Silk & Steel

Silk and Steel #1

by Ariana Nash

The Dragon Queen’s reign is one of darkness and death. Humans have vanished under the rubble of their world and if the queen has her way, elves will be next.

Eroan, one of the last elven assassins, lives for one purpose: kill the queen.

He would have succeeded if not for her last line of defense: Prince Lysander. Now, captured and forced into the queen’s harem, Eroan sees another opportunity. Why kill just the queen when he can kill them all? It would be simple, if not for the troubled and alluring prince. A warrior, a killer, and something else…, something Eroan finds himself inexplicably drawn to.

Trapped in a life he despises, Lysander knows his time is running out.

If the queen doesn’t kill him for his failures, her enemies will. There’s nothing left to live for, until an elf assassin almost kills him. A stubborn, prideful, fool of an elf who doesn’t know when to quit. An elf who sparks a violent, forbidden desire in Lysander.

If Lysander can’t save himself, maybe he can save the elf and maybe, just maybe… one stubborn elf will be enough to bring down the queen before she kills them all.

Duty demands they fight for their people. Love has other plans.

Warning & Reader Advisory:

Silk & Steel is not a "romance".

This series is a DARK FANTASY intended for mature readers. While Silk & Steel is a love story, it is not for everyone. It is not categorized on Amazon, and not sold as m/m romance. It DOES feature a strong m/m LOVE STORY that develops over three books.
Silk & Steel features a gay dragon shifter, a bisexual elf, and adult themes. There is triggering content that some readers may find distressing, including implied incest, abuse, violence, dubious consent, and on-page sex. None of these instances are gratuitous. There is heterosexual sex and gay sex. The intense and star-crossed relationship between the two male leads develops over three books.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Dragons, Romance, Dark, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers

Unknown Binding

First published January 18, 2019

About the author

Born to wolves, Ariana Nash only ventures from the Cornish moors when the moon is fat and the night alive with myths and legends. She captures those myths in glass jars and returning home, weaves them into stories filled with forbidden desires, fantasy realms, and wicked delights.

Her debut novel Silk & Steel hit Amazon's:

#1 LGBT Bestsellers Horror
#1 LGBT Bestsellers Fantasy
#1 LGBT Fantasy Hot New Releases
#1 LGBT Horror Hot New Releases - for 3 months!

Join her Goodreads group here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Sign up to her newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/silk-steel

Reviews

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fucking good but please, for the love of GOD, don’t read this without fully digesting the content warnings in the synopsis. People are not joking when they say this book is full of torture, sexual assault, physical assault, emotional torment, pain, blood, grotesque incest and just tons of insane suffering that rivals Game Of Thrones. Jesus christ, some parts of this (namely the dick-chopping scene) made my vagina jump right up into my body and hide like a fucking pine marten.

I was recently in the mood for a really dark adult fantasy that would fuck me up, and oh boy, this didn’t disappoint. People have compared this to Captive Prince, and it’s a lot like it, in that it kicks off with tons of extreme pain and sex but then quickly transforms into an incredibly gripping high fantasy yarn about trauma, war, and great resilience in the face of suffering. Lysander is a character that my heart just bled for: his whole life is a long reel of constant and immeasurable pain, and he does everything he can to survive despite the odds being stacked against him. He’s been an outcast since the day he hatched from a dragon egg, and his vile rapist of a mother and smug arsehole of a brother immediately tried to kill him in an act of societally-accepted infanticide. He is treated like the runt of his litter, but as his family and his brood punishes him purely for existing, and he flagellates himself constantly, he hardens into diamond. His story of survival is absolutely gripping. He claws his way up through this fascist, homophobic, sexually-aggressive society, out of the ashes of his reprehensible mother’s hatred and his community’s abhorrent cruelty, and rises not with a soft kind heart, but with a steely edge of compassion that truly feels earned.

This book is not a romance, no; it’s a survival story from every angle, about people pushing back against the very darkest and vilest acts and fighting for what they believe in. Eroan’s return to his village after he survived terrible atrocities at the hands of the dragons - and witnessed just what they were willing to inflict upon their own kind, those deemed “weak” - was so compelling and heartbreaking. His relationships had changed, some broken and others strained by the great gulfs dug by his horrific experiences, and he crumbled as anyone would. But he pushes on, doing what’s right, yet not without flaw - his decision on the beach, when he mistakes Lysander for someone else, hammers home the willingness of good people to do terrible things in war.

The stakes here just felt so fucking high. Dread leaps from the pages, never more when a spectacular worldbuilding curveball is thrown at around seventy per cent into the book. My jaw dropped, and while I think this might be a Marmite thing, I loved it. It elevated the story from being a high fantasy to a devastating, heart-wrenching post-apocalypse. Enemies here feel powerful, and the protagonists feel constantly vulnerable, physically and emotionally. I binged this book in a single sitting and I honestly can’t remember the last time that happened. I just could not bear to put this book down.

The worldbuilding, outside of the dizzying reveal towards the third act, is deft and detailed without being overwhelming. The intricacies of the dragon courts and the sparking of the tribal leaders is abrasive, urgent; the stark contrast of the elves only bolsters the horror of the dragon courts, but even the elves themselves boil and simmer with dissent, and Eroan’s frustration with the Order is strong enough to taste. I was gutted by it, over and over, and even relatively minor characters like Janna and Marinn rise up off the page purely as products of their upbringings, be they gentle or brutal. The sheer depravity of the bronze dragons was so pervasive, so chilling, and their court was built in such a way that while Lysander was trapped there, isolated, vulnerable, under constant physical and sexual threat, every step he made boomed. The tension was just insane.

When I found out that this is a full series and all the books are out, I was so relieved I nearly cried. That cliffhanger had me gasping. Basically, don’t talk to me for the next week or so. I’ll be dug into my burrow finishing this series, and after it’s done, I’ll probably need a good week or so to recover.

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

✅ Dragon-shifters and elves
✅ Ruthless characters
✅ 2 POVs
✅ Hate-to-kind-of-love / Angst
✅ Captos / Captive
✅ Sexual tension and some smut
✅ Dystopian/Post-apocalyptic setting
✅ Plot
✅ Pace and action
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: Psychological and physical abuse, torture, slavery, orgies (harem), and tentatives of rape

In a post-apocalyptic world where metal and jeweled dragons rule over all and fight among themselves for power, Eroan Ilanea is an elf assassin sent to kill the dragon Queen Elisandra. Nobody made it as far as he did, but he is caught, imprisoned, and tortured. While in captivity, he catches the eyes of Lysander, the amethyst dragon prince, who is considered broken and a failure because he is interested in men only. It soon becomes evident that Lysander is also trapped, and is as much a prisoner of the queen as Eroan is, only in a different way. While Eroan is stubborn and refuses to escape until he finishes his mission and kills the queen, Lysander longs for freedom and against his better judgment wants to save the elf even though it’s considered weakness and treason.

Sweet fucking diamonds, weren’t elves supposed to be all brightness and light or some shit? Lysander knew their assassins were different but this… this was… he didn’t have words to describe this.

Silk & Steel was such an enthralling read! It flew by and kept me at the edge of my seat for most of it. The beginning does remind me of Captive Prince and I would recommend it if you like C.S. Pacat's series, although keep in mind that while it has a similar vibe at times, the story is not the same. Some ideas are similar, and the beginning is too, but as the plot progresses, it becomes its own compelling and magical story and is very enjoyable.

He didn’t look nearly as weak as he should have. Didn’t they need light to live? This one looked like vengeance alone sustained him.

