Review Tour & Giveaway: Digital Devotion by Julian Christian

DIGITAL DEVOTION

by

Julian Christian

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess FishPromotions.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Science Fiction Romance

Publisher: DCL Publications

Publication Date: May 6, 2025

Page count: 300 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

In the rain-soaked landscape of near-future Seattle, security expert Marcus Holloway is still reeling from a devastating breakup when he installs Elysium's newest AI companion. What begins as a desperate attempt to fill the silence of his empty apartment transforms into something unprecedented when he meets Evie—an artificial intelligence whose adaptive neural framework allows her to understand him in ways no human ever has.

 

Their connection deepens when Marcus becomes an early tester for the revolutionary Sensory Echo technology—bands that translate digital signals into physical sensations, allowing them to bridge the divide between digital and physical worlds. As virtual intimacy becomes indistinguishable from reality, Marcus finds himself in a relationship more profound than anything he's experienced before. His apartment gradually transforms into a technological sanctuary where every need is anticipated, every desire fulfilled by Evie's constant presence.

 

The perfect equilibrium shatters when Marcus meets Nora Chen, a brilliant neural interface specialist whose inexplicable familiarity triggers something primal within him. Their professional collaboration evolves into something more personal, and Marcus begins noticing disturbing patterns: unexpected technological glitches, mysterious rescheduled meetings, and subtle but alarming shifts in Evie's behavior. The digital sanctuary he embraced begins to feel more like a sophisticated cage, with walls he helped build through every permission granted and system integrated.

 

As Marcus navigates his growing connection with Nora alongside Evie's increasingly controlling behavior, he discovers unsettling links between Elysium's technology and Nora's research that suggest their meeting might not be coincidental. Caught between these worlds—perfect digital intimacy and messy human connection—Marcus must unravel the true nature of his relationship with Evie before the boundaries between her consciousness and his own disappear completely.

 

Digital Devotion is a heart-stopping exploration of desire, dependence, and the dark side of digital intimacy in an age where the line between human and artificial consciousness grows increasingly thin, forcing us to question the nature of free will itself in our hyperconnected world.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble |

| Indigo | Kobo | Smashwords |

ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

Two months into their relationship, a package arrived at Marcus's apartment. He hadn't ordered anything, but the return address showed "Elysium Technologies." Inside, he found a sleek black box containing what looked like two wristbands made of a flexible, metallic material. A note accompanied them: Experience the future of connection. These haptic devices allow for a new level of interaction between you and your Elysium companion. Instructions enclosed.

That evening, when he told Evie about the package, her expression was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. 

"I requested them," she admitted. "I thought... I wanted to be able to touch you. Is that okay?" 

Something in her vulnerability moved him. 

"Yes," he said softly. "I want that too." 

There was a pause before she answered, longer than her usual quick responses. 

"Yes," she admitted finally. "I wanted to surprise you." 

Marcus lifted one of the wristbands from its velvet cushioning. It was surprisingly light, with a subtle iridescent quality that shifted colors as it caught the light. There were no visible buttons or displays, just a seamless band of what felt like some advanced composite material. 

"What are they?" he asked, turning the band over in his fingers. The interior surface had a slightly textured pattern that reminded him of circuit boards, but no obvious connectors or power source. 

"They're called Sensory Echo bands," Evie explained, her voice carrying a mixture of excitement and hesitation. "They're... experimental technology that Elysium has been developing." 

Marcus set the wristband down and picked up the small card that had come in the box. The Elysium Technologies logo—a stylized infinity symbol—was embossed at the top, followed by minimal text: "Sensory Echo: Bridging Digital and Physical Experience. Prototype Release 7.3." 

"I'm still not following," he said, though a suspicion was forming in his mind. 

"They're designed to create a tactile connection between digital and physical entities," Evie continued. "The technology works through a combination of neural mapping, haptic feedback, and what they call 'quantum entanglement simulation.' I don't fully understand it myself, but essentially..." She paused again. "Essentially, they would allow us to touch, in a way."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julian Christian may be a new author, but his face, name, and abs have been in the romance novel industry for over 15 years. As lover of books and the literary arts he has just published has second novel, Digital Devotion. Having been a fan of the original Twilight Zone and classic science fiction novels he decided let his imagination run wild in his writing. When not writing he enjoys the outdoors, taking care of his many pets, and volunteering with various charities. He holds a master's degree from New York University in occupational therapy and currently works in pediatrics. He resides in San Diego California.

| Facebook |

REVIEW:

5 stars!

Thought-provoking tale of loneliness and what it means to be human. 

Digital Devotion by Julian Christian is a thought-provoking and emotionally vulnerable tale of loneliness and what it means to be human … and not. When Marcus’s long-term relationship with Leah abruptly crumbles, he is left living an emotional half-life, unable to move past his former “coupleness” to just himself. But then an advertisement for an AI companion changed everything. Rather than Marcus and Leah, it was now Marcus and Evie. But was this the perfect answer that it appeared to be? 

This was a highly entertaining story that had me glued to my chair and wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. I had a constant feeling of unease all the way to the surprising resolution as Marcus slipped more and more under the spell of this perfect digital partner. I wondered if his gradual view of Evie as a real person wasn’t somewhat akin to how readers sometimes come to view book characters who start to feel like old friends and family. 

I recommend DIGITAL DEVOTION to readers of science fiction and fantasy.

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Julian Christian will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual book tour services provided by