When I heard that Thomas Doherty would be narrating an audio erotica with the labels [Praise], [MDom] and [Slow Burn], I was immediately hooked. Along with having all of BookTok in a chokehold, Doherty has lured Gen-Z into the palm of his hand through recent seductive roles. Take his latest role as a sexy vampire in “The Invitation” and his recurring role as a pansexual playboy in the reboot of “Gossip Girl,” for example. Doherty is our generation’s heartthrob, so who wouldn’t want to hear him whispering sweet nothings?
“The Inventor’s Apprentice,” voiced by Doherty, dropped exclusively on the Quinn app on Sept. 22. Casting an ex-Disney channel kid to narrate Quinn’s first audio original series was ingenious. The three 30-minute episodes follow Horatio (Doherty), a Gilded Age inventor, who takes on a female apprentice, Arabella (you), to help him with his research. Listeners journey into Victorian-era London and travel through time to explore the true nature of Horatio’s research and experience a love not bound by time and space.
As someone who doesn’t watch porn, but enjoys reading smut, I was pleased to discover that most of “The Inventor’s Apprentice” felt like smut meets ASMR. There was no penetration until the third episode, so the series eases new listeners into audio erotica. Quinn is audio porn created by and for women, which was evident in this series as female pleasure was the star of the show. Horatio worships Arabella, which was refreshing as I’m used to perspectives of women falling for men, not the other way around.
What sets “The Inventor’s Apprentice” apart from other erotic content, is its connection to the listener. In the series’ promotion, Doherty explains it best:
“Romance is all about context. What makes Quinn and audio erotica so special is the deep connection that we’ll be able to establish together. It is definitely driven by your own imagination. In this world, you are Arabella. And that’s what makes this format so powerful because I’m talking to you and only you. You drive this story. I am acting simply as a guide and I will create a framework for your imagination. You will fill in the gaps and it will become incredibly personal. It is all up to you in terms of how deep you want to go. Come with me and let your mind really indulge in this fantasy world.”
While I enjoyed the parts where Horatio journals his feelings for Arabella, I found that I disliked the heavy reliance on imagination.
Hearing Doherty call me his queen, princess, goddess, love, mistress, angel and naughty minx with an intoxicating British accent was great, but when things got steamy, I was put off. Something about Doherty making cringy kissing and moaning sounds by himself made me uncomfortable. But, hey, maybe you’re into that.
Where “The Inventor’s Apprentice” shined for me, was through its descriptions. Lines like, “There is nothing, nothing, nothing I could keep from my beloved queen. Nothing in my past or future I wanted to keep hidden. I wanted her to strip me, straddle me, lay me bare and plunder every part of me for anything she wanted. I wanted her to own me,” were captivating. Most things felt like they were being told from the female gaze. At one point, Horatio literally begs Arabella to allow him the honor of pleasing her. Insights from a man who is completely infatuated with a woman not only raised my standards for men but also worsened my problem of falling for fictional characters.
Despite a well-written script, great scene setting and a superb performance from Doherty, I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the series. My main issue with “The Inventor’s Apprentice” was its pacing. When I think of a historical slow burn, I imagine season two of “Bridgerton.” This was not that. Time jumped so much that I strained to build a connection with Horatio and Arabella’s love story. One second they just met, the next they’re in an intimate relationship. By episode two, the pair had already been together for nine months. Besides time jumps, scene jumps felt a bit odd. For example, in episode two, Arabella takes Horatio back in time to watch her first sexual encounter. In the next scene, Horatio takes Arabella to the day his mother died… talk about a mood killer. A slower burn and better pacing would have strengthened the connection between the listener and characters.
Ultimately, I would recommend “The Inventor’s Apprentice.” Though historical science fiction is not my genre of choice, the series was worth a listen. The heavy plot made it feel more like you were listening to a smutty romance novel than traditional audio porn. There is genuine love and consideration with every word, and the woman is in control. So, if you’re a fan of Doherty, dissociate into an Arabella alter ego to listen to him tell you that he’s all yours.