Sin and Soil Kindle Edition

I have always wanted another "Game of Thrones" and Spartacus style of story, set in a dark ages era magic-filled land. One which I could enjoy over a long period and I found that this series matches what I craved. The relationships in these books are very deep and richly complicated. Although the first book was by far the hardest to get into, once I pressed on I found that I could live without knowing more about the developing perils that surrounded these characters.Damon is the main character but he doesn't start as a "hero type." In fact, I thought he was a bit of a loser and I had trouble caring what happened to him. But the more I absorbed of his story the more I wanted to know. The other characters are this "adoptive mother" Malon, and two "foster sisters" Ria and Velanor, which he grew up with round out the "Harem-ish" side of this series. Damon is good at fighting, drinking, and sex (of course.) So this leads us to the sexy part of this series. Damon is born into debt from his father's gambling and must pay off slowly from the gladiator fight he performs. After some troubles, he finds he must return home to try and reset, regroup, and plan his future. Then the feelings rise within. He returns home a man to the place he left as a child and he must ascertain what he now wants and how he feels in the present. This story grows far past the subtle start and gets far more addicting and the tale grows long. I'm almost halfway to the latest book and I hold on hope that it will be a long time before the end!I will update my review as I go but I will say that you can't go wrong if you want action, danger, and sexy times along the way!Buy it! Read it! Love it!Cheers!

Let's start with the story. I have made it to book ten and have enjoyed the story all the way. The author has populated this world with real, believable people with real issues. They stand up in the face of adversity with their fear subsumed rather than conquered. Damon, the main character (MC), often wins battles with just a bit of luck and a lot of grit. His “family” consists of two other orphans and a surrogate Mother with paranormal powers. The four of them find themselves coming to the aid of each other over and over as the story unfolds.The author, Anya Merchant, is a competent world builder. The landscapes and the dangers they present are varied and imaginative. There are frigid and temperate climates with peoples of the land and of the forests. There are major and minor deities who rule, gather armies, and war with each other over the centuries with little regard to the normal folks who inhabit the world.The intrigue keeps growing as new things—Royals, pretenders, demigods, monsters, heroes, villains, and regular “salt of the Earth” people—are revealed. Things that are known to be true may not be so. Bonds and alliances are subject to change. Power is granted, refused, or withheld. The MC grows in maturity (except as noted) and paranormal power over time.The only time I take issue with the author relates to the depiction of sex. It appears to be a goal of the author to include the MC in some sort of sexual act nearly every other day. His relationship with the opposite sex never matures. He is always pushing toward more. Seemingly every woman he meets, no matter her age, causes him to lose his mind and attempt another sex act. Moreover the sex does not move the story along. The MC is nearly always the initiator. The women are hesitant but ready and willing in the end. In the end, I found myself skipping over the sex to get back to the story.

A well written and very enjoyable read. Very few editorial mistakes. Domestic Decay, another fantastic series, is what lead me to pick up this older series from the same author. As other reviewers have said, they have very similar premises and general familial relationships between characters, but the characters are very distinct between the two series.The main distinction, for me, is that both series prioritize plot/ world building and character growth where many other authors in this space seem to neglect them. I'm looking forward to learning more about this world and it's characters in the following books!

This is a book that definitely feels like it toes the line of taboo more often than not. The author had such a way of writing this that it triggered the same shameful yet erotic reactions that the characters were experiencing. Not only were the adult bits written very well but the action wasn't lacking at all. There did seem to be some pacing issues but overall I am very much looking forward to the next installment.

i wrote a review for the second book before i returned to write this. the writing was decent, the scenes were sexy, but the story just kind of sits in a holding pattern, not advancing much in an attempt to keep re-hashing the same sort of sexy teasing that worked a few times over and over. The world holds alot of promise, the story has the potential to be very interesting, but the author never really moves the plot out of a very limited setting. this continues in the second book as well and it start to get aggravating after a while. on the fence about whether this was worth the money.

Anya Merchant has always been a favourite in erotic fiction, as much plot as porn so to speak. But the erotic fiction genre has so many bad authors that the bar is set pretty low. This novel isn’t just erotic fiction but an actual novel with great story and amazing sex scenes just happen to be a part of it. I will be recommending this book to my online reading group.

In short, excellent. The writing flows, and the characters shine. The explicit encounters, of which there are a few, compliment rather than detract. More intimate (and hotter for it), less porn star set.Editing is better than the norm in this genre. The only negative really is that the books are short. e.g. bk2 is around 3hrs, shorter than bk1. However, the writing isn’t rushed and the story does convey progress throughout the series. It’s the same great mix of adventure, friendship and love; equal parts intimate & downright lewd.

I've been a big fan of Anya Merchant's for a while now but Sin and Soil is the best of her works I've read yet. Anya is able to craft a really intriguing fantasy setting that actually makes you interested in more than just the sexual build up.But wow is the sexual content content of this book amazing, I loved the mystery of Vel, the playfulness of Ria and the motherly qualities of Malon.After finishing the first novel I immediately purchased the next four. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the fantasy genre and also likes a bit of taboo in their stories.

Another well written story that captivates and keeps the reader enthralled! Can nitwait for the next one. Only wish it was longer.

Brilliantly enjoyable sexy romp with good story line, have binge read this series upto book 9 see book 9 review for full review.