Short & Sweet Review: Ride of Her Life by Anne Rainey

Format: E-bookrideofherlife
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Ellora’s Cave Quickies
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Kyle Wolff
Heroine: Lily Justice
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: August 26, 2010
Started On: October 25, 2010
Finished On: October 25, 2010

Reading a Quickie in between novels is always a good way take a break off from reading a lengthy novel. A Quickie though short can play with your emotions and make you feel so heated at times that you feel as if you need to gulp in a fresh load of air every now and then. I say thank the Lord that at least they are short – otherwise there would be a whole lot of other problems to write back home about. Enough rambling I guess, so on to my review.

Storyline: This story focuses on divorcee Lily Justice who had been married for the past seven years finally gets rid of her good-for-nothing husband when he cheats on her. Divorced for nearly a year and 36 years old, she has no right to lust after the much younger and sexy as sin owner of Wolff’s Body Shop, Kyle Wolff. When her car needs a bit of body work Lily decides to take matters into her own hands so to say and kill two birds with one stone and make Kyle work on her body as well. But unbeknown to her, Kyle too has been lusting after the classy and pretty Lily and had been biding his time to make his move. What follows is an affair that is hot enough to singe one’s eyebrows off with a man who definitely knows a trick or two in making his woman reach out for the stars in bed.

First Encounter: There is no indication of when Kyle and Lily first see one another but they both talk to each other for the first time when Lily brings in her car for a much needed body work to Kyle’s workshop.

Time period: This story is set in Miller Siding, Ohio and has a contemporary setting to it.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Though Lily nor Kyle had sought the other out earlier, they had both been aware of the other and wanted to experience the fireworks they knew they would both set off together in bed and out of it. Lily and Kyle both had fantasized about being together and with the first light brush of Kyle’s lips on Lily’s there is  no turning back – for either of them.

How the relationship grows: From the first kiss itself, though the passion that rages between Kyle and Lily is red hot, they both know that they want so much more from the other. Though Lily is skittish at the thought of marriage and kids, she doesn’t mind having exclusive rights over Kyle who seems to want the same thing in return from her. Since the story is extremely short, there is not much room to discover how their relationship grows apart from the mind-numbing encounters between the two. But the short and sweet epilogue at the end of the story shows that their relationship proceeds on to the next stage within a span of two weeks.

The turning point: There is no turning back once Lily walks into Wolff’s Body Shop and Kyle takes her on the ride of her life. From the first tender kiss between the two, everything changes for the better between two people who are made for one another.

Likes: Love the cover of the book. Wish the title wasn’t covering up much of the hunky Kyle’s sinfully good-looking body. I liked the fact that the age difference didn’t turn out to be an issue. Most probably if the story had been a lengthier one, that would have been the number 1 issue in the story.

Dislikes: None.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

satisfactoryread

Review: Personal Research by Cari Quinn

Format: E-bookpersonalresearch.jpg
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Nunizo McGinty
Heroine: Elena Thomas
Sensuality: 4.5
Date of Publication: September 17, 2010
Started On: September 20, 2010
Finished On: September 20, 2010

I just had to go and buy this book after reading a review posted on Goodreads by Sparklybearsy which made me smile all over and tingle in anticipation about reading this story which seems to have hit every craving spot on when one indulges in a bit of erotica now and then!

Elena Thomas, 25 years of age, works as a secretary at the McGinty, Haylor & Smith law firm. By day, she writes legal briefs, but at night and sometimes at work, she writes down scenes of her heroes and heroines indulging in wall banging, off the charts hot sex, as an erotic romance author. With two parents who are both college professors, Elena had grown up in an environment that had taught her to suppress all her emotions one way or the other. Being someone who suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, the one place where Elena lets go of the tight rein on her emotions and sensual nature is when her fingers fly over the keyboard, creating situations between her characters hot enough to make a girl salivate.

