Orol, the Refuge's second-in-command, has been given what he believes is a simple mission — escort two human females to the settlement. The winged warrior arrives at the meeting site to find one of the females missing and the other aiming a gun at his head. To rescue the first, he must capture the second. Once he has Rhea in his talons, however, he realizes he never wants to let her go.
Her enemy. Her captor. Her everything.
Rhea doesn't trust anyone. She certainly doesn't follow commands issued by a gorgeous flying male with glittering eyes, a beautiful face, and a seductive touch. Orol is dominant, edged with darkness, and determined to find her sister. Rhea will do anything to prevent that, even if it means playing sensual games of submission with her powerful enemy, seducing him into forgetting everything except her.
Dark Flight is a STAND-ALONE Alien SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes steamy cyborg and alien romances. Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, on TV, and numerous romance top ten lists.
When she isn't writing, she's traveling the world with her Dear Wonderful Hubby, meeting new people, visiting new places.
Dark Flight is the second installment of the Refuge series, and it didn't disappoint! This book is packed with action, romance, and aliens!
Dark Flight picks up with Orol's story. Orol's mission is to bring Rhea and her sister, Paloma, to the Refuge after they crash land on Carinae E, fleeing from the Alliance.
Rhea is extremely protective of her little sister and determined to save her with or without Orol's help. The two embark on an amazing adventure to save Paloma, discovering love passion along the way.
This book had me on my toes the entire time. I love how strong and committed to saving her sister she is. Orol sooooo hot, (In my mind at least) and extremely loving. He's finally found his mate in Paloma, and will stop at nothing to protect her and help her find her sister.
This is seriously a book that I wish could have been 300+ pages. But still, it was extremely filling and told fabulously.
On the run, Rhea and her sister Paloma are headed to planet Carinae E as instructed by their now deceased parents with the Humanoid Alliance hot on their trail hunting them. Almost reaching the Refuge, Rhea's ship is hit forcing her to make a painful decision knowing, even if she dies, she fulfilled her promise made to keep her sister safe.
Oral, Kralj's right hand man and second in command at the Refuge, has a growing darkness within him that is slowly eating away at his very soul. His only delay, before ultimately succumbing to this darkness, is to periodically give in to the killing craving which he's been able to satisfy by participating in the sporting killing games hosted on the planet at alternating sites.
Thinking to once again attend one of these events, Oral is delayed as Kralj has detected two females headed to the Refuge in distress. Kralj wants to know who they are and what is their intent but is unable to leave forcing Oral to retrieve the women.
Rhea has never trusted anyone and for good reason. The one time she trusted someone she cared about resulted in her parent's execution. Orol's request to now trust him to safeguard her in rescuing her sister will be the ultimate risk as to fail is to lose everything.
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2nd installment in the Refuge series that can be read as a stand alone. Of interest, Rhea & her sister Paloma made a brief appearance in Ghost Of A Machine which is more an Easter Egg sort of things for those who read that story (as I did of course) but it's not in any way a deal breaker not to have read Ghost to appreciate this current story.
There is a catch 22 for any author who starts a series with a bang such as the case in Dark Thoughts. The bar was high (for me) and expectations equally high to continue the series in a similar fashion to compliment the high octane dark themed romance and kick ass action and blood thirsty drama between Kralj & Dita who were the perfect antihero dark couple. Did the author accomplish that? Yes ... and ... No.
Rhea and Orol. Strong female lead character complimented by Alpha domineering male character. Nothing says love more than a female knife gutting her male in an intro meeting exchange of pleasantries. sigh Of course it gets better and better as Rhea continues to seek out Orol's weaknesses in an ongoing attempt to either get him to leave her alone OR kill him. Irony is when the only option available to rescue her sister involves turning the tables as she willingly surrenders total control submitting to Orol. Orol is a modified humanoid who was created to be the ultimate uber warrior killing machine who can't be killed though Rhea might if he fails to get her to realize she's his perfect mate who can save him by loving him. And the race is on ..........
Adult content. Oh ya. Even now as I'm drafting up this review I'm smiling in after glow. Happy that the author further added a BDSM component to the mix though not as inclusive as I would have liked. Scenes do include voyeur/public scenes though the one on one action keeps strictly to m-f in all ways.
