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More Heat Than the Sun #1
Love Is a Stranger
Ex-SAS soldier Ben Rider falls in love with his enigmatic married boss Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, but Nikolas is living a lie. A lie so profound that when the shadows are lifted, Ben realises he's in love with a very dangerous stranger. Ben has to choose between Nikolas and safety, but sometimes danger comes in a very seductive package.
507 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
About the author
John Wiltshire
21 books783 followersJohn Wiltshire is the fictional persona of the author of the More Heat Than The Sun series. After spending twenty-two years in the military perfecting the art
of looking busy whilst secretly writing, John left as a senior officer
when a hastily dug tunnel was ready for use. Now living in New
Zealand (at least until enough money can be raised to leave) John has no plans to return to the army. Unless the world situation gets considerably worse, that is.
of looking busy whilst secretly writing, John left as a senior officer
when a hastily dug tunnel was ready for use. Now living in New
Zealand (at least until enough money can be raised to leave) John has no plans to return to the army. Unless the world situation gets considerably worse, that is.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 571 reviews
May 2, 2016
Need to catch up on this series...so going to re-read it...4/29/16
This was insanely good.
Seriously, outstanding.
It's not everyday that you score like this and get the sometimes elusive trifecta of great writing, a solid plot and fleshed out characters ALL IN ONE BOOK.
Crazy, I know.
Plus, I have read a lot of m/m, a lot of military, and a lot of mystery/thrillers in my time ...and let me tell you, John Wiltshire took my expectations for this this book and said, "Pffft."
Benjamin and Nikolas are such great, interesting characters. They have both been through A LOT in their lives and overcome - or emotionally buried - a great deal of tragic experiences.
Not to mention they are just plain dead sexy. Their chemistry was palpable.
I loved their constant byplay and repartee.
Honestly, when I die, I want to be reincarnated as a saucy aristocrat with a bitchin' European accent.
Plus, as I mentioned earlier, I loved Wiltshire's writing style and his dry, sarcastic, deadpan delivery of humor throughout.
I have already started number two.
This was insanely good.
Seriously, outstanding.
It's not everyday that you score like this and get the sometimes elusive trifecta of great writing, a solid plot and fleshed out characters ALL IN ONE BOOK.
Crazy, I know.
Plus, I have read a lot of m/m, a lot of military, and a lot of mystery/thrillers in my time ...and let me tell you, John Wiltshire took my expectations for this this book and said, "Pffft."
Benjamin and Nikolas are such great, interesting characters. They have both been through A LOT in their lives and overcome - or emotionally buried - a great deal of tragic experiences.
Not to mention they are just plain dead sexy. Their chemistry was palpable.
I loved their constant byplay and repartee.
Honestly, when I die, I want to be reincarnated as a saucy aristocrat with a bitchin' European accent.
Plus, as I mentioned earlier, I loved Wiltshire's writing style and his dry, sarcastic, deadpan delivery of humor throughout.
I have already started number two.
December 23, 2014
4 stars. Review posted December 1, 2014
First off, let me sweep some preconceptions out of the way. While Love is a Stranger has a couple similarities, it's nothing like Special Forces: Soldiers Part I -Director's Cut. SF is edgier, grittier, much more violent and certainly steamier. Yet all those facts did not prevent my humble little self from enjoying this first book. Very much so. Besides, I'm very glad that this series seems to be different because I don't want to read the same story again. For a debut, I must say I'm pretty much impressed and look forward to reading more by John Wiltshire. Let's get down to business.
After a prologue, the story starts off with Ben running, testing his bruised right knee. When he comes home, his cottage is on fire and a man dies. A few weeks later, Ben meets up with his new boss and lover, Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, head of a Black Ops department within Britain's Intelligence Agency. As it was, Ben had been a former SAS member. They have a talk if the fire might have been anything but an accident. After a rather heated discussion, Nikolas has another job for Ben and invites him to spend a weekend with him, his wife and a few friends.
Even though Ben had been sleeping with Nikolas for the last four years, he didn't really know him. Over the past years, Nikolas always succeeded to retain his enigmatic facade. He was a man living in the shadows, whose whole existence was based on a tangled web of half-truths and lies. Outwardly, Nikolas was an impeccably dressed, tall, handsome, very sophisticated, self-possessed and rich diplomat and married to a queen's cousin. But inwardly...who and what was Nikolas really? According to the very apt title, Ben fell for a stranger.
I will admit that I needed a few % to feel at ease with the plot and characters. It started off somewhat strange, mainly due to the fact that Ben and Nikolas had been shagging each other for the last four years already. There is no careful build up; I was thrown right into the middle of their lives and had to find my bearings. As I see it, that can and will be a turn-off for some readers. Though the good thing here is, both main characters come off as a bit mysterious, especially Nikolas. It's not easy to figure him out and what I'd like to encourage you to do is to read between the lines and pay attention to all those little hints the author was planting throughout the entire story. Everything is going to climax in a rather shocking and sad revelation. Author A.B. Gayle told me that this first book is a set up for the sequels which doesn't surprise me at all. After having finished the first book, there remain questions and I can't say that I really "know" both characters. Sure, the foundation stone was laid and I knew much more about Nikolas's past by the end of Love is a Stranger. Yet it's time to build the basement and I'm very stoked to see these two men construct a very complex and intriguing building. The end result should be stunning. Guys, digging out the proper engineering skills might be very helpful. Also, due to both main characters' backgrounds, the author has a lot of options to develop new stories.
The development of the interesting plot as well as the characters is done very well and kept me engaged. While the beginning felt somewhat detached, I really enjoyed to see Ben and Nikolas make the transition to a certain level of intimacy and familiarity which also helped me to connect with them and feel their chemistry. Another little detail worked just fine for me: an age gap of twelve years between Ben and Nikolas. Of course it didn't hurt either that both MCs are physically very appealing.
What bugged me a bit was the frequency of the sex scenes. I'm one of those readers who believe in less is more. However, the writing is great, the dialogue witty and I really like the author's voice very much. All in all a very promising start in the More Heat Than the Sun series that managed to garner my vote in the Goodreads M/M Romance Member's Choice Awards as best debut. It goes without saying that I'll be reading the entire series and anything else written by John Wiltshire. In a time where the book market is flooded with tons of superfluous and trite sexy billionaire stories it feels darn good to discover a new author whose work hits all the right buttons. Thank you.
Recommended read.
One of my favorite quotes. Its meaning is very telling:
Dead men can't be resurrected, no matter how much life you have running through your veins.
First off, let me sweep some preconceptions out of the way. While Love is a Stranger has a couple similarities, it's nothing like Special Forces: Soldiers Part I -Director's Cut. SF is edgier, grittier, much more violent and certainly steamier. Yet all those facts did not prevent my humble little self from enjoying this first book. Very much so. Besides, I'm very glad that this series seems to be different because I don't want to read the same story again. For a debut, I must say I'm pretty much impressed and look forward to reading more by John Wiltshire. Let's get down to business.
After a prologue, the story starts off with Ben running, testing his bruised right knee. When he comes home, his cottage is on fire and a man dies. A few weeks later, Ben meets up with his new boss and lover, Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, head of a Black Ops department within Britain's Intelligence Agency. As it was, Ben had been a former SAS member. They have a talk if the fire might have been anything but an accident. After a rather heated discussion, Nikolas has another job for Ben and invites him to spend a weekend with him, his wife and a few friends.
"People like us cannot afford love, Benjamin. Even affection is dangerous. You should know this, and if you do not, then you will have to learn. We have to stay alone or be destroyed."
"Bollocks! What about you? You're not alone, you're married."
Nikolas's hands stilled, and he said distinctly, "Metaphorically alone works just as well."
Even though Ben had been sleeping with Nikolas for the last four years, he didn't really know him. Over the past years, Nikolas always succeeded to retain his enigmatic facade. He was a man living in the shadows, whose whole existence was based on a tangled web of half-truths and lies. Outwardly, Nikolas was an impeccably dressed, tall, handsome, very sophisticated, self-possessed and rich diplomat and married to a queen's cousin. But inwardly...who and what was Nikolas really? According to the very apt title, Ben fell for a stranger.
I will admit that I needed a few % to feel at ease with the plot and characters. It started off somewhat strange, mainly due to the fact that Ben and Nikolas had been shagging each other for the last four years already. There is no careful build up; I was thrown right into the middle of their lives and had to find my bearings. As I see it, that can and will be a turn-off for some readers. Though the good thing here is, both main characters come off as a bit mysterious, especially Nikolas. It's not easy to figure him out and what I'd like to encourage you to do is to read between the lines and pay attention to all those little hints the author was planting throughout the entire story. Everything is going to climax in a rather shocking and sad revelation. Author A.B. Gayle told me that this first book is a set up for the sequels which doesn't surprise me at all. After having finished the first book, there remain questions and I can't say that I really "know" both characters. Sure, the foundation stone was laid and I knew much more about Nikolas's past by the end of Love is a Stranger. Yet it's time to build the basement and I'm very stoked to see these two men construct a very complex and intriguing building. The end result should be stunning. Guys, digging out the proper engineering skills might be very helpful. Also, due to both main characters' backgrounds, the author has a lot of options to develop new stories.