Nunizo McGinty is the nephew of Mike McGinty, one of Elena’s bosses. Half-Italian and half-Irish with amazing eyes, rock-cut cheekbones a firm jaw and distractingly full lips, I wish there was an IT guy or two around my workplace like him *wink*. Nunizo comes to America to visit his Irish side of the family and to obtain his Masters degree in English language. Dabbling in IT had been a side hobby of his and helping out his uncle at his law firm just gave him the excuse to hang around and salivate over the gorgeous and buttoned up red headed beauty who in his mind he called Bella, because it means beautiful, absolutely magnificent. *Swoons!*

Elena knows that she has a hankering for the new IT guy who seems to be popping around a lot the last two weeks. His smoldering gaze alone was enough to pin her down in her chair and one day, whilst Nunizo is servicing the printer that seems to be in direct sight of Elena’s workstation, her ogling session results in her accidentally sending pages of her newest novel to print.

Nunizo is surprised and more than pleased when he finds out just how wicked an imagination his Bella has and is determined that he would be the one who would make all her wild bottled up fantasies into a reality. Somehow a relationship that starts off based on physical need alone develops into something more, and changes Elena’s views on life and how she sees herself.

As most of the readers of this novella have pointed out, the opening line itself made me smile because it certainly was an attention grabber to say the least. The scenes between Nunizo and Elena are hot, hot, hot and made me want an Italian whispering sweet nothings in my ears (if you know what I mean!) *bawdy wink*

Great read for a novella, with a yummy hero and equally great heroine and enough smexing to last me until the next book? And I totally loved the comedic feel at times, Elena’s thoughts definitely made me laugh out loud a time or two. Elena as the chastised sexy bunny and Nunizo as Mr. Tall, Dark and Sinful! And don’t you just love the expression on the face of the guy on the cover! Sigh!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Jasmine Jade

fantasticread

 

Review: Another Love by Ann Jacobs

Format: E-bookAnother Love
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Black Gold, Book 6
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: James Blake Tanner IV
Heroine: Erin Winters
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 1, 2005
Started On: September 11, 2010
Finished On: September 12, 2010

I picked up this book on the basis of its storyline, where the hero has been previously married and wife had died. The love story that unfurls is most of the time between a reluctant hero who idolizes the memory of his dead wife which prevents him from seeing the heroine who is a much better match for him all around. This book takes things a step further, such that the heroine is the surrogate mother of the hero and his dead wife’s child.

Another Love is the 3rd book in a series called Black Gold by the author. The story kicks off when Erin Winters receives the news that she has successfully become pregnant with the sperm provided by the father-to-be James Blake Tanner IV whom she had never met. Though Erin has serious reservations about the fact that whether she would be able to let go of the baby that will keep on growing inside of her and is a part of her, Erin has no choice with all the tragedies that life had inevitably dealt her with. With her husband Bill killed in a hideous car accident 3 years ago, rendering Timmy their son unable to walk had taken its toll on Erin’s life and her finances as well. Erin had quoted a sum of 50,000 dollars for the baby she would bear for the Tanners so that her son Timmy could go ahead with the surgery that is his only hope of ever being able to walk again. And then tragedy strikes once again when at the 5th month of her pregnancy she receives word that Glenna Tanner had died in surgery after being shot by a deranged maniac going on a shooting spree at the infant department at Neiman Marcus.

James Blake Tanner IV (Blake’s) world comes crashing down all around him when his beloved wife, best friend and soul mate dies a senseless death leaving him reeling in the aftermath. James and Glenna had grown up together, Glenna being brought up by grandparents who had taught her to love and live life to the fullest, with Blake being brought up by the servants hired by his workaholic lawyer of a father. Glenna had brought joy and color into his otherwise mundane life. At the tender age of 10, a solemn little boy then, Blake had professed his love for Glenna and proposed to Glenna on the Christmas after they had graduated from college.

Blake and Glenna had been married for more than 14 years and survived a bunch of miscarriages. Glenna’s need to have a baby of their own had finally ended up in Blake agreeing to surrogacy though Blake would have happily foregone having a child if it meant Glenna would be by his side for all time. Blake knows that there is no way that he would want the baby that is a part of him now, since he knows that he would resent the unborn child because it had been the reason that fate had so cruelly snatched away the only person who meant the world to him.

