The Blue Unicorn series (orc/elf cyberpunk-ish series)

[Ragne]

Okay, I don't post a lot, and I admit I don't read a lot of new mm romances (unless I know the author) because it's hard to find new stuff that I really enjoy, but I just fell in love with this series and I thought I would just share it here.

 

The Blue Unicorn is a trilogy by Don Allmon, placed in a cyberpunk universe with magical elements, where humans, elves and orcs coexist. I am pretty sure the author took inspiration from the Shadowrun games (where there are shamans, wizards, hackers etc.).

The overall plot is about the relationship between JT, an orc, and Austin, the elf he used to work with (they used to be data thieves and, in general, criminals) and a mystery regarding an old mission gone wrong.

 

The books are:

1) The Glamour Thieves

2) Apocalypse Alley

3) The Burning Magus

 

I will post the plots of the books underneath (under spoilers):

 

 

THE GLAMOUR THIEVES

JT is an orc on the way up. He’s got his own boutique robotics shop, high-end clientele, and deep-pocketed investors. He’s even mentoring an orc teen who reminds him a bit too much of himself back in the day.

 

Then Austin shows up, and the elf’s got the same hard body and silver tongue as he did two years ago when they used to be friends and might have been more. He’s also got a stolen car to bribe JT to saying yes to one last scheme: stealing the virtual intelligence called Blue Unicorn.

 

THE APOCALYPSE ALLEY

Home from a six-month assignment to war-torn East Asia, genetically engineered supersoldier Noah "Comet" Wu just wants to kick back, share a beer, and talk shit with his best friend, JT. But JT's home has been shot up like a war zone, and his friend has gone missing.

 

Comet's only lead is a smart-mouthed criminal he finds amid the mess. His name's Buzz Howdy. He's a con man and a hacker and deserves to be in jail. The only thing the two have in common is JT. Unless you count the steamy glances they're sneaking at one another. They have those in common too. But that just makes Comet all the more wary.

 

Despite their mutual distrust, they'll have to work together to rescue JT before a cyborg assassin gets to him first. Racing down a miserable stretch of road called Apocalypse Alley, they must dodge radioactive spiders, a lonely cannibal, and a killer Buick. They also try to dodge each other. That last bit doesn't work out so well.

 

THE BURNING MAGUS

JT was a perfectly happy orc building cars in the Arizona desert until his old friend and sometimes lover Austin showed up and talked him into one last crime. Now “one last crime” has snowballed. With a new team of thieves—a supersoldier, a hacker, a driver, a graffiti artist, and a seafaring wizard—JT and Austin are determined to free an artificial intelligence from the dungeon of the Burning Magus.

 

For JT, this job is more than a prison break; it’s a do-over of The Job That Went Bad two years ago, the catastrophe in which JT lost his closest friend and then chose to abandon everything, even Austin. Maybe this time no one will die. Maybe this time JT can return to Arizona and bury his old life for good.

 

Except Austin won’t be buried. After two years alone, Austin knows he wants JT—not just as a partner in crime, but as the lover he always should have been.

 

 

 

I just finished the first novel and I absolutely loved it. I've read it in one day (it is also pretty short). I loved how the relationship between JT and Austin is clearly not a healthy relationship, but that both the characters (mostly JT) and the author address it and recognize it. I loved the angst, the tension.

I LOVED that JT is not the "big bad strong" that I expected when I started reading the novel. The power dynamics is definitely the opposite. In general, JT is an absolute sweetheart (sort of). I loved the fantasy elements, how orcs are not just physically different but also dangerous.

 

The book had a little too much sex for my tastes, but it was worth it anyway! (and if you don't mind or it's the kind of book you like, I think this is a great novel!). Also, it's pretty cheap (the first one) on amazon just 0.99

 

[Ragne]

I partially changed my mind. Definitely... too much sex for my taste D: (in the second and third book)