The Tide of War by Lori A. Witt

The Tide of War by Lori A. Witt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I knew it! I freaking knew it! And I can’t even say what I knew because it’s a complete spoiler. But the best part is that it wasn’t a foregone conclusion or the obvious direction of the book. In all actuality, the main reason I figured it out was because The Tide of War is the type of sci-fi romance that brings out my un-nurtured, hiding-in-a-corner in the depths of my mind conspiracy theorist. I am not a conspiracy theorist in my day-to-day life and yet at 31% in a directive is given that made that poor little neglected niggle in the back of my brain sit up and go “Huh?” Then he (and yes my conspiracy theorist is male) remembered something from the very beginning of the book and screamed “Oh no!” By 64% in my conspiracy theorist was feeling all smug about figuring it out, while at the same time horrified by what it meant. But figuring it out before the big reveal was only a small part of the reading experience of The Tide of War and it’s everything that happens before and after the discovery that really makes the book worth reading.

In my reading experience there are two types of sci-fi romances – those in which a person’s sexuality is a non-issue and those in which the Earth government has become even more outspoken against homosexuality (and in some cases outlawing it). The Tide of War falls into the latter category, or at least it does among the higher echelons of its military personnel. Kyle is one of the best of the squadron’s fighter pilots, yet he refuses to leave the Earth Fleet and join the Fleet’s Elite Squadron to fight the aliens on their home planet of Menar. Why? His husband and son are on Earth and they can’t accompany him because they’re not legally married. In fact, Kyle is actually married to his gunner Emily and she is the only one who knows about his husband and son, just as he was the only one who knew about Emily’s wife. When tragedy strikes, Kyle and Emily are left with no choice but to transfer to Epsilon and take their fight directly to Menar.

There are certain things that play out within The Tide of War that are inevitable (note that I did not say predictable). As with any war, death is always inevitable for some of the characters and this book is no different – some of the deaths will leave you heartbroken while others will not. It was inevitable that Kyle and Emily would find themselves on Epsilon, but the precipitating event itself was not predictable. It was inevitable that Kyle and Andrei would get involved, but the acceptance and encouragement of their wives made the way in which they wind up together not predictable. While the revelation of the secret was another inevitability, some of the fallout from it was so not predictable that I found myself completely stunned more than once. I must admit that I was surprised at how few sex scenes there were considering this is listed as an M/M romance and that when they did occur they weren’t really detailed. That’s not a complaint though because as much as I enjoy M/M sex scenes, the storyline was so intense and constantly moving that I think had Ms. Witt given them more “page time” they would have detracted from the story because they would have pulled me from the flow of the book. As it is, the author kept my attention focused on the developing relationship between Kyle and Andrei and how the ongoing war affected them and because of this I was so invested in their characters that I suffered their losses right alongside them, celebrated their victories with them, and was just as shell-shocked as they were when the secret was revealed. I really liked that although this is the first book in the Defending Epsilon series, The Tide of War ends in such a way that this chapter in Kyle and Andrei’s lives is complete. This was a truly enjoyable sci-fi romance and I look forward to reading the next book in the series to find out what’s in store for the crew of the Epsilon.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the The Tide of War (Defending Epsilon #1) by Lori A. Witt blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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