The atmosphere is dark and some heavy themes are incorporated into the story, but it is very well done. Still, you need to read the trigger warnings first! The world-building is also well done, we get information as the story progresses, and it is well integrated into the plot, no info-dump here. I have to say though that the fact that they're talking about France was so weird at first because it made me realize that this book is actually a dystopian/post-apocalyptic urban fantasy, it just felt like a “regular” fantasy because of the elves and the dragon-shifters, and the lack of technology in general.

Mirann’s gaze sat heavy on his back. Apparently, she was impressed with the fuck-up she’d walked in on. And Lysander had thought amethyst were wired wrong. The bronze took fucked-up to a whole new level. Maybe all dragons were wired wrong.

This book is full of action, so many things happen and it is fast-paced, yet it does not feel rushed. We have just enough time to absorb what happened, and then we're thrown back into the action for the next fight, escape plan, or obstacle to overcome. The last few chapters were intense, with a fast pace and so much tension, that I had to refrain from skimming the book because I only wanted to know what would happen to Lysander and Eroan, and after they got separated I was desperate for a reunion. I was so anxious and so angry when they kept almost meeting each other but never quite got there!

“My name is Eroan Ilanea,” he breathed, setting his name free. “I was forged in the fires of Ifreann, quenched in Alumn’s maelstrom, for a single purpose... to kill the Dragon Queen.”

Eroan is a great main character. He is proud and defiant, and his whole life consists of training to be a dragon killer, yet when he meets Lysander times and times again while being captive in the amethyst tower, he starts to see that maybe there is a way for dragons and elves to try to coexist. He is understandably very wary of Lysander at first, but he has no choice but to accept that against all logic, Lysander wants to help him survive the tower. They have a fragile truce, but we can see that while Eroan hopes it means there is a way to eventually stop this endless war, he is also ready to strike and kill at any sign of betrayal. I do think that most of his character development will happen in the next books though so it will be interesting.

“Lysander is a diamond in the rough. Even broken, he is worth a thousand amethyst.”

I fell in love with Lysander. Hard.
On one hand, he is a ruthless dragon warrior with no equal, and has killed or was indirectly responsible for the death of countless elves. On the other hand, he doesn’t really care about his mother’s games of politics. He just wants to be free from his mother’s abuse and stop getting hurt and used again and again and again and again. He deserves so much love, and so much better than what he went through in this book. I hurt for him while reading this book. I wouldn't call him a morally grey character, because he still wants to kill elves, just not Eroan for some reason, but he is complex, and his chapters were very interesting to read.

Bring them all down… but one. The dragon with the green eyes and broken wing. The one who had dared think differently.

The relationship between Lysander and Eroan is not even close to being a romance yet, but I would still consider it a hate-to-maybe-kinda-love relationship even though they are far from the point where they admit that what they feel might be love! It starts with two enemies forced to trust each other, and we can see that something beautiful is beginning to develop between them. It is only a tiny fragile thing, but it has the potential to become an epic romance with time. It is a very slow burn that spans the three books of the trilogy, there is sexual tension and the angst between them only gets better as the story goes.

I also realize now that Seraph is also a character that I love in this series, and I didn't appreciate her enough the first time I read Silk & Steel. She is fierce and feisty, but she also has a heart of gold and a sweet naive side to her that makes her deadly yet adorable. I would love for her to have her novella, or a spinoff book like Akiem did, I would read it for sure!

It's a good thing that the rest of the series is published already these books are addicting and I can't think about anything besides reading the second book, even though it’s a reread and I remember most of what will happen.


0.5 Sealed with a Kiss ⭐⭐⭐.5


Follow me on Instagram 🙂

[Nark · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

i said it before and i’ll say it again - Ariana Nash never disappoints.



✦ this was so good!! this was very Game of Thrones-like, dragons and incest galore.
✦ an elven assassin, who's life mission is killing the dragon queen, and a dragon prince falling in love?? fuck me up please.
✦ very frustrating and angsty at times, but this is Ariana Nash we’re talking about. she’s the queen of angst. all this suffering is SO enjoyable though. i can’t wait to suffer some more while reading this series.

“i am Eroan Ilanea, i was forged in the fires of Ifreann, quenched in Alumn’s maelstrom, for one purpose… to kill.”

this book had:
✦ incredible, beautiful writing.
✦ dual POV.
✦ great fantasy world building.
✦ dragon shifters!!
✦ elves!!
✦ the falling-for-your-enemy trope! the mcs themselves aren't really enemies in my eyes, but elves and dragonkin definitely are in this world.
✦ lots of power plays and manipulations. let's just say i don't trust anyone, knowing the way this author writes.
✦ great fight sequences. hope to see some more epic battles in the next books.
✦ lots of twisted and dark themes. (tw for incest, abuse, dubious consent, torture, emotional torment).
✦ plenty of scenes that make your heart race.
✦ great main characters, who i’m already absolutely in love with.

“there was a great deal more to this elf than the fleeting glimpses he’d revealed so far. Lysander found himself wanting to peel back those layers to discover what secrets lay beneath.” same!!!!

✦ no actual romance as of yet, but i can definitely see the beginning of a great one. i know Eroan and Lysander will have to go through a lot of shit to get their HEA, but man, i know it will be worth it.

“and that was an ugly truth he hadn’t let himself admit. Eroan was a dragon killer, and Lysander had been an easy target. he’d fooled himself into making up some fantasy that could never be.
“once it was done, Eroan would have killed me.” and i’d have let him.” we’ll see about that…

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What da FUQ did I just read and why do I feel guilty for having THE BEST TIME?

This book was a fucking SHOCK to my little vanilla icecream, white bread, pepper too spicy system. (I know there's WAY worse/more fucked books out there, but most of the time I like to read for fun, silly tehe's and men kissing, so I'm very inexperienced in the fucked up book world)

WOW.
Wow.
wow.


If I could have recorded my face whilst reading this, I have not a single doubt it would have been like:






AS MUCH AS I AM TEAM "NEVER READ BLURBS/NEVER CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS" FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAYBE DO THAT???
OR READ THIS REVIEW SO YOU DON'T GO IN UNPROTECTED??? hahahahaha.
(or if you're like me, skip it all and dive right in, weeeeee!)


Because this book has fun for the whole family....
Starting the list strong with:
🐀 INCEST
🐀 PENIS BEING USED AS A MURDER WEAPON
🐀 TORTURE
🐀 NEGLECT
🐀 NON-CON/DUB-CON
🐀 MURDER OF INNOCENT PEOPLE
🐀 MENTIONS OF WIPING OUT WHOLE RACES
🐀 PENIS BEING USED AS A MURDER WEAPON
🐀 SEXUAL ASSAULT
🐀 FUCKED POWER DYNAMICS
🐀 FAMILY VIOLENCE

My darling friend Sarah, really did say "hey there's this book and it's pretty fucked, I think you'll like it" (paraphrasing but close) and she was not wrong. BLESS YOU.


And if you made it this far, please know, this book WAS NOT 5 STAR QUALITY, IT WAS 5 STAR VIBES!

The writing was horrendous sometimes, there are plot holes, there are weird time skips, there are times where it scene skips to something SO DIFFERENT you get a bamboozle, there are times where like... THE MC SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN ENORMOUS PAIN FROM THE TORTURE ENDURED because it only happened two days ago... but it gets forgotten...

(I read 2 chapters thinking they were in a dream or something, because they made NO SENSE, and when I realised, that they were in fact NOT IN A DREAM, I had to go back and re-read to see where I missed something??? NOPE. Just a scene skip that didn't make any sense.)

