A King Undone

Noble Pleasures, Book 1

By: Cooper Davis

Narrated by: John Hartley

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes you have to risk everything to follow your heart....

Noble Pleasures, book one: In a world where gentlemen openly court and marry fellow noblemen, the threat of scandal still lurks behind every velvet drape for kings and princes. Such has been the fate for King Arend Tollemach, forced to sacrifice his heart on the altar of regal duty.

Now that his wife is dead, and his royal obligations are at an end, he's ready to take an unthinkable risk. King Arend seeks a concubine from Temple Sapphor, a secretive, gated world where he will finally shed his virginity - as least as it pertains to making love to a man.

Julian never thought he'd spend 10 years on the temple shelf, passed over again and again. Just when he despairs of ever finding placement in a nobleman's bed, Arend walks into the temple. A lonely eyed, beautiful king who could easily steal his heart.

Arend discovers he has no problem opening his bed to the exquisite concubine. The problem lies in finding the key to his long-shuttered heart.

Warning: contains a beautiful, virgin king desperate to bed another man, a concubine who fantasizes about being claimed and revered by a strong monarch, and a sea of scandal set against a sensual, palatial backdrop.

©2014 Cooper Davis (P)2015 Audible Inc.

A fun over the top story!

One of the leading male characters is soft, feminine, and unapologetic about it. The writing is flowery and over the top, and I loved it!

Worlds slowest deflowering

If the title of my review appeals to you than you’ll love this book. I admit I like most period MM romance novels so I was very careless about picking it up and starting it, i think I read the synopsis and maybe the sample, but it moves at a glacial pace. Sometimes this is good, but if you are looking for a tight plot, this isn’t the book for you. There is a lot of slow paced scenes, which can be good. I do intend to listen to the end, but at chapter 20 of 22, I believe, I can’t see it changing things. Also very slight observation, Jules is supposed to have no accent per the first description of his voice and yet the narrator gave him a heavy French accent, which lightens as the story goes on thank goodness as it’s a bit cringeworthy being rather fake and too strong, or at least it seemed to me and yes I have visited different parts of France and speak a modicum of it.

I kept hoping

The performance was excellent but could not make up for cliched and overwrought writing over awkward plotting. The advertised HFN ending was a barely camouflaged hook to the next book, which in the first half hour has been more of the same. Recommendation? Seek out John Hartley. Avoid Cooper Davis like the plague.

A joyous listen!

I loved this silly happy goofy heartwarming story. I love the inventive subject material. I claim this one as my first ever favorite'

Mostly "witty" dialog

This book wasn't my cup of tea mostly because it was 9 hours of what was supposed to be witty, flirty dialog. But it was the obtuse type that rarely said what it meant and I just got tired of it. This book ends before the royal intrigue part of the plot resolves so I assume that will be the next book. I'm just not going to continue the story. Narration was very good, though.

more funny than sexy

I had a hard time finishing this, and I ended up laughing through most of the sex scenes because of the word choices used

Could not finish

Not the narrator's fault - fatphobia and just too much drama in general. *insert extra words here so I can press submit*

Most boring

This story was idiotic, boring and an absolute waste of time. Do not be suckered into its clutches.

Not for me

Seems to be a transcribed bodice ripper. I guess I'm not the intended audience for this novel. The concubine was portrayed as more of a stereotype than I would have hoped.

I just don’t like gay erotic fiction written for women

A silly overwrought romance novel where both parties happen to be men. Not like any actual gay men I know but i will take the author’s word for it