His Fake Prison Daddy by Thursday Euclid and Clancy Nacht

So. Yeah. There’s a book called His Fake Prison Daddy. And I’ve read it.

Why did I do that you wonder? Well, it wasn’t because of the title, that’s for sure. No, it was because of all the positive reviews.

And I can only concur with the surprised delight of so many other reviewers. His Fake Prison Daddy (yes it is indeed a cringe-worthy title) is pretty darn good.

Now, it won’t win any rewards. It’s shallow entertainment, heavy on the smut. But it’s high quality, smutty entertainment which makes all the difference! It’s highly unrealistic, slightly dark – but not at all as dark as I thought it would be – and pretty much the definition of a guilty pleasure.

The very inappropriate synopsis goes like this: Young, pretty boy Elias (he’s eighteen, I’ll call him a boy), who’s mostly innocent, is placed in a maximum security prison, in the same cell as a cannibalistic serial-killer (Hughes). Young, pretty boy decides to do what it takes to survive (yes, by that I mean exactly what you’re thinking). Young, pretty boy gets a cannibal daddy and also discovers that someone’s apparently trying to kill him.

It’s a short, fast-paced read. And the story kept me captivated from the very beginning. It’s the perfect balance between the two main attractions of the story; the relationship between Elias and Hughes and the escalating attempts on Elias’ life. In other words, there’s not a dull moment in there. There are fights, corrupt guards, prison gangs. And naughty, naughty, hot stuff.

The plot is of course entirely implausible. Well, the entire book is really. But the storytelling is excellent. It’s remarkable how a storyline this cheesy can still be turned into such a great read by talented authors. I haven’t read anything by Euclid or Nacht before, but considering what they could pull off with this story, I will most definitely check out more of their work.

But apart from Euclid’s and Nacht’s impressive writing-skills, there were two things in particular that ‘saved’ this read for me. First, there’s no non-con. Everything is consensual which brings the read from potentially super-dark to rather light and fluffy. Then there’s a revelation that – sort of – manages to dispel some of the aversion towards Hughes the cannibal.

This read is absolutely still troubling though. Elias’ and Hughes’ lovestory is based on a premise that more often than not ends with domestic abuse. Namely the idea that an angry, violent man can be changed by love. It’s a nice thought. Faulty, but nice. However. All is allowed in fiction and smut. And when the smut is so very, very well-written, I can absolutely look past plenty of red flags and warning bells.