In rescuing an innocent from unlawful arrest, Reed Caraway becomes the unwitting recipient of one man’s gratitude—and of his talents between the sheets.
Reed Caraway is a brawler, gambler and all-round persona non grata in the mountainous village of Alliance. Enlisted by force into the much-detested Order, he is accustomed to being despised. Yet when an act of kindness is repaid with an invitation to a stranger’s house, Reed thinks his luck may be changing.
Valentine Waters knows how men like Reed operate. He also knows that compassion doesn’t come without cost. He intends to repay Reed’s with his body, the only way he knows how, not anticipating that the soldier will prove a generous lover or that Valentine may want to see him again. As their carnal relationship turns into an intricate tangle of deep longing and scorching hot trysts, the most powerful man in the land recalls Valentine to the capital.
A more honourable position at court is well within Valentine’s reach, if only he can turn his back on Alliance and Reed. Faced with impossible odds, the foundation of their clandestine affair begins to quake, imperilling not only Valentine’s future but also his life.
Helena Maeve
Helena Maeve has always been globe trotter with a fondness for adventure, but only recently has she started putting to paper the many stories she's collected in her excursions. When she isn't writing erotic romance novels, she can usually be found in an airport or on a plane, furiously penning in her trusty little notebook.
Upon starting this book, I was expecting something sci-fi, post apocalyptical-ish from the cover and title; however the blurb sounded medieval or historic. I was a confused. (Side note: the publisher has it listed as Sci-fi but there were no Sci-fi elements.) Then I found the blurb to be a little misleading in its statements – while technically true, events play out with a different tone than implied. As well, it is unclear as to where this book is set, whether it is our reality but in the future or some other post-apocalyptic alternate universe. We get the feeling we should be against the Order and the current ruling government but are never really given a reason why.
However, if we just focus on our main characters, I enjoyed their interaction. I loved seeing Valentine slowly thaw to Reed’s advances. The love scenes were sexy and not overdone. Valentine’s sisters added spice to the story.
I just felt the setting and Valentine’s professional aspect weren’t well developed and so it was hard to feel totally immersed in the story leaving the overall result to fall flat. The story had potential, but lacked the wow factor for me.