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Red Between the Lines
Wynfield, a washed-up former Corpsman with optical bioware and a healthy chip on his shoulder, is reluctantly drawn into a conspiracy to take down Nutrindustry, the company responsible for both his “upgrade” from human and the city’s food shortage.
Playing clinic doctor for the day, Yeven doesn’t expect the mouthy former pilot and their begrudging attraction—nor the fresh twist of shame for his part in Nutrindustry’s past. He needs Wynfield, though, and for more than his smart mouth. Feelings would just get in the way.
In a world where the line between man and metal is thin, there’s more happening behind the scenes than even Wynfield’s enhanced optics are able to see.
Book Length: Novella.
Playing clinic doctor for the day, Yeven doesn’t expect the mouthy former pilot and their begrudging attraction—nor the fresh twist of shame for his part in Nutrindustry’s past. He needs Wynfield, though, and for more than his smart mouth. Feelings would just get in the way.
In a world where the line between man and metal is thin, there’s more happening behind the scenes than even Wynfield’s enhanced optics are able to see.
Book Length: Novella.
104 pages, ebook
First published October 8, 2018
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Parker Foye
18 books36 followersParker Foye writes queer speculative romance and believes in happily ever after, although sometimes their characters make achieving this difficult. An education in Classics nurtured a love of heroes, swords, monsters, and beautiful people doing foolish things while wearing only scraps of leather. You’ll find those things in various guises in Parker’s stories, along with kissing (very important) and explosions (very messy). And more shifters than you can shake a stick at.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 4, 2025
"Did you mod your dick, you fucking asshole?"
The question came out both louder and higher than he'd intended.
Yeven's eyes went wide. "Did I what?"
"He asked if you modded your dick. Then he called you a fucking a-hole. Keep up, little brother."
4-4.5 stars rounded up for enjoyment levels.
What a find! Futuristic cyberpunk SciFi with androids, humans with AI modifications, nonstop action with a major dose of WTF is going on and what did I get myself into. Awesome fight scenes, who are the good guys?, biting humor, sardonic inner thoughts, loads of injuries, and some badass women. Oh, and some sexual tension. And it's only 105 pages.
He hadn't realized Yeven had loitered in the doorway like a sex pest, either. Wynfield saw Yeven's flush in the mirror and his breath caught. He wanted to taste it. Or he would if Yeven wasn't such a backstabbing piece of shit.
I loved the writing style, it's single POV, and Wynfield is hilarious.
Light stalking at least got him out of his dumpy apartment and into recycled air. It was practically rehab.
Wynfield likes to rile Yeven up.
"Of course I'm actually a doctor! Raz doesn't let random people see her patients. That would be wildly unethical."
"You literally just admitted to working with an assassin. Also, you've had your mouth on my dick. Pretty sure that's not ethical, either. Medically, anyway."
But Yeven has a kink in hiding.
"You're going to listen to me," Yeven ordered, in a voice low as the engines. "And do what I say. If you like. Yes or no? Say yes."
Poor Wynfield is just a disaster magnet. He has one super-powered artificial eye, keeps getting kicked in the face, a concussion, he's just a hot stinky mess.
Yeven leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He'd had a shower at some point, and his hair was dark with water. Must be nice. Wynfield still stank of smoke and fire. Little of blood. Little of vomit. Something for everyone.
Going to devour this author's (they/them, UK) backlist!
MC Names: Yeven & Wynfield
Tags: futuristic SciFi, AI, androids, ex-military, mission gone wrong, bi rep, alley BJ, handsfree orgasm, facial scars (around the eye), well-written badass women, dark humor, third person single POV, novella, body modifications (some dubcon, past), subterfuge, violence, injuries, injury caretaking (brief), cargo ship BJ, on the run/in peril, taking down an evil corporation, vertigo, nausea, lite stalking, fake date, insta-attraction, pretty boy, betrayal, depictions of ableism (internal and external), cyberpunk, queernorm, dystopian, coming in pants, lite D/s, financial struggles, pilot/bioworks interface engineer (doctor)
The question came out both louder and higher than he'd intended.
Yeven's eyes went wide. "Did I what?"
"He asked if you modded your dick. Then he called you a fucking a-hole. Keep up, little brother."
4-4.5 stars rounded up for enjoyment levels.
What a find! Futuristic cyberpunk SciFi with androids, humans with AI modifications, nonstop action with a major dose of WTF is going on and what did I get myself into. Awesome fight scenes, who are the good guys?, biting humor, sardonic inner thoughts, loads of injuries, and some badass women. Oh, and some sexual tension. And it's only 105 pages.
He hadn't realized Yeven had loitered in the doorway like a sex pest, either. Wynfield saw Yeven's flush in the mirror and his breath caught. He wanted to taste it. Or he would if Yeven wasn't such a backstabbing piece of shit.
I loved the writing style, it's single POV, and Wynfield is hilarious.
