Bethany Aan

I was given a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The first scene is definitely not for the squeamish – might be better to read during the day so you don’t get nightmares. It’s where we first meet Arianna Hunter and she seems to be in pain. There are also other women there with her. Don’t let this first scene turn you off because you’ll miss a great book if you do. This book shows how resilient people can be in situations that they have no control over.

My favorite quote is when Ri says “Oh, for the love of little pink bunnies”. You can’t do anything but laugh. And it comes at a time when you shouldn’t be. I also learned that should you ever get into trouble, you want someone like Ri on your side.

I loved how Bethany plays up how some of the young women belong to a sorority. Women in sororities, when I went to college, were seen as being very snobby, very ditzy, or both. Bethany also makes one of them, Amy, a royal pain. Amy sees herself as more than she is. She could have been a character that overtakes the story but Bethany does a great job of putting her in scenes at just the right time.

I did feel that this is not a book to take to the beach with you. You will get yourself so immersed in the world of Ishira that everything else around you will disappear. I had a hard time at work when I would try to read this on my lunch hour – I kept trying to talk myself into reading just one more page. This is better for when you are doing a staycation.

Hunter, Jace, and the other men on Ishira all seem larger than life but not too different from us. Bethany makes everything seem believable. She must have done a lot of research to get her world created – from the food they eat to the plants that can or cannot be used. She also makes Arianna very smart with a lot of knowledge that can be used for survival.

If Bethany had made this a story all lovey-dovey right from the minute that Ri comes in contact with Jace and Hunter, I think she would have lost her readers. But by creating Amy the reader has no choice but to keep reading because you will want to see if she gets what she deserves. But don’t fret because she also gives you plenty of sex. Our author also gives us the perfect ending that leads into book two. I look forward to when it comes out.… (meer)