The development of the interesting plot as well as the characters is done very well and kept me engaged. While the beginning felt somewhat detached, I really enjoyed to see Ben and Nikolas make the transition to a certain level of intimacy and familiarity which also helped me to connect with them and feel their chemistry. Another little detail worked just fine for me: an age gap of twelve years between Ben and Nikolas. Of course it didn't hurt either that both MCs are physically very appealing.
What bugged me a bit was the frequency of the sex scenes. I'm one of those readers who believe in less is more. However, the writing is great, the dialogue witty and I really like the author's voice very much. All in all a very promising start in the More Heat Than the Sun series that managed to garner my vote in the Goodreads M/M Romance Member's Choice Awards as best debut. It goes without saying that I'll be reading the entire series and anything else written by John Wiltshire. In a time where the book market is flooded with tons of superfluous and trite sexy billionaire stories it feels darn good to discover a new author whose work hits all the right buttons. Thank you.
Nikolas put his hands up and held Ben's face. "I once told you that I've lost everyone I've ever said I love you to--which is true--but I've been thinking while I've been lying here today that maybe I always said it to the wrong people. I should have said it to you a long time ago, Benjamin, because I do--I love you."
Recommended read.
June 2, 2015
Oh man.....I really had to use my brain on this one.
It almost felt like the book started in the middle of the story or something. Nik is Ben's boss and they've apparently been sleeping together for the last 4 years. It's previously only been sex, but where this story begins its obvious more feelings are involved.
And speaking of the sex. It was....different. interesting. Definitely fade to black in some scenes and not always very detailed. But then at times was really hot.
I really wish we had gotten some of Nik's POV...but maybe that wasn't possible with all of the secrets he was hiding.
Knowing there was some big reveal coming, definitely had me intrigued and turning the pages.
But the reveal itself....
Wait...what? I'm confused. I had to re-read some parts a few times. I'm still not 100% sure I know what happened.
Still, I liked this one enough to continue on with the series. At least for now. Relationship wise, things ended fine. But the plot was definitely left open.
It almost felt like the book started in the middle of the story or something. Nik is Ben's boss and they've apparently been sleeping together for the last 4 years. It's previously only been sex, but where this story begins its obvious more feelings are involved.
And speaking of the sex. It was....different. interesting. Definitely fade to black in some scenes and not always very detailed. But then at times was really hot.
I really wish we had gotten some of Nik's POV...but maybe that wasn't possible with all of the secrets he was hiding.
Knowing there was some big reveal coming, definitely had me intrigued and turning the pages.
But the reveal itself....
Wait...what? I'm confused. I had to re-read some parts a few times. I'm still not 100% sure I know what happened.
Still, I liked this one enough to continue on with the series. At least for now. Relationship wise, things ended fine. But the plot was definitely left open.
February 6, 2019
****4.5 Stars****
Firstly I want to say that it took me a while to get into this and I almost gave up.
I am glad I've persevered because at some point a U-turn happened and I couldn’t stop reading it.
There were two things bothering me at the very beginning but I came to terms with it as soon as I started to get to know both characters better - around 30% in the story, I would say. They were:
1)I know it's going to sound weird but their sex style was bothering me. I believe my friends know me as an avid dark reader and as such, I am ok with rough sex in a story. However, Ben and Nikolas seem to know no other way. Don’t take me wrong, I like that they play with fire.
And I am not saying that I wanted them to change either because their "tough way" defines them as a couple. I just wish this wild animalist attraction they shared, was tuned down a bit and softer at certain times. I felt this need, especially when I began to glimpse a tenuous shape of a relationship starting to form between them. You know… making love sometimes. Tough guys! They just go for the kill. It’s getting better though. Snail pace, but I can see it happening.
2)Nikolas and Ben knew each other for 4 years and I have to confess that I was a bit disappointed about that. It felt like the story started without me. I wish there was more flashbacks or past glimpses of them together. :(
That all said, passing that crucial mark of giving up, I started to get lured by what I couldn’t see and soon I was tangled in a web, bewitched by an aura of seductive mystery. My thoughts about giving up completely gone!
Here are my highlights:
∙∙)Ben Rider is our typical alpha and stands no chance of resisting his enigmatic boss.
..)Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen is something else. The complexity of his character stands out and calls to me.
and the more I get to unravel and learn about him, little by little, the more appealing he becomes to me. I think the author did an incredible job when creating all this aura of mystery surrounding Nikolas. I can't get enough of him.
Now, can you imagine these two together?
∙∙)An age gap of 12 years between the MC’s holds an irresistible allure on me.
..)I love the fact that they cannot keep their hands off each other.
∙∙)And finally, the dynamic between both MC’s – both tops - was a first to me.
Throw all that together with some action, a scorching hot chemistry (I advise you not read in public) and we have a winner!
Fantastic!
Firstly I want to say that it took me a while to get into this and I almost gave up.
I am glad I've persevered because at some point a U-turn happened and I couldn’t stop reading it.
There were two things bothering me at the very beginning but I came to terms with it as soon as I started to get to know both characters better - around 30% in the story, I would say. They were:
1)I know it's going to sound weird but their sex style was bothering me. I believe my friends know me as an avid dark reader and as such, I am ok with rough sex in a story. However, Ben and Nikolas seem to know no other way. Don’t take me wrong, I like that they play with fire.
And I am not saying that I wanted them to change either because their "tough way" defines them as a couple. I just wish this wild animalist attraction they shared, was tuned down a bit and softer at certain times. I felt this need, especially when I began to glimpse a tenuous shape of a relationship starting to form between them. You know… making love sometimes. Tough guys! They just go for the kill. It’s getting better though. Snail pace, but I can see it happening.
2)Nikolas and Ben knew each other for 4 years and I have to confess that I was a bit disappointed about that. It felt like the story started without me. I wish there was more flashbacks or past glimpses of them together. :(
That all said, passing that crucial mark of giving up, I started to get lured by what I couldn’t see and soon I was tangled in a web, bewitched by an aura of seductive mystery. My thoughts about giving up completely gone!
Here are my highlights:
∙∙)Ben Rider is our typical alpha and stands no chance of resisting his enigmatic boss.
..)Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen is something else. The complexity of his character stands out and calls to me.
and the more I get to unravel and learn about him, little by little, the more appealing he becomes to me. I think the author did an incredible job when creating all this aura of mystery surrounding Nikolas. I can't get enough of him.
Now, can you imagine these two together?
∙∙)An age gap of 12 years between the MC’s holds an irresistible allure on me.
..)I love the fact that they cannot keep their hands off each other.
∙∙)And finally, the dynamic between both MC’s – both tops - was a first to me.
Throw all that together with some action, a scorching hot chemistry (I advise you not read in public) and we have a winner!
Fantastic!
February 17, 2021
Audio 5+++ Stars...Gaaahh another series narrated by Gary Furlong! 👏🏽👏🏽❤❤💞💞💃🏽💃🏽
Story 4.5 Stars
Well damn this series looks like it can easily become an addiction! I'll admit the beginning was a bit confusing for me. It felt like I was starting a series already in progress. I was grateful for the flashbacks because they cleared things up for me. That said...holy hell even with the bit of humor, shit gets dark and dirty! Just like I love it! The secrets, lies and twists....I'm so here for it. 😁
Story 4.5 Stars
Well damn this series looks like it can easily become an addiction! I'll admit the beginning was a bit confusing for me. It felt like I was starting a series already in progress. I was grateful for the flashbacks because they cleared things up for me. That said...holy hell even with the bit of humor, shit gets dark and dirty! Just like I love it! The secrets, lies and twists....I'm so here for it. 😁
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645500038i/37448930._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
October 23, 2022
“There is a fairytale in my country, Ben, a story about a young man who falls in love with a mysterious stranger who comes to his cottage one day. He is so entranced and dazzled by this stranger that he wants to tell everyone. When he does, they laugh at him, and that laughter reveals what really came to his door that day in the guise of the beautiful stranger: something grotesque and so damaged by its past that it had died inside a long time ago. What did he gain, Ben, in seeing the truth?”
Ben began to stroke his thumb over Nikolai’s hands, which were spread on his chest. “But that’s not where the story ends. He couldn’t get over loving the stranger. Although he could now see the monster, he remembered loving the man, and his love was so strong and so constant that the monster felt it as a real force, and one day he looked in a mirror, and he too saw the beautiful stranger—alive and vibrant. The end.”