When Blake requests through his friend and gynecologist Greg that Erin obtain an abortion, Erin is livid and informs Greg that she wouldn’t do any such thing and wants to talk to the father of the child she is carrying. Blake doesn’t want anything to do with the woman who in his opinion had stooped so low as to request a large sum of money in exchange for her baby. But when Blake against his better judgment goes and meets Erin, Blake knows that he cannot turn away from the woman who carries his child and the dire situation she is in. In the end, Blake resolves the situation by inviting Erin and her son Timmy who captures his heart from the very first moment to move into his home.

Though Glenna maybe dead, her part in the story is far from over. Arriving as a ghost, knowing that her desire to have a baby had inevitably ended up with her being dead causing more hurt and grief than she ever wanted to the man she would love all through eternity, Glenna vows to make things right for Blake once again. Knowing that her Blake who always viewed life in a methodical and analytical way would rather commit himself into an asylum than acknowledge that his dead wife was haunting him, Glenna decides to work her way through with Erin by  her side.

A mild friendship develops between Erin and Blake and when Erin hurts herself before her due date, Blake is forced to face the fact that he doesn’t want his child to arrive into this world as a bastard. Thus with this practicality in mind, Blake offers to marry Erin though he informs her that he has nothing emotionally left in him to give and that he would always love his dead wife. Erin knows that the security that Blake offers her and Timmy is too good to turn down. Any misgivings she has is cleared away by Glenna and it is with all good intentions in mind that Erin agrees to marriage with Blake.

Though both Erin and Blake feel a mutual awareness of one another, Blake is too grief stricken to really acknowledge it, that is until the night Erin gives birth to their son Jamie and Blake sees Erin nursing their son. Desire and lust long denied unfurls which Blake tries to hide and keep at bay. But in the end, a seductive and alluring Erin proves to be too much of a temptation to resist. Though Blake may share his body with Erin, and feels guilty about it, he doesn’t give himself the chance to really see Erin as a woman who is more compatible for him in every way. Erin knows that the man she has fallen so hopelessly in love is never going to return her feelings, but Glenna keeps on urging her to move forward and work towards obtaining Blake’s love.

There is also a secondary story interwoven with Blake and Erin’s story. The story of Erin’s younger sister Sandy and her boss and Blake’s friend Greg who is the gynecologist who find love in one another and fights the obstacles in their merged lives to get married and start a life with one another. I didn’t care much for the explicit sex scenes between Sandy and Greg, maybe because I never really got into their characters. Some of the scenes between Blake and Erin were definitely smoking hot, though the rest left a lot to be desired. There is only so much smut a girl can read before it gets to be repetitive.

I enjoyed Blake and Erin’s story though not as much as I hoped I would. Erin’s son Timmy and the way he heroically suffered the rigorous treatments he has to undergo throughout won my heart over and over again. I could definitely use some of his courage over here in the real world!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

goodread

 

Review: The Morning After by J.K. Coi

Format: E-bookmorning after
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Ellora’s Cave Quickies
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Leo
Heroine: Leslie
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: January 12, 2010
Started On: September 4, 2010
Finished On: September 4, 2010

I usually refrain from reading Quickies because even though most of the time these quite short stories do pack a good punch, in the end I feel sort of cheated out because the story would have been wonderful if the character development had been more and the story just a teeny tiny wee bit longer! Even then, its always a delight now and again to read a good Quickie romance from Ellora’s Cave. When I came across this title, thanks to Pearl whom I follow on Twitter as well as on Goodreads, I knew with the 5 star ratings that this book had received already that it should be one hell of a read even for a Quickie and I must say I wasn’t disappointed.

The book comprising of just about 50 plus pages start off when Leslie wakes up after her worst hangover to find herself in bed with the last person she thought she would end up with – her husband Leo from whom she was in the process of getting divorced.

