Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
God of Sex, Sam, and God of Love, Hector, have a unique relationship. They're into the BDSM lifestyle, and they both have some serious issues. Hector has a jealous bone, and Sam has an abusive ex. Their problems don't stop there; one of their biggest is that Sam refuses to grow up.

Hector has no idea that Sam is literally paying the Goddess of Eternal Youth to keep him young. Sam looks, and acts, like a spoiled nineteen year old, which earns him a lot of time in the Dungeon. His immaturity gets him far worse when Hector finds out about his deception. Hector kicks Sam out, which opens the door to his ex-lover, the God of Fear, Marcus.

Marcus manages to convince Sam that Hector wants him gone for good, leaving him vulnerable and alone. When the Goddess he's been trading with, power for youth, tries to extort even more out of him, though, Sam tries to stand up to her, with disastrous results. Hector has no intention of losing Sam to Marcus or the Goddess of Eternal Youth, but can he get to Sam in time to save him, or will they lose their love to forces beyond their control? Find out in this scorching sequel to Jay Lygon's popular novel, Chaos Magic!

BOOK REVIEW:
Sam and Hector are back and have embraced their new abilities as Gods. At the same time, they continue to work on their own relationship. Sam is Hector’s boy, but he struggles with accepting material gifts from his Master. Although he “plays” at submission, he has not fully given in to Hector’s domination. This consistently frustrates and angers Hector as he wants to move forward in their relationship but feels they are being constrained by Sam’s inability to grow up.

What Hector doesn’t realize is that Sam has been paying the Goddess of Eternal Youth to remain nineteen instead of his actual age of twenty-six. Sam is convinced that Hector desires him for his boyish appearance and will go to any lengths to maintain what he sees as his appeal to his Master. Along with the physical image comes the emotional immaturity of a teenager and Sam doesn’t realize that this is hindering his relationship with Hector. When his actions are discovered, Sam is at his most vulnerable and struggles to recover Hector’s love and control.

Love Runes is an absorbing and wonderful story of love and trust, based on a very unique premise. The complex characters pull the reader in from the beginning. Sam tries hard to be the perfect boy but he constantly sets himself up for failure by giving in to his own curiosity, making bad decisions, and focusing solely on his own wants and fantasies instead of his Master’s needs. The story focuses on Sam’s captivating journey to understand what Hector really wants, a mature and genuine submissive.

In Lygon’s world there are Gods and Goddesses that walk among humans, going about their own lives while being worshipped and answering prayers. These characters provide an element of humor as well as intrigue to the story. Each of the deities is unique and perfectly integrated into the story. Deal, the Goddess of Negotiation, and Angelena, the Goddess of Traffic, continue to keep an eye on Sam, helping him to keep his life on track. At the same time, the Goddess of Eternal Youth is manipulating Sam, obtaining payments of his immense power for his youthful appearance. Lygon provides especially captivating descriptions for the Gods and Goddesses which are examples of the wonderful imagery of the story.

The Master/slave aspect of the story leads to some highly erotic sex scenes but also is the basis of a complex and intriguing relationship between Sam and Hector. Hector is a demanding Master, with issues of his own to overcome. It is particularly interesting to read a story where the Master admits to his own failings, and is intent upon improving himself in order to strengthen a relationship. The punishment and discipline scenes are passionate with a high level of emotion at all times. Sam thrives on being dominated, likes being able to leave decisions to Hector, and especially likes their rough and intense play.

Possibly my favorite aspect of this story is the imagery associated with Sam’s subspace. It is described as taking a walk through a teahouse in his mind, navigating through multiple rooms and hallways. The description of the house in his mind changes in conjunction with Sam’s emotional state. For example, when he is in the depths of depression his house is “dreary” and “barren.” It is his representation of perfect harmony and a truly relaxed state. The following description is a wonderful example of this perfectly fitting metaphor.

“There was a path inside my mind. Sometimes it was a mere line that I followed through haze. Other times, like this one, it was inside a sort of Japanese structure, with small rooms separated by rice paper and lattice walls. I walked down the hallway, knowing where I was headed. I could glimpse a garden far ahead of me. If I got there, I would be in my subspace.

...

There was a door before me. Through it was the garden. A surge of raw masculine power filled me, and then I was inside. I exhaled and everything tense and bad inside me let go. I forgot about me and only wanted to serve my master. There was nothing but perfect, floating peace.”

Lygon has most definitely provided enough set up so that Love Runes can be enjoyed on its own, but I highly recommend starting with Chaos Magic. That story includes the history of Sam and Hector’s relationship, Sam’s troubled past with Marcus, as well as the discovery that both Sam and Hector are Gods. You will most definitely enjoy the wonderfully detailed world created for these fabulous stories!

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