Review: Edgy and dark and so good
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2012
4.5 starsSergei Stolkov is a young captain in the Coalition Forces; he believes completely in the Doctrine but isn't too thrilled with his current assignment as aide to a general on the planet of Cirokko. He is unsure it's in the best interest of the coalition to try to conquer Cirokko, and fears it will once again earn its nickname, Fool's Gamit.  Added to his frustration with the mission objective, his mixed feelings about the brother General he serves causes his life to be mostly a waking nightmare. But Sergei is a good soldier, trained to serve and not question, he will unswervingly do as ordered.Mike is a CovOp operative, embedded with the rebel's of Cirokko, he and his partner Pat are masters at what they do. Pat's mission is to embed himself with rebels in the mountains, Mike's to blend into the local culture of the provincial capital of Dedis and embed himself with the Coalition Forces by seducing one of its officers. He speaks both the local language as well as Doctrine standard fluently. While adept at any kind of weapon his best weapon is his own body and mind, both of which he intends to use to his advantage.Mike not only seduces himself into Sergei's bed but into his heart as well.  Unfortunately for Mike, what starts out as an op soon turns personal, and he finds himself not pretending to fall for Sergei but actually landing head first in love with him. Now the games begin, Mike has to try to do his job while trying to protect Sergei. Sergei must try to reconcile what he and the doctrine consider unnatural feelings for Mike against his duty. Both will have their minds, bodies and souls put to extreme tests and both will discover just how deep their love goes.As a team Aliksandr Voinov and Rhianon Etzweiler have created a world of intrigue, betrayal and seduction with such skill that from the first sentence the reader knows they are going to be in for a ride. While the story takes place in another time and place and is full of alien names and references, it is so well told that it's easy to feel exactly what Mike and Sergei experience.We meet Mike and Pat first as they watch a coalition convey traversing the long way around the Zasidka Pass, a pass that has been the ruin of many a mission and will play a big part in the story (that's the only spoiler I'll give about that). Immediately we learn Mike is a rugged man, well suited to his job and with a slightly off center sense of humor. Pat is a bit of a curmudgeon, it's clear why he stays in the background and Mike does the front work. As with all partners, they get on each others nerves but have each others backs as well. As the story progresses we learn a lot about Mike but Pat remains a bit of a mystery.Our first meeting with Sergei shows us he is a team player but not a happy camper. We soon learn what it is about the brother General that causes him to be conflicted and trust me, it isn't pretty.  Sergei is a well trained soldier, the coalition forces are referred to as zombies, and Sergei has the act down pat. He is able to control his emotions and it's impossible to tell his thoughts by looking at this face.The first meeting of Mike and Sergei pretty much sets the tone for their relationship throughout the book. Mike is the more mature of the two and certainly the more experienced. While the book is chock full of military action and intrigue, for me the conflict both men faced was the meat of the book. There were scenes that were painful to read, the authors pulled no punches and didn't pretty it up. I enjoyed this book immensely, I can't think of a thing to complain about in it, which is rare indeed for me. Why not 5 stars? It was a good book and I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel myself needing to read it to the end in one sitting. I don't hesitate to recommend this book to readers of science fiction, readers of romance, and readers of just a darn good story.My usual cautions apply - there is unspeakable graphic violence, there is M/M sex- some very graphic, there are not nice things happening but none of it should make the mature reader uncomfortable.Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team