Spaceship captain Tara Rowan has her secrets. One is her Rider, Zie. Zie is an organic symbiote - like a living tattoo - that enhances Tara's physical abilities, including superhuman strength and reflexes. The other is the past she's tried so hard to leave behind her. But it's not until oh-so-sexy Trace Munroe decides to blackmail Tara that she realizes her secrets aren't so secret after all...
Trace is a Holy Knight who does everything by the book. Desperate to find a missing princess, he'll do whatever it takes to rescue her and bring her kidnappers to justice. Including blackmail. Yet something about the feisty ship captain draws Trace in and stirs his desire - even if she is a wanted criminal. Because the last thing he needs is any complications... especially when he has his own secrets to hide.
Within reading the first few pages of this book of this book I immediately fell in love with Zie. Zie is a Wild Rider bonded to Tara, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Zie gives Tara more strength and better fighting skills. Zie has a childlike nature about her, she brings a sense of innocence to this book, thus demonstrating a child-parent dynamic between Tara and Zie. Zie brought some much needed 'lightness' in an angst-ridden book - there's not a lot of angst, but there is a some.
The book begins with Tara winning a game of cards in a tavern in a Space Station. After taking her winnings she's about to leave the tavern, when she first spots Trace Munroe in a booth in the shadows across the way. Zie, noticing Trace too, comments on how "pretty" Trace is and how she wants to mate with him.
When Tara is first intoduced to Trace he tells her that he is a writer wanting to interview her about Trading for his new book that he is writing on. He promises to pay her for her time. Although needing the money, Tara declines his offer and leaves the Space Station on a job. Trace is actually the adopted son of The King, and is investigating the disappearance of his sister Katerina. Trace believes that Jack Brown, a guy from Tara's past, has kidnapped Katerina, and thinking Tara may be involved or could lead him to his sister, stows-away on her ship.
The relationship between Tara and Trace was both messy and sweet. Both have their secrets they want to keep hidden, yet neither can deny the attraction between the two of them. Trace is a Holy Knight, so knows Tara's real identity that she wishes to keep hidden. Trace uses this information, and his ownership of Tara's ship and control over her freedom, to blackmail her into helping to find his sister. Trace is unable to get past Tara's childhood; for 42 days her and a group of children were the only remaining survivors left of their planet Eridani due to the plague. Trace, and the rest of space, believe that Tara and her friends ate the younger children to survive - no one really knows the truth. Trace uses this as an excuse to keep his distance from Tara, intending to keep his focus on finding his sister. Helping out on Tara's ship, Tara sees a side of Trace she can admire, not knowing he is a HK, who she despises.
However, Trace has a problem with his memory - he takes String, which is a drug, to help him remember and make sense of things. However, Tara cannot have a druggie on her ship. She hates them. During this time Trace gets his own Rider, Bran. Zie recognises Bran as her bond mate, thus Trace and Tara are destined to belong together, regardless of circumstance.
After saving his sister, Trace loses all his memories and returns to his Kingdom. The book ends with Tara playing cards in the Space Station tavern with her friends. Trace opts in to play the game - not recognising anyone due to lack of memory. Zie and Bran are ecstatic to see each other, due to being bond mates. When Tara and Trace touch, Zie and Bran connect and Trace gets his memories of Tara back.
This book was a short, sweet love-story between a narrow-minded Knight, and an independent, strong Trader.
This book was given by Entangled Publishing and the Author for an honest review (ARC).
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Out: 2nd February 2015
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