Restricted is a science fiction novel about a scientist named Ari, who is on a mission to find his lost twin brother Theo. But in order to even get started on his mission he needs to use his spaceship and he's not much of a flyer. So he seeks out a pilot. Enter Orin, a pilot from the Verge and the complete opposite of the shy Ari. We follow them on their travels as they try to do the most dangerous thing one could do - jump the Verge.

I found this book to be a really fun and engaging read overall. Some parts sat well with me, some not as much.

** spoiler alert ** This is such a cute book!!! Ari is just too adorable for words. His relationship with those he loves is everything. I love the writing style too, things just flowed for me. I kept forgetting they were supposed to be on a mission because these characters are just soooo sweet together!!!

I also kept thinking, how is this possibly going to wrap everything up at the end for such a low page count?? Then suddenly, things were all hashed out and they were going to be at happily ever after, but then that last line flew in and threw everything off!!! Which means I need the next book like yesterday!

Be warned that this is explicit at times and definitely not for kids!!! This is also about two men falling in love, and let me tell you, they’re soooo obviously perfect together!!! But, if you’re not into that kind of thing, steer clear. I do recommend this to lgbtqia literature lovers, those who are all for love, an adventure, and family that will always be there for you. Love it all!!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Nine Star Press for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!

Will be posted on Amazon shortly.

I wasn't able to finish this book. When the characters start undressing each other with their eyes on page 2 before there's any semblance of a plot... that's a no from me.

This was a fun quick read. There isn't much to the story, which isn't a complaint necessarily but if you were looking for a detailed book this isn't for you. I enjoyed the two main characters overall. The pacing was good as well. I would have liked this book a lot more if it had been fleshed out with like an additional 50 pages of world building and a slightly stricter editing style that tightened up the character development. The relationship is hilarious love at first sight and the weird misunderstandings were never cleared up to my satisfaction. Still, for a quick read I didn't need an in-depth world or deep characters. This was an enjoyable Saturday read for me.

While I did enjoy the overall storyline it could have been better with just a little more depth added. I liked Ari but Orin was kinda lacking, he needed to be fleshed out a bit more. Those issues aside I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

It was a great book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. It was book that I couldn’t put it down.

Hello. Hi. I devoured this book. Like literally wanted to finish it in one sitting and only couldn’t because I needed to sleep. From the very beginning of this book I was hooked. The banter between Ari and Orin was incredible. It was the kind of book where you are just anxiously waiting for them to get together.

Aside from the romance and tension between Ari and Orin the plot was super interesting. The story revolves around the search to find Ari’s brother and I really loved the space road trip that Orin and Ari go on. The places they stop and people they meet are interesting and the plot actually has weight to the story.

Overall, if you want a steamy romance set in space I highly recommend this one.

Rating: 5/5 stars

SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING: One thing I loved about this story was how sexuality was represented. Orin’s sexuality is basically explained as “he just likes people” and I found that so refreshing. Labels were not used in the book, but Orin’s explanation of his sexuality made me feel so incredibly seen. I would interpret him as pansexual and that is not a representation I see often. So I absolutely enjoyed that.

This had good bones, but failed to flesh them out well. It was an interesting set-up, steampunk space travel is not something I think I've encountered before, but it needed more plot and characterization to really live up to its potential.

Restricted is a story about Ari try everything to find his twin and save him after he was kidnapped. One thing Ari didn't plan on was Orin. Ari falls hard for pilot with a swagger that is out of this world.
I have never been left wanting more than when I finished this book. Simply amazing left me speechless. Can't wait for book two

My thanks for this review go to NineStar Press LLC and NetGalley, for providing me with the ebook of this novel in return for an honest review.

Easy to read it may be, but A.C. Thomas’ Restricted lacks the kind of detail desired in the plotting and characterisation, in spite of some interesting narrative ideas that deserve to be built on a lot more in the future.

