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Jess Mahler
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

G'morning all.

If you missed it, it's the Smashwords End of Year sale #EoYSale25

My first novella, Bound by his Oath is on sale for $1.49.

Bound is an enemies-to-lovers culture clash in a pseudo medieval world. It's loosely based on a popular historical romance trope:

There are many historical romance novels where the feisty heroine is forced into marriage with the alpha male hero. Eventually she learns to love and submit to her new lord, and they live happily every after. In a distant future, this story is playing out again -- with one minor difference.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1144367

#SFF #Books #Romance

Smashwords

Bound by His Oath

There are many historical romance novels where the feisty heroine is forced into marriage with the alpha male hero. Eventually she learns to love and submit to her new lord, and they live happily ever after. In a distant future, this story is playing out again -- with one minor difference.
Book cover, grey text on dark green background.  "Bound by his Oath by Jess Mahler"  The 'O' in 'Oath' is oversized. Inside it is a knight wearing chainmail, looking away from the viewer with head bowed and holding a reversed sword. Behind him is a sunset.
Book cover, grey text on dark green background. "Bound by his Oath by Jess Mahler" The 'O' in 'Oath' is oversized. Inside it is a knight wearing chainmail, looking away from the viewer with head bowed and holding a reversed sword. Behind him is a sunset.
Book cover, grey text on dark green background. "Bound by his Oath by Jess Mahler" The 'O' in 'Oath' is oversized. Inside it is a knight wearing chainmail, looking away from the viewer with head bowed and holding a reversed sword. Behind him is a sunset.
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Jess Mahler
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

One unintentional thing I love about Bound by his Oath is that the relationship is somewhat open to interpretation. I've heard from folks who love the romance, and from folks who don't think it's romantic at all.

So if you're looking for aromantic rep, this might be it?

lol

(FWIW, as the writer, I'm aromantic myself and often can't recognize romance)

#Queer

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Author-ized L.J.
Author-ized L.J.
@ljwrites@writeout.ink replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@JessMahler I'm alloromantic myself but didn't see Bound as all that romantic. Rather it seemed to be about two people who valued their communities and were trying to survive in a hostile and uncaring world, building a solid relationship of trust and friendship together--with a fortunately healthy dose of sexual chemistry which isn't all that hard to (ahem) come by between young allosexual people of matching orientations. For me it was refreshing & gripping for that reason, much more Book of Ruth than Song of Songs if you will.

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Jess Mahler
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@ljwrites
Song of Songs is a beautiful poem with some of the best allegory in the Tanakh and amazing imagery.

And if I ever write anything comparable to it feel free to assume I've become a pod-person. lol

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Author-ized L.J.
Author-ized L.J.
@ljwrites@writeout.ink replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@JessMahler Oh no, I hope you never write a Song of Songs and I mean this in the best possible sense! 😂 Although I found Last Lady of Lunǎ much more romantic & sensual than Bound.

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Jess Mahler
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@ljwrites
I would hope so! Last Lady of Lunǎ was intended as a challenge to myself to write a recognizable genre romance

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