~ gah, this scene was so cute to me bc, while Nikolas was telling the story, he was implying that he was the ‘monster’ in this scenario yet here comes Ben, playing along and adding his own story, saying his love for him is strong to where he sees past Nikolas’ ‘monster’ that others refuse to see beyond the surface of. 🥹
i love and hate being immersed into a new series centering around the same couple. i hate it bc i get invested quite easily if i’m loving the mcs and their dynamic, but i also get scared some shit would happen in the later books that would ruin them for me and, in turn, it’d feel like i wasted my time with the series; however, i love it bc, if i really love the mcs, i just wanna see them be a couple, facing obstacles together. i truly hope these two won’t end up in the ruined list for me bc i’m already adding them to my all time favorite couples list, despite the fact that i usually wait to decide later on... BUT THEY JUST GOT TO ME BY THE END OF THIS BOOK, OKAY. 😩
honestly, it took me a minute to be completely invested in this. it was maybe around 35% when i saw potential i could love the mcs, Nikolas and Ben—individually and together—and, as i kept reading, i inevitably found myself being pulled in by their story as more secrets/reveals come into light. both of them had such tragic, heartbreaking backstories that i just wanted to hug and let them know they are loved, but i think Nikolas’ story broke me the most. this man was the definition of complex, intriguing yet broken. it was only the first book and i was already sobbing with all the revelations of his past. :(
when it comes to the romance, it may come across as fast to some bc, right from the beginning, we’re told they’ve been secretly sleeping together for four years while Nikolas was married to the cousin of the queen of the British Royal Family so we don’t really even see their moments from before (it was mainly told, not shown), but i’ve grown so attached to these two by the end of this book that… their dynamic and the way they connected just worked for me. since there are nine books in the series, i’m aware they’re probably going to face more obstacles in their lives and i’m curious to see how everything will unfold bc we had so much backstory (mainly from Nikolas, although we still got a bit of Ben’s that also made me tear up) from this alone and, at times, it got too heartbreaking that i had to take a breather. 🥺
i loved the writing style so far! this series is my introduction to John Wiltshire’s works and i’m drawn to how she tells her stories. i’ve highlighted so many quotes bc of the way they punched me in my feels. 😭😭
Ben began to stroke his thumb over Nikolai’s hands, which were spread on his chest. “But that’s not where the story ends. He couldn’t get over loving the stranger. Although he could now see the monster, he remembered loving the man, and his love was so strong and so constant that the monster felt it as a real force, and one day he looked in a mirror, and he too saw the beautiful stranger—alive and vibrant. The end.”
~ gah, this scene was so cute to me bc, while Nikolas was telling the story, he was implying that he was the ‘monster’ in this scenario yet here comes Ben, playing along and adding his own story, saying his love for him is strong to where he sees past Nikolas’ ‘monster’ that others refuse to see beyond the surface of. 🥹
i love and hate being immersed into a new series centering around the same couple. i hate it bc i get invested quite easily if i’m loving the mcs and their dynamic, but i also get scared some shit would happen in the later books that would ruin them for me and, in turn, it’d feel like i wasted my time with the series; however, i love it bc, if i really love the mcs, i just wanna see them be a couple, facing obstacles together. i truly hope these two won’t end up in the ruined list for me bc i’m already adding them to my all time favorite couples list, despite the fact that i usually wait to decide later on... BUT THEY JUST GOT TO ME BY THE END OF THIS BOOK, OKAY. 😩
honestly, it took me a minute to be completely invested in this. it was maybe around 35% when i saw potential i could love the mcs, Nikolas and Ben—individually and together—and, as i kept reading, i inevitably found myself being pulled in by their story as more secrets/reveals come into light. both of them had such tragic, heartbreaking backstories that i just wanted to hug and let them know they are loved, but i think Nikolas’ story broke me the most. this man was the definition of complex, intriguing yet broken. it was only the first book and i was already sobbing with all the revelations of his past. :(
when it comes to the romance, it may come across as fast to some bc, right from the beginning, we’re told they’ve been secretly sleeping together for four years while Nikolas was married to the cousin of the queen of the British Royal Family so we don’t really even see their moments from before (it was mainly told, not shown), but i’ve grown so attached to these two by the end of this book that… their dynamic and the way they connected just worked for me. since there are nine books in the series, i’m aware they’re probably going to face more obstacles in their lives and i’m curious to see how everything will unfold bc we had so much backstory (mainly from Nikolas, although we still got a bit of Ben’s that also made me tear up) from this alone and, at times, it got too heartbreaking that i had to take a breather. 🥺
i loved the writing style so far! this series is my introduction to John Wiltshire’s works and i’m drawn to how she tells her stories. i’ve highlighted so many quotes bc of the way they punched me in my feels. 😭😭
November 12, 2023
This is the type of book I save those five stars for. The story opens with a house fire, and a dead man. There are so many twists and turns that I wasn’t sure who, if anyone, was a reliable narrator.
These men have a boss/employee relationship, but it is also highly sexual, not necessarily romantic…until it is.
Thriller/mystery/James Bond-ish
Age gap (late 20s, early 40s)
Established couple-ish
Former special forces
Twists galore
M/F but not on-page
Undercover/duplicity
Violent and graphic
Beautiful intimacy
Heartbreaking and heart healing
In the blurb, it states that one of the men is married, please do not let that deter you as it almost did me. Phenomenal storytelling here.
*Side note*
There is occasional missing prep/lube.
These men have a boss/employee relationship, but it is also highly sexual, not necessarily romantic…until it is.
Thriller/mystery/James Bond-ish
Age gap (late 20s, early 40s)
Established couple-ish
Former special forces
Twists galore
M/F but not on-page
Undercover/duplicity
Violent and graphic
Beautiful intimacy
Heartbreaking and heart healing
In the blurb, it states that one of the men is married, please do not let that deter you as it almost did me. Phenomenal storytelling here.
*Side note*
There is occasional missing prep/lube.
November 8, 2016
Written January 6, 2015
4 1/2 Stars - Overwhelmed and totally exhausted after this emotional and action-packed adventure
Book #1
The first book in John Wiltshire's talked about series 'More Heat Than the Sun' (4 books so far - all published 2014). ~ I was so very happy for this Christmas freebie gift and so very curious and excited to start to read it.
• • •
Ohmygod what have I just read and experienced?
This is unlike anything I've read in a long time. A cross between an action spy / agent thriller and melodramatic epic love story. There are maybe one or two things to whine about, but I'm totally charmed and enchanted.
***********************************************
'Love is a Stranger' was for me an mostly very unpredictable and also often surprisingly tough bloody read. This story is —set in the UK and deliciously 'British stylish'— kind of a grand twists and turns relationship drama.
Devon and London, UK
The main topic is about an ex-SAS soldier who, after four years of a mostly unemotional "friends"-with-benefits relationship, falls in love with his enigmatic married boss. ~ An mysterious older powerful, and rich, man with many (dark) secrets. The larger-than-life hero we have met so many times .... but maybe not in this shape and form.
***********************************************
# Benjamin (Ben) Rider, the "pretty boy", a six foot four with wide-set green eyes and high cheekbones, is a sort of 'double bluff' agent.
# Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, the head of a 'Black Ops' department within Britain’s Intelligence Agency, is a secretive, tall, handsome, impeccably dressed Dane. A beautiful and impressive lord-like man with a lovely perfect British upper class wife —Lady Philipa, a cousin of the queen— and a grand country estate filled with weekend guests in hunting mood.
But Sir Nikolas is living a lie. A lie so nasty and huge that when the shadows are lifted, dear Ben realises he's in love with a very dangerous stranger.
Gorgeous, goodlooking, smut yummy men but...
I can't say I loved, or even always liked, these two characters. They are certainly no good examples or particularly easy to like. But, I'm by now very interested in them and want to know much, much more. This first (quite long) installment was just like a small tempting and enticing appetizer.
***********************************************
High steam and angst factor but grandly romantic
Ben and Nikolas relationship is anything but simple. It is violent and intense with a constant struggle for power and advantage. And amid all this drama in the same time so amazing intensely romantic and sexy. ~ I believe in it, on them and that it is possible to solve most if hearts beat hard and hot like these two.
This 'thriller' plot (plots) is anything but 'sweet & simple. I'll not even try to say something useful about what is actually happening here. It is precisely all these unexpected surprises that made this book so awesome and entertaining. ~ Ignore some incredible twists and turns, and new truths, and just enjoy the speed and the never cooling steamy heat.
***********************************************
I must say I feel some vibrations of those thriller agent books an old boyfriend always read by writers like Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsyth etc (...and I also in cases of crisis and at a casual girl-book shortage.)
..Exciting, clever and scary spy / agent stories from that old 'cold war' time (70s and 80s) with a lot of violence, fire and blood. Evil nasty (usually Russian / Soviet) enemies and those kind of tough, but also goodlooking and sharp, characters (beloved heroes) who never ever hesitate. They just keep running, and shooting, and killing, and keep on to be brave smart male sexy manly MEN.