This isn’t my first reading experience of erotic LGBTQ+ fiction with elements of science-fiction in recent months. I am reminded of C.B. Lewis’ Time Waits, also released by the publisher NineStar Press. That book did something interesting with its characters though, by having one half of the central pairing come from a different time and having to readjust to modern society, as well as a plot and concept that was bigger than the journeys of the protagonist. That is not to say that there isn’t the potential for the plot to go in interesting directions, looking at the premise. There is the faintly steampunk tinge throughout, most notably on the planet of Britannia, as well as the intrigue of the mysterious Verge and the Restricted area. Rather than introducing these elements in a way that creates curiosity in the reader, they were presented in such a matter-of-fact way that it was almost as though the writer was slamming down the possibility or even the need to explain these to the audience. This would be acceptable if the central plot was so interesting that it would reduce these details to background knowledge anyway, but alas it wasn’t to be, and it was slightly frustrating to not get many details on the elements that could make this series stand out.

I must give props to the author for trying something different with the plotting. Instead of featuring one overarching narrative, there is a clear goal and this is only reached at the climax of the book, this being the eventual finding of the protagonist’s twin brother who was presumed missing. Before this, there are a series of skirmishes on worlds that very faintly resemble a developing narrative. They are moderately interesting and do raise more questions that are frustratingly left unanswered, but I ask myself whether these adventures were actually required in a book of this nature? More focus on a narrative in these chapters could have made them feel integral, rather than a distraction. These excursions are surrounded by multiple chapters spent on the ship with the two protagonists, with a tediously high number of chapters reserved for sexual acts between the pair. There is no real build-up in this narrative, as they do fall for each other very quickly, before they both play out the “They don’t feel the same way" trope. A couple of sex scenes in a book can really heighten the journey the central pairing has, but here it was almost as though the build-up was shunned in favour of more sex, which makes for an interesting choice stylistically but not one that feels necessary considering how light the plotting actually is.

Much like the narrative, the lack of detail attributed to the characterisation of the central pairing is frustrating, as it doesn’t allow me to really care about either character. For that reason, I wouldn’t describe either of the pair as successful. Ari is sweet at first in that fish-out-of-water way, which though played out multiple times still gives readers a sense of who he is. He does have a sort of a development arc in the closing chapters, but it doesn’t really have the impact it should. Conversely, I regret to admit that I didn’t understand the character of Orin at any point of the book. He should be, much like Ari, a bit of an archetypal character, in his case the cocky, charismatic and law-breaking pilot who actually cares about his fellow travelers. However, it felt like I was being told by multiple characters what his personality was truly like, courtesy of the audience surrogate role filled by Ari, but what was seen on the pages conflicted with that. More puzzling still was the way Orin spoke, almost ending every sentence being directed at his loved ones with words such as “darling" and “baby". This was the biggest reason why I struggled to believe his character, as no one would talk and act like that in our world, science-fiction or not, and regardless of what we were told by other characters. Though this book was set up as an epic love story between the pair, it wasn’t interesting enough to keep my attention.

Many critical points have been raised above, but this book does have some merits, most notably its readability. Its length is relatively short and it was also very easy and non-taxing to read, whilst being the type of book you can put down easily and understand where you have got up to upon picking it up again. There was also background information, which I named above, that intrigued me because the ideas were good, which made it all the more frustrating when nothing was explained beyond a surface level. This does mean that any sequel to this book (noted it has been described as the first in its series) has a lot they can build on and can go in any number of directions. The glossary of steampunk terms at the back of the book was also a nice touch, and it would be great if we can see this subgenre be more present and influential in future books in the series.

Ultimately, if you are looking for an easy-to-read book that can whisk you away for a few hours, then Restricted is for you, and you may well enjoy reading about the developing relationship between Ari and Orin. For me personally, it lacked the required detail in many areas to really make me invest in what was going on in front of me, so I probably will not be reading any future books in this series, but I appreciate the author for trying something different with this book.

3 stars

I hate it when an author give us a one dimensional character that's supposed to be with a two dimensional character and tried to make us believe they're supposed to fall in love or have "natural chemistry". Omg did i dislike Orion! He was supposed to be sassy and corky and flirty but I just find him annoying!
Now Ari, he was so cute!!! His POV was so endearing to read! Loved him. (Alsp Theo! He made me want to read the next book!)
Overall, eventhough the world building needs some working because to be honest I still can't picture it besides the bars and the docks the story was appealing and fun to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Dr. Aristotle Campbell is a resident of Brittania, one of the Core planets stuck within the Verge, a force field that prevents marauders from attacking the main planets. He’s an introverted geological scientist, who is dedicated to his outgoing twin brother Dr. Theo Campbell, which is why Ari is now frantic. Theo has been kidnapped by a ruffian from the Restricted Section beyond the Verge. Ari screws up all his gumption and pledges his own spaceship to a Verge pilot, Orin Stone, who promises he can get Ari out to the Restricted sector.

