Rainbow Book Reviews
Any addiction can get pretty serious, and even something as fun as sex is no exception. Combined with a libido-enhancing drug like Loxide in this story, it almost destroys Bray. However, this book is still part of the humorous ‘Handsome Heroes’ series, so not to worry, Bray manages to deal with his issues eventually, and in a pretty hilarious way. James Cox combines the hilarity from the previous books with a “stranded on an uninhabited planet” story, and the result is highly entertaining, if not entirely realistic. But who wants reality when they can have so much fun? Certainly not Bray! While I can’t say that I liked Bray in the beginning, I was able to see where he was coming from. Bored out of his skull, ignored by his family, rich enough to be gallivanting around the galaxy, he is not used to delayed gratification or restraint. I suspect those concepts are not even in his vocabulary. The “Virtual Sex Room” he has spent years setting up and multiple doses of Loxide entertain him to the point he forgets to attend his brother’s bonding ceremony. Like all addicts, he does not even think he has a problem. But when Kamden, who is his best friend, takes over his live, Bray has no choice but to reconsider his options. It’s not easy, but he’d been attracted to Kamden for a long time, and when he finds out the man is bi, the gloves come off. And so does all other clothing… What they get up to on Planet 9 once the crash there has to be read to be believed. All I will say is that I was thoroughly entertained as the story went from unlikely to – even more unlikely. If you have a healthy sense of humor and prefer your space opera without limitations, if addictions and how people get rid of them fascinate you, and you’re looking for a read that is full of alien-on-alien activity (be it on a spaceship or an uninhabited planet), then you might like this novella.