Against the Grain: A Human's Guide to Wooing an Asexual Incubi
An Urban Fantasy MM Romance
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Against the Grain: A Human's Guide to Wooing an Asexual Incubi
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Narrated by:
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Jason Chacon
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By:
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Nikole Knight
About this listen
The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.
Ellian has a problem, and his name is Felix Masters. When Ellie, a high society male succubus, joins Against the Grain, he has a foolproof plan: attend the support group for supernatural misfits, figure out how to correct his...abnormality, and then return to the Incubi compound to join his betrothed. For once in Ellie’s suffocatingly controlled existence, he will bring honor to his family name, regardless of the personal cost. As long as a certain awkwardly sweet human does not ruin his carefully laid plans.
Felix Masters has a problem, and his name is Ellian. Felix never meant to crash into a therapy group for magical oddballs, but that single stumble changes his world forever. Magic, glamour, and succubus tails are only the beginning, and when faced with a skittish Incubi dead set on self-destruction, Felix is determined to change Ellie’s mind and, with a little bit of luck, capture his heart as well.
An asexual succubus trapped by fate and expectation. An insecure human desperate to set him free. Join Felix and Ellie as they find acceptance, courage, and unconditional love in the one place they never expected: each other.
Possible triggering material includes: Supernatural culture “norms” that border on child abuse (past), emotional abuse, and dubious consent (non-graphic/off-page). One character struggles with a form of gender dysphoria and self-harm manifesting in a type of eating disorder. Side note: mpreg exists in this magical race/universe, but it is not featured on page or experienced by the main characters.
©2021 Nikole Knight (P)2021 Nikole KnightListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Against the Grain: A Human's Guide to Wooing an Asexual Incubi
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- L.D.
- 11-09-21
Support Group Romance
A Human’s Guide to Wooing an Asexual Incubi is part of the Against the Grain series but it is easy to read it as a standalone. The other two books in the series are written by other authors featuring other characters.
What an interesting storyline—the worldbuilding was very interesting and I liked what the author did with Incubi culture. There was a lot of intricate incubi politics and social customs that Ellian had to face and overcome. The friendship, which soon developed into a beautiful love, between Felix and Ellie was delightful and sweet. I really liked how creative Felix became when it came to providing for Ellie’s needs without crossing any boundaries. Their respect and love for each other was strong and beautiful. There was a lot of suspense, some angst, humor, and of course, some really romantic moments.
The audiobook was narrated by Jason Chacon, a new-to-me narrator. Jason did a nice job with the main characters voices, and although some of the voices for the side characters weren’t to my taste, I still really enjoyed listening to this book. I will definitely listen to more books narrated by Jason Chacon.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bookoutbelow
- 13-09-21
Extremely thought provoking
Audio review:
Jason Chacon is a new to me narrator and did a lot of things really right. I thought there was enough modulation to be able to differentiate between characters and the accents were well done and true to the locations of our characters. Overall really a great job narrating, I had just already read the book and for me the characters would have had different tones and inflections then they did. So really good narration and definitely something you should check out as this story is amazing, just not completely for me.
Book review:
Okay so from the blurb and cover I expected this to be light, fluffy, maybe even silly (in a good way) and while it had moments of all those things it was soooo much deeper than that. It dealt with gender dysphoria on such a deep level which was unexpected but in my opinion was done very well (however, I am a cis woman so my opinion does not matter here and take all of that with a whole mountain of salt). Still Knight’s writing was so powerful and thought provoking that I truly felt like I was on Ellie’s journey with him. The enjoyed the way the ace rep was done as well, since it seems most books that deal with ace rep go straight to the sex-averse side of asexuality, while it was treated differently here without ever making it seem like there was one way to be asexual.
And I think that kind of gets to the crux of this novel, and it was one about accepting who you are, no matter what box you were born in or which box is the one you actually fit comfortably in. Felix and Elian were the perfect characters to go through this story with. They were cute, charming, insecure (the fact I haven’t already mentioned that Felix is a plus sized MC is a crime because I adored that), and just all around lovely characters. I laughed, I cried, and just fell for this beautiful story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- choccygrl
- 21-09-21
Excellent story and superb narrator
Sometimes it pays to take chance on an unknown (to me) author. But rarely do I do it without the back up of a familiar narrator. Here I chose to jump in with both feet and a newbie author/narrator combo.
I'm so glad I did. This story was excellent. The relationship developed so naturally and I loved the characters, especially Felix, who was adorable, gentle and caring, and made me cry. But it was Ellian who broke my heart with every expectation heaped upon him, every way he'd been raised to believe he was wrong, who thought duty was more important than happiness.
This story had so much to say on the subject of gender dysphoria and it said it well. The scene in the epilogue (you'll know when you get there) was both uplifting and heartbreaking in equal measure and spoke to me on a personal level.
The narrator did an excellent job and I felt every emotion with the guys.
Highly recommended l.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- PL
- 01-09-21
Funny, sweet and great narration
Ellian and Felix were so cute and I loved how their differences bought them closer together.
This is the first time I’ve listened to this narrator and he did a fantastic job.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alex
- 08-09-21
Fun world building
The characters and story were fun. Really enjoyed the world building. Aspects of the forced birth issue in incubus society were hard to read in light of current events, but I still enjoyed it. Very interesting take on incubus and gender/sexuality in a non-human species. There is definite dubious/non consent between one MC and his arranged mate which was explained as a cultural thing, but considering the same outcome could be acheived with consent, it still disqualifies the arranged mate from being the generally nice/good guy he was otherwise portrayed as IMO. Other than that, it was an enjoyable story set in an interesting world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kirsty Mc
- 09-09-21
A great listen.
