The Pet and His Duke

In theory, this book appealed to me. I read the blurb and signed up to read it immediately. I loved the idea of an older protagonist and the idea of a far-flung space empire with its own set of rules and mores. Unfortunately, several things fell apart in the execution, and overall, this book didn’t work for me.<br /><br />Stylistically, the book didn’t quite come together. The language that the authors used felt strange and almost juvenile at times (adorable, cute, sexy, and awesome were the most common adjectives). The chapters read like a series of vignettes instead of a cohesive plot. On top of that, the chapters themselves had an odd narrative structure: it would open with a statement about how Robert couldn’t believe what had happened, followed by several pages of pluperfect exposition about what had happened to set up a problem, and then concluding with a return to the regular past tense to resolve the problem.<br /><br />The plot of the novel overall centered around Robert, the pet, becoming more self-assured and a person in his own right, He realizes that his master genuinely cares about him and wouldn’t sell him again. However, this transformation still didn’t give Robert much of a personality. His personality traits seemed to more defined by the situation than his character itself. When the scene required a sacrifice, Robert became a martyr; when the scene required someone to speak up, Robert became brave; when the scene required a hero, suddenly Robert could pick up and aim a blaster toward dangerous enemies.<br /><br />Before the book, the authors provided a few warnings about the objectionable content of the book (rape, violence, etc.). More than the warning, I wanted the authors to use these heavier plot points in a more meaningful way. Sexual violence has a home in this universe, it seems almost a way of life, but overall the authors use rape and torture as a way for the main character to show how much he’ll undergo for his master and, once the chapter is over, Robert never seems to think about the days of intense torture that he endures. Not even a whiff of PTSD or permanent physical damage, which trivializes the topics to me.<br /><br />Occasionally, the author would give hints of an incredibly interesting world and characters but never elaborate on them. The planet on which Robert and Thomar reside is below a portal to a realm of demons ruled by a god-like empress. Fascinating. However, we get little from this other than a few unnamed characters and one demon, Lady Karr, who might be the best part of the book. <br /><br />Lady Karr stands out as the one character who isn’t sexualized in some way or another, which in a way gives her the most personality. She has more presence than a lot of the other secondary characters and takes up a position as one of Robert’s friends. She’s also the first person to recognize that Robert has real value to Thomar and uses that to her advantage, to secure a home for her court of demons. I could have read an entire book about the polite, clever, and genuine Lady Karr trying to navigate the culture and politics of the Virasana Empire.<br /><br />The book does contain a lot of fluff and sex and ends on a nearly impossibly happy note. A happy ending, at least, I can always appreciate. I only wish I’d really wanted it for the characters. I think if the authors had spent more time developing a few more key points of the plot rather than filling the novel with one-off adventures that hardly tied together, this story might have really stood out as a fun and interesting space adventure.<br />

<i>A <a href="http:joyfullyjay.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Joyfully Jay</a> review. <br /><br /><b>4 stars</b></i><br /><br />The Pet and His Duke is set in the world of the Virasana Empire and, while you don’t have to have read the Sir Yaden books to follow the story, reading the first in that series, The Demon of Hagermarsh, might help with some of the background world building. It’s really your choice and The Pet and His Duke can be read as a standalone. Trigger warning — there are mentions of rape and abuse on page, so please be aware.<br /><br />Robert and Thomar are both interesting characters, though neither have as much complexity as I would like. They fit well together and Thomar’s acceptance of Robert as a person rather than a pet gives their relationship a much needed equality. The authors play with role reversals and power exchange between Robert and Thomar and, while again these encounters to lack a measure of depth, they still feel in character for both men.<br /><br /><b>Read Sue’s review in its entirety <a href="https://joyfullyjay.com/2020/06/review-the-pet-and-his-duke-by-beryll-and-osiris-brackhaus/" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.</b><br /><br />

I'm still deciding how to rate and review this one. The premise was fascinating and there were so many points that grabbed me. And some points felt a little disjointed. I'm deciding if I wanted more or less to bring it all together. Regardless, I have a new hero in Lady Karr. Full review soon on the blog and then here. <br><br><a href="http://boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1384707178i/6936447.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><i>**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**</i>

Robert and Duke Thomar<br /><br />At thirty-eight, Robert has been sold many many times as a pet.<br />And here he is, again a new master, sold through mail order for god sake.<br />His master is twenty years younger, Robert knows for sure, when the novelty fades he will be passed on to some other master, he’s no longer desirable as he uses to be.<br /><br />Thomar is the youngest Duke ever and quite unconventional. Robert wants to please him desperately and he has even hope, hope of a future.<br /><br />Being young and venturous brings them both in quite some extraordinary and at times dangerous situations.<br />His master has openly sexual encounters with others, Robert feels at times kind of jealous, but he’s just his pet, isn't he.<br />Various events can be found, a sabotaged marriage, imposters, kidnappings, fake titles, declarations of feelings, gaining ultimate power, infiltrating and, stunning creatures. Extraordinary solutions to problems, who costs problem.<br />Thomar has a strong connection toward Robert and even T'lark the N'Ptalini is more and more smitten by Robert.<br /><br />These authors created a wonderful magical planetarium. Good to visualize, a lot to see and to take in. The realms were creative and with a thrilling adventurous atmosphere. The bond between master and pet was strong. A lot of variety to find like sweetness, ruthlessness, playfulness, sexiness, dedication, jealousy, friendship, and ahhh love, that is free spirit love, oh and... books!<br />A very dynamic narrative with a great plot, captivating and entertaining, all enchantingly and excellently written.<br />A winner !

There is no coherent plot to this. It is just a series of vingettes that are barely connected with both massive info dumping and at the same time telling rather than showing what's going on. It could have been an interesting power dynamic with Robert and the Duke but I am 50% in and just dont care what happens to either of them at all.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Yes, there was torture, but it was mentioned in passing and not dwelt on in loving detail. We also got two bonus stories, introducing us to the original Alain and telling us how T'lark became Thomar's bodyguard.<br /><br />I plan to keep this on my phone and reread it again soon. It's very well worth the time, and I highly recommend it.

REVIEWED BY ULYSSES DIETZ<br />MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL GUILD REVIEW TEAM<br />This fourth book in the Virasana Empire series from the inimitable Brackhauses is not part of the Sir Yaden series, but a stand-alone novel with all sorts of tangential connections that keep making the reader (at least this one) say “ah!” Aside from its own epic romance – between Thomar Quetzal, the youngest Duke in the empire, and his slave ‘pet’ Robert – the book offers a delicious and often disturbing look at the morally ambiguous notion of “good” in Virasana’s incredibly complex cultures.<br /><br />The peculiar interest and challenge of Duke Thomar’s rule is that he is (1) a teenager still, and (2) the Duke of Aylian, a planet that is directly below a recently opened portal between Virasana and another dimension. The young duke must negotiate the violent and complicated politics of a war-torn planet while capitalizing on the wealth potential of a whole new universe of demons hungry for Virasana’s culture, goods and services.<br /><br />We get something of a deep dive into the Quetzal family, the most badass of all the great noble families in Virasana, whose emperor (the Good Emperor) is himself a Quetzal. And, of course, Sir Yaden of the Lotus Knights is a Quetzal. We have, however, been repeatedly told unpleasant things about the Quetzal nobles, including their inclination to sadistic sex and use of assassination as a political tool (the way you and I use the ‘delete’ button on our computers). In this book, we learn exactly how true all these terrible things are; but we also get very close to Thomar Quetzal, who both embodies and defies everything we have been told about his family.<br /><br />Honestly, I think Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus purposely design their plot points to make me squirm. They’re really good at it.<br /><br />Robert – who never has a surname – is an ageing ‘pet,’ which is the Virasana Empire’s euphemism for ‘sex slave.’ The teenaged Duke Thomar Quetzal purchases him through a cheap mail-order catalogue – because Robert is forty years old and has been sold and resold more times than he can remember since he himself was a pretty teenaged boy. We don’t quite understand why Thomar purchases Robert in the first place – and the gradual discovery of Thomar’s reasons becomes one of the subtexts of the entire, outrageous, episodic narrative of Robert’s life as Thomar’s pet.<br /><br />Americans know all about slavery and its consequences (or should), but in this archaic-futuristic world slavery is a business like luxury fashion, and such a deeply-rooted custom that it is no more questioned than is the existence of the arrogant, selfish nobles who have all the power and most of the wealth in the empire.<br /><br />Darios in the first book is a failed gladiator, and is purchased for the child Yaden by his parents when they discover he has huge superpowers – and think having a slave to teach and care for him will help. Robert is a very specific kind of slave, and a second strong subtext in the story is the sex life of Virasana nobles. It is fascinating and, I repeat, disturbing by turns. What saves this book from being a total creep-fest for me is the fact that Thomar is different in critical ways from other nobles in Virasana, something that Robert himself, as narrator, reveals to the reader as he discovers it for himself.<br /><br />The authors warn the readers at the start of the book that the values of the people of the Virasana Empire are not like our values here and now (although I wonder these days). In particular, Robert’s attitude about his own status is never based on the idea that someday he’ll be free. After talking to a young pet belonging to another noble, and remembering himself as a young slave, he makes the sad comment: “there was no such thing as hope for a pet, there was only dull acceptance of whatever fate dealt to you.”<br /><br />The romantic ending that the Brackhauses promise us is there – but it’s not quite what we might expect, and by the time you’ve read this book, you’ll understand exactly why and appreciate it all the more.

DNF @ 20% Based on the foreword, this was originally posted online before being published, and it reads like it. Not in an objectively bad way, there are just things in online serial fiction that don't work as well in a book. Sometimes information is repeated in consecutive chapters as if it was something the reader read weeks or months ago, rather than just ten minutes ago. The vignette-style chapters felt disjointed to me and didn't give me enough momentum to get emotionally invested. There are also time skips between the chapters that made me feel like I missed out on seeing some important interactions, like their first time having sex and Robert settling into his new life. This story structure just isn't working for me, and the characters and their relationship isn't holding my interest.

No rating DNF. This just wasn't for me. I wanted to see more of how the Duke and Pet's relationship developed, and I just didn't get much of that. The writing also felt a bit... amateur? Describing the duke as "cute" just didn't fit with the setting and overall vibes of the book.

BITCH WHAT IS HAPPENING. That blurb sounds so questionable but so interesting lmao. Okay. I'm inclined to check this out. &gt;.&gt;