Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

So I was looking for new novel recommendations on reddit and I came across a recommendation for "The Earls Man" by FantasyLover. But something the recommender said has me very confused.

He said "I'd also add "The Earls Man" (sorta) lady cheats with another lady harem member "

But how does that count as cheating? Could someone explain what he was referring to and how that's cheating? Thank you

Link to comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltranslations/comments/4iw6oo/comment/d40jqbr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Unless the owner of the harem is really uptight about it, two female harem members carrying on together is not cheating. Unless he is superstud or it's a really small harem, there are going to be times he can't get to everyone, so the ones he didn't get to take matters into their own hands, so to speak. Nothing wrong with that.

I will also say that goings-on inside his harem are a very small part of the story, and the story wouldn't suffer if they weren't described at all. All-in-all, it's a great story.

I don't know this particular story, but I do know that some people who enjoy harem stories don't want the harem members to have sex with anyone other than the main character. They do not like that at all. I don't think I've ever seen that extend to other female members of the harem, but it doesn't particularly surprise me.

The Earl's Man by FantasyLover
Author's Description:
Story of the life of a young man starting life in 13th century England. His dedication earns him an offer to become a Knight and unexpectedly a noble. Follow his rise to power from a favorite of the Earl he serves. See how his interest in new and better ideas serves him as he works to improve the lives of his subjects, and battles forces threatening England and her allies, rewriting history his own way.
Size: 983 KB (182,332 words)
Genre: Historical
Sex Contents: Some Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, mt/ft, Ma/ft, mt/Fa, Fa/Fa, ft/ft, Fa/ft, Consensual, NonConsensual, Reluctant, Slavery, Fiction, Rags To Riches, Alternate History, Incest, Torture, Harem, Polygamy/Polyamory, Anal Sex, Bestiality, Cream Pie, First, Fisting, Oral Sex
Bookmark Zip EPUB
Review by richardshagrin [other reviews by richardshagrin - Contact Reviewer]
Reviewed: 3/8/2015

I really liked this story. It starts with the hero a young son of the guard captain for the Earl of Lancaster. It ends with him the ruler of much of the known world. How he gets there and the many beautiful women he marries or adds as concubines to his household fill up the story. Some military action, some diplomacy, some invention, and a lot of building cover most of the story. There is adequate character development and pretty much never a dull moment. I recommend other stories by this author as well. The history in the story is not like our history, which seems like a shame.

There is a lot of plot, but I didn't give it a ten as there are not a lot of surprises. The hero goes from success to success with very few challenges he does not overcome in the next couple of pages. "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible will take a little longer." I did not see any technical quality issues. Does a Korean inventing movable type for printing count? I voted this a nine, great, and I am going to stick with that. Some reviewers seem to give mostly 10s. They think differently than I do, and that's fine. I am looking for stories to recommend, not ones that are perfect.

Plot: 9 | Technical Quality: 10 | Appeal to Reviewer: 9