Forced to be the sex slave of an alien warrior, perpetual bad-boy, Joel, finds himself tossed into the bed of a space station commander who tests even Joel’s cultivated bravado. While he learned to survive an abusive father, the Travian proves to be a greater challenge. Joel soon finds himself caught between the desperate need to fight his captivity and the unnerving tug of attraction he feels for his new master.
Born to one of the lower castes of his people, Arath has worked his way up to a coveted command. His drive for success has left him isolated from his crew. He has no time or interest in caring for the pesky human pet thrust upon him by his superior. His duty allows him no other choice, so he reluctantly takes what has been given to him. He is surprised by how easily he is seduced by his pet’s allure.
Joel and Arath dance around each other and their growing attraction, until politics intrudes and tests their tentative feelings. The stakes are suddenly raised, and the choices they make may change the course of history for both of their species.
Reader Advisory: This book contains sex scenes of a non-consensual nature, as well as scenes of dubious consent, violence, abuse and torture.
The second story in the Alien Slave Masters series, this story starts off with Joel being brought on board Space Station Twelve with his Master Firth, who is suffering an illness that requires more care than is available on their own ship. Joel is a defiant pet, but has reached an accord with Firth, and has not been raped since Kell, the Commander of their ship, mandated that no pet be forced, although they are still kept as pets.
As Firth is weak and cannot care for him, Joel is given to the Station Commander Arath, against Arath’s wishes, and Arath will do his duty as demanded by Lalith, the Commanding female onboard. No such ‘consent’ mandate is in effect on the space station. As Arath partakes in Joel’s body, he starts to develop feelings for the young human pet, and wishes Joel was less unwilling.
I have not read the first in this series, and there are few things that would have been easier to follow if I had. That didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this story though.
The character development was nice and solid. I got a lot of glimpses into the first book, based on references in this one. I think I would enjoy it just as much, but to save other readers the hassle, I would suggest starting from the beginning.
The plot was strong, and the world building worked well. Even without the back-story, the world was richly described and I got what I needed from this story.
Joel’s development from captive sex-slave to willing lover was believable. Arath’s behaviour towards him as the story progressed worked well in keeping that angle believable. There were a few times I was uncomfortable with the way Joel was treated, but overall I enjoyed the way this story progressed.
The Travians were interesting as a species. I would have enjoyed learning a bit more about them. I also enjoyed the female led hierarchy. That was a nice twist on real life. The difference being that I didn’t feel the men were oppressed in any way.
The sex was hot, and I enjoyed the way their coupling changed as the story progressed. The discovery of kissing seemed to increase their intimacy.
I was slightly annoyed by the amount of references Joel made to his past. It seemed to be repetitive. It wasn’t the reference so much as the wording. It seemed like the same thing said over again only changing it a little. It was used to reference his ability to endure what was happening to him, but it fell a little flat in the delivery. Thankfully it was only minor, and the rest of the story flowed well.
I enjoyed this story a lot, and I think I’ll go back and read the first story, while waiting for the next. This has a few triggers that will be problematic for some, but those who enjoy capture/slave sci-fi, this isn’t any more intense than any others out there. Triggers are rape, dub-con, and domestic abuse of a secondary character.
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