Light stalking at least got him out of his dumpy apartment and into recycled air. It was practically rehab.
Wynfield likes to rile Yeven up.
"Of course I'm actually a doctor! Raz doesn't let random people see her patients. That would be wildly unethical."
"You literally just admitted to working with an assassin. Also, you've had your mouth on my dick. Pretty sure that's not ethical, either. Medically, anyway."
But Yeven has a kink in hiding.
"You're going to listen to me," Yeven ordered, in a voice low as the engines. "And do what I say. If you like. Yes or no? Say yes."
Poor Wynfield is just a disaster magnet. He has one super-powered artificial eye, keeps getting kicked in the face, a concussion, he's just a hot stinky mess.
Yeven leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. He'd had a shower at some point, and his hair was dark with water. Must be nice. Wynfield still stank of smoke and fire. Little of blood. Little of vomit. Something for everyone.
Going to devour this author's (they/them, UK) backlist!
MC Names: Yeven & Wynfield
Tags: futuristic SciFi, AI, androids, ex-military, mission gone wrong, bi rep, alley BJ, handsfree orgasm, facial scars (around the eye), well-written badass women, dark humor, third person single POV, novella, body modifications (some dubcon, past), subterfuge, violence, injuries, injury caretaking (brief), cargo ship BJ, on the run/in peril, taking down an evil corporation, vertigo, nausea, lite stalking, fake date, insta-attraction, pretty boy, betrayal, depictions of ableism (internal and external), cyberpunk, queernorm, dystopian, coming in pants, lite D/s, financial struggles, pilot/bioworks interface engineer (doctor)
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January 7, 2025DNF at 22%
I don't think this kind of storytelling is for me.
The main characters, Wynfield and Yeven didn't pull me in. There's absolutely nothing there, no pull whatsoever, which is almost a first for me.
The whole concept of the story wasn't that interesting either.
This author is not for me. 🤷
I don't think this kind of storytelling is for me.
The main characters, Wynfield and Yeven didn't pull me in. There's absolutely nothing there, no pull whatsoever, which is almost a first for me.
The whole concept of the story wasn't that interesting either.
This author is not for me. 🤷
October 7, 2018
This is a fast-paced science fiction novella that straddles the line between smuggler and military scifi. Which just happens to be two of my favorite sub-genres.
Blurb does a good job of summarizing the plot, plus it’s a short story, so I won’t rehash.
I enjoyed this, and actually regretted it was only a short story. World-building was well done, so much of the backdrop was shown through Wynfield’s eyes such as the impatient beeps of the reception drones, the square security ‘bots, and worries about what the cleaning drones would have to cope with later.
Through Wynfiel’s character, we learn he’s got problems with his bioware eye that keeps malfunctioning, he’s got cash-flow issues, and it now seems someone has it in for him. Wynfield is a pessimist, hoping to just get by one more day, one more job, so he can away to a different city and life. I liked Wynfield’s wry sense of humor – I think his quips and comments kept the story line from becoming overly bogged down in cyborgs.
Yeven is full of surprises, some of them questionable to Wynfield’s overall well being. But when someone is sending cyborg assassin’s after Wynfield, he’s not going to ask too many questions.
The character of Heath felt like a nod to the Terminator movies (bit of a blast from the past that made me smile).
Set on an alien world, where AI/Androids/drones and provide security detail, humans are modified, and Nutrindustry rules all, Wynfield just needs to stay alive and Yeven just might be his ticket to do so. If only he can trust the guy.
Review is cross posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Blurb does a good job of summarizing the plot, plus it’s a short story, so I won’t rehash.
I enjoyed this, and actually regretted it was only a short story. World-building was well done, so much of the backdrop was shown through Wynfield’s eyes such as the impatient beeps of the reception drones, the square security ‘bots, and worries about what the cleaning drones would have to cope with later.
Through Wynfiel’s character, we learn he’s got problems with his bioware eye that keeps malfunctioning, he’s got cash-flow issues, and it now seems someone has it in for him. Wynfield is a pessimist, hoping to just get by one more day, one more job, so he can away to a different city and life. I liked Wynfield’s wry sense of humor – I think his quips and comments kept the story line from becoming overly bogged down in cyborgs.
Yeven is full of surprises, some of them questionable to Wynfield’s overall well being. But when someone is sending cyborg assassin’s after Wynfield, he’s not going to ask too many questions.
The character of Heath felt like a nod to the Terminator movies (bit of a blast from the past that made me smile).
Set on an alien world, where AI/Androids/drones and provide security detail, humans are modified, and Nutrindustry rules all, Wynfield just needs to stay alive and Yeven just might be his ticket to do so. If only he can trust the guy.
Review is cross posted at Gay Book Reviews
A copy of the book was provided by the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
January 19, 2021
Wynfield is an ex-soldier. When he lost his eye, he also lost his career. Now he's out of the military and in possession of an artificial eye that causes him more pain and grief than it's worth. When his new doctor takes an interest in him – both personally and professionally – things go from bad to worse.