Leslie had grown up rich and pampered with her father Rick Jordan being a successful lawyer with his own law firm Jordan, Maxwell, Palmer. When Leslie had met Leo who is described as to have been a bad boy (which I would have loved to read more about!) her father had never taken to the idea of them getting together. Nevertheless, Leo and Leslie had been married for 7 years and they had been blissfully happy until it had all come crashing down.

Leo owns his own agency catering to movie stars, authors etc. When one of his clients had shot into stardom overnight, so did his business right alongside with it. For the first time since he married the love of his life whom he loved and adored with every fiber of his being, he was able to pamper her with all the luxuries that she had grown up with. But the demands on his time had been relentless from then onwards.

With the type of business that Leo has, it is inevitable that entertaining till the wee hours of the night goes with the territory. With Leslie being agoraphobic, she was ashamed of the fact that Leo had to leave her alone to do his business wining and dining most of the nights, but when evidence to the contrary surfaces, Leslie is forced to acknowledge that her cheating no good of a husband had lied to her in the end.

Without giving Leo a chance to explain, Leslie had thrown him out of their home and had her father run interference. For two whole months Leslie had been miserable in the knowledge that Leo had broken her heart. With her father dropping hints that he would like nothing better if Leslie moved on with David, her divorce lawyer who was the newest junior partner at his firm, Leslie had been scheduled to meet him at the night club into which her gorgeous husband had walked in with a platinum blond on his arm.

Leo had rescued her from inevitable disaster when the guy she had been flirting outrageously with had spiked her drink. Now lying in bed the morning after with her body yearning for her husband’s touch with Leo pulling all the dirty tricks up his sleeve to entice her back into his arms, the morning ends with one inevitable conclusion.

Even then, Leslie refuses to give Leo a chance to explain nor does she tell him why she left him in the first place. But Leo is relentless in his desire to find out and win her back and in the end, when Leslie does show him the evidence of his betrayal, a videotape of him having sex with his latest client, Leo’s explanation restores her faith back in the man who is her soul mate.

A story that is a quick and hot read that left me breathless at times, J.K. Coi should write more contemporary romances, albeit a little longer ones that we can sink our teeth into. A story with the underlying message that communication lines between partners should always be open, this is one Quickie all erotica contemporary lovers MUST read!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Ellora’s Cave

fantasticread

 

Review: Never As It Seems by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book
Read with: Kindle For PC
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Leo Gray
Heroine: Chloe Parkins
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: June 23, 2010
Started On: June 24, 2010
Finished On: June 24, 2010

Never as it seems is the story of psychic Chloe Parkins and straitlaced Leo Gray who sees the world in terms of black and white with no shades of gray in it. Chloe and Leo had been involved in a heady affair/relationship when Chloe had dumped on Leo the news that she was psychic. Leo had been incensed at the thought that Chloe was stringing him along and lying to him and was a no good charlatan out for the reward offered for the case that Leo had been working on at that time.

Three years has passed on by since Leo had walked out on Chloe. Three heartbreaking lonely years for the both of them until Chloe’s life is in danger and Leo gets to be the one to protect Chloe. The intense awareness that leaps up right from the start is something that cannot be ignored and before long Chloe gives into the intense passion that Leo seemed to be able to rouse in her so effortlessly. Though Chloe knows that there is no future for them unless Leo learns to accept and respect her gift, it is harder than she ever thought to say no to what Leo offers her.

This story contains the trademark Shiloh Walker intensity, but I felt cheated out because this story is so short. This could have been a really great story with more depth into the case which had Chloe running for her life and more character development to give us glimpses of Chloe’s and Leo’s past together. Both are likable characters but I really wish Ms. Walker could have made this story just a little bit longer.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Ellora’s Cave

goodread

 

Review: Waiting for it by Rhyannon Byrd

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Jake Farrel
Heroine: Taylor Moore
Sensuality: 5
Date of Publication: March 31, 2004
Started On: May 28, 2010
Finished On: May 29, 2010

I picked this book up because I always love a romance that tells the story of two characters who have a shared past history together. This novel is about Jake and Taylor who both met one another during their high schooling years when Taylor moved to Jake’s town.

