Reviewed by: Taylor

Title: In His Sights

Series: A Don’t Tell Novella

Author: Rie Warren

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Forever Yours

Pages: 81

Blurb:

Can two enemies overcome the battles within and the war without to find love? Or will the revolution destroy their chance at happiness?

At the outset of the revolution against the oppressive Company regime, Hawke is a freedom fighter on a mission. Infiltrate Alpha Territory, kick some Corps ass, and stay alive. His plans unravel when he’s captured by the enemy on his first sortie. Prepared for death by the soldier sworn to kill him, all his training couldn’t have prepared him for what happens next.

A corporal in the Company’s military branch, Mayce is a hard-liner intent on ridding his city of the insurgent threat. Yet one look at the gorgeous Freelander named Hawke and years of yearning and unrealized desires change his course permanently. If discovered, he’ll be branded a traitor and a homosexual—and sentenced to death.

Mayce and Hawke act on their intense and immediate attraction. But amid the escalating revolution their dangerous trysts come at the risk of their own lives, as Hawke soon finds out.
Review:

This is a novella based in the author’s Don’t Tell series, but it can be read as a standalone like I did, and the reader should have no problem following the plot or understanding the world. It features two main characters: Hawke, a young, green-eyed, dreadlocked Nomad (or Freelander as the name they prefer to call themselves) fighting for the people’s freedom and part of the Revolution; and Mayce, a gangly, clean-cut, close-cropped CO fighting for the government and Company regime that prides itself on a heteronormative society with a lack of nature and exploration.

So, it’s a mixed bag with this one and I’ll start with the positives. I really liked both characters and there certainly was the structure of a great story and an interesting world. Plus, enemies to lovers is my fave trope EVA. There is a lot of variety in the sex from frottage, rimming, 69’ing, versatile men, wood sex, beach sex…you name it, and it’s hot sex, so kudos. The ugly parts of war weren’t glossed over, and the author gave the scenes plenty of details, and I kind of want to go live with the Freelanders in the woods. I really could visualize the stark difference between their land and the destruction and bleakness of the Company’s area. So many great parts and ideas within this and I think the potential for other characters and interactions would be fun to read.
But it had its faults, unfortunately. My biggest problem is that it just felt like too much crammed into too little. Since the author has to create this entire world and Revolution going on, the characters didn’t get to breathe or develop for me. They meet, have a ridiculously hot interaction, but without talking or learning anything about each other than their sexual likes the two are spouting love within days and a couple stolen moments (almost all sex). If you appreciate insta-love, then you’ll adore this. As for me, I need and CRAVE that slow build-up and delicious tension. I realize that’s hard to do anyways in a short, but it’s really hard to do with a new couple in an alternate universe in the midst of a war. There were several intense emotional moments that I would have loved to seen in a full novel with these two, but placed in these few pages it came across trite. My other complaint is there was just too much sex for me. A few less sex scenes and more character development and this might have been awesome for me.

However, I was in the mood for something short, romantic, sexy and easy and this worked well enough for me to like it. The price is great, too, and I’d recommend picking this up for that alone. Also, I’m intrigued enough in the world to check out this author’s first book in this series, which is also m/m.

Rating:

Buy Link:

Amazon