Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Photographer’s Apprentice
SERIES: The Zagreus Den
AUTHOR: Merry Farmer
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 258 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2026
BLURB:
Freedom has a price. Desire demands everything.
Photographer Jonathan Moorgate has always lived by his own rules. Raised in London’s upper-class world, he rejected its conventions, carving out a reputation in the city’s underground with his provocative portraits of young men and a life defined by freedom and excess.
Everything changes the night he brings home a mysterious young man he can’t bring himself to let go.
Charlie was never meant for the streets. Cast out of his middle-class life after being caught in a forbidden act, he burns with a self-destructive fire—until Jonathan pulls him from the gutter and ignites something far more dangerous behind closed doors. Grateful, devoted, and with nowhere else to go, Charlie is willing to give Jonathan everything. Even his freedom. Even his life.
Their fragile world fractures when a seductive stranger invites them into the secretive, decadent society known as The Zagreus Den. To earn entry, Jonathan must complete a risky assignment: infiltrate a country house party and photograph powerful guests for blackmail. But when Charlie discovers a young nobleman imprisoned on the estate and marked for sale, the job turns into a desperate fight for survival.
REVIEW:
Jonathan Moorgate has been rejected by his family. His father is a member of parliament and Jonathan cannot abide the hypocrisy of the upper class. He’s seen behind the masks and he knows their words and deeds do not align. It’s great for them to preach about morals to the middle classes and the poor who are barely surviving while they flout the very things they admonish others about. So he’s left his family behind and has his own business. Part of his business is legitimate, but he also has a side business catering to the tastes of those who are outside the world of “polite society” – namely gay men.
When he finds Charlie on the streets, it’s clear that he needs help. Charlie has been thrown out of his respectable middle class life after being caught with a man. He has done what he needs to in order to survive on the streets – but just barely. Jonathan takes him home with him for the night. Jonathan ends up staying though and helping him with his photography business.
As Jonathan and Charlie get drawn into a world of secrets – the Zagreus Den – a secret society – things get very murky. Jonathan has been very willing to use the upper class to gain his own money and prestige, but it turns out that these secrets are a bit darker than anyone could have imagined. Charlie seems to be much more attuned to what is happening and just how difficult and dangerous things are becoming. It takes a while for Jonathan to come around.
Oh boy. This was not exactly what I expected but I really enjoyed it. It’s a bit darker that Ms. Farmer’s other books in this time period – specifically The Brotherhood series. I didn’t really love Jonathan during the first part of this book. Thankfully his character grows as does Charlie. Charlie may appear to be naive at the start, but he’s a lot more savvy than maybe he even realizes and certainly more than Jonathan believes him to be when they first meet. Their relationship grows as they spend more time together and as the mystery and suspense grow around the “assignment” they take on. I honestly can’t wait for the next book. There is a cliffhanger for the larger story, but Charlie and Jonathan get their happy ending. Highly recommended especially for fans of historicals, particularly with a darker storyline.
RATING: 
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