Oh I really loved Ellie and Felix. Ellie grew up not living to his family’s expectations, as an incubus who is touch averse. I really felt for him - everyone should be loved for who they are, nor for what people want them to be - and I love that Felix saw him for him, and didn’t make him feel less for being himself. Felix is so sweet and accepting - a human who had no idea of the paranormal world, and stumbled on the help group accidentally. He doesn’t see how wonderful he is and I love the Ellie helps him to see this too.
A great listen - a narrator I’ve never listened to before, but I definitely would pick up an audiobook narrated by them again in the future.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KR Phoenix @ Books, Tattoos and Tea
- 11-09-21
Enchanting
Oh my! This story is everything! It's witty, enchanting, hilarious, endearing, wonderful and triumphant. I loved Ellie and Felix and the whole support group!
I humour and species barriers were hilarious and I will totally admit to laughing out loud at some of these interactions!
The wit and humour is balanced wonderfully with the series issues Ellie is going through. if I had not read the warnings page I probably wouldn't have understood Ellie as much but his underlying identity is core to the story and was beautiful to see him grow into himself with the help of the colourful support group and the gentle, loving and wonderful cinnamon roll, Felix!!
Now, the narration was good, especially for the main characters, with depth, dialects and passion but there side characters were often spoken really softly which made it hard to hear and you could turn up your volume then the main characters would be too loud. there were also times were the emotions bled into the narration, which is usually fantastic but it was often quieter and softer, making it hard to heard on occasion. The actual voice acting is great and diverse but the volume fluctuations were admittedly quite frustrating.
The story is entirely worth it tho!! I highly recommend it and can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sarah mitcham
- 13-09-21
Not A Typical Incubi.
MM, Paranormal romance. Absolutely loved this story, I wasn't too sure what to expect as the author is new to me but I LOVED it!! unpredictable, emotional, fantastic story and characters with great narration by Jason Chacon, who again is new to me. Ellian and Felix should never have met at the support group for supernatural misfits as Felix should never of been able to enter but everything changes for them once they have met.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Meg
- 12-09-21
So many emotions!
I received a copy of this amazing audiobook from Gay Romance Reviews. What really caught my attention was the blurb, and the representation of an Ace character. Little did I know that this "rom-com" would grab me by the heartstrings, tie them in knots and fray the edges, before mending them nice and neatly and returning them to my emotional self. I obviously missed the part where the author is the same person that wrote the Fire and Brimstone series which would have given me some warning.
First thing: READ THE TRIGGERS! They cover just about everything, except one emotional scene during a meeting where a member describes her experience as part of the supernatural world. Even though it is not sexual in any way, I fully experienced it as a noncon situation, so beware. If you're uncomfortable with anything listed in the warnings, please proceed with care; the author put them there for a reason.
The characters are so well developed that I was immersed in their lives from page one. The attention to detail in the descriptions of not only the many differing species, but also the settings and background are fantastic. Both Felix and Ellian stole my heart from the very beginning. They both have issues and insecurities, but in my opinion, Ellie's situation puts him in a much more harsh situation.
The thing to remember about asexual people is that there is a vast spectrum of comfort levels and desires that they may or may not experience. Ellie is a very special Incubus/succubus. As his friendship with Felix grows and trust is formed, Ellie is allowed to find out what he wants and who he wants to be. Felix is my hero, with his brash and honest words, and the sensitivity he shows in order to treat others with respect. It was an emotional rollercoaster ride that Ms. Knight took me on watching their love story unfold and come to fruition.
Jason Chacon is a new to me narrator, and I was definitely impressed. I enjoyed his character differentiation, and I could hear the emotions coming from each character. Two things I found a bit distracting: 1.) Unless you have your volume up at extreme levels, there are a few times where you can't hear what is being said. Of course, it is most likely meant to be quietly spoken, but I did have to backtrack a few times and turn my volume up full blast; and 2.) There are very long pauses between chapters, or Steps. I checked more than once to make sure my player had not stopped. Otherwise, I think Mr. Chacon did a superb job of bringing this book to life. Bravo!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amelia
- 14-09-21
A touching romance that melted my heart
Felix and Ellie's romance was as unexpected as it was wonderful. I'll admit that I didn't quite know what to make of Felix when he stumbled into the support group Ellie attended, but the more I got to know him the more I fell in love with his quirky personality. If there was ever a person who could bring Ellie out of his shell, it was Felix, and I had a blast watching the two of them bond over cooking classes and self-portraits. Jason Chacon's narration was on-point from start to finish, and I thought his depictions of Felix and Ellie matched them nicely.
Though Felix's anxiety appeared in bits and pieces throughout this book, the heart of this story centered around Ellie's struggles with the expectations placed on him in Incubi society. It was truly heartbreaking to see him war with his sense of duty versus what made him happy, and I was firmly on Team "Make-Ellie-Happy" despite how much he wavered back and forth. Knowing how much was at stake for him, I was even more thrilled to see Ellie open up around Felix and trust him with intimacy he hadn't shared with anyone else. This book didn't need steamy sex and passionate bedroom flings to showcase the emotional connection these men shared when a sweet kiss and hand-holding session could melt my heart into a pile of mush. I loved experiencing every quiet, content moment between Felix and Ellie, and their silly banter never failed to make me smile. Best of all, Felix never asked for anything Ellie wasn't comfortable giving and regularly checked on his emotional state. Without even saying the words, I could feel the love these two had for each other, and that's what made me even more invested in seeing them find a way to be together. The journey certainly wasn't easy, and there were moments when I was afraid Ellie's sense of duty would overrule his heart, but in the end Felix and Ellie took the leap and chose a life of happiness, love, and togetherness.
**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.
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