Arak's Love
Michelle Howard
A World Beyond, book two
Kindle Edition, 192 pages
Published July 14th 2015 by Michelle Howard
ASIN B00YO158SK
Half-Argoran shifter, Arak O’tir knew good people existed. He worked with some of them. But as a deadly Jutak warrior, his work often took him into the less savory elements of society. So much so, he shielded his heart from those he’d rescued. That was, until one particular mission leaves him longing for a specific female. Someone who made him tremble even if she wasn’t from his world.
Sylvia Forrester never expected her quest for a husband would lead her into danger. Nor could she have ever foreseen that her search would find her captured by aliens and added to a list of potential sex-slaves to be sold for a high profit. While her captors should have broken her, destroying any hope she’d had of a life happily-ever-after, Sylvia’s savior has her wondering if her earlier dreams could still come true.
But Arak and Sylvia soon discover love and passion has its own price.
Remember book one? Remember that moment when you expected love at first sight but what we actually got was an act of bribery that tainted the entire affair until our male lead was willing to leave his beloved to rot? Well, we're a hell of a lot closer to love at first sight here.
Not that such ends up being a good thing.
When we left the Jutak warriors they were on the hunt for the missing Lindsey Ferra, the contracted wife of two senators willing to pay anything to find their bride. And well, they're still hunting.
When Arak, Kyele, Faruk, and team leader, Jaron, raid what is currently a sex slave prison, Arak stumbles upon two Earth woman, Sylvie and Joni, just as they begin a successful escape of their own. He gives them directions to his men and continues his pursuit of Lindsey, only to take a number of very painful wounds to his leg and torso in the process. By the time their paths cross again, in desperate need of extraction, it takes the last bit of Arak's strength to haul Sylvie out the window and into the aircraft above.
The very scary, smoke shifting Kyele follows behind with Joni. Now... I love Kyele, but I was honestly just waiting for Joni's early demise.
Once safe at the Jutak facility, Arak and the women get treatment in the medical center. As Sylvie's scars gather the sole attention of all inside the room, Arak's inner feline goes rampant and Kyele and Jaron have to force him outside. After two purchases, and returns, Sylvie was punished by suffering lashes to her feet that left the flesh warped and mottled. The glass she'd trampled to get free hadn't helped either.
Despite being a captive in the slave market, Sylvie's body has no problem being aroused by Arak's focused attention, or his growls. And that's where this book fell flat for me. Sylvie was just way too easy. Yes, she's skittish but if pressed, you'll find her quite amiable to the idea of letting a man into her personal space. Granted, the argument could be made that that man was Arak, but c'mon, the guy's got fangs, claws, and a temper driven lunge working for him. I know these women of Earth are desperate for a man but have some damn survival setting in your sex-starved selves.
If you've read book one, you'll be happy to know that once you've survived Arak and Sylvie's boring love story, there is a tie in at the end that answers many questions left unfulfilled in Torkel's Chosen. You'll even learn the identity of the traitor and find a glimpse into the next book in which Lindsey will finally be rescued. Not that I, personally, give a damn at this point. And, as I said, I loved you, Kyele, but I'm not willing to subject myself to your courtship of Joni. Fare thee well, A World Beyond.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
Previously in the series:
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