G. B. Gordon (1)

Great sequel! The balance of murder mystery/ intrigue, romance, and internal turmoil of the MCs is really great. Loved exploring the Skanian culture after being introduced in first book Santuario. Overall a very satisfying read. There were still some things left undisclosed- if this becomes a series there’d be even more to explore in the pasta of the MCs. The cast of characters was still fairly wide, but a little more manageable than in book 1. I really appreciate having three dimensional side characters so this really drove it up to 5 star for me. The sex was hot and promises to get more kinky (hotter) if this series continues. I also liked the angle "question your assumptions about how society works and whether it works as well as you imagine"- it was thought provoking without being heavy handed.… (mehr)

This was an enjoyable book overall and a strong debut novel.
I've got this classed as sci-fi but those elements are almost entirely absent from the story - it's a plot point that's mostly in the background and the grounds for the geopolitical situation as the book opens. This book is more of a mystery novel, and spends a lot of time exploring cultural differences, the patterns of communication within the destitute island nation of Santuario, as seen from the outsider's perspective - Bengt, a fish out of water Skanian from the mainland. His local partner Alex navigates the vagaries of Santuarian culture as only a native can. It's not explicitly noted by the author anywhere but implied by appearance and language that the Santuarians are like Mexican-Russians(?) and the Skanians are like Scandinavians.

The romance between Alex and Bengt is a slow burn an takes somewhat of a backseat to the murder mystery and political intrigue plot. Personally I would have preferred a bit more dwelling on those developing feelings of attraction, but really it was there. I loved the emotional crisis one of the leads reaches.

You need to pay attention reading this book. There are quite a few more characters who are important to the plot than a bog-standard romance read. Settings change quickly and you have to pay attention to where the characters are, geographically, to keep it all straight. The murder/intrigue/politics plot was ambitious--more than I expected from a novel of this length--but I really enjoyed it. I also liked the way the book wrapped up.… (mehr)