Replicant

The Kithran Regenesis #2

by Dani Worth

When a bounty hunter returns to her destroyed planet on the hunt for an escaped alien, the last thing she expects to find is love.



Jarana Gothbrun is the number one Tracker in the galaxies, famous for tagging Replicants—shape-shifting aliens who can take on humanoid forms once they have someone’s DNA. She has two more Replicants to catch in her current job, ones who escaped from a high-security prison planet. Unfortunately, one of them is currently on her home planet, Kithra. She hasn’t been back since a Replicant kidnapped her and took her off planet prior to its destruction.

Maska is engaged to Erik, who has no idea the love of his life is an escaped prisoner. Or male. When Jarana uses an untested device to force Maska’s shift to his native form, it puts him in danger and pisses off everyone on the planet. Her plan to fly in and out with her prisoner is put on hold as she has to deal with the people who’ve come to love Maska. Not to mention her own grief at the destruction of Kithra…and everyone she loved.



Contains an angsty and sexy gender-bending alien, a confused, angsty and sexy human and an angsty too-tough heroine. Lots of sexy loving and oh, did I mention the ANGST?

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Menage, M M F, Erotica, Aliens, Space Opera

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2012

About the author

I had two erotic series with Samhain Publishing. I've since received my rights back with the closing of the publisher and will soon put these back out in boxed sets on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. They will be under Rinda Elliott, writing as Dani Worth. All of my work is now under Rinda Elliott. I'm currently writing MM romantic suspense with author Jocelynn Drake in the series Unbreakable Bonds and the upcoming Ward Security. Kithran Regenesis and Crux Survivors never picked up a big audience, but if they start to find readers, I will finish both series because I love these worlds quite a bit. Follow me at

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

The Kithran Regenesis is erotic space opera, mostly menage. The story grew, so while the first two are novellas, the third is longer and the fourth even more so. ORIGIN is a full length erotic menage romance. Crux Survivors is erotic post-apocalyptic, some menage and some not. I love to explore the boundaries of new worlds, love, desire or anything else that strikes my fancy. Good stories make life fun. Some of my stories will have pairs and some will have three–Love is Love. :)

I’ve lived in some crazy places but currently reside in Oklahoma and I’m represented by Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Agency.

Contact me at rindaelliott@gmail.com

Reviews

[Exina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"...for some reason these two were getting to me. And one of them wasn’t even awake."

In Replicant, book 2 of The Kithran Regenesis series the reader gets more detailed information about the planet Kithra. It’s essential to understand the agonizing pain and grief of Jarana upon the loss of her home and family.

Featuring secondary characters here (not only the three main characters like in the first book Kithra) is another positive thing. I really enjoyed the common past they shared.

The story
Jarana is a Tracker, hunting down Replicants (shape-shifting aliens) over galaxies. Her current prey is on her home planet, Kithra. It is very hard for her to return, since all of her family died due to the explosions on the planet years ago.

I should have died with my people. All I had now was the joy of the hunt.

Bombarded by pain, grief and all of her memories, she seeks some distraction. When she meets Erik, she feels an immediate lust for him. He feels the same, but he is engaged, so he rejects Jarana.

It soon comes to light that Erik’s fiancée, Maska, is the Replicant Jarana is looking for, and with the deep attraction for each other, things become very complicated for all of them.

The first half of the story is pretty slow, but from the revealing of Maska’s identity the events speed up. Actually speed up too much. Generally, I don’t like first person viewpoint, because usually it can’t give a complete impression of all the characters and the story. I really wanted to know what caused the change of Erik’s behavior and attitude toward Jarana besides caving in to sexual attraction.
It is the same question in the case of Maska as well.

I loved the unique turn of the gender change of Maska, since I haven’t read the blurb before reading (it's in the blurb!!! but why??? it's huge!!), I was truly surprised. It gave a nice conflict to the relationship of Erik and Maska.

Characters
Jarana. Though I really sympathized with her, I didn’t like her. In her attitude, way of thinking she seems to be tough, but actually she is pretty insecure. And I can’t see the point of leaving the planet and the two men of hers either. Okay, she was scared, but it was much more like running away from her problems.

Erik and Maska. I would love to know more about them.

Erotica. Enthralling, intimate, very romantic.

I closed my eyes and luxuriated in the feel of them against me. Erik’s skin was hot beneath my body, and Maska had lifted one leg to slide it between ours. If I held my breath, I could almost hear the sounds of our hearts beating.

All in all
Replicant is a very original story, with interesting and beautiful scenery and culture. But the depiction of the characters and their motivations are superficial.

[Chappy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and this was even better than the first book.

There is just something about M/M/F romances that just turn my crank.

Jarana is pretty cold at first as she's never dealt with the destruction of her world (Kithra) or the death of her whole family. It didn't help matters that she was kidnapped and almost sold into slavery.

She's become a ruthless "tracker" who hunts down escaped criminals. Her biggest challenges are finding the Replicants as they are a species that can literally transform into other beings. Her latest quarry brings her to her devastated home world where she is forced to confront her past.

One thing she can't fight is the super hot chemistry between her, Erik and Maska...

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just WOW! What a great book. I really liked the first one - Kithra - but this one was even better. I loved the replicant. What a great opportunity for lots and lots of naughtiness in the future. Wouldn't it be great to be able to switch from male to female? I know I often wonder what it feels like to be a man during sex and I just smile thinking about all the possibilities Ms Worth has opened up with this character.

If you liked Kithra, you'll love this one!

[E_bookpushers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting series. The variety of humanoid life not to mention the mystery behind why the planet (Kithra) experienced it's sudden traumatic event. All of the characters are dealing with a painful past life event that colors all that they do. As part of entering into their HEA that past has to be dealt with. I also enjoy the description of the planet and what it used to provide. I am looking forward to more in this series.

[Jeffe Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific series! Really hit my sweet spot for strong worldbuiling, a compelling overall story arc, swoony romance and steamy sex. These are all M/M/F menage stories and really worked for me in a way few polyamorous romances do. Very much recommend!

[Lynelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jarana was born on the planet of Kithra but was captured by a slave ship run by Replicants and while held captive, there was an explosion on her planet that killed her whole family. Seven years later, she is a hardened woman and is working as a Tracker to hunt down escaped prisoners, mainly Replicants. When one of her jobs sends her back to Kithra, she runs into some people from her past, Lux and Egan from the first book Kithra. Jarana ends up hitching a ride to Kithra with Lux and her crew where she encounters Erik whom she feels a powerful pull to and tries to come on to, but he refuses her because he’s in a committed relationship.

Upon arriving to Kithra, Jarana encounters Maska, Erik’s fiancé, and can tell right away that she is not who she appears to be and reveals her to be a Replicant (male), as they can change shape. This causes a lot of conflict between Jarana and the others she’s currently living with on the plant, not to mention a lot of confusion for Erik. As Jarana spends more time on Kithra, she becomes more vulnerable and less numb of feelings as memories of her lost family resurface. As she’s drawn to Erik, she also finds herself drawn to Maska, and as she feels as she’s the one who messed up their relationship she tries to help them put it back together.

I enjoyed this story and the struggles that Jarana, Maska, and Erik have to overcome in order to find happiness and security in their relationships. Jarana has the most to overcome, and she’s able to learn from her past and work to make things right, at least what’s in her power to do. I enjoyed getting to see the characters from the previous book in this story and how they had a significant part in it instead of just seeing glimpses of them. It had been a while since I had read Kithra that it took me a little bit to remember what was going on in this world, but then it all came flooding back after I got a good start in Replicant. I recommend this series to those who enjoy Sci-Fi, an emotional story, happy endings, and steamy scenes ;)

[Daisy Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I'm LOVING this series! Dani Worth is a new author to me and this series is wonderful! While it's not a terribly long book, it's packed with emotion and a little bit of angst and lots of hot sex!

Janara is a tracker hunting down a replicant who escaped from prison. She tracks him back to her home planet Kithra. Kithra was destroyed years ago in an explosion and she lost her entire family. When finds the replicant and forces her/him to change to his normal form, we find out she is a he and he's in a relationship with hot Erik. Erik is stunned!

But the twists don't stop there. We don't find out all the nitty gritty details until the end. Will Janara return the replicant to prison? Will she fall in love with him? Will she fall in love with Erik? Will she stay on Kithra?

I loved this story. It's so full of twists and turns and made me cry! I felt so bad for all of them. They're all in an awful situation and trying to make the best of it.

Dani Worth did an amazing job of packing so much emotion into this story and making me feel for all of them. It's amazing!

I received a copy of this book from the author.

[R *is for Relentless* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scifi/MMF menage with a gender bending alien! My only complaint- it was to short! Although I guess thats a good thing since I read it all in one sitting and stayed up to late on a work night! :D This is the sequel to ,which I also enjoyed. I would love these to be full length novels with the worlds and aliens totally fleshed out. However, with just a little under 100 pages, the author has done a great job developing the characters and making me really care about what happens to them in a short period of time. She has painted a great picture of the world they are on too. We also get to revisit characters from the first book in the series. As a sci-fi geek- that this all happens on an alien world with some rockin hot sex scenes makes this book a win for me! I can't wait for the next in the series :D

[Sara Saint John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Dani Worth's previous novella Kithra touched my heart and made it pound. I'm pleased to say Dani has done it again with Replicant. Believable, sympathetic characters, strong emotion and passion combine to make a great novella. Replicant's heroine Jarana is thoroughly relatable. Heroes Maska and Erik are realistic and very male. Wonderful story! Dani even made me cry. :)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

SciFi, Erotic & Menage.
Jarana is a bounty hunter who returns to her old home planet to collect a Replicant, but she encounters a lot more obstacles than she bargained for. Smexin, angst and i´ve got to read the first book in this series, Dani Worth is a new author to me, that i want to read more from.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very hot and spicy short sci-fi story. I loved that we see the characters continuing over from Kithra, as well.
So fiery, emotional, heartbreaking...oh and lets not forget sexy as hell!

