Mercenaries (3-in-1)

This futuristic anthology collects three novellas set around the mercenary crew of the Starrunner. The stories are mostly erotic, but each of them has strong leading characters and detailed plots.

In “Trinity,” Trinity Yeager is desperate to leave the town of Orville’s Paradise to avoid being sold at a bridal auction to the highest bidder. Women have few rights in the town, and their husbands and the town elders often abuse them. When a mercenary starship stops in to purchase a food shipment, she approaches the captain and request to join his crew. Captain Nathan August, however, doesn’t think she’s strong enough to survive the brutal lifestyle of a murdering merc and plans to prove it to her. But if she’s brave enough to show more handle him and his first officer, Sebastian, in bed, then she might have what it takes to be a merc.
Trinity and Nathan are awesome characters. She’s strong, smart, and determined not to let any man destroy her sense of self-worth, and she’s willing to survive no matter what. Nathan hides his good heart behind a rough exterior, and he can’t help but take Trinity under his wing. They fit together perfectly and have great chemistry.
5 Stars

In “The Thrall,” the crew of the Starrunner goes to a planet that thrives from the culture of BDSM. The Dominor of one of the cities wishes to hire them to rescue his kidnapped son from the Dominess of another city. First Officer Sebastian Cole goes undercover as a thrall/submissive to find the young man but never expected his new owner, the Dominess’s daughter, to have a secret submissive side.
Dominia Zaria Orva wants her mother and cruel older sister to free the kidnapped man, but they refuse, wishing to go to war with the rival city. Her family expects her to be a Domme, but she’s truly a sub. When she acquires Sebastian as her new thrall, she soon realizes he’s unlike any thrall she’s ever known, and maybe, just maybe, she can act out her submissive fantasies with the controlling man.
The H/h are fun characters. Sebastian is definitely cocky and swoon-worthy, and Zaria is an interesting mixture of fire and silk. She finds herself and experiences true happiness for the first time in Sebastian’s arms, and he falls head over heels when he never expected to.
4.5 Stars

In “Claiming Cassidy,” Lieutenant Cassidy Vika of the Starrunner is battling a fighter ship and ends up taking a hit. Though she’s a talented pilot, the pilot of the enemy vessel is just as good. She crashes on a planet, the enemy follows, and they face off in a hand-to-hand battle to the death. Or so she thinks.
Major Rune Alrigo doesn’t want to kill the beautiful, skilled pilot. He admires her bravery and wants to wed her, so she can give him strong sons. But he doesn’t count on just how stubborn Cassidy can be.
Cassidy is a wonderful character. She’s strong, smart, and refuses to let any man get the better of her. I liked Rune for the most part, but he was a little too conceited for my tastes.
I would’ve liked more information on Rune’s people, the Dharani, since I found the role of the women in the culture confusing. Rune was an honorable, albeit arrogant man, but his friends and fellow warriors reactions and lack of honor when it came to women differed from Rune’s explanation of the women’s role (as the Breeders/Wives and the Mahiri) in their society.
Still, I enjoyed the story.
4 Stars

Though all three heroines and the third hero, Rune, have back-stories, Nathan and Sebastian did not, but I don’t think anything is really missing from that. Still, I would love to know why Nathan and Sebastian took up lives as mercenaries.
This is a great anthology, and I would love to read more stories set in this universe if Ms. Knight writes them.

Book Overall – 4.5 Stars show less

****½ "Trinity." Heroine asks merc cpt. to join his crew so she can escape the patriarchal planet she's on before she's auctioned off as a bride to the highest bidder. He tells her okay, if she agrees to be a sex toy for him & his 1st mate for 6 months--assuming she'll back out. She doesn't back out. I didn't completely buy them falling in love, but that wasn't really the point. Hot, hot, hot. Bondage & sharing, but there was also the development of respect.
**** "The Thrall." First mate from the previous story goes undercover on a BDSM planet to rescue a prince from a rival kingdom's evil dominatrix princess. Her younger sister was raised to be a dominatrix, but has submissive tendencies, which are seen as a perversion. Really good show more story, but it didn't grab me the way the first one did.
**** "Claiming Cassidy." Merc female pilot & enemy pilot stranded together after a battle. He challenges her to a "claiming duel." More world-building, less kink, and wouldn't you know it, I was disappointed. Good story, interesting universe she's made here, with the different cultures on different planets. Hope she writes more in this series. show less

Set far into the future, this anthology is set on the space ship Starrunner and each tale involves a different crew member (or 2). It's a hot, hot book. Angela Knight is a confident writer and the plot moves smoothly under her command. In the first (and strongest) story, Trinity Yeager, a young woman needs to escape her religiously stifling home world, and begs Captain Nathan August to take her aboard. He tests her mettle by saying she could only come as his sex toy, and much sex and toys ensue. The second book involves second in command Sebestian going undercover in a world devoted to Doms and Thralls and convincing a pretty dom that it's okay to want to be a sub. The last story has fighter pilot Cassidy captured by Rune, till the show more tables turn. I liked all three tales and they are all hot in their own way. There's all sorts of sex going on here, but while very explicit it never feels exploitative or cruel, which are my buttons, but if you find light bdsm or anal play not to your taste, then this isn't for you. I rate this book a keeper. show less

reread in June - fun, both romantic and erotic. Short stories but felt rich in world building and detail and the lovers all worked. Rare beast indeed, with 3 short stories, all equally strong. A good find and and keeper.

HOT, HOT, EXPLICIT SEX. Three interconnected stories about the crew of a mercenary space ship. In the first story, Trinity accepts a deal with the Captain to spend the night with him, and his first officer, in exchange for passage off a puritanical planet where she is about to be auctioned off to a husband. In the second story, the first officer must integrate a society where men are submissives to female dominants in order to rescue a prince. The thirs story finds a female pilot from the crew crashed on a planet with an enemy pilot.

I bought this book at a yard sale for 25 cents. It was so good, I went to Amazon.com that same night to order all the author's other books. I was not disappointed.

High in sizzle, low in plot. Sit back, have fun, and just don't expect too much.