THERE ARE ERRORS HERE BUT I AM STAYING DELULU BECAUSE FUCK IT. I HAD A GREAT TIME.

Did I tell you about the part where a penis is used as a murder weapon?

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio – 5 stars! I’m so glad I waited on the audio because the narrator’s performance was perfect.

Story – 5 stars! Loved, loved, loved. Thank you so much for the rec, Achim!! xx

It’s the rare story that I find extended couple separation acceptable. This is one the rare stories. Firstly, because it’s book 1 of a trilogy. If the author makes up for the separation in the upcoming books, all will be forgiven. Secondly, I felt the connection between the MCs even though they were together for a short while. And even though they believe the other dead, I could also feel their longing for the other. Thirdly, the story is action packed and fast paced so it kept me engaged and distracted from the lack of romance.

I’m so ready for book 2. Eight days until the audio comes out.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 'Where has this book been all my life!?!' stars

Being a survivor, living with the pain, healing from it, it makes you strong.

This book is bloody brilliant and I have no idea how is it possible that I haven't come across it sooner. I might be repeating myself since I was already gushing about plenty of things in my review for the prequel novella but I have to say it again. I absolutely love the worldbuilding. The lands are dominated by dragon shifters - metal and jeweled kind - who are fighting for power. The only force brave enough (or foolish) is the elven assassins of The Order but their numbers are rapidly decreasing. Dragon bastards are almost impossible to kill.

Enter Eroan, the most daring and stubborn elf to ever live. He's prepared to fight tooth and nail until the job is done and who would rather die than fail.

“My name is Eroan Ilanea,” he breathed, setting his name free. “I was forged in the fires of Ifreann, quenched in Alumn’s maelstrom, for a single purpose... to kill the Dragon Queen.”

We already met him in Sealed with a Kiss but he's more lethal now and even more determined to end the dragons' reign no matter what. But he was not prepared to be faced with a dragon prince who is not at all what he seems.



Lysander is a perfect prince but for one thing. He's a deadly warrior. There's no one who could match his sword-fighting skills. He acts like a privileged aristocrat with all the time in the world. But his only crime (in the eyes of his mother) is that he's not willing to lie with a woman and be sold like a breeding stallion. And earning Queen Elissandra's wrath equals almost a death sentence. So, Lysander is basically a dead man dragon walking.

When Lysander's and Eroan's paths cross neither of them imagined that this will change their lives. Dragons and elves hate each other, right? But what if it didn't need to be like that? What if they could work together, help each other? And that's how they start an unlikely alliance. Warily saving each other's lives but never positively sure when the fragile truce will come to an end.

Before I reveal too much, I think that a little fangirling is now in order. I already liked Eroan from the prequel and when I started reading this book I was wondering if I'm gonna like Lysander the same. Well, absolutely no worries were needed because I fell in love with him the moment he showed up. My beautiful, heartbroken, tortured dragon prince. He really doesn't deserve how everyone is treating him just because he dares to be who he is and not pretends. I wish I could steal him away and hide him somewhere safe so nobody could harm him ever again.

“So, why are you helping me? Why are you different?” she asked.
He shrugged and dragged a smile out of nowhere. “I’ve no idea. If you figure it out, let me know, won’t you.” He offered his hand again. This time, she took it.

The author warned that this is not a romance and it is really not. However, in the midst of orgies, forced sex, rape, torture and all crazy fuckery you can imagine, there's this start of something beautiful, something not tainted with hate and war. I'm living for the moment when Eroan and Lysander will finally get a chance to explore this connection between them.

Fear held Lysander rooted to the spot and kept his hands locked at his sides. Fear that if he took a single step closer, if he lifted his hand and tucked that stray curl of white hair back behind Eroan’s tipped-ear, it wouldn’t stop there. He’d turn the elf’s face toward him, and if Eroan didn’t stop him, he’d taste those soft lips like he’d ached to since he’d first seen the elf in chains. And if he still wasn’t stopped, he’d explore that mouth, and when he was done there, he’d sweep the elf’s hair back and taste the curve of his neck.

BR with Melanie. I'm so happy that we started this series and that it turned out to be amazing. Thank you for discussing dragon politics with me! 😄💙

********************************
My original non-review right after finishing:
RTC ASAP If I write a review now, it would only consist of OMGs all over LOL

[Princess under cover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Dark fantasy adventure romance. There are two hot men, an elf and a dragon. What's not to like?

Lots of twisted dark, rapey stuff. But somehow, this particular author does it right. Like, the capture, torture, rape scenes aren't just devices for titillation, but they have a purpose, to move the plot along, to show the workings of a character's mind, and that's why I don't mind them.

Unlike another book in the same genre. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In fact, compared to this book, I'm tempted to give Grace Draven's Phoenix Unbound 2 stars instead of 3.

Anyway, both Eoran and Lysander are strong characters. I like Lysander better. He's always had a soft spot for Eoran and his loyalty, at cost to himself, just makes me love him. He's such a strong survivor, and yet capable of so much love. Eoran annoys me sometimes with his stubbornness, and I feel like he's more selfish than Lysander. That Lysander has had such a tough life, always getting "fucked" over by his mother, his brother, being torn down physically and mentally, that he can still be so giving and forgiving, makes me just love him to pieces.

See notes below on some note-worthy scenes - like the death by cock suffocation.

It was very entertaining. I'm glad Monique's review caught my eye :)

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

So... after some debate, I decided to take PUC's rec and give this a try. I see Monique likes this author's books too, and since I'm on a MM binge, let's see where it goes!

I don't know how I feel yet... This is a tough one.

OK, here are my thoughts:

THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE! Lots of trigger warnings - so do your research-- LOTS AND LOTS OF RAPE!!

That being said...

1) 5 stars for the world building

What can I say, I LOVE dragons!! Gotta be my fave shifters out of all shifters out there. Any author who can describe dragon shifters well have my respect. And AN does it well. Amethyst, Bronze, Diamond, Emerald, love the jewel tone theme... Love the descriptions of the animalistic brutality of the world. Disturbing yet... what do you expect from archaic reptilians?



2) 4.5 stars for the story

It was fast paced, it was involving, it had twists and turns with enough unpredictability to keep me interested. That I say, is a damn good story.

3) 5 stars for the Lysander

<

Oh my baby boy! How I love thee! My fave kind of hero! Brave, cynical, hopeful, true, selfless... You deserve sooooo much better than Eoran!

I have to agree with PUC that E ANNOYS the shit outta me!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4) 2.5 stars for the Eoran

See above. I get that this is enemies to lovers. I get that Elves are at war with dragons. E and L didn't meet under the best of circumstances. E can't afford to trust anyone, esp. the enemy. BUT.

The same is true of L. Yet, he's taken UNTOLD (well, quite explicitly told actually) ABUSE FOR Eoran! Sooooo much abuse! What did E suffer?? NOT MUCH but a few whips?? Come ON! Unfair. And he was the cause of more suffering for L. It kills me. AND he's off having sex with other men. Getting their hopes up. E is sooooooo self-centered!! Dislike him vehemently!

5) 2.5 stars for the amount of graphic abuse (of L mainly)

I get that this is normal for fantasy novels. This is also one reason I tend to avoid fantasy novels. The inventive, graphic, detailed abuse. Whether bloody dismemberment or more often rape. I just feel like there was too much. So maybe it's less a sign of this novel and more a sign that I don't like fantasy much, but in any case, I felt like the point would have been made for the story and character progression just as well without all the graphic abuse. So... not a fan.

