reviews_and_ramblings | Nikolai by Angelia Sparrow

In a post apocaliptic world, the United States of America don't exist no more and turmoils and revolutions are common between the secessionists states. A wealthy man, James Ligatos, leads a group of men who move among the laws and whose methods not always are legal. He traines these men picking them among the most skilled young delinquents. His last "victim" is Nicholas, also known as Nikolai, a thief.

To Nikolai is proposed a contract: he will submit to Ligatos for everything, even for sex, and in exchange, he will have a tuition and a chance to be a man of power in seven years. All seems perfect: Nicholas has plenty of food, new clothes, lessons of math and english and italian (how I like that the foreign language he learns is Italian) and also pleasent sex. But with all of this arrives also a form of discipline he hates, and he plans revenge against Ligatos. Not a good choice.

Nikolai is a very strong and crude tale, for sure not for tender hearts. It's not a love story, even if Nicholas arrives to depend in body and soul to his Sir. It's more a need to have someone to rely, to finally have a home and a family, as strange it can be. James can have a soft spot for Nicholas, but as I have read him, faces to the choice to sacrifice the boy for the "mission", I think he will kill him, or order to someone else to do it. Both Nicholas than James are not cruel men, they know they are doing horrible things, but still they will do it again and again, they are trained to do that, and the training is so deep that neither their consciosness could break it.

Part of the training is also the sex. But the sex you will read in this novel is not the arousing genre. It is a way to learn something, a way to pet a puppy for doing a right thing, a way to gain something, a way to stress out. Sex in this novel is like a safe blanket, like a teddy bear for a child: it is a way to give comfort and to believe you are still alive.

Nikolai is not a simple book. Even now, when I write about it, I still have to think a lot to find a way to describe the feelings it left in me. Probably, I should have to hate James. But also Nikolai is not a saint, and he made things, before, during and after his training, that decipt him like a very difficult character to love. Still I feel not hate nor for James or for Nicholas. It seems like all what they are doing has a meaning, and all their actions are righ. Angelia Sparrow decipts them in a way that makes you feel for them, but still my consciousness say "how can you do that? it is not right, you know that what they are doing is not right".

Nikolai is not a novel for people who search for good feelings and romance. It is not a novel for those who sees the world in black and white. But if you are able to see the shades of life between, that there is not always stark right and wrong, but half-truths between them, you should read Nikolai, and give me your own opinion.

http://www.darkroastpress.com/nikolai.php

Waiting Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=waiting+reading+list&view=elisa.rolle

Nikolai by Angelia Sparrow

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Elisa, this sounds interesting and as usual you have tried your best to give a most informative review. I have to think about getting this as I am quite a sap and only like to read a good feeling romance. And thank you so much for providing another M/M e-book site I could look into. How do you manage to hunt down all this M/M sites :)

I have a lot of friends and try to read all their news. Angelia is very proud of this book, she has spent two years trying to find a publisher for it.

Elisa

Lee,

Circle Dark is not exclusively m/m. They publish in all categories (or will).

Nikolai is their first novel. I'm thrilled and honored to have that spot.

and my website is http://www.angelsparrow.com
You can enter to win a free copy of Nikolai on the contest page

Elisa, Thank you!

I'm amazed you got to this one so quickly.

And you totally GET it. You understand the characters and that they are caught by circumstance and do awful things because thy must.

Thanks Angelia for the much detailed info. Actually I think that no one of the publishers I frequent are an exclusively M/M, if not Torquere Press, and Amber Allure (who really is a branch of Amber Quill Press...). Luckily for me (or maybe not cause my finance are crying), more and more publishers are started to publish M/M romance. Elisa

Thanks Angelia. It's not a simple story, but I read it in only a day, to give you an idea of how much I was envolved. Elisa

I'm sorry on the finances.
I meant to send you a review copy. (I will send you one of Kestrel on the Horizon)

Torquere is GLBT, which means there are lesbian works as well. My next pirate novel for them has a lot of bisexuality.

There IS a publisher that is exclusively m/m, in fact it's their entirely purpose. Unfortunately, they've suffered some mishaps. They aren't dead yet, but the woman who owns and operates Iris is rethinking her options before she gives up. She could use some help and support from m/m fans.

Iris Print (http://www.boyslovebooks.com)

Hi Elisa, I'm Sabrina from Circle Dark. I just wanted to know if it's alright for us to use a phrase or two from your review on our website? Or if you'd be willing to give a personal comment for the same use.

Thanks!

> I'm sorry on the finances.

Oh no, it's my choice! I always say that books/ebooks are my drugs. Find a new publisher is like find a good pusher!

> I meant to send you a review copy. (I will send you one of Kestrel on the Horizon)

Thanks! Always appreciated. Elisa

I know about Iris Print. Actually I have also written a post on their M/M manga. I hope they will find a way to continue with their work.

Ciao Sabrina. You can use what you want of the review. And also you can change it, if the English is not exact: I'm Italian and I still have some problem writing in English.

Elisa

Thank you! I appreciate it a lot!

I like your reviewing style very much!
helgaleena

Thanks Helgaleena. It's not really a "style", I'm not a pro reviewer, they are only my thoughts and impressions on what I read. And I like to share them. Elisa

Hi! I'm Lorryuncori.
How are you? :)

Just want to let you know incase you want to update your review that Dark Roast Press has republished Nikolai in Circle Dark's absence. here are the links

http://www.darkroastpress.com/nikolai.php

http://www.darkroastpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=10

Will do! Elisa

THANKS!!!

Would this happen to be Rhiannon Pollock?

-- friend from the past

I don't know. Rhiannon full name is Rhiannon Rhodes. Elisa

no sorry Elisa is right, my name is Rhiannon Rhodes but I hop you find your friend.

Nikolai by Angelia Sparrow

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lorryuncori here!

Hey Elisa its Rhiannon (this is my personal LJ)

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Re: Hey Elisa its Rhiannon (this is my personal LJ)

Re: Hey Elisa its Rhiannon (this is my personal LJ)