Knight's Woman

Then he tilted his head, his lips parting...

Available at Amazon.com

Knight's Woman
Mina Carter & Kurt Drake
Sentinels
ebook, 78 pages
Published July 12th 2010 by Liquid Silver Books
ISBN 139781595787194

The United Terran Colonies are under attack. Desperate for pilots to combat the enemy raiders the Fleet puts out an all pilots call, hoping to fill their empty fighter squadrons. A call ignored by ex-con Radha Kaden, who figures she doesn’t owe anyone anything. Since a pilot’s life expectancy is slightly less than that of your average lemming, she steers well clear.

Then a bar brawl violates the terms of her release and she has a choice. Go back to Acheron, the harshest prison facility in the combined systems, or pilot a fighter…

Thanks to high casualty rates Wing Commander Davin McAvoy constantly needs new pilots. Dead men can’t fly Valkyries nor can they protect the base or her crew. When he’s told he’s getting that rarest of creatures—an experienced pilot—he’s ready to throw a party. Until he finds out not only is his new pilot an ex-con but she’s a woman too. Both unforgiveable sins in Davin’s book.

Until he meets her and sparks that have nothing to do with the war fly…

I must have been in a deeply vulnerable place when I decided to sneak this book in before the impending arrival of Michelle Sagara's new Cast book because Knight's Woman had one hell of an impact on me. So much so that I didn't even care that our main man was a cheater-a detail that has never before failed to infuriate me in the past.

Davin, aka White Knight, is a by-the-book, no-questions-asked kind of guy. Radha, on the other hand, is a mouthy, sarcastic, ready-to-brawl wild card who survived the worst of prison after being suspended just shy of graduating with her pilot's license. The two couldn't be more opposite of each other, and yet, couldn't be more perfect.

Despite being in a two year relationship with his girlfriend, Lanna, Davin finds Radha's playful act at pushing his buttons too good to resist. He gives it back, par for par, until to his horror and amazement, finds he's actually flirting with her. Bad girls have never been his thing, but he can't stop himself from seeking her out to continue the game.

Radha lives to ruffle feathers, especially those of the goody-goodies like her new commander. But she isn't prepared for the reaction his touch has upon her body, or the impact it has on her heart.

He moved closer, pulled by an invisible force. Her grip on his flight suit burned through the fabric as the tingling in his chest moved through his body. He closed his eyes, put his forehead on hers and brushed the very tip of his nose across hers so softly it almost tickled. Then he tilted his head, his lips parting...

Davin and Radha experience a number of passionate encounters, each disrupted by outside forces that send one or the other scrambling from the room. So for a while the pages are blazing with kisses that are too hot for commentary and only teases of something more. Hell, they could have never sealed the deal and I still would have been ecstatic over the heat from these two. White Knight knows how to damn well kiss a woman.

4 out of 5 stars. Now if I can only get Bonnie Tyler's version of the song 'Holding Out For A Hero' out of my head. Damn that White Knight reference.

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need.

Purity: Pure & Tainted #1

I fear nothing. I feel nothing. -the Purist code

Purity
Evangeline Anderson
Pure & Tainted, book one
Kindle Edition, 348 pages
Published August 28th 2013 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN B00EUBGMB6

K is a fourth level Paladin and a servant of Purity—the holy nothingness she has been taught to revere and aspire to from childhood. Born on a sexless world from an artificial womb, K was fitted with a black mesh skinsuit at the tender age of nine. The suit nourishes and defends her from enemies and serves as her main weapon in the holy war her people have declared on the rest of the universe. It also eradicates even the slightest traces of emotion. Leading her purge squad in a never-ending mission to rid the universe of the Impure, K is accustomed to killing or enslaving everyone she meets.

That is, until she meets Boone.

Boone is a doctor and geneticist from Colossus—a heavy G world which has rendered the people who inhabited it larger and stronger than regular humans. He’s more than happy to stay on his own planet and do research—until his little sister is taken by Purists and delivered to the pshalite mines. Frantic to rescue her, he hatches a desperate plot—capture a Paladin and use the enemy pawn to gain access to where his sister is being held. K falls into his net—but not without a fight. When she is wounded in the battle, Boone is forced to cut off her skinsuit in order to save her life.

Now, removed from her comforting routine and separated from the parasitic suit, K is beginning to change. Her body is blossoming and her mind is opening. For the first time in her life she can feel…whether she wants to or not. In order to survive in her new environment she has to cooperate with Boone.

However, she soon finds that it isn’t just her body he holds prisoner…
but also her heart.

The cover of this book was done to perfection. That *is* K.

K is a Paladin and a Purist. They do not believe in emotion. They do not believe in touching. They train, they live, to purge the universe of the impure--that is, anyone not a Purist. Or enslave them.

Boone knows next to nothing of the Purists and is therefore left to trust Loki, his ship's Erian pilot, on how to handle their new prisoner. And well, Loki has theories. He's a manipulative bastard, too. Loki believes K shares some of the DNA of his people who are not only touch sensitive, but touch dependent.

When K begins to suffer from the loss of her suit, Loki screams that she's touch deprived and instructs Boone, having already touched her to tend her wound, to keep skin to skin contact with her.

And K does not do touching.

Recovered, she immediately tries to kill herself. Boone's touch has contaminated her beyond cleansing. Her people will purge her for it. It is only honorable that she save them the trouble.

Sexual tension attraction comes sloooow in this book. Boone's first impression of K likens her to Earth's hairless cat, asexual, and scrawny. Then he feels like a father with a child as he explains food to her for the first time in her life. A child that has never gone through puberty. Despite it all, little by little he begins to appreciate the womanly attributes she does possess.

That's when puberty sets in.

But by then, Boone knows he's falling for K and Loki has even managed to win me over. I didn't like the guy at first. Then Sweetie happened. And that homosexual fool owned that scene. XD

This book was AWESOME. I daresay it was even better than the Brides of the Kindred. Easy 5 stars. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing long before I had intended to. Boone is easily the most laid back character I've ever read. He's also ready and willing to do whatever it takes for the people he loves. He's not above prostituting himself for the means to save his sister or, to save K, he's perfectly willing to fight, die, step aside, and even wait for her.

Book two, Tainted, was previewed at the end and follows Hesler, a former Paladin who has learned to command his suit as he travels back in time to gather the necessary antibiotics to save his best friend. He's only taken off his suit once since his escape from the Purists and depends largely upon it to damper both his emotions and raging sex drive. Ugh. Why time travel? Keep the suit. I like the idea of the suit.

