"Tempted" is the eighth book in Presley Hall's Kalixian Mates series and while enjoyed most as a continuation of the series, it can be read as a standalone that is complete in and of itself. In spite of what might be happening as it begins, information and some history to what has happened previously is explained so new readers aren't confused. The author does this very well as the information doesn't seem redundant to loyal readers or overwhelming to new readers, and feels like part of the story and not just a blurb of information thrown in so new readers know what's going on.
In this series, a hostile alien race called Orkun would invade and attack planets, using and depleting it's resources. The heroine- Brooke- is an ordinary woman leading an ordinary life when she is abducted by the Orkun- along with other women from earth- and is now bound for a slave auction. In the previous book, a group of alien warriors called Kalixians came to rescue the kidnapped women. All escaped except for the heroine, who was snatched back at the last moment. This book begins with her thinking of those women and how she was very nearly rescued.
In spite of it being the worse set of circumstances, the beginning of the book is part of my favorite. You can feel the tension the heroine experiences, not only from the fear and horror of the upcoming auction, but from the details the author surrounds Brooke in. Her trying to measure the amount of time passed from her failed rescue by the meager amount of light that permeates the warehouse she's held in, the number of new prisoners brought in to replace the women who were taken, the increase in guards and the hostility. Even the descriptions of different alien captives also bound for auction all gives a sense of the scale and- shudder to think- normalcy of the enslaving that gives an underlying feeling of the helpless of the situation. All accolades of a good writer to show readers rather than tell them what to feel or what's happening.
Brooke herself is a brave heroine, keeping her head rather than panicking in a situation that would terrify anyone. I also deeply appreciate her resolve to fight and help herself in her situation- always trying to think of and look for a solution rather than give up and despair. Even though she is technically a damsel in distress, she definitely doesn't feel like a woman helpless to think or act for herself just waiting for a big strong man to rescue her.
Zhori is the hero of this book- one of the Kalixian males who was trying to rescue the women in the previous book. Feeling duty and honor bound to return for the woman left behind, he's determined to rescue Brooke, and thus they work together to survive and find a way to escape the hostile planet.
Like the other Kalixians, Zhori is honorable, caring, respectful, and considerate. His personality making him just as attractive as he is physically. As a reader, I was completely drawn to him early on. And I LOVED that the heroine didn't immediately trust him just because he was attractive, saved her, and seemed to care. I've never been fond of insta-lust/insta-love characters that immediately have complete trust and desire for an absolute stranger. It just seems completely illogical to me. A normal person suddenly abducted by aliens they never knew existed, sold as a slave and then rescued by a sexy alien- and immediately has complete faith in them and wants to be with them and ride off in to the sunset.. yeah no. With very few options, Brooke takes a chance with her rescuer, but doesn't completely trust him- and makes a point of telling us so. While they work together, she does keep her mind alert for red flags or deception so she isn't blindsided if a betrayal should happen later. She feels like a very realistic and relatable character.
The chemistry and trust that builds between the hero and heroine are well written and doesn't feel too slow or too rushed. There is a good amount of action and character building, and the pacing of the book is well handled.
I definitely recommend reading this book- very enjoyable and realistic in terms of the character's actions. A well written and thoughtful book, and no grammatical errors (at least none that I noticed). I eagerly look forward to the next installment in this series!