...Like these two, in this book. Like this complicated puzzle. Like this first part in what I assume will be a great series.
***********************************************
Frightfully intense and crazy exciting reading!
Did I undoubtedly fall for this? Well, almost. ~ Against all better judgment completely involved.
Gosh, it will be wonderful to download the second book (#2 - Conscious Decisions of the Heart) soon and continue this 'crazy' addictive adventure.
I LIKE - Oh YES I Do !!
****
YAY!!! - A Christmas FREEBIE 23 December from MLR Press - Thanks!!
4 1/2 Stars - Overwhelmed and totally exhausted after this emotional and action-packed adventure
Book #1
The first book in John Wiltshire's talked about series 'More Heat Than the Sun' (4 books so far - all published 2014). ~ I was so very happy for this Christmas freebie gift and so very curious and excited to start to read it.
• • • Ohmygod what have I just read and experienced?
This is unlike anything I've read in a long time. A cross between an action spy / agent thriller and melodramatic epic love story. There are maybe one or two things to whine about, but I'm totally charmed and enchanted.
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'Love is a Stranger' was for me an mostly very unpredictable and also often surprisingly tough bloody read. This story is —set in the UK and deliciously 'British stylish'— kind of a grand twists and turns relationship drama.
Devon and London, UK
The main topic is about an ex-SAS soldier who, after four years of a mostly unemotional "friends"-with-benefits relationship, falls in love with his enigmatic married boss. ~ An mysterious older powerful, and rich, man with many (dark) secrets. The larger-than-life hero we have met so many times .... but maybe not in this shape and form.
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# Benjamin (Ben) Rider, the "pretty boy", a six foot four with wide-set green eyes and high cheekbones, is a sort of 'double bluff' agent.
‘Who would ever suspect such a pretty boy? Distracted by the charming, beautiful exterior, the skill and quiet self-possession beneath were often overlooked.’
# Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, the head of a 'Black Ops' department within Britain’s Intelligence Agency, is a secretive, tall, handsome, impeccably dressed Dane. A beautiful and impressive lord-like man with a lovely perfect British upper class wife —Lady Philipa, a cousin of the queen— and a grand country estate filled with weekend guests in hunting mood.
But Sir Nikolas is living a lie. A lie so nasty and huge that when the shadows are lifted, dear Ben realises he's in love with a very dangerous stranger.
‘Nikolas regarded him thoughtfully. “You think my life is camouflage?”
Ben held the stare. “Sir, I think everything you do from the moment you wake up to the moment you let yourself sleep is nothing more than a shadow dance.”
Gorgeous, goodlooking, smut yummy men but...
I can't say I loved, or even always liked, these two characters. They are certainly no good examples or particularly easy to like. But, I'm by now very interested in them and want to know much, much more. This first (quite long) installment was just like a small tempting and enticing appetizer.
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High steam and angst factor but grandly romantic
Ben and Nikolas relationship is anything but simple. It is violent and intense with a constant struggle for power and advantage. And amid all this drama in the same time so amazing intensely romantic and sexy. ~ I believe in it, on them and that it is possible to solve most if hearts beat hard and hot like these two.
“You…” Ben hesitated. “You hold all the cards, don’t you?”
Nikolas shrugged then nodded. He flicked his eyes up to Ben as if to see how his words would be received, and replied honestly, “I relish owning you, Ben. I need it.”
Ben gave him a small, conspiratorial smirk. “And that’s exactly why I allow you to do it.”
This 'thriller' plot (plots) is anything but 'sweet & simple. I'll not even try to say something useful about what is actually happening here. It is precisely all these unexpected surprises that made this book so awesome and entertaining. ~ Ignore some incredible twists and turns, and new truths, and just enjoy the speed and the never cooling steamy heat.
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I must say I feel some vibrations of those thriller agent books an old boyfriend always read by writers like Ken Follett, Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsyth etc (...and I also in cases of crisis and at a casual girl-book shortage.)
..Exciting, clever and scary spy / agent stories from that old 'cold war' time (70s and 80s) with a lot of violence, fire and blood. Evil nasty (usually Russian / Soviet) enemies and those kind of tough, but also goodlooking and sharp, characters (beloved heroes) who never ever hesitate. They just keep running, and shooting, and killing, and keep on to be brave smart male sexy manly MEN.
‘Ben knew that if he didn’t pull away, he would be truly lost. But as he was entirely happy to be entirely lost in Nikolas, he made no attempt to leave the strong arms at all. Sometimes, he wondered if he was so far gone on Nikolas that he’d let him kill him one day.’
...Like these two, in this book. Like this complicated puzzle. Like this first part in what I assume will be a great series.
***********************************************
Frightfully intense and crazy exciting reading!
Did I undoubtedly fall for this? Well, almost. ~ Against all better judgment completely involved.
Gosh, it will be wonderful to download the second book (#2 - Conscious Decisions of the Heart) soon and continue this 'crazy' addictive adventure.I LIKE - Oh YES I Do !!
****
YAY!!! - A Christmas FREEBIE 23 December from MLR Press - Thanks!!
July 12, 2014
The main characters in this book begin as boss and subordinate in a black-ops type of unit based within the UK. Ex-SAS soldier Ben Rider is a man whose skills of all sorts, including sex and assassination, have been used by his smoothly-charismatic married boss Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, in the pursuit of the unit's goals. But a recent operation resulted in the death of a man whose family is intent on revenge against Ben, and as they strike back, the falling dominoes unravel the whole situation. Nikolas is far from who he seems, and Ben is very unsure how to deal with both his obvious ignorance about Nik and the fact that he is becoming more and more emotionally involved with the man.
There is a lot of plot here, in a somewhat episodic multi-event style, and even more back story, particularly where Nik is concerned. The writing, while smooth and easy to follow, is a bit unemotional and often more detailed with setting and plot than with motivation and emotion. The characters are used to violence, and have few qualms about killing or even torture if it's warranted in their eyes. That attitude even bleeds over unrealistically into the softest and most ethical man in the story . Violence is always an acceptable practical answer for these men, and usually leads to few qualms. This lack of deep moral focus is somewhat explained, particularly for Nik, but it had the effect of holding me at a bit of a distance from the characters, particularly given the writing style which didn't expose the emotional resonance of those actions very often.
There is a lot of physical heat between the characters, and a relationship that has balance without equality. The shift from a long-term sex-only relationship to falling in love is sudden and not always convincing, although I always believed the physical attraction. Nik is a very damaged character and his inconsistencies make him less sympathetic (especially since we only see him though Ben's eyes). Nik's background eventually explains a lot, as it is slowly revealed, and it is somewhat unusual and unexpected, but it happens a bit late in the story.
This will appeal to fans of dramatic mystery/spy/black ops stories, who are willing to accept somewhat amoral men of action. I was entertained and pulled along through this book, interested to see the events unfolding and to learn all the back-story secrets. I'm not sure I came to care about the characters enough to pick up the next one, though, with the anticipation of more untempered mayhem to come.
There is a lot of plot here, in a somewhat episodic multi-event style, and even more back story, particularly where Nik is concerned. The writing, while smooth and easy to follow, is a bit unemotional and often more detailed with setting and plot than with motivation and emotion. The characters are used to violence, and have few qualms about killing or even torture if it's warranted in their eyes. That attitude even bleeds over unrealistically into the softest and most ethical man in the story . Violence is always an acceptable practical answer for these men, and usually leads to few qualms. This lack of deep moral focus is somewhat explained, particularly for Nik, but it had the effect of holding me at a bit of a distance from the characters, particularly given the writing style which didn't expose the emotional resonance of those actions very often.
There is a lot of physical heat between the characters, and a relationship that has balance without equality. The shift from a long-term sex-only relationship to falling in love is sudden and not always convincing, although I always believed the physical attraction. Nik is a very damaged character and his inconsistencies make him less sympathetic (especially since we only see him though Ben's eyes). Nik's background eventually explains a lot, as it is slowly revealed, and it is somewhat unusual and unexpected, but it happens a bit late in the story.
This will appeal to fans of dramatic mystery/spy/black ops stories, who are willing to accept somewhat amoral men of action. I was entertained and pulled along through this book, interested to see the events unfolding and to learn all the back-story secrets. I'm not sure I came to care about the characters enough to pick up the next one, though, with the anticipation of more untempered mayhem to come.
January 30, 2023
4,5! What is this? I loved this story, very well written! Wow.
They have a lot of stamina 😬
It’s worth the reading!
They have a lot of stamina 😬
It’s worth the reading!
February 10, 2019
*3.5 stars*
I'm upping my rating because I enjoyed the book more this time around but my review still stands. The narration is a hot mess (especially in the first half) and the plot is all over the place. But I paid attention this time, and somewhere along the way the story and its characters found their way. In the end I was invested enough to keep going (plus I have great company). I also noticed (now that I wasn't skimming) that the dialogue is quite brilliant sometimes. Off to the second book.
