Title: Secret Societies
Author: William Holden
Genre: Historical Erotica
Length: Novel (268 pages)
ISBN: 9781602828032
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (October 15th, 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Eric
Blurb: In 1724, Thomas Newton is cast out of his home by his aristocratic father. Desperate to make a new life for himself, he heads to London. Through a string of intimate encounters, he enters the underground world of male-male desire.
Soon enough, Thomas meets Margaret Clap, who runs one of the male brothels. Without a child of her own, “Mother Clap” finds herself drawn to Thomas. She offers him a place in her house, but also a place in her heart.
Thomas’s homecoming is too brief. The Society for the Reformation of Manners, a group of Christian zealots, begins raiding the Molly houses. They plan to force the arrest, conviction, and execution of any man guilty of “crimes against nature.”
When Margaret Clap’s house is raided and Margaret herself is arrested, Thomas has to make the most difficult decision of his still young life, one that could destroy everyone around him in a desperate effort to save them.
Review: This book really does define historical erotica. The more I read about it, the more I wished the book would remain strong. There were a few select moments the story did start to flop but the author managed to bring it right back on track. I couldn’t get enough of the history around it. As an avid historical reader, I found myself interested in the story behind it. The plot is solid and the characters have their moments of flatness. But I found the book overall to be pretty smooth despite the few bumps.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read the way erotica should be written every now and then.