Review Links & Summaries for DEoH
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January 2012: Bound By Words- 4 stars, wanted more.
"The writing in 'Dark Edge of Honor' is different from the usual style. There are a lot of short, incomplete sentences throughout the book...I'd say it added to the dark, gritty tone of the book. Overall, a great read. I would've liked more in places – more world building, more development for Mike, more of Sergei's struggle against his beliefs at the end – but other than that, I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes their romances to be hard and gruelling, a real uphill struggle, and don't mind a bit of military sci-fi."
Read Daniel Kane's full review here.
Read Daniel Kane's full review here.
22 November: Bitch Factor 10 gives it 3 of 5 stars, wanted more.
Emme says, "I guess my biggest problems are in the world-building and the relationship between the two main characters. In the world-building, I needed more information--because I'm a greedy information-hungry bitch. ...As far as the main characters and their relationship, it seemed that Mike and Sergei only had small bits of interaction with one another, and given that, I'm not sure I buy the depth of their relationship."
Read Emme's full review, here.
Read Emme's full review, here.
18 September: Pixie @ MM Good Book Reviews
Pixie says, "This is not an easy story to read. If you go into this expecting love to conquer all or thinking that everything is going to be nice and easy then you have another think coming. This is a hard gritty read about what it is really like to fall in love with an enemy; it answers questions that you really don’t want to know the answers to." Read the full review here.
31 August 2011: "Romance Book Forum" gives it a 'B'
Nicole of "RBF" says, "there was simply nothing left on the table when they finished with this one." She goes on to describe it as a "dark, painful, difficult yet beautiful book to read; extremely emotionally charged." Read the full review here.
18 August 2011: Lisa @ "Fresh Fiction"
Lisa Watts of "Fresh Fiction" labels it one of the most moving gay romances she's read in a while and goes on to describe it as some of the hottest gay sex scenes I've ever read and says, Voinov and Etzweiler have crafted an intense but beautiful love story about two soldiers torn between duty and love, and I enjoyed every moment of it!
15 August 2011: "Amara's Place" rates it 5 stars
Amara's review style is rather casual and straightforward, compared to some, but her comments are always honest.
Excerpt from her review, on the website: In a nutshell, I uber loved this book. Twice. Aleksandr Voinov and Rhianon Etzweiler make one fine writing team. The writing was fantastic; strong, vivid, done in such a way as I could see and feel what was taking place.
I fell in love with both the main characters. Sergei, the young Doctrine officer, falling for Mike and learning what it is to “feel” for the first time just tugged at my heart. He was a mixture of the strong character I expect from a Voinov, yet so young and naive at the same time. He was quite a mix for me. Mike, the older, more experienced one, in the difficult position of being ordered to seduce Sergei in a covop mission while falling for him at the same time just tore at me, even wrecked me at times. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t leaving me wanting to throttle him on occasion. The secondary characters, good and bad, were just as engaging for me.
Excerpt from her review, on the website: In a nutshell, I uber loved this book. Twice. Aleksandr Voinov and Rhianon Etzweiler make one fine writing team. The writing was fantastic; strong, vivid, done in such a way as I could see and feel what was taking place.
I fell in love with both the main characters. Sergei, the young Doctrine officer, falling for Mike and learning what it is to “feel” for the first time just tugged at my heart. He was a mixture of the strong character I expect from a Voinov, yet so young and naive at the same time. He was quite a mix for me. Mike, the older, more experienced one, in the difficult position of being ordered to seduce Sergei in a covop mission while falling for him at the same time just tore at me, even wrecked me at times. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t leaving me wanting to throttle him on occasion. The secondary characters, good and bad, were just as engaging for me.
8 August 2011: "Between the Covers" gives galley 4.5 stars
Alex Whitehall has a bachelor's degree in English with a Creative Writing minor and currently works in the publishing industry. "Between the Covers" rates and reviews a broad spectrum of books and movies, but focuses mainly on m/m.
Excerpt from review, on website: Overall -- In a story as gritty as the planet it takes place on, Mike and Sergei struggle with their environment, their armies, and their own feelings. While this isn't a light read, it's not overwhelmingly dark either, immersing the reader in Sergei's struggle to keep hope in what seems like a doomed situation.
The plot is excellent and definitely interesting, but its the characters that, through strong writing, come alive on the page through their strengths and weaknesses. On my initial read, I had problems with the story, but upon re-reading I reconsidered these "weaknesses" and feel they were both handled well in the situation.
That being said: The wait, and the build up to it, are worth it.
Excerpt from review, on website: Overall -- In a story as gritty as the planet it takes place on, Mike and Sergei struggle with their environment, their armies, and their own feelings. While this isn't a light read, it's not overwhelmingly dark either, immersing the reader in Sergei's struggle to keep hope in what seems like a doomed situation.
The plot is excellent and definitely interesting, but its the characters that, through strong writing, come alive on the page through their strengths and weaknesses. On my initial read, I had problems with the story, but upon re-reading I reconsidered these "weaknesses" and feel they were both handled well in the situation.
That being said: The wait, and the build up to it, are worth it.
1 August 2011: Galley review gives 4.5 stars
Partial excerpt from Emanuela's review:
The book is very intense, because the feelings expressed by the protagonists, the moral dilemmas they have to face, the attraction, the trials, the investigation, the recovery, each moment places both Sergei and Mike in constant danger.
I liked the writing, the way the protagonists let us follow what they were seeing, doing and believing. There were moments when I felt I was there with them, seeing their surroundings through their eyes, how they affected them and then plunging into their minds and feelings.
I think this book is much more than your typical romance, because the struggle of the main characters with their conscience, with their idea of honor, is probably more important, but there's no doubt that love is what changes the world in both Sergei and Mike.
(Read the full content of Emanuela's review here.)
The book is very intense, because the feelings expressed by the protagonists, the moral dilemmas they have to face, the attraction, the trials, the investigation, the recovery, each moment places both Sergei and Mike in constant danger.
I liked the writing, the way the protagonists let us follow what they were seeing, doing and believing. There were moments when I felt I was there with them, seeing their surroundings through their eyes, how they affected them and then plunging into their minds and feelings.
I think this book is much more than your typical romance, because the struggle of the main characters with their conscience, with their idea of honor, is probably more important, but there's no doubt that love is what changes the world in both Sergei and Mike.
(Read the full content of Emanuela's review here.)