It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a book review. And not that I stopped reading…quite the opposite, I’ve been reading a lot…just somewhere along the line, this fell off the rails. So, we are back. And first up is a hot and steamy, kinky, dungeons & dragons story. Yup. You got all that right. Remember I wrote a review for Dominic Ashen’s Steel & Thunder? Well, this is the review for the next in the series.
Title: Storms & Sacrifice
Series: Steel & Thunder
Author: Dominic Ashen
Publisher: 4 Horsemen Publications
Release Date: October 01, 2021
Heat Level: 5/5
Pairing: M/M, or M/Monster, or Human/Orc…with Elves thrown into the mix too.
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Erotica
Tags: Orcs, Magic, Submission, Dominance, Kink, Bondage, Polyamory, Group Sex, Imprisonment
Content Warnings: Dubious Consent (carried on from book one).
Blurb:
After a rocky start, David is settling into his new life with Khazak, the orc who is his… Owner? Friend? Lover? He’s still figuring that out, and with his friends in jail for the next two months, he’s got time. Or at least he will when he’s not working with Khazak and the other rangers to keep the city of V’rok’sh Tah’lj safe. It would also be nice if the weird dreams he’s been having would stop. He’s done a lot of growing (and not just emotionally), but he can’t say this is where he saw himself winding up after leaving the knight academy. At least it’s only temporary, right?
For his part, Khazak has been all too happy to have David around. It’s not that his life was boring, he was just used to his routine before the troublesome human entered his life and shook things up. Now he has someone to talk to, share his meals with; they’re even working together. Plus, he finally has someone to take to the upcoming Uzu’gor festival like he’s always wanted. Unfortunately, what starts with a simple robbery leads to the uncovering of a plot far more sinister, one that threatens not just the limited time he has left with David, but the entire city.
My Review:
So, I owe the author a huge apology. Full Review to come! Except it never came. It was like an edging session gone on for far too long.
After being kindly reminded of my promise of a review…here it finally is, almost a year after I read the story. But guess what? That story is still fresh enough in my mind that I can write this without having to go back to the book.
What does that tell you?
It should tell you everything about Dominic Ashen’s ability to write. Ashen has a way of weaving his stories that paint vivid pictures and leave lasting impressions. To say I was invested in David (the human) and Khazek’s (the orc) relationship is an understatement.
So, to be honest, when I picked up the first installment of this series, Steel & Thunder, I really didn’t know what I was getting into. Kinky Dungeons and Dragons? I mean, sure, why not? Right? Take me on a ride. Little did I know…
What Ashen managed to do was take me gently by the hand and lead me down a Dom/Sub, BDSM, Monster Romance path that made me BEGGING for more. Confession time: I love a good sexy story like anyone else, but I absolutely demand a solid story to go with it. Am I really that kinky? Nah, not really. Am I into BDSM? Nah, not really. Am I into big hairy green-skinned orcs with tusks? Well, okay maybe a little.
Ashen created a world where all of these things come together. The story, kink, Dom/Sub, all of it. And it is DELICIOUS.
In this tale, Ashen introduces polyamory, orgies, and public sexual demonstrations, but all the good stuff that was there in Steel & Thunder is here in Storms & Sacrifice too.
There’s drama. David’s party companions (yup, think D&D) are in an Orc prison – being treated rather well, but put to hard work. David is counting down the days to the end of his forced submission to Khazek and his friends’ release. But as we get closer to the day, does he really want to say goodbye?
Khazek, the big burly orc shows his soft emotional side (Which we got to see in book one), but now it gets ramped up. His David is about to leave…can he let him go?
All in the midst of this relationship stuff, David and Khazek, who also happen to work together on the orcish police force, discover a cultish plot to return the orcish life back to the ‘good old ways’. Elements of this plot thread all the way back to the very beginning of the first book.
This is cleverly crafted. The emotions are raw and honest. The sex is hot and kinky…and you can bet that Secrets & Spires is burning on my To Be Read Next list.
As I said before, if you’re not reading Dominic Ashen, Why The Hell Not? I promise you won’t be disappointed.
My Rating:
Purchase Links:
Meet the Author:
Dominic N. Ashen is an author and avid reader, with a heavy focus on gay, BDSM-themed erotica. After spending his youth in search of books with characters who were more like himself – queer ones, specifically – he decided to start creating some of his own. His stories star queer protagonists, most often gay and bisexual men, and feature heavy themes of dominance, submission, and all sorts of kinks. Dominic loves the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres, with a penchant for writing longer stories where he is able to weave in the sex and kink right alongside the plot.
J.P. Jackson 