Review of Something New Under the Sun by L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt

Something New Under the Sun (Falling Sky #2)

Riptide Publishing | January 21, 2013 | 212 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Liam Lansing is heir to a prominent family of bio-modified vampires. That is, until he chooses the wrong lover and is cast down to the Gutter to scrape for his life.
Daniel Harding is heir to Cybernetix and a prince of the corporate Sky. That is, until his ideology drives his father to put a price on his head, forcing him into the Gutter.
But Daniel and Liam won’t vanish meekly into the smog. Together, they plan to rip open the hidden corruption that runs the Sky—for vengeance, for justice, and for hope.
They strike against the corporations in a daring raid. When everything goes wrong, Daniel must betray his core beliefs to save the man he loves and protect his dangerous secret. Only through courage in the face of death—or worse—might he and Liam change the world they live in and create something new under the sun.

Genre & Keywords: M/M Romance, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Suspense, Murder, Violence, Family, Vampire

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Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2.5 out of 3 flames
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Something New Under The Sun is the sequel to A Chip in His Shoulder (which I reviewed here) and it’s even better than that first book! I really like the world that Witt created in this series. In the first installment we first learned about the futuristic, paranormal world Liam and Daniel live in, which consists of two classes in society, the Sky (for the rich and privileged) and the Gutter (for the poor and unfortunate people). There are also vampires in this world and there are technological developments that we only know from futuristic movies, like bio-modifications that give people characteristics of a robot or superhuman.

In this world Daniel and Liam were reunited in the first story, where they turned from enemies to lovers. Now, in this sequel, they are not only solidly romantically involved but also team up to fight together against the mod manufacturers, of which Daniel’s father is the biggest manipulator of all. In an action-packed plot they work hard to reveal all the secrets and corruptions of this murderous businessman, who doesn’t recoil from hurting his own son or granddaughter.
Other than in the first story, in this second one a few interesting side characters are introduced, who give the main characters more depth. It’s nice to see the MCs interact with their friends and family. And it makes them more rounded characters. Especially Daniel’s character goes through significant motions and shows some interesting development. Also, a few of his secrets and sacrifices finally come to light. It’s not surprising that we learn more of him now, since it’s his POV we solely get in Something New Under The Sun.

The romantic arc is, like in the first book, of inferior importance again. The suspense and action are far more in the foreground, but somehow that did work quite well for me. It didn’t feel very unbalanced. Maybe it’s because the men already declared their love in the first book, plus there was still enough time for some hot erotic scenes in-between all the violent action. Liam and Daniel have great chemistry and Witt took great care in drawing them as realistically as possible in their rather unrealistic surroundings. Their adventures, sacrifices and pain feel all very intense and I had trouble remembering to breathe while I was reading. From beginning to ending this was a thrilling read that I couldn’t put down, because Witt didn’t let up for one second on the suspense.

My only, very minor, issue with the plot is the easy and slightly predictable ending. It felt a little bit abrupt and the reaction of Liam’s family borders on just a bit too convenient somehow. However, this ending felt much more solid and satisfying than that of the first installment. Like with that story, we don’t know for sure now if there will be more books in the series (although I don’t think so), but now I feel like another book isn’t necessary per se for me to enjoy the series/book as it is. That was different with the first book, which felt very much as a first title in a series and left me with a deep craving for more.
By the way, both books should be read in order; this second story definitely can’t function as a standalone.

Overall, Something New Under The Sun is a fantastic read if you like an action packed, suspenseful, intelligent and heart-felt story, which features super hot, testosterone filled guys that fight like superheroes against injustice and dishonesty. They are good men who are willing to sacrifice everything for their beliefs, and know how to handle a weapon while being geeky smart. A combination I certainly can’t resist, especially when it’s written by a talented writer as L.A. Witt!
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