Orin Stone is a “Verge trash” man who happens to be a huge and imposing person, compared to lithe and delicate Ari. He’s so uninhibited and coarse, and shocking in his open desire for Ari, whom Orin finds to be completely appealing–even more so because Ari is a complete innocent.

This is a unique and engaging world that’s a bit of a mix with Victorian sensibilities and the space exploration tech. Ari and Orin develop a sweet friendship, that Orin is quick to offer more. Ari is so tentative, and concerned about his lack of experience, and his fears surrounding Theo. Ari thinks he’s a fraidy cat, especially since he’s always allowed outgoing Theo to lead the way. Orin believes Ari to be so brave, though, and his constant reassurances give Ari the confidence to take what he wants, for himself.

I really loved the story, and the originality of the plot twists. It was such a fun and engaging adventure, watching Ari develop his inner strength, and fall head over heels for Orin, who doesn’t believe himself worthy. This is a dual-narrated story, so we do get into Orin’s head a bit, and that was so sweet, because we can easily see how captivated he is by Ari, and the admiration he has for the ship–that he names Delilah. His bawdy humor cracks through Ari’s refined persona and really settles Ari’s nerves by his sheer confidence and competency as a pilot. It’s a fun love story for these mismatched lovers, but they are both dreading crossing into the Restricted Space–because Ari’s plan is to leave Orin and the ship, to save Theo himself. The resolution is so joyful, when Ari and Theo reunite and Orin finds that he’s not surplus to the situation. I cannot WAIT for Theo’s love story…

I tried for 37% to read this book but I am giving up now. This is just a lot of sex without much story which I could have dealt with if I did not full heartedly dislike both protagonists. Orin – the big rough guy with a soft spot – for his inflationary use of nicknames like Honey, Sugar, Sweetheart, Pretty, Beautiful, Baby, Baby, Baby .... topped with repeatedly saying "Just like that, baby. So perfect for me". Ari on the other hand – the tender virgin professor – I dislike for his stupid comments right after he and Orin had sex saying things like "a meaningless diversion" or "I have to stop wasting so much time". Right. So you are less experienced, darling, but that is just shitty behaviour even if it is said thoughtless or just a bad choose of words. Pretty sure the author did this to create a moment of dramatic misunderstanding later like "oh, my love, I didn't mean it that way!". Even so it's just pissing me off. So no, thank you, I'm out.

Please keep in mind I only read part of the book but since I can't review on NetGalley without giving a rating I can only rate what I read before quitting.. It might still be a good book just not for me.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book.***

There were minerals, after all, which had the ability to change under pressure. Develop new traits— greater strength, hardness, durability. Ari would take his inspiration from them.


A pretty fun science fiction romp! I'd classify it as light sci-fi, since we didn't get a lot of insight into technology and advancements, and most of the plot was about the relationship, which I'm definitely not complaining about. A buttoned-up professor from an elite world will do anything to save his abducted brother, and hires a swaggering, flirtatious outer world pilot to help him on his journey.

This was tropey and cute in a lot of ways that I really liked; who doesn't love a cocky pilot and a shy, repressed academic? It's the sort of pairing I've had loved to read about in a slow burn; this, unfortunately, wasn't that. But it was still really sweet; they complemented each other in great ways, and their journey towards knowing and understanding one another was just as good as their journey through space. Orin is the kind of character who could easily become unbearable, what with all the pet names he constantly gave Ari, but he had mountains of charm, enough to carry it off. (And it helped that Ari liked it. And me too, tbh.) A really lovely romance in general.

The plot was an intriguing one, though I have to admit, it didn't keep me hooked 100% of the time? I did like the little bits of world-building we got, and I appreciated that they were simple to follow, but it just didn't grab me.

Still a very enjoyable, steamy sci-fi adventure romance! 3.5 stars.

