Beloved 4490
Released By: Yaoi Press
Writer and Artist: Yamila Abraham/Archie The Red Cat
Release Date: Out now
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Janis and Edwin are drinking together for the last time as free men in a world where slavery was rife. Now that he is nothing more than an ordinary man, and a handsome one at that, he has to be careful not to cause any trouble for anyone, not even those he was once a slave to. He can never allow anyone to know he was once a powerful avatar who could dampen the extreme powers of the demigod Malachi. Janis jokes about his time there with Edwin and how a revolution would be a great thing to happen, but Edwin calms his spirits, telling him he does not know who is listening to him. There could be spies everywhere, and he wouldn't know it.

Edwin has a different belief to him, and it isn't a good one, he believes they will always be in slavery to Malachi, no matter what they do, even if they organize an uprising. As they are the ones who mine the gems for the demigod, he in a way needs them, yet he can destroy them any time he feels like it as he has a devil of a temper if moved to anger. And as only Janis can calm his anger, he begins to feel strongly about Malachi, as they have been apart for so long.

Janis finds he doesn't want Malachi as much as he thought, instead he hides out of his way and finds love with old friend Edwin who is estranged from his wife who doesn't want to go near him anymore. Janis comforts him when he would otherwise have felt lonely, though he does have to watch what he says around others.

Edwin does know how obsessed Janis has become with Malachi, and he doesn't understand it, only Janis does - and recalls a time when he first saw a portrait of him - his mouth agape at his handsome looks, then on hearing his voice, it made him tremble with desire, and he still can't understand it. Janis knows if he is not around Malachi, then he has lost the war, as he cannot hurt him. For once Jace as Janis is using his brain, and he finds he is more at home with Edwin as a lover - even if the prospect of getting with Malachi at some point could give him the pleasure he has long since searched for.

As the other territories have been defeated, there is only one thing that can happen, Jace must go to Malachi and defeat him and become his beloved after all, but will Janis reveal who he really is to the men in the mines and the magistrates?

In this part of the story, Jace as Janis the avatar is a young slave who works in the mines pretending to be oblivious of his responsibility as an avatar purely due to him wanting to keep the peace. He isn't as pure as others might imagine even though he has a kind heart; he likes his men, and he likes them big in certain departments, and will sometimes let two or more men inside him on some nights. It is what Janis gets up to as a slave that will set the hearts of the readers fluttering, but he does retain a kind of normality. He is not big-headed, or brash in any way. He is seen as an unfortunate caught up in a dark time where a demigod could have them killed on a whim. Even though he is the chosen one, he has the chance of suffering the same fate as the others around him, and what is worse he knows it. Malachi still searches for him, though, even in his dreams, and these will also prove interesting for readers who like their sexual play as descriptive as possible.

There is no ignoring the depth of this twenty-five page stunner of a story. There are parts that are truly pornographic, and sensual, but that doesn't detract from the powerful story Yamila has managed to weave her characters around it. Archie the Red Cat has done the equally powerful and sensual cover art for this part, and its loose style, plus the colours she has chosen give the reader a great deal of clues as to how erotic the story is going to be – especially with the dark figure in the background.

Beloved 4490 is now available on Kindle and at Yaoiprose.com, so go get yourself a copy before they all go.

Verdict: A heart-rending tale of love and how it can blossom in even the most dangerous of places.