Pros: Very strong romance storyline; better-thought-out SF elements than some similar novels
Cons: SF world is flamboyantly operatic
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Expected publication date: 8/4/2009.
Captain Cyani is one of the Azralen Elite, the ruling sisterhood of her planet. She’s also an extremely capable warrior on her last mission before retiring—she must rescue captured soldiers from slavers. Of course, her carefully-laid mission plans go awry when her furry scout companion Vicca discovers, and insists on helping, one extra slave. A slave who belongs to a race Cyani isn’t familiar with, and who’s been horribly abused by his captors.
Soren is Byralen, a member of a highly reclusive race. The males of his species produce a powerful hormone that allows them to bond intensely with their chosen mates, but that hormone is highly prized as a narcotic. The slavers have been using Soren to produce their drugs for years, and his body chemistry is completely thrown as a result. If he doesn’t find a mate soon and restore the balance, he’ll die. If he doesn’t return to his own world, he’ll die. Cyani is determined to make sure he gets there and lives, but she doesn’t know all that it’ll take to succeed in her new mission. Not only is Soren on borrowed time, but he doesn’t know how to find his home planet, and Cyani’s own people will soon be working against her…