Restricted is the first book I've read by A.C. Thomas. This is the first book in a series (I'm unsure of the series length), that features Dr. Aristotle Campbell. When he discovers that his twin brother is missing, Ari seeks out a pilot to take him across the verge. Hot on his brother's trail, Ari faces violence, intrigue, and danger... he also comes face to face with his own desires.

The future world created by Thomas is a bit of a mixed bag. Ari and his twin, Theo come from an academic setting. The pilot Ari engages to help him in his search comes from a very different world. Orin was raised in a brothel. He's rough and ready, prepared for violence, and always trying to think one step ahead of the people around him.

The differences between the two main characters and their upbringings provide a lot of the conflict in the book. Ari has a lot of skills, but most of them don't serve him well once he leaves home. Orin becomes a needed ally at the same time as he becomes a source of attraction.

Ari is buttoned up, proper, and intelligent. He just can't pilot a ship so he's unable to take off after his missing brother on his own. His character is lovely: likable, intelligent, a bit clumsy. One of the striking things about Ari is his devotion to his twin. The moment he thinks that Theo may be in danger he charges forward to attempt to find him. For someone who has never lived a life of adventure, Ari takes to it quite well. He has moments of sheer terror but always seems to be able to summon up some bravery when it's needed.

As Ari explores a physical relationship with Orin, he begins to become emotionally involved. It's clear early on that Ari hasn't explored his sexual identity much and he does so with Orin. As their mission becomes closer to its end, Ari has to face the idea that he has forged a connection with Orin that he doesn't want to end.

There's not a lot of work-building in this novel. There are certainly a lot of details about the ships, and the places the characters visit that I would have liked to see expanded upon. There is a bit of POV switching which was a nice way of rounding out Orin's character.

This book sits closer to the erotica side of things. There's a plot but it's not an overly-detailed one. Much of the time the two characters are getting to know each other physically. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. From the teaser I read, it looks as though it's going to be Theo's story!

I really liked this Steam-punk/sci-fi/LGBTQ adventure/romance. One descriptor is definitely not enough for this book! Ari is an academic and seems very proper - think Victorian England level of proper. His identical brother, by all appearances, has been kidnapped by an unknown person. He left a few clues that Ari has been trying to follow in hopes of finding his brother. He needs a pilot to help him get into areas that are on the outer edges of civilization. Orin Stone is a good pilot and has a very colorful background. I read another review that found a lot of similarities between Han Solo and Luke in their relationship - and I can totally see that! Orin is big and the polar opposite of Ari. What starts out as lust - quickly turns into way more.

I liked the pacing of the book and the relationship between Orin and Ari. I appreciated that there wasn't an exhaustive amount of time spent on world building, but some additional explanation would have helped. There was a glossary at the end - but I think maybe that would have been better at the beginning or just a little more detail supplied along the way. I did get a little tired of Orin referring to Ari as sweetheart or honey - endearments are cute - but I don't think Orin ever called Ari by his actual name. Sometimes the endearments felt a little too diminutive for me.

Overall - it was a great start to an interesting world and series.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This was such a good LGBTQ syfy read! I have been looking for more book in this genre and this is definitely one of the good ones out there.
The world building was unique and engaging and the characters were likeable and well fleshed out.
The author's writing style appealed to me and I loved it.
A definite recommend if you like a short, syfy read that will take you on a fun adventure through the galaxy!

A.C. Thomas’ ‘Restricted’ follows Ari, Dr Aristotle Campbell, who’s searching for his twin brother. Leaving his home world, Britannia, he searches for Theo through the galaxy with the assistance of the pilot, Orin in exchange for the ship.

I really liked the premise of this short novel – a short sci-fi with LGBTQIA elements and I was sold. But unfortunately, I felt a bit disappointed with the story. ‘Restricted’ throws us straight into the story, without any unnecessary info-dumping, which generally a good thing, but here I felt like a bit of worldbuilding could be useful, especially as ‘Restricted’ acts as book one of a larger series. The bits and pieces of the world we witness seem to be interesting, and I wanted to know more about it. Despite the potential for a lot of action, drama and stressful situations, ‘Restricted’ seemed to focus predominantly on the relationship between Ari and Orin, with numerous sexual encounters between both characters. While it normally wouldn’t be a bad thing in adult sci-fi, the main plot – finding Theo – almost felt dismissed and forgotten at moments.

