“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” – The Bible
Title: Imprisoned by Desire
Author: Calandra Hunter
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 225
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Blurb: When Tristan is taken prisoner by the Dark King, he expects to be tortured for information about the rightful Prince Dareon and his rebellion.
But the Dark King doesn’t question Tristan, he wants to make him his new loyal pet. Soon, Tristan enjoys the pleasure of being spanked, humiliated and taken by another man.
He tries to stay loyal to his friend and rightful heir, but the Dark King is seductive and knows exactly what exquisite delights Tristan’s body craves.
While the Dark King is determined to make Tristan his, Prince Dareon is determined to free him. Tristan is torn between the two men.
Can Prince Dareon satisfy his newly awakened desires, or will Tristan stay with the Dark King and serve him as his devoted pet?
Tristan must summon all his courage to find his own happiness, and that of the man he loves.
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Review: Calandra Hunter and Imprisoned by Desire have left me feeling so conflicted. I really don’t think I was supposed to root for the bad guy. Is it weird to love the antagonist in a book? I loved the Dark King. Was I supposed to? I don’t know. Probably not, but I honestly thought the chemistry the author created between he and Tristan in their dark and decadent relationship worked well; somewhat better than that between Tristan and his white knight, Prince Dareon, in fact, if I’m going to go full tilt on the relationship juxtaposition. Tristan’s reluctance to fully submit to the man who willfully commanded his body and desires so skillfully, played well against the twisted need that possessed the Dark King to use whatever means he had at his disposal to wring that pledge of submission from Tristan, and there was at least 92.7% of me that wanted them to work. But, alas…
The point of this book, it turns out, is that while the Dark King may have been the Master and clever manipulator of Tristan’s wayward lusts, seducing every bit of shame and humiliation and desire from his prisoner, the Dark King could not be the Master of Tristan’s heart because that was the sole property of Prince Dareon. Tristan’s loyalty to the rightful heir to the throne is the one thing the pretender King couldn’t usurp, and it provided an insurmountable barrier to them forming a Master/slave bond.
The relationship between Tristan and his Prince became the sweet and romantic antidote to the kinky and provocative connection between Tristan and the Dark King, their connection proving the razor-thin line between desire and hate, while Tristan and his Prince were the beacon of honor and loyalty, and while I was wishing for Tristan to stay with the King, Calandra Hunter provided a solid argument for why that couldn’t, wouldn’t, and, ultimately, probably shouldn’t happen, which swayed me in the end to be satisfied with the happy ending she provided for the man the Dark King had so gleefully tortured.
As much as I loved the sadistic monarch who somehow seduced me, I’d have loved even more to have his motives more fully exposed. They felt a bit like circumstantial evidence in a case where more solid facts and details would’ve helped support his case, but what he lacked in proof he made up for in his kinky enthusiasm to bend Tristan to his will. I also would’ve loved a little more world building and background information on the politics behind the battle for the throne, feeling it all could’ve been sketched out a little more fully, but for the purposes of an erotic read, which this definitely is, the author delivered a convincing argument. My one true nitpick, one I don’t want to dwell on too much, is that I felt the book would’ve read much more fluidly with another pass or two by a proofreader, but that didn’t weigh too negatively on my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it if you’re looking for a wickedly sexy read.
You can buy Imprisoned by Desire here:
Gonna have to add this to Randy Readings list. You have made me rather curious about the relationship between Tristan and the Dark King!
It’s very sexy, Arianna! There are some really provocative twists and turns in this story that kept me conflicted and wondering and crossing my fingers. Hope you enjoy it. :)