Random Recs - Muffled Drum by Erastes

Author: Erastes
Title: Muffled Drum
Series: N/A
Publisher: Carina Press
Date: July 4, 2011
Length: 187 pages

Backblurb/Goodreads link | author's website | buy link

Genre & keywords:

M/M, Romance, Historical, Bohemia & Prussia, 1866, Soldiers, Battlefield, Aristocratic Berlin, Loss of Memory

Synopsis in short:

After being together for eighteen months (in secret), Captain Rudolph von Ratzlaff and First Lieutenant Mathias Hofmann have decided to run away from everything they hold dear. Resigning their commissions is social suicide, but there's no other choice. Someone will eventually see Rudolph's partiality toward Mathias. Except, now their plans have gone horribly awry... When Mathias goes to Rudolph's tent after their last battle, his lover looks at him without a hint of recognition. During that last battle Rudolph has been thrown from his horse and he lost his memory.
He can’t remember anything from the last two years, including his relationship with Mathias. Mathias wants to fill in so many of Rudolph's missing memories, but the doctor says a shock could result in permanent damage. He accompanies Rudolph home to Prussia but the pain of seeing Rudolph on a daily basis, when Rudolph doesn't remember their love, is excruciating. Now Mathias must decide whether he wants to fight for the man he loves or forget him completely...

Why I Recommend:

I absolutely loved the premise of this story and thought it was handled with care throughout the whole book. The amnesia Rudolph suffers from is such an agony for Mathias, especially since Rudolph only misses memories from the past two years. He believes he’s still with his ex-lover Ernst, which causes some extra tension and angst.
The historical setting makes Mathias’ pain even more unbearable because he cannot only not tell Rudolph the truth, but has to keep their relationship a secret for everybody else as well. I really felt for Mathias who was so lonely and hurt and yet very strong thanks to his love for Rudolph. I may have needed a tissue or two…
The author’s style and narrative skills made Muffled Drum an emotional page-turner for me.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended to Readers Who:

Like historical gay romances; love some angst and emotional tension; enjoy page-turners; don’t mind sex scenes that aren’t between the MCs; like stories about amnesia; don’t mind when one of the MCs is married; appreciate skillful writing.
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