As she expected, her visitor was waiting for her, leaning against the wall that faced the entrance to the room and what she saw of him nearly knocked her breath away. As she’d guessed from the size of his suit he was big and male…and oh stars, how very, very male he was. Reyna took in the dark, short-cropped hair, lean well-favored features, and the way his black long-sleeved shirt clung to his arms, shoulders, and chest, especially his chest. His leggings clung tight too, outlining his thighs, and framing an impressive package, leaving no doubt as to size, shape, and interest. Definitely interest. Reyna watched it stir before she realized she was staring and quickly cut back to look at his face. His eyes were beautiful and the expression in them was almost enough to make her forget about what she’d seen in his crotch. For a moment she couldn’t tell what color his eyes were. They seemed to change from brown to green then to a near gold and the irises grew wide as she stepped towards him. Pure sensual interest was in them, and a knowing look…the look of a man who knows what he wants and already figures he’s going to get it. Reyna had seen that look a hundred times in her past, a past she’d just as soon not be reminded of. Instantly irritation tempered some of her reaction to him. But then she took a deep breath and caught his smell—all spice and something else, like sand on a beach. She took another deep breath and stepped back, shaking her head to clear it. Sand on a beach, when she’d not been on a planet with an ocean in how long? Where had that come from? Closing her eyes, Reyna grappled for control over herself. She’d been in space way too long if she reacted this fast to a man.
Description: The last thing that synth and former pleasure slave Reyna wants on her asteroid belt prospecting claim is a partner, even one as sexy as Steel. She figures the man will quit but the claim is Steel’s means to freedom and he’s not about leave, particularly when he has a hot woman who doesn’t know he’s a synth sharing the work...and his bed.
The pair has everything in common except the truth so when all is revealed it could be the end of their partnership -- or the beginning.
To My Readers: To me partnership is defined by trust so the idea of having two people hiding who and what they are and yet becoming partners and forced into trusting each other made for an interesting story dynamic. Also there was a lot of humor in the idea of highly sexual beings trying to avoid being seen that way while still being highly sexual.
But the big idea was that once love enters a relationship that becomes the real truth, and all the lies can end up irrelevant. I hope everyone enjoys my story as much as I did writing it.
I absolutely adored Cricket Starr’s PARTNERS. It was a sexy erotic Sci Fi read and had a lot of depth to a caste in society which is only considered good for one thing.
The characters Steel and Reyna were very believable and their love was very real. It was a heart stopping warm erotic romance, one of the best I’ve read in a long time. The ending, though a bit unfair to Reyna and Steel was very believable and still happy for the hero and heroine.
Not to give away any spoilers, but my heart was pounding when Reyna was facing the blackness of space, her horror at the situation had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Science Fiction Erotic Romance.
RT Book Reviews - 4 stars!!! This well-crafted short futuristic novel has all the elements for success: handsome synthetically created male meets dust-covered synth female and is immediately attracted. Alas, he believes she's a woman, setting up for a fun and entertaining plot. Things get real steamy for these former pleasure slaves, and readers will enjoy their antics.
Summary:
Although days of drudgery looking for ore on an asteroid might not be pleasing to most, it's been Reyna's dream for years. The synth staked her claim once she obtained her freedom and finally struck ore. Then Steel arrives. Although she feels an attraction unlike any she's known since her days as a pleasure slave, she hopes the backbreaking work will keep him away from her claim.
Steel hides his status as a synth because he doesn't want to scare away the first woman he's ever had feelings for. Just when their hard work begins to pay off and their feelings unite, an unseen force threatens everything.
Donna M. Brown
Partners
Cricket Starr
Rating 4 !!!
What is love? Can love grow in any environment between any people? In PARTNERS, Cricket Starr tries to show that everyone is deserving of love and it is your actions that matter more than anything else.
Reyna is a synth. That means that she was made and not born. Originally synths were created for menial labor and as pleasure slaves. They were thought to not possess the ability to think and feel deep emotions. Newer laws have freed the synths, so now they are indentured servants and not slaves. Reyna is able to buy her own freedom and has bought half rights to an asteroid and its minerals. She has spent the last six months mining the asteroid and feels lucky, she’s about to strike it rich. That is until she gets a visit from her boss…well not a visit but a delivery.
Reyna returns to her ship to find a man sitting in her living room. Steel is her new partner. She hopes that she can run him off within the first few days, but as time goes on, they realize that they are perfect for each other. Too bad their relationship is based on lies. When is the right time to tell your partner that you are not the human they think you are? Synths are not supposed to be able to love…then what are these feelings growing between Steel and Reyna?
PARTNERS is an interesting and fun read. A very descriptive world has been set up here, especially considering the space constraints of this story. Steel and Reyna have issues, though they learn to overcome detours that life has sent them. This is a solid read if you like quick, light and science fiction stories.
Tell A Friend
Read Excerpt
