A Chip in His Shoulder (Falling Sky, #1) in Riptide Publishing

Dec 14, 2011 BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampire, m-m, the-romance-reviews, cyberpunk

Love and hate are so close at times; it's hard to tell in the heat of passion.

Liam was betrayed by Daniel and has the opportunity to confront him after five long years. Liam's been given a contract to assassinate Daniel by Daniel's father. With pleasure, Liam greets Daniel with a loaded gun in both his hand and pants. Not all is what it seems. Daniel still loves Liam and his world has come crashing down around him before he had a chance for his plans to come together. Old wounds are opened a ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Kassa rated it liked it

A Chip in His Shoulder by LA Witt is a really good and often used idea in science fiction. There are a few fresh twists and a brief attempt at tension but overall the story is interesting and fun to read. Where the novella stumbles though is on the pacing and content. There is too much that is skipped over and summarized leaving a very rushed and choppy feel. The world building is decent for the length but sadly leaves out so much. I wish this had been a fully fleshed out novel with solid world A Chip in His Shoulder by LA Witt is a really good and often used idea in science fiction. There are a few fresh twists and a brief attempt at tension but overall the story is interesting and fun to read. Where the novella stumbles though is on the pacing and content. There is too much that is skipped over and summarized leaving a very rushed and choppy feel. The world building is decent for the length but sadly leaves out so much. I wish this had been a fully fleshed out novel with solid world building and complete characters; instead it reads like the first book of a series and not a satisfying stand-alone.

ACiHS has a very basic and familiar plot. It starts with vampire and assassin Liam heading to kill his mark and old lover Daniel. Daniel is the son of a very wealthy cybertronics scion as Liam once was. Liam was disowned and disinherited when his affair with human Daniel was revealed and since then he’s done whatever he had to do to survive. Despite their rocky past or because of it, when Liam shows up to kill Daniel they’re both in for a few surprised that just may change their minds about many things.

Set in a futuristic world, potentially post-apocalyptic, with an urban feel with advanced electronics, high tech assassins, and vampires, this story really hits all the things I adore in a story. I mean I don’t think I could have tailor made a story more in tune with the very elements I devour in the science fiction/fantasy genre. Many of the elements and themes used are pretty universal, though it doesn’t detract from the story. For example the extreme poverty versus extreme wealth concept; the rich sons battling their greedy fathers for the good of common man; the assassin with a heart of gold just trying to help the poor; old lovers torn apart due to immaturity and youth finding a common cause to fight against. I could go on but suffice it to say the novella is chock full of common themes and familiar concepts.

Having said that I liked the plot anyway. It’s not original but it works for me because I happen to like those themes. Unfortunately the story is simply too rushed and really short changed any potential these themes have. There are too many of them thrown into too short of a story. None of these ideas are well fleshed out and constructed. The actual futuristic world isn’t explained very well; is it post-apocalyptic or merely futuristic? How did the world come to be this way and incorporate mods and vampires at once? There are so many unanswered questions and omitted details that it’s very frustrating. These ideas are simply introduced, stately plainly without much detailed explanation or development, and then the story and characters move onto the next theme. There is no depth to any of it or any of the characters unfortunately. There is so much action and time spent explaining the background of the couple and world that the depth and development of each element is sacrificed.

For example, rather than letting the world building create a solid background to the story, these details are largely told through Liam’s internal monologues. The story is told to the reader much more than it’s shown and in a genre that I love, this is especially disappointing. Likewise the plot is simply too full and rushed to be complete and satisfying. There are too many concepts and ideas thrown in without elaboration while the characters feel very thin at best. They have such potential and clearly a dramatic and tension filled past but none of that raw emotion and edgy turmoil comes through. It feels watered down and incomplete.

This feels like a great idea that just didn’t deliver in execution. It has all the elements that I like and honestly crave in an excellent book but it doesn’t offer the sense of satisfaction and completion to work. I can’t help but think what this book would have been like in another author’s hands and I get chills thinking how good it could have been. Overall it’s decent but it’s definitely lost potential and doesn’t really work as much as it should.
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Jan 18, 2012 Chad rated it liked it

Look at that! Just after I coined the term, I get to use it. A Chip in His Shoulder definitely fits my definition of a quadruple-s romance. Sadly, the scene is short and tastefully euphemistic, but thankfully there is more than sex to keep this novella interesting.

Witt has brought to life a dystopian world in which humans and vampires coexist in a highly stratified society ruled by cybernetics and the companies that produce them, where separation of the desperately poor and the stinking rich tak ...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Jody rated it liked it

This book is set in the future where there's a dramatic difference between the haves and have nots. For the haves is the ability to have implants to make you stronger and richer and live in the "Sky", whereas everyone else is just average and relegated to lesser jobs and living in the "Gutter". As if an economic class distinction weren't enough of an issue there's also issues between vampires and humans where vampires think they're supreme and discriminate against humans. All of these issues add This book is set in the future where there's a dramatic difference between the haves and have nots. For the haves is the ability to have implants to make you stronger and richer and live in the "Sky", whereas everyone else is just average and relegated to lesser jobs and living in the "Gutter". As if an economic class distinction weren't enough of an issue there's also issues between vampires and humans where vampires think they're supreme and discriminate against humans. All of these issues add an intriguing layer to an already exciting and thought provoking book that I hope leads to a sequel soon.

