Review: Pendulum (Kingdom of Night #1) by L.C. Davis

Remus Black is still reeling from an abusive relationship that stripped him of everything -- including his desire for love. Now all he wants is a fresh start halfway across the country, but his new roommate is determined to draw him into his strange world of chains, half-naked men and the infamous Lodge, a BDSM club as lavish as it is secretive.

When Remus is entered into the Lodge's annual Alpha's Pet contest against his will, he finds himself thrown to the Wolf Pack, the very type of men he needs to avoid. What's worse is that the wolves immediately label him a submissive, something he swore he would never be again. Things get even stranger when "wolf" turns out to be far more literal than Remus ever imagined. When both the next-in-line for Alpha and his outcast brother claim Remus as their own, the entire pack is thrown into chaos.

Can Remus learn to embrace the power of submission and choose between the brothers before their rivalry tears the pack apart, or will the tension between them unravel his own sordid past?


A lot happened in this story which deviated from the blurb. Don’t get me wrong, what is in the blurb is definitely in the story, but there is so much more.

This intricately plotted out story seems to have many threads to follow. If you’re looking for a paranormal BDSM story, you will not find it here. Yes, there is some BDSM in a dungeon setting, but it seems to take a back seat to the broader story line. I wouldn’t even call this a BDSM erotica story. I would say that there is a minimal amount, and it really doesn’t have much to do with anything. It was a catch, to get Remus to where he needed to be. I think this could have been achieved another way, but obviously, this was the author’s choice. Once there, the story opened up into a world of Werewolves, Vampires, and the secrets buried deep within Remus’ mind. It was definitely a fascinating read. It certainly kept me in its grasp throughout. There were a few plot holes, and I didn’t really get a good image of what the werewolves looked like, but it was otherwise a good start to a series.

Gritty and a little bit dub-con, Remus has been caught between twins, both for whom Remus is their mate. This isn’t stated, but is pretty obvious from the beginning. I’m not giving anything away, I promise.

Remus’ personality grows into something more than the skittish human whom we first meet on his first day at a new university. He’s run from his abusive ex, and is understandably trying to regain his footing. Brought up in a revolving door of foster families, Remus second guesses himself often, is deeply scarred, both emotionally, and physically. With his meeting of his new classmate cum roommate, Sebastian, and Victor, this story turns into a maze of interconnectedness that made my mind spin at times, but showed that the author has a great imagination.

I enjoyed the development of Remus. I enjoyed the development of his friendship with Victor. I wasn’t totally convinced on his relationship with Sebastian. I didn’t really feel it. There was more time spent with Remus and Victor, and the development was much stronger. I’m more interested in how they progress through this series, and think that maybe Sebastian should look for someone else.

There are a few nice twists in this story, and I’m very interested in continuing this journey. There were some grammar issues, which I think needs a re-edit. They didn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment of the story, but there were more than there should be, and it did pull me out of the story at times.

I would recommend this to those who enjoy Werewolf and vampire erotic love stories. This is a little darker and less fluffy than standard, which I prefer. A lot of the character’s have questionable morals. I like this grey area.

I will say, I need a bit more detail on the fundamentals of the pack, vampire politics, and overall world building, but I’m hoping those gaps will be filled along the way. There’ a nice blend of author’s imagination and common folklore to make this a unique reading experience.



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