“How does one start a relationship with another man when it is forbidden?”“One needs to decide that the other man is worth dying for.”Cornwall, 1785Sir Evan Penhart. Baronet. Highwayman. Scoundrel. Julian Reece. Writer. Wastrel. Penniless.No one forces Julian Reece to marry. Not his father, not his brother. No one. When he is thrust into a carriage heading for London to meet his future bride, his … brother. No one.
When he is thrust into a carriage heading for London to meet his future bride, his way out comes in the form of an imposing highwayman, riding a horse as black as night. Julian makes a deal with the criminal, but what he doesn’t expect is that despite the title of baronet, the robber turns out to be no gentleman.
Sir Evan Penhart is pushed into crime out of desperation, but the pact with a pretty, young merchant’s son turns out to have disastrous consequences. Not only is Evan left broke, but worse yet, Julian opens up a Pandora’s box of passions that are dark, needy, and too wild to tame. With no way to lock them back in, rash decisions and greedy desire lead to a tide that wrecks everything in its way.
But Julian might actually like all the sinful, carnal passion unleashed on him. How can he admit this though, even to himself, when a taste of the forbidden fruit could have him end up with a noose around his neck? And with highway robbery being a hanging offense and the local constable on their back, Julian could lose Evan before he can decide anything about the nature of his desires.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: highwayman, abduction, ransom, forbidden love, self-discovery, danger, crime, Cornwal, Britain, England, Georgian
Genre: Dark romance, historical
Length: ~140,000 words (standalone novel)
WARNING: Steamy content. Contains violence, distressing scenes, abuse, offensive language, and morally ambiguous protagonists.
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I’m reviewing the audio edition. I follow these authors. Everything they write seems to step into something different than their last stories. This is no different. I’ve had this on my tbr list it seems forever and I don’t normally do historical stories but I was in the mood for different. This is it. There are so many twists and turns that I had to ignore things around me and listen to it. James Reilly’s narration brought it to life. The time period made for some interesting issues. Trying to maintain status, such as Evan did. Hiding who you really are…as both did. Julian’s being so out of the norm for his family and his time. Together they didn’t seem to fit. This is almost an opposites attraction. They are both so likable that I had to hope for both. There are more than a couple times I had to ask myself if the author’s were really going to do the main characters in. Again, this is a win for these authors.
MM highwaymen SET IN CORNWALL?!
This was a lovely gay awakening with two unlikely MCs. By lovely I mean it had violence, highway holdups, some hangings, a few sword fights, some murders, you get the idea…
Julian’s slow realisation that he’s gay is the real gem of this book. He goes from startled and disgusted by Evan to something far more delicious (maybe with a bit of help from stockholm syndrome, but we won’t get into that 😉 ) There is a little thread of Beauty and the Beast here, with Evan being the rough, quick-to-anger Beast and Julian the unsuspecting Belle. If Belle were to turn into the Beast’s henchman and terrorise the local village.
Overall, fun, hot, and intense. Five stars from me.
I truly enjoyed this slow burn historical romance… it reminded me in a good way of the M/F historicals I devoured in the late 70s/80s in which the romance always needed time to grow and develop, and often started out as somewhat adversarial. Those were plot driven stories often with picaresque elements, and Julian Reece is a young man from that mold: innocent yet rakish, rash in his undertakings and not mindful of the consequences. Sir Evan, on the other hand, is a man who knows his own mind, heart, and most specifically, his desires. There’s a dub con moment early on – totally in that 70s/80s romance novel vein – and it works in the context of the story. The emotional journey that Julian undertakes that will bring him to Evan is necessary and fulfilling, both to himself and the reader.
The Black Sheep and the Rotten Apple is a standalone, historical gay romance that takes the reader an incredible journey. I adored this story, but this is not a book for everyone. This is a dark romance and it has themes and content that might be triggering for some people. Read the warnings in the book blurb.
