Ms. Dohner succeeds in redeeming the arrogant rabidly anti-human and universally disliked councilor, Zorus. Prior to this he’d become the cyborg we all loved to hate. This latest book in the cyborg seductions series is so much more than the others. Even more intense plot-wise and providing more detailed characterization. The result is a superlative novel that has become my new favorite in the series.
Charlie is a wonderful heroine, and an amazing character, resourceful, courageous and more than able to deal with the bad tempered, humorless cyborg she’s talked into rescuing, by her feckless younger brother. Charlie is a grunt, a techie who designed the security features for the facility where Zorus has been held. Zorus has been scheduled for dissection; since he won’t give up any information to his captors, they are determined to find out how cyborgs managed to override their original programming by performing an autopsy. Charlie’s daring rescue and the ensuing banter between herself and Zorus is worth the price of the book itself.
From Charlie’s background the reader gets more information on this futuristic world, and I for one, found my appetite whetted for more. Like Coal in the previous book, Zorus has good reason to hate humans, especially human females. It is a credit to Ms. Dohner’s incredible writing skills that the romance isn’t rushed, but is perfectly paced. Zorus is transformed by love, but it is completely credible. The other cyborgs are not only incredulous at this turn around, but one cyborg in particular is convinced that Charlie has managed to brainwash or reprogram Zorus; causing more than minor problems for Charlie. Though there are many writers providing material for those of us who can’t get enough of alpha males whose only soft side is reserved for the women they love, Ms. Dohner’s writing is in a class of its own. Something to do with her way of combining great storytelling with blistering eroticism.
For those of you who’ve been following the series, it just keeps getting better. If there are any fans of paranormal romance who have been hiding out in a cave and have never heard of Ms. Dohner, look up her books at Ellora’s Cave publishing and start with RAL'S WOMAN, you are in for a treat.
