From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Love Is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1)

John Wiltshire

Start date: August 1, 2021

Finish date: August 19, 2021

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Why we're reading this: This will be our early August read!
[close] This will be our early August read!

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Book of the Month Club

* Candidates for Next Month's Read
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What Members Thought

Jan 15, 2015 liz rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it

3.5 stars

This book is alternately fantastic and boring. It's a very long book, and the story isn't so long. There's repetitive issues. (You say you're attractive, Ben? To both sexes? Because sexy model man? Noooo, tell me MOAR.) And pacing issues. There are pages about how Ben feeeels, but he's too scared to talk about it with Nikolas. Again with the repetitive. The relationship is less of an arc and more of a loop until we get off the ride at the end. It's long. Then it ENDS. Swear to you, the 3.5 stars

This book is alternately fantastic and boring. It's a very long book, and the story isn't so long. There's repetitive issues. (You say you're attractive, Ben? To both sexes? Because sexy model man? Noooo, tell me MOAR.) And pacing issues. There are pages about how Ben feeeels, but he's too scared to talk about it with Nikolas. Again with the repetitive. The relationship is less of an arc and more of a loop until we get off the ride at the end. It's long. Then it ENDS. Swear to you, the end is just that. End. Nothing sorted. Well, the relationship seems fine. The bigger issues are going to be resolved (hopefully) in the next book. It's an abrupt ending. It's not a cliff-hanger though.

So I started with "fantastic" and then got off the rails a bit. I did really like this. So much so, I immediately got the next book. I haven't started it yet, but I will very soon. The relationship is interesting (despite the utter LACK OF LUBE), and there are some great plot twists. I found the story compelling, and I wanted to keep reading. So that's the fantastic. Maybe I'll understand more why after the next book.

UPDATE: 11/12/15
I can't believe it's been only since January I've read all of these books and I keep wanting more. Eleftheria just read this and her status updates and review so much define how I feel about these books. And we're on opposite sides for the love/hate of it all. I commented on her review, and it so reminded me of how I felt reading this the first time, I decided to quote myself on an update here. (Welcome to the Mind of Liz.)

"It's funny. I completely understand and almost agree with all of your feelings on the book. And still it was 4 stars for me, and I've read every book in the series as quickly as possible. Nik is impossible to understand even many books in, the sex is frequently insane (and the lack of lube is cringe-worthy), Ben never makes more sense in his man-child alpha-ish role. And yet. It just works for me. Totally not a universal kind of book/couple though. All the things I'm addicted to are detractions for many and are for me in other books." ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2015 Arch Bala rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: celebrity, favorites, 5-stars, best-series, on-top, omg, military, book-boyfriend, child-abuse, billionaire

When I was reading the first few pages of this story, I was almost sure that it’s not going to work for me. I could just feel it and the blurb doesn’t even offer that much due to its vagueness. Little did I know that I’ll be drawn to the world of Nikolas Mikkelsen and Benjamin Ryder so deep that I’d end up buying the whole bulk available from the series.

Just one bit of warning about the story and the main couple, one should be ready for a roller coaster of secrets after secrets especially about ...more

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Mar 11, 2015 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: action-crime-suspense, glbt, rainbow-gay

I am a Special Forces orphan. I don't really want to compare the two series, but there's something addictive about this series too. I like how co-dependent the guys are and I like the feeling that nothing is quite as it seems. I feel that sometimes the writing was too naked, too raw, I don't really know how to explain it, and sometimes it was quite beautiful, I mean staring-numbly-at-the-wall beautiful. For example this:

Perhaps the wait and the scrutiny had made the other man even more sensitive ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2014 Mandapanda marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: tried-sample-didnt-like-it, try-again

I only got to about chapter 3 or 4. Just not feeling it. Might try again later.

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 04, 2022 JR rated it it was amazing

I took a gamble on this, I am very glad I did. Very well written, with a couple that are intriguing, likeable in the strangest of ways. It is a long series, but am willing to see where these two wind up. There are triggers, so beware that this is dark, not fluff.

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2015 Eve rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It started really well.... I couldn't put it down. Then not so much. It's action packed and rich in plot, but the theme becomes a bit repetitive. There is also some inconsistency in characterization. Like the author was telling me to think of a character as one thing, but the character didn't really give me that impression.
...more

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