6) 2.5 stars for the "romance"

This is the definition of slow burn. Whenever you have enemies to lovers. That all the sex happening is either with other characters or in the form of rape kinda disturbs me. I'm really a romance reader at my core. I don't like this other stuff, as PUC rightly pointed out. If there's going to be violence and rape, like in this Soldiers series I recently red, I'd rather it happens between the MCs or part of how they connect more to advance their love story if that makes sense. Aside from "fate" in this book, Alum wills it or whatever, I just didn't really feel why L and E should be together on their own two merits. Like I said, L deserves better.

So I guess for Book 1, I'll give it 3.5 stars rounded down. Not sure if I want to read the rest yet.

[Paige ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little disappointed because I didn't love this as much as I thought I would. I absolutely loved the Captive Prince series and I heard this was similar, but although it was definitely similar, I didn't think it was nearly as good in comparison

✅ I LOVED THE WORLD and magical creatures, although I was surprised to find out this was a post-apocalyptic world instead of straight fantasy? But anyway, this had both dragons and elves, two of my favorite fantasy races!! I feel like elves are oftentimes forgotten in favor of fae when it comes to fantasy-romance, so I loved finally being able to read about elves again (even though they're really not very different from fae lol)

❌ I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE the abuse, slavery and torture served much of a purpose in this book other than just being an activity done to the enemy. In Captive Prince, the slavery and abuse felt much more ingrained into the overall culture and societal structure, which made it more believable to me when compared to this book

✅ THE PACE WAS VERY fast, which I definitely appreciated! I love a well-paced book where there's always something interesting happening

🆗 I STRUGGLED TO FEEL INVESTED in the romance. I'm not sure what was missing for me, but I think it was that their initial attraction felt insta-lusty? I'm not sure. It's definitely enemies-to-lovers and very slow burn, which I am enjoying 😏 I think I will like the romance in the sequel better

Overall, I think this was a decent start to the series and I'm definitely going to continue reading the next book. The world began to expand a lot towards the end so I'm excited to see where the story takes me next 😆 I would recommend this if you're looking for a mature m/m fantasy romance because it does not shy away from dark themes such as slavery, physical abuse, sexual abuse, torture, etc.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Might Contain Spoilers*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

I was scared to start this one was people said that if you like Beautiful Monsters series by Jex Lane you'd like this one..... I didn't like BM that much. It had too much darkness, if you will. I felt the same when I started reading this author's The Prince's Assassin series, however, the author kept a fine line, enough for me to enjoy it. I don't like torture, flogging/whipping, dismemberment and rape. Hate it, in fact. I'm loyal to a fault, I prefer monogamy and I hate cheating. So I fear this book simply wouldn't do it for me after reading reviews but at the same time I did like TPA series, I liked AN's writing and worlds, plus this one has dragons.

Did I make a mistake starting this one? I don't think so. While the book had dark themes, it wasn't as bad as I had feared. That said, the author's other series TPS was much better. There, I didn't skim anything, here I did a bit. Eroan bored me sometimes and I didn't like how little he thought of a certain dragon. That dragon has gone through hell and keeps going through hell just to save others when no one wants to save him. I just want to hug him, Lysander was the best thing about this book. That said, I did not like how the book ended. Lysander didn't deserve that; go from one prison, to another to yet another. It's also hard for me to have dragons killed. To me they are superior to everything and I don't like the representation of them here, with incest, rape and madness. On to the next one.

Characters:
→ Prince Lysander Amethyst (25), a dragon shifter.
→ Eroan Ilanea, one of the last elven assassins of the Order.
→ Prince Akiem, Lysander’s older brother and favorite to the queen.
→ Queen Elisandra, Lysander and Akiem's mother. Lysander kills her.
→ Carline, dragonkin, healer. Old.
→ Dokul, dragonkin, the formidable bronze chief - bronze: they were known for their strange hoarding obsession. He’s one of the first. Dokul is the only one to survive the rising. The last of the great metal rulers: Gold and Silver are dead. The jewel-line, Lysander's generation, came next. Faster, more cunning, more vicious in every way.
→ Mirann, dragonkin, bronze, Dokul's daughter. Lysander was promised to her through a deal with the Queen and Dokul.
Elder Xena, elf. Killed by Mirann?
→ Janna, elf and friend of Eroan.
→ Seraph, elf and part of the Order.
→ Curan and Nye, elves and part of the Order. The only two people in the Order older than Eroan.
→ Chloe, human and part of the resistance against dragons.
→ Gabriel ‘Gabe’, leader of Chloe's group.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Dark Fantasy Romance (M/M).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
Triggers? - Rape, incest, torture, dismemberment.
HEA? - No.
Favorite character? - Prince Lysander Amethyst.
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes, I believes so.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes, if you like dark themes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably not.
Rating - 3 (weak) stars.

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Thrilling Fantasy!!

This post-apocalyptic fantasy left me craving for more! Lucky girl that I am, I’ve got it in the next two books of this devilish series!! 😱😱

This was dark and, as the author states, not a romance. What it is is DEPRAVED, SCINTILLATING, and ADDICTIVE!! ❤️❤️❤️

This is also not solely MM since the two MC’s barely touch each other and we see more of them with women and other men than with each other.

What to expect? A badass elven assassin seeking to murder the dragon queen who controls the land. In this adventure, humans and elves have been run-over by the dragons. Now, few of them are left to fight the scourge on the planet.

The Amethyst Queen has the assassin in her dungeons and marks him out to serve in her harem.

What else to expect? A conflicted dragon prince who bears emotional and physical abuse from his mother, the queen. Expect to encounter incestuous, voyeuristic scenes between this pair! 😱😱That mother is a piece of work!

Also expect to see two men fight their natures, because in the future being gay is not condoned. Expect to see brutal and uncomfortable sexual and torturous scenes. Can you say, “therapist?”

This was along story, but one that kept me enthralled the whole time. I never knew what was going to happen, and often the unexpected came my way. Kudos to Nash for surprising me! 👏👏👏

I listened to this and LOVED ❤️❤️ the performance by Cornell Collins—my recommendation is to listen at 1.25X since it’s a bit slow otherwise. His voices, however were spot-on!

Tags: torture, incest-ish behavior, public sex, orgies, rape, brutality, drug use, dub-con, non-con.

My rec? Yessssssss!!!!

[Melanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** An epic series!! ***
Book 1: 5 STARS
Book 2: 4.5 STARS
Book 3: 5 STARS

**********************

5 STARS!!

If tomorrow was the end, then what was a kiss today?

Wow! A dark, twisted, and fast-paced fantasy adventure. SO my cup of tea.

First, a warning: TRIGGERS GALORE . . . if you're the kind of reader who worries about questionable content, avoid this one at all costs.

If you're not, READ THIS BOOK!

The need to own, to hoard, to have. The dragons' curse.

Plot : Both humans and elves are near extinction at the hands (or teeth) of dragons. In its latest attempt to kill the Queen, the Elven Order of Assassins has sent its best to the dragon stronghold. There, Eroan is captured, imprisoned and tortured . . . and meets the dragon prince, Lysander.

Eroan could almost believe this prince with his half-smile and haunted silences was something other than the monster.

And so begins Lysander and Eroan's impossible love/hate relationship.

There was a great deal more to this elf than the fleeting glimpses he'd revealed so far. Lysander found himself wanting to peel back those layers to discover what secrets lay beneath.

