Nikolas Mikkelsen could make a very long list of unpleasant things he's endured in his life. Then order it from 'nearly killed me' to 'extremely horrific and don't want to do again'. And what did it say about his forty-five years that being hit by a tsunami would be a considerable way down this list? But nothing, not torture, imprisonment, nor starvation has prepared him for what he now has to endure for Ben Rider's sake-attendance on a residential, gay therapy course. At least he has a new contender for the top spot on his 'my awful life' list.
You are going to L.O.V.E This Other Country.
Of course, I'm assuming you've read the first three (which you definitely need to do first)
If that's a go, then I'm also going to assume that you love Nik & Ben (<- accurate. Has to be.)
This was more fun and lighthearted than what we're used to. Now, when I say fun and lighthearted, I'm still talking about Nik and Ben. There was still suspense and crazy shenanigans, but there was a different feel to it this time. For starters, I wasn't in agony over their relationship. There were leaps and bounds made between Nik and Ben in book 3 (still swooning over those instances, big time) and they continued in that direction. The suspense wasn't as nerve-wracking here. The story was a little slower and there was some suspense, just not action-packed. And, of course, it was funny. The humor was intricately woven into the plot and dialogue. It's almost like an inside joke, the more I get to know the characters, the funnier their banter and dialogue becomes because I totally get them now. It's like I know Ben and Nik.
So this one's a little different. The focus shifted a bit.
The focus was mostly on Ben and Nik and their crazy, romantic, all-consuming, obsessive love.
Sound perfect? Yeah, I thought so.
They discover that something funny is going on with a gay couples counseling retreat. People are going and not returning when they should, or worse, ending up dead. Ben and Nik are on it. They plan to go check out this course, disguised as a gay couple. Yup. They are 'pretending to be gay.' Nikolas is especially adamant that he's not gay. He will tell you all day long that he's not gay. And then go to bed with Ben and do all sorts of deliciously dirty things. It was an added bit of humor and it's always fun to laugh at Nikolas's expense. But there were some realizations and even more declarations that are sure to make fans very, very mushy and gushy inside.
Like I said, this is a More Heat Than the Sun book, so it wasn't all fun and laughs. Expect to yell some 'holy shizballs' and 'OMG's' throughout the second half. It should have been horrible. It should have been heartbreaking. At times, it was. But Ben and Nik gravitate towards each other. What they have is obsessive and controlling and, most likely, insane, but it's also natural, and just plain meant to be. In the end, what happened was so perfect. It changed them even more. Made what they shared even better. Is that even possible? Apparently so.
I can't wait for the next installment. Can't. Wait. What else could they go through? How much more could they possibly take?
Most importantly: How much deeper do we get to delve into their to-die-for romance?
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Funny? For the most part except for that horrific fifty seconds or however long it took for Ben to do something that could have and still might haunt him for the rest of his life. That scene could have been treated with the same gorefest that pervaded book 3 but I think the author made a conscious decision to spare us the details as much as he could.
ReplyDeleteIt all happened so fast.....
I also hope a couple of the characters in this book stick around for subsequent books. In one interview, John suggests that we see a lot more of the secondary characters in future books.