Review - The Father by Jay L. North

Oliver was orphaned at a young age and raised by a disinterested aunt. He’s never really felt like he belonged. Then he joined a church where he met Clara and fell in love. The two decide to get married, but the church requires couples to undergo a two-week initiation course to ensure “compatibility” before getting married. Oliver is nervous, but not too worried. He’s had nothing but positive experiences with the church. Once inside the vast inner compound, though, things are nothing like he expected.

The blurb for this book is pretty clear about the potentially triggering content, which includes a lot of arguably non-consensual sex in a religious setting. This story will not appeal to everyone. If you do pick it up, you’ll find a highly erotic story of sexual discovery.

The story is related almost entirely from Oliver’s point of view. The young man is definitely an innocent. He identifies as straight, but it feels like he’s one of those people who simply never considered that he wasn’t straight. Under the unexpected and, initially, unwanted attentions of Father Matthew, Oliver is exposed to sources of pleasure he never imagined. The transformation is believably gradual, but there is a bit of Stockholm Syndrome feeling to it.

The priest who takes charge of Oliver is both his tormentor and protector. We don’t get much insight into what Father Matthew is thinking until the very end. It is clear that Oliver has caught his eye well before the initiation. In classic fictional dominant style, the priest seems to just know that Oliver has a strong submissive streak that the young man himself is unaware of.

“The Father” is available from Smashwords.