Be prepared for an incredible ride! I loved every moment of this one. I mean, who doesn't love dragons? Especially these cute and cuddly types:

Her kind - a dragonkin who cared for others - were rare. As far as he knew, they didn't fix their weak, they ate them.

LOL, good stuff.

There were times that I wanted a bit more background to flesh out the world building, but overall, the writing was fabulous. I'll leave you with my favorite sentence:

The deep, luscious sound rumbled through his chest and sank into Lysander's bones stoking the fires hotter, brighter, luring the beast in him out of its hiding place and spilling its needs and wants through his veins.

A HUGE thank you to MONIQUE for inviting me to read this one with her. Without you, Moni, I would have put this off for who knows how long. Thanks for the buddy read. 🥰

Also, thank you to LYN for bringing this one to my attention in the first place. 🥰

[Gabi · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @66%

I should've stopped way sooner. I really should have.
I read the sample, it was awesome, so I bought it on a whim. I wanted something not contemporary, and something that's plot-driven. This fit the bill perfectly.

My review is full of spoilers, read it at your own peril.

The story starts with Eroan (love the name) who is an elf, sent to kill the dragon queen. The opening scene shows him chained to a wall in the dragonskeep. He got captured during the fight. But we haven't actually seen the fight, unfortunately. I would have loved to see that.

He's been captured by Lysander, the queen's son, one of the dragon prince. If it wasn't clear before, yes, they can shift from a human body to dragon form.

Eroan was so fierce and defiant, I liked him immediately.
Lysander took a liking to him, but of course they were enemies.

The world-building is good, though I have some questions, which I might've got the answers to if I read the whole thing. I'm not sure how the humans fit into the dragon and elf-world, how they lost the war. And where did dragons even came from?

So it started out strongly for me. I liked where the story was going, and I liked the slow-burning romance. But. BUT!
And here it gets tricky, also really spoilerish!

There are things that just don't make sense to me.
The relationships in this book are sooo messed up.

First: Lysander and his mother, the Queen Elisandra.
Lysander as the prince is destined to breed, but he can't perform when it comes to females. The Queen however is determined to fix that. She says Lysander is 'broken'. And she arranges a coupling with a female in the other clan.
Lysander is miserable. He just wants to be free of the shackles.
Through the whole story, there would be examples, when Lysander tries to disobey his mother, and she would punish him. Literally tries to kill him, or at least injure him enough that he could really feel it. And in some cases Lysander would fight back. So their relationship is very aggressive. One time she almost kills him. Yet, he goes back. Whyyyy? Why doesn't he just leave? Probably the queen would hunt him down, because she needs him to make the connections with other clans stronger. So he goes back, battered and bruised. He was literally dying. And they act like nothing happened between them, like that fight didn't happen. Why doesn't Lysander just kill the bitch? He could've. He had several opportunities. Even before Eroan was captured. So I don't get it. It probably makes more sense out of context, but as I was reading, I just didn't get it.

And then, after he finally killed his mother, and started a riot in the clan, he decided it would be a good idea to seek help in the other clan, where the Queen originally wanted to send him to breed. I guess he thought that the coupling was off the table, now that the Queen was dead. Well he thought wrong, he was again forced...or more like persuaded to have sex with the princess, who's name I don't remember.

Honestly, Lysander seemed like a lost puppy to me. He just drifted from one place to another, without a goal in mind. What was he thinking would happen when he got to the Bronze clan?

Second: Eroean and.... well every other elf.
This happened a bit further in the storyline. Near where I stopped. Again, Spoiler!
Eroan survived the horrors of the dragonkeep, and went home.
He's best friend, Janna, awaited him. It turned out Janna was in love with Eroan, but her love was not returned, at least not how she wanted it, because Eroan, just like Lysander, was 'broken'. He couldn't be with Janna. So I was surprised when he initiated sex with Janna. How? Wasn't it stated before that he could only be with males? Or was that just an assumption by the Queen?
And just before they had sex, Eroan argued that he can't and won't have children, his life is in the Order, he wants to fight the dragons. And then with a flip of a switch he decides that it's a good idea to fuck Janna after all? WTF??
And there was Nye, an elf male, who's been secretly in love with Eroan. And there was some sexy times too. But then the image of Lysander popped into Eroan's head and the moment was ruined.

To me it seemed like the authors were trying to draw sex out of every encounter. And it felt forced to me. Though there was only one actual sex scene in this book, around where I stopped. Before that there were only blowjobs and handjobs (forced, in both cases).

And one other thing I kind of understood, but not entirely. The Queen said Lysander is 'broken'. Which meant he wasn't into females. So he couldn't breed. And as the prince, that was a problem. I get that.
But it seemed it was only a problem in Lysander's case, because the members of the Bronze clan didn't make it a secret that they're more open-minded and free-spirited in that regard. And that didn't seem to bother the Queen. And it didn't bother her either when she forced her harem to brake Eroan's will... in a sexual way. She even enjoyed watching those males pleasure Eroan.
So poor Lysander was the only one the Queen didn't let off the hook. That's why I don't understand why he didn't kill her sooner.

Aaand there was something else I wanted to say.... but now I forgot what it was. Anyway. I think this book was full of minor plotholes. I liked the idea of this, an enemies to lovers story, but I think it would have needed a bit more tweaking.

Triggers: Orgies, MF sex scenes, non-con/dub-con, and maaaybe incest, but that was only a short scene.
It is a dark read, but compared to some of the books my friends are reading, they would say this is mildly dark.

[Rachel (LoverofTBR) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silk & Steel series
Book 0.5 - Sealed With A Kiss
Book 1 - Silk & Steel
Book 2 - Iron & Fire
Book 3 - Blood & Ice
Book 3.5 - Lost & Found
Book 4 - The Black Prince

Update: 6/23/20
This book has left quite a lasting impression on me and was an amazing start to this series so I will bumping up the rating to 5 stars!

4 5 ‘until it was done’ 🌟

If tomorrow was the end, then what was a kiss today?

What a thrilling and fascinating adventure was this!! I have never read a book like this one nor do I think will I ever read one. The elements and the creativity that it combined were top-notch and made for a compelling dark read. Silk & Steel was even more dark than I was expecting it to be and it would be a very wise decision to heed the trigger warnings if you are a sensitive reader.

A dragon chatting with an elf. By the nights! It was unheard of.

Eroan is an elf assassin dedicated to killing the brutal dragon queen and it was on this mission that he ‘met’ Lysander, the broken dragon prince. Lysander captured Eroan moments before he would have succeeded in killing the dragon queen, a decision that Lysander would come to regret. Elves and dragons are sworn enemies and this sparks the animosity between the arrogant elf and the broken prince.

“Lysander is a diamond in the rough. Even broken, he is worth a thousand amethyst…”

Lysander rises like ember from the ashes in this book because despite all the mental and sexual abuse that he has went through at the hands of the queen, his own mother, he still shines and is capable of being tender. You were ore, rough and unwieldy, until she forced you to survive. There, you forged yourself into a weapon with a heart of steel. Lysander is called broken by his homophobic clan for his sexual preferences, but he stills stands headstrong for what he believes in.

“You know what I think is funny,” the prince grinned, “that the two most foolish creatures on this earth somehow found one another.”

I immensely enjoyed this dark fantasy M/M ‘romance’ and the only reason that the romance is in quotes is because it was uber slow-burn that it hasn’t even properly developed in this book. The writing was beautiful and easy to get into and the characters were successful in pulling out all the emotions from me. My only complain is that the plot lacked sometimes, but it was easy to overlook in favor of the characters. Immediately jumping into the next!!