---------------------------------------------------------------
My friends will disown me because of this review. But for the life of me, I can't find a single thing that worked for me in this book. 2 stars because I could tell that something great was trying to pick out from this mess.
I can't even tell you what my overall reading experience was, because the whole thing felt like mismatched scenes just thrown together. Odd writing, too much telling, lapses in time, plot lines that last just a few pages and a lot of repetitive inner monologue.
As far as the relationship is concerned, well the above meme describes it perfectly. I thing a huge part of the reason I didn't connect with the couple at all, is that we don't get to see how they started this affair. Obviously, they 've been sleeping together for the last few years, but how did it all start? This really affected my understanding of the relationship dynamics.
I don't always have to like the characters in my books. But I have to be able to understand them.
I never managed to figure Nik out, not even when the "big secret" is revealed. And Ben's reactions gave me whiplash. One minute he's immature, the next he's all badass and tough, but when Nik says jump, he says how high. He turns into a puppy.
And lastly, the sex. I didn't like it and not because of the no lube thing. Not just I didn't care for it. Not just meh. I disliked the sex scenes! It was weird, it came out of nowhere most times and it was sketchy. Many fade to black scenes and others were over in the blink of an eye. All these little scenes together, make for a big sex scene.
I'm sorry, friends, I don't think I'll be reading the next books.
I'm upping my rating because I enjoyed the book more this time around but my review still stands. The narration is a hot mess (especially in the first half) and the plot is all over the place. But I paid attention this time, and somewhere along the way the story and its characters found their way. In the end I was invested enough to keep going (plus I have great company). I also noticed (now that I wasn't skimming) that the dialogue is quite brilliant sometimes. Off to the second book.
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My friends will disown me because of this review. But for the life of me, I can't find a single thing that worked for me in this book. 2 stars because I could tell that something great was trying to pick out from this mess.
I can't even tell you what my overall reading experience was, because the whole thing felt like mismatched scenes just thrown together. Odd writing, too much telling, lapses in time, plot lines that last just a few pages and a lot of repetitive inner monologue.
As far as the relationship is concerned, well the above meme describes it perfectly. I thing a huge part of the reason I didn't connect with the couple at all, is that we don't get to see how they started this affair. Obviously, they 've been sleeping together for the last few years, but how did it all start? This really affected my understanding of the relationship dynamics.
I don't always have to like the characters in my books. But I have to be able to understand them.
I never managed to figure Nik out, not even when the "big secret" is revealed. And Ben's reactions gave me whiplash. One minute he's immature, the next he's all badass and tough, but when Nik says jump, he says how high. He turns into a puppy.
And lastly, the sex. I didn't like it and not because of the no lube thing. Not just I didn't care for it. Not just meh. I disliked the sex scenes! It was weird, it came out of nowhere most times and it was sketchy. Many fade to black scenes and others were over in the blink of an eye. All these little scenes together, make for a big sex scene.
I'm sorry, friends, I don't think I'll be reading the next books.
November 23, 2017
***3,4 stars***
SEX, LOVE, SECRET SERVICE and a DOG.
Even if there is a significantly increased risk that all my brain cells would be irretrievably destroyed after...
I.HAVE.TO.READ.THE. NEXT. SEQUEL.
And if a harmful effect has been already shown, I have a single reassurance – I am not alone.
We'll go down all together!
WARNING: Everyone can be infected, but our experience shows that particularly young men and women with preference for strong masculine characters with a hard shell and a soft core are especially susceptible to thisVIRUS series.
My extra bonus for Radulf!-don't miss his blog!:)
BR with Nick and Mark!
Thank you, buddies, it was fun to read with you!
P.S It was a totally new experience for me-I have rolled my eyes almost in non-stop-run, but I was jolly entertained!
I promise to be more serious in my review for the next sequel.
SEX, LOVE, SECRET SERVICE and a DOG.
Even if there is a significantly increased risk that all my brain cells would be irretrievably destroyed after...
I.HAVE.TO.READ.THE. NEXT. SEQUEL.
And if a harmful effect has been already shown, I have a single reassurance – I am not alone.
We'll go down all together!
WARNING: Everyone can be infected, but our experience shows that particularly young men and women with preference for strong masculine characters with a hard shell and a soft core are especially susceptible to this
My extra bonus for Radulf!-don't miss his blog!:)
BR with Nick and Mark!
Thank you, buddies, it was fun to read with you!
P.S It was a totally new experience for me-I have rolled my eyes almost in non-stop-run, but I was jolly entertained!
I promise to be more serious in my review for the next sequel.
December 19, 2016
This book did the impossible: it cured one of THE worst book hangovers I ever had caused by An Exaltation of Larks! It was literally a 'Mission Impossible' kind of situation but ... John Wiltshire's Ben & Nik stole my heart. 'Love is a Stranger' sucked me in right from the Prologue and managed to hit all the right buttons thereafter: 3rd person narrative (I think I've become allergic to anything BUT), set in Britain, exquisite writing, mystery element that had me guessing and biting my finger nails till the end, the chemistry, the two men ... what can I say? Damaged men is something I crave in my books. They provide for fantastic leading men which is exactly what happens in this book. What else? Ah ... the dialogue. That back and forth banter. The British-ism (is that a word?). I can keep going but honestly ... if M/M is your thing and even if it isn't but you are in need of an exceptionally well written story, give this a go.
I one-clicked THE ENTIRE series after having read a free sample of this book on Amazon. John Wiltshire now has a fan for life in me!
Cheers!
I one-clicked THE ENTIRE series after having read a free sample of this book on Amazon. John Wiltshire now has a fan for life in me!
Cheers!
June 30, 2023
AUDIOBOOK Relisten - June 2023: Still awesome!
EBOOK Orignial review - March 2021:Hot Damn!
What a blast!
Spies
Aristocracy
Affairs
Hot, fevered sex
Age-gap
Boss-employee
Secrets & shadows
Revelations
Torture
Escape
A plot
And a dog
This was an amazing start to a new series—and WHY THE HELL HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THIS AUTHOR BEFORE???
Gary Furlong narrated my panties off.
I’m off to the next book, why don’t you pick this first one up??
Triggers: references to past sexual abuse/incest.
EBOOK Orignial review - March 2021:Hot Damn!
What a blast!
Spies
Aristocracy
Affairs
Hot, fevered sex
Age-gap
Boss-employee
Secrets & shadows
Revelations
Torture
Escape
A plot
And a dog
This was an amazing start to a new series—and WHY THE HELL HAVEN’T I HEARD OF THIS AUTHOR BEFORE???
Gary Furlong narrated my panties off.
I’m off to the next book, why don’t you pick this first one up??
Triggers: references to past sexual abuse/incest.
February 15, 2020
I'm sticking on 3 stars because I've saddled up to the table for seconds. But I must say I wanted to like this sooooo much more than I did especially since this thing has been in my TBR since 2014!
Yet Love is a Stranger is what I'd call a 'mixed bag'.
✢ I liked the plot twists that it kept me guessing.
✢ The whole house sequence. The atmosphere Wiltshire created was visceral and mystical. That's when I bought into their connection.
✢ I ❤️❤️❤️💕💓💞💕💞💓💗❤️❣️ Radulf and how he just becomes part of them seamlessly. The bath scene I will remember for a long time.
✢ This is absolutely hokey of me and I'm owning that, but I thoroughly enjoy when characters thoroughly enjoy eating and Ben is not missing a meal. Come hell or high water the dude is going to eat. And I dug it. I also dug that he regularly shares said meals with Radulf.
I want to be clear here, I enjoyed *parts* of the sex.
❤️ Like
No lube. Ever?
🖤 No judgment but dislike.
Is this some sort of arcane religious preference deal I don't know about? Cultural preference? It's definitely not for penurious reasons so... I'm stumped. This comes from a card carrying member of #TeamPain but...
These two dudes are hardcore into each other and I, as a card carrying member of the squishy marshmallow club, enjoyed their smittenness. But there was entirely too much of it and without lube???? Spit? Oil? Something? Anything????
I mean,
but also... 
Speaking of the rate at which these two dudes are bloke stroking...
The rebound time is miraculous. Perhaps they're both freebasing Viagra off page but the permabone was too silly for me.
However, I appreciate their loyalty to each other and that is what is motivating me to continue on with the series.
Yet Love is a Stranger is what I'd call a 'mixed bag'.
✢ I liked the plot twists that it kept me guessing.
✢ The whole house sequence. The atmosphere Wiltshire created was visceral and mystical. That's when I bought into their connection.
✢ I ❤️❤️❤️💕💓💞💕💞💓💗❤️❣️ Radulf and how he just becomes part of them seamlessly. The bath scene I will remember for a long time.
