Eric Linnaeus - ALTERNATE

by Kikito Lynn

ALTERNATE! Is a standalone prequel that runs concurrently to the original Eric Linnaeus series. Set in a parallel timeline where Mercury Linnaeus—Eric’s father— survives, their world is war-torn and ruled by his malice.

In this steamy dark fantasy, a centuries-old battle wages between the Fae, an ancient race of elves, and savage deities known as the Vanir. With his loyal son by his side, Mercury’s influence spreads and hope is fading as all who dared resist are eliminated one by one.

Now, only the Fae remain to stand against the Vanir, but their dwindling numbers and apathetic nature offer little hope. The future looks grim until an unlikely relationship sparks between Nathaniel, a disgraced Fae heir, and Eiríkr, the tainted son of Mercury.

Can Nathaniel sway Eiríkr to his side, or will the detestable savage corrupt him further…?

The standalone Prequel/Book six in the dark fantasy horror series Eric Linnaeus.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, LGBT, M M Romance, Queer

740 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2025

About the author

Kikito Lynn is the creator behind the Eric Linnaeus novels, webcomic, and animations. She is an unconventional author who began writing horror fiction on r/nosleep, and many of her older stories can be found narrated on YouTube or in horror Podcasts.

Nowadays, Kikito writes dark fantasy, slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers romances filled with morally complex characters and a touch of drama. Her stories weave together layered mysteries, unreliable narrators, and leave subtle clues for readers to unravel.

Based in Australia, she is accompanied by a very opinionated siren (a cat) and enjoys daydreaming new plots, long walks, and reading.

TikTok: @Kikitolynn
YouTube: @Kikitolynn
Instagram: @Kikitolynn
Facebook: @Kikitolynn

Reviews

[Katsuyama]

Best masterpiece of fiction I've read in many years, hands down. I absolutely loved this book!
​I have to say, the author's writing style has to be among my favorites for high dark romantasies, especially when she writes reality-bending action and heart-wrenching scenes that give you that urge of, "Just another chapter, I must see how it ends!" that all book readers have experienced at least once.
​The cover art is beautiful, the characters are expertly portrayed, and the lore is exceptional! Also, when they call each other *"My fae/my vanir"*—I don't know why, but it makes me so freaking happy. This book has a well-balanced mix of happy and sad moments that leave you on the edge of your seat for the next chapter.
​Overall, awesome book! I would highly recommend reading this series.
​The only thing I'd say is that it might be a little bit confusing as a prequel, at least in my opinion; I'd recommend reading it as a sequel instead. Also, Charles doesn't stick to his exact persona as in the other books, which gave me a bit of a daunting whiplash. It might just be me thinking this, but it kind of makes sense seeing as the situation between him and Eiríkr is significantly different within this book.
​Thank you for writing this work of art, Kikito Lynn!
​5☆/5☆!!!!
I will be supporting this author and instant-buying any other books she has in the future :D

[Kiki✨]

✨ I read this book in essentially a day! Once you pick it up you can’t put it down
✨The angst is this book is so well written, the characters break your heart
✨Does enemies to lovers so well
✨Favs from the original series I didn’t expect to see appeared! Kicked my feet to see old favourites
✨Eric and Nathanial I don’t care how toxic you are I love you together

🪄I’m personally not a massive fan of time travel, however I’m reserving any opinions on how it’s done until I read the next book (need a release day asap please)
🪄 Missed having the characters perspectives during the final fight, but I’m personally more of a character development/emotional journey reader than an action/fight scenes reader. That said the final battle was still well written

[Vick]

It's been a long time since I read a story that grabbed me so much, this one absolutely captivated me. I couldn't put it down and I loved the way you laid out the story and the characters, I especially appreciated the way the relationship between the two main characters evolved, and the ups and downs in between. Thank you for this beautiful story I'm looking for the continue. (also having read the whole saga Eric and Nathaniel have a special place in my heart)

[Celine Van]

best book I ever read in my life

[Daniel]

I will now be reading the rest of this series without a doubt

[Addiebeyer]

When I finished this book I was honestly speechless . Honestly this was an amazing book and I love how differently things were done in this book .

