Book Review: NoX
Book details
About the story
M/M dark paranormal sci-fi: A stranger with no memory appears to protect Luca from creatures that shouldn’t exist, claiming Luca’s dead brother sent him, while an undeniable pull grows between them
Mood
Adventurous & High-Stakes, Dark & Intense
World setting
Genres
Plot pacing
Medium-paced plot
Relationship tropes
Story tropes
Hero in Danger, Journey / Quest
Ending type
HFN (Happy for Now)
Content warnings
Animal death, Blood, Death, Depression, Dubious Consent, Graphic language / Profanity, Graphic sexual content, Grief, Injured animal, Murder, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence / Brutal injuries
Kinks
Anal play / sex, DP, Group sex, Public sex, Semi public play, Pain Play / Rougher Scenes
About the series
NoX is book #1 of the Wolves Incarnate series
Well, this is the first book of the series, so technically yes, but check the ending type above in case you want to avoid cliffhangers.
Book Blurb
A nude man invades Luca Suarez’s home and protects him from creatures who cannot exist.
Creatures hunting him.
The stranger can’t tell Luca why. He can’t even tell Luca his name.
He remembers nothing until the moment he sees Luca.
The only hint Luca has to the stranger’s identity is a tattoo on his wrist: N o XNox doesn’t know who he is, but he’s sure of three things, his memory loss is temporary, the monsters chasing Luca are called Anubis, and his Alpha, Koda, sent Nox to protect him.
There’s just one problem… Koda is Luca’s brother who was murdered five years ago.With each passing hour, Nox fills in the pieces painting an impossible truth. And with each passing hour, both men find themselves unexplainably attracted to each other.
Something Luca is willing to embrace because he has nothing left to lose.
And one Nox can’t let happen because it could get Luca killed.Nox is an HEA/HFN M/M paranormal, science-fiction romance.
But be warned, these are NOT the shifters you are used to reading about.A nude man invades Luca Suarez’s home and protects him from creatures who cannot exist.
Creatures hunting him.
The stranger can’t tell Luca why. He can’t even tell Luca his name.
He remembers nothing until the moment he sees Luca.
The only hint Luca has to the stranger’s identity is a tattoo on his wrist: N o XNox doesn’t know who he is, but he’s sure of three things, his memory loss is temporary, the monsters chasing Luca are called Anubis, and his Alpha, Koda, sent Nox to protect him.
There’s just one problem… Koda is Luca’s brother who was murdered five years ago.With each passing hour, Nox fills in the pieces painting an impossible truth. And with each passing hour, both men find themselves unexplainably attracted to each other.
Something Luca is willing to embrace because he has nothing left to lose.
And one Nox can’t let happen because it could get Luca killed.Nox is an HEA/HFN M/M paranormal, science-fiction romance.
But be warned, these are NOT the shifters you are used to reading about.
Rating & review
My review
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, and it blew my mind. Intense, suspenseful, sometimes genuinely uncomfortable, and nothing like what I thought it was going to be.
I loved having read it and I highly recommend it, but I’ll say upfront: this is not for everyone.
The story
The world here takes the shifter concept and does something completely different with it. Think shifter crossed with monster, with Egyptian mythology woven in. It’s unique, and I honestly can’t fully explain it, I can only tell you that it works.
The story runs on three threads: the mystery of Nox’s past unraveling piece by piece, the question of what’s hunting them and why, and the romance.
The plot goes places I didn’t expect. There are scenes that are graphic, as in dark, disturbing things that the protagonists witness or that happen to them, and that’s part of the deal with this kind of story. If you’re comfortable with dark, you’ll be fine. If you’re not, this probably isn’t your book.
I’m usually not a fan of stories where the protagonists are constantly running and surviving. That kind of plot tends to feel repetitive and slow to me. This doesn’t. The world is creative enough and the mystery is compelling enough that it genuinely didn’t matter. I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected.
The ending is semi-open. Not a cliffhanger exactly, enough questions get answered that you can close the story and move on. But there are open threads, clearly set up for book two. I personally don’t feel a burning need to read the sequel, but I understand why the author left it there.
The romance
Some readers might question whether there’s actual romance in this book. For me, there is, but it’s not classic romance.
The pull between Nox and Lucas is primal, instinctive, animal (don’t we love hearing these words? XD). The romance is driven by that, and it’s probably best described as a medium burn, though you could make a case for slow burn.