[♂♀♂ Mary's Menage Reviews ♂♂♀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 2 of the Kithran series. I am totally hooked with this series and I recommend it highly!

to read my full review: http://marywhispers.blog.com/?p=930

[Poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this story!

[Angela Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its easy to fall in love with these 3..they are perfect together.

[Kim Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish the falling part had been longer. No getting to know you or real explanation for the insta-compatibility. I almost skipped this one because of the description but I liked it better than the first book. Everyone being against her in favor of someone who’d been lying to them was bizarre. Then they expected her to tell the, about herself and her trauma. Yeah, no. F off with that. Great female lead character. The guys less so, as there’s no real shift from loving the replicant as a woman to loving the replicant as who he actually is. No epilogue, but no lead in to the next book which I appreciate. Hate that kind of advertising.

[Jeanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for GR Science Fiction & Fantasy Week.
MMF
Another great short. We learn more about the world in this story.

[Heller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

While this story worked for me I had some issues with the gender bending alien which is usually a concept I love reading about. I know the focus of the story was more on Jarana and her issues but I just felt that due to that focus the relationship of Eric and Maska didn't have the depth I was hoping to read about.

Here we have a man and woman in a relationship and in the blink of an eye the woman becomes a man. Fascinating! I just felt that the dynamics of that relationship and Eric's response to it didn't get enough airplay. Eric out of all the characters was more a mystery to me and while he seemed to be the one easiest able to deal with the changes around him, I wished we could have had more drama on his part. Maybe drama isn't the best word but I really wanted to delve more into his feelings regarding Maska's change and how that influenced their relationship.

I think for me it's because the Eric and Maska/woman relationship takes place off page. I almost wish that the change hadn't happened so quickly, that we could have seen Maska as a woman interact with both Eric and Jarana. It would have given me more of a background to work with and given Eric's interactions with her/him more poignancy and depth.

There is still a lot of intensity here and the change is addressed while both men work to find a new balance in their relationship. Worth writes menages so well which is a treat.

This is a great addition to the Kithran series. Lots of angst here but wonderful interactions between the characters and some great cameos by the from the previous book.

[Heather in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good, solid story from Ms. Worth. In this one, we have Jarana, a Gwinarian who is now a bounty hunter after her world had been destroyed. She also happens to be the Gwinarian who Lux from the first book fooled around with in college. Jarana is hunting a Replicant -- a shapeshifter -- who escaped from a penal colony. She meets Erik, a human, and she's extremely attracted to him, and he to her, but he's committed to Maska, his fiancee. Who turns out to be the Replicant Jarana is hunting. In female form. And Erik had no idea Maska was a shapeshifter OR male. So there's some coming to grips with that whole thing. Plus the brewing tension between Jarana and Erik. And then the brewing attraction between Jarana and Maska. And then Jarana sort of acting as a bridge to bring Maska and Erik back together, which proves to be more than any of them would have guessed. But of course, it can't be all tied up and neat... Jarana is still supposed to bring Maska back, and when she realizes who he really is and how he became a prisoner, she knows she has to right a wrong. Plus, she doesn't think she should be part of what Erik and Maska have.

It all works out, and there's lots of sexiness along the way. There's allusion to Maska and Erik being together, but as readers, we don't get to witness it. The sexy times pretty much have Jarana as the central figure, being pleasured by her men. Though the men do touch and kiss quite a bit.

Like I said, another solid story... I look forward to more in the series.

[Wicked Nyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry into the Kitran Regenesis series by Ms. Worth.

I loved Jarana and found myself empathizing with everything she went through and how she had to deal with the aftermath. Broken and lonely don't even begin to describe Jarana's psyche and the trauma she has gone through.

The connection between Maska, Erik and Jarana is fast, intense and believable. Usually the instant connection between main characters feels forced to me, or fake, but Ms Worth does a great job of making it feel right and appropriate to the situation and the characters involved.

The world building hit lots of high notes for me, blending with the first book to continue to flesh out this fascinating new world we have been introduced to. I am very much looking forward to reading the third in the series - Catalyst

[namericanwordcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second in this series is compelling and sexy. You can't help but be moved by each of the three leads internal struggles in this story. Each character was complexly and carefully drawn and the love between them all aching and real. I love this world.

This series manges something very special in that it is erotic but the characters and conflicts are real and gripping without being overly angst based. It is good stuff!

[Steph Goose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Replicant is another short story set on Kithra. The reader is introduced to a new cast of character, while being able to revisit the original cast from Kithra. It's still a loose plot to bridge the space between sex scenes, but it fills in a little more of what the first book was lacking in character and world development.

[Kukko · Rating 4 out of 5]

You should read Book 1 before you read this book.

[Kieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rate this 4.5 rounded down for too short. Really enjoying this series, love menages and sci-fi but the gender bending thrown in was a bonus. Fun and different setting. Will be reading more.

[✿~Danielle~✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jarana Gothbrun, Erik & Maska

3.5 stars

Read May 2014

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