This HaBO is from Alex, who is hoping to find this book based on a review she read:
This is not exactly a HABO situation, since I didn’t read this book, but only a review of it, and I know that I read it on your website. I will convey what I remember, it had intrigued me ever since, and every once in a while I remember it and want to read it.
It is a kind of fantasy/SF book in a world where slavery is a normal thing, maybe even some magical beings being involved. Two people travel somewhere and one is a slave and the other is a master, or not a master, but definitely someone who is allowed to own a slave, but maybe this is not his slave. Both of them are guys (I think, not 100% sure) and during the travel, they slowly fall in love with each other. The person who reviewed the book was very happy how the author went about it, and said it was an example of both the romance and world building done well.
It was quite a while ago, maybe even 3 or 4 years ago, and if you tell me that I dreamed about it and the book does not exist, I will understand.
I tend to have a good memory, but I couldn’t find anything that fits this description in our archives.
Is it Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat?
Kei’s Gift by Ann Somerville?
Slave Boy by Evangeline Anderson?
One half of the pair is literally a master/mentor, and the other half is his novice. They travel to broker a peace agreement or something on a planet where everyone has their own personal pleasure slave. So they play-act the roles, but it gets complicated and their feelings go beyond the act.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slave-boy-evangeline-anderson/1100390241?ean=9781596327542
This is a pretty common trope in M/M Sci-Fi. I think you might need to get some more detail to narrow it down a little. Can you remember anything at all about the setting? Or even the cover art?
I think the second book in the “Affiliations, Aliens and Other Profitable Pursuits involved travel by the two H/H. Although not a slave per se, Liam is claimed by Ondry and basically perceived as one from the first book “Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts” both by Lyn Gala. Both were well received but I would think the mention of a “tail” would have been in the description?
It sounds like “The stolen luck” by Shawna Reppert
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-stolen-luck-by-shawna-reppert/
I found the book very disappointing though.
I read some sort of scifi fantasy romance that was recommended somewhere on this site, with a hero who was kind of like a cat maybe, and for intergalactic espionage reasons the heroine had to pretend to be his slave on some backwards planet or something? It’s probably not the HaBO, and I don’t personally recommend it, but just in case it helps, I think it was called Slave, or something similar.
@kkw, I have read that one (it’s part of a whole series) and it’s a f/m romance not m/m so not this HABO.
Could be on of Lyn Gala’s Desert books. There’s a slave society on a desert planet that’s gradually being deprived of water, and there’s links between the existence of the slave economy and the water theft. It’s been a while since I read them (but now I want to reread them, because they were good books).
Ai no Kusabi? It’s a classic ’90s yaoi anime that was based on the novel series by Reiko Yoshihara.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_no_Kusabi
The novels were published in English by Digital Manga / Juné Manga, but they currently appear to be out of print.
https://junemanga.com/products/ai-no-kusabi-vol-1-stranger
I think it’s The Stolen Luck – reviewed by Carrie S. I read it on the strength of her review and really enjoyed it.
It’s m/m fantasy. A landowner wins an enslaved elf (in a card game?) and promises him his freedom of he (the elf) takes him into faire land to retrieve his family’s stolen luck. There is no non-con or dub con.
Is it one of .J.L. Langley Regelence novels?
@PCT – Regelence! Now there’s a crazy-sauce series. Every once in awhile I find myself wondering about the world-building. Why exactly would someone colonize a planet and model it after regency England? And why exactly do the young noble men need to be kept sheltered? It’s not like they’re going to get pregnant.
Hmm… First comment didn’t go through. Is it possible you read the review on Dear Author instead of SBTB? Here is a link to their review of Captive Prince:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-a-reviews/a-reviews/review-captive-prince-by-s-u-pacat/
I thought I knew this one but it turns out I was thinking of a Dear Author review! Could it be Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn? http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-a-reviews/a-reviews/review-bloodraven-by-p-l-nunn/ I read this one based on the review and enjoyed it, though it is NOT for the faint of heart.
How interesting that there are so many books with this theme.
sounds like No Master by Christine D’abo.
ooh i want to know too if you folks figure it out!