✢ This is absolutely hokey of me and I'm owning that, but I thoroughly enjoy when characters thoroughly enjoy eating and Ben is not missing a meal. Come hell or high water the dude is going to eat. And I dug it. I also dug that he regularly shares said meals with Radulf.
I want to be clear here, I enjoyed *parts* of the sex.
Powerless you can truly belong to someone. You ask me what I want? I want to own you, Benjamin.
❤️ Like
No lube. Ever?
🖤 No judgment but dislike.
Is this some sort of arcane religious preference deal I don't know about? Cultural preference? It's definitely not for penurious reasons so... I'm stumped. This comes from a card carrying member of #TeamPain but...
These two dudes are hardcore into each other and I, as a card carrying member of the squishy marshmallow club, enjoyed their smittenness. But there was entirely too much of it and without lube???? Spit? Oil? Something? Anything????
I mean,
but also... Speaking of the rate at which these two dudes are bloke stroking...
The rebound time is miraculous. Perhaps they're both freebasing Viagra off page but the permabone was too silly for me.
However, I appreciate their loyalty to each other and that is what is motivating me to continue on with the series.
February 9, 2024
... almost 8 years later...:
Audiobook = ***4 - 4.5 Stars***
Original review March 2016:
To cut things short:
Black ops. Secrets. A smokin' hot undercover operative. An enigma that is his boss -slash- lover. An out of the ordinary love story. Marvelous dry sense of humor. Excellent writing style.
Exactly my cup of tea! LOVED IT! It's just the beginning, but this is serious all-time-favorite material! I'm in!
Audiobook = ***4 - 4.5 Stars***
Original review March 2016:
To cut things short:
Black ops. Secrets. A smokin' hot undercover operative. An enigma that is his boss -slash- lover. An out of the ordinary love story. Marvelous dry sense of humor. Excellent writing style.
Exactly my cup of tea! LOVED IT! It's just the beginning, but this is serious all-time-favorite material! I'm in!
April 2, 2017
This series has been on my tbr list for some time and since I love mystery, suspence and m/m, I figured it was time to give it a try.
I was sucked right into the storyline and even though this story doesn't have a real distinct beginning, I had no problems figuring out what was going on. At least not at this point. You see, we get thrown right in the middle of an already ongoing relationship. If you can call fucking your "almost stranger boss" for 4 years a relationship ;)
I was happily reading when bit by bit pieces got revealed, and I was gobbeling them all up. It was delicious...as were the two hot men getting it on together.
Near the end, things got way more confusing though and I had to call in my helpline "Marte" to figure everything out. Damn, but there were some complicated parts. I already read the same chapter twice and it still didn't make sence to me !!
Thankfully Marte cleared it all up for me, so I ould continue my reading in peace...without the extreme confusion <3
However, I loved this one. The mystery and secrets, the steam, the characters. I can't wait to read the next one, which is said, is even better than this one. I think was a bit of an intro book. Now that I know the characters, or at least I know some, since I'm sure there will be more secrets, I wonder what book 2 has in store for me. So...on to the next one :)
I'm gonna go with 3,5 rounded it up to 4, because I was so intrigued.
September 12, 2016
BR with Lena, Mark, and Sofia!
3.5 Stars
My head is still spinning! This is a very good book. Lots of action, lots of sex, and some great plot twists. I'm taking off one star for a pretty rough start, but I promise if you hang in there you'll be hooked (unless you're Sofia). Good stuff!
3.5 Stars
My head is still spinning! This is a very good book. Lots of action, lots of sex, and some great plot twists. I'm taking off one star for a pretty rough start, but I promise if you hang in there you'll be hooked (unless you're Sofia). Good stuff!
August 16, 2015
Update: no change in my view on this book but, having now read books 2 & 3, I'm so freakin' happy I kept going with this series. So if you have anything similar to my experience, I definitely recommend to keep going. Because, surriusly, Nik & Ben... siiiiigh :)
3.5 Stars on Prism Book Alliance
By the time I arrived at the beginning of chapter 8, I felt like I was having trouble understanding both Ben and Nikolas. We’re told that Ben has been working directly for Nikolas for some time and they’re having sex from basically the beginning. Now, Ben apparently thinks he loves Nik and can help this man rediscover the “man behind the ghost” and feel the same kind of love. This is technically not insta-love but it feels like it. We’re told some things that are supposed to represent a history between these two but the feeling behind the facts didn’t quite translate. Often there is a mismatch between words and actions. Ben sometimes reads as a 20 year old kid and yet sometimes as a hardened veteran at least a decade older, if not more. The story is basically told from his point of view so it’s important that his voice be a clear one and that isn’t always the case here.
There is delicious detail in this writing. It made it very easy to picture the characters, their mannerisms, all of the locations, atmosphere, both physical and emotional, everything. On the flip side, some instances (an argument, sex, etc.) were almost glossed over, presented quickly and without a lot of detail. This was a contrast layered in frustration for me as the reader since some of the meaty exchanges were put on an unnecessary diet.
About a third of the way through, I was still waiting for the main plot to materialize. There are some small stories started, some even with semi-resolution, but none of them are revisited after the initial mention. Despite this, I kept reading because the writing does have a level of quality that I could feel just wanted to break through with something important, something fantastic. With some more directional editing, the story may have touched more of its own potential.
More often than not, the sex between Ben and Nik is briefly described or merely mentioned without any further reveal. I don’t always need every detail but when your story is centered around two people working their patooties regarding whatever is going on between them, letting the sex scenes inform some of the emotional connection would have been a big plus. This is especially true for these two because they do use physical interactions, sexual and otherwise, to work things out between them. Things do get more detailed later on in the book, but that’s because they are interwoven with emotion and revelations between the characters.
Even with these difficulties, there are some fabulous moments of connection that I felt with both Ben and Nik. Simple gestures that spoke volumes, subtlety that opened a door to change for them in their relationship, and proof that they both were learning how to understand each other were all things that felt real and organic, not forced.
It took me awhile but then I finally figured it out: this reads like a soap opera. We have overly dramatic prose, even more emphatic dialogue, and mundane activities and random bits of action scenes to string it all together. Once it hit me, I tried to read this story as such and was able to enjoy it a bit more.
Meanwhile, I was still suffering whiplash, being tossed between haphazard language and lines of brilliance that sprang up out of nowhere. That same frustration was now having its own tug-of-war with an almost celebratory feeling towards some of the raw emotional truth these two do share a few times.
This story wanted to be dark but the overall tone isn’t there. Some of the details are but they are far outweighed by the soapy storytelling.
The big reveal is a missed opportunity in that it could have been a great jumping off point for the entire story. Instead, it happens late and therefore feels underutilized, underdeveloped. Despite this, it is actually very well done and leads the most honest emotions between and behaviors by Ben and Nik. It’s the vicious circle of decisions made long ago, under duress, impacting the future, which is right here and right now. Rather well played. In the span of two pages, everything is turned upside down, only to land right back where it all started: the complicated, emotional world of Ben and Nik.
Ultimately, this is a relationship story that thinks it wants to be an action-y secret agent murder-y type story. Details alone will not give you such a thing, there needs to be some depth, some heft holding up the premise. However, as the reader, if you let that go and just concentrate on what’s happening between Ben and Nik, you’ll probably end up enjoying this read much more. It’s a trick that more or less worked for me.
3.5 Stars on Prism Book Alliance
By the time I arrived at the beginning of chapter 8, I felt like I was having trouble understanding both Ben and Nikolas. We’re told that Ben has been working directly for Nikolas for some time and they’re having sex from basically the beginning. Now, Ben apparently thinks he loves Nik and can help this man rediscover the “man behind the ghost” and feel the same kind of love. This is technically not insta-love but it feels like it. We’re told some things that are supposed to represent a history between these two but the feeling behind the facts didn’t quite translate. Often there is a mismatch between words and actions. Ben sometimes reads as a 20 year old kid and yet sometimes as a hardened veteran at least a decade older, if not more. The story is basically told from his point of view so it’s important that his voice be a clear one and that isn’t always the case here.
There is delicious detail in this writing. It made it very easy to picture the characters, their mannerisms, all of the locations, atmosphere, both physical and emotional, everything. On the flip side, some instances (an argument, sex, etc.) were almost glossed over, presented quickly and without a lot of detail. This was a contrast layered in frustration for me as the reader since some of the meaty exchanges were put on an unnecessary diet.
About a third of the way through, I was still waiting for the main plot to materialize. There are some small stories started, some even with semi-resolution, but none of them are revisited after the initial mention. Despite this, I kept reading because the writing does have a level of quality that I could feel just wanted to break through with something important, something fantastic. With some more directional editing, the story may have touched more of its own potential.
More often than not, the sex between Ben and Nik is briefly described or merely mentioned without any further reveal. I don’t always need every detail but when your story is centered around two people working their patooties regarding whatever is going on between them, letting the sex scenes inform some of the emotional connection would have been a big plus. This is especially true for these two because they do use physical interactions, sexual and otherwise, to work things out between them. Things do get more detailed later on in the book, but that’s because they are interwoven with emotion and revelations between the characters.
Even with these difficulties, there are some fabulous moments of connection that I felt with both Ben and Nik. Simple gestures that spoke volumes, subtlety that opened a door to change for them in their relationship, and proof that they both were learning how to understand each other were all things that felt real and organic, not forced.
It took me awhile but then I finally figured it out: this reads like a soap opera. We have overly dramatic prose, even more emphatic dialogue, and mundane activities and random bits of action scenes to string it all together. Once it hit me, I tried to read this story as such and was able to enjoy it a bit more.
Meanwhile, I was still suffering whiplash, being tossed between haphazard language and lines of brilliance that sprang up out of nowhere. That same frustration was now having its own tug-of-war with an almost celebratory feeling towards some of the raw emotional truth these two do share a few times.
This story wanted to be dark but the overall tone isn’t there. Some of the details are but they are far outweighed by the soapy storytelling.
The big reveal is a missed opportunity in that it could have been a great jumping off point for the entire story. Instead, it happens late and therefore feels underutilized, underdeveloped. Despite this, it is actually very well done and leads the most honest emotions between and behaviors by Ben and Nik. It’s the vicious circle of decisions made long ago, under duress, impacting the future, which is right here and right now. Rather well played. In the span of two pages, everything is turned upside down, only to land right back where it all started: the complicated, emotional world of Ben and Nik.
Ultimately, this is a relationship story that thinks it wants to be an action-y secret agent murder-y type story. Details alone will not give you such a thing, there needs to be some depth, some heft holding up the premise. However, as the reader, if you let that go and just concentrate on what’s happening between Ben and Nik, you’ll probably end up enjoying this read much more. It’s a trick that more or less worked for me.
April 17, 2018
Ps. I just found out about Radulf's blog after reading my darling Lena's review, and now I cannot stop laughing.
Lol this dog is truly something else.
Spent whole day alone with blond biped. Played hide and seek. Brilliant. Blond biped more fun than thought. Will occasionally obey him now as reward.
I have new ball! I have new ball! It's yellow and bounces and runs away and then I bring it back! Dark-haired biped learnt to throw it quickly. He appears easily trainable. Blond one hid it so I couldn't find it. He won't find his socks either.
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Hi. This review will probably be short cause I'm lazy as fuck right now and I haven't been feeling the review writing groove for a while now so please bear with me.
This book was definitely different from all the other books I have read before. It was odd at times, character and plot was new and unique in a way that is just odd, but the kind of odd that works, you know?
For the first 30% of the book, the character and story development was a little too fast for my liking, but after I got through the first 30%, things starts to get really interesting that I can't stop reading.
There are things here and there that I don't really agree with and that I have problems with, but when a book is this good, the minor issues aren't even worth mentioning.
I love Nik and Ben – I mean duh. Their relationship is kind of like a dysfunctionally functional relationship that works. I love their dynamic, the sarcasm and dry humor. Well bottom point is, I love them.
This books end in a cliffhanger, so now if you'd please excuse me, I'm going to jump onto book two and find my answers.
Blog : Click here for more of my reviews
August 17, 2021
I hate not understanding "why" when a book fails for me. This one has the stuff I say I want: good writing, m/m romance, action, espionage, betrayal, morally ambiguous MCs. What's not to love?
🤷🏻♂️
I read it 5 years ago and felt no need to continue to the next book in the series. Then a chance came up to participate in a BOM group read this month, and I jumped onboard, hoping I'd like it better a second time around — or at least get the motivation I needed to continue with the series. I'd heard it's one of those series that gets better and stronger as it goes along. So if I could just get past my lack of enthusiasm for book 1, I'd be in for fun times with a nice long (8 books so far) series full of the kind of stuff I like. Five years is a long time, and I couldn't remember why it hadn't worked for me. Maybe I'd been in an off mood when I'd read it then. Surely it would be better this time around, right?
But this time around I couldn't make it past 36%.
I liked the writing, I liked the premise, the story was interesting enough, and I positively loved the moral ambiguity... but I was simply unable to feel anything for either of the MCs. Apparently that was my issue the first time around too.
Why? That's the question I wish I knew the answer to, but I don't. I just don't care about either Nicholas or Ben. I don't care what happens to them; I don't care about their relationship; I don't care if they live or die; I don't find them interesting and I don't feel a thing for them. Weird. So I'm reluctantly giving up on a series that looked as if it would be just my thing.
🤷🏻♂️
I read it 5 years ago and felt no need to continue to the next book in the series. Then a chance came up to participate in a BOM group read this month, and I jumped onboard, hoping I'd like it better a second time around — or at least get the motivation I needed to continue with the series. I'd heard it's one of those series that gets better and stronger as it goes along. So if I could just get past my lack of enthusiasm for book 1, I'd be in for fun times with a nice long (8 books so far) series full of the kind of stuff I like. Five years is a long time, and I couldn't remember why it hadn't worked for me. Maybe I'd been in an off mood when I'd read it then. Surely it would be better this time around, right?
But this time around I couldn't make it past 36%.
I liked the writing, I liked the premise, the story was interesting enough, and I positively loved the moral ambiguity... but I was simply unable to feel anything for either of the MCs. Apparently that was my issue the first time around too.
Why? That's the question I wish I knew the answer to, but I don't. I just don't care about either Nicholas or Ben. I don't care what happens to them; I don't care about their relationship; I don't care if they live or die; I don't find them interesting and I don't feel a thing for them. Weird. So I'm reluctantly giving up on a series that looked as if it would be just my thing.
May 16, 2023
Honestly. I wasn’t sure about this at the start. I spent the first 50% of this feeling uncomfortable. Dread. It’s not my fave way to start a book, with a prologue that marks the end from the beginning. I kinda hated Nikolas and the way he treated Ben, with the sex kinda nasty and transactional. Ben was ok with that though, so I didn’t give up. And I “made an ass out if u and me” by ASSUMING this writing style was “blokey male” (that’s an Aussie saying if anyone doesn’t know that word!) Who would have thought John Wiltshire is actually a woman?! My apologies for generalisations & assumptions about the writing style..
But we slowly see progress, warmth and need… and it reeled me in. You see Ben’s need begin to be reciprocated, and you see Nikolas’ progress and recognition of his feelings for Ben, you get to see the hidden past, and the man & the motivations behind the ghost. The storyline is in no way predictable, and is a weird (but great) mix of fast plot changes with action, hot & sexy times, and quiet times with the boys. And yeah, I’m hooked. Next book in the series starting now..
But we slowly see progress, warmth and need… and it reeled me in. You see Ben’s need begin to be reciprocated, and you see Nikolas’ progress and recognition of his feelings for Ben, you get to see the hidden past, and the man & the motivations behind the ghost. The storyline is in no way predictable, and is a weird (but great) mix of fast plot changes with action, hot & sexy times, and quiet times with the boys. And yeah, I’m hooked. Next book in the series starting now..
March 23, 2015
It’s a tale replete with:
Kickass, emotional, picture-perfect model mc’s, able to kill or cry at the drop of a hat.
Back stories full of tear jerking traumas.
James Bond action
Fluids – starting from tears going on to spit and spunk, plus lots of showers.
Sex - well lots and lots of that in every shape and form.
I tried hard to connect believe me, my friends assured me that I would. Unfortunately the writing and me never gelled. This was me whilst reading
Unplanned BR with Lena, Mark and Nick – they liked it much better than me.
March 9, 2015
YouTube Booktrailer Love is a Stranger
Wow… this book was just wow, it's an exhausting, overwhelming start of a brand new series, I couldn’t put it down one damn second. Who needs sleep? Sleep is overrated anyway.… John Wiltshire made me virtually inhale the story, devour it. I’ve never heard from this author before but after only reading one of his books he became an auto-buy to me.
You love dark? You love gritty? You love reading about a MC who seems to exist entirely in the shadows? You don’t mind falling for guys who are trained to kill deliberately and don’t fear to do exactly that?
You love hot ex special forces guys falling in love? You love mystery/suspense novels mixed up with freaking hot M/M loving? Then the More Heat than the Sun series is the perfect reading choice for you.
I won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoiler anything… but let me say that Love is a Stranger is outstanding, it’s brilliantly written and definitely the beginning of a series that is going to be one of my top favorites this year.
Nik and Ben are great characters… you can’t not fall for them. Okay, at the beginning Nik is a real mystery, but give him a chance, don't let him fool you... OMG - you have no idea what he’s been through.
“If this is love for you, then you are in love with a ghost, with the illusion of a man. Is that enough for you?"
"Would you let me have that? If you do, then I will find the man. I'll breathe life back into the ghost.”
Now off to reading the second book of the series. Highly recommended!