Shadowed: Brides of the Kindred #8

Shadowed
Evangeline Anderson
Brides of the Kindred, book eight
ebook, 344 pages
Published July 19th 2013 (first published July 17th 2013)

Nina is a normal Florida girl with a job and a life and a grandmother she adores. But lately she’s been having disturbing dreams. Dreams of a man with a shadowed face—a man filled with pain and need and desire only she can slake. She fears him but at the same time, the dreams leave her breathless with need. Who is this dark stranger and what does he want of her?

Reddix is a Touch Kindred with an inverted Touch Sense—he can’t touch with his mind like others of his kind. Instead, he is doomed to endure their emotions like a physical invasion every time he’s around anyone. Desperation drives him to kidnap Nina—the girl he has been dreaming of. But he doesn’t take her out of love but as a sacrifice to one who claims she can cure his affliction.

Snatching Nina from her job, Reddix takes her on a journey to the stars that ends in disaster. Now, marooned on a strange planet they will have to learn to work together in order to survive. Can Nina forgive Reddix’s attack and gain his trust enough to heal him…or will his fate remain forever Shadowed?

Ah, yesss. Another BotK book. Keep 'em coming, Anderson!

Its been quite a while since I had a character who was physically pained by others' emotions. That being Rydan Corvis of the Sons of Destiny series by Jean Johnson.

Rydan was awesome.

But Reddix is so much more on so many levels. One of the Touch Kindred, males that bond to their females through a spiritual touch, Reddix is cursed with the much feared RTS disease. Reverse Touch Syndrome. He has no hope of ever finding his perfect mate and lives with the agonizing torment of physically feeling the emotions of everyone around him.

Pity is an acid seeping down his spine. Remorse is a knife to his ribs.

And now that Saber has abdicated his claim to the role of Clan Overlord to be with Lissa, it falls to Reddick, friends since childhood, to take his place or else civil war will befall his people. As if matters couldn't be worse, Reddick has been betrothed.

Reddick needs to mate. He needs an heir. He needs a cure, just long enough to make the two happen. To make the two possible. Two percent in, and I was in love with this book!

Nina is half Welsh/half Native American with a small chest and big behind. ...What? It's comical enough to be noteworthy. Twelve years ago, she lost her mother to cancer. She's been left with a gambling-addicted, alcoholic of a father and a loving, adopted grandmother who insists Nina bears a healing touch. For months now, in typical Kindred Bride fashion, Nina has been dreaming of a man whose face is hidden. A man, she believes, needs her help. Atypically, Nina is ineligible to be claimed as a bride due to her Native American heritage.

To get his cure, Reddick strikes a bargain with a swamp witch. He abducts Nina for the necessary blood to brew a potion that will numb his RTS. What he discovers, unexpectedly, is that Nina's touch alone mutes the effects.

Meanwhile, Saber and Lissa agree to return to their home world and face the wrath of their people for their 'incestuous' relationship. Lo and behold, the two find they are not alone in their affections. Almost all of the younger generation has fallen in love with one another. Yays. A happy ending in sight.

Reddick and Nina go well together, despite and because Nina is so damned empathetic. The woman can't bear to see anyone in pain, even her kidnapper, and she cries alot. There isn't much that threatens to keep the two apart. Truly, only Reddick's fears are the villain here.

And by the end, we have introductions to the protagonists of the next installment. Maggie, an academic nerd prone to being clumsy. And Therron, son of the swamp witch and Reddick's half-brother. He was fathered by a Touch Kindred and simultaneously changed by a demon. Aside from that, he's a class eight felon that has been tormented in chains his whole life. Should be... entertaining, to say the very, very least.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book nine, Chained, is TBA for sometime in 2014.

While researching Chained's release date, I stumbled upon Purity, along with this note from the author: While PURITY is not a book of the Kindred series, it IS science fiction erotic romance. So if you like the Kindred, I’m reasonably sure you’ll enjoy PURITY as well.

Previously in the series:

Ragnar and Juliet

Ragnar and Juliet
Lucy Woodhull
ebook
Published September 12th 2011 by Liquid Silver Books
ISBN 9781595788689

Bounty hunting is usually so easy. Flash a little cleavage, mix a roofie cocktail, and Juliet has her man right where she wants him: out cold, ready to be swapped for cash. Her passions are freedom, trashy clothes, and pie -- not necessarily in that order.

Hunky alien ship captain Ragnar doesn't deserve torture at the hands of the psychotic king who hired Juliet; he liberated one of William the Nefarious' illegal concubines. Juliet can't ignore such a noble act. She doesn’t trust men, but this one, with the kindest smile she's ever seen, picks away at her resolve to stay aloof and clothed. He's just so...nice! Crazy she can deal with; sincerity is terrifying.

Before she gives in to her irrational urge to get a timeshare with him (and his cute tail), they're caught by the bad guys. Ragnar disappears and abandons her to her disgusting captors -- so much for togetherness. Perhaps he’s not such a saint. Even worse, Nefarious William (who prefers "Bob") has nominated her for Concubine of the Evening. This dubious honor does not thrill her, and only a few hours remain before the king’s mind-altering drugs obliterate her free will.

Sexual slavery might not be fatal, but Juliet would rather die. Of course, the third option (run away to a beach and hump Ragnar silly) is the best, if they can live that long.

If you like your protagonist to be a smartass, sex-crazed female then this just might be the read for you! With humor on the non-stop priority list and each and every character carefully fit into the plot, there wasn't a single moment left to even consider the idea of becoming bored.

So, yes, you will fall into the typical cliche happenings every now and then but those, combined with the one liners we have all heard at least once in our lives, and multiple times after, make the story too laughable to be passed up.

It works. And because it's so damn simple, you gotta have love for it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Snaring the Huntress

Snaring the Huntress
Sylvia Day
ebook, 25 pages
Published by Sylvia Day (first published 2005)
ISBN 9780982857120
Amazon freebie

Star is an Interstellar Council judge. Her position requires her to pass sentence, hunt down the offenders, and administer punishments. She’s considered one of the best, and if she plays her cards right, she just might become the first of the Hunter species to ascend to the Supreme Court–her life’s goal. When she’s ordered to hunt down a rogue Jacian ambassador in heat, the precedent is death. Sympathetic, but following the law she holds so dear, she pursues him with the intent to kill.

Roark has entered his mating cycle. By Council law, he should be locked in a room with his pre-assigned partner for a week of non-stop sex that will get him through his heat. But he doesn’t want his pre-assigned. He wants Star, the luscious blonde judge whose compassion and intelligence has won his regard. The penalty for going rogue while in heat is death, but that’s a small price to pay for a week of sensual pleasure with the woman he desires more than anything.

