Review: The MPire - In Search of the Lost by TL James

Once again I have been lucky enough to be allowed to participate in another Nurture Virtual BOOK Tourz!!
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I have to say that 'In Search of the Lost' is a special book and might not be everyone's taste. Not only is thre swearing and violence, but also sex. If you are capable to look past that and enjoy the story you'll find a book that has a rich storyline and a variety in characters.

Mallory Haulm is a successful businessman who has his own business and a perfect life. Yet his world is shattered when he finds out he has to join the family business. Next to this he has been bothered by a dark shadow and an uneasy feeling. But he has no choice, he has to join. As he tried to adapt to the new company he is reunited with his half-brother, Matthew, for whom he feels a passionate love. He also meets Brielle, who seems to know more about who he is than he himself does.

I enjoyed this book, once I got into it. In the beginning I couldn't stand Mallory because I thought he was pompous. But as you read on you get to know his character more and you actually see his entire character is a facade, just him trying to cover up what has happened to him. T.L. James has created a striking character with Mallory. His flashbacks to his youth are quite horrendous and his relatioship with Matthew is explored expertly.

A gay relationship is quite a hard thing to write about, even in modern literature. But I'm happy T.L. James chose to, because Mathew is a nice opposition to Brielle. Also, it isn't done in an overly showy way. It is just two men who love each other and T.L. James doesn't put any labels on them, she doesn't judge them. She seems to have an understanding for her characters and let's them grow almost on their own accord.

Of course I have to talk about the mythological aspect of James' story. At first I wondered how she would be able to pull it of. Mixing the story of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse with out modern time is quite challenging, but she did it. She makes the reader familiar with the different characters first, before  getting into the complicated stuff.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the cursing. I understand it's part of the characters and respect that, but sometimes it was a bit much. Although it was restricted to just one word I felt it was being used a bit too much. Also, sometimes I felt that, although it worked, the story of the Four Horsemen was a bit too unexplained. Maybe this will be more prominent in the sequels.

I give this book...

3 UNIVERSES!!!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are deep and their actions are explained and hopefully T.L. James will explore the story of the Four Horsemen more in the sequels.
So what do you think? Does this sounds like a book you'd be interested in?

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