Different from the first two books, the couple here doesn't involve any royals or princes, instead we have an ex-slave (Zall, freed in book one) and a starship captain. They have just as much trouble getting together though, and with Zall's determination never to belong to anyone again, it didn’t look like they'd make it for quite a while. A common cause and sheer determination on Danner's part help them see there may be more to their relationship than that of captain and cabin boy.

Danner comes aboard the ship with an agenda. He needs to discover who has used the ship to smuggle contraband, and doesn't know whom to trust. The attraction to one of the crew members he feels from the start could be a problem, but Danner finds he can trust the man. He also knows Zall is his mate, but until Zall can overcome his reluctance to be more than his cabin boy (and even that only in name, to fool the smugglers), Danner won’t be happy.

Zall has had enough of being abused, beaten, and handed from one owner to the next. He is determined to establish himself as an independent man, and since Chalice has set him up to be protected, he need not fear becoming a slave again. His battle to be his own person almost stops him from recognizing how different Danner is, and it takes him a while to come around and trust again. Not that I can blame him!

There is no real BDSM here, the topic is more one of subtle D/s. Danner and Zall are pretty much equal partners who like to role play to liven up their sex life. If you’re looking for a light read, a few laughs, and a touch of mystery as Danner and Zall try to figure out who the smugglers are, you will probably like this book.


NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )

Cute novella, the storyline is better than the relationship/sex though. I know I may have missed some part of the storyline since I this is the third but I did read synopses of the second to see who the characters were. ( )