Title: Turning Tricks
Series: Sequel to 18% Gray
Task Force Iota, #2
Author: Anne Tenino
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Novel (164 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (May 29th 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts
Blurb: James Ayala thought life would be smooth sailing once he escaped from a Red Idaho reeducation camp and returned to Blue Oregon. He was supposed to get answers about the biocybernetic chip that made him empathic, face the man who implanted it, and then ride off into the sunset with his new boyfriend, Matt Tennimore.
Life, however, has other plans: the bad guy dies without giving them any answers, they left their horse in Idaho, and Gramma Anais finds a parasite on James’s implant-one that forces James into isolation. Matt just got James back to Oregon where he wanted him, and extraneous brain hardware or not, he has no intention of letting him go. But James hesitates to move in with him. Despite his hurt, Matt has to man up and do his job, leaving James behind, while the rest of the team struggles to find the real mastermind behind the implant and the parasitic “Trick”-before it takes over James’s brain. But will it be too little, too late to save him?
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2959&cPath=55_438
Reviewer: Tams
Review: This book is the second in a series that must be read in order or you won’t fully understand the concept behind the characters, world, and storyline.
Matt Tennimore and James Ayala managed to make it out of Red Idaho and have now returned to Blue Oregon, and Matt’s insane family. You know that old saying ‘no rest for the wicked’? The tenuous relationship between these two must endure a few more hurdles before they can have their happily ever after.
The parasite in James’s brain that enhances his psychic abilities has become dangerous, and Anais isolates him in an attempt to isolate the problem. While James is dealing with the ramifications of the implant, Matt is sent back into the Red zone for another extraction. If James survives the ever-evolving implant and Matt survives the extraction, will their still fragile relationship survive the anxiety that is a result of separation?
A lot of the things I loved about the first book were sadly missing in this book. Matt’s fierceness was absent, and that was one of his best qualities. He was overly emotional which bordered on annoying. There was a dry, witty humor surrounding 18 % as well that was rarely seen in this installment. I’ll give the author a pass on that aspect though as the story went a little darker this time around. Matt’s crazy and eccentric family is just as kooky as ever though, and the overwhelming attraction that Matt and James share was ever-present.
While the first half of the book is melodramatic, confusing and a bit slow. The story does pick up and remind the reader why you picked up the book in the first place. Because Tenino is an inventive writer and this world she has created is still highly engaging. So while I didn’t love this book, I did like it.
I still recommend this series, especially if you are a fan of the sci-fi/dystopian genre. Matt and James are still as sexy as ever and I look forward to seeing where Tenino goes with the relationship between Logan and Lazlo!