Monday, June 13, 2011

Review Staked by Sandra Edwards

Title: Staked (Time Brokers #1)
Author: Sandra Edwards
Source: Requested Review
Genre: Paranormal Romance - vampires
Format: eNovella, 76 pgs
Release Date: May 24, 2011
Author Website


Staked Book Cover


Ava Valentine is a time-traveling bounty hunter from the distant future. She's chased her fugitive back to present-day New York City, where she hopes her new contact will lead her to an uneventful capture. What she's not expecting is to get mixed up with a man she suspects is a vampire.

Dexter Stone is a mysterious soldier of fortune. He holds an allegiance to few, and has a reputation for selling out anyone if the price is right. His word is good though, and once he chooses a side, it'll take more than monetary gain to sway him to the other.

A run-in with an unsavory person from Ava's past forces the pair into an uneasy alliance. And soon, Ava will discover that she could be Stone's saving grace-or his downfall.

Bat Divider

Rating -
a pack howl

Sexual -
Flirty

My Review:

Staked, the first in Edwards' new Time Brokers paranormal romance series, includes vampires, a legend, bounty hunters, time brokers, aliens, "damned vampire voodoo shit", Chakra energy and an unwanted attraction.

As a short eNovella, this story whets your appetite for what is in store in the future for Ava, Mickey, Stone and Lucien.

Ava, a 29th century time traveling, half Karellian half Mortal, bounty hunter, is in the 21st century after a bounty along with Mickey, her apprentice and karate black belt, where she needs to meet up with her new contact while hoping not to run into Lucien, her ex, a full blooded Karellian with excellent tracking skills. He has occasionally stolen a bounty from her as she has stolen his. He plays dirty when it comes to finding and taking in a bounty.

Dexter Stone, Ava's new contact for this bounty, was an unknown and that makes her nervous. When she meets him in the bar, she strongly suspects he is a vampire. Who/what could make her lose her composure and make her want him like that - granted he was very sexy and handsome - but this, and he, was gonna be trouble. She is sure he is using some kind of vampire spell on her, there is just no way she'd feel like this toward a vamp.

At first, as with many novellas, it was a little hard to get into the story with so much going on and so little space to explain it all. But after a few chapters, it drew me in and kept me captivated until the heartbreaking ending. While there is a sensual background to the story, there is no real time during the fast paced action for any of the romance and attraction to ramp up to sex.

While there is no HEA in this story, the stage has been set for a great series and a riveting paranormal romance in future books and novellas. One could also wonder if this might be the "how they met" prequel type novella for a lasting series.

Paranormal romance fans who don't care for Sci-Fi need not worry about the Sci-Fi taking over the story. I think fans of both genres, as well as the vampire genre, will enjoy this.

WildAboutBones

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