[LightPenguine]

Where do I even begin with this book? I genuinely have never loved a book this much. Honestly, it is my favourite book. I live for these characters, their dynamics, the plot, the incredible writing, there is literally nothing I can criticise. Not to mention I finished the book on my birthday, though I will say I was sobbing at the ending (my need for the next book is the only thing keeping me sane). Nathaniel and Eric are sooo precious. Lucinde is a character that I never thought I'd find so much joy in but I was proven wrong. Markos... I've never been so confused about whether I love a character or not before, in the best way possible. I could go on and on and honestly it's been an amazing journey to read Alternate, which I've been waiting to read for ages after finishing the first 4 books. I laughed, I cried, I was pained to put the book down. I will never be able to thank you enough for the pure happiness this book gave me.

[Miri]

This book turned out to be more or less what I expected, and I’m satisfied with that.
I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance between Nathaniel and Eric, especially with the tension between their families and races. In the previous book, they met in a completely different way, but here they had to build trust in each other slowly and carefully.

The strongest part of their relationship is the fact that they both betray their families in order to save one another. Their bond is built through humor, fear, and pain, and for a long time they don’t know if they can truly trust each other. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for one another, and that makes their connection feel intense and earned.

Their sister was also a standout for me. Even though she didn’t always agree with Nathaniel, and was afraid that the Vanir (Eric) would betray them, she still chose to help him and protect Nathaniel. That loyalty, despite fear and doubt, added a lot of emotional weight to the story.

The pain both Eric and Nathaniel carry feels justified. Eric’s fear of abandonment comes from his childhood, after his leg stopped functioning properly. In his race, this is considered a weakness, something that should be eliminated, which makes his anxiety deeply rooted and believable.

Nathaniel struggles with expressing his emotions, and at first he doesn’t fully accept his attraction to men. He also resists the role he is expected to take as a ruler. Unlike the previous book, where it took him a long time to make his choice, in this story he chooses Eric over his brother much more quickly. That shift feels important. While Nathaniel finds it hard to open up emotionally, expressing feelings comes easily to Eric, and that contrast is sometimes confusing for Nathaniel, but it also pushes him to grow.

I’m glad that Claire and Charles are still part of Eric’s life, even though their role in the story is more limited this time. Kella’s pregnancy makes sense in this timeline, since Eric didn’t interfere the way he did before, but I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I do, however, continue to hope that Marcus and Claire will meet in a future book.

Overall, while I’m still not sure which parallel world I prefer, I appreciated how this book focused more on the present and on Eric and Nathaniel’s perspectives. Their relationship felt warmer, more complex, and more emotionally honest this time around.

A small, purely personal note about the cover: to me, Eric looks like Nathaniel, and Nathaniel looks like Eric. It feels like they simply need to swap hair colors, but that’s just my opinion 😅

[Esther]

De orginele serie is leuker, vooral omdat de karakters meer doen. Dit verhaal is wel wat gestroomlijnder

[Savannah Koch]

I was crying and screaming by the end of this book…😭😭😭

[Betwixtheblines]

5 Stars

I LOVE this version! It's so sweet having a version purely though the eyes of Eric and Nathaniel. The smutt 💕. I love these characters sooo much! I wish we got to see more of Charles though! I can't wait for the continuation! 💕💕

[Missy]

Currently only on Patreon,
it's so amazing with a TON of spice!
The author recommends reading it either before reading the original series or after being fully up to date on the original series.

[Pallomx]

WHAT DO mean YOU EVERYONE DIES!?!? I thought we were going to have a happy ending here or somewhat😭

Liked the book! The ending is beautifully tragic but a bit abrupt. Not sure I will read the full series to read the last book where he comes to the main timeline.

[val]

Resumen del monólogo interno de nathaniel la mitad del libro: mm que odio que le tengo a este vanir asqueroso... pero ay, que lindo que es. Lo voy a matar cuando ya no lo necesite... ay, pero primero le voy a salvar la vida 500 veces. Jamás voy a confiar en el; es una alimaña mentirosa... ay, pero voy a traicionar a mi propio hermano con tal de no perderlo. mmm seguro que no estoy enamorado de el y solo me está hechizando. Sisi de seguro es eso.
Cortala bro no te lo crees ni vos.

[Otakish Reads]

This was one of the best alternative reality books of the universe I have ever read! I’m dying for Perception!

