Temple Boy by Heidi Cullinan

Title: Temple Boy

Series: Etsey Novels 02

Author: Heidi Cullinan

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Length: Novel (165pgs)

Publisher: Loose Id (20th September 2011)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: There is something different about Aurel. Though he’s lived his whole life as a Temple Boy in remote Mantua, no one seems to know when he arrived, or even when he was born. Despite a strict edict against sexual contact in the monastery, somehow even the most devout of men seem unable to stop from throwing themselves at Aurel. But things really get hairy when God shows up speaking Catalian and demands Aurel help him find his true love.

Now giant stone beasts are running him down at mass, witches are dropping out of the sky, and a sad, headless man whispers of lost love to Aurel in his dreams. It isn’t until a band of vengeful amazons drag him into the desert hills, however, that Aurel realizes how much of not just his life but the lives of others are at stake—but he can’t do anything until he figures out which God, if any, is real.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, dubious consent, ménage (m/f/m with m/m content), rape, same-sex practices (m/m, f/f), and strong violence. Readers with a history of rape or sexual abuse may find elements of this story disturbing.

Review: This book is part of a series and you HAVE to read the first book or you just won’t get this book at all.  The first book, The Seventh Veil, starts with world building and the beginning of the story and the main characters that appear through-out the series. Aurel’s life will never be the same again when he wakes up from a dream where the god died and it leads him on a journey of discovery and to his true love.

In this book, we have the return of Charles, Timothy, Madeline and Jonathon.   And in true Charles fashion he screws up pretty early in the book which leads us to Aurel who is our main character in this one.  Aurel is a Temple Boy, in a Cloister Temple, who will eventually find his love Chakide when he is captured by Zamoa warrior women. This is not an easy light read.   This story is more like an installment of an epic adventure.   I have to say, it is incredibly fantastic, the world building is brilliant, the characters come to life and the storyline is like nothing I have ever seen before.

This book I would say is for readers who like long heavy fantasy.   It switches back and forth between characters and could be confusing if treated like a light read. It does have scenes of rape but thankfully does not go into too much detail about it. If you read the first book, then you know that there will be more to follow as each veil is revealed and this is only the second veil, so still no happy ending for Charles and Timothy yet.

I will recommend this to those who love fantasy, true love, hardship, a fantastic storyline and an author who is going to continue to give us quality stories. But I cannot stress enough that you have to read the first story before this one.