
Shades of Lust
The Carnal Tower, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Kirt Graves
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By:
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E.M. Lindsey
"The path to paradise begins in hell.” (Dante Alighieri)
On a small path leading to nowhere sits a looming cathedral, once-abandoned, now hosting the most dangerous of pleasures.
And Stone Brice is the most dangerous of all: Lust. A former acrobat, Stone’s life was changed dramatically after an accident, and now he runs The Carnal Tower, a place where people can go to have their deepest and sometimes darkest fantasies realized.
Stone is a man who is rarely taken by surprise, so when he meets the artist, August Ashley, he doesn’t expect to trip and fall at his feet—literally. But there’s something about the quiet stranger in the park that Stone wants to take apart, and that feeling only gets worse the more Stone gets to know him.
Stone is well aware he can’t mix business and pleasure, but when August comes to him with a proposal for a trade—seven paintings for seven nights with Lust—he can’t say no. Not when it means he’ll be able to have August exactly the way he wants him—even if it’s just for a week.
Stone has every plan to strip August down to his very soul, but the longer the week goes on, the more Stone comes to realize that August might very well be his undoing.
Shades of Lust is the first book in a new series. It features a bi-awakening, high heat, low angst, and the human embodiment of a seven deadly sin whose sole purpose is to make sure his client never forgets their week at The Carnal Tower. Each book in the series can stand on their own, and all contain no cheating, and a happily ever after.
©2022 EM Lindsey (P)2022 EM LindseyListeners also enjoyed...




















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Listener received this title free
Audio: 4.25⭐️
Given the premise of “Shades of Lust”, I was definitely expecting a steamy romp, but was pleasantly surprised by the quieter, character-driven story of two men convinced they’re destined to be alone finding love and rediscovering themselves. August has always been quiet and introverted, an artist who gets lost in the objects he sees and ideas and inspiration he finds everywhere, add in his innately anxious nature and difficulty dealing with people, he found himself ostracized or pitied by others.
People only see a weirdo, not a person, and definitely not someone worth their time to get to know; having carved out a niche for himself as an artist and small gallery owner, he’s made peace with being too different, too big a mess to be worth anyone’s time as well as his loneliness. Yet, when Stone commissions him to do paintings of the Sins, August can’t help but see this as a chance to escape the never-ending loneliness and chaos in his mind so agrees to do the paintings in exchange for 7 nights with Lust.
For Stone, The Carnal Tower isn’t a brothel with a cool gimmick; it’s a place to explore the art of sexuality, sensuality and discovery—to indulge needs and desires of the body as well the mind. Stone loves his job and the family he’s created with his fellow “Sins”, and while he encourages them to believe that they can find the kind of love and partnership they want, he doesn’t think it’s possible for him. When he meets August during one of his runs in the park, he’s intrigued and charmed by the earnest, tightly-wound man and becomes even more so when discussing the commission. Before their first night together, Stone is already in deep and knows his feelings for the man will complicate what should be a simple business transaction, and every time they are together all Stone wants to do is give August whatever he needs, be that Lust overwhelming his senses with pleasure or Stone offering cuddles and a Xanax.
Both characters are compelling and relatable, and the fast but deep emotional need for one another is palpable. While August’s constantly high levels of anxiety shape how he handles the world and how he lives, he’s not a one-dimensional ball of nerves, especially when he’s somewhat comfortable or being seen through Stone’s eyes. The other Sins are fleshed out enough to be interesting and to establish the found family dynamic at the Tower and Stone’s nurturing and protective personality.
My main quibble with how the story unfolds is that despite Stone and August being contracted for 7 days of lustful indulgence and needing to spend time together for painting session, the pair actually don’t spend much time together and the ending feels somewhat rushed. Given that many things overwhelm August and/or cause him to panic, especially unfamiliarity or even the idea of change, much of the story is a pattern of August spiraling and needing to reset alone and then each man spending the subsequent separation with their thoughts being consumed by one another. They spend a lot of time thinking about one another, wishing for more but being hampered by the barrier of the contract/their own fears and less time getting to know one another.
Then the shift from ‘we only have these 7 days’ to ‘we’re going to give a relationship a go’ is a bit abrupt, with the story then breezing through the last few days of their contract into dating. Their connection is intense from the start and when they get to talk, they feel so seen and understood their connection can’t help but deepen, and while this does mostly work for the insta-love in this story, I can’t help but think of Stone’s remark about clients who are so touched-starved/deprived that they fall in love at the first kiss, and it kinda feels like that a bit with these two—both certain no one could love them for who they are that they can’t help but fall in love with the first person who makes them feel seen.
Once again, Kirt Graves gives a great performance; he is so good at conveying the nuance and emotionality within the character beats and story with genuineness and without OTT dramatics that he’s a perfect fit for this type of story. He makes the moments the men spend together, their fears, their strengths and weaknesses feel real and moving. The narration definitely elevated my enjoyment.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this audiobook provided by Gay Romance Reviews.
unexpectedly heartfelt
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Listener received this title free
The idea for the story and the MCs themselves had me addicted from the get go. The book is yet another proof of E.M. Lindsey’s talent of creating fascinating, complicated personalities you’d just love to hug and call friends.
Narration: perfect match for the book. The performance was brilliant and the voice added another great layer to the story.
Magical
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Listener received this title free
First Deadly Sin
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This is a return for me 😞
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Fantastic!
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Listener received this title free
This story is so much more sentimental than I anticipated, and I loved that!! It’s a very sweet story, with a heavy side of beautifully managed anxiety and chock full of sin & steam.
The narration could have been better. There were many times that the wrong “voice” was used for one of the mc’s and that really threw me off. Also many tiny little errors {wrong word of name, mispronunciation}.
Overall I really enjoyed it, though.
ᗷᗴTTᗴᖇ Tᕼᗩᑎ ᗴ᙭ᑭᗴᑕTᗴᗪ
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Listener received this title free
Exciting
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Lust
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August and Stone’s love story
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Listener received this title free
My review from before still applies, though I feel like it is amplified with the amazing narration. I adore August and Stone, I love the idea of the Tower, and I love how there are so many unique things about our main characters that make them work together. This is going to be one that I listen to more than once!
I can say without a doubt I can't wait for the rest of this series, and the rest of this series in audio!
Amazing!
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