[Lea Rapp]

Man this has to be one of my favorite books of all time. The story and world building is absolutely mind blowing and I adored the slowburn and the romance. There wasn’t a single part in the book I considered boring or that felt unnecessary. One aspect that I always thought was so unique is the multiple pov‘s. When I came to Eyvindr‘s chapter at the end I wasn’t really exited but the idea to see the different sides of the battle threw his eyes was soooooo interesting and had me completely hooked. The amount of times this book had me crying of laughter (but also other reasons in the end) because of all the bantering and the sarcasm, I LOVED it. The characters are so complex with how they deal with emotion/trauma or how they understand or see certain things in totally different ways and even though I already read the original series it was nice to see a more or less completely different side of the characters. Okay but the ending though??!! I was bawling my eyes out! But it was also soooo iconic especially Nathaniel’s end move. And I wasn’t expecting THIS, I mean I was so confused I thought I had missed anything and had to reread it until I understood that it was a freaking cliffhanger so of course I’m super excited for the next book!!
The author did GREAT and you should totally read it if you haven’t already!

[yaoi enjoyer]

Oh my goodness, it was so amazing!! I literally couldn't put it down once I started—the twists and cliffhangers had me hooked. I think it's amazing to read after book four, because things really start to fall into place as you go. I can't even remember how many times I said "Oh, so THAT'S what that was!!" while reading. I loved it!! Thank you Kikito Lynn for writing such an amazing book—I'm SO looking forward to book 5!! <333

[Emmett Cabano]

OH MY GOOOOD! And again I am reminded why this is my favorite series ever. I can’t even decide if I like this version or the original version better because both of them are done incredibly well. I can’t believe that was the ending. I don’t think I can wait for the next one. I’m now debating if I should read the original series over again

[Natalie Morris]

This book left me utterly SPEECHLESS! I have no words to describe its perfection. Compared to Kikito Lynn’s previous books, it is MUCH darker, but that makes it feel so much more real and heartbreaking. The ending did make me cry like crazy, but I’m hopeful to see how what sadness adapts into in the future books.
I’ll always follow, support, and absolutely adore your work, Kikito! Keep it up!

[Martu]

I hate Nathaniel.

[Bookish Joy]

Hmm...
I think I need to sit on this one for a bit...

EDIT: Sat on it. 3 stars.

It started off on a magnificent note.
Our 2 boys meeting both at loggerheads as they belong to 2 opposing factions and I loved how the enemies to lovers flowed. Nathaniel and Eric each having to outwit the other to gain the upper hand.
Like I said a good note that is, until somewhere over the midpoint; I believe that's where we meet this AU's version of Charles and Claire.
I have to mention I loved that bit. I enjoyed the changes to their character; adding in Eric's involvement in a more interesting way as a sort of guardian angel who teaches the family members to become Monster Hunters.
Also no Claire-Markos nonsense. So massive plus.
It was also within this region that Eric's and Nathaniel's relationship really developed. I enjoyed reading about these goofballs breakdown the walls around their hearts and draw nearer to each other.

However, after this part,is where my grievances with this book rise up.
That is not to say there weren't issues prior, it all just compounded to a point where I grew frustrated over and over again, eventually losing interest until that fucking heartbreak of a last and penultimate chapter. I became FRUSTRATED all over a completely different reason!

Now, I know this is an AU but I was curious to see how the characters we love and despise would be different/similar to the other version. I'm afraid this is where my main issues with this book arose.

•Eric: He just felt like a completely different person. I understand that this is an AU and considering his background, prolonged exposure to that would reasonably cause his character flaws within this book(s). But half the time I felt very upset on his behalf and on the other half, I was upset with HIM. There were countless times I wished he would just stand up for himself and he just never did. It felt like he was robbed of agency and that significantly impacted my enjoyment.

I also had issue with his internal conflict. You say you have nowhere to belong but you have a family of humans who actually care for you...why are you ignoring that.

He was still his typical charming self I suppose.

*Through immense self control, I kept my hands respectfully below his ass, although higher than his knees. I’m not a saint.*

(😂😂😂)

*but for all my careful observation, I had somehow missed the boy’s deviant nature.*

(pardon? You're realising that NOW? Didn't he sit on your lap and gradually undress you ???)

•Nathaniel: Nathaniel, on the other hand, felt quite similar to last/main series. HOWEVER, he personally contributed to some of the shit getting Eric hurt, physically and/or emotionally. And I don't forgive that easily.

