‘Til Kingdom Come by Evangeline Anderson

[reviews_and_ramblings]

In a recent polemic I said that I have hardly read 10 books with a rape in it and only 1 where the rapist and the raped become lovers after that… well now I have read 2.

‘Till Kingdom Come is a perfect example of savage romance, more it’s a perfect example of bodice rippers, and since here the two main characters are both men, this is a breeches rippers (and there is really a breeches ripping event). Actually this savage romance is respecting so much the rules of the genre that it reminds me a lot of The Wolf and the Dove, one of the first example of this genre and one of the most hated romances due to the “rape” factor; but since this novel by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is also one of the first medieval romance women of my age read, it’s also one of the most loved.

As in that novel, here we have a dark and storming night during which Elias, the young heir to the queen, a powerful sorceress, is raped after having witnessed to the conquer and destruction of his own lands. In this novel it’s even worse since the one who rapes Elias is also the man who then takes him far away from his home and in captivity in his bedroom apparently as a sex slave. Thrain is indeed trying to protect Elias from his own brother and father, who have always wronged him, in the worst possible way. To “protect” Elias, Thrain has to subject him to the same violence he suffered when he was only 12 years old to the hand of his own brother; a violence that his own father didn’t stop.

Thrain knows, since it’s in his future, that Elias has the power to destroy his enemies, but this power can only be freed through Thrain himself. Thrain has not really desire of power, he wants only vengeance; he is not exactly an hero, his actions are not unselfish, actually he is willing, and ready, to sacrifice everyone to the purpose he is following. When he takes Elias, it’s true that he is trying not to have him killed, but he is not doing so since he is in love with the young man, but more since he doesn’t want to loose his chance.

Love arrives later for Thrain, but indeed it arrives. There is for sure the feminine-man/masculine-man pair here, but while Elias, with his almost annoying innocence is perfect in role for the first half of the pair, Thrain doesn’t really fit the second half. Actually, if not for the violence he suffered, that made him build an emotional shield around himself, probably Thrain would have been more similar to Elias, hence an innocent prince waiting for his knight in shining armor to free him from his ivory tower.

For sure ‘Till Kingdom Come is not a novel that can appeal everyone; there are a lot of points that are “risky” to everyone liking: the rape, the incest, the naivite of Elias. On the other hand, if you are of the old school, and you liked the bodice rippers, then this novel is exactly like that, and you will probably like it.

http://www.loose-id.com/Till-Kingdom-Come.aspx

Amazon Kindle: Till Kingdom Come

Reading List:

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