What I Read Last Week

I’m doing something here I’ve NEVER done before: comment about a book I’ve read. It’s not easy for me to tell you WHY I like the books I do – I just do. Maybe it’s the characters – or the relationships – that capture my attention. I’m a sucker for romance, yet for years I read nothing but Dean Koontz and Stephen King. I’m glad I finally branched out, though, or I may never have started writing (and missing out on the joy in my life)!

Anyway, this year I thought I would try and mention some of the books I’ve read this year. Books from authors you might not have heard about. Authors that belong to my RWA chapter, for example! It’s the least I can do for my chapter-mates.

I just finished reading “Beyond the Rain” by Jess Granger. It’s a sci-fi/futuristic romance novel. Normally I don’t read sci-fi. I like watching it on TV and in the movies because I don’t have to pronounce the names, they’re spoken, not spelled. But the romance hooked me, and Jess belongs to my Cincinnati chapter, so I decided to give her a try (the fact the book was in print was a plus, since it’s the only way I was able to read it as I don’t own an e-reader – but it is available as an e-book).

The blurb on the back of the book says (and isn't the cover pretty?):

After five years behind enemy lines, Captain Cyani is ready to retire to her home world of Azra as one of the Elite – the celibate warrior sisterhood that rules the planet. But first she must complete one final mission to rescue her fellow Union soldiers. The last thing she expects to find is a prisoner, chained and beaten – but radiating feral power and maintaining an unbroken spirit…

Soren is one of the Byralen, an enigmatic people who possess a unique hormone that they use to bond with their mates – and that is sold as a sexual narcotic in the shadow trade. For years, he has endured torture at the hands of his captors as they leeched his very essence. The last thing he expects is to be freed from slavery by a beautiful warrior woman with radiant blue dyes.

Driven by her rigid sense of honor, Cyani risks her life to free Soren. But after so many years of slavery, his hormones are so unbalanced that he will die if he does not bond with a woman. Can Cyani be the woman he needs to survive, or will this forbidden bond destroy them?

I really enjoyed the book. Even the strange alien names weren’t too hard to figure out how to pronounce. The worlds were explained through dialogue since the two main characters came from different planets, making it easy for me to follow. But it was the romance and characters that really sucked me in. All in all it was a great read for me. If I didn’t limit myself to 1 hour a day (and the 20 minutes at the gym while walking on the treadmill), I’d have inhaled it. But I gotta write, too, thus the limits.

I liked it so much, I’ve already added the next book, “Beyond the Shadows” to my wish list at Barnes & Noble. I look forward to reading more of her work. I suggest you give her a try.