Secondary characters. Seriously if Balvin doesn't get his own story sooner than later I'm gonna totally freak out. The problem is that the female who I feel is perfect for him might not be ready (vague non spoiler reference) to embrace his totally unique personality. Please though author could you make this happen?
I am reluctant to mention other secondary characters, well, except for Sparkles who had better be a recurring character, as it might lead potential readers to get a feel over who's in the good guy, bad guy, evil guy, ass wipe guy category. Nope. Need to read the book to form your own opinions and conclusions. Well. Except for sparkles who is definitely my new favorite secondary.
For those who read the previous installment, Kralj & Dita do return for a cameo though I for one wanted more. More interaction and bonding between the four. You cannot just unleash Kralj and then shelve him only to bring him out for show once in a while. Nope. Don't tell me that now he's found his Dita means he's p*ssy whipped and lost all the blood thirsty evil yumminess that I've come to expect. Please don't do that to me......
My issues. World building and action adventure were definite positives. I was able to immerse myself into the pages of this story as events unfolded. An area that was not fleshed out enough for me to grasp was why the Humanoid Alliance had such a hard on to find and/or kill off Rhea & Paloma. It seemed to be a big priority to accomplish this but I failed to understand HOW they continued to locate them over and over again across the vast vast universe. Then. How/why were they able to identify their location and status in current location? One sentence or two might have resolved that for me. A good story such as this needs to have logical follow through and answers to keep credible or it suffers from what I call the Jason Voorhees syndrome (how many times do you think he's been killed only to see him resurrect time and time again).
The other issue I have is lack of follow through for a certain unidentified ass wipe character. Vengeful readers such as myself would have appreciated at the very least an epilogue closing that loop. Perfect opportunity for Kralj to have done his own thing, if nothing else. Regardless. I'm really emotional that this character didn't meet one of my favorite friends: karma. This is the sole reason I went with a 4 star rating.
As a stand alone installment, I do encourage fans of dark themed SciFi erotic romance check this book out. The author is quickly rising on my radar because she has a great grasp of satisfying my love of SciFi, desire for adult content romance, and need for action adventure/mystery-suspense/angst to compliment the plot story line.
My only remaining question is ..... when is the next installment rolling out and what can I do to get my grubby little hands on it sooner than later.
The story of fugitive Rhea and winged fighter Orol. I resisted reading this book for ages because I loved the first so much but I am happy to report this one was almost as good.
Orol was a bit softer than Kralj, but not by much. There is still the same violence to the male character. Orol is another modified humanoid who lives to fight - needs to fight deep in his soul.
Rhea is on the run from the human alliance with her sister and crashes into the planet only to be captured and claimed by Orol.
I loved Rhea as a character. She was powerful and feisty. She wasn’t completely terrified by Orol and even when completely under his control she still exerted independence. I thought they made a great pair.
They basically end up going off to a big fight match with Orol posing as a competitor trying to win Rhea’s sister who was the prize and Rhea masquerading as his slave. Great! I really enjoyed it.
We even got a mini slice of Kralj and Dita. Sigh. I’d have liked a bit more but wouldn’t anyone? I really hope Rhea’s sister Paloma gets a story eventually. I think it would be great if she had a transformation from soft female victim into kick-ass ninja. Now that would be a great book.
OMG that was so hot. This is one great flight into the Refuge. Orol is second in command. He helps protect the Refuge. But he thirst to fly always eat at him. There are two humans out beyond the Refuge that need to be brought in. Rhea and her sister Paloma need to get to the Refuge. The "HA" wants them. Orol finds Rhea and rescues her. He also is never letting her go. She is his mate. But Rhea has trust issues. Her past makes it difficult for her to trust. But she will need to learn to trust Orol if she wants to save her sister.
This book is explosive from the get go. Orol and Rhea burn as hot as Kralj and Dita. We get to hear about some of Orol's past and meet some new friends as well as read more about Rhea and her past. I am so glad that Orol found his mate. From the first book, "Dark Thoughts" I wanted to see him happy. And Rhea being as strong a character as Dita, this adds fun to the Refuge as well.
I look forward to reading about Paloma or even Balvan next. Even bringing our Cyborg boys by would be fun.