From the first moment Jake and Taylor laid eyes on each other it changed their worlds. However, Jake’s best friend Mitch had worked towards creating enough misunderstanding between the two that Jake leaves town without once looking back at the heartbroken Taylor he leaves behind.

Life moves on and Taylor marries Mitch, who makes for a miserable husband all through. Mitch sleeps around on Taylor, a fact that she knows though she never thinks of leaving him until she walks in to find Mitch in bed with the town whore which finally propels her to leave Mitch after 10 years of miserable existence with him.

A year later, Jake returns claiming that he has always loved Taylor and that he has waited around all these years till Taylor could be his. Though Taylor loves Jake to distraction, she is not ready to trust Jake with her heart though she is more than willing to trust him with her body for the multitudes of raunchy rides Jake takes her on. The whole book is basically porn, most of the pages which I skipped through cause too much of anything gets to be tiring.

I skimmed through more than 90% of the book to unravel the actual story behind, a story that appealed to me and would have made for a better read if the emotional and background development of the characters had been given more depth rather than just focusing on the whole sexual aspect of the story.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | Jasmine Jade

mediocreread

 

Review: The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Nick Anderson
Heroine: Alix French
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: May 12, 2005
Started On: April 24, 2010
Finished On: April 25, 2010

This is one of the best love stories I have come across. Though narrated in the first person which I dislike mostly, Ms. Katherine has done a wonderful job in creating characters that will stay with you for a long time once you are done with the story.

Once I started reading Alix and Nick’s story I couldn’t for the life of me put it down till I really had to go to sleep since I had work the next morning. I am glad now that I took the recommendation to heed and read this book which I would recommend for even non-romance readers to take a look at. Yes, its worth every second you spend reading the book!

Alix comes from old wealth and abundance of family love. Whilst her father was non-existent when Alix was growing up, she had never felt the lack of fatherly love since her grandpa known as Judge fulfilled that role quite adequately. Been on the receiving end of motherly love from her mother and two sisters who never got married and still lived with their father (Judge) this is as good as family life gets. Nick comes from the wrong side of town. With a drunken father who beats the crap out of him whenever he can, Nick is a defiant little boy of ten when eight year old Alix takes into her head to rescue him.

From then on these two are inseparable bound by ties that go beyond normal friendship. However Nick’s steadfast protection of Lindsay, a girl from the wrong side of town as well keeps these two from fulfilling the destiny of belonging to one another. Now fifteen years later, Alix is is finalizing her divorce from Hugh whom she married once Nick left town with a murder charge on his back and is a woman with a tough wall around her heart after her and Nick’s daughter Katie died from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

All of a sudden Nick is back in town with his son Daniel who looks so much like Katie that the armor that Alix has put up all these years starts to fall apart one by one. However the truth of what actually took place that fateful night 15 years back is what would make or break these two people who are destined to be together if they can both forgive, heal and move on.

Wonderfully moving story that clutches at your heart. Loved it from the beginning till end!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

outstandingread

 

Review: Coming In Last by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Sensuality: 4
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Jamie McAdams
Heroine: Andi Morrow
Date of Publication: July 30, 2006
Started On: February 24, 2010
Finished On: February 25, 2010

Andi grew up in foster homes and other such state child care centers ever since she was abandoned by her parents when she was 5 years old. Growing up, Andi learnt the tough lesson of never relying on anyone but herself to see things through. Now a nurse working at the day care at a private firm, Andi is also an author of romance novels though no one knows about this secret career of hers.

Jamie is a private investigator whose godfather Jeb is one of the president’s of the firm at which Andi works. Jeb hires Jamie and his partner Mick to find out who has been embezzling money from the company. At first with the help of Art Letcher the money guy of the company, all clues point towards Andi been the one who had stolen money. But as Jamie and Mick dig a little further, they realize that Andi is innocent and that the real thief was doing a good job of framing an innocent whilst he/she was going to get away with more money than that had initially been identified as stolen.

Without Andi’s knowledge and Jamie’s heartfelt disapproval, Mick hatches a plan to catch the real thief by using Andi as bait. However, Jamie feels like a heel because he has fallen in love with Andi and he knows that Andi is the woman that he has been waiting for all his life. Andi too feels the intense connection and its not long before these two hits the sheets and burn their way through them with the intense passion and heat these two generate.

