Genre: Sci-Fi, BDSM, Erotic
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
Power has its price.
Now the head of Polymer Gel Research Department at NeuroTech, what will Jessman have to give Director Perez in exchange for the privileges that come with such a rise in the corporate ranks? What will Bells do if he turns out to be the party favor in a game of corporate politics?
And exactly what is Director Perez really after? Is it David, Bells, both of them or something else entirely? Then there’s the Director’s gunwhore, Mae. Bells doesn’t trust her, but then again, he doesn’t trust anyone, not even David.
Warnings and Tropes: Warnings: m/m (gay), BDSM (not light), dark erotic romance, boss/employee, danger, violence, blood, I will kill to protect you, man with the soul of a dragon, non-con/dub-con.
Author’s Note: The series is a single story, so the books must be read in order to understand what is going on.
The Review
After the horrendous fight between Bells, Katana Blue and the Darkuls, Bells makes sure David is taken care of at the hospital.
David showed his dominance and got Bells hired as his body guard. They’ve been moved up in the NeuroTech building, but not without trouble from Director Perez. David can’t stand to see anyone touching Bells. What does the Director want, and what will David do to keep his new position?
There’s something about Perez’s gunwhore, Mae, that Bells is struggling to remember. He believes Mae is a Kami no Freesky mod, as she triggers bad memories in his mind.
After Bells feels sure David is safe, he has to leave – he’s neglected his own injuries. His polymer micro mechanism is failing, and the nanites that do damage control aren’t replenishing his system, so he’s close to going into a cybernetic collapse. He has to get to LCFree and Doc-T. The motorcycle ride to LCFree didn’t help, as the air and toxic fog are as dangerous to him as to a human.
Bells realizes that no matter what he does, Perez has control over David, and there’s nothing that will stop him – outside of death.
Barnette has crafted a dark dystopian world in the “Through Neon Eyes” series. On one side is the corp, a supposedly safe world. On the other is the LCFree Zone, where life is usually short and dangerous at every turn, a toxic, polluted world where the zoners survive as best they can. But those in the corp world, for all their wealth and power, are no better than those who survive in the zone. In fact, the corpers are worse.
Bells and David are star-crossed lovers. David, being a corper, would never be able to survive in the LCFree, and Bells can’t stay in the corp world forever.
Barnette has a clear and precise style, creating some very colorful scenes that spring to life on the page, especially as Bells goes through the process of being energized.
I highly recommend the “Through Neon Eyes” series – it had me immersed from the first book.
Please heed his warnings, though – there are triggers.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.