Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Assassin’s Pet
AUTHOR: Nana G.
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 189 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2016
BLURB:
Gay erotic fantasy. Camille is a vampire who cannot kill, no matter how desperate his situation becomes. Faced with starvation and shunned by his natural family, he finds a solution to his problems in Damien, a professional assassin who belongs to the legendary Sulis Brotherhood. Camille offers Damien his services, his loyalty and his submission in exchange for regular meals and protection that the assassin will surely have no trouble providing for. Damien accepts the proposal, not realising how the vampire will change his life forever.
REVIEW:
I should probably preface this review with a note that I don’t usually read fantasy. I didn’t realize to what extent this book was set in a different world. Yes, I see above that the blurb says “Gay erotic fantasy”, but I figured that was covering the whole vampire aspect. Most vampire books that I’ve read have been set in contemporary times and I guess I just assumed that this one would be the same. Having said that – I’m glad that I read this book, I really enjoyed it. But the reason I don’t read fantasy is I always find it hard to concentrate on any world building. It only happened a little here, mostly when Damien would reference his belief system or Camille discussed magic. I swear I can feel the words bouncing off my eyeballs and refusing to penetrate my brain. So while, as I said, I really enjoyed this book, I have a feeling that someone who seeks out fantasy novels will appreciate it even more.
Camille was the pampered son of a noble, until the night he was attacked by a vampire and changed forever. As a human he was scorned by his father and brother for being unable to hunt animals, but as a vampire that inability to take any life is killing him. Vampires must kill humans to feed, and Camille is slowly starving to death. The night he meets assassin Damien is a revelation. If he can convince the man that Camille would make a suitable pet, then the hungry vampire can feed on the assassin’s fresh kills. When Camille offers Damien his body, heart and soul, neither man imagines where their union might lead them.
I wouldn’t call this a dark book but I would say that there is a notable lack of light. The settings sound drab and uninspiring, most of the characters are somber and any mention of food or clothing are bland. But this lack of stimulus from the author isn’t an indication of poor writing skills, on the contrary. The rather colorless world she has created causes Camille’s adoration for Damien to shine brightly through every scene. Camille could so easily have been slapped onto the pages as nothing more than a weak foil to Damien’s strength, but Nana G skillfully shows the power in Camille’s submission. Damien may save Camille’s life, but Camille gives Damien life. These two men together were impossible to look away from, and while saying “they complete each other” or “they make each other better” might sound like tired clichés those phrases apply perfectly in this case.
What struck me as novel in this story was the fact that murder was treated in an almost positive fashion. There was a divineness about it, which you would usually only find in the mind of a psychopath, but in this book, in these characters, that belief was absolutely acceptable. I’ve always enjoyed reading books that push at my ideas of what is tolerable behavior.
Although this isn’t my usual reading choice, I don’t hesitate to recommend The Assassin’s Pet. It’s well written, well thought out and oh, I forgot to mention the sex, didn’t I? The assassin and his little vampire definitely know how to mess up the sheets…
RATING: 
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