But once Andi finds out the extent of Mick’s and Jamie’s plans, Jamie’s worst nightmare comes true when Andi wants nothing to do with him. But in the end, everything works out and the bad guy is caught, and Jamie and Andi gets the happy ending they both deserved.

Not one of Walker’s greatest stories but enjoyed it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

satisfactoryread

 

Review: Midnight Angel by Lisa Marie Rice

Format: E-Book
Read with: Microsoft Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Midnight, Book 3
Sensuality: 4
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Hero: Douglas Kowalski
Heroine:  Allegra Ennis
Date of Publication: August 17, 2007
Started On: January 26, 2010
Finished On: January 27, 2010

Lisa Marie Rice writes wonderful stories with strong alpha heroes that fall so deeply in love with the heroine that it moves the reader deeply. This book is in no way an exception to the rule.

Where Allegra Ennis is beautiful, cultured and talented, Douglas is a former SEAL, tough as nails and scarred from his various battles for his country. As much as people are drawn to Allegra and her beauty and her amazing music, people tend to stay away from Douglas and look the other way and walk away rather than be in his presence. Which has suited Douglas just fine until he first hears the haunting notes of beautiful music that Allegra makes.

Allegra has known her fair share of grief and sorrow. With a talent that could have taken her places in the world, all of it was destroyed in one night when her father was brutally murdered and Allegra beaten so much that she was rendered blind with her memory blocked of the events that took place that night so that her father’s murderer got away on an insanity plea and landed up in a psychiatric institution for the rich.

From the harrowing first moments during which Allegra and Douglas bond, over to the way in which these two souls find the one thing they have both been yearning for in each other, this read is at times sweet, hot and thrilling at the same time. Allegra’s father’s murderer puts his final plan in motion to kill and eliminate Allegra once and for all, and its Douglas who literally moves heaven and earth to keep his precious Allegra safe.

A good read, recommended for those who love romances with a bit of a thriller in the mix.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

greatread

 

Review: Hold by Zannie Adams

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Sensuality: 3.5
Hero: Cain
Heroine:  Riana
Date of Publication:  November 2, 2007
Started On: January 18, 2010
Finished On: January 18, 2010

I usually don’t read romance of the futuristic genre or those of the fantasy genre. However this read was quite okay considering the fact I rarely foray into reading such genres.

The time period in which this story takes place is unknown. However it is a time in which all inhabited planets are ruled by a group called the Coalition, which I took to mean that maybe a group representing all planets had got together to maintain law and order amongst the galaxies.

The Hold is a prison that is maintained by this Coalition. Although the sentences passed out by the said Coalition is swift, it is hardly fair or rather harsh life imprisonment sentences are passed out, even to those who are undeserving of such a sentence at a time where capital punishment is forbidden. The Hold lies on a planet that is not habitable by humans and thus this prison is built deep within the poisonous waters of the seas that cover the planet Genus 6. Inside the Hold it is each prisoner for him or herself. Rather than cells that hold prisoners, all of them are clumped together in one area and the guards that overlook the prisoners never interfere with what goes on inside the holding mega cell.

Riana, an archaeologist who works at a university on Earth, commits unknowingly the crime of digging in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Hold, and it is the advice of one of the guards there that she scout out the strongest man at the prison and seek protection with him from the rest by giving herself unto him.

It is during Riana’s introductory ‘tour’ of the Hold that she sees Cain, a prisoner who keeps to himself and is the only one who has a cell in the mega cell that holds all the prisoners. Cain rescues Riana just in time from the other lecherous prisoners and in due turn, Riana gives herself completely to this fierce and rather intimidating prisoner who slowly manages to get into Riana’s heart.

Although I do not agree with all the concepts outlined in this novel, I can relate to giving yourself up if your survival depended on it. Like all novels written by Zannie Adams, this too is a well written novel, easy to read with a high dose of sensuality to it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

goodread