This is a compelling story told skilfully. My only complaint is that Wynfield's view of Yeven made zero sense. The physical attraction … sure, but everything else about their relationship is really confusing. He likes him – no, he hates him. He trusts him – no, that guy's a liar. Maybe it's just my inability to understand romance. I don't know.
This is a compelling story told skilfully. My only complaint is that Wynfield's view of Yeven made zero sense. The physical attraction … sure, but everything else about their relationship is really confusing. He likes him – no, he hates him. He trusts him – no, that guy's a liar. Maybe it's just my inability to understand romance. I don't know.
February 17, 2021
This was such a good read - a novella that I devoured in nearly one go, that combined action, romance, thoughtfulness and emotion in a thoroughly fun and witty narrative. The twists were entertaining and involving and I was gripped throughout.
I would love to see more if their future escapades but equally the HFN ending was a great way to finish that left me smiling and imagining happily away myself!
Parker Foye's writing is such a joy.
I would love to see more if their future escapades but equally the HFN ending was a great way to finish that left me smiling and imagining happily away myself!
Parker Foye's writing is such a joy.
October 4, 2018
Recieved from Netgalley. Fast paced and a little sci-fi. One maybe dodgy doctor and a guy with a malfunctioning mechanical eye. Would like to see more from this duo. Loved the lasers and the angst between them. Heath was relentless. Contains a couple of little smut moments and plenty of violence.
December 20, 2018
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review via the MMRG Don’t Buy My Love Program.
I don’t feel like I got the whole story that the synopsis promised. The reading experience was a bit of Jason Bourne-esq drama. Wynfield is former military corpsman with a bioware implant which seems to be malfunctioning who finds himself tangled up in a bit of mystery and intrigue, and of course being chased by bad guys (or are they the good guys?). Yeven is here as the potential romantic interest and from the synopsis he appears to have a big impact on the story line, but I didn’t find that quite fulfilled.
While the suspense of what was happening with Wynfield captured my attention, I finished the story still not quite understanding what exactly Nutrindustry was doing and what evidence did Yeven have to bring them down or how he might even do that. I didn’t get who all the players were and I’m sure some of the misdirection related to them was to keep the suspense going, but Wynfield’s fog about what was happening kept me from seeing the whole picture and unfortunately that fog didn’t clear for me upon resolution of the story.
I realize this was a novella and it takes a bit of back story to fully understand what is happening in this world, but I needed a bit more for a more successful reading experience. This was a 2.5 star read for me rounded up to 3 stars for Goodreads. I would try another story by this author.
I don’t feel like I got the whole story that the synopsis promised. The reading experience was a bit of Jason Bourne-esq drama. Wynfield is former military corpsman with a bioware implant which seems to be malfunctioning who finds himself tangled up in a bit of mystery and intrigue, and of course being chased by bad guys (or are they the good guys?). Yeven is here as the potential romantic interest and from the synopsis he appears to have a big impact on the story line, but I didn’t find that quite fulfilled.
While the suspense of what was happening with Wynfield captured my attention, I finished the story still not quite understanding what exactly Nutrindustry was doing and what evidence did Yeven have to bring them down or how he might even do that. I didn’t get who all the players were and I’m sure some of the misdirection related to them was to keep the suspense going, but Wynfield’s fog about what was happening kept me from seeing the whole picture and unfortunately that fog didn’t clear for me upon resolution of the story.
I realize this was a novella and it takes a bit of back story to fully understand what is happening in this world, but I needed a bit more for a more successful reading experience. This was a 2.5 star read for me rounded up to 3 stars for Goodreads. I would try another story by this author.
January 3, 2023
It's an interesting story. I was a bit confused in some places and had to reread, might be a me thing.
Wynfield almost seems compelled to follow and obey Yeven in a sub sort of way but also in a chip has been implanted in my head to follow orders way. Yeven never really gives Wynfield a reason to trust him yet Wynfield keeps following him like a lost puppy.
I don't know if this is book 1 or a stand alone, if it's a stand alone it feels unfinished to me.
Wynfield almost seems compelled to follow and obey Yeven in a sub sort of way but also in a chip has been implanted in my head to follow orders way. Yeven never really gives Wynfield a reason to trust him yet Wynfield keeps following him like a lost puppy.
I don't know if this is book 1 or a stand alone, if it's a stand alone it feels unfinished to me.
November 10, 2018
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
- Review to come
Review originally posted on my blog with added content Mikku-chan / A world full of words
- Review to come
Review originally posted on my blog with added content Mikku-chan / A world full of words
May 9, 2019
A little breathless, LOTS of stuff packed into a novella, and I never felt I understood the pull between Wynfield and Yeven other than lust. Would have liked more time to have that explored and all the political/conspiracy threads untangled a bit. But entertaining and will read more by this author.
zz-dnf
October 8, 2022DNF @ 22%
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews