Rating:: 4.5 stars out of 5
One is a dying man.
The other is a man who died to live.
A nude man invades Luca Suarez’s home and protects him from creatures who cannot exist.
Creatures hunting him.
The stranger can’t tell Luca why. He can’t even tell Luca his name.
He remembers nothing until the moment he sees Luca.
The only hint Luca has to the stranger’s identity is a tattoo on his wrist: N o X
Nox doesn’t know who he is, but he’s sure of three things, his memory loss is temporary, the monsters chasing Luca are called Anubis, and his Alpha, Koda, sent Nox to protect him.
There’s just one problem… Koda is Luca’s brother who was murdered five years ago.
With each passing hour, Nox fills in the pieces painting an impossible truth. And with each passing hour, both men find themselves unexplainably attracted to each other.
Something Luca is willing to embrace because he has nothing left to lose.
And one Nox can’t let happen because it could get Luca killed.
Nox is a HEA m/m paranormal, science-fiction romance.
But be warned, these are NOT the shifters you are used to reading about.
NoX by Adrienne Wilder is a HFN LGBT science fiction novel that ends with new elements added and the author opening up her universe and characters for a sequel that may never be written. Which given the snippets revealed in the author’s notes at the end would be a shame because NoX is a complex, twisty blend of Egyptian mythology, cosmology, shifters, genetics, mad scientists, action adventure, government conspiracy, and , oh yes, hot sex and romance. Maybe a few more thrown in for good measure.
NoX is a totally engrossing tale from the moment you open the story and meet the ailing Luca, alone in his house on the stormy dark night. A bang, a flahs, a barking dog, the reader’s pulse starts to race and you become totally involved in this fragile young man’s world and the terror that is about to overtake him. The writing is terrific, the descriptions are vivid, and the characterization are layered and give these people depth and authenticity. We believe in them, care for them, and often despair for them.
That is especially true for NoX, the person who begins the story without memory. That slowly returns in bits and pieces, and as it does so does his part of the story and back history. About that I will say no more.
But NoX is told from multiple points of view and it absolutely works, It flips effortlessly from one person to the next, moving the story and suspense/action forward, while creating angst and a great deal of knots in the reader’s stomach. Trust me on that last one.
Wilder’s twist on shifter culture pulls from many different areas and genres. The author brings in Egyptian mythology with Anubis, creationism and origin legends and science, plus sheer old science fiction beings/creature of unknown background now set loose. There is also plenty of talk of genetics and molecular science. Except…and here is where it get’s weak…and the author takes the easy way out of a complex explanation or creating one..
“There isn’t enough time for me to explain, and even if there was, you don’t have the education to understand it.”
I read that to be the author saying that wrote themselves into a scientific corner and that was their solution. That happens a couple of times here where the intricacies overwhelm the narrative.
There are several major twists to this story, all well woven and one a real stunner that stopped me reading in amazement. The action is so swift, the information coming at you at such a fast clip that it takes time for the reader to take it all in. It took me a while to realize that the relationship between NoX and Luca is actually very primal at first, anything resembling something romanic doesn’t appear until later in the story. So in that respect, you might say this is actually a slow burn romance as well.
It is also violent, graphic, and very sexual which is how the Anubis bonds. But again that is also such a complex matter, although it appears primal, that it is best left for the storyline.
However, while the blurb states this as a HEA that just isn’t the case. It would indicate that if it weren’t for that epilogue and the author’s notes. During the epilogue, more information and new elements are introduced which opens up an entirely new path, characters, and possibilities. None of which is suggestive of HEA. The author’s notes are further indication of a sequel in the works as snippets, which are given for the readers to look over. With Wilder’s note saying it’s dependant on whether or not this does well.
Funny, I always thought you wrote a story because it wanted to be written or you had the passion or need to write it. Huh.
Anyway. This story stands on it own merits. It deserves this rating because it’s entertaining, well done, imaginative, and I loved reading it. Aside from that author’s note of course. Which as you can tell struck me the wrong way.
If you love science fiction that combines a wonderful blend of elements, I think NoX by Adrienne Wilder might be just your thing! I’m definitely recommending it.
Cover art Adrienne Wilder. Great cover as it also contains several important elements from the story while being dramatic.
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 463 pages
Published April 2nd 2019
ASINB07QD2Q4VD
Edition Language English
Six months have passed since Dillon and Lang crashed into each other on a crowded street in New York City, changing the course of their lives. Now they’re living together as a couple, happy, in love, but not quite ready to say the words out loud.
WELCOME TO THE LAST OF THE GREAT FLYING CITIES
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 