Review - Innocence & Carnality by J. Alan Veerkamp

Nathan has lived with the physical and mental shackles imposed on him by his family for five years since his sexual orientation was announced to the court. He should be happy that the arranged marriage to a wealthy foreign businessman will finally get him out from under his father's thumb. But Nathan has never met his future husband, and the speed with which the marriage is to take place makes him uneasy. At first, Lord Rother seems nice enough, if a little too keen. He definitely gives Nathan a taste of the sexual pleasure he has been denied for the last five years. However, he soon discovers the true nature of Rother's business and begins to see the man's dangerously possessive side. It seems that Nathan has gone from one gilded cage to another.

“Innocence & Carnality” is an intense psychological thriller set in a bordello. It's a place full of secrets that serve to keep both the staff and their clients in line. Once the situation was set up, I had no idea where the story was going for the longest time. Would Nathan find a way to tame his beast of a husband, or would he find a way to escape? Even once his choice becomes clear, the exact nature of Nathan's machinations isn't revealed until the last moment. It's masterfully suspenseful storytelling.

We get the entire story from Nathan's point of view, and he is a very sympathetic character, even though he keeps some cards very close to his chest. His privileged upbringing would seem to leave him unprepared for the rough and tumble world he is thrust into, but in classic underdog fashion, people underestimate him at their peril. Nathan is a quick study and, like most of his new-found family, ends up reinventing himself as the man he wants to be rather than worrying about the expectations of those around him.

Rother is the other key character in the story. The man clearly has his charms, which he has used to great effect to get where he is, but in something of a reversal of expected roles, it's Rother's power that has corrupted him and made him disconnected from those around him. He has reached the point where he mistakes coerced cooperation for loyalty and thinks he is untouchable.

Nathan is not without friends in his battle with Rother. The hostess, Alexandra, and bouncer Blythe both come to the young man's aid even though they're some of Rother's oldest friends. Blythe, in particular, is the person who may surprise you in the end. His size and crude behavior rub Nathan the wrong way from the start, but the big guy is clearly out to protect the young man.

“Innocence & Carnality” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).