Now the huntress is the prey, and when she’s snared by a man in heat, it’s passion that rules, not the law. Or does it? Roark still has his sentence, and his lover Star is judge, jury… and executioner.

This book had everything I normally gravitate to in my paranormal-futuristic erotica: shared dreams, intense physical demands to mate, and even a secret love. The actual smut is, for the most part, skipped over and the way everything resolves itself in the end was a bit corny. Aside from that, it was a nice, little read. Great characters. 3 out of 5 stars.

Sting of Desire: Deviant Chronicles

Sting of Desire
Deviant Chronicles
Kindle Edition
Published August 11th 2009 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Love comes at the turn of a card-or the crack of a whip.

Sandine would love to walk out of her ex-boyfriend's life forever. Except the sadistic bastard stole the ancient tarot cards her late mother gave her, knowing she'll do anything to get them back. Including endure his abuse on the stage of his sex club.

For the crime of trying to get her prized cards back, she's steeling herself for the public beating of her life. Knowing that no matter how much she screams, no one will come to her aid.

Harry Marshall should be immune to undercover work at sex clubs by now. From the moment he spots Sandine chained at the mercy of the suspected drug dealer he's after, his gut tells him something isn't right. He can't believe he'd risk blowing his cover by stepping in, much less his body's erotic reaction to inflicting pain on her luscious body.

Question is, how deeply involved is she in her ex's drug dealing-if at all? If she'd stay out of his way long enough to find out, he wouldn't have to put his own mission in danger to keep protecting her from her ex- and herself.

Warning: Contains lots of bondage, sex clubs, whippings, orgies, tree sex, m/m and a variety of other creative sexual scenarios that might surprise you. Oh, and the hero has a striking resemblance to Han Solo.

Okay, Han Solo is *so* not sexy.

To date, the best BDSM book I have read was Cameron Dane's The Ultimate Kink. It delved into the darker side of the fetish while focusing on the sensual side. This story, however, is all about the perversity of a sex club.

Sandine broke up with her boyfriend, Cain, over a year ago but she hasn't walked away from their sex club, Le Cheval, just yet. She wants her Tarot cards back, the only link to her mother and grandmother she has left. When she attempts to steal them, Cain catches her and binds her on stage, preparing to whip her for her thievery.

Harry Marshall, undercover cop on the biggest case of his life, can't sit idly by in the shadows anymore and for the first time he approaches the one woman who has kept him enthralled since starting the case. He offers himself to be her punisher. But he doesn't expect the lust that flares up at the idea of whipping her soft skin and beats himself up over it on the ride home.

Of course that doesn't stop him from breaking into her apartment and screwing her on the bathroom tiles.

As crazy as it sounds it took me a while to hate Cain, a drug addict who'd rather take a man to his bed than have any other woman besides Sandine. He loves her. In a very intervention needing way. The story is set in the future but the evidence of it is only sprinkled in. Invisible cuffs. No more STDs. And you basically just speak your drink order into your coffee maker.

Sandine is a sex addict who awakens the wilder, dominating side of a boring cop. Which is a nice way of saying she corrupted the man, seducing him into her world where vanilla sex doesn't pack as much as a punch as it once did for Harry. I wouldn't classify her as a sub because she doesn't really submit nor give up any control. For every order Harry delivers, she challenges him back.

Instantly there's a bond born from instinct to trust between Harry and Sandine as they find completion in one another. The relationship between the two does escalate quickly and it's even jumpy at times as moments just appear to happen without any buildup or flow into. Even so, I can't bring myself to agree with Kerste where she reviewed this book on Goodreads and said "Wow, this is probably the worst piece of trash I've ever read. At times it even felt like pages were missing, it was so incoherent." That's just too harsh, even for this. 2 out of 5 stars.

Seek and You Shall Find

Seek and You Shall Find
ebook
Published April 12th 2010 by Liquid Silver Books
ISBN13 9781595787019

Blackguard only wants to get back to the war his planet is fighting, but instead, he's picking up a woman. A seeker morph. She's been promised to him to cement an alliance his world desperately needs. When he's betrayed and all his men are killed, he's forced to flee without his promised morph.

Only a pod opens in the back of his shuttle.

The seeker morph, Annalisse, emerges. She's awake from stasis and is now in a sexual heat. Her body is demanding that she bond, and Blackguard is only too willing to fulfill her needs, except that he also must keep them safe from the enemies who betrayed him. Annalisse will become whatever the man she bonds with desires, only she finds Blackguard wants a woman much like she already is.

It's a race to a communications array that will allow him to get them off the planet in one piece. But once they lift off, Blackguard must resume his duties as ruler, which requires him to abandon Annalisse.

Will Blackguard seek out the woman he never knew he sought? Will Annalisse find the man who allowed her to stay true to herself?

Blackguard is a prince of a planet at war that is forced to take a time out to retrieve the woman his father has chosen for him to wed. His future bride is a rare seeker morph, a female who will evolve into her mate's dream woman becoming everything he dare want. Once awakened, she will be driven by urges to bond sexually with her mate.

But Blackguard isn't too thrilled at the idea. He has a war to think about and a planet of people who need him. Sex is the last thing on his mind, especially with a woman that will yield to his every whim instead of challenging him like he seeks in a potential mate.

Apparently he missed the part about becoming *everything* he wants.

I didn't care for this book. For one, it left out a lot of information. Annalisse notices her personality changing as she feels the need to fight Blackguard on any and every stupid little thing. There's reference to a life she has before going into stasis but (1)who she was, (2)where she came from, (3)how she came to be at all when seeker morphs are so rare that the last lived eons before her time are all details left as a mystery. Oh, and let me not forget I still don't know what makes a seeker morph a seeker morph. The term itself is never defined.

Too many holes and a writing style that is fairly average at best, this one goes down with 2 out of 5 stars. The theme, while done many times before, is all that I liked in this one.

Punishing Tabitha

Sergeant Tabitha Bryce just wants to make a name for herself. But as the youngest junior officer in her crew, she doesn’t get much of a chance to shine. Taking a gamble, she stages a daring one-woman sting. But her plan backfires and she finds herself being stripped naked and sold as a sex slave. To her mortification, it is her stoic, unobtainable captain who buys her freedom.

Her new master, Captain Keer, has been the commanding officer aboard Pride of Justice for years and has never lost his cool—until a junior officer with dreams of glory is placed aboard his ship. Now he must get Tabitha out of the mess she’s gotten herself into. But he doesn’t count on the bonus that comes with his new “slave”—a thin silvery cord wrapped around Tabitha’s most intimate areas that won’t come off without some special attention from her new master. Now he must try to free her from permanent sexual bondage to the love knots without losing his heart.

