MM Historical Romance: Greek Vampires Review

Shadow & Ash: Bloodbound by Timoteu Montroig
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars | Goodreads | Amazon (Kindle Unlimited)

Introduction 

Shadow & Ash is a well-researched historical mm romance by author Timoteu Montroig, with supernatural elements that fit right in with the time period. Well-paced and original, I flew through the story. It’s an enjoyable romp. However, it has several struggles. Telling instead of showing, history dumping, unrealistic dialogue, and uncomfortable intimate descriptions weigh the narrative down. All the same, I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you are a fan of vampire stories, you’ll like the unique world-building found here. If you’re a fan of history, especially Greek history, you’ll definitely enjoy the context in which this story takes place. I recommend this one, give it a try, and support an indie author trying to get his book out there. 

I was pleased to get an email from the author to review his first novel, and I am always happy to give indie authors a read. Being an independent author is difficult, and I offer support when I can. 

Blurb

In the shadowed world where myth and reality collide, love knows no boundaries. “Shadow & Ash: Bloodbound” transports readers to ancient Greece, where Aristion—a century-old vrykolakas—and Kallian, a fearless young Spartan soldier, are bound by a forbidden, unbreakable connection. As their worlds clash, their love defies death itself, igniting a daring quest to transform Kallian into a vrykolakas. But few humans survive the perilous path to immortality.

Set against the backdrop of Sparta’s brutal conflicts with the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, Aristion and Kallian must navigate a world filled with treacherous allies, vengeful enemies, and ancient powers beyond comprehension. With each step, the lovers risk not only their lives but their very souls. Can love transcend the boundaries of mortality? Or will the shadows of fate tear them apart?

241 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2024

Plot

Set in the Classical Period of ancient Greece, around 482 BCE, Shadow & Ash follows the adventures of Aristion and Kallian as they infiltrate the Persian-controlled city of Sardis to gather intelligence on the military machinations of the enemy #1 of the Greek state. 

Love Blooms

As the year passes and they settle into their subterfuge, the feelings that bloom between the two become undeniable. Aristion tries to resist. They finally face their feelings when the danger comes from all sides. Despite the barriers that Aristion believes they face to being together, their shared experience pushes them to realize the lengths they’ll go to in order to be together. 

Hidden Vampire

One barrier Aristion struggles with in this historical mm romance is that he is a vrykolakas and by necessity his true identity is hidden from everyone, including Kallian. A vrykolakas is a vampire from Greek folklore, also known as a “walking dead” or “undead” creature. (Wikipedia). Aristion was changed some 70 years ago and carefully hides his immortality while he becomes a trusted advisor to Greek rulers. However invested he is in ensuring Greek victory, he knows his time with the current rulers is short. It’s only a matter of time before he will be forced to leave his current station because his lack of aging will become more obvious. 

Bad Guys

It’s worth noting that, like many historical mm romances that feature vampires, Montroig’s vrykolakas are misunderstood and only drink what they need to survive. They kill only when threatened. Aristion isn’t a bad guy, but there are definitely people who believe it’s their mission to wipe vrykolakas off the face of the Earth. 

Zoroastrian Warriors

It’s these, guys, they’re the ones. Aristion has placed his bets with the Greeks because he’s constantly aware of the lurking danger of Zoroastrian warrior priests who, in this alternate history, exist not only to keep the peace and social order, but to defeat vrykolakas. Replete with clerics who have harnessed magic to overcome vampires’ superhuman strength, these warriors ‘magos’ are the only threat these apex predators have. 

Important Themes

At its core, Shadow & Ash is about immortality and the morals surrounding it. Aristion perceives that a potential relationship with Kallian crosses lines, as his eternal existence means he is on a separate path in life from Kallian. He feels conflicted from this existentialism: what good is a vrykolakas’s eternal life if he’s lonely and still yearns for companionship?

Contextual Placement in History

Another important aspect of Shadow & Ash is its contextual setting. It is a fantasy set in a real historical period, the lead-up to the Spartan war with the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. After the Greeks defeated the Persian army at Marathon in 490 BC, tensions were still high between the rival empires. Aristion and Killian infiltrate the Persian city of Sardis in 482 BC, and leads up to the subsequent invasion led by Xerxes I, which culminated in the famous Battle of Thermopylae, which you might know about from that minor indie Zack Snyder flick 300 (being facetious of course this movie grossed $667 million globally).

The narrative of Shadow & Ash situates the fantasy elements of Montroig’s take on the vrykolakas mythology within these historical events and cultural contexts, making a rich MM historical romance. Exploring these intersections, where mortal humans and immortal vrykolakas collide within the wider historical context of ancient Greece and Persia, is where the story really shines. You can see the intensive research that was done and Montroig’s deep understanding of the history in every description of clothing, and each historical mention.

