Review: 4 out of 5 stars - Red Hot Books
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2013
I’ve read some other stories from this author but I can honestly say this short story is my favorite so far. Although this takes place in a world where other stories of Desconians have been penned by Clark there’s no reference to say that this must be read as part of a series. For your own enjoyment you might want to but I understood this storyline and the characters just fine as a standalone.On Descon, in a galaxy far far away, mail-order bride Kimberley arrives from Earth on her wedding day only to be told that her promised marriage has been cancelled. Royal guard Ewin was sent to protect the Earth women from unwanted attention and has to break the news of the broken engagement to Kimberley.Empathetic towards the abandoned Kimberley, Ewin takes her home to stay with he and his husband Dayved. Knowing that she’s not going to be able to stay with them forever, Kimberley nonetheless begins to develop romantic feelings for the couple. I really, really like angst and Kimberley had quite a bit but it didn’t feel over done; matter of fact, I thought it was very appropriate for the position that she found herself in. She’s away from home, she has no money after spending all of it to travel to the new planet, she’s doesn’t know anyone on Descon, she had so many negatives that I could see how self-doubt could take a bit and be almost impossible to shake. What I really liked about Kimberley was that there was quite a difference in her beginning and by the end of the story; a lot of growth and self-confidence.Ewin and Dayved were an interesting couple because when they met Kimberley they were not looking for a third, it was purely by accident (fate if you must) that Ewin was present at Kimberley’s arrival. They found that even though they were not looking for a bride, Kimberley was their perfect match.The sex between these three was hot - there was an anal scene that seemed out of place in the sequence of events but other than that both the sex and the story were really good.Happy Reading folks!Rating: BRating posted at www.redhotbooks dot com