A satisfying, sexy, and fast-paced alien romance.
A human woman is kidnapped by an alien who believes she's his mate.
Liz has had a pretty bad week—she was stolen from her Oklahoma farm by little green aliens and transported millions of miles from Earth. After something goes wrong on the ship, the green aliens abandon Liz and the rest of the human women on a cold ice planet with two distant suns. The planet’s local inhabitants, the sa-khui, are a small tribe of large blue aliens that have developed a symbiotic relationship with the khui, a glowing space worm that helps their bodies withstand the bitter climate. The tribe has suffered devastating population losses from hunting accidents and sickness, leaving them fewer than 30 members, only 4 of whom are women. Raahosh is a hunter who resigned himself to a life of loneliness, but when his khui resonates for Liz, he knows she is his mate. Rather than chance being separated from her, he spirits her away to his hidden cave, hoping to prove himself worthy of her. Liz is furious at being kidnapped again and is determined to make as many choices as she can for herself. She demands to hunt with Raahosh, making her own bow and arrows to prove her worth. Raahosh and Liz have explosive chemistry and learn to respect each other’s strengths. Liz is an especially appealing character: feisty, brave, and stubborn. She’s the perfect match for the taciturn Raahosh, who wants to be loved for who he is and valued as an equal partner. In the background of their romance, Dixon shows how the sa-khui and humans are beginning the hard work of building a new culture together.
A satisfying, sexy, and fast-paced alien romance.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-54603-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
A deceptively quiet beginning rockets to a thrilling finish, preparing us for the next volume’s undoubtedly explosive finale.
The third installment of a necromantic science-fantasy series continues working at puzzles of identity and the meaning of loyalty.
Previously (Gideon the Ninth, 2019; Harrow the Ninth, 2020), sullen but brilliant necromancer Harrowhark consumed the soul of Gideon, her foulmouthed cavalier, to become a Lyctor, a semi-immortal officer in the Emperor Undying’s court. In a desperate attempt to preserve Gideon’s identity, Harrow deliberately erased the other woman from her memories, leaving herself confused to the point of delusion, unable to access her full powers, and vulnerable to enemies both within and without the Emperor’s court. This novel introduces Nona, a sweet but extraordinarily naïve young woman who appears to be in Harrowhark’s body but with Gideon’s golden eyes, lacking both necromantic abilities and any memories prior to six months ago. Nona’s been happy despite her precarious living situation in a war-torn city threatened by the necromantic Houses and their foe, the Blood of Eden. Unfortunately, what fragile peace she has cannot last, and everything depends on recovering Nona’s memories and returning to Harrowhark’s home in the Ninth House, there to finally release the deadly threat lurking in the Locked Tomb. But who is Nona, really: Harrowhark, Gideon, a blend of both young women…or someone else entirely? (The reader will figure it out long before the characters do.) Meanwhile, the Emperor and Harrowhark meet in dreams, where he recounts events of 10,000 years ago, when, as a newly fledged necromancer, his conflict with the corrupt trillionaires who planned to escape the dying Earth and leave the remaining billions to perish led to nuclear apocalypse. It’s pretty gutsy of Muir to write two books in a row about amnesiac characters, particularly when it may very well be the same character experiencing a different form of amnesia in each. This work initially reads like a strange interlude from the series, devoted to Nona’s odd but essentially quotidian routine in the midst of war, riot, and general chaos. But the story gradually gathers speed, and it’s all in service to a deeper plot. It is unfortunate that the demands of that plot mean we’ve gotten a considerably smaller dose of Gideon’s defiantly crude, riotously flouncy behavior in the two books subsequent to the one which bears her name.
A deceptively quiet beginning rockets to a thrilling finish, preparing us for the next volume’s undoubtedly explosive finale.Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-25-085411-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Tordotcom
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book designed to please diehard series fans.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood series returns to the 1980s.
The year is 1981, and Darius leads his brethren in what was once an elite vampire fighting squad. Their king, Wrath, refuses to take the throne, preferring to fight as a regular soldier. As the eldest member of the brotherhood, Darius feels responsible for the weakened state of both his king and the brotherhood. While out driving one night, Darius accidentally hits a human woman, Anne Wurster, who's stumbled into the road after a narrow escape from her abusive boyfriend. Darius arranges to pay her medical bills, intending for that to be the end of their interaction—but even though he knows it's strictly forbidden for humans to know anything about his world, he finds it impossible to stay away from her. They enjoy a brief affair before Anne discovers he's a vampire and runs away, keeping her pregnancy a secret. This book operates as a tragic series prequel, with Anne's and Darius’ fates having been established in the first book of series. Their daughter, Beth, was destined to become Wrath’s mate and Queen of the Vampires, but neither of her parents were part of her life. Longtime fans of the series are likely to enjoy this story. Ward is known for her fearless embrace of pop culture, and this novel delights in reminding readers of the touchstones of the '80s, name-dropping stores, music, actors, and movies of the time (though there's an occasional anachronism, like a reference to Miami Vice several years before it aired). Compared to the frenetic latter books of the series, which are jammed with multiple narrating characters and long, ongoing plotlines, this novel is calm and almost mellow. There are brief appearances from beloved characters, and some convenient rewriting of series lore, but Darius and Anne’s tragic love affair remains front and center.
A book designed to please diehard series fans.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781668035382
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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