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Captain Siobhan Mallory
has just been sentenced to death row
for crimes she knows she did not commit, no matter the trumped up
charges and
"irrefutable" evidence. She has the questionable good fortune of
being rescued by charming and shady Jeremiah "Caid" Kincaid. He's no
knight, never mind the condition of his armor. Yet, he's willing to
negotiate a
deal - he'll rescue her from certain death and help her clear her name,
but his
price is her sexual favors.
Siobhan's a survivor, and
decides that his price is better
than the alternative. They flee the core worlds for the frontier with
the
Confederation hot on their trail, heading straight into non-stop
adventure that
begins to challenge the career officer's preconceptions about pirates,
her life
and the very people she had once trusted implicitly. She learns that
right and
wrong can't always be determined by the rule of law and that the
measure of a man
is far more than the label society puts upon him.
Caid's a good balm for a
woman who's just had her entire
life yanked out from under her, and an even better distraction from her
worries. But neither of them is mere window dressing, as they set about
finding
out just who has it in for Siobhan.
There are touching
moments that lead the two of them closer
together as the truth is unraveled. I found both Siobhan and Caid to be
endearing and engaging characters from the start. The treachery is
subtle and eerie
in its origins, certainly most delightfully unexpected! Ms.
Ladd's tale of duplicity, unlikely heroes and cagey,
resilient heroines and is an invigorating read that I'd highly
recommend to any
reader who enjoys science fiction, light suspense and action. Turn off
the DVD
player and cable TV. Pick up this book!
Reviewed
by Niniri Theriault for The Road to Romance
August 30,
2004
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