Review: The Cross of Sins by Geoffrey Knight

Title: Fathom’s Five #1: The Cross of Sins

Author: Geoffrey Knight

Pages/Word Count: 233 Pages

At a Glance: A riveting adventure with danger, intrigue, and five sexy men.

Reviewed By: Jennifer

Blurb: Somewhere in the world is a statue so sinful that a secret sect of the Church wants it destroyed at any cost. Somewhere in the Turkish desert, in the streets of London, and in the depths of Venice, are the clues to find it. And, somewhere in the hearts of five sexy, daring, thrill-seeking gay men, is the courage and die-hard determination to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

Meet Luca da Roma, an Italian model and expert in art, both ancient and modern; Dr Eden Santiago, Brazilian biologist, physician and genetic engineer; Shane Houston, a Texas cowboy and an expert in cartography; Will Hunter, a San Diego college student and football star, majoring in ancient history; and Jake Stone, an adventurer-for-hire from New York and the newest member of Professor Fathom’s team of hot gay adventure seekers.

Together, they are Fathom’s Five, traveling the world, solving ancient mysteries, uncovering priceless treasures, and getting into hot, sticky and sexy situations, while thwarting danger at every turn! From Venice to Vienna, from Tuscany to Turkey, from the South Pacific to the seas off Sicily, join in the heroic adventures, hunky sex and hot, high-octane action of Fathom’s Five.

Review: I first read this series years ago when it came out in print, but I could never find book one. After reading the rest of the series, I finally got my hands on a copy of the first book. And, years after that, I see the series is being rereleased by Wilde City Press with a gorgeous new cover. Of course, I snapped it up to see if the adventure series I loved so much still held up to my memory.

I’m happy to report that it does. If you’re a fan of adventure, you really don’t need to look any further than this.

Some reviewers have compared the series to Indiana Jones, and to be honest, it’s an apt description. Fathom’s men (Luca, Eden, Shane, Will, and Jake) are very different in their day jobs, but when it comes to finding adventure and missing treasure, they’re very much like Indy. Except, well, gay.

It’s impossible to pick just one favorite guy, as each one has his charms that adds to the story. They all have different backgrounds and such well-developed personalities. And, of course, then there’s the wonderful sex between some of them. Can’t argue with that, right? If I had to pick my favorite, though, it would have to be Will. There’s something so intriguing about him. Most of the time when you picture a football star, you won’t imagine his major being ancient history, but that’s Will for you.

One word of advice to readers: if you’re looking for romance, this book (series, really) is not for you. While yes, there is sex, it’s not of the romantic variety. If you go into this book expecting that, you’re going to be disappointed, but don’t let that keep you from reading it. Just go in with the mindset that this is an adventure, a mystery, and you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. This book will take you around the world, from London to Venice to the middle of the desert to an erupting volcano. Your heart will race as the boys get themselves into dangerous situations and back out by the skin of their teeth, and then tumble into bed together.

As far as whether or not the book has changed much from the first version, I honestly cannot tell. It was so long ago that I read it that while I remember the basic story and all of the characters, no place jumped out at me as being different. If you’ve read the story before, I’d say read it again. First, the new cover art is gorgeous, and second, who wouldn’t want to relive a Fathom’s Five adventure?