When you stop to re-read portions before moving on - you know it's really good! Yes, it's 'dark,' but it is a pleasure to see Orol find the perfect being for him. The one to bring joy to his existence. The one who finds pleasure in his need to control. "She was waging battle on all of his senses, ..." Rhea: she's stubborn, resourceful, determined to attain her goal, secretive, with hidden depths, not confident in her sexuality. But Orol suits her like no other. He's the one being in Rhea's universe that she can trust. What a dangerous situation they're in working to free her sister! One wrong move could end it all! A fantastic ending! Oh, I just love these two together - the way they interpret each other's actions and words. Their excitement over the news. Beings who have always felt alone now have someone trusted and loving to complete them. What an extraordinary adventure!
the overall plot of this story was pretty good however I found the execution was lacking. I had to re read some parts of the book thinking I missed something, only to realize that the writing style was just a bit disjointed. the MCs were also.......mediocre, especially the heroine. the book tells us that she's strong, smart and independent but she acts like a dope in some of the situations. also what's with the term 'ass coverings'? that killed my interest in this book. like wtf? it's a pants right? they have to be talking about pants! at one point I honest to God wondered if maybe it could be a loincloth since it could be unhooked/unclipped.....I could use some clarification on this issue...
I loved this book. A flawed hero with a tortured past. He revels in the fight and kill. But when he finds the one woman meant for him, he will do anything to make her happy, even if that means treating her as a captive. I loved that he understood her needs, even when she did not. He let her be the fighter she is, and he fought for her too. lots of blood in this book, it was awesome. Some heartache too. And I loved the ending. Cannot wait for the next book in the series.
So totally worth the read! I loved Orol and his little warrior mate- When it's against all odds those are my favorite kind of stories and Cynthia Sax does those so well!
There wasn’t enough for me to get over the cringey language. The phrase “multi-ass seating”. I can’t even finish a sentence with that, I refuse. Couch or sofa isn’t sci-fi enough, I guess. I knew from the last book that there would be some goofy language, but this time it just wasn’t for me.
I always enjoy Cynthia's books, even if it is just for a laugh. Ass coverings......pants, multi-ass seat......couch. LOL. The next time I have company come over I am so saying "Please come in and park yourself on my Multi-ass seat." LOL!!!
She has a great imagination although I was getting a bit of a Star Wars vibe with the whole World Ender machine. Made me think Death Star and Rhea as R2D2 carrying the plans to Obi Wan with his powers of the Force (Kralj).
You've outdone yourself with this one Cynthia.that ball wasn't just blown out of the ball park try the stratosphere. I love the small crossovers as well. Linking but only just enough that this series is as individualistic as it comes. Now I'm going for a cold shower, cause the heat factor sure is something. Great job!
Really enjoyed the romance here. The whole concept of the plot was excellent. One thing you can always count on from Sax is a seriously satisfying happy ending. Sigh. Baby monsters. Love it.
Exciting adventure with one dominant male and a female who 's lived a life of lies and doesn't trust anyone! Finds herself with a being who loves her and helps her with a future! Thanks enjoyed,highly recommend for a incredible read💖💖
These stories just keep getting better. Fantastically crafted characters, a compelling story line and some spanking good heat kept me glued to my kindle.
Oh wow was I pleasantly surprised with this second installment of the Refuge series. I found this story to be less dark than the first for starters Orol was completely enamored with Rhea from the moment he first saw her and never mistreated her or did anything to intentionally hurt her. Orol may have had darkness within him but he was not as barbaric or even cannibalistic as Kralj was. To be honest I thought Orol was SEXY AS SIN with his bad boy good looks, muscular body and fantasy evoking wings he was every woman's dream man. Add to this combination the fact he was EXTREMELY PASSIONATE with the stamina of a wild beast, possessive, protective, loving, caring and deliciously alpha male. And you have a very heady combination to make your heart race, leave your body sweating and needing a cold shower ASAP that's how INTENSE the love scenes between them were! The story is very entertaining and did not play out as simply as I thought it would which pleasantly surprised me, their were some unexpected turn of events which added to the drama and certain things that had to be undertaken by Rhea in order to accomplish the mission. Rhea was a very likable character; brave, protective, caring, ballsy and kick-ass she was an amazing female lead who unfortunately had a very poor self image of herself due to a past betrayal. She just couldn't believe that a male such as Orol would want her as she's never felt loved by anyone even though she was in fact quite beautiful and an amazing person. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars was because it contains a lot of voyeurism, due to the nature of their mission it was required for them to perform in sexual acts in front of others. Even though Rhea seemed perfectly fine with it and seemed to enjoy it I just felt it was too much, especially what is done to the various other woman that are mentioned in the book. On a positive note I just LOVE how this book ends, those 3 surprises (wink wink) were absolutely delightful I couldn't have asked for more and Orol's reaction to it made me adore him even more if that was possible and am very looking forward to Balvan's story.
