Review - Wings by J.C. Owens
Anyar has a crush on the army commander in town to secure peace talks between his people and their sworn enemies, with whom they’re constantly at war. Unfortunately, Anyar has also caught the attention of Vanyae, the leader of the enemy delegation, whose real plan is to kidnap the commander to hold hostage. He alters the plan to take Anyar as well and make the young guard his slave. The plan succeeds but Anyar is determined to resist submission to Vanyae, yet even as the prince takes pleasure in his slave’s body, he realizes there’s more to the young man than a pleasing form.
Dubious consent slaves-to-lovers stories are a common theme for this author. This is fantasy, so suspension of a certain amount of disbelief is needed. The world-building does a good job of creating a world of flying humanoids where sexual slavery is commonplace.
The narration jumps around from one character to another between paragraphs. It can be a little confusing, but not enough to seriously detract from the story. Most of the time, the point of view is either Anyar or Vanyae. Anyar is an idealistic young man, not exactly innocent, but a small town boy caught up in the political machinations of powerful people. At the end, Anyar shows a greater strength of character than either of the two powerful men lusting after him.
Vanyae is the one who undergoes a real transformation over the course of the story. The realization that Anyar is more than a possession to him causes the prince to take a good look at all the traditions of the court he will one day rule over. It’s a believable change in thinking on Vanyae’s part.
“Wings” is available from Smashwords or see Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookseller.