Steel & Thunder by Dominic Ashen

I am so glad I came across Steel & Thunder by Dominic Ashen.

Steel & Thunder is an MM romantic fantasy filled with adventure and a healthy dose of kink and I am so here for it. The sarcastic David has to be one of my favorite characters of all time, and I love the relationship that develops between him and orc Khazak.

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Steel & Thunder (Book 1)

🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
(you can find my rating and spice system here)

POV & Tense: Single POV, first person, present tense
Genre: MM Fantasy Romance, Erotic Romance
Tropes/Themes: Quest, Jailed, Master/Pet, BDSM, Magic, Knight Academy, Cultural Misunderstandings, Sexual Awakening, Ongoing Saga, Banter, Forced Proximity
tw: Dubcon

Synopsis:

When David and his friends embark on an adventure, the last thing they expect is to be imprisoned by orcs. Vying for their freedom, David challenges an orc to a fight to the death—or so he thinks. Despite his talent in the arena, things don’t go according to plan and David winds up as the orc’s new pet. Khazak feeds David, dresses him up in lacy thongs, and spanks him when he misbehaves. The trouble is, David kind of likes it. 

Steel & Thunder by Dominic Ashen (Book 1)

 

My Review:

Steel & Thunder is such a fun and engaging read. Dominic Ashen has a great sense of humor and there are many laugh-out-loud moments.

David is a Brat

I love David. He’s such a great character. First-person POV is a bit hit-or-miss for me, and this is a huge hit. David’s sarcasm is fantastic. The way he views the world around him and his situation is deeply humorous. This comes through beautifully via his internal monologuing. He’s impulsive, which gets him into trouble (and leads to more than one spanking) but he’s also resourceful, skilled in combat and parkour.

David and Khazak are well-matched—David is a wildcard and Khazak is a control freak, so they balance one another out. David needs discipline, and Khazak needs to loosen up a little. 

I gasp a little, certainly not expecting a kiss in the middle of all this. I mean, I guess it shouldn’t be entirely unexpected. People tend to kiss when they fu—aaaand his tongue is in my mouth.

Perception

One of my favorite things about the story is the perception humans have of other cultures versus reality. At the start, David admits he’s never seen an orc before, but based on what he’s been taught, he believes them to be a primitive culture that live in tents. He never expected to find a secret city with government and technology more advanced than humans (they have indoor plumbing while most humans do not). During his time in the city, David’s perception changes as he experiences more and more of orcish society.

They didn’t just build a city; they’ve got an entire fucking system of government—complete with boring paperwork. Hell, they have things most of us back home don’t even have, like indoor plumbing. Why are they underestimated so much?
I shake the thoughts from my head and return to the task at hand. I can worry about how smart these orcs are when I’m not standing naked in a sex shop.

Sexual Awakening

Until this point, David has considered himself to be straight. He’s swept any same-sex leanings under the proverbial rug as humans frown upon homosexuality. But that all changes when Khazak claims him. While initially the consent is dubious, more and more David comes to realize he’s attracted to Khazak, and once the lid’s off the jar, there’s no closing it again.

Another humorous aspect of David’s sexual awakening is coming to terms with the human perspective of nudity—they view it as shameful—compared to the orcs who see it as commonplace, not batting an eye at public displays of sex. Khazak does his best to loosen David up and make him more comfortable with his body. One of my favorite scenes occurs in a sex shop where Khazak makes David try on underwear in front of the entire shop.

He joins me in the hallway outside the bedroom. “I’ve left you something to change into on the bed. See you in the kitchen.” He passes me with a wink.
“Something” turns out to be a thong.

Sweet & Spicy Relationship

Right from the start, things between David and Khazak are smoking hot. I sometimes have issues with power imbalance, but it’s handled with such care in this story that I loved it. The kinky scenes are filled with tenderness, and we get a sense that Khazak views David as a prize. Even when disciplining David for poor behavior, there’s tenderness underneath it. Khazak understands David isn’t fully comfortable with his sexuality and lets him explore their relationship at his own pace.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed Steel & Thunder so much that it was physically painful to set it down so I could keep making my way through my orc TBR. But I’ve bought the rest of the series and have plans to devour it very soon. Things leave off in a happy-for-now place between Khazak and David, and there’s a mystery brewing. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Steel & Thunder Series by Dominic Ashen

 

Author Stalking (but not in a creepy way):
Dominic Ashen is the author of queer erotic fantasy romance filled with humor and banter.
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Banner Image Credit: Stone Wall

~~If you like spicy books with orcs, check out my Orc Rec List ~~