In this time and place, Jewel lived in the safety of the Castle M'Cee, as did most of the few surviving women. She felt some discontent in her life of chores for the sisterhood, but relief that she did not again have to go through the time of favor, a ritual where women were given to the fiercest men in order to bear children. Castle Bloomingdell had a problem though: no children were being born. It was decided to send the healer Jewel, disguised as a boy, to Castle Bloomingdell to see if she could determine the problem with fertility. But just as she had snuck out of the castle walls, she was caught by a crippled man called Mio. Then there was Ara who rejected the tournament winner Ulrich and was given to Quinn, the runner up. And Maryam, at thirty-seven considered too old to breed, was given anyway to the too-large warrior Ulrich.

Mio had never had a woman, since his injuries in a tournament had rendered him beatable and scorned by the macho warriors who were the powers in their society. He could hardly believe his luck in capturing this one; and he could not believe that she had asked him to lead her to Castle Bloomingdale, offering herself during the trip there. Quinn gave pleasure only and no babies, and Maryam gave Ulrich more than he could believe.

This is the competent rendering of a very ambitious story. In EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOR, the distance between the sexes is a social construct that keeps men and women mutually ignorant of each other. Treva Hart's future fantasy makes a poignant statement about love and vulnerability. True, this is erotica, but it is erotica with heart that delves into serious questions. What these characters share is hope in a world that is hopeless; possibilities where there are none; and especially, the kind of bruised innocence that can only be healed by love. There are more questions here than answers, but I will be eagerly awaiting sequels to see if Mio and Jewel, Ara and Quinn, and especially Maryam and Ulrich can find and keep true love in a world where even the myth of it no longer exists.

Reviewed By: Maîtresse
© August 2004