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Something Scandalous, Treacherous, and Black
Paige Marcus finds herself in dire financial straits, burdened with debts that demand immediate attention. Meanwhile, Joshua Samuels is caught in the delicate web of his mother’s demanding expectations, desperately yearning to secure his rightful inheritance. In their pursuit of personal gain, both individuals agree to maintain the facade of love, upholding the esteemed Samuels family name through an elaborate wedding. Adhering to the Samuels’ cardinal rule of not disrupting their carefully orchestrated plan becomes paramount. However, the resurgence of Chelsea, the wedding planner, threatens to unravel their schemes. Armed with their deepest secrets, Chelsea harbors a vengeful agenda, prepared to stoop to unimaginable depths to exact retribution. Yet, for her plan to come to fruition, she must coax the guardians of these secrets out of hiding. Will Paige and Joshua be coerced into assisting Chelsea’s quest for revenge? What unsavory skeletons lie concealed within their closets, capable of jeopardizing their picture-perfect scheme?
Zachary Ryan’s Something Scandalous, Treacherous, and Black thrusts us into a world centered around the intertwining lives of Paige Marcus, Joshua Samuels, and their relentless antagonist, Chelsea Mann. With a festering grudge stemming from Paige’s past transgressions of stealing Chelsea’s boyfriend, an opportune moment arises when Paige decides to enter into marriage with Joshua, motivated by personal gain and ulterior motives. Seizing this opening, Chelsea meticulously crafts her revenge, enlisting the aid of various accomplices. While Paige wrestles with conflicting emotions about her union with Joshua, he conceals a series of past mistakes and a double life that could shatter his family’s cherished reputation. As the specter of Chelsea becomes aware of this grave web of deception, her intention shifts from creating a grandiose wedding spectacle to orchestrating a ceremony that would forever mar the annals of socialite history.
Within the pages of Something Scandalous, Treacherous, and Black, Zachary Ryan skillfully weaves a captivating narrative brimming with intricacy and suspense. The notion of revenge permeates the story, offering a compelling foundation. The true triumph of this work lies within its characters. Chelsea’s enigmatic persona, unapologetic nature, and masterful manipulation make her a force to be reckoned with. However, the character of Leo remains enigmatic and perplexing. While empathy emerges for the hardships he has endured, the choices he subsequently makes elicit frustration. As the secrets Joshua conceals come to light, one cannot help but anticipate Chelsea’s inevitable delight in exploiting this newfound vulnerability.
Zachary Ryan’s Something Scandalous, Treacherous, and Black is a riveting tale of vengeance and subterfuge that draws readers into a whirlwind of lies and deceptions. With well-constructed characters, each flawed in their unique ways, and an expertly crafted plot riddled with tantalizing secrets, Ryan successfully hooks his audience from the very first page. The novel delivers an engaging read filled with dramatic tension, emotional depth, and unexpected twists. For anyone seeking a sophisticated narrative of scandal, revenge, and clandestine love, this book offers a deliciously dark foray into the hidden corners of the human psyche and the dire consequences of unchecked ambition.
Pages: 406 | ASIN : B0BY7SDT53
I’ve Always Been Interested in Ancient History
Delicatus follows a young boy from ancient Rome who is enslaved by pirates and becomes a key player in Poppeae’s plot to become the Divine Empress. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I first encountered Sporus at Eton, studying Alexander Pope with the remarkable teacher Michael Meredith, a guru to generations of literary and stage personalities. Pope’s satire on an 18th century local aristocrat notorious for sexual ambiguity led me to be fascinated by this figure, who was well known enough in 18th century England for a poet to allude to him in a satire, yet mostly just a footnote in history books about ancient Rome today if he appears at all. I would encounter this character from time to time (there’s an illusion, for instance, in the TV series “Succession”) but there are only scraps in the historical record. But what scraps they were! Not just the relatively well-known bit about Sporus getting castrated by the emperor Nero and made his wife … but what happened to Sporus in the year 69 AD when four different emperors held the throne and all had a different relationship with Sporus … from a second wedding to an order to execute him in the arena … and all before Sporus turned twenty. But it took me another fifty years before thinking of it as a novel.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
I’ve always been interested in ancient history and I’ve written both serious and satirical novels in that setting, so I have been doing research for decades. It’s a way of taking revenge on my bullying Latin teacher, as well. I’ve read most of the primary sources (some in the original) but more important, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about what that world, with its radically alien attitudes, was really like … because, despite its weirdness, it is a world populated by real people who speak to us today. One of the things that is hardest to wrap one’s mind around is that absolutely no one that there was anything wrong with slavery, and that because slaves could not be distinguished by race, there was a kind of continuum where you rise to a position of great power and still technically be a slave. Big things like that influence the world-view, but also little things, like human urine being collected to use in laundries. This is a very well studied period so there is a lot of consensus about what this world was like. But there are still gaps in the consensus and this is where imagination comes in.
