Tanja reviews Claimed by the Order (S-Gods #1) by J.Johanis. This book was self-published on June 10th 2015 and is about 214 pages long.
RGR received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb
He failed to save himself. Is he strong enough to save his lover?
Young and eager to join the social playground of the gods, Marduk enters his first day of college at the exotic mountain retreat at the Temple of Power. But he swiftly falls into the clutches of a secret order. Confronted by the powerful gods who wish to claim him, Marduk is defenseless. His only way out: to lure another virgin god into the Order.
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Advisory: This book is gay dark erotica/Contains graphic violence, non-con, and abuse.
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Marduk, one of the young gods, goes to a college for gods and godesses. He should learn about history, art of war, pleasure and sex as well as demons and spirits. While we see a few lessons of the various subjects studied the focus lies not on the school. I wished there were a few more scenes about the school or at least that the gods could have trained with their powers. It would have made the god background more palable.Anyway I did enjoy the story about how Marduk fell into the clutches of a secret order. He was betrayed by the god Anu which ended in Marduk being a sex slave. My heart went out to Anu as more details come to the surface about the Order and what they do. Do I think he did the right thing? No, but I can understand why he did it.
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It was also great to watch how Marduk fought to get away from the Order. Not that I liked all his actions, I found them at times just plain dumb but on the other hand he had to deal with a lot in a short time. What I really liked about Marduk was how he fought to have something outside the order, namely Akad as well how hard he tried to save him.
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The romance part in this story was a little underwhelmed. I did not understand the love declaration at the end, the whole thing felt rushed and wrong for the circumstances. I think that Marduk needs Akad for the moment and that he feels safe with him and that they are good for each other for the moment. But for me, it´s Marduk and Anu whom I see in a long-term relationship. Well let´s see, maybe in the second book?
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The end of the story had a little action in it, showed what Akad, Anu and Markad are capable of and made me curious what will happen in the next book.
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Overall this story was fast paced but at times repetitive. Marduk deals with a lot of betrayals and you get surprised again and again who is part of the Order and who not. If you like dark stories and don´t expect this story to be heavy on the mythology part then this story might be for you.
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7/10 Pots of Gold (70% Recommended) – Compares to 3.5/5 Stars
Rainbow Gold Reviews 