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Review: Restricted (The Verge #1) by A.C. Thomas

Dr. Aristotle Campbell is a desperate man. His twin brother has been abducted, and Ari will do anything to find him. Forced out of the comfortable solitude of his laboratory, Ari must leave their home world of Britannia and search the farthest reaches of space for his other half. He hastily equips himself with a flawlessly tied cravat, a handful of clues, and his small science vessel. Now, all he needs is a pilot to get him across the Verge, a barrier separating the civilized world from ungoverned space.

Pilot Orin Stone is a desperate man. No ship, no pay, no prospects. He spends his days barely scraping by in the rough colonies lining the Verge interior. When he gets an offer from a frantic, upper-crust professor in need of a pilot, he has no choice but to take the job. He just can’t believe it when the professor turns out to be the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen and that his offer includes a ship of Orin’s own. If Orin can keep his heart (and other portions of his anatomy) from leaping every time sweet, innocent Dr. Campbell looks at him, this should be his easiest job yet.

Rugged Orin and aristocratic Ari work together to navigate the lawless areas of space beyond the Verge, soon discovering that they work well together in all areas. Their immediate and intense attraction to one another is an obstacle to their plans that neither saw coming. More than sparks will fly when they break through the force field and enter restricted space, all alone together for the perilous journey, leaving barriers to their growing attachment far behind.

In their search across the stars, can two desperate men find their home in one another?

A not too shabby start!

As per the blurb, Ari Campbell is desperate to find his abducted brother Theo, and though he finds a pilot for a steep price, there’s no better man for the job than Orin Stone.

This begins with two people who are worlds apart, starkly on opposing ends of the social spectrum. Ari being from the upper crust Core, educated, respectable, and well off. Orin, a bastard, surviving on fumes from the outskirts of space known as the Verge.

Orin is crass, brash, and a shameless flirt, immediately throwing Ari off kilter. It’s quickly “sweetheart, sugar, baby, beautiful” as Orin plays it rough and tumble tough, when deep down he’s the biggest teddy bear in the galaxy. Ari is the quintessential prudish virgin with self esteem issues regarding everything but his science-y profession. He’s twisted tighter than a corkscrew, and who better to unwind Ari free than the hulking man he’s just hired. One can well imagine what happens when these two are locked in a tiny spaceship all by their lonesome…

So yes, this moved fast. The lust and attraction instantaneous, the culmination even quicker when they have nothing but time on their hands in between their pit stops on various outposts gathering supplies and information. It’s a little over the top regarding their romantic progression, and know that plenty of insecurity, doubt, and jealousy abound where each thinks the other wouldn’t want him for the long haul. Regardless, both Ari and Orin put their best foot forward when push comes to shove as they come across several roadblocks and of course, realize they make a great team.

Despite my minor quibbles, the writing was spot on and so was the explicit smexy. I loved the world building and setting where the less respectable parts of space were treated like the wild wild west - territories that toed the line of the law, that had a shine of disreputability but only because they were struggling to get by by any means possible, skirting dreaded Enforcers that make their lives that much more difficult. All of this lent a certain atmospheric feel to it a’la Firefly (which I’ll never say no to), where the ability to travel the known universe doesn’t always equate sleek and slick.

Overall, I enjoyed myself where I eyed this through some rose tinted glasses. This ends with the main conflict solved as Ari and Orin inevitably find Theo, but it also leaves the reader wondering what the hell has Theo been up to with the mysterious mercenary Captain Park. I’m intrigued by this new author, and I won't be saying no to the next saga of space shenanigans when it comes out in the spring!





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