Vampire Liam once lived in the Sky before it was discovered that he had a human lover. Suddenly he was left living in the Gutter using his genetic modifications and vampiric abilities to become a renowned contract killer. He's become bitter over his circumstances and resents his former lover Daniel for what's happened. When he gets a job offer he can't refuse he again comes in contact with Daniel which leads to conflicted feelings and life or death circumstances.

Life for Daniel hasn't gone the way he wanted it to either. As Liam got more and more mods he thought he was losing his lover. By bringing their relationship out into the open he thought he was saving him but ended up losing him anyway. He's become hardened since then and more resentful of leading mod manufacturer Cybernetix, the company that he'll one day inherit. When he and Liam are again forced into each other's company they have to work together to survive and the feelings one thought buried come out full force.

The world Ms. Witt has created is vividly presented and the issues between individuals is realistic and easily translatable to things happening today. The grandeur and beauty of Sky living is in direct contrast to the grungy and depressing environment of the Gutter. Where there's cleanliness and sunshine in the Sky there's darkness and choking smog in the Gutter. The contrast between rich and poor is plainly obvious and the fight to end these differences is just starting in this book.

Liam and Daniel are both strong men and when they come together the sexual tension is off the charts. With this being a short story there's not a lot of time devoted to their romantic history together. Being told they loved each other deeply and being shown are two different things. I wish there had been more opportunities to see them together in this way but they were too busy fighting for their lives to have romantic interludes. The brief glimpses we got were really hot though! Both of these men were betrayed by the same man which led to their being on the run. Their escape was exciting and pulse pounding and had me on the edge of my seat but I would've gladly given up some of this action for more romantic action.

This book is a great beginning to what could be an intriguing continuation. The ideas presented here are thought provoking and could have even more interesting ramifications for the future. With strong-willed men like Liam and Daniel leading the way the rebellion just hinted at here could lead to one heckuva story. So here's hoping that we'll be revisiting this world soon! ...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Valentina Heart rated it liked it

Shelves: glbt, glbt-sf-futur-fantasy-paran, the-romance-reviews

This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.

Cyberpunk with a paranormal touch and a promise of a fast and dangerous ride is exactly what A CHIP IN HIS SHOULDER is. L.A. Witt created a fast paced action with a lot of detail and a world of possibilities.

My interest in this book started when I first saw the cover. Honestly it is still one of the best ones I've seen, because it's simple, hot and dangerous and in a way tells a story of its own. If I've read This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.

Cyberpunk with a paranormal touch and a promise of a fast and dangerous ride is exactly what A CHIP IN HIS SHOULDER is. L.A. Witt created a fast paced action with a lot of detail and a world of possibilities.

My interest in this book started when I first saw the cover. Honestly it is still one of the best ones I've seen, because it's simple, hot and dangerous and in a way tells a story of its own. If I've read the blurb, it's been a while since then because I was convinced starting that it was a contemporary. Maybe that will teach me to pay attention to words and not hot hunks. A weakness, can't help it. So when Liam started talking about mods and light sensitivity, I felt as if I'd dropped in the middle of a movie and had to poke at five people around me to tell me what was going on.

Turns out he's a vampire/mercenary who lives in the Gutter, lower part of the world where the poor people live and work, where the air is barely breathable, crime is the norm and one is likely to get anything he wants for a price. He is hired by his former lover's (who'd betrayed him and landed him where he is) father to kill his son, Daniel. Liam doesn't ask why because all he wants is the money and revenge can only sweeten the deal.

Not to go into long explanations, the father is the real villain and he'd set them both up, wanting to get rid of the threat they represent each in his own way. That was fine with me, actually the whole future with modifications and advanced technology was interesting and something I like reading about. But the way it was presented could have been better. The feeling of starting the story from the middle took too long to fade and by then I was overwhelmed by the technical details I had no background to base them on. The fact that Liam was a vampire didn't quite fit into the story and while I did get used to it, even by the end, I didn't see a point in it. I also wondered how exactly did the human race come to the level where they became vampires. Were they turned or born? Evolution maybe? Way too many questions and definitely not enough answers.

The mutual forgiveness from both characters seemed far-fetched and their sudden attraction too close to a fairytale. I really couldn't get into the romance part of this story at all and could easily say there was no romance at all. The love/hate relationship I very much like, but even that definition couldn't be used in this particular story.

I debated between rating this with two stars and three, but decided I really did like the action parts and the whole ‘powerful villain' vibe they revolved around. I thought it was well developed and the only thing that made much sense.

The ending was rather open, as if another book is planned sometime in the future, but since I didn't much care for the characters and there was no emotional side of me invested into this story, I was fine with it.

Cyberpunk is rare in m/m romance, and as such I would say if asked – go and try this book. If I am going to remember it long enough to actually say that is another thing entirely. Since I've read and liked a couple of books by this author, I know it's not a matter of lacking ideas or talent, just that L.A. Witt has a very diverse style and while one book might be perfect, another might be a complete miss. ...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Dee Wy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, vampires, short-story, m-m-paranormal, first-in-series

4.5 stars. I'm a big fan of both action stories and vampires, so this fairly short story was perfect for me. Loved the enemies to lovers theme too! Great read. ...more

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