Review: Sevin (Lords of Satyr #7) by Elizabeth Amber

by davincikittieMay 15, 2012

TLDR Recap:

Set in 19th century Rome, Sevin is a story about love, lust, family, and making amends. Sevin is the 2nd oldest of the four Roman Satyr brothers, immortals descended from the wine god Baccus who guard the boundary between the ElseWorld and earth. Sevin’s tale is full of passion, forbidden love, and political intrigue, and is not to be missed for fans of the series! Even readers new to the Lords of Satyr will find Sevin entertaining and addicting… a GraveTells Recommended Read!

Title: Sevin
Series: Lords of Satyr #7
Author: Elizabeth Amber
Prominent Characters: Sevin, Alexa, Lucien
Recommended Reader Age: 18+
Genre(s): paranormal romance, erotica, implied menage
Sexual Content Level: high

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Thoughts:

Our heroine, Alexa, is persona non grata for the Satyr family, two of Sevin’s brothers having been subjected to terrible abuse at her family’s whim. Even so, Sevin has felt a connection to her since the first time he saw her and when she shows up at the door to his pleasure house on the night of the Calling, when the Satyr must mate ’til dawn or die under the full moon, Sevin and Alexa’s mutual determination to keep their distance is sorely tested. Chance, magic, and a twisted thread of fate put Alexa, Sevin, and Lucien, the brother who spent a decade in her family’s not-so-tender care, in a desperate situation and leaves all of them with a choice that is difficult and scandalous.

The first 3/4 of the book are dedicated to Sevin and Alexa’s story, and in many ways, it’s typical of stories set in the prim society of 19th century Europe, complete with genteel speech, buttoned-up ladies, forbidden interludes, and scandalous gossip. The element that rachets up the emotional intensity of this book is the secondary plotline of quiet, tortured, nearly-broken Lucien. What happens in the last quarter of the book will have you hooked, turning page after page to see what happens next. Luc’s story is short, but much more intense than Sevin’s. I’m not sure why it was appended to the end of Sevin’s instead of being fleshed out into its own novella, but it brings a fierce, satisfying conclusion to the saga of the Roman Satyr brothers.

If you haven’t read about the Satyr lords, I’m not going to spoil the unexpected secret about their physicality, but I will tell you that it is shocking and daring, like nothing else I’ve read in erotica or romance. If your tastes in sex scenes run to the exotic, you should pick up this series for that alone! Even so, the scenes are not nearly as crude or vulgar as you might expect. There is a Regency feel to Ms. Amber’s prose that is both soothing and scintillating. She writes prim and proper with as much panache as she depicts steamy and sultry. The story is also well-crafted, with a wealth of events and a relatable number of characters effortlessly woven into the narrative, so that picking up this series at book 7 doesn’t leave you feeling confused or irritated.

I just have to talk about the cover of this book! I usually review e-copies, where reading them doesn’t advertise the scantily clad men I’m ogling inside. With this one, a physical copy, I had to either put the book away when I wasn’t reading it or find inventive ways to hide it in plain sight, because neither side of this cover is Safe For Work! The abbreviated strip of image on the back is actually more suggestive than the full view on the front; what exactly Is he doing with that hand?!

Memorable Quotes

Never tease a woman with a gun!

“Don’t worry, signorina. Alexa. I won’t seduce you.” His tone was easy, confident. It made her far less certain of her ability to resist him, should he attempt to do just that. “And do you know why?”
“Because we’re in a carriage? Common decency? Because I’d shoot you if you tried?” she suggested sweetly.

Sit, Sevin. Stay. Strip. Good satyr.

“You’re a good man,” she murmured. “A strong one.”
He smiled in a self-effacing way, appearing bemused by the turn in conversation. “Why, thank you.”
She traced one of his dimples with the tip of her finger. “And admirable in your loyalty to your family.”
“I begin to sound like a basset hound in your description. Cease, please, before I am further reduced.”

If you liked Sevin…

If you enjoyed Sevin for it’s genteelly scandalous otherworldly sex-scapades, you might also like the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton (starting with A Kiss of Shadows). Merry and her literal harem of bodyguards often engage in their group sex without the group… meaning one-on-one with at least one other in the bed, much like the pivotal almost-menage scene for Sevin and Alexa.

If you enjoyed the Regency feel of Sevin, with it’s strong family ties and rich world development, you might also like Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory series (starting with Love Only Once). The Mallorys are the talk of the ton, for good reason, and their stories are seriously addicting! Ms. Lindsey’s Mallory books are not paranormal, but they do have pirates, rakehells, and wealthy heiresses… and enough high-seas adventures to keep you day-dreaming for months.

Final Thoughts:

Unexpected and enthralling, I sped through Sevin in a single day. If you’re a stickler for reading series in order, then start the Lords of Satyr books with Nicholas and work your way through the first six before reading Sevin’s tale. If you’re not afraid to dive right in, give Sevin a look and see what the talk about these mysterious, scandalous Satyr men is all about. Sevin is a GraveTells Recommended Read!