Julian Reece is a spoiled young man used to living in luxury. He’s supported by his father and has never had to work a day in his life. Julian’s future plans are made up of daydreams of all the potential traveling and adventures he’ll one day go on; however, Julian’s father has a different plan of action for his son’s life. Sir Evan Penhart is an aristocrat who’s nearly penniless. Desperation forces him to don a bandit’s mask and raid a carriage traveling on a deserted road. This moment of desperation brings Julian and Evan together and starts the beginning of their tumultuous and intense relationship. There’s no denying the attraction that burns between the two men, although Julian tries to fight it at first. When both men finally give in to their feelings, there is nothing either one of them would not do for each other. No obstacle they won’t destroy in order to be together.
K.A. Merikan is a fabulous writing duo who have mastered the art of suspense and excitement. The plot of this book was so full of twists and turns, and I never knew what to expect next. In fact, I was on the edge of my seat for the last third of the book. I felt like I could hardly breathe waiting to find out what happened next and if Julian and Evan could overcome all the hurdles and surprises thrown their way. The first half of the book can seem a little slow, but it was still enjoyable. The writers did a fabulous job of researching the time era and they put in all these little details that really helped to transport you into that era. Evan and Julian were interesting characters who grew throughout the book. I loved how intense their relationship became, and the devotion they showed each other. The sex scenes were hot, kinky, and erotic. I enjoyed all the elements of this book.
James Reily narrated the audiobook and he was the perfect pick for a narrator. James has a beautiful voice with an impressive range: he can do a posh British accent to the more roughened voice of a street thug. He kept all the character voices distinct and it was easy to follow along and determine who was who based on the voices alone. I really enjoyed the energy he put into the performance of the audiobook. There were a lot of suspenseful scenes, action scenes, sex scenes, etc. that required different levels of energy and power to make them really dynamic; James Reily masterfully met all those requirements. There were no glitches or mistakes in the audiobook production.
I was utterly blown away by this historical romance! K.A. Merikan did such an amazing job with this story. The setting of the book, the historical details, the suspense, to say nothing of characters themselves… it was everything I could have hoped for.
Evan is the perfect brooding, volatile, dangerous hero, haunted by his past and seemingly condemned to a life of lonely unhappiness because of his inheritance and the harsh laws of the times. Nothing could have prepared him for Julian, seemingly gentle and well-spoken, but with his own set of skewed morals, and a whole lot left to learn about his own nature and desires. I loved the push and pull between Evan and Julian, their near-violent passion as well as the alluring sweetness when they come together.
This book is not for the faint of heart, with danger coming at Evan and Julian at an unrelenting pace. The suspense and action scenes were fast-paced and incredibly well-written, thrilling but oh so bad for my blood pressure.
This is a well-researched first historical novel from KA Merikan. It drew me in right from the first chapter, despite historical fiction being well down my list of most read genres! I confess I did find its content difficult at times, and skipped the most “gruesome” chapter, but that is down to the times we are living in at the moment and my resulting state of mind.
I loved reading how the non con start to Julien and Evan’s relationship evolved into such a deep love that the men would do absolutely anything to protect each other. The descriptions are glorious, particularly the look on Evan’s face as he spies Julien in a crowd and then makes a “last” speech to describe his feelings for him. This book is a perfect blend of action and romance.
This is a first time listen to James Reily and I found him to be just the right narrator for this book. He captures the characters and time so well. In particular, the way the pompous tones of Julien soften as the story progresses is well worth mentioning.
Audiobook review
**Trigger warning** On page dub/con or non/con, depending on your personal opinion.
I think the idea of the story is kind of unique because of the original highwayman. Sir Evan is a recluse, trying to save the family home his brother almost lost, and keep his few retainers. Julien has been living a life of leisure, gaming and drinking, with the occasional prostitute thrown in. He’s never been satisfied with the latter, so he mainly sticks with the former.
Julien strikes an unusual bargain with the highwayman that attacks the carriage carrying him off to a future he abhorres. The two men strike up an uneasy friendship after one unfortunate evening. Julien finds himself worrying more about the man who has introduced him to new ideas than his old aspirations.
Overall, the story was entertaining, and the romance was paced well.
The narration was jarring at first. I really did not like it at first, as I am used to a more calm and maybe quieter? voice with historical British stories. I did become accustomed to the narrator after a while, and still enjoyed the story.
*I received a free copy of this audiobook from grr.reviews and I am leaving my honest opinion.*