Customer Reviews

House of Stone

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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What's a gay porn star to do when his arranged marriage comes due? Go on an epic quest of course. This fantasy story delivers a quest to defeat evil and save the princess with a few side trips such as falling in love with the butler and learning about responsibility. Richard, aka Dick, thought his life was pretty well settled with his job as a gay porn star and a satisfying sexual relationship with his friend and butler, Sim. Unfortunately when his aunt and royalty call Richard to get married, trouble starts brewing in all directions. Only with the help of an ancient ancestor can Richard save both his new wife and his long time lover while realizing his fate and responsibility.

House of Stone is a humorous romp with some great characters and a fun plot. Although the summary may make this seem like a ménage, it's not. The main relationship is between Richard and his butler, Sim. Richard's arranged marriage to his wife Jen provides some interesting conflict and adventure, but this isn't a love match and Jen has her own lover causing problems. There are a few sex scenes, though very brief and mostly alluded after the initial porno opening. The setting is classic fantasy in a contemporary setting. Imagine the modern world as you see it but behind the illusion there is a world of Fae creatures, trolls, brownies, etc that have complicated politics and responsibilities of their own.

The story is told in first person present tense and the narrator, Richard, talks to you the entire time. Whenever something comes up that pertains to the background or world building, Richard takes a few moments to explain everything to you, the reader. This is both humorous and slightly frustrating since this isn't a story you experience. It's told to you from beginning to end, which puts all the pressure on Richard as a narrator to engage the reader. If you like Richard's humorous voice, you'll likely enjoy the story. If you don't, this isn't going to appeal. I personally found it funny for the most part but it starts to wear as the story goes on. There are a few inconsistencies that, while meant for a laugh, feel forced.

For the most part though, House of Stone is an entertaining, fun, adventurous tale. It has a lot of classical fantasy elements while still giving a fresh, contemporary feel. The narrative nature means you may not enjoy this totally but it's worth the time on a lazy afternoon to be swept away in Richard's dysfunctional world.

This is one of the few novels I have read in the last couple of years to have kept me up at night, a hard feat as, growing older, I tend to treasure my sleep more and more.

The blurb in the "product description" is accurate, for once, but I shall repeat some of it just in case it gets altered in the future:

This striking debut novel is set in a contemporary American city (I did not get which but I suppose an American will) where humans happily ignore their peaceful coexistence with all sort of traditional supernatural creatures called the Fae. Among them are the Sidhe (elves, I should say) who are -literally- made of the stuff dreams are made of.

Their society, parallel to ours, is classist to a fault, convolutely involved in a complex network of uses and habits called the "protocol" which tend to create a schizoid dicotomy between spotless, genteel, subdued appearances and a much cruder reality of suffering, rage and violence.

Richard is a minor noble, a good person all in all, very likable and leads a rather uneventful life as a gay porn actor (the first chapter is set at his workplace and is extremely graphic, so prudes beware) until a chain of events forces his hand to make him become not only likable but also mature and unafraid of his responsibilities as a -minor- leader and as a reliable companion for his longtime (male) lover.

All the above should not make you think of a dark fantasy: this is not such, on the contrary: a delightful lightness of touch and constant humour will keep the reader constantly entertained through this delightful romp. Darker issues are just hinted, only there for those willing to think about them. My guess is that readers just looking for fun will get it and be happy.

The writing is surprisingly good, grammar in order, rhythm and plotting nearly flawless. There are nearly no inconsistencies (except perhaps about the details of the grand duel) and characterization is well done even if the first person POV necessarily implies that the main character, Richard, is much better known to the reader than all the others. Only the side character of Rem is well defined throgh the dialogue and one can wonder if the same could not have been done for the others as well.

The first person POV has been the object of some criticism from other reviewers and I may agree to a point.

Richard CONSTANTLY breaks through the fourth wall, dialoguing with the reader and giving all the necessary explanations and world building. It is extremely well done, no mean feat for the author, but it could get on some readers' nerves. Rightly so, sometimes, as I am convinced that the reader should not get world building through "descriptions" and because sometimes the constant humour, though really funny, gets in the way of the dialogues.

(As a side note, paging is not well done and it takes some effort to understand who is speaking a line).

I might point out that the second half of the book is less polished than the first and it looks a bit hurried. More fleshing out could have been needed to improve quality and reader's satisfaction. It is nothing serious, this book is a fun and quality read throughout but, as it always happens with me, I demand more from the authors who I suppose to be good enough to deliver it.

As it is the book is perfectly self contained with a satisfying happy ending. I do not know whether the author plans on a sequel or not. If he does I hope he will live up to my -at this point rather high- expectations.

After the very graphic first chapter (the one you get as a sample on kindle) the book remains very explicit, emotionally speaking, but rather chaste while the author seems more interested in developping a good plot. For this reason I suppose that it could be appreciated by any general reader provided he/she is not disturbed by homosexuality. A very mature teen could read it safely as well.

