One major issue is that Kael has never experienced a gay relationship, yet he has been given as a sex slave to a man. However, as much as we see his inner turmoil, it still felt to me that Kael’s acceptance comes really quickly. Knowles does a good job of showing the internal conflict between how scared and freaked out Kael feels and how he fights those feelings in order to preserve his honor and that of his country. I enjoyed this first part of the story the most as we see Kael adjusting to his new life. Taren is also a sexual dominant, using harnesses, handcuffs, and other elements of control over Kael during sex. He dresses Kael, hand feeds him, expects him to sit on the floor at his feet, and refers to himself as Kael’s owner and master.

I am not sure if this is common to other books of this trope, but in addition to sexual submission, Taren expects substantial power exchange as well. But the bottom line is Kael is now a sex slave and expected to accommodate all of Taren’s sexual whims. He takes some time to get Kael used to things (although still it is only a day or so before they have sex) and he seems to genuinely care about Kael’s happiness. Taren is kind and considerate of Kael, sensitive to the fact that he is new to the role of concubine as well as to sex with a man. They are also much more open sexually, with same sex couples well accepted and concubines and even public sex fairly commonplace. The country is much larger and wealthier than Korai. Kael is very out of his element when he arrives in Zandria. So although he is terrified and furious at his father, he agrees to the service. Although Kael legally has the right to refuse, he doesn’t want to cause his country further bloodshed or his own dishonor by not taking actions that will end the war. As part of the settlement agreement to end the war, Kael’s father agrees to give Kael to the Zandrian warlord Taren as a concubine. Korai initiated the aggression, but Zandria is bigger and stronger and soundly defeated them. Kael is a military commander and royal prince of Korai, a country at war with Zandria to the north. But I had read some good reviews and it sounded interesting so I figured I’d give it a shot. I am not that familiar with fantasy, this author, or the master/slave trope of this book. The category was “Best Gay Fantasy Romance,” something I don’t read very often. I read Concubine as another one of my Goodreads Bingo Challenge books.

Concubine by jill knowles