Mercenaries

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 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