Thank you for access to the eARC, thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author.

This is a male x male thriller romance was perfect suspense and pacing. this was amazing and I loved it so much I would read more from this author and would recommend to everyone to read.

this was..... GOOOOD. i was expecting it to be more crimey, but it was 20% crimey, 80% mystery romance.

Benjamin and Nikolas.... they were so cute together! their chemistry was WOOOOOAHHHH. even though their relationship felt like a lie bc of the BIG secrecy, we can actually feel how much they both truly love each other. <spoiler> i really can't see Nikolas as a bad cold tough guy, bc </spoiler> HE'S SO SOFT around Ben!

sometimes i wish Ben would grow a backbone and idk, attempt to do something for himself.

unfortunately, i didn't really like the writing.. sometimes it's confusing and for the first half, i actually felt like i was picked up and dropped in the middle of the ocean, BC WHAT WHO HOW, in a confuse way, not exciting. they had A LOOOOT of sex, but i only enjoyed it one time, bc their other scenes was.. weirdly.. worded.... idk....

BUT i am excited to read the rest of the series.

When I first started reading Love Is a Stranger, I couldn't put it down, and I read the whole series in one sitting. I asked myself why I didn't know about this series when I first started male on male books. I read the entire series in one weekend. Nicholas and Ben have a complex relationship. You can tell that they have feelings for each other, and it's complicated also because of their past. There is no way to describe these two without feeling like you are contradicting yourself, especially in the first book. This book is intense, some angst, we get to see both of their past, romantic, mysterious, some intense moments and I enjoyed it.

Well, that was a bit disappointing. It's so frustrating to read a book (especially an ARC you're going to have to review) that has all the right ingredients and flavours that would normally make you absolutely love it, but instead... It's a big disappointment. I'm pretty sure this could be a me problem though: ALL (and I mean, literally all) the reviews rave about this book and this series. I'm a usually very easy reader to please, especially if the book seems to have all the things I love to read about: spy shenanigans, secret identities, mysterious pasts, assholish idiot MCs that would prefer a stab wound to the neck than admit their feelings? I was so sure I was going to love "Love is a Stranger", but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
As soon as I started reading I knew this was going to a tough book to enjoy: I wasn't overly keen on the writing style and the dialogues were a bit to childish and immature, and I wasn't overly impressed with neither MC. I think my main issue was the fact that I'm not a huge fan of books that start with an already existing relationship between the two MCs (even though, this one was mainly sexual). Here I felt like I was missing some very important relationship background: Ben is already kind of in reluctant love with Nikolas and Nikolas was already kind of obsessed with Ben, but the reader doesn't actually get to see the why and the how. It's just stated and it left me very confused. In addition, there was (and I'm shocked that I'm even complaing about it) just too much sex, with not enough chemistry. Too much.
I managed to reach the 40% mark, but after that I just kind of skimmed. A shame, because the mystery bit of the book was actually very interesting and well-made and the secret missions, the dark-ops had those tough and dark, "it must be done", vibes that I usually find irresistible.
It seems like I'm one of the few people that didn't like this book, so if you don't mind some (or even all) the things I disliked about it and if you're looking for a series with mysterious and ruthless MCs with next to no morals, and all the usual action and angst, you would probably like this. More than me, for sure.

I wasn't sure if I was going to actually like this story.
I am happy to say not only did I love this story but I got quite attached to the two boys Nik and Ben.
They had great chemistry. The way the story moved along with them was perfect to.

Ben and Nik complemented each other with there banter and even in their disagreements. They both grew up hard. And with all of their past issues you can definitely understand why they are the way they are (especially Nik)

There was surprisingly alot going on in this book. From the start to end. And I'll definitely be picking up book two in this series. Because I need to know what happens next.

I was granted a copy on NetGalley for an honest review.

The story is actually a few stories that take place around the central part of the book which is Ben’s relationship with Nikolas. Ben has a few different assignments and these are all almost short stories taking place before we really get to the meat of the book. Once he finds out things about Nikolas that is when we finally see what’s really going on. Everything else was setting up what was building between Ben & Nikolas.

This book was much more of a romance than I expected it to be. There were many light and heartfelt moments in between the action happening.

Wiltshire is a very good writer. Her style is different to some degree and it took me a bit to get into it but once I did the book really came alive. I did feel it was a bit long and the story went in different directions at times. The characters were wonderful and their relationship, though not traditional, is perfect for them. There’s a sort of madness there that lights the flame that burns between them.

This is a great first book and I am going to the rest of the series.


**ARC received via NetGalley and Decent Fellows Press**

Love Is a Stranger by John Wiltshire is the first book in the More Heat Than the Sun series. Benjamin Rider is an agent whose whole life is run by Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, both professionally and romantically. He cannot keep his work life separate from the entrancing man and finds himself wrapped up in much more than he could ever expect when Nikolas’ past catches up with them.

Benjamin Rider is a complicated character who wants so much from Nikolas but understands that there is so much history that can’t just be ignored. He has his own demons that he struggles with and Nikolas knows there is so much more to Ben than his outward striking good looks. Nikolas is an enigma. I feel like you need to read the entire story to make a decision on if you like him as a character or if he’s too distant and withdrawn. There is so much heat between the two characters and extremely emotional moments that left me attached even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.

What a strange read. I don’t know what I was expecting after reading through the synopsis but this book ended up being completely out in left field. The book is broken into different parts with each part having several months in between and drastic changes in what’s going on between Ben and Nikolas. You finally start to think you have a grasp on what’s going on and then BAM twist that I for sure never saw coming.I had no idea that there were already so many books out in this series and will have to look in them and see if I will continue.

3 stars for an action packed ride with Nikolas and Ben where they navigate the past towards a future.