Overall, ‘Restricted’ hasn’t ended up being my kind of sci-fi, and maybe better suited to those preferring stories focusing on romance rather than anything else.

I was given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of sci-fi and a lover of LGBTQ+ fiction, Restricted by A. C. Thomas sounded like it would be right up my street. The story follows Ari and Orin, a scientist and a pilot respectively, as they traverse space in search of Ari’s brother Theo, who has been abducted. They follow clues that Ari believes Theo left for him and grow closer as they travel, both of them doubting the other’s ability to love them whilst also dealing with fighting people enforcing the law and others happily working against it.

I enjoyed the romance of this book. I am a huge fan of mutual pining, especially with a dual perspective like Restricted has that shows you the depth of each person’s feelings and doubts. I was rooting for Ari and Orin to talk to each other about their feelings for the whole book, and there were so many stomach flip inducing moments. The story is fun, and the characters we meet along the way are interesting.

With that being said, I struggled with the book’s setting. It almost seems unnecessary that this book is set in space, with how few elements of sci-fi play into it. The book has a steampunk vibe, which works well, but it lacked the rich world that I love to see in books set in space. There were no aliens whatsoever, and the planets that they visited on their journey weren’t described in enough detail to establish them in detail. Ari’s home planet is called Britannia, which left me confused - is this a world based on our own, where Britain colonised space? Or is this a completely separate world that just takes inspiration in place names from ours? Also, why and how did humans colonise space? How long ago? Why this area of space? Why is this oh so important boundary there? There are “enforcers” everywhere, and a very entrenched class system, but how does any of the politics of the world work? It felt like the book was an attempt at a translation of the British empire, but one in which the only people were British. Ari and Theo didn’t encounter any other spoken languages on their journey, and there was no-one who seemed to have been colonised. I would have liked to have seen a lot more of this explored, but I realise that’s because what I love about sci-fi - rich world building.

I also took slight issue with the fact that people with body modifications - or “augments” - are only portrayed as people who are morally grey at best or scary to the main characters. This came off as a tad ableist to me, and I would love to see some positive representations of people with augments, rather than just seeing them as people who are something other than human due to their additional parts.

If you’re looking for a fun and sexy tale of two men falling in love whilst in very close quarters that just so happens to be set in space, then I think you’ll love Restricted. But for me it just lacked the answers to the questions I had about the world Ari and Orin existed in.

I have a strong feeling that this book began its life as Han/Luke fanfic and was then thinly disguised as something else to avoid lawsuits from Disney. We’ve all been there, so I’m not judging; just observing.

We have a naïve, inexperienced younger man, Ari, in search of his twin (brother), and an older, more experienced scruffy space pilot Orin. Ari hires Orin to fly his spaceship so that he can go after his abducted twin Theo. There’s instant lust between the two, which they then act on at every opportunity in the seclusion of the spaceship. I presume the title of the book comes from that seclusion; otherwise it makes no sense.

There’s very little plot. The pair lands on several planets to look for Theo and has adventures on them and then they leave. Some twists reflect the original material, like Orin having dumped a ship full of cargo when he was captured by the Enforcers, the inter-planetary bogeymen. The focus is on the two of them falling in love. And then it ends. It’s a fairly amusing ending and saves a lot, even though it sort of voids the entire story.

World and character building are minimal. The author has clearly been taught that they should start as close to the story’s beginning as possible, and it does just that without any background info about the place, time or people. We’re given titbits about the characters along the way, but almost nothing about the world they live in. There are rich core planets shaped like Victorian England—with parchments for some odd reason, considering there’s shortage of water and plenty of electric communication devices. Then there’s the Verge, which I presume is a ring of systems around the Core that resemble Wild West à la Firefly with saloons and brothels, but governed by the laws and enforcers of the Core. And then there are illegal and lawless systems outside, where our heroes are headed to. That’s pretty much it, but since the main focus is in the bedroom, it doesn’t really matter.

This is a nice romance with great sex scenes, so I gave it three stars. It’s even better if you imagine the pair as your favourite scruffy-looking nerf herder and the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories. If you like M/M erotic romance, this is for you.