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What do you do if you’re guilty of a crime, but not the one for which you’ve been convicted? Aric kan Ingan is a Non-Person, an Exile, stripped of title and citizenship for treason against the Arcanian Empire, a crime of which he is innocent. Caught in the intrigues of a secret society determined to overthrow his uncle’s rule, Aric is accused and arrested, then compelled to watch the evidence saving him destroyed when the rebels threaten to reveal his affair with his uncle’s Terran wife. Under a sentence of Civil Death, he wanders a lonely decade while his uncle withholds clemency, until at last, destitute and addicted to the two most powerful substances in the Galaxy, he enlists as a guard for a Terran mining colony. There, he meets Susan Moran, TerraFormation’s company doctor, a beautiful woman with secrets of her own, and Miles Sheffield, his former mistress’s younger brother, a brash young Terran eventually becoming Aric’s best friend. Now and in years to come, these two will be a special part of Aric’s life, forging a destiny affecting the future of an entire planet.

329 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2012

2 people want to read

About the author

Toni V. Sweeney

92 books45 followers
Toni V. Sweeney a.k.a. T.S. Snow and Savannah Scarborough

Toni V. Sweeney specializes in SF/fantasy stories, though she has written in other genres as well.

Her western novels NEBRASKA: Walk the Shadow Trail placed 1st in Historical Romance at the 2015 Paranormal Guild's Reviewers Choice awards and 2nd in Other Novels at the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; NEBRASKA: Vengeance from Eden was a Top 10 finisher in the 2014 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. She also placed in the Top 10 Authors for 2015 from that same poll.

In 2014, TUESDAY'S CHILD (by Icy Snow Blackstone) won 1st in Contemporary Romance at the Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice awards.

THE EARTHMAN'S BRIDE (writing as Icy Snow Blackstone), re-released by Class Act Books in May, 2012, placed first in Alternate Romance/SF Division in the Maryland Romance Writer's Contest "Reveal Your Inner Vixen in 2008. JERICHO ROAD (also authored as Icy Snow Blackstone), placed 7th in the National Writers Association's Novel Contest in 1997.

Under her own name, Toni writes SciFi/fantasy and space opera and the occasional horror and romance novel. Writing as Icy Snow Blackstone, she authors romance novels. She is currently promotion manager for Class Act Books. She has reviewed books for 2 Lips reviews and at present is on the review staff of the New York Journal of Books and the Paranormal Romance Guild. She was recently named a professional reader by netgalley.com.
Her trailers are featured on Youtube.com.

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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805 reviews18 followers
May 19, 2012
This is Book #2 of the kan Ingan series and Toni V Sweeney has certainly kicked this series up a notch. I do not want to give any spoilers away. Book #1: Sinner’s plot was of Deroes kan Ingan the Margrave of the planet Archanis marrying Elizabeth Sheffield. It is well over centuries past our calendar, and Earth is known as Terra, and space travel exists for average people all over the galaxies.

Aric, nephew to Deros, had been named heir to the throne at the early age of 12. Imagine his shock and chagrin when his middle aged Uncle falls in ‘love’ and decides to marry a Milky. This is a name they use for Terrans because they are part of the Milky Way. Archanis still uses the caste system to keep the kan Ingran blood pure. Certainly the Elders who are the advisors of the Margrave, will frown upon the marriage and the possibility of an heir to come from this marriage. What will they do to stop this?

Aric is spoiled, self possessed, and outspoken about the pure bloodline and his fall from the throne. As wife of the Margrave, Elizabeth as the Margravine will rule and any children will be heirs. Since Aric was pulled from his mother’s arms and home to be counseled by the Elders as Heir, he is very outspoken in his preservation of the 3000 yr bloodline, so it seems strange and yet almost quite natural that these two young people (as the Margrave is considerably older) to fall in love.

The result of false allegations, Aric is exiled rather than killed when his Uncle thinks he is in charge of an insurrection against him. Though this is untrue, he has no proof to refute it, the proof being burned in front of his eyes. To lose his homeland is the worst kind of punishment for him. Aric goes before the priests and takes a vow of poverty and chastity hoping one day he will be called home and forgiven. Aric is not used to being considered a non-person, and it is painful for him to leave his beloved planet.

In Exile, we watch Aric grow. He has not quite gotten over the fact that he is away from his beautiful homeland and he roams the planets numbly for a time. We meet him unkempt and walking through streets where he meets Jadeen a transvestite. Still, Aric’s soft heart shows through and he gives Jadeen his last coins. In turn a few days later Jadeen returns the favor by giving him a place to stay until the shuttle takes off in the morning.

Aric has taken a new position as a guard, on a Terran mining colony signing on for 5 years. Aric is hired because of his abilities to handle a Hover craft and handle himself with a gun, to fly Dr Susan Moran head of the medical facility on the planet to patients in the area.

There are two nurses at the infirmary who after seeing tall, dark, handsome Aric, tease him incessantly, wanting him to break his celibacy rule. The good Doctor is also attracted, but will try to keep their relationship on a business level. Aric is adamant about his vows, thinking keeping them will get him back to his beloved planet Archanis. But the laws of attraction prevail and heat up our story.

