Hour of Gryphon by Amanda Gannon 
ASIN B005KT2U54
Story Rating: 2 out of 5 paddles
Sting Factor (kink): 3 out of 5
Blurb:
Avelia, daughter of a rebel duke, wishes to serve her House by going to war. She flees an unwanted marriage and places herself on the front lines by standing in for her best friend. Thinking to find herself with an easy post, she assumes his identity, but winds up under the command of the magnetic and ruthless general himself. When her secret outs, the honor of her family is called into question, and she must prove that she is no traitor. Rather than be dismissed for her deception, she agrees to submit herself to the general’s testing. To what lengths will Avelia go to prove her loyalty to her ruthless master? To what lengths will he go to test her? This book contains explicit (albeit fictional) sex and is intended for adults only. All characters are over 18. The material contained in this book may be offensive to some readers. Hour of the Gryphon contains scenes of discipline and borderline non-consensual encounters.
Review:
An entertaining, if simplistic tale of two friends trading places and the repercussions of their decision.
THE HOUR OF THE GRYPHON follows the young noblewoman, Avelia as she assumes her best friend, Alaric’s place on the battlefront. Knowing he would never survive his first engagement and wanting more for herself she eagerly suggests the switch. Pretending is easy, but succeeding under close quarters is near impossible—and her secret is soon forfeit.
Upon reporting Avelia is assigned as a personal squire to the field commander, General Ionvar; the position vacated by his other squire’sposthumous promotion. Things quickly unravel for Avelia after discovery byEremon, Ionvar’s other squire and companion in carnal activities. Blackmail doesn’t save her when Ionvar’s comes upon them.
What follows is punishment and defiance: lashings and humiliation, all to break Avelia. The subsequent scenes are entertaining if unrealistic, but I was disappointed in the ending which was rushed and felt too much like Disney. The characters did not have time to reach the conclusion they did.
Overall, THE HOUR OF THE GRYPHON is a diversion,but not groundbreaking.
Reviewed by Vivian
