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A review by mxsallybend
Nights of Silk and Sapphire by Amber Jacobs
5.0
Desert fantasy, erotic romance, a sapphic harem, and a gloriously sensual awakening – Nights of Silk and Sapphire was an absolute gem of a novel that I never wanted to end! The whole cast of characters is wonderful, but the slow-burn romance between Dae and Zafirah is so beautifully orchestrated, you feel every ounce of their longing.
Dae is a young woman from the city, full of innocence, and ignorant of the world outside her family’s privileged social sphere. When she’s abducted in a desert raid, her discomfort grows even deeper as she’s ‘rescued’ to a harem full of beautiful women, only to be find herself even more uncomfortable with her fate when she realizes they’re all concubines of the beautiful Scion, Zafirah.
There are so many ways this story could have gone wrong, could have become something sordid or exploitative, but Amber Jacobs makes it romantic and empowering. This is a story of women who, in bondage, are more free than any of the women Dae was surrounded by at home. Free of the patriarchy, the church, and all the ‘polite’ social morals that come with ‘civilized’ structure, they can love openly. The harem is very much like a polyamorous family, loved and respected by Zafirah, with everyone free to love one another, with some entering into marriage-like bonds with each other. They all belong to the Scion, but there is no pressure to perform or serve her desires, and there’s none of the infighting or social maneuvering within the harem that you often seen in the genre.
While there is some delicious eroticism to the story, it’s largely a story of the friendships that Dae forms within the harem, the romantic courtship by Zafirah, who finds herself in love rather than lust for the first time in her life, and the young woman’s empowered awakening. She struggles with the conflict between heart and soul, body and mind, but is given the space she needs to find herself. It’s a beautiful journey.
There is also a strong fantasy story behind Nights of Silk and Sapphire, with men of the desert looking to take down the Scion and replace her rule with their own, and that conflict gives the story added significance. Just a wonderful book that I am so glad I had the opportunity to discover.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/10/05/book-review-nights-of-silk-and-sapphire-by-amber-jacobs-fantasy-romance/
Dae is a young woman from the city, full of innocence, and ignorant of the world outside her family’s privileged social sphere. When she’s abducted in a desert raid, her discomfort grows even deeper as she’s ‘rescued’ to a harem full of beautiful women, only to be find herself even more uncomfortable with her fate when she realizes they’re all concubines of the beautiful Scion, Zafirah.
There are so many ways this story could have gone wrong, could have become something sordid or exploitative, but Amber Jacobs makes it romantic and empowering. This is a story of women who, in bondage, are more free than any of the women Dae was surrounded by at home. Free of the patriarchy, the church, and all the ‘polite’ social morals that come with ‘civilized’ structure, they can love openly. The harem is very much like a polyamorous family, loved and respected by Zafirah, with everyone free to love one another, with some entering into marriage-like bonds with each other. They all belong to the Scion, but there is no pressure to perform or serve her desires, and there’s none of the infighting or social maneuvering within the harem that you often seen in the genre.
While there is some delicious eroticism to the story, it’s largely a story of the friendships that Dae forms within the harem, the romantic courtship by Zafirah, who finds herself in love rather than lust for the first time in her life, and the young woman’s empowered awakening. She struggles with the conflict between heart and soul, body and mind, but is given the space she needs to find herself. It’s a beautiful journey.
There is also a strong fantasy story behind Nights of Silk and Sapphire, with men of the desert looking to take down the Scion and replace her rule with their own, and that conflict gives the story added significance. Just a wonderful book that I am so glad I had the opportunity to discover.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2023/10/05/book-review-nights-of-silk-and-sapphire-by-amber-jacobs-fantasy-romance/