August 16, 2016
4,5 La verdad, no sé porqué no le doy las 5, llegados a este punto estoy absolutamente entregada a Nik y Ben, me encantan ellos, sus diálogos, su dinámica, la retorcida historia que les rodea, todo.
No es el típico libro de chico conoce chico, aquí la relación entre los protagonistas ya lleva 4 años en marcha y para mi ha sido refrescante ver como de esos encuentros furtivos algo ha despertado, algo que ha puesto su mundo patas arriba y que les hace moverse sin saber muy bien donde ponen los pies. Si a eso le sumamos un trasfondo de espías, agencias secretas, e identidades que no son lo que parecen, el cóctel es perfecto y te mantiene en vilo hasta el último momento.
Ya estoy con el segundo empezado, no podía abandonarles ahora que empezaba lo bueno ^^
No es el típico libro de chico conoce chico, aquí la relación entre los protagonistas ya lleva 4 años en marcha y para mi ha sido refrescante ver como de esos encuentros furtivos algo ha despertado, algo que ha puesto su mundo patas arriba y que les hace moverse sin saber muy bien donde ponen los pies. Si a eso le sumamos un trasfondo de espías, agencias secretas, e identidades que no son lo que parecen, el cóctel es perfecto y te mantiene en vilo hasta el último momento.
Ya estoy con el segundo empezado, no podía abandonarles ahora que empezaba lo bueno ^^
December 27, 2014
Love is a Stranger
By John Wiltshire
Four stars
One thing is clear: when you read reviews by amateurs (which of course includes yours truly) you have to understand where they are coming from—what baggage they bring to the review.
Professional reviewers (“mainstream” reviewers) also have baggage, but everyone knows who they are and the biases they bring to their reviews.
So, as an almost-sixty-year-old gay man with a 39-year relationship; someone who came out in the mid-1970s in the first great wave after Stonewall; I have a distinct perspective.
Thus, having bought “Love is a Stranger” through the recommendation of a Goodreads friend, I initially wondered why anyone would think I’d enjoy this book.
Right away, John Wiltshire’s dark, gripping action/romance novel pushed several negative buttons for me. Those would be”
1. A young gay man in the 21st century marrying a woman for reasons of power/status/wealth.
2. Another, younger gay man having an affair with said married man
3. These two men having unprotected sex
4. The younger man sleeping with other men while 2 and 3
And yet…
Ben Ryder and Nikolas Mikkelson are not exactly what they seem. Their relationships, both working and personal, are not quite what they initially appear to be either. Wiltshire has created what for me was a repellant set up, only to undermine my kneejerk reaction by gradually revealing fragments of these two men’s lives and inner selves that mitigate the situation in which they find themselves.
By the midpoint of the book, even as I anxiously anticipated the next off-putting things that one of these men was going to do, I had become decidedly sympathetic to both Ben and Nikolas, and had largely forgiven them for their transgressions of my worldview. Nikolas is the more complex of the two men, as Ben begins to understand, and my compassion for him grew tremendously as his layers were peeled away to the harrowing truth beneath them.
There is a certain retro (i.e. 1970s-80s) attitude in the narrative of “Love is a Stranger” that accounts for most of my discomfort. It is not unlike Daniel Craig’s portrayal of the newest James Bond in “Skyfall,” a movie I enjoyed and yet detested at the same time. Ben is sort of a young gay James Bond—and so is Nikolas, for that matter. It is hard for me to believe that Ben, even given his history and professional background, would be so amenable to Nikolas’s machinations, all the while reminding us of his erstwhile bisexuality as if to prove he’s a “real” man somehow. I had to ask why the author needed to build a heterosexual moment into Ben’s past. In 2014, is it entirely impossible to conceive of a tough, highly-skilled military man who is completely and comfortably gay? Whom was this detail in Ben’s character designed to appease?
All my bitching aside, Wiltshire has written a truly compelling novel, a page-turner that kept my interest and my heart-rate up until the oddly lyrical quasi-ending (which leads us into the next book in the series in a somewhat limp cliffhanger). This excellent story will never be made into a film unless either Ben or Nikolas is transformed into a woman. Too bad. Either of these men is as interesting as James Bond ever was to me.
By John Wiltshire
Four stars
One thing is clear: when you read reviews by amateurs (which of course includes yours truly) you have to understand where they are coming from—what baggage they bring to the review.
Professional reviewers (“mainstream” reviewers) also have baggage, but everyone knows who they are and the biases they bring to their reviews.
So, as an almost-sixty-year-old gay man with a 39-year relationship; someone who came out in the mid-1970s in the first great wave after Stonewall; I have a distinct perspective.
Thus, having bought “Love is a Stranger” through the recommendation of a Goodreads friend, I initially wondered why anyone would think I’d enjoy this book.
Right away, John Wiltshire’s dark, gripping action/romance novel pushed several negative buttons for me. Those would be”
1. A young gay man in the 21st century marrying a woman for reasons of power/status/wealth.
2. Another, younger gay man having an affair with said married man
3. These two men having unprotected sex
4. The younger man sleeping with other men while 2 and 3
And yet…
Ben Ryder and Nikolas Mikkelson are not exactly what they seem. Their relationships, both working and personal, are not quite what they initially appear to be either. Wiltshire has created what for me was a repellant set up, only to undermine my kneejerk reaction by gradually revealing fragments of these two men’s lives and inner selves that mitigate the situation in which they find themselves.
By the midpoint of the book, even as I anxiously anticipated the next off-putting things that one of these men was going to do, I had become decidedly sympathetic to both Ben and Nikolas, and had largely forgiven them for their transgressions of my worldview. Nikolas is the more complex of the two men, as Ben begins to understand, and my compassion for him grew tremendously as his layers were peeled away to the harrowing truth beneath them.
There is a certain retro (i.e. 1970s-80s) attitude in the narrative of “Love is a Stranger” that accounts for most of my discomfort. It is not unlike Daniel Craig’s portrayal of the newest James Bond in “Skyfall,” a movie I enjoyed and yet detested at the same time. Ben is sort of a young gay James Bond—and so is Nikolas, for that matter. It is hard for me to believe that Ben, even given his history and professional background, would be so amenable to Nikolas’s machinations, all the while reminding us of his erstwhile bisexuality as if to prove he’s a “real” man somehow. I had to ask why the author needed to build a heterosexual moment into Ben’s past. In 2014, is it entirely impossible to conceive of a tough, highly-skilled military man who is completely and comfortably gay? Whom was this detail in Ben’s character designed to appease?
All my bitching aside, Wiltshire has written a truly compelling novel, a page-turner that kept my interest and my heart-rate up until the oddly lyrical quasi-ending (which leads us into the next book in the series in a somewhat limp cliffhanger). This excellent story will never be made into a film unless either Ben or Nikolas is transformed into a woman. Too bad. Either of these men is as interesting as James Bond ever was to me.
June 22, 2021
★☆★☆★
Loved it! On to the next!
Loved it! On to the next!
December 18, 2016
3.5 stars : damned these good series with hot guys, action and fucked up twists. Rounded up to 4 stars because it's a bit unconventional and I'm surprised to enjoy it so much.
Ben is a black-op working for Sir Nikolas. These 2 have been...colleagues with benefits (?!?) for 4 years and their relationship is slowly evolving to much more as terrorists swarm around them and the pasts of the 2 characters are revealed bit by bit.
It’s fast-paced when it comes to the plots, complex when it comes to the personalities of Ben and Nick, rough and hot when it comes to their relationship…Nothing is straightforward, nothing is what it seems to be…really intriguing !
Eight books in total, 7 more to go, with a lot to come with this cliffhanger on book 1.
PS : thank you Ariana for this great gift, I’m enjoying this ride with Ben and Nick !!
Ben is a black-op working for Sir Nikolas. These 2 have been...colleagues with benefits (?!?) for 4 years and their relationship is slowly evolving to much more as terrorists swarm around them and the pasts of the 2 characters are revealed bit by bit.
It’s fast-paced when it comes to the plots, complex when it comes to the personalities of Ben and Nick, rough and hot when it comes to their relationship…Nothing is straightforward, nothing is what it seems to be…really intriguing !
Eight books in total, 7 more to go, with a lot to come with this cliffhanger on book 1.
PS : thank you Ariana for this great gift, I’m enjoying this ride with Ben and Nick !!
March 29, 2019
An excellent m/m thriller with lots of hot sex between two uber-male characters. Forget about prep, lube or condoms however! Also loved the cute dog. Story continues in book two.
'We don't look anything like brothers, and you're Danish and weird. How about we say I'm your... financial advisor?'
Re-read 20 May 2016
'We don't look anything like brothers, and you're Danish and weird. How about we say I'm your... financial advisor?'
Re-read 20 May 2016
Read
March 4, 2023dnf'ing this for the second time. nobody can tell me i didn't try hard enough to enjoy this. 💀 no rating because i didn't hate it, i was just bored and not into the relationship, the characters, or the writing style.
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