Apparently there's a script for auctioneers somewhere in Anderson's world. I laughed when I read the beginning of Punishing Tabitha's prologue. Sounded just like More Than Friends.

Captain Keer -and yes, I hate that name- has never been tempted to explore his 'captain's privileges' until now. Until Tabitha, the newest addition to his ship, arrived and completely fumbled her one chance at making a good first impression. As Tabitha stands before him, naked except for lavendar scented bubbles slipping down her skin, Keer finds himself tempted.

Tabitha is too ambitious for her own good. She just doesn't have the common sense to back up her desire to exceed at her career. When she's left on the outside of a sting to bring in a notorious slave trader she gets it into her foolish mind that she can take down the guy all by herself. And ends up being sold on the auction block where Keer is forced to buy her. Out of his own pocket mind you.

Despite the fact that this story spans five months plus, I found Tabitha's declaration of love a bit premature. Keer's, being of another race, was a tad more believable. However, Tabitha just pissed me off. She couldn't do anything right.

It is my least liked read of Evangeline Anderson's books so far. It lacked the 'forbidden' factor which oh I so much enjoy.

Point of No Return: Project Exorcism #3

As head of the Sargaidia guards, Nina Janelle is accustomed to getting what she wants out of her men—in battle and in bed. These days, she’s in a losing battle with her panther-shifter heat cycle, each round requiring more and more men to quell her burning need. Until she meets Commission Officer Jordan Vasil. Suddenly, only one man can satisfy her—too bad the cocky pilot grates on her very last nerve.

Nina’s is the only face floating in his mind when Jordan lies alone at night, suffering from unrequited lust. It seems she’d rather slit his throat than bed him—until he finds her in debilitating pain from her efforts to subdue her urges. Ignoring her attempts to push him away, he gives her what she needs. His touch. His body.

Nina’s not quite ready to concede defeat, but she needs Jordan’s piloting skills to find her missing brother. Alone with him in close quarters promises to be more than distracting. Losing control could cost more than her kick-ass reputation. It could cost their lives.

Jordan is a werelion/tiger. We first met him when he and his brother, Sevan, came to the home planet of the Janelle family in the last book. despite the many women willing to throw themselves in his bed, Jordan torments himself with the one woman that wants nothing more than to argue and punch him- Nina Janelle.

They have a history of yelling at one another or ignoring each other altogether. This story, though, picks up pretty much at the moment both choose to let the fight go and just be nice to each other. And they are nice. They're even sweet to each other. Much like two people who are standing toe to toe on the verge of dating. They're just sweethearts. And their actions are 'human'.

The markings on Nina's body foretell that she will be a great warrior until she finds her mate then he will settle her, and her nurturing side will flourish. This becomes obvious. What's the kicker is the same old story, lack of communication.

Both Nina and Jordan are under the assumption that the other is only fulfilling the sexual urges Nina is enduring. Until she claims her mate, she suffers horrible pains that no amount of past lovers could ever cure her of.

My heart went out to Pheebes. I hope his story comes soon. He needs love.

The only thing that really bugged me in this story was major time jump between chapters three and four. One minute we're on a crashed ship and the next, Nina is tied to a bed in an 'enemy' camp.

The story itself actually happens around them. Everything they set out to do either concludes in their absence or is altogether forfeit, left for a future tale. Nina's twin brother Kyriakos is yet to be found.

Not sure if it's my lack of memory, or the numerous books that I have read since books one and two of this series, but I found this story to be 'better' than the firsts. More entertaining yes, definitely, but written better as well. *shrugs* Just an observation.

Hearts & Minds

Syna Davout thought it was supposed to be a simple smash-and-grab job—smash onto a luxury yacht, grab the cash, and split the proceeds with the client. Unfortunately, the client failed to mention that she’s the diversion for an assassination attempt that destroys the yacht and leaves her with a passenger she never expected. A fugitive telepath caught in the middle of a revolution.

Galen Fash thought his days were numbered. The fledgling revolution on his homeworld needs him to buy them time, with his life if necessary. The last thing he needs is to get involved with a pirate captain-for-hire whose larger-than-life emotions draw him like a moth to a flame.

Inexorably, Syna is dragged into a war that isn’t hers, and they both discover—between knock-down-drag-outs—that their whole is far stronger than the sum of their parts. Dodging the enemies that want them both dead will be hard enough. First, they have to survive each other…

My bestest gal pal sent me this one with instructions that I could shoot her if I didn't care for it. Well, do I do so now or later. No worries, I'm shifting from lethal setting to stun. 'kays?

Perhaps it was the dedication that set a bad tone for the book but I couldn't find it in me to love the characters. First off, it's a rule that lesbians just can't write good male/female erotica. Now just like every other rule in this universe there may be exceptions. This was not one of them.

Syna. Headstrong Syna. Dominant Syna. Great qualities when paired to a worthy, complimenting mate. Alas, what she is given is Galen.

I love an Alpha. I'll take a Beta. But Galen more qualifies as Upsilon. So yes, he's on HER ship. Life in HER hands. Completely at HER mercy but there is absolutely no need to be HER bitch!

Couldn't get passed how weak and passive Galen was. Made me want to go slasher movie on him and put him out of my misery. Syna. I wanted to sell her into slavery. Needing to gut her of some of the dominant female crap she was oozing.

Now I am all for a dominant female. But ONLY when paired with an equally dominant male. Compliment people. They must compliment!

Even the country music suggestions couldn't save this one. Check yes or no. *smiles*

Breaking Chance

For Melissa “Lucky” Chance, another stretch in Ganymede’s ice prison is nothing new. The flash-freeze that’s supposed to destroy her will only leaves her with an insatiable desire for the first hot body she lays eyes on. Except this time, she faces a death sentence. Her only hope of escape lies with the man known as The Butcher.

John Ramius understands the logic behind his conviction as a criminally insane mass murderer. No man should have been able to slaughter over fifty men in as many minutes, but no one sees the underlying curse that compels him to sense—and fulfill—someone’s deepest need. Chance’s skill will free him to kill the Sun-King; he will find no rest until he does.

As they run from the forces of the Jovian colonies, Ramius finds himself temporarily sidetracked, not only by Chance’s relentless desire, but by her underlying, unspoken need. Ignoring it—or his own compulsion to do every wicked thing imaginable to her—is not an option.

