Review: Empath and Barbarian Warlord, sparks fly
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
I picked this book up on a whim.  Claire is and eMpath eXtreme ( MX).  Koda is a barbarian Warlord.  The MX women are "rented" out to customers so that they can read people's emotions during business dealings, etc, to see if the other party is playing fair.  But the MX women always have a handler with them.  MX women are treated by the Conglomeration as pieces of chattel, they are kept in cells, kept drugged, and are subject to the most strict rules and regulations. They are regulated to the point that they don't even think for themselves, that is why they have Handlers.Claire has been rented by Koda, but she is going alone without her handlers.  Left with the Barbarians, with no Handler in sight.  Claire cannot figure out what is going on.The Conglomeration feels that the MX women are dangerous, and have decided to "terminate" the MX program, along with all the women in it.  Claire's handler has sold her to Koda to keep her aliveWhat follows is an interesting story about the interaction between Claire and Koda, and I think a deeper look into how prejudicial society can be when up against something that they don't quite understand.  I guess that I couldn't give this a 5 star rating, since I just did not get Claire.  Oh, I got Koda,, he is a big, bad Alpha Warlord.  I really would like to see where this series could go, and will probably buy the next book.  The author has given us intriguing peeks at the other warlords, and 2 of the other MX women. Also a peek into what happens when two MX women put their powers together.  Overall it really was a good book