Characters 

Aristion is a warrior, someone who has worked his way into an important advisory role with the Greek military. He’s a vrykolakas, so he has to carefully hide the fact that he doesn’t age. He also needs to drink blood to stay strong, and must be vigilant to hide. This makes him guarded and closed off. But he’s drawn to Kallian in ways he can’t resist. 

Kallian is a young Spartan warrior newly graduated from the agoge, the military schooling Spartan boys undergo to make them fierce warriors, strong and fully laconic characters. He’s a fierce warrior, but still naive and fresh to the world. Kallian takes joy from simple things: hunting and sparring are the highlights of his days. Though he also appreciates his leisure time in the baths with Artisian very much, if ya pick up on what I’m putting down. 

Glows

Written by a Lover of History 

With every description in this historical mm romance, you can tell that Montroig loves history. The fascination with details is written lovingly into paragraphs. Great care was taken to ensure this story fits within its historical context. As another lover of history, I appreciated this as I read. Everything fit well into the time period, even people’s prejudices against vrykolakas. 

Well Situated Enemies

The Zoroastrian Warrior Priests of the time hunting the vrykolakas fits so well within the historical narrative that it seems authentic. The best alternative history takes are those that seem plausible within the actual historical context. While the vrykolakas come from Greek myth, the fact that these societies lived so close together makes it an easy jump to them being present in Persia at the time too, and the Zoroastrians’ connection with the supernatural makes them the obvious vampire-hunters of the day. 

Grows

Shadow & Ash does, unfortunately, struggle with a few elements that weigh the narrative down. 

Telling, Not Showing

 This is such a pitfall that a historically based novel can fall into. Someone with great historical knowledge is used to telling stories, and historians are natural storytellers. However, where a history book is expected to summarize information or state straight facts, it can lead to a flat and less engaging read in a romance story. Using rich descriptions and actions enriches the reader’s experience in a romance to something they can closely relate to. Despite the thousands of years that separate modern times from ancient Greece, the reader wants to feel like they’re there.  

History Dumping

Much like the previous pitfall, stories set in actual historical settings also run the risk of trying to put too much history into the story. When someone knows a lot, they want to share it. While I deeply respect that Montroig knows the history very well, it sometimes felt like too much time was spent telling the reader the actual history before we could get back to the story. More editing to blend the history with the story would help the narrative shine while informing the reader of the interesting history.

Dialogue Inconsistencies

While the author deeply understands the history of the ancient Greek world, what this book misses the mark on is the dialogue. Much of the dialogue reads as too modern. While I don’t want them to be speaking in their native ancient Greek, the tone was off for much of the dialogue. There are also far too many exclamation points. I believe I read once that a sharp editor will allow for exactly one exclamation point per novel. 

Laconic: Linguistic Sidebar 

Kallian using so many exclamation points just dumped me out of the immersive atmosphere. Given the deep understanding of Spartan history, Kallian’s character was so far from how I would expect a laconic Spartan warrior would act or speak. He should be, well, more laconic. 

la·con·ic
/ləˈkänik/ “lah-con-ic”
adjective: laconic: (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
Example: “his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.”
Synonyms: brief, concise, terse, succinct, short, economical

Etymology: mid 16th century (in the sense ‘Laconian’): via Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, from Lakōn ‘Laconia, Sparta’, the Spartans being known for their terse speech.

Definitions from Oxford Languages

Linguistically, the word laconic comes from the Spartan word for their country, Laconia. And it is used to describe how the people from this area would speak and act. Terse, people of few words, they got straight to the point. Their way of speaking said much about Laconian culture: they were a proud, war-loving, strict, and structured society. The Spartan people were not a very exuberant people.

Uncomfortable Intimate Descriptions 

Some words are just an ick for me. And this novel, unfortunately, uses them almost every time. I didn’t enjoy the spicy parts of this story because of the consistent use of words to describe the male anatomy that I don’t like. Muscle between his legs, manhood, and shaft are words that make me cringe. Just say cock. It’s okay to say cock. Cock. See? 😉

Recommend or Naw? 

I recommend Shadow & Ash to readers who enjoy mm historical romance and vampire romance. If you know your ancient history passably well, you will be interested in this book for the detailed research that enriches the pages of this story. MM vampire romance aficionados will appreciate the unique mythology referenced here. The vrykolakas mythology is not your average vampire myth, and I appreciate something that’s unique much more than a vampire story that’s leaned into the tropes so hard it’s indistinguishable from any other vampire story. 

Reviews

I received a free copy of this MM historical romance from the author. Thank you very much for asking me to read your story! Let’s hope it’s the start of a series. I am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel, read my review policy and submit a contact form.