Only after all their defenses are stripped away do they discover that their meeting wasn’t by chance. Someone is manipulating them both, and the only way out is the path to their destruction…

I've discovered that running away from something holds far less appeal to me than running towards something. Doubt I'm alone in that, but I say it because it's likely what kept me from truly getting into this book. They were caught somewhere in the middle, running from their deaths to another's.

The scenes of progression gave me as much thrill as those that were rather stationary in the story. Chance bored me. Ramius had his moments. I give you one guess which scene got to me the most...

“We were about to die.” The words burned against her ear and she shut her eyes against them. “About to die and you couldn’t think it.” His choked voice stabbed at her. “Why?”

No. Her head dropped and she willed her mind to think only of the fierce thrust of his hips, his fingers, the press of his hot skin against hers, hard, fast. She would find her release, she would—

“I’ll say it.”

Panic gripped her. She wanted to break free of him, but he held her, stroked into her body with increasing force and speed. And she couldn’t deny how her screaming body responded to him, wanted him. The fierce slap of his slick flesh against hers, his power, yes, he was hers, utterly— “No.”

His ragged breaths ran hot against her ear, his lips pressed to the lobe. He was close to coming, his thrusts as uneven as his breathing. He would say it; she could almost feel the words in his mind. And if he said them, then she would lose him. Lose him as she’d lost her family. “Ramius, no, please.” But need tore though her. To hear him say—

“I love you.”

Were you right??

Beyond the Shadows

A man of deception. A woman of justice. Can their fragile trust be strong enough to prevent a war?

Commander Yara knows perfect leadership requires perfect control and discipline. She has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything—or anyone. It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. She must return home to prevent war. Unfortunately the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority—especially hers.

Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman beneath that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for—love. He must find a way to convince Yara to join him, before they get caught in a web of deception that could tear their world apart.

Just like the first, Beyond the Shadows is filled with a colorful assortment of characters that each play into the charms and quirks of the heroes, Cyn and Yara. Cyn is a guy so deceptive that even his allies wonder what name to address him with. Meanwhile, Yara proves herself to be anything but the cold Elite she has been trained to be.

The best of this book is by far the witty trades between the two which kicks off the book and continues for a good while until everything turns serious and continues at a steady, enjoyable pace. Can't complain much about the intimate scenes. What girl doesn't love a guy chanting her name?

In the end, though, I gotta say Beyond the Rain remains my favorite of the two.

Why, oh why, did Cyn have to lose his ship? No way in hell is a ship ever just a ship to it's Captain. I don't give a damn who he's fucking.

Beauty is a Beast

Welcome to the future! The year is 3025, and humans are fast becoming extinct. Nizhoni of Mojave Earth Clan knows her spirit guide will protect by giving her the power of the wolf. When she unwittingly bites another human, she flees.

Michael of the Air Clan has searched for the woman he calls Beauty; the one who turned him into a creature of the moon. When he finds her living among the Mojave, he believes he can finally claim her. There's only one problem. She's already married.

Together Nizhoni and Michael must battle her former lover, the Yee Naaldlooshi, or feared skin-walker. The fate of their love and humankind hang in the balance. If Beauty can't have her mate and save the world, she's going to be a real Beast.

Woah. Zombies. Didn't expect that. And werewolves. And Native American spirit guides. And vampires. And ghosts. And Skin-walkers. And, well, there's a lot of stuff in this short story. And a whole lot of history to the characters that's surface is only skimmed.

Overall, it was good. I like the chief with his riddles as well as the variety of characters. It should have been a longer book though. There's too much substance for it to be just a quick read.

Her Commander: Orion #2

As commander of the Orion, self-control is Captain Steve Craig’s mantra. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep his ship safe from predators, including keeping his romantic liaisons off ship. The women of his crew are strictly off limits—especially those among the lithe, lethal Serpentian Guard.

Tessa Alligon is trained to kill with her bare hands, but nothing could prepare her innocent heart for the likes of the iron-willed captain. When she unexpectedly catches him with his barriers down, they share a night that melts the deep-space cold.

Craig tells her it was a mistake—their passion must be controlled. But once unleashed, Tessa’s sensual nature is not easily cooled. Neither is her thirst for revenge when he insists they have no future together.

A future for any of them becomes iffy when they discover there’s a saboteur on board. One that could be lurking within the ranks of the Serpentian Guard itself…

One that Steve knows may even be Tessa.

Orion #2 was a lot better than #1 for me. The dominance factor was at a minimum though present, but it was more of a story of Tessa's innocence while Captain Craig came across as guy that's been around the block. He knows his place and his responsibility. He has held himself to a rule never to fraternize sexually with those on his crew.

But that rule is left broken and bloodies when he meets the new cadet, Tessa. Half human, Tessa lacks the sexually prowess of her Serpentian and is quite shy and naive due to her human father's upbringing.

One night spent with the captain and Tessa's young heart is caught up in a world of romance and fantasy. When Craig proceeds to thank her for her participation and announces that it would never happen again, the ass kicking part of Tessa erupts full throttle.

And sparring with a scorned lover is never a good idea.

Captain Craig was great. Definitely fantasy material... up until the end. He just had to be one of *those*.

Tyger, Tyger: Orion #1

Half-man, half-beast, untameable…except by the one woman born for him.

As a novice interpreter aboard the space ship Orion, Calla Fellura is in uncharted territory. Especially when it comes to figuring out how to approach the ship’s sexy navigator, who seems to have no shortage of willing women vying for his attention.

Tryon Jag is an alpha male tyger, one of the few who possess the instincts to guide a ship safely through the deadly Cattarus system. Handsome, wealthy, and of royal blood, Jag controls his universe—and most of the females in it—as easily as he navigates the Orion.

But when Jag unexpectedly undergoes his mating shift on board ship instead of safely on his home planet, he must have a woman or go mad with rage and lust. With an eco-saboteur somewhere aboard, there couldn’t be a worse time for him to lose his mind.

I do have to offer kudos to Cathryn Cade for kicking off a story in a way I have never seen done before.

It goes like this...

The captain of this particular shape ship has called together the head of his crew to enlighten them on a specific situation. They have flown into the orbit of their navigator Tryon's home planet in a time when the pull of their moon is exceptionally strong, and has resulted in the Tyger's mating shift.

They can't drug him. They can't manipulate his mind. What's left? It has fallen to a female to offer herself to act as his mate. The Tygers are very picky. They won't accept anyone with a history of multiple partners so the prostitutes aboard the ship aren't an option.

