may be in the paranormal category, even with the vividness of the writing, you don't realize these characters aren't real. This book is ruthless in its eroticism and heartfelt in its storyline.
This is a series everyone who enjoys erotica should read, it pushes the limits and boundaries and makes you come back for more.
September 21, 2015
I have enjoyed this series since the first book. Kitty has been a constant and intriguing character from the start and I was excited to see a book revolving around her. I enjoyed seeing just what makes Kitty tick and the reasons why she is where she is in her life. The ringmaster is a part of everyone's life in Arcanium but even more so in Kitty's life. It was nice to see more of Kitty's life in this book. When Kitty brings Victor into her world at Arcanium the adventure begins. The mysteries that surround this circus become deeper with each new book and pull the reader into its wondrous world and does not let go.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review
I received this book in exchange for an honest review
September 22, 2015
I am enjoying this series. It appears only book three is a backwards glance. I feel bad for Victor in this book, so I hope he gets his own book later in the series. He is a likeable character who deserves his happy partner. I am happy the ringmaster got a book, since he was the mysterious character that you thought only knew how to dish out punishment.
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