This was by far one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I wish I could give this book 6 stars. This is the story of Dick. Dick is a Fae noble over a land that isn't much desired, he stars in adult movies (just to pay the bills) and is on the eve of his wedding day. Dick starts out as a man who holds power and no great desire to use it for good. Well, not for evil either. Dick discovers that he has shamed himself in some way and must regain his honor to help those he loves and make a difference in his world. This book has great sex, awesome love, exciting plot, well developed characters. It's hard to find it all in one book but this writer accomplishes it. I hope to see more of this writer and more from this world. I wish I was a better writer so that I could write a review worthy of this book. I loved every word and can't wait to read it again. Try it, you won't regret it.

Chrysanthemums never lie.

This fantasy novel by Vaughn R. Demont is a mess... an ingenious! It mixes savage romance with fairy tale with erotica, but it manages to make it all a perfect melting pot.

Count Pembroke Kendrick Llewellyn Richard Firemane, Lord of the House of Stone, Knight of the Realm, Viscount of the Benedict Shores, and Custodian of the Azure Blade, Dick for his friends, is a sidhe nobleman, perfect in body and naughty in soul. He has to maintain the estate his father left him, and more important than the property he has to preserve all the artists living inside it. Since Richard is not exactly prone to the mastery of the swords brandishing, he decided for an alternative career that seems to fit him better: he is a porn star! But don't worry, he is not disgracing his House, since he always tops... on the screen. But when he goes back home, he forces himself on his squires Simaron, imposing him to perform for his master... as a top. Sim is always complaining that what they are doing is not proper, that his sir should not lower himself, but it's hard to make Richard understand, after all he has always had Sim by his side and you can say that Sim was and still is the only man Richard has really ever loved.

Meet Lady Delia Isolde Jennifer Heartwood, Daughter of Countess Isolde of the Emerald Shores, soon-to-be bride of Richard. As Richard himself she has not intention to oblige what nobility is expecting from her, she is after all a knight, and a better warrior than Richard will ever be. When indeed they married, Richard takes the first chance he has to go on a quest, a search that will lead him to discover some unexpected roots in his family tree.

The story starts almost as an erotica tale, with Richard first acting in a porn movie and than having a private performance with Sim. Even if the matter was pretty much earthly, the language was flowery and rich, and it was like reading a medieval bard describing a porn movie set. The author is plenty joking on all the common myths about both medieval savage romance than fairy tale, but he decided to turn upside down all of them, or maybe not: Lord Richard is a bored aristocrat who would prefer to sing and write poems all day long, but he has indeed to provide for his people; of course "working" is not in question, and so acting in the porn industry is the best option so far. He is probably in love with his squire Sim, but even if no one will forbid him to have a sexual intercourse with him, to be in love is highly forbidden; servants can be at the same level of cherished pet, but sooner or later he will have to marry with a woman and have an heir or two (one t spare).

It is strange because basically the author deals with all the story in a very light and funny way, and then suddenly decided it was time to make Richard pays for all his carelessness: not that he dispossessed Richard and Sim of their happily ever after, but in a way he made Richard pay his toll.

I read Demont's Coyote's Creed first and liked it, but I think I like this one more. Like Coyote's Creed, it's inventive and fast-paced with good action and intrigue, and most of all, a sense of humor. But I feel like I connected with the characters in this book more, particularly the somewhat bumbling Richard, a terrific anti-hero, or maybe just real guy hero (if a sidhe can be called a real guy). I also liked the rest of the cast a lot, though Sim's extreme servility in the beginning struck a strange note. ***MILD SPOILERS*** I understand that in the book the Fae have strict protocols and a very heirarchical society, but Sim's servile attitude in the beginning made it hard to totally believe the love story later. It doesn't seem like such an unequal relationship could result in true love. But their later interactions make their story more believable and I liked pretty much everything else about the book, so that small item didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Delectable is the word that popped into my head when I finished "House of Stone," as in "That was utterly delectable!" In fact, I'm not sure I could have enjoyed this more if the book came with some high quality chocolate.

Chapter one was quite an opening, not to mention all about openings and things going into openings. Most authors build to a climax - Vaughn Demont doesn't believe in a singular climax, nor in wasting half a book getting there. Know what? After being a bit thrown - i.e., where the heck can a book go from here? - I now see that the rest of the world may just have been writing things wrong all along.

Alright, maybe that's taking things a bit too far. On the other hand, it ain't every author who has so much somewhere to take a book. This thing is full to the brim with plot, plot, plot. Happily, it's all escorted along by some characters with fully-formed personalities and a penchant for smart, sassy, snappy, dialogue.

