Five years ago, Damiskos's brilliant military career was cut short, leaving him with a permanent disability and scars that are not all physical. Adrift and still grieving, he tries to find meaning in an unsatisfying job.
Work takes him to the remote seaside villa of an old friend, where, among an odd assortment of guests, he meets the eunuch sword-dancer Varazda. Enigmatic and beautiful but distinctly prickly, Varazda is the antithesis of the straightforward and serious Damiskos. Yet as they keep getting in each other's way at the villa, their mutual dislike is complicated by a spark of undeniable attraction.
Then the villa's guests begin to reveal their true characters and motives—no one here is what they seem—and Damiskos finds himself at the centre of a bizarre web of espionage, theft, and assassination. Varazda may need Damiskos's help, but not as much as Damiskos, finally awakening to a new sense of life and purpose, needs Varazda.
Sword Dance is the first book in the Sword Dance trilogy, an m/nb romance set in an imaginary ancient world, with murderous philosophy students, sex acts named after fruit, and love blossoming in the midst of mayhem.
Sword Dance
I read this book several years ago, and decided to go back to it. Sword Dance is a change of pace for anyone who loves gay romance mixed with history and mythology. Damiskos struggles to find purpose after losing his military life and gaining a permanent disability. Varazda comes across as thorny and has a mysterious background. Their chemistry feels natural, slowly building to sweet and believable.
What sets this book apart is how it blends romance with mythology and espionage, woven with a touch of humor. Clever surprises keep things interesting. The secondary characters add to the story without overshadowing the lead pair. Sword Dance offers a promise for more fun adventures to come.