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

i just wanna protect Lysander. he deserves the world. ☹️

i also adored Carline and Seraph!! not sure how i feel about Eroan just yet. he was interesting, yes, but i definitely have more of a soft spot for Lysander atm. can't wait to see how the romance develops tho (especially with dragons vs elves being enemies). <3

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I'm going in. Spoilers ahead.


This book was just alright. Giving it 3 stars is me being generous.

It starts with Eroan being captured while attempting to assassinate the Dragon Queen. He is starved and tortured until the queen discovers that her son, Lysander, seems very interested in Eroan. The queen decides to add Eroan to her harem despite Eroan batting for the other team. She has some magnetism thing going on that enthralls the males to her that is never really explained. Lysander, who is attracted to Eroan kills her before she can make that happen and then flees to another dragon clan as his brother tries to kill him as revenge.

In the melee, Eroan returns to his clan, everyone is shocked to see him because no one ever returns from the mission. Obviously he's been tortured and is disillusioned, he's spent years living his life just to kill the queen and didn't even get a chance to do it. He decides to try rallying humans to help in the battle against the dragons so he journeys away till he meets them.

Lysander meanwhile is f*cked. He's in a clan who just wants to breed him and he's basically tired of his life. He thinks Eroan died during the whole confusion after killing the queen and he's all moody. He hears word that Eroan is not dead when another elf party is captured and he decides to save the elf because he knows that will make Eroan happy with him and that it's the right thing to do.

The whole book was just....just. There were so many things that happened that I really don't understand why they happened.

1.Why does everyone want to kill the queen, what exactly did she do that makes the elves and humans want to kill her? She wasn't nice to her child, she was kind of rapey, no she was definitely rapey towards Lysander but we are not told if that's a bad thing in the dragon kingdom because the same thing seemed like not a big deal with the Bronze Dragons.

2. Why does Akiem want to kill Lysander. I can understand trying when Lysander killed the queen but when he was kit, why did they try to kill him. Dorkul just glossed on it but he didn't really say why they wanted to kill him.

3. So even though these guys say they are gay somehow the author still makes them have sex with women. Few pages past they can't get it up with a woman and then all of a sudden they are pumping and thrusting. They each had sex with women! Pick a side. Are they gay or bisexual?

4. Why do the main characters always think the other partner is dead. It's crazy. They always think that. Infact the book ends on just that same thought, it was exhausting.

After going through all of this you discover that both characters were together for maybe about 30% of the book. They weren't together for more than half the book! It really started well with the hate to love thing, after that it became a dull mess. I thought I was going to get some hate sex and I couldn't even get that. I won't hold my breath for the next one that's for sure.

[J1B · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is no greater sin in MM fiction than to have your two actually gay main characters engage in heterosexual relations. This offense ranks above even the nearly ubiquitous "bisexual" MM romances--despite being exploitative and low key homophobic, at least those are honest in their heteronormativity. And to actually have the acts committed on stage... unforgivable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Pippa DaCosta's writing so when I found out she was writing a dark fantasy M/M story under the pen name of Ariana Nash I immediately added it to my wish list. Throw in the fact that the main characters of Silk & Steel are an elven assassin and a dragon prince and I just couldn't wait to get started! Anyone who has ever read any of Pippa's stories will know that she excels at detailed world building and tortured heroes and she has outdone herself on both of those fronts with this book.

Eroan is one of the few surviving members of the elven assassins, his whole life has been spent training to kill the dragon queen although he has always known that he is more likely to die in the attempt than to actually succeed. He came so close to achieving his goal but he was captured by the dragon prince Lysander and now he is being held prisoner in their stronghold. The only thing keeping Eroan going is his dream of ending the dragon queen once and for all but the longer he spends in captivity being tortured the slimmer his chances appear.

Lysander has been his mother's plaything since he was a child, nothing he ever did was good enough to earn her acceptance and the title prince is a mockery when he is just as much a prisoner of his circumstances as Eroan. Lysander has given up hope of surviving his mother but there is something about the fierce and proud elf that makes him long for a future he knows is impossible. Perhaps if he can just manage to save Eroan then his entire life won't have been wasted but to do that he's going to have to stand up to the woman who has made his entire life a misery.

You only need to read the blurb for Silk & Steel and the warnings it contains to know that this story is going to be a dark one, it's actually quite uncomfortable to read at times but in that best kind of ways where your heart hurts but you just can't stop reading. The characters are complex with believable motives and although there is a great forbidden romance bubbling along in the background it's definitely  a slow build which works perfectly in this situation. That's not to say there's no heat in this story because there's still plenty of sex happening, both of the M/M and M/F variety, but Eroan and Lysander have a long road to travel if they want any chance at a happily ever after and they're nowhere near the finish line yet.

I'm ridiculously excited to see where this series is going to take us, there have already been plenty of unexpected developments and I'm sure Ariana Nash is going to throw in a few more curveballs along the way. This is shaping up to be one heck of a ride!

_______________

A not-so-secret pen name for Pippa DaCosta? Hell yes I want to read this one!

[Jewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars 

So, that was some pretty amazing fantasy storytelling, right there. I've been eyeing this series for a while now, but the "not a romance" warning made me hesitant. I'm glad I gave in, though, because wow, Silk & Steel was my jam. I mean, we have elves and dragon shifters and they are not friends - what's not to like?

As the blurb states, this is not a romance. Hell, in this book, the MC's are barely ever in the same place at the same time and when they are, they are mortal enemies. But the chemistry is there - in spades - and you just know that once these two do get together, it's going to be incendiary. We haven't gotten there, yet, though. Eroan and Lysander get separated about halfway through Silk & Steel and they're still separated at the end. I hope I'm not disappointed by their reunion lol.

Even though there is a lack of romance in Silk & Steel, there is not a lack of chemistry between the MC's or sex, in general. Both MC's do have sex with other people (some consensual, and some less so), just so you're aware, but since they are not together, yet, I was ok with it. Also, as the blurb states, there is both M/F and M/M sex in this story. Very hot sex on both counts. There are scenes that may trigger some folks, though, so do pay attention to the warnings in the blurb.

I love reading fantasy. Fantasy and sci-fi are my first loves. Growing up, I found myself most easily able to escape the more unpleasant aspects of my life in fantasy and sci-fi novels, so when I find a good one, it's kind of like going home. It's comfortable and comforting, even if the story is dark, and Silk & Steel is dark and it hit almost every note for me.

I'm super glad that this series is complete (at least for Eroan and Lysander's storyline) because that ending would have me at the edge of my seat, otherwise. Holy. Fuck. 

Now onto Iron & Fire!

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUT NOW!

TRIGGER WARNING! ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DUBIOUS CONSENT!

When Ariana Nash first said she is planning on writing a dark M/M fantasy/romance book I was really worried. First because I'm not all that into M/M. Usually the story has to be really good for me to ignore the fact that the sex scenes make me uncomfortable and most often than not manage to turn me completely off. I know this is a bias and that if it's a conventional romance I would let a lot more slide plot-wise than when I'm reading M/M. I do try to keep an open mind and always think how my gay friends have amazing mental stamina to get through the M/F scenes that are the norm. Basically homosexual scenes do nothing for me so I tend to only read the dialogues and focus on the relationship. The romance itself is no problem for me, I get just as involved emotionally and I root for the couple and feel all mushy inside when they get their happy ending. So I was aware that agreeing to receive an advance copy of this and review it is a risk for both the author and me as I'll be a lot more critical than usual. In fact I spend a lot of time contemplating my rating. Five stars is too much but four starts just aren't enough, so I settled for 5 and I'll tell you what swayed me in favour of giving the higher rating. Remember that I told you that M/M sex scenes do nothing for me? Up until reading this series (I read the prequel when it was released) that was 100% true. Until this. Boy, some of the scenes were HOT (though I would have preferred it if one of the guys was a girl but hey it's the way I'm wired!) and for the first time ever I didn't skim read them. So bonus a fraction of a start for that.

