He isn’t supposed to save her…or fall in loveWhen cyborg Kai Andros pretends to be an android to infiltrate an enemy space station, his orders are simple. Get in. Gather the intel on the terrorist organization. Get out. Then he meets Mariska, the daughter of the alien enemy general. She’s beautiful, innocent of any atrocities, and marked for death by her own father. Disobeying orders from Cy-Ops, … orders from Cy-Ops, Kai abandons his mission to defend her.
Now Cyber Operations and the terrorists are on their tail. Can a rogue cyborg outrun them all to save the woman he has come to love?
Cyborg Rogue was previously titled Mated with the Cyborg.
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My blogging partner read the first book in this series and it put the author and series on my radar. I love a good cyborg romance with a strong amount of action and intrigue. I took the chance that I could jump in with book two and it ended up working out with brief references to the hero from book one.
The story starts out with Kai Andros, a Terran cyborg, deeply embedded in a shadow ops mission on the space station of an alien terrorist race. He is thought to be the bodyguard android of the general’s youngest daughter, Mariska. It is the best chance anyone has gotten so far to infiltrate and gain intel on the terrorists that will hopefully lead to gaining the location of the race’s enigmatic and powerful leader. So far his mission hasn’t produced any significant information. The girl is just a mission until he learns what her evil father plans for her.
Mariska is a pariah amongst her people and an embarrassment to her own father. Her physical deformities are kept hidden behind head scarves and she is hidden away. Her lonely existence changes when her father calls her to him and tells her that he is sending her to another race as a concubine in exchange for the possibility of establishing a base in the other race’s territory. Mariska is excited to finally have the chance to make her father proud and maybe be accepted so she eagerly embraces her new circumstances.
Kai knows that the mission is critical and that one woman’s life against the potential of many lives saved shouldn’t be considered. But knowing the fate of this innocent young woman weighs on him particularly since her own father is the one sending her to her painful death. Kai may be cyborg, but he is still also very human. He chooses to defy his orders and save Mariska. He will now be hunted by friend and foe. But as he gets to know Mariska, he knows it is worth it.
Alright, so this is fairly typical of its type- sexy cyborg soldier, vulnerable woman, a mission, exciting battles, the rescue, the forbidden passion and romance- yep, all good. I eat this stuff up.
But that said, the author took the time to develop the world around this pair and give them backstories with depth. Kai has knocked around the galaxy and seen it all. He stays pretty open-minded about stuff until he encounters a race that aren’t just narrow-minded but insist it is their way or else. Mariska totally drank the Kool-Aid about her own race and culture even if it’s oppressive and many suffer under the regime. She isn’t cruel and hasn’t harmed anyone, but she believes that she deserves no better. Honestly, the situation was something going on in our world right now- religious extremists, terrorism, opposing ideals…ring a bell? And this does play a strong role in the story.
Mariska is a bit of an innocent because of being kept ignorant and sheltered, but the one piece of education she does get? Seduction and pleasure. Oh yeah, Kai wasn’t disappointed by how well she learned those lessons.
And Kai, he’s an honorable soldier and loves what he does, but he has a crisis of conscience when he must choose between his mission and Mariska’s certain death. He is exciting and passionate- the total hero who will take the consequences for his actions, protect the innocent, and fight hard. He is good for Mariska because he challenges her thinking without being intentionally cruel. He has great camaraderie with his fellow cyborg soldiers. Incidentally, I would love to get Dale’s story.
So, I was well pleased by this cyborg romance and would definitely read more of the series. Those who enjoy encountering alien races, strong sexy cyborg soldiers, and passion amongst the stars should give this one a go.
Ms. Bristol has done it again! I love this story. This is my first Men of Mettle book and it won’t be my last.
Addictive and exciting, this book is! An amazing story, this book was hard to put down, I actually read it in one sitting, I just couldn’t stop! The plot is full of depth, emotion, and action, and the story unfolds so naturally, that you just can’t leave it alone. The characters are easily some of the easiest to connect with as they deal with the evil general that is leading the terrorists of the galaxy. He hates his daughter and helps to ostracize her among their people by continually remarking on her ugliness. They live in a violently misogynistic society and she’s just happy for any scrap of attention that she can get. Then there’s the cyborg spy, and when I thought the climax of the story happened, it was really just leading up to all the cool action and deepening of the story. I have to say that this book was one that I overlooked but am so glad that I happened onto it in my kindle and I remember now how much I loved the book that came before it. Now I am actively looking for the next one to read next, and I am highly recommending that you read this one too. Although they are part of a series, they each read well independently too.