Cally, the ship's interpreter, was smitten with the navigator the moment her eyes clapped on his aboard deck. To her, this is her chance. A chance to serve her ship, her crew mates, and to know the male that wouldn't otherwise look at her twice. Even though she is a Tyger as well, she's of a lower class, and his interest in her up to now has been rather obsolete.

Now, the crew is wary about the situation. A male Tyger in his mating pull can be aggressive. So? The computers are set to monitor the situation as the camera's record the two Tygers that have been locked away in an environment supplies especially for them. Little does the caption or any other know that the ship's surveillance has been tapped into and their enemy is filtering the feed to their own screens where two Earth men find themselves now also monitoring the situation.

Tryon is all animal. All master. He spares no time in dominating his new mate and Calla's instincts are just as quick to submit. Despite being called his 'tyger-pussy' even though she tirelessly instructs him to address her by name, Calla finds herself totally complicit in her role as his submissive.

Until they dock and the fool offers her a place as his mistress instead of his wife. Then Calla's walls are up and she walks away and stays away.

“So. Something is wrong, Try. What is it? A female, perhaps?’
Tryon grunted an assent, scowling into his snifter of golden jaguari-honey brandy.
His father nodded. “A prospective bride, or the other sort of woman?”
“The…other sort.” Tryon shifted his big shoulders uneasily. “But she won’t have me.”
“Ah…would this be the young female with whom you mated on shipboard?”
“Yes. And after all that, she refuses to be my mistress!”
His father tsked in sympathy.
“A regular slut, then. Wants to continue to have her pick of Tygers in shift.”
“No!” Tryon growled, scowling at his father. “I was her first shift mate. She’s had only one other male and he was just a boy.”
“Well, then…no spirit, I suppose. Can’t face the lusty side of her nature.”
“Ah…wrong again,” Tryon said huskily. “That’s not an issue.”
He felt the heat rise in his cheeks, remembering the very lusty side of Calla’s nature.
“Well, it’s too bad you are ashamed to bring her into society with you,” his father sighed. “These low-born women can be somewhat crude.”
“Calla is a lady,” Tryon snapped. “She may not be well-born, but she is as far from crude as Mother is. She is…” He shook his head, realizing the impossibility of describing his tyger-lily to someone in words.
After a time, he realized that his father was silent, and he looked up to find the older man regarding him with something like pity.
“What?”
Jostyn Jag sighed.
“Tryon. You are not describing a mistress. You are describing a wife.”

Heart of an Assassin: Daughters of Lyra 5

Princess Natalia, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, has spent her whole life on Lyra Five behaving just as a princess should, except for one thing. After her daily duties she sneaks out at night to sing in the bars of Lyra Five, pretending to be someone else. Natalia loves to sing, more than anything else in the galaxy, until the night that Ixion, the handsome commander of the royal assassins, comes to the bar to bring her home.

Ixion is the only man Natalia has dreamed of since she first saw him seven years ago, but she’s sure he doesn’t notice her and she’s determined to change that. But Natalia couldn’t be more wrong.

Tk'llsoi nkayk utteaiosolance

I think this one was the first of the Lyra series that I stumbled upon. It's a bit off the beaten path as the others. Natalia is another daughter of Balt and Kayla. Yes, there was more. Other then the twins Renie and Rezic, there's the boys Aiden and Ciel, and then Natalia. And she sings.

She's also fallen for the royal assassin. Ixion. Bred to kill. My kind of man.

It's rather obvious, if you didn't pick it up in the Heart of a Prince, that Balt's kids do whatever the hell they want. Renie and Rezic fly all over space. Aiden and Ciel are goof offs. And Natalia sneaks out the house to sing in the slums. Great job there, Balto!

Once again, it's a question of worthiness.

He looked away, berating himself for taking such liberties. Natalia was a princess. It was wrong of him, a lowly assassin, to look at her like that.
A dull ache settled in his chest.
It was wrong of him to love her.
It was torture.

But the girl can fight.

The look of sheer determination on Natalia's face only made her more beautiful. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with satisfaction when she landed a blow and a smile curved her delicate rose lips. Ixion pressed a hand to his chest, willing his heart to be still when it raced at the glorious sight of her. She fought with grace and speed, and with immeasurable elegance fit for a princess. She was stunning. If she hadn't captured his heart before that moment, she would have claimed it then.

Balt's turn to announce suitors...

"Natalia.” Her father's tone was cautious. “Is there someone already?"
Ixion's eyes widened. He watched Natalia closely. Her blush gave her away.
"Tell me, Natalia."
She shook her head and lowered it. Her fist came up and pressed against her lips. Ixion silently begged her to say the name of the male in her heart. He wanted to know who he had to kill. If it was anyone other than him, foolish dream as that was, he would see to it they disappeared.

And what an ending! Ixiom yelled at Rezic and Balt. You go boy! Show them the fearlessness of the assassin. Woot!

Then crazy Renie starts drawing laser pistols. C'mon! As if Balt is going to make any one of his children marry someone they don't love. He's the one that started all this!!


Needless to note, I still want Balt. Then Kosen. Then Ixion (oh wait! Lord Ixion, Knight of Lyra Five. Man got a title!) Then Tres. I'll leave the rest for everyone else. I'm considerate like that.

He was everything that she wanted.
Her Lover.
Her Lord.
Her Knight.
But above all else...
Her Assassin.

Heart of a Commander: Daughters of Lyra 4

Lieutenant Amerii, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, wants nothing more than to prove herself to her captain and the army without her father, Captain Lyra III’s, help… except maybe one thing. Van, Count of Aeris and attendant to Emperor Varka has been on her mind since she met him at her cousin Sophia’s wedding, and she wants to see him again.

Charged with the duty of meeting the Varkan first fleet at Varka Two, Amerii is pleasantly surprised when the commander turns out to be Van, and he wants her to be the one to join him on his vessel to sign the contract between Varka and Lyra. When she meets him again, he’s more handsome than she remembered, and she resolves to risk the violence of his bloodlust to make him hers.

Yes! The Varkans are back!

Amerii is daughter of Acer (remember Mr Vicious?) and Stella. Do you also remember Regis pretended to be the Varkan emperor's first assistant? Yes? Good. No? Why aren't you paying attention!!

Well, there was a second assistant named Van, Count of Aeris, in that story. And he's back in this one as the love interest of Amerii, who is Sophia's cousin and best friend.

Amerii isn't getting the respect she deserves from her captain and fellow crew members, but when her ship is given the responsibility of formalizing the pact made in Heart of an Emperor, Amerii is given the responsibility of signing the papers.

Once aboard the Varkan ship, Van isn't letting her go. Especially with Wraiths lurking around.

