Elaine White's Life in Books

Book – The Innocent Auction
Author – Victoria Sue
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages - 183

Movie Potential - ★★★★★
Ease of reading – Very easy to read. No mistakes
Would I read it again – Definitely

* I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW *

Let's start with a confession: I have never read an M/M novel before (though the few short stories I've read have peaked my interest in the genre). This was a great start and will make me read more.

PLOT

I'll also admit that I really wasn't sure about the relevance of the title for a while. The “Innocent Auction” which is the impetus of the entire plot, is really only valid for the prologue, though it inspires everything that happens later. Because of that, and how the main story takes place a few years later, I thought the title related only to the fact that without the “Innocent Auction” there would have been no story. By the time I finished the book, I understood everything. It all made sense.

There was only one problem that vaguely limited my enjoyment: due to Historical not being overly familiar to me, I had to rely on my Kindle dictionary a few times, because some of the terms were unfamiliar to me. However, this was only mainly at the beginning of the story, as some of the terms were repeated and I'd learned to understand what they meant.

As for the story, I loved everything about it. There were moments of heartbreak, a real sense of the chemistry between Deacon and Tom. I was, quite honestly, hooked by the story before the end of the Prologue. The beginning of the story intrigued me and already held my interest in Deacon, Beau and Tom's stories. I felt an immediate connection to all three and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

In total, reading this book took five hours at the most. Easily engrossing enough to warrant a one-sitting read.

The Historical element to the story was fantastic. There was so much attention to detail. I was a little sceptical about starting the story, as I was worried it might be the fancy, PC, kind of historical story that I would never understand or follow, without having a BA in the History of the time. I expected the whole “Behind Closed Doors” action, but got something else entirely. Thankfully, though the language and laws of the time, the atmosphere, location and proprieties of the time were all adhered to, the story wasn't written in a way that a modern audience couldn't follow. And the sex was hot! Not behind the scenes at all. It was sizzling, accurate for the time and still relatable, much like most of the Historical elements.

The detail of how it was to be a gay man in this time is brilliant. And, probably, it's the most important aspect of this story and the relationship between the two MC's. The crime of being gay at this time is what creates the push and pull, the hesitancy and the risk that they take in trying to be with one another.

CHARACTERS

All the way through the novel, I could feel the chemistry between Deacon and Tom, the push and pull of their feelings and the conflict and confusion from them both. There was so much tension between them, as they fought their feelings for each other, and every moment was a “will they, won't they” dilemma. Through the whole story, I kept wondering how their story would end, because there were so many options, limitations and risks, due to the Historical year and the laws of the time.

I loved that the story was told from two POV's, both Deacon and Tom. It allowed us to see the real struggle, the real affection and chemistry between them, without losing any of the story.

The characters in this story were incredible. I fell for Deacon and Tom right away, but it didn't take long for Beau to grab my heart, despite being a secondary character. Though he had a major part in the story, form the background, he was an absolutely beautiful character. The things that he went through broke my heart.

There were secondary characters – Joe, a servant; Jackson, another servant; Red, a childhood friend; and Harriet, the girl Deacon must marry, to save his family home. I loved them all. Red and Jackson were really minor characters, who only popped up to make certain conversations possible. They were there to inspire certain events. Joe was the best character and the most important; he was the one who took care of Deacon and Tom, throughout the entire story. Harriet is the only one I never liked. She eventually grew on me when she was finally honest, at the end of the story.

OVERALL

This was my first Victoria Sue story, but will not by my last. I absolutely love the writing style and the amazing storytelling ability of this author.

Through this fantastic storyline, my interest in the Historical genre has caught aflame and will be explored in much more detail, just as soon as I have the time. And I have Victoria Sue to thank for that.

This story grabbed my heart halfway through the Prologue and didn't let go until well after I'd finished the last page. The ending was brilliant and perfect. The Epilogue made it even better.

~

FAVOURITE QUOTES:

“His legs may have been firmly rooted to the study floor, but his heart had just leaped the stile and was running down the lane.”

“Their love was so forbidden that their very touch could wrap a hangman's noose around them.”