"You are so much more than pretty." -Kraft
Thief
Anitra Lynn McLeod
Fringe, book one
ebook, 296 pages
Published November 2nd 2010 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 9781609282387
Nothing has ever come easy for Jace Lawless, captain of the salvage vessel Mutiny. Forced into thievery after a virus unleashed by the Inner World Government killed his family, only one ambition burns at the back of his mind. Kill the next IWOG officer he has at his mercy.
Bargaining over goods with a middleman isn't exactly his strong suit. But who in his right mind spends an entire salvage job s profits on a woman, even if she has a body built for sin and eyes so fathomless a man could lose himself in them? He must be getting soft.
Once Kraft realizes Jace expects only the cook part of their cook-whore contract, she sets out to change his antiquated ideas about women. A challenge she relishes, especially if it earns her the freedom and money to get her own ship. Her big mistake is letting down her guard.
Shameless flirting only intensifies the itch to ride Jace hard and put him away wet several times. It s an itch it would be dangerous to scratch. Exposing her heart could reveal her secret, one that the still-grieving Jace must never know...or showing her mercy will be the last thing on his mind.
Warning: Contains a celibate ship captain who can't abide swearing, a kick-ass woman with a marshmallow heart, a motley crew of misfits, interstellar battles, thwarted groping, sensual seduction, and a total bastard who owns his own planet.
This book: Amazing!
I can't even begin to explain just how giddy the relationship between Jace and Kraft made my overly romantic self feel.
A ten year celibate male finds a female as lethal as she is honest. Together, the two find a rare camaraderie that will prove that there indeed can be honor among thieves. It's not always easy. It's not always gentle. But it is fun. It is arousing. Oh my, but it can also be breathtaking.
And OMG, the love.
Having lost his wife and three children a decade ago, Jace still carries a yearning for his lost family. But as Kraft enters his life, her beauty and admirable code of living that makes her so special and unique begins to invade the once sacred fantasies in which only his mate belonged. As he begins to desire the formidable yet gentle female, the inevitable self-loathing and seemingly rare male blushing ensues. Kraft is his better at *everything* and male ego takes one hell of a beating in this book.
It's a two steps forward, falling two steps back relationship that had me gushing all over these two. The romance is sweet, and the smut is minor, while the spats are their own kind of awesome. These two really know how to pack a punch in their arguments. That said, men really need to take a page or two (or three hundred) out of Jace's book. He may give tit for tat in a fight but ten minutes later, he's right back at your door, apology in hand and fully ready to smooth things over. Gah. The man's incredible.
What starts out as Jace's story concludes being Kraft's and the two, as well as the crew, find a happy ever after all tied up with a shimmery, perfectly proportioned bow.
"Really?" Kraft tumbled the last of the dough into a bowl then set it in the oven to rise.
"Got lousy pay, terrible working conditions, but I hear the fringe benefits are good."
"Sounds awful. What is it?"
"Wife."
I. Loved. It. 5 out of 5 stars.