*“… What happened before in my office, didn’t happen,” he said like it was an instruction, or a threat.*

(Ya know what? Drown this mf in saltwater. I don't care😑)

•Achaicus: Weirdly enough despite being one of the opposition, I found I quite liked Nathaniel's twin in this. He seemed to come into his own even if he still retained his anxiety and inferiority issues. He did well (in my eyes, fuck those other fairies.) as a leader.

•Charles: now there's a complete change. But for the better imo. As be bad the audacity to pull a gun on and threaten Nathaniel 😂. Claire was pretty much the same except she's learning to defend herself.

•Not sure how I feel about Calla being essentially a broodmare. Oh wait. I do know: Disgusted.

•#ø!!y. Unfortunate lack of snapped necks.

• The Vanir: Eric's family was a tad weird in this but I felt I could forgive the oddities except towards the end. That bit with Karyna was just...odd. Kàri I could see. Brigetta disappointed me immensely. I had no expectations for the rest and they still managed to let me down.

I think everything else about the book was good, great even.
Writing has massively improved. Of course there are still grammatical errors but it's doing OK.
Kudos to the author.

*He glazed over me-*
(That's not how that verb is used... At least not in this context 😅. In another... risqué context, it would be perfect.)


Plot was interesting. We mainly follow Eric and Nathaniel, then Lucinde for a bit, occasionally Mercury and Eyvindr. I found the last 3 to be where my interest waned the most but at least Lucinde returned with her MVP status. I hope she's alright...

But back to the story.
With some strange snippets of dreams here and there, I presumed there was going to be some sort of parallel universe travel or, towards the end, that Nathaniel was gonna go full 'Homura' on everyone's asses.
I mean...he kinda does ig.
But I do look forward to seeing what exactly happens next.

[Nadia Vile]

I was debating which book of this series to write a review for then I saw this book and was like yep that one was my favorite. I read this book after reading the first four books and I think that only made it hurt more. This book gave me a much better look into Eric and Nathaniel and I liked how it was a little more straightforward. The first four books felt almost like a puzzle to solve which I loved especially rereading them. While this book was more like a true story with some of that amazing puzzle aspect still there. I bought this book the day it came out and I’m pretty sure I finished reading it in like two days maybe one and a half. The story hooked me in immediately and just didn’t let go. The character development and relationship between Eric and Nathaniel is amazing and very interesting to see after reading the other books. If you love an enemy’s to lovers book that’s honestly kinda toxic the whole time, with some fluffy bits, and a good bit of spice and then you will love this book. Not to mention but I love the magic system in these books, it’s definitely one of my favorites. I like how they use some folklore aspects in the world building. For my last little bit I will say it is hard for a book to get me to cry but the ending of this one had me in tears. I won’t say anymore cause I’d like to try and avoid spoilers but it was an ending that left me questioning everything. This is an amazing book and you should definitely read it.

[LIFE IN THE MARGINS]

I STARED AT A WALL FOR 15 MINUTES AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK. I AM NOT JOKING. 😭😭😭😭

Eric Linnaeus Alternate by Kikito Lynn broke me. I absolutely devoured this book, and I was NOT prepared for the emotional damage.

This book is attached to the Eric Linnaeus series and is considered both Book 6 and Prequel Book 0. Technically, you can read it as a standalone, but DO NOT!!! Trust me, it's so much better after reading the full series.

Dark fantasy, enemies to lovers, war tactics, morally complicated characters, and the eternal question of who the hell is actually the good guy here? Add in some serious "is he mine" and "touch him and die" energy, and I was DONE.

The story had me completely hooked, and by the end, I genuinely needed a moment to process what I'd just read. I don't even know how to explain all my feelings about this one. I just need to sit here hollow. 😭😭😭

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5/5

[Morgan Rugg]

I really enjoyed this book. The writing made it easy to picture everything so clearly, and I got pulled into the world really fast. Nathaniel was great, but Eriker ended up being my favorite character. There was something heartbreaking about him that kept sticking with me even after I finished. I loved the sadness woven through parts of the story, and some scenes genuinely hurt in the best way. If you like fantasy with strong characters and emotional moments, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.

[Kikito Lynn]

I might be biased on this one but- I really think my writing improved a lot on this book... and I also just really like that I got to spend a lot more time on it, thanks to my Patreons, beta readers, arc readers, editor, proof readers, and everyone who's supported this independent author by buying a copy. It means a lot to me. Thank you again!