"Pain and pleasure." His voice was a dark rasp against her ear. "That's how you know you're alive, fighter girl. That's how you know you've got something left to give."
Trapped by Alison Aimes
Standalone - The Condemned #1
Release - March 1, 2016
Genre - Dystopian SciFi Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Format/Source - ebook purchase
Length - 236 pages
Publisher - Orchid Publishing
“Convicts don’t ask. They take.”
Marooned on a primitive prison planet , Bella West has one chance for survival until rescue arrives: trade her body for protection.
The ripped hulk who claims her is more beast than man. Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, ex-soldier Caine Anders has lost his humanity after eight grueling years on a hazardous planet of dirt, rock, and treacherous inhabitants.
He looks out for himself and never grows attached. So, when the bold female offers him pleasure in return for protection, he takes the deal without hesitation. He never expects her touch to alter him. Or to feel something beyond lust.
But caring for someone on Dragath25 may be the greatest hazard of all. And, as the dangers multiply, it’s no longer certain whether she’ll be the key to his salvation or his destruction....
The first book in the Condemned Series, TRAPPED is a stand alone, action-packed, sexy sci-fi romance with a HEA, a strong heroine willing to do what it takes to survive, and a scorching hot, broken alpha hero you can’t help but fall in love with.
"You're everything to me, fighter girl. I'd die for you."
It's the year 9015 and Earth is destroyed. Desperate to find new resources to replenish all that has been lost, Earth has sent scientists and soldiers to their prison planet to see if there's anything there that can help. After their ship crashed, killing most of the crew, Bella makes the sacrifice that enables their survival - anything Convict wants, he can have. And oh how quickly obligation turns to love!
"I don't know what the future holds, but I do know nothing has ever felt as right as your hand in mine."
Her body to preserve the lives of her friends seems like a noble sacrifice. Dragath25 is a danger zone and she needs someone who knows the terrain to keep them going until rescue can come. However, surviving soon turns into thriving and Convict may just be the most honorable, most kind, and most amazing male she has ever met.
He liked her spirit. Her courage and the way she looked out for her colleagues and her siblings. He liked her toughness and her tenacity. Her resilience and her sense of fairness. Even her fierceness when he was being an ass.
Okay, so this story was steamily interesting and reaffirmed my love for all things Alison Aimes. I'm still new to reading from the scifi romance genre, but she has quickly earned a spot on my must-read list!
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A splash sounded. Powerful ripples washed against her back like a surging tide. He was coming for her.She whirled and discovered small bubbles on the surface of the water. An inky cloud of red and brown streamed in all directions followed by foamy white. Then a dark head broke the surface and he was standing before her, waist high in the water, a mud man no more.
Her mouth opened on a tiny o.
Without the dirt, dark, thick hair, shorn close to his scalp, was now visible. Along with olive skin, a wide forehead, low brows, firm lips, and a square jaw. Tiny droplets left his long lashes spikey while rivulets of water tracked over chiseled cheekbones down his sculpted chest and abdomen to a small trail of dark hair that snaked from his belly button to disappear into the water. Scars of various length and width tracked across miles of pure, hard muscle.
My God, mud man was a flesh and blood man—an incredibly masculine one. If she’d met him at the Academy or the barracks on Earth, she would have been unable to stop staring. He was that beautiful.
Then his hand shot out and her daze shattered.
With a hiss, she stumbled back.
One dark eyebrow rose. “Here.”
She looked down to see a small white bar in his hand.
“It’s soap.” His tone was brusque. “The drones dump trash from Earth. Use it.”
“Thank you.” It took all her courage to reach out and take the bar from his hand. “I—I’ve never used it before. The Academy only allows lasers for cleaning. The use of water was banned a long time ago.” She stopped short.
Of course, he knew that. He wasn’t from some distant galaxy. He was from Earth. He just wasn’t welcome there anymore.
His lips flat lined. “I’ve been here a while, but not as long as that.”
Was that a joke? His expression offered no clue.
“Of course.” Hands shaking, she took the soap and rubbed it against her arm. The blood stayed put. She rubbed harder.
She hadn’t expected this…this talking. Or the kindness of a bath—with soap. It was confusing.
“You need the water to make it work.” Rough hands reached out and took the soap, dunking it under the water, making that same foamy circle she’d seen before.
“Turn around.” His voice had gone husky again.
That overworked heart of hers started up double time once again. Her feet remained planted where they were.
He waited for longer than she would have expected before he spoke again, his jaw locked tight. “Anything?” It was a reminder. A reproach. A challenge.
And her last chance to change her mind.
Her eyes sunk shut. I can do this. I need to do this.
She whirled around, bracing for a grab. A strike. But the deliberate slow glide of a calloused fingertip down the bumps of her spine slammed through her with more force than any blow.
Alison Aimes is the award-winning author of the sexy sci-fi romance series the Condemned as well as the sizzling contemporary romance Billionaire Bad Boys collection. A sci-fi fanatic with a PhD in Modern history, she’s an all-over-the-map kind of woman with a love for dramatic stories and great books, no matter the era. Now, she’s creating her own stories full of intrigue and passion, but always with a happy-ever-after ending. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two kids, and dog. When not in front of the computer, she can be found hanging with family and friends, hiking, trying to turn herself into a pretzel through yoga, listening to a fabulous TED talk, or, last but not least, sitting on the couch imagining her characters’ next great adventures.
Find all of her information and other books on her site: https://alisonaimes.com/
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