Having spent the last year haunted by erotic dreams of her Varkan stud, Amerii isn't letting go either.

"Where,” he muttered, his voice trembling. He kissed up to her jaw and she tilted her head to one side. “Tell me where I bite you."

She had never had to say things like this before. It was embarrassing and only made worse by the fact that she was talking about her fantasies with the object of them.

She cleared her throat and stroked his chest, slowly moving towards the buttons of his jacket. She needed to feel him skin on skin with her. She wanted to see the svelte body that she knew his uniform concealed.

He kissed her shoulder.

"Here?” he whispered and she nodded. He took hold of her wrist, stopping her attempts to get him naked, and kissed the inside of it. “Here?"

She nodded again.

His hands grazed her stomach. “Here?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

He stepped up to her and pressed a solitary kiss to her throat. “Here?"

She moaned her reply.

"More than once?"

"Almost every time,” she whispered and trembled when he closed his lips around her throat and sucked. She ached for him to bite her, her body tightening and yearning for his touch.

"Do you know what a bite here means?” His voice was a sultry whisper in her ear, sending warm shivers dancing down her spine. "If I bite you here.” He spoke the words between kisses against her throat. Each kiss made her temperature rise a little more until she was burning with need. “It means that you are mine."

Yeah, I like verbal play.

There was a little bit of Regis in Van because, duh, same race. Same culture. Same upbringing. Van also mimicked Kosen's self worth issues. But while Kosen's sense of unworthiness came from the choices he had made in life, Van's were spawned from rank and birth.

Something as beautiful as her could never want a monster like him. He wasn't Regis. He couldn't love and he didn't have a kingdom to offer to a beautiful maiden. He had nothing.

The ending was far more violent than the ones before. Poor Van. Poor bloody and beaten Van.

Heart of a Prince: Daughters of Lyra 3

Princess Renie, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, loves nothing more than exploring space with her twin brother, Rezic, but when they venture too close to the Black Zone, the barrier between Vegan space and the rest of the galaxy, things turn from exploration to a fight for their lives. With Rezic injured in a meteorite shower, Renie has no choice but to accept help from a vessel within the Black Zone, even when it turns out to be Vegan! Separated from her brother and taken hostage, to be held for ransom, Renie isn’t sure what she’s going to do…

Renie and Rezic are the twin children of Balt, the second son of Lyra. Since Sebastien has no sons, Rezic is the first in line of his generation for the throne, but he's just as content traveling around space with his sister Renie as archeologists.

When their adventures take them deep into space near the Vegan boundaries, their ship is hit by fragments of a planet being destroyed. Rezic is hurt and near death, leaving Renie to make an emergency call to anyone within distance.

Her call is answered by a ship on the other side of the Black Zone, and she is taken captive and thrown into a cell until she and her brother are ultimately ransomed.

There, she meets Tres, a prisoner in the cell beside hers. If there is any character I'm curious about in these stories it's Tres. He's altogether a new race. His complexion is a pale white with tips of blue on his nails, ears, and head. He's coldblooded. Has wings. And he possesses ocular implants.

Renie, on the other hand, had my fists clenching. The same question over and over. Over and over again.

Her. Males.

Tres frowned at the door to the cellblock and clenched his fists. The thought that she might already belong to another male infuriated him and his heart beat again, quickly followed by another. Two in as many minutes. If a male had her, owned her, then he would fight that male for her.

His eyes grew wide when he realised what he was thinking and he looked down at her. She knelt by the bars, her hands in her lap, her eyes round and dark as she looked up at him. He would fight for her. On this side of the barrier, such a fight would be to the death. If her male was large, Tres could lose, but he would fight regardless. She had him fascinated, a slave to her, enthralled by her beauty and her frailty. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and protect her from the darkness of the universe. He would protect her from anything.

Anything.

"What do your kin call you?” he said and a flicker of shock crossed her face followed by a crimson blush that stained her cheeks. Beautiful. He had never seen a female react to him the way she did. He had never seen a female react like her to anyone. Were all females like this on the other side of the barrier? What was she like compared to them—strong, weak, loving, tender, cruel? He wanted to know. He was so tired of being trapped on this side of the barrier, surrounded by darkness and loneliness.

"Renie,” she whispered, as though ashamed to tell him.

Perhaps not ashamed. She cast her eyes downwards into her lap and twisted her fingers around themselves. Embarrassed? Awkward? All new emotions to him. There was none like her on this side of the barrier. Meeting her and experiencing this wondrous array of feeling had only strengthened his resolve to leave the Black Zone.

He moved to the bars and knelt in front of her.

"Tres,” he said and slid his hand between the bars, holding it out in what he hoped was a Lyran gesture of greeting. His knowledge of different species’ formalities had all collided in his mind and become tangled over the years.

She stared at his hand as though it was going to attack her.

Perhaps he had been wrong.

Her hand slid into his.

Tres's entire body jolted and tensed, a sweep of tingles racing through him, fanning out from the point where her skin touched his. She closed her fingers around his hand, her soft skin brushing his, creating smaller waves of pleasure with each tiny caress. His heart beat hard in his chest, pounding in his ears as he stared into her eyes, absorbing the divine feeling of her body against his. For a moment, he forgot himself, lost in the feel of her hand in his, her gentle touch. He had never been touched before, not skin on skin. It was forbidden for anyone to touch him. As a child, those who'd had to touch him had worn gloves, and since then he had always been wearing his thermal suit when he had been touched.

Not that he had ever been touched as intimately as this. Anything more intimate than touching his arm or shoulder was forbidden also.

It had a nice ending. There were a lot of things I loved about Tres. His hunger was deep and vivid. I still prefer Kosen though.

"Deep space has turned my children insane,” Balt muttered.

Heart of a Mercenary: Daughters of Lyra 2

Princess Miali, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, is an ambassador for Lyra. Her true identity is kept secret to protect her but it’s her beauty that puts her in danger when slavers attack her ship while she’s in cryo-sleep. When she wakes, she finds herself heading for the markets, her only company the ship’s handsome young Minervan doctor. Kosen makes Miali’s body react like no man before him, sending her hair floating with her positive emotions and making her wonder if she might just be falling for her captor.

Miali is the daughter of Captain Remi, the fourth born Lyra son, and his wife, the nurse, Emmanuelle. With the help of her father and uncle, she has been given the role of Ambassador and her royal heritage has been concealed.

When her ship is taken over by slave traders she finds that the one man she has friended has betrayed her. Her only hope of freedom lies with the youngest of her captors.

