Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Innocence and Carnality
AUTHOR: J. Alan Veerkamp
PUBLISHER: DSP Publications
LENGTH: 350 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2019
BLURB:
Innocence is his only currency.
The gilded cage of propriety where Nathan grew up as a member of the Deilian aristocracy became a true prison when, at fifteen, his homosexuality came to light and created a terrible scandal. His parents see only one way to preserve their reputation amongst the other noble families: fit Nathan with a chastity belt to increase his value to a potential partner and marry him off as soon as possible.
The recipient of that prize is Lord Rother Marsh Delaga III. After a hasty wedding, Rother whisks Nathan away to the strange and seductive land of Marisol, where Nathan will begin a new life, free to explore the pleasures of the marriage bed, though his life is still not his own.
But Rother’s Delaga House is a place of secrets, dangers, and depravity Nathan can scarcely comprehend. Where friends are few and peril waits around every corner, Nathan must employ all the manipulation he learned from high society, along with his talent for clockwork. Most of all, Nathan must adapt, compromise to survive, and cast off the preconceptions of his homeland.
Because only he can orchestrate his freedom, and it’ll come at a cost.
REVIEW:
So I was in the middle of writing this and fell asleep. Lol. BUT my opinion has definitely not changed. I’m kind of glad I did fall asleep, so maybe now I can better gather my thoughts. I am completely blown away by this book. Completely. It’s just freaking awesome.
BUT! Triggers! This deals with some brutality. Death, beatings, branding, manipulations, etc. Even though it is a romance, it’s a darker one. But if you can get past the triggers, it’s so worth it.
If you guys don’t pick this book up, you are severely missing out. It will make you rage, cry, and run through the gambit of emotions. But it’s worth it. It’s so worth it.
Nathan comes from the nobler societies. Where everything has to be just so and going to the bathroom seems like a grand affair. Well, that part for Nathan is horrible, considering his stuck in a chastity belt and has been for a few years. All in the guise of making sure Nathan stays pure. He’s been the pariah of the family, since discovered he likes men instead of women. To the point, his own father won’t have anything to do with him. His brothers torment and his mother is…..well, a follower. Now Nathan is being told he’s getting married and the next day, and his voice doesn’t matter. Once married, he’s shipped away with his husband to a land he’s never known. The marriage night makes things seem like they’re off to a good start, until they come out of the clouds and real life begins again.
Rother, his husband, hid what he does for a living, and now Nathan knows. He’s never been more shocked. And Rother has quickly changed. What he thought would be a good marriage, has quickly become a nightmare. He tries to adjust the best he can, with the help of some people he didn’t expect it from. But unfortunately, some help couldn’t be in time. Rother has completely changed and not for the good. Nathan now has to figure out how to survive and move forward before things take a fatal turn.
Oh my gah, Nathan. If ever a man needed some love and support. I hated his family right off the bat. Especially when everyone decided he was lower than dirt when discovered he was gay. His father was the lowest of low. (He gets his, but I’m not telling). I understood some of it to a point. Being of nobler family lines, they had to act a certain way. But then again, I never understood that to begin with. But such is the way of the world. It’s still that way today. When Rother finally showed up, I was so happy for Nathan. The way the kind of interacted at first, it seemed like it would be good for Nathan. And Rother would get Nathan away from his family. He’d be free. Finally. Nathan would be able to blossom fully and be himself.
But that’s not the way it turned. I’m glad for Blythe and Alexandra. For Nathan’s sake, he had some support. And because of all Nathan was going through, he learned to straighten that backbone of his and devised a plan. It would save almost everyone.
What impressed me the most with this book was in fact Nathan and his old friend and valet, Harston. Even Blythe and Alexandra. These guys have been through hell. Rother wasn’t making it easier. He made things worse. So much worse. But through it all, they survived. They did what they had to. Even acting like a clueless Noble, to appease things. They found their own family, support and love. They held secrets but they did all they could to make things better. Even at their worst.
I hope I’ve written this book in a good light. Sometimes I can’t gather my thoughts the way I need to to accurately describe a book without giving it away. At the end of the day, all I can say is read this book. If you don’t, you are missing out on a hell of an experience.
RATING: 
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