Demont has created a complicated alternate reality full of noble families, court intrigue amongst a host of Fae, sorcerers, seers, demons, goblins, and whatever else you'd care to pluck from fairy tales and bad dreams. He is a skilled enough writer to plunk the reader down into all this without either losing him/her or overwhelming one with "And this is how we do this in my world" sentences to plod through. (Not to mention confusing anyone who may have one or more of the umpteen alternate realities created by Anita Hamilton, Charlene Harris, Karen Marie Moning, and so on, jumbled up in their brains.) Instead, protagonist Richard Stone serves as our guide, providing the reader with just what we need to know, along with some truly funny commentary. Poor Richard, a general screw-up-inspite-of-himself, also gets taken on a journey in this tale, one of an emotional maturing which Demont handles deftly and most satisfyingly.

As usual, thanks to Samhain Publishing for another helpful, accurate, and not really tongue-in cheek tongue-in-cheek "warning" with the book's description. I do love these.

In the City, humans never know that Fae, gods, goblins, and more live among them. Richard Stone, a Fae viscount, has a somewhat thriving county (aka: a slum) and inspires the fantasies of many in his acting career (in other words, he's a porn star). He also is the keeper of the Azure Blade, one of the five magical swords in the City. He's not too thrilled about his arranged marriage, but his knight of a bride seems nice enough. Things go wrong on his wedding day, though, when the Azure Blade loses its magic and the shame threatens Richard's noble standing. He has a little over a week to solve his not-so-little problem, and Richard'll need all the help he can get. Good thing his manservant, Simaron, is there to see to Richard's every need.

Action, adventure, magic, and some hot male/male action all combine in House of Stone. Yet, though it had all the necessary ingredients to make one hell of an exciting book, House of Stone fell far short of what I'd hoped. The pacing was slow and Vaughn R. Demont constantly pauses to explain things, rather than weave the necessary information into the tale. Though he does grow up a bit over the course of the story Richard, isn't particularly likeable and his voice becomes a bit tiresome at times. Since the book is written in the first person, that's a bit of an issue. I also didn't get to know Simaron, the love of Richard's life, as well as I'd have liked. The character I was intrigued by was Jen, Richard's wife, who sadly plays a minor role in House of Stone. I honestly wanted to like House of Stone, but the story dragged and it felt like Mr. Demont was trying to throw too much in without a plan.

Shayna

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

*Spolier Alert for some plot details*

I found it hard to get into this story. The pace of the first half of it feels off. As if things haven't quite started getting going yet. Stuff is happening and yet somehow it all still feels preliminary. The pace does improve after about the halfway mark, but by that point it had lost me really. I'd have skimmed the rest if I hadn't been reading it for a review.

One reason could be the way the narrator gives us explanations of the world throughout the story. It's probably not fair to call these "info dumps" as they are usually kept short and being in first person they don't feel as dull as such things do in third person. But still, they do feel like interruptions and damage the forward momentum of the story. I started to glaze over at some of them, even when they were quite short. It's tough to feel the proper reaction to an event in the story if we're only given an explanation about what it means after we first see it happening.

The first person present tense narration is okay, but never really sparks into life. Richard's voice isn't distinctive enough. I didn't find I warmed to him and never felt very engaged with him, which might be another reason I struggled to get through this story. He often didn't appear that engaged himself. Even at moments of supposed high emotion he comes across a bit too cool and detached.

The other characters are either rather cliché - Jen, Richard's wife, a kickass warrior chick without much depth - or rather inconsistent - like Sim, Richard's valet and lover. Rather than making a gradual change from servant to equal I thought he jumped back and forth too much. Of course it's natural he'd have some wobbles on the road, drop back to old behaviour patterns, but there's too much jumping around for it to feel like a progression.

The ending is a bit too neat. I feel unsatisfied when a character does something brave and noble, makes a sacrifice, but then has what they've lost given back to them, along with more. To me that cheapens what they did. I like to see a sacrifice that sticks!

I'm not sure about the aspect of Richard being a porn star. It doesn't serve much purpose in the story aside from supposedly being edgy or shocking. It doesn't have much effect on the plot.

There are irritants too, like Sim having a twelve-and-a-half inch penis. I know he's not fully human, but for goodness sake! And who counts half inches once you've got a foot-long anyway? Richard's Pearl Jam fannishness just makes him appear immature. Having quite as many t-shirts for a band as he seems to have is kind of teenager-like. He has magical accelerated healing powers, so recovers more quickly from a car crash he's in than a human would. The trouble is with that power is it means scenes where the character is in physical danger lose some of their sense of jeopardy.

It's not a bad story as such, and the writing it clear and readable, the copy-editing good, but it just never quite caught on with me. Some things in it are tiresome and in general I didn't feel emotionally connected enough to it. It took me nearly a week to finish it, and it should really have only taken a couple of days at that length. It's okay, but for me no more than that.

Oh and in case the mention of a wife worries those of you who prefer m/m only and no surprise m/f or whatever sneaked in, rest assured the marriage is just an arranged political thing. The only sex scenes in the book are m/m.