Unhinge the Universe

By L. A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

Give me one fixed point and a long enough lever, and I'll unhinge the universe. — Archimedes

December 1944 – The Battle of the Bulge

SS Lieutenant Hagen Friedrichs is the sole survivor of a party sent to retrieve his brother—and the highly sensitive information he’s carrying—from behind enemy lines. But his daring rescue attempt fails, and Hagen becomes the prisoner.

Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW. His secrets could turn the tide of the war, but are they real? John is determined to find out . . . and to shatter the prisoner who killed his lover during the attack on their tiny base. The deeper he digs, though, the more he realizes that the soldier under the SS uniform is just like him: a scared, exhausted young man who’s lost loved ones and just wants to go home.

As captor and captive form an unexpected bond, the lines quickly blur between enemy, friend, and lover. And as horrifying rumors spread from the front lines and American soldiers turn their sights on the SS for vengeance, John may be Hagen’s only hope for survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riptide Publishing
• Release date: Aug 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781626490468

L. A. Witt

L.A. Witt is the author of Back Piece. She is a M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies.

Reviews for Unhinge the Universe

[nx74defiant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is not something I would have read normally. I didn't know there was such a thing as M/M Historical Romance. But it makes sense. I had to skip some of the sex scenes, but it was a good story. I enjoyed the way John and Hagen's relationship developed.

[thebookhammock · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was very reluctant to read this book. I've had a lifetime of WW2 and Holocaust drama, being born and raised where I have, and have very rarely encountered a related topic that didn't touch the "Final Solution." So I read the premise of UtU and decided to give it a shot.
Not sorry at all. The story is about an intel operation during the final year of the war that went sour.

Hagen Friedrich, and SS officer, asked to accompany his brother Siegfried, a Wehrmacht (Germany army forces) officer and his team on a mission commissioned by a very high ranking person. They are eliminated encounter with an Allied forces team and Sieg is taken hostage for questioning by American soldiers, only to die right before being rescued by Hagen, who parachuted a distance away and tracked them down.
John Nicholls is the American officer in charge of questioning Sieg and determining the purpose of the Wehrmacht forces on their way to a neutral territory, but he dies almost upon arrival to the camp. And then.... Hagen is captured. <--- this is the story in a nutshell and also where I stop talking about the plot.

I very much love that I can't really describe the characters' physicality. I can say that Hagen (and his brother) are very much Aryan, blonde, fair skinned bright blue eyes and with sharp angled face. However, I can't for the life of me, think of John's physical description apart from his features being darker (eyes, hair).

What I can say is that Hagen is very protective, loyal, logical and sensitive. He is very young and naive, as well. And this allowed John to get through to him. I genuinely felt sorry for Hagen (me, sympathizing with a nazi!!) when he realized some things about himself, his brother and his allegiance.

John on the other hand is more mature and while part of the other side fighting the war, he comes across as objective, even when in some parts his feelings are probably interfering with his decision making. They are both great characters, very compelling and I found myself rooting for them the entire time.

War is ugly, and WW2 was probably the ugliest in the history of the world. This is why I was very happy to read this book, that showed a different side of things. I can't imagine what would have happened if this story took place a year or two prior. I'm pretty sure it would've ended a lot differently.

I believe this is my first Aleksandr Voinov/L.A. Witt book I've read and it's not going to be my last.

Recommended!

[sharrow_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, it's nearly two in the morning and I've just finished. You can take that as an indication of my engagement and enjoyment of this novel.

I think it was beautifully paced, exciting and poignant. I loved the sexual tension between the characters and felt the overall story arc was nicely written. I adore that it was set in this time period. Most historicals I've read usually fall in the late 1800s and I think around the 1st and 2 nd world war was such a fascinating time I'm not sure why it's not written about more in romance novels. I felt that the tone did the seriousness of the time justice, admittedly I was a little nervous about this.

Such a great read. Definitely one of my favourites of 2013.