Nikolas flicked his gaze over Ben, head to foot.
There was something wrong.
John Wiltshire
This Other Country
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Nikolas is the sanest, straightest, person Ben knows, so can anyone tell him, why is he on a gay therapy course?
Nikolas Mikkelsen could make a very long list of unpleasant things he’s endured in his life. Then order it from ‘nearly killed me’ to ‘extremely horrific and don’t want to do again’. And what did it say about his forty-five years that being hit by a tsunami would be a considerable way down this list? But nothing, not torture, imprisonment, nor starvation has prepared him for what he now has to endure for Ben Rider’s sake-attendance on a residential, gay therapy course. At least he has a new contender for the top spot on his ‘my awful life’ list.
Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating perspectives, not by chapter, but defined.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This Other Country is the fourth book in John Wiltshire’s More Heat Than the Sun series. These books follow the same couple and each book builds off some events from previous ones. While this is a complete story and could be enjoyed on it’s own, I’d definitely recommend starting with Love is a Stranger. It’s possible this review contains spoilers to earlier books.
These continue to get better and better. Partially because I’ve come to know Ben & Nik and love their truly twisted yet perfect for them relationship. Contrasting that is Wiltshire’s ability to surprise me with where the story is going. I honestly have no clue what’s going to happen and enjoy every minute of it. Her sense of humor is at times joyful and others completely dark. Then she drags Nik & Ben into a trope that other authors would struggle to keep out of being ridiculous but instead unfolds into a horror that kept me feeling like they might actually not make it to the other side. (despite, of course, knowing there’s four more books)
The most difficult part is that so many events build off each other that it’s hard to give many details without spoiling. They go undercover at a retreat for gay couples to discover what happened to Squeezy’s nephew. With other attendees they discover all is not as it seems. Both men have to be saved but in completely different ways. There’s a betrayal from someone very close to them. And old friends from previous missions are back. Then… there is the physical relationship which continues to burn up the sheets. And the kitchen. And the stable. And… It was a sexy and emotional ride that I didn’t want to stop. Fortunately, there’s more Nik & Ben in book 5, The Bruise-Black Sky.
Narration:
Gary Furlong continues to be impeccable. His voices and accents for characters are consistent book to book and it makes it so easy to binge these as well as jump back in if (like me!) there’s a few months between books.
About the author:
John Wiltshire is the pen name. The author was born in England. She spent twenty-two years in the British Army, perfecting the art of looking busy whilst secretly writing. She retired at the rank of Major, and finally settled in New Zealand.
Although she has no plans to return to the army, she can occasionally be caught polishing her medals.
You can connect with John Wiltshire here:
About the narrator:
Throughout his life he has worn many a hat: He has worked as a teacher in Niigata, Japan; a puppeteer in Prague; an improv artist in Memphis, Tennessee, but made the leap to voiceover in 2015. Gary has narrated over 120 books spanning various genres.
You can connect with Gary Furlong here:
My Favorite Quotes
You’re like breathing. I don’t think about it, but I need it to stay alive. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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Ben seemed to float over the tumultuous ocean storms of Nikolas’s presence like a tranquil cloud, entirely unaffected. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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He wanted nothing more than to sink into a comfortable bed with Ben, stop pretending to be gay, and release some tension deep inside Ben’s arse. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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Nikolas had then fallen off the top of the very high wall he’d erected around himself to keep all emotion at bay. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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He raised a tyre iron and jabbed it ineffectually. Nikolas had had an elderly female librarian swing one of those at him with more enthusiasm. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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Nikolas flicked his gaze over Ben, head to foot. There was something wrong. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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Reprieve was not forgiveness. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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His wealth, his power, his rank, his history, his intelligence, his cunning, and yet, despite it all, Ben was the centre of everything. The hub of their relationship. – This Other Country by John Wiltshire @DecentFellows #Audiobook narrated by @GaryFurlongVo #MM #Romance #MoreHeatThanTheSun #RomanticSuspense #Thriller
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Rellim Reads 