Kosen entered the trade of selling slaves in an effort to find and free his sisters when they were sold into slavery by their father. Now with blood on his hands, he's finally coming to terms with the wrongness of his choices. He longs to make it right while he's both drawn to set Miali free and to keep her for himself.

"No ... Erm, father?"

Kosen prayed that she wasn't about to point the man in his direction. If only he could fade into the darkness and disappear. He had never had to face something as terrible as this. The moment this man realised who he was and what he had done to his daughter, he was going to crush him like a bug.

"Miali has a lover.” Aksel grinned.

The heat drained from Kosen in a flash, leaving him cold and numb.

"What?” he said at exactly the same time as Miali, Taelis and her father.

Aksel's face blanched too as all eyes came to rest on him and his father stormed towards him.

"A lover?” her father said, face dark.

"Wait wait wait,” Miali chanted, her cheeks bright red.

Kosen held his hands up when her father diverted his course away from Aksel and straight towards him. Miali ran in front of him, trying to block his way.

"Wait, father, it's not like that.” Miali pushed against his chest and then looked over her shoulder at himself.

Kosen waved his hands in an attempt to tell her not to speak. If her father asked her anything that would make her think about the things that had happened between her and himself, then no matter what answer she gave him, her body would tell the truth.

"He's not your lover?” her father stopped and scrutinised him.

Kosen frowned at him and had a change of heart as he wondered why it would be such a bad thing if he were Miali's lover. He was a good man who could easily make something of himself. He had been honest with Miali throughout their time together and she liked him. So there was that little fact that he had played a part in her kidnapping, but he had surely cancelled that out by helping her?

He was about to ask whether her father objected on the grounds that he was Minervan when the man stepped up to him, sandwiching Miali between them. When she backed into him, Kosen placed his hands on her upper arms, holding her.

She was shaking.

"Father, I can explain. Kosen helped me escape those men. He was the doctor on their ship.” She held her hand up when her father's look turned deadly and he opened his mouth to speak. “Was, father. Was. He helped me escape. Now I want to help him. I need money."

"Money? Lovers? What in Iskara's name is going on?"

Kosen had the distinct impression that this wasn't going well, especially when her two brothers came up behind their father, flanking him and drawing their weapons.

"He kidnapped you. He's one of them. Step aside, Miali,” Taelis said, taking aim with his laser gun.

Kosen swallowed hard and stared down the barrel of it.

Miali stretched her arms out across him and shook her head.

"No,” she said, her voice shaking as much as he could feel her body was. “Kosen saved me. I promised that I'd help his sisters. He needs money to buy them back from their master. Please, father?"

"Answer something for me, Miali.” Her father's look softened and a tiny flicker of hope ignited in Kosen's heart. Perhaps he wasn't going to die today after all.

"Anything."

"Is he your lover?"

Kosen couldn't help looking at her as she struggled for an answer. Her silver hair shifted and she frantically pushed it back down. It seemed to be the only answer that her family needed.

"A Minervan?” Taelis grumbled and shook his head.

Miali whined and then said, “What does it matter if I've fallen for a Minervan? Aunt Terea is Minervan and she's the queen of Lyra!"

All three men pulled faces that clearly expressed that they couldn't deny that. Kosen joined them. It was true. Her family had no right to complain about her choosing a Minervan when they were under the rule of a Minervan female.

His eyebrows rose.

Wait.

Choosing a Minervan?

He stared at Miali but her hair obscured her face. He turned her to face him when frustration got the better of him. He had to see her when he asked this.

She dropped her head forwards, looking at her feet. He cupped her cheek and raised her head up until her eyes met his.

"Fallen for a Minervan?"

I certainly did. Hell, was there ever a chance I, being me, wasn't going to fall for the mercenary?

She stared at his teeth. They hadn't cut her but they were as sharp as they looked.

"I just don't understand why you do it,” she said, frowning at his sharpened teeth.

Kosen frowned too and ran his tongue along them. The sight of it caressing his teeth made her tremble and ache inside.

"All Minervan males do it."

"I know,” she whispered and reached her free hand up, touching his teeth with her fingertips. “Why?"

He playfully snapped at her fingers and she jerked her hand back.

"It makes us ... sexy.” He grinned.

She laughed and his face fell. When she realised that he was being serious, she cleared her throat. Perhaps it did make them more attractive to Minervan females but it didn't do anything for her.

"Sexy how?"

His frown wasn't shifting. He sat up and she pined for the feel of his body against hers. She hadn't meant to spoil the moment with her stupid questions. She sat up and moved closer to him where he was sitting at the edge of the bed.

He looked thoughtful. His black eyes slid to meet hers.

One eyebrow rose.

His eyes narrowed on her, holding such heat that her body flushed and her hair threatened to rise again. She twirled it and tied it in knot to stop it.

He leaned towards her and she was captivated as his lips parted, entranced by their beautiful shape and the sight of his sharp teeth. Thoughts of what he could do to her with that mouth made her heart flutter and her blood boil with desire.

She licked her lips.

He edged closer, his movements achingly slow. She looked down at his hands, yearning to feel them on her, and then back into his eyes.

He whispered one word that made any shred of reserve she had disappear.

"Dominance."

Her lips parted and her breath left her in a sigh. He kept moving towards her and she leaned back to counter his move.

"Strength."

Her back hit the bed and she stared up at him as he moved between her legs.

"Danger."

Her heart beat hard against her chest.

Her breathing quickened.

Perhaps he was right, when he put it like that.

Heart of an Emperor: Dauhgters of Lyra 1

Princess Sophia, one of the beautiful and strong daughters of Lyra, has had it with the never-ending row of suitors that her father, King Sebastian Lyra I, has lined up for her. When the latest suitor turns out to be the emperor of Varka, a species known for their lack of emotions, nocturnal lifestyle and bloodlust, Sophia wants little to do with him.

Sebastien is now king of Lyra and has decided to assault his daughter with suitors from all over the galaxy. And a Varkan is next. But when Sophia is introduced to the Varken emperor it is his first assistant that instantly catches her eye and interest.

Regis, like his brethren, has never known love and believes it impossible for his race ever to know the emotion. He has, however, studied the idea of it. Corny the thought, though amazingly well written, there comes a scene in the story, when his willing of Sophia to come to her balcony isn't working, so Regis thinks upon a classic love story, and then begins to sing.

Laugh. Chuckle. Snort. At first I was about to do all these things. But it wasn't actually as cheesy as you might expect. Especially when Sophia cuts her tongue on his teeth and the bloodlust kicks in. That boy can ravage.

The expectant ending comes with a little more to top it all off. Definitely a fan of the Varkens.