Chapel Orahamm

The mysterious figure known as the Wild Dog has risen up to crush and humiliate the Earls who control the North. Fen, son of a powerful Earl, has been sent to form an alliance to benefit his father’s plans against the bold rebel. There are many kinds of alliances in the world of nobles, but political alliances often grow to include the intimacy of lovers or even marriage, and Fen has been ordered to use his famed beauty seduce his intended, regardless of what he feels. But Fen has no love for his cruel father or in forming any kind of alliance with a noble his father prefers. He takes his first chance to run, only to end up lost and hungry in vast wilderness… where he is found by the Wild Dog himself.

Lan, called Wild Dog by furious Earls who don’t like to be challenged, looms over Fen and most others, and yet carries Fen when Fen is too weak to walk any longer. He allows his friends to tease him and ensures his people are fed before he sits for his own meals. Fen, who has rarely known kindness, is captivated. But Fen is also an Earl’s cub, and if the Wild Dog can change rules that have always existed, then so can Fen. Without his father’s say he offers an alliance of his own, promising to use his knowledge of the nobles to help the Wild Dog achieve his aims. No seduction is required, although for the first time in his life, Fen considers it. Each time Lan listens to him, or pulls him close to share warmth as they sleep, or shows that he trusts Fen, Fen wants him in a way he barely understands.

But Fen is more powerful than he realizes or that his nickname of “Flower” would suggest. He sees destiny at work when he looks at Lan. The Wild Dog is something greater than a mere Earl, and fate, or the fae, have placed Fen in his path. Now it’s time for Fen-the-flower to decide if his agreement with Lan might become more—an alliance, or marriage, for the ages.

Where to begin with this one?

I must admit that I have taken a shine to R. Cooper’s Suitable series. I like the world build. It takes me back to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsinger series. There’s a depth to the world build that could take this from spicy romance into the type of territory that Game of Thrones took. There’s a well laid out structure of political intrigue. But it doesn’t. It gives you that taste so that the characters have an environment to work in.

Some stories can feel more like the background is a theatric backdrop and the characters live seperate of it. Where they could be picked up and dropped into a different town or century and their actions and conversations could stay the same. In the Suitable series, character development hinges on that built up environment.

This one gave Robin Hood vibes with the way Lan and the people around him acted, with the tone of the story, the season, and the forests. There was time for the characters to both go from first meeting and the flat character stereotypes into more depth as they interacted, or didn’t. It’s not slow burn, but time is taken to build the two’s interest.

It is on-page spicy and Cooper took their sweet time with it per the usual with the Suitable series. I never got a firm grasp on what Fen actually looked like, but maybe that’s part of the legend. I say that in reference to the Epilogue. Do read that section at the end of the story. It helps tie a bunch of loose threads together across the series. I would say it doesn’t help that I am reading it out of order, but the series line up isn’t in order, so you can kinda get away with reading whichever story you want when.

The editing wasn’t as clean as say Suitable Consort. I found at least 10-15 typos that were stark enough to catch me. Which felt like a pity for it – I wish I could get my fingers in it as an editor. And if we’re complaining – I do wish the cover art for each of the stories was less photoshop mash and more coordinated art. The uncanny valley feel makes it a little less intriguing, and I feel like readership probably takes a hit for it, when the series appeals to me and I want to share it.

Would I suggest it? If you like on-page m/m spice and are alright with lightweight bdsm play, then yes. Some people aren’t interested in that. I don’t see this making it far for a massmarket pickup. But it has a solid audience that would look for these kinds of stories. Ones with solid worldbuild, good character development, enjoyable spice, and decent pacing. It’s not whimsical, and I wouldn’t call it cozy. But it makes for a good evening read at home.

• Copyright Chapel Orahamm LLC. Do not reproduce this writing in any form.
• No AI was used in the making of this post, book, or cover art.
• I do not consent to the use of my writing in training any form of AI.
• Amazon Gift List if you wish to support the author.