My second concern when I learned of this book was that I know how dark and twisted Nash's other books are (this is a pen name for one of my favourite authors Pippa DaCosta), having her warn us this will be dark made little warning lights go off in my head. If you somehow skipped the Trigger Warning in the beginning, let me tell you this - by God, this was twisted and screwed up on so many levels. I was actively uncomfortable through much of the book because the things that happened to the characters both on page and implied, past and present are seriously fucked up. So if you have a weak stomach stay away. If sexual abuse in any form triggers a bad memory stay away. If implied child abuse sickens you to the point where you can't take a breath stay away. This is not a book for you. But if you can stomach all that and want to see characters that fight to survive it and be free, free from their abusers, from a society that tells them that who they love is wrong, characters who not only survived the abuse and constant pressure to conform but didn't let it twist them and turn them ugly inside, this book is for you. Reading it won't be easy, there'll be rough moments when putting it down and taking deep breaths is the only way to silence the rage and bone deep sorrow at what's done to these characters. But for me at least, it was worth it to have the chance to accompany Eroan and Lysander on this first part of their journey.

I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Being a survivor, living with the pain, healing from it, it makes you strong."

The very first (full length) Ariana Nash book, that started three amazing series (so far!) and set me off on my m/m fantasy voyage of discovery....Silk & Steel 💙🤍🖤.

This is book one in the complete Silk & Steel trilogy, a dark m/m fantasy tale of dragon shifters and elves, sworn enemies to lovers, devastating war, violence and bloodshed. But it's also a love story.

In Silk & Steel we are introduced to Eroan, a bisexual elven assassin on a life's mission to eliminate the Dragon Queen. Except he's been captured by the Queen and is currently being tortured and kept as part of her harem.

And then we have Lysander, a prince of dragons, who is a failure in his mother's eyes, gay, without any offspring and really not the warrior son the Dragon Queen has always wanted. And now she wants him to force himself on Eroan. If his mother doesn't kill him, the annoying elf surely will.

This is dark and there are triggers. But it is also uplifting and heartening and steamy (so steamy 🔥🔥🔥) and unique and a total page-turner.

I totally loved it and I totally loved the rest of the series too 🤍💙🖤.

Highly recommended.

All the stars ✨✨✨✨✨.

[M'rella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am itching to DNF.

Warnings:
Incest (mother/son), rape, M/F 99% of the book.
This is NOT a love story, never mind the what the author claims. This is where Stockholm Syndrome meets Lima Syndrome, both fueled by the common need to kill the Queen.
*
Overuse of “male” - strong male, short male, older male, the other males and so on; misplaced modifiers galore.

Little to no history of this universe. No world building either, we are just thrown in the midst of it.

Quite a few things don’t make sense.
- Why couldn’t a dragon heal his broken wing? There are splints in that universe, I assume.
- Why humans who attack bronze dragons on this continent suddenly live on the other side of the ocean? As far as I know they were much keen on transportation of any kind. Less so en masse. What did I miss?
- Why didn't the dragon prince - who hated his mother so much, he wanted her dead, like yesterday dead - let assassin elves take care of that particular pesky problem? Why did the prince fight for her, risking his own life? Either kill her already or stop bitching and throwing self-pity parties.
- The Queen had one use only for her son: breeding. It explains why she didn't finish Lysander off. Why she still kept him by her side. But why did Lysander keep coming back to her if he hated it??? That's just twisted.
- Why did Lysander, instead of taking the throne on the spot when the time was right, chose to go to his worst enemy, right where his bitch of a mother wanted him in the first place? Played right into her hands.

One stupid decision after another.

There is no romance at all - none, most definitely not M/M, just wishful thinking on Lysander’s part and a mild Stockholm syndrome where Eroan is concerned. Both unfulfilled. There are meek attempts by the author to introduce some sort of m/m hanky-panky, but it all unavoidably goes the opposite/straight way and as a result 99.5% of the book is M/F.

Frankly, if I had wanted to read a straight book, I would have picked something else entirely, definitely something that doesn’t include one rape scene after another, half of the book mother trying to mate with her own son.

I think I am done with this series.

1 star for the 65% I read. Extra half star for the very evil Amethyst Queen. She was my favorite in this book; the only one true to her character, she knew exactly what she wanted and acted on it.

[Ariana Nash]

UPDATE:

I'm getting lots of questions which I'll try and answer here. If you have any more, do drop them in the comments below:

1, Book 2 in the Silk & Steel series is due to be published in April. out now!

2, Eroan identifies as bisexual. Lysander is gay. (This isn't explicitly said in book 1 but it is implied by their behavior).

3, There will be three books in the series.

4, If you're looking for gushy romance, this series isn't that but it features two strong male leads who overcome their terrible pasts and social expectations to find love.

***

OUT NOW! Ebook exclusive to Amazon. FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Paperback at Amazon, B&N, Book Depository.

48 chapters.
84,599 words.

And Silk & Steel #1 is FINISHED! (ready for the editor).

Here's 10 things I've learned while writing Eroan and Lysander:
1, I have a soft spot for troubled males (this likely comes as no surprise to anyone who has read any of my Pippa DaCosta titles and yet it still surprises me)
2, m/m is sexy as fuck
3, m/m elves are off-the-scale HAWT (I'm a tiny bit in love with Trey and Eroan from Sealed with a Kiss)
4, Throw in an angsty dragon and everything spontaneously combusts from hotness
5, There's 100% more story in this novel than there would have been had it stayed serialized on Radish (I'm so happy this turned into a novel with all its complicated layers and world-building!)
6, The post-apocalyptic dragon-infested world Silk & Steel is rooted in, is a delight to write and populate with characters.
7, There's less "romance" in Silk & Steel than I had initially planned, but the love story between Lysander and Eroan is the main driving force behind our main characters' actions and behavior. They are enemies, after all, and enemies-to-lovers takes time to develop well. However, there is ample and detailed sex to keep you going.
8, Eroan is bad-ass and gets even more bad-ass during the series.
9, Lysander is a tormented sweetie. He's described by another dragon as the "diamond in the rough" and I <3 him and his trials so much my heart hurts.

I cannot wait for you all to read it!

UPDATE: I have NEWS! I'll be launching this as a professional novel under the new pen-name Ariana Nash in January 2019.

Silk & Steel is the title of a new dark fantasy and something of a passion project of mine - something I wanted to write in my spare time. However, that didn't quite work out. I started it with the intention of serializing it free online but the characters got a hold of me and demanded I do this properly. We want layers, they said. A full-length novel, they said. With full-on world-building, twists, romance, and some seriously dark shit. Or they strike. As any writer will tell you, the best characters usually get their own way and who am I to argue with them?

So, they're getting their novel, their world-building, their seriously dark shit in 2019. You can check my progress in the Facebook group here

Some warnings:

• It will be raw.
• It will feature erotic m/m and m/f scenes, m/m/m. Plus torture.
• It will be dark.
• Did I mention it'll be dark?

It'll also have an awesome enemies-to-lovers LGBT story that I cannot wait for you to read!



