Reviewed by Jenna
TITLE: Tin Man
SERIES: Bliss #1.5
AUTHOR: Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 134
BLURB:
Petty thief Ashoka “Ace” King knows better than to get in the way of Tophet’s Anti-Terrorist Unit. Rightfully feared in Tophet’s crime-ridden underbelly, a face-to-face encounter with an ATU is almost certainly a death sentence. But Ace has never been one to follow the rules.
Soren Lau might be an ATU rookie, but he’s not naive enough to believe everything his superiors tell him. Then again, he’s not stupid enough to disobey them, either. If he doesn’t shoot and kill as ordered, he might be next on their list.
But when Soren meets Ace, a moment’s hesitation is all it takes to put both their lives on the line. They don’t know each other, they don’t trust each other, and there’s no way in hell they can both walk away from this alive. But with suspicion and mortal danger mounting against both of them—and the forbidden attraction blazing between them—there’s nothing they can do but try.
REVIEW:
Wow! I absolutely love this book! I was sucked in from the beginning, and by the end I was blown away. Books like this make being a reviewer well worth it. Ace is a petty thief trying to make it meal by meal in the totalitarian state of Tophet. Though he tries to keep a low profile, he has the unlucky occasion of running into one of Tophet’s Anti-Terrorist soldiers who is intent on killing him. Ace manages to live through the attack and at the same time saves the government soldier. He soon learns the man’s name is Soren, and though Soren is a trained killer, he’s also very young and beautiful. Ace sees humanity in Soren that he wasn’t expecting to see. He realizes that though Soren is part of the machine that oppresses them, he is also a victim of the same system. Soren desires men, but Tophet’s morality laws would earn Soren death if he were ever caught indulging in a man’s company. Despite being the most unlikely of lovers, the two men are drawn to one another. In their hurried and risky encounters, they realize that some things are worth dying for.
I loved the dark world the authors create. The totalitarian state of Tophet was so oppressive that I couldn’t fault either man for the path he takes. I can see how Ace would want to get away and live on the fringes of society. However, in a world where unemployment and vagrancy is punishable by death, I can also understand why Soren would accept work as a government soldier. In addition to the love affair between the two, there are a lot of things in this book that are scary due to being too close to reality. Whereas Ace questions everything, Soren represents the obedient soldier found in every totalitarian regime who will follow orders blindly even when told to take another’s life. Soren also doesn’t question it when his employer requires him to have a chip implanted in his head. A government experimenting on their soldiers in this way is just as frightening as the fact that many soldiers would comply with the order.
Overall, this is a book that makes you think as well as feel. I really would love to see more of Ace and Soren in future installments in this series. I recommend Tin Man to anyone who loves dark futuristic fantasy, government conspiracy themes, or enemies to lovers.
RATING: 
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