There is spice, and the spice fits the tone of the story, it’s that same primal energy. When survival and spice mix like this, it tends to work, and it does here.
The characters
Nox is the kind of protagonist I love: soldier type, powerful, very alpha, jealous, protective, almost obsessed with Lucas. There’s a significant age gap, probably ten years or more, though the book doesn’t specify.
Lucas, on the other hand, is a twentysomething who seems pretty average on the surface. But that’s the point. The central mystery of why anyone would be hunting him is precisely that nothing about him seems to stand out, and that’s what makes it interesting. He’s actually a really well-built character with a well-defined personality, and I loved him.
As a couple, they worked for me.
Final thoughts
This is an excellent book, five stars. You have to be comfortable with dark, graphic content and with a romance that doesn’t feel like romance at first. If you are, and if this kind of world appeals to you, it’s a genuinely great read.
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, and it blew my mind. Intense, suspenseful, sometimes genuinely uncomfortable, and nothing like what I thought it was going to be.
I loved having read it and I highly recommend it, but I’ll say upfront: this is not for everyone.
The story
The world here takes the shifter concept and does something completely different with it. Think shifter crossed with monster, with Egyptian mythology woven in. It’s unique, and I honestly can’t fully explain it, I can only tell you that it works.
The story runs on three threads: the mystery of Nox’s past unraveling piece by piece, the question of what’s hunting them and why, and the romance.
The plot goes places I didn’t expect. There are scenes that are graphic, as in dark, disturbing things that the protagonists witness or that happen to them, and that’s part of the deal with this kind of story. If you’re comfortable with dark, you’ll be fine. If you’re not, this probably isn’t your book.
I’m usually not a fan of stories where the protagonists are constantly running and surviving. That kind of plot tends to feel repetitive and slow to me. This doesn’t. The world is creative enough and the mystery is compelling enough that it genuinely didn’t matter. I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected.
The ending is semi-open. Not a cliffhanger exactly, enough questions get answered that you can close the story and move on. But there are open threads, clearly set up for book two. I personally don’t feel a burning need to read the sequel, but I understand why the author left it there.
The romance
Some readers might question whether there’s actual romance in this book. For me, there is, but it’s not classic romance.
The pull between Nox and Lucas is primal, instinctive, animal (don’t we love hearing these words? XD). The romance is driven by that, and it’s probably best described as a medium burn, though you could make a case for slow burn.
There is spice, and the spice fits the tone of the story, it’s that same primal energy. When survival and spice mix like this, it tends to work, and it does here.
The characters
Nox is the kind of protagonist I love: soldier type, powerful, very alpha, jealous, protective, almost obsessed with Lucas. There’s a significant age gap, probably ten years or more, though the book doesn’t specify.
Lucas, on the other hand, is a twentysomething who seems pretty average on the surface. But that’s the point. The central mystery of why anyone would be hunting him is precisely that nothing about him seems to stand out, and that’s what makes it interesting. He’s actually a really well-built character with a well-defined personality, and I loved him.
As a couple, they worked for me.
Final thoughts
This is an excellent book, five stars. You have to be comfortable with dark, graphic content and with a romance that doesn’t feel like romance at first. If you are, and if this kind of world appeals to you, it’s a genuinely great read.
Character & romance details
About the romance
4
Medium burn
MM
Story tropes
Hero in Danger, Journey / Quest
Relationship tropes
Kinks
Anal play / sex, DP, Group sex, Public sex, Semi public play, Pain Play / Rougher Scenes
About the male lead
Ocupation
None
Virgin protagonist?
Yes
About the love interest
Ocupation
Warrior
Virgin love interest?
No
Personality
Alpha, Possessive, Protective
Who will love this book
NoX is perfect for readers who enjoy:
• MM romance with a powerful, obsessive alpha and an almost uncontrollable pull between leads
• Dark paranormal sci-fi with a creative, unpredictable world
• Intense wound and battle scenes woven into the survival stakes and spice
• Piecing together a slow-burn mystery alongside the characters as it gradually unfolds
• Age gap dynamics and flee-and-survive stakes that never drag
Books similar to NoX
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Oh hey! I’m Becky, book hugger and the one-woman team behind RBM. I hope my reviews help you find a story you’ll love.