WARNING: Silk & Steel contains graphic sexual content. NSFW

Consider yourselves warned.

[Preeti · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Not a romance star

A beautiful fantasy book set in a ruthless, brutal world and filled with vivid, imaginative descriptions of rape, torture, death, drug use, and power struggles for both physical and political supremacy.

This world is divided among Dragons(the rulers and oppressors), humans(mostly vanished), and elves, who are very limited in their numbers but still, trying hard to survive. These elves have formed an order to train assassins to kill the Dragon queen. But, their latest failed attempt leads to the capture of Eroan who meets Lysander, the broken dragon prince(say he likes men) in his captivity.

I love the MCs and I feel that is what made me like this book a lot. Otherwise, I had read most of these plotlines in other dark fantasy/romance books. The MCs were more like two warriors trying hard to survive in this horrifying world than lovers. There is a connection but don't start reading this book expecting romance. Because there is none. In place of romance, you will get-

Warning- Rape, dub-con, orgies, sex as public performance(can it be called public sex???), A bit of incest, and a lot of MF sex scenes.
But, if you are a lover of dark fantasy, you will love the dark theme and Worldbuilding. If you are not into dark fantasy then this is one of those books where I will advise you to please read the blurb, that I did only after reading the book.😂😂😂 

Yet, I loved the interesting premise and worldbuilding. And, do not mind the lack of romance, angst, or all the other dark themes. I am definitely looking forward to the next book.

Note- I love Cornell Collins's narration since he narrated 'Will Darling' series by KJ Charles but here I liked it more.

[Lisazj1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing fantasy. When I read the blurb, I was hooked. Elves and dragons? Yes please. But I couldn't have imagined how merciless and painful this world is, how inhumanly brutal. I don't do angst all that well and good Lord did I mess up here, because I couldn't stop reading, no matter how terrible things were for Eroan and Lysander.

The blurb warns this is not a romance and it isn't. Eroan and Lysander never got the chance for it to be anything, besides the fact that an Elf assassin and a dragon prince can never be.

Despite the fact that they are apart for much of the book and believe each other deadand I absolutely hate it when the MCs are separated not to mention the on-page sex with others, which I also hate, I couldn't put this down, I was utterly wrapped up in the story, and ran right to the next book as soon as I closed this one. Completely addicting!

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragons and elves.
Sworn enemies.
In a harsh and brutal world.

One that Ariana Nash paints in colourful and highly imaginative detail.
Death, rape and torture are things that seem to a kind of normal for the dragons and their broods.
In case I haven’t made myself clear enough - this is not for the faint-hearted or for those of you who seek a romantic setting in dragon lore.

The violence at times is horrifying, the crude brutality blood-curling and yet – I enjoyed the heck out of this book anyway. And believe you me, that’s not my usual MO!
So what is it that kept me going?
Definitely the MCs, Eroan's determination and stubborness, Lysander's hurt and anguish, definitely the fabulous plot and most of all the engrossing writing!
I was sucked in and couldn’t put this down. I was going What? What now? Why? Oh no! and Help! all the way, thrown by plot twists galore and couldn’t believe where this was all going – in a good way.

Now this is an author who likes her MCs to suffer a bit and LOTS of stuff happen to both, Lysander and Eroan. But, to make this clear, real romance isn't one of them, not in this book anyway. It's too soon and too complicated, but let me tell you, there are plenty of feels and so much promise for more! I was totally captivated.

Soooooo - Starting book 2 straight after this.
#addictive

[✩ Mira ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars and a prayer for some happiness for Lysander



me, reading Silk & Steel and going through constant pain for 380 pages straight:


Oof, this book is not for the faint of heart, but it was such an enthralling read. I can't say that I enjoyed myself exactly because honestly there is nothing to bring you joy in this book (except one short scene). This is a full on stop-it-please-it-hurts fest. Like, you know how books usually have action and then some light and fun moments and then some more action? Here it was a non-stop ride, no breaks, no smiles and somehow you just can't stop yourself from turning the next page. Silk & Steel flew by for me, it definitely didn't feel almost 400 pages long.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever read such an action-packed book before. So many things happened, like sooo many. Action-wise it felt like an entire YA fantasy trilogy in one book. Despite how fast-paced it was, it didn't feel rushed - I felt like we had just enough time to absorb everything before diving into the next.

I'm really impressed with this author for the above-mentioned but also for her world-building. This is the first book of a fantasy series but somehow no part of it felt info-dumpy and I wasn't confused at all, even at the beginning. I liked how the world kept expanding as the book went on and the information we got wasn't presented in an in-your-face way.

Silk & Steel doesn't shy away from heavy topics and it is right there on par with Captive Prince . It actually reminded me very much of this trilogy, especially in the beginning and I'm not saying this as a bad thing. As the plot progressed, it felt less and less similar and became its own thing.

Lysander was my absolute favourite, my dragon son, who just wanted to be good and got hurt again and again and again and again and again and he. did. not. deserve. it. My boy needs to be done right in the next book and it should happen asap in book 2 or imma fight the author. Also his chapters were always super interesting.


I liked Eroan but somehow I couldn't love him. His distrust towards Lysander made sense but it still took him too long understand what was going on. I'm usually not a fan of characters like him that are sent on a mission and just have that mission in mind until the end. Like he had this "My name is Eroan and I'm an assassin of the Order and I will kill the queen and not stop until it's done" and the first time he says it it's cool but then he says it again and again and we get it, dude, we get it. I like it when they change, they trasorm their values, find something more important. To be fair, this is a series and I'm pretty sure that his character developent will happen in the following books. Sadly, some of his chapters kind of dragged for me and I honestly didn't care much about the elves or the humans.

The "romance", if it can be called that, is super slow-burn and I'm excited for it. The only thing was that it wasn't really an enemies-to-lovers, like they are never really enemies if you think about it, except in the veeery beginning, it's more of Romeo-and-Juliet or well, Romeo-and-Romeo, star-crossed lovers kind of romance, but I'll let it slide.

Silk & Steel made me super anxious and had me on the edge of my seat but I kind of hated how we didn't get the pay-off. They were sooo close to meeting so many times it kind of started making me angry when it kept on not happening.

Overall, a great start of a dark fantasy series with a delicious romance sprinkled in. Perfect for fans of Captive Prince .

[ash | · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmmm... i don't know



this is not a mm 'heavy romance' but a slow burn mm 'love story' between prince lysander (gay dragon) and eroan (bisexual elf assassin) in a post apocalyptic dragon infested world, that will develop and evolve over the span of the series. in terms of 'dark' elements, it felt tame and mild.

i want to make sure everyone has that understanding before jumping into this book. think along the lines of 'captive prince sow burn'

i think i will like this series. i am told the 2nd book is better. i had a lot of trouble with the writing from the very first chapter -- it felt unpolished in syntax, pacing, and execution. this story would've been executed better as a character driven story instead of the plot being the focus -- because the reader may have a difficult time connecting to the story and becoming invested in the character's lives because they were all left undeveloped. the plot is good however, but for me as a reader, i personally need developed characters in order to feel invested and appreciate the story being told.

i'll give the second book a chance though. please make sure you read up on the content warnings though because there are a lot that will make most readers uncomfortable.

[Nainika Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragons, elves, dying humans, lore, worldbuilding, fantasy, death....
all the above.

I liked this! Well-written, characters that actually did something and of course, dragons didn't help...they were the star - until they weren't....

[Joshita ❤]

umm MM romances, enemies to lovers, fantasy....may I ask where were you all my life Mr!