Aric’s new roommate, a surprise addition, is none other than a Milky named Miles... who is Miles Sheffield... Elizabeth’s younger brother. What a web Ms Sweeney has woven.

This book is almost better than the first. World building in a first is always a harder book to love, but this one really blew me away!! Aric is the bomb in this story. Exquisitely written by Ms Sweeney, as she slowly peels off the layers and Aric slowly understands life and himself. The job he signed up for was a 5 year term, so we spend the next five years watching Aric grow. During this time he discovers all he believed may not be quite right, and it is joyous to see him doubt and grow into a better man. But what he truly knows is that he cannot be whole and lead a whole life until he goes back to his home planet and either faces death or redemption.

Oh Ms Sweeney, what a bitter pill to swallow when we thought he could be happy and remain where he was. But I have accepted that he has to do this, and I humbly await your next book in this series to read, Book #3, which comes out in June.

Any reader who loves a mystery check, a love story check, space flights and bloody fighting check, heroes bigger than life check, and a wicked queen... You have it all!



Review by Gloria Lakritz

Sr Reviewer and Review Chair of the Paranormal Romance Guild
253 reviews10 followers
May 20, 2012
In the first book of the Kan Ingan Archives, Sinner, we were left with Aric kan Ingan having been sentenced to Exile from his beloved planet, Arcanis for treason. In the last scene of the book, we see Aric taking his vows as a non-person, vowing to spend his life in chastity, poverty and personal deprivation until he is forgiven by the both the AllFather and his uncle Deroes, and allowed to return to Arcanis. Exile begins ten years later on the recreation planet of Syriakis where Aric has landed.

Life has been difficult for Aric, accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he has become addicted to both nicotine and caffeine, both of which are illegal. He has acquired a pet guardian spider, Niki, who has become his only companion in his exile. While on the planet of Syriakis Aric gets a job as a pilot for a Terran mining colony on the planet of Pyras. Before leaving Syriakis, Aric will meet prostitutes (both male and female), Christian ministers and even a little thief, all of whom will play a part in life on Pyras.

On Pyras, Aric learns he will work as pilot and guard for the resident doctor Susan Moran, flying her to the outposts and doing odd jobs for her around the clinic. Aric also learns he will have a roommate, and imagine his surprise when he meets him, to discover that his roommate is none other than his Uncle Deroes’ wife (and Aric’s lover) Elizabeth’s brother Miles. Aric and Miles get off to a rocky start, but eventually forge a bond that is much closer than friendship and that will be tested time and again.

Ms. Sweeney is one of those talented author’s that writes in multiple genres and always manages to give the reader a story to keep them right on the edge of their seats the entire time they are reading. Sometimes the second book in a series doesn’t live up to the standards of the first book, or is just written as a bridge between the first and third books. Not so in the case of Exile, in my humble opinion this book exceeded the first by leaps and bounds. I liked Sinner, I loved Exile. Aric has grown out of his self-absorbed narcissism into a humble, kind, and caring man. I was conflicted with him in Sinner, not so in Exile, I fell in love with him and wanted him to have a happy ending.

The core set of characters Aric interacts with are a rich and varied group of people. Dr. Moran is a strong woman, she has been hurt in the past but there is something about Aric that she finds intriguing. She is a champion for him, and he couldn’t have asked for a better employer and friend. Her two assistants, Lindy and Karen, give us many moments of comic relief with their antics of trying to seduce Aric and introducing him to Terran customs. Miles is not the most likeable person in the beginning, but he does grow on Aric and the reader as the story progresses.

This book had everything the reader could possibly ask for in a story. I shed more than one tear, I laughed out loud, I worried, and I cheered and in the end was completely satisfied. One warning, there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book. I’m not a fan but it was necessary and so I forgive Ms. Sweeney and can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens. There is some violence, some sex, and some drugs and let’s go for it, some rock and roll. All work well in the story and none are offensive.

You don’t have to have read Sinner to enjoy this book, but it certainly would help, so you know exactly where Aric is coming from. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance, a good science fiction story or just a plain ole good read chock full of scary monsters, cute kids, hunky men and sexy doctors.


Reviewed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team

102 reviews2 followers
November 27, 2012
Aric has been exiled and has been a non-person for ten years. He took a vow to refrain from any luxuries including sex and has been wandering from planet to planet working to be able to have shelter and food. He has fallen into a drug dependency, nicotine and coffee both items that have been outlawed. He dreams of one day returning to his homeland and refuses to believe that it won't happen.

When he finds work with a Terran company he meets a woman that will change everything. Susan, a doctor entices him but will he renounce his vows for her? His job is for a period of five years, can he keep denying himself? Of course, the saying it is a small world couldn't be truer than in this story when Aric's roommate turns out to be none other than the Margravine Elizabeth's brother. What begins with a fight turns out to become a friendship bordering on brothers.

I loved Sinner the first book about Aric and how he came to be exiled, but this book shows a whole new side to him that I loved even more, if that is at all possible.

What choice does Aric make? What has happened on Arcanis? Can he ever hope to be forgiven by his uncle Deroes? He was guilty of the crime of adultery but not of the crime he was exiled for which was treason. If he returns home can he prove his innocence?

This series should be read in order, but that is okay since each book gets better and better and you shouldn't miss any.
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