Orol, the Refuge’s second-in-command, has been given the mission to escort two human females to the settlement. When he arrives, he finds one missing and the other trying to kill him. He also realizes she is his mate.
So while I liked the action in this book, I didn’t love the romance. Orol and Rhea don’t have any build up to their relationship. I know this is a fated mate romance and that the relationships usually start very quickly but this one had no build up at all, which kind of killed it for me. I was hoping for a little bit of emotion and relationship build up since the first book, Dark Thoughts, had that. Sadly because of this, I didn’t really love this couple. Yes they are attracted to each other but there wasn’t very much emotional impact to their relationship.
The action and battles in this story were interesting. I like that we get to see more of this world outside of the Refuge and that we see another genetically modified being. Rhea’s sister was an annoying twat in the beginning that instantly got on my nerves. Hopefully she grows up if she shows up in any future books.
Overall, this one was not my favorite of the series. Hopefully Balvan’s story is better because I find this giant green being fascinating.
I am totally addicted to this series! If you have any interest in Sci-Fi romance, start with Dark Thoughts, but be warned. These books are full of wild and violent beasts that also are obsessed with their mates. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge! You have to be good with insta-I-have-to-have-you males that find themselves with stubborn and strong females. Rhea has spent her whole life lying to protect herself and her sister and never sees Orol coming (so to speak!). When she and Paloma are shipwrecked and separated on the refuge planet, Rhea is literally swept away by him. I love Orol! I love his caveman ways, his stark honesty and his NEED for Rhea. Rhea has to come to terms with the fact that she just might be able to trust him and that he really does see her in a way no one else has. It's a great romance, a great adventure - if a bit gruesome at times - and an awesome HEA! Highly recommended. Can't wait for the next one!
I wasn't sure how another romance set in the Refuge would go, since Kralj is so powerful. Having the romance take place outside the Refuge makes sense.
We get to see Orol as the strong male he is on his own. Rhea, after her crash, has to make choices to save her sister that are hard for her. It's a good thing that they are mates, since otherwise they would probably have killed each other!
The pit fights are awful and makes me think Carina E really is one of the worst places in space.
Sweet Jeezus! 5 stars doesn't begin to cut it...I fragging love this book! Cynthia Sax you have such a way of making me fall in love with your characters and each time I keep thinking I can't love them more than the next but Omg Orol .. I...Love...him! So beautiful inside and out, all the way down to the way he expresses himself to Rhea. I didn't want the book to end.
I always devour anything Cynthia Sax writes. I loved Orol. I loved his wit, his sense of humor and his compassion. Rhea is awesome. She is a bad ass that can take care of business. But she's also not very trusting because of events from her past. When Orol and Rhea meet you just know this book is going to keep you on the edge of your seat.
He was sent to bring the sisters back to the Refuge and found his mate. Now he has to keep her from killing him. She sent her sister out of the ship before it crashed. Now she has to find her. But first she has to get rid of this gorgeous winged being. This is a fun entertaining re. Enjoy I did.
The story was just as fantastic as the first one and keeps you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. It had everything you want in a romance about aliens with enough action, drama, love of a younger sister, passion, and hot steamy scenes that sizzles with awesome characters. Truly enjoyable and a must buy.
I absolutely loved this story. I really felt a connection to Orol and Rhea. I felt bad for Scales and his unhappy demise. I really fell in love with Balvan. I can't wait to read about his happily ever after!!!
Another excellent addition to this fantastic series!💖💖💖💖💖Her writing is phenomenal ,her characters come to life with her ability to draw you in to their interactions.I'm recommending that you have this terrific series by Cynthia Sax!😍
This story had everything I thought about in a good book. It had adventure, fighting, A love story just a few thing's I enjoy in tale of all including drama! Cynthia Sax delivers excellent book for her readers!
Loved it!!! A little dark, a little fun, and a whole lotta great! Orol was well developed as was Rhea. It will be interesting to see what happens to Paloma. I am eagerly awaiting book 3.