What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Sporus?
When Sporus receives his freedom from Petronius, and realizes that in many ways nothing has changed. In a sense this is a central theme of the story. Even the Emperor, we’ll see in the second book, suffers from a kind of enslavement.
To be honest, I didn’t originally conceive of this as a trilogy but as a big fat book. But I’m getting on in years and I want to make sure the whole story comes out. In terms of the trilogy, the real pivotal moment probably happens in the middle of Book Two … I am writing that moment even as we speak.
Can you tell us what the second book will be about and when it will be available for fans to purchase?
The second book will be on sale Dec 1 and is already available for pre-order. The second book deals with Sporus actually becoming Empress and takes us to the humiliating end of his reign … and the third book deals with Sporus’s life in the Year of Four Emperors … perhaps the most eventful time of all.
If readers can’t wait, and have a U.S. Amazon account, they can find the Delicatus series posted in installments on the amazon vella platform, where we are almost half-way through the second book.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facbook | Website
World Fantasy Award winner S.P. Somtow weaves a vivid adventure about one of the most colorful personalities in ancient Rome. Delicatus, the first volume in a trilogy, speaks of Sporus, from his enslavement by pirates in a remote corner of the Empire to his meeting with the great satirist Petronius and the woman to whom he bears a striking resemblance, the beautiful Poppaea with her manipulative plans to seduce the Emperor Nero and become Divine Empress.
Delicatus: From Slave to Empress in Imperial Rome
The Roman Empire stands as a repository of numerous invaluable treasures, ranging from priceless works of art to awe-inspiring feats of engineering and architecture. Rome, over the course of millennia, has indelibly carved its legacy. However, greatness is not achieved without a steep cost, and in the case of Rome, that cost was borne by the countless lives of enslaved individuals. Sporus, among the millions who enabled the grandeur of Rome, emerges as a protagonist whose narrative traces the trajectory of a young boy ensnared by slavery, transformed into a plaything for the affluent and influential. His tale epitomizes internal fortitude, adaptability, and an unwavering yearning for freedom in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Within the pages of Delicatus by S.P. Somtow, readers are invited to embark on a deeply personal journey, experiencing the world through the eyes of a young child ensnared and subjugated by Romans. The narrative casts a revealing light upon the lives of the opulent and influential of Nero’s era, all observed from the unique vantage point of an enslaved child who was procured and conditioned to satiate the carnal desires of his masters. This unfiltered portrayal immerses us in the complexities arising from personal and cultural disparities, as sex, politics, and personal safety intertwine, weaving a tapestry that resounds with authenticity and relevance.
Delicatus is an exceptionally well-crafted work of fiction that seamlessly transports its readers into the unrefined facets of Roman life. The author deftly incorporates nuanced themes of gender identity and human sexuality, skillfully avoiding the imposition of modern values upon the subject matter. The prose emulates the style and language of contemporary writers of that era, effectively channeling the spirit of the time. While the narrative delves into graphic and mature content, the author’s discerning approach ensures that it is rendered with consummate taste. This book comes highly recommended for discerning and mature readers who seek to truly immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, and smells of authentic life within Nero’s Rome, all from the perspective of an unlikely protagonist.
Pages: 246 | ASIN : B0BR88V6VZ
