HOLD - Zannie Adams

Ellora’s Cave - www.ellorascave.com

ISBN: 978-1-41991-284-9

November 2007

Erotic Futuristic Romance -- Single title

Rated: E-rotic

Genus 6 - The Future

Riana is an archaeologist, not the type of person who breaks Coalition law and winds up on a prison planet like Genus 6, unfortunately, she dug in the wrong place, and here she is. There are no specified prison sentence terms when you’re sent to Genus 6, just like an old Earth roach trap, once you go in, you never come out. Davis, the man who runs the prison, gives Riana one piece of advice before dropping her in the Hold, “find the strongest man there” and “give yourself to him in return for protection”.

Put yourself in Riana’s position for just a moment, locked in the Hold with murderers, rapists and others who crossed the Coalition in one way or another. It’s a place where survival is based on strength and alliances, humanity is just a memory for the men and women who live there, as most of the prisoners have been reduced to their most primal selves, more animal than human. But there’s one man, a loner with a hard body, and for just a second, there was a gleam of something in his eye. Whatever it is, it passes quickly, but not before Riana makes her decision, he’s the one, the man she’ll give herself to.

A scholarly woman who has spent most of her life happily toiling away on planets where civilization has died, Riana isn’t anyone’s idea of a person capable of surviving on a prison planet. She has no real friends, not one living family member, and no real hope that she’ll last the day (let alone any longer) in the Hold. The man she picked out, Cain, is bossy, terse, and the antithesis of any romantic ideal (well, except for his good looks and prowess in bed) so why does she find herself hoping that he’ll come to regard her as a friend, not just a sex partner, maybe even eventually come to love her? Obviously she’s already losing her mind, ‘cause love, that’s one thing that will never exist in the Hold, right? What can I tell you about Cain? Truthfully, not much. I already said he’s not much for communication, and trust me, that’s a bit of an understatement, it’s a while before he even gives Riana his name. He seems to have a good soul, or maybe he’s just possessive, because he takes very good care of Riana, even while he tell’s her she’s got to toughen up. Readers won’t get to know Cain well until very near the end of the book, but once he reveals his true nature, you’ll have no doubt Riana picked the right man.

Living in the Hold, there are obviously tons of secondary characters, however, only a few of them stand out. Davis, the man in charge of the prison who gave Riana the helpful advice is one of them. Is he a good man? It’s hard to say, but he is a rule follower, and his advice was useful. Thorn is the undisputed Alpha male of the Hold, with three females under his protection, it looked like Riana would become the fourth, but then… well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out what happened. Asp is another prisoner, brutal and cocky, he has an interest in obtaining Riana for his own as well.

A prison hold might not be the first setting you picture when you imagine two people discovering an intense passion, sex at its most primal, and possibly, emotions that will tie them together forever, but Zannie Adams takes this unlikely location and makes anything seem possible. Don’